I know Leggs, he & I have talked about it...  he doesn't run every morning & he doesn't mind switching up the routine.  So, I just need to set a plan to get up & go.  No more excuses!  Thanks for the kick in the rear!  ha ha

Still doing great!  I can fit back into some of my clothes!  Yay!  When I first started working out, I would even wear a compression tshirt under my workout shirt so that no one could see my rolls!  Now, I am able to wear just my workout shirts.  Still have a long way to go, yet I am on the right Highway!!!

Hope all of my buddies are having a wonderful day! ~S

Sassy,

LOVE your 'Highway' quote! I may have to steal that!! LOL

I had a great Cardio workout this morning...hit a true '10'! It was awesome! I an really getting into a good routine of working out first thing in the morning...and my body wants to! The only problem is that I am ready to go back to bed at 10:00 AM...LOL! But hey, we all take care of our bodies differently, right?

Have a great day everyone...and stay strong!!

Leggs

Hey Legs and Sassy ~ glad to hear you gals are doing great and feeling and seeing the change.  I am having great success this round, but I too am still tired.  I've got to figure out how to get all that energy flowing.  I have to do my workouts in the morning or they will haunt me all day and then life gets in the way.  I am in week 3 so hopefully next week I will start to feel the energy.    Having all this snow and snow days are really throwing off my schedule too so that could be a factor.  I am really looking forward to Day 84.  Someone said in another forum - 12 weeks is gonna come no matter what, and its true. You might as well do something about it ;)

Have a great day!

Hi all

Home gym now usable - yippee!

Lori is such an inspiration for me too

Challenge #3 starting tomorrow (I wanted to have Friday as free day so starting officially on Saturday - still eating well and exercising in the meantime).

In between clothes - maternity stuff now too big (yay) but pre-maternity stuff still too small (eek).  I don't understand why - I did the programme properly for the first 10 weeks and I DID lose 5cm from my hips but nothing like the first time I tried BFL.  I am determined NOT to buy any in-between clothes.  I'm just going to stick with it to force myself to lose the inches.

Thanks for all your support.  I was going to eat some chocolate cake I found in the freezer but I think I'll leave it now.  I don't need it.

Hey, does anyone else have the problem of people telling them they don't need to lose weight?  I wear baggy clothes to disguise the bits I don't like but because I've got really skinny shoulders and ankles, I constantly get that comment (especially from people who are bigger than me and really could lose a few pounds).  I'm sick of having to explain that I DON'T fit ready-made clothes.  I'm a seamstress by trade but I don't have time to go to the fabric store to find there is no fabric I like so I have to settle for something I don't really like and then make something which in the end costs twice as much as the stuff on the racks!

Ok - enough rambling from me.  I know I'm going to feel more positive once I start using the weights again (I just don't get the exercise high from the Wii Fit - it's hard and definitely working but I just don't enjoy it like I do the weights bench).

Hugs to all of you for all your support!  Kree :-)

Kree,

I think alot of people don't get the whole BFL thing...unless they've decided they need a change and are 'ready' for the challenge. I also think they don't get the whole 'skinny-fat' thing. I have a good friend who is overweight, knows I'm doing the program...complimented and encouraged me in the first few weeks. Now that I've lost 10 lbs. and am regaining my 'shapely figure' as my husband puts it, she acts like she doesn't even notice. My thought is how could she not? It is kind of hurtful that she has not acknowledged or complimented me on my progress so far. My only conclusion is that she is jealous! I would just blow these people off (their attitude I mean)...you do not have to justify or explain your choice to make yourself strong and healthy! When they see your fantastic body when you have accomplished your goals...and you WILL, they will say "hey.. maybe she's got something here...maybe I should check it out". That's my take anyway.

On another note...Don't you LOVE having a home gym?? Mine is not fancy...all I have is a treadmill, free weights, and a balance ball. I used to go to my local gym, but that was kind of a pain, and working out at home eliminates all of the excuses...snow days...sick children, etc.

You're doing GREAT Kree...you WILL accomplish your goals...keep going STRONG!

Leggs

Thank you for the encouragement guys!  It is so funny how we all change rolls almost daily!  One of us may be positive one day & then need the most encouragement the next!  I had a really bad day yesterday, so you ladies (leggs, kree & peeps) made me smile!  I was STARVING all day yesