Hi everyone ! Happy Saturday ! I'm also a May 16th start person ! Glad to see there is another thread. Karey-listening or reading your blurb about the thai food and fro yo is making me want some ! today is my free day. Ironically, I am also going out on a girls night tonite ! I think I may get some fro yo before hand. :)

Hope the rest of you are having a great weekend so far. Today is my weigh in day and down 5.2 pounds so far ! I was so excited this morning...tired from no sleep last night but still jumping up and down regarding the loss. I figured i would gain because of the time of the month issues...anyway, i'll take it !  Cheers to a great weekend and a motivated next week !!

Runnergirl - Hi!!  Congrats on the loss, woohoo!!  :)  Yay for a girl's night too!  What are you going to be doing?  We went for the awesome Thai food and saw the movie "Bridesmaids"... it's hilarious!!  Normally it would be my free day today too, but I already spent it on the girls night on Thursday.  Boo.  Oh well.  Hope you enjoy some fro-yo and your girls' night!  :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend!  I just finished working, and have the day off tomorrow, so let the weekend begin!!  :)  

Hi Karey! Thanks ! Can you believe that we were supposed to see the same movie ! Wow, our friends are on the same wavelength!  I had a good time Sat :) Hope you had a good weekend as well ! :)

So how is everyone doing this monday ! Week 4 has begun. Hope everyone is on track and focused to have a great week!

Happy Monday, everyone, and welcome to week 4!!!  If you haven't been (obsessively) measuring and/or weighing yourself, now is the time to chart your progress!  And, NO guilt or negative thoughts allowed!

Okay, so I'm over being miffed at myself for cheating a little last week.  It is a lesson learned, to be sure, that I can't yet trust myself with these trigger foods (ah-hem... doritos!), but this is part of the process for me.  I usually somehow manage to convince myself that I can become one of those girls who can eat whatever, whenever, and be okay (even though I know in my heart of hearts that it is such a LIE!), but I'm trying to stop the cycle of insanity right now.

I took my kids swimming for a couple of hours yesterday, and it was such a good experience.  They always have fun at the pool, and I can't wait until they are confident enough to be there with their friends and not feel ashamed of their bodies.  I hope they will continue to stick to the program when school lets out this week.  I wasted my 20's and half my 30's being overweight and grossed out by my body, I want them to feel confident enough to get out and LIVE in theirs!  And I want to be confident enough to not run away from the camera, effectively REMOVING myself from the album of their lives.  One step at a time!

I am glad you girls enjoyed your evenings out, you deserve them!  Sandy, how did your event go?

Trudging along, half an inch at a time,

Amy

Hi guys!  Congrats on reaching week 4!!  Whoohoo!!  :)  

I just finished my LBWO, feeling great!  I have to say that I'm so proud of everyone and very proud of myself for staying on course.  I'm proud of myself for being prepared and planning ahead to avoid slip ups and even making it through my workouts uninterrupted (had some major tattoo work done on a large part of my upper right arm - was VERY sore).  If you want something badly enough, nothing will get in your way.  :)

Runnergirl - That's too funny that it was the same movie!  Loved that movie, so funny!  Glad you had a good time out w/the girls!  :)

Amy - No guilt or negative thoughts here!!  I haven't measured or weighed yet... I KNOW I'm making progress and seeing positive changes in my body, fitting in clothes that were tight, etc... just not sure if I want to go and get on the scale yet.  It can be so discouraging sometimes.  

I'm glad the swimming w/the kids was a good experience.  :)  Sounds like you want such good things for them and I think that's wonderful.  I hope you all stick w/it and will all see the changes you want.  We all deserve to be happy and confidence in our bodies.  We'll get there!  :)

Here's a happy tuesday update for ya!  It is week 4, and I measured everyone yesterday (hadn't measured the guys since beginning wk 2), and here are the results:

Dear Daughter is in the lead, having lost 7 scale pounds, but a whopping 24 (yes that's right!) inches!She is more than a little miffed that a few of those came from her chest (lol)...

Dear Son has lost 6 lbs, and 10 inches total (4 being from his belly!), and can fit back in last summer's shorts!

Dear Hubby has lost almost 10 lbs (rotten men can always lose faster than us), and about 11 inches.

I have lost 8lbs, and about 15 inches (and the thing to remember here is, I am relying mainly on diet, b/c of my foot, so that's pretty cool!)...  Anyway, when I get discouraged with my perceived lack-of-loss, I have to remind myself that I can't expect to have typical BFL results w/out being able to follow the exact BFL workout plan.  Duh!

Karey: I'm so proud of you!

Runnergirl: Congrats on the loss!

Everyone else, kudos on making it to week 4!  If we stick together, we can rock this challenge:)

Amy

Hey Sandy.....welcome to BFL. I also am a 50pluser and have had great results doing the program. Feel free to check out my profile. I strongly recommend/encourage you to stay off the scale. My last challenge I weighed myself on day 1 and not again until day 84. This program will build muscle along with fat loss and the scale cannot tell the difference. Let your pants and belts be your measuring stick. All the best.....and congrats on your marriage!!

Welcome Runner Girl (Ooo I love that name) and fit4 life.  You have found an excellent and supportive group.   Congrats to all for starting week 4!  Remember that a rock with momentum moves much easier than one at rest.  Keep moving!!!

Amy, Congrats on the family loss.  You should count and post the total pounds lost and total inches as well.  Tell your daughter I think I lost a lot in my chest too, but that was nice because before that I could not run, cause my chest was too big.  Now I run to keep fit.  The fastest (and most interesting) way to burn.  I got a little miffed cause of stress eating and that glass of wine, but I'm over it now and we keep moving forward.  I think the thing is to recognize your triggers.  Then you have to start working on them.  I know, easier said than done.

Karey,  We love girl's night out!  It's always good to have fun and congrats for not taking 2 days off.  Congrats on working out through the sore arm.  I have a job interview tomorrow really early, so I have to make sure I do my workout at 8:30pm when I get home.  No fun, but I am determined to make it through the 12 weeks.  Needless to say, the job situation is part of the stress eating.  

I did lose 5 pounds.  The scale I have is supposed to measure fat too and that seems to be working (for the day anyways)  My goal for this 12 weeks is to go from 34% BFI to less than 25%.  I am now at 29%.  But, it fluctuates, so Im  not sure how well the scale really works.  I do feel better and my pants fit better.

I've been doing really good with the meal planning and I even wore my sports bra in public again.

Congrats all for making it this far.  Keep up the good work.

Hey girls!  Hope you've all had a good day!  So, I got on the "evil" scale this morning out of curiosity... lost 6 pounds so far.  Was too lazy to measure.  I did try and test my body fat % w/my Omarion, but it was up a little bit!?  Weird.  I'll probably do it w/the caliper next time... I've done both when I started.  I'm thinking of upping my calorie intake a bit more to see if that speeds anything up.

Had a really good HIIT workout this morning... got creative and whipped out my step stool and did some step exercises, lunge kicks, and punches, alternating back and forth.  It was a sweaty one!  :)  My legs are feeling it.  Switching up my UBWO a bit for tomorrow, so hopefully that will go well.  

Amy - WOW!!!  WTG on you and your families progress!!!  It shows that hard work definitely pays off!  I'm envious of your results.  I haven't cheated or strayed from the program at all, but I feel like my results should be a bit better than they are.  I'm trying to keep in mind that I don't have a ton to lose, but it's still a bit disappointing.  I'm so happy for you though, congrats on the good work!!  Keep it up!  :)

Himmehill - Woohoo, congrats on your loss!!  :)  Great work!  I have one of those Tanita scales that measures body fat % too, but I don't think I trust it.  I usually use my electronic handheld thing, or the caliper to check.  The one on the scale seems to fluctuate a bit and seems high compared to the others.  Yay for pants fitting better!  :)  Mine too!  Woohoo, to rockin the sports bra again!  You go girl!!  Keep up the good work!

Good morning, Lifers!  So proud of everyone's progress.  And welcome to the crew, runnergirl & fit!  I think you'll like it here!

I had a doctor's appointment, and always dread the ominous '(witch) doctor's scales', which for whatever reason NEVER match my home scales, but guess what?  Down 5.2 lbs, according to the crazy thing!  Of course, that's since my last visit there (in March), and I had gained about 5 more pounds between that visit and my BFL start date, so that's 10 lbs!  Still 50 to lose, but little miracles are STILL miracles, right?

Karey, I'm really proud of your progress.  Your stick-to-it-iveness is an inspiration to all.  It IS harder to lose when you don't have as much to lose, so 6 lbs for your frame is a lot, plus you're probably carrying a lot more muscle now, too.  Your clothes will be hanging off before long!

Himmehill,  it certainly takes guts to rock the sports bra.  I saw a lot of people sporting the spandex and sports bra when we were in San Fran over Christmas, and I was just green (with envy, that is... here in WV when you see someone in spandex, it is usually not NEARLY as pretty, and if it were ME in spandex and a sports bra, people would be green for an entirely different reason lol ;)  ...  But, that is eventually my goal!  I will pass along the chest info, she's not a fan of the running, but I think she'll adapt once I'm cleared to give it a go again.  We used to run together before my back injury, and it was bearable at least for her.

Sandy, how did your event go?

I was really proud this morning.  I had planned to do my UBWO after I got home tonight at 8:30, but woke at 5:00 and couldn't go back to sleep, so rocked it this morning.  It was a great way to start the day.  Especially with the job interview (I got invited back for a second interview next Wed!)

I think I am still eating too much.  I have relaxed a little more than I feel I should, but am not sure how to pull the reins in.  Just a little more yogurt than I should, topped with a little brown sugar, nuts and dried cranberries.  I know.  I should just do it.

Karey, I might get one of those hand held things if you swear by it.  I hate the one on the scale.

Good job on the HIIT!  I did 40 minute run in the 92 degree Ohio heat!  I think mixing up the workouts really helps your muscles stay confused.

Amy, sounds like all is going good for you and the family.  Any exercise is good exercise.  When do you think you will get cleared?

Good job on another day.  We are making progress!

Lori

Hey girls!  Happy hump day!  Hope everyone is having a good day.  For some reason I've felt "off" all day... just really sluggish and tired.  I wasn't able to do my workout until this afternoon.. unless not getting it in the morning made a difference?  Maybe just lack of sleep... who knows.  Anyway, did the UBWO and my arms are starting to feel it.  Love that!  :)

My husband and I went out for mexican food for dinner, but I kept on track... scoped out the menu ahead of time online, calculated the calories and knew exactly what I was getting - a chicken salad minus the shell (that's the killer!) and no dressing.  It was awesome... lots of salsa, light sour cream and light cheese, some guac... yummy.  :)  

Amy - Great job on the loss and beating the doc's evil scale!  HATE the dr's scales.  You're definitely well on your way to being a buff babe!

Lori - Great job on getting your UBWO in this am!!  It's such a great feeling to get it in right away in the am, but it's tough for me to get up early enough to do the weights... cardio isn't as bad since it's only 20 mins, but even that is tough for a non-morning type girl like me.  ;)  Good for you on rocking it out though!  Woohoo!!  

Also, WTG on the job interview and getting a second one!!  Woo!!!  

As for the Omarion, I don't swear by it... I'm not sure if I completely believe that one either, but I also measured my BF w/the caliper and the two were pretty close.  So... guess it's fairly accurate as far as I can tell.  

I totally agree about the mixing up the workouts.  I try to keep switching what I do for my HIIT up.  Great job on that run in the heat!  Wow!  

So you think you're eating too much?  Do you know how many calories you're taking in?  I just upped mine a bit because I really don't want to be too low and screw up my metabolism or lose muscle.  Maybe you could just skip the brown sugar on the yogurt or just make sure you're measuring out the nuts since those things add up fast... dried fruit causes a lot of problems for me... I can't really keep it in the house because it's addicting and I'll eat it all like candy.  LOL

Hey guys ! Sorry I'm late posting !! It sounds like everyone is doing awesome ! My jaw dropped when I read about all the losses .. WOW. I cannot believe it ! This program is just amazing. Anyone else feel that way. I don't know about you guys but I have NEVER lost this quickly before and/or had losses every week. It's so strange b/c I'm actually doing less cardio than before. Anyway, I'll take it regardless of the reason :) I am really feeling positive about this. I think I'm down almost 7 pounds ! The reason I sound uncertain is b/c my "official" weigh in day for myself is Sat but I always peek and seems to be down. I have not measured yet but I know alot of my clothes are fitting much better ! I'm so psyched. How many pounds does everyone wanna lose ? I want to get down to my prepreg weight so for me I set 15 pounds as my first challenge goal. But I really need to add 10 to that if I want to get back down.

Karey, good job with planning ahead ! And saying no to margaritas is a huge accomplishment ! I like taco salads minus the fried part. I had that last week myself. Our lives are just filled with parallels :) I too had the same question about whether not working out in the morning made a big difference. I also have a hard time waiting to eat until the workout since it's late sometimes..hmmm...

Lori, do u think you are craving something missing and that is why you might be eating a little more ? sometimes i notice i have hormonal fluctuations, or my body needs more carbs. How are your ratios ? maybe you aren't eating enough carbs ?

Amy, great job with the loss ! That is awesome. Must have been a good feeling ! :)

Himmehill, so impressed at your confidence to wear the sports bra. Maybe one day I will too ! I'm not there yet :(  I think it's empowering to gradually see yourself wearing smaller clothes and more revealing stuff.

Ooh, the week is almost over!  I had (yet another) doc's appt this morning, which went well.  Probably not going to be cleared for most of the summer, but he approved some light walking (good, supportive footwear, no more than 10 min at a time), but nothing with significant impact.  The ligaments and tendons are just too lax to support my weight.  He is happy with the weight loss, and I had another series of injections in my arches (umm, OW!), so hopefully by the end of this challenge I'll be able to do what I wanna do!  I hear the tennis courts calling to me every time I drive past them.  Got a killer deal on new racquets for the kids ($10, can you believe it?), so I'm psyched to get to work 'em out.

Lori- I joined this website that Sandy mentioned in an earlier post, called Sparkpeople, and it has an online calorie tracker.  It even breaks your meals down into percentages, then your foods into percentages.  It was really an eye-opener for me, and helps me keep on track a little better.  It takes a few tries to learn to navigate the site, but if you're just using the nutrition tracker, it's pretty simple.  Oh, and it's free:)  I'm supposed to be targeting between 1200-1550 calories/day, and I found that I actually ate 1600 3 days in a row!  I realize that's just 50 over the mark, but I'd feel better hanging around 1350-1400.  It's a learning process, to be sure.  You'd think I'd be catching on a little better by now!  Umm, duh, never mind, I forgot that you already use that site!  Oh well, maybe someone else needs to know about it.

Karey-  I check the online menu guides when we go out, as well!  The hardest one for me is the Mexican restaurant, though, b/c it's local and doesn't have the nutrition info.  So I just order what looks like the right thing, then take half home (it's always enough for 2, anyway!)...  The margaritas are SUCH a temptation, although I watched 'em make the frozen ones and they have to use an entire cup (yes, 1 cup) of sugar to get em to freeze.  Alcohol + sugar + Amy = sugar coma. 

Hope everyone else is staying motivated!  I'll add up family totals and post them when I measure again next week.  Back on track with my banana smoothie this morning!

Good morning everyone !! Just came back from workout and eating a protein bar while I catch up with you folks. Got my curse this morning (finally) and feeling kinda bloated :(  hoping all the exercise and healthy eating lessens the cramps over time.

Rockinmom-love that name !!  good job with the loss at the doctor's office. that's serious when it's on their scale !!  I agree with the sugar coma margarita disaster waiting to occur. I have started just drinking tequila on the rocks to avoid the sugar overload I get.

Hope you guys are having a great day.. how is everyone else doing ??

Btw, I'm going to a steak house tonite for dinner...any ideas...lean filet? grilled salmon? I'd really like to get a filet and just tell them to give me the sauce on the side. Maybe they will have a sweet potato...hmm..yummm....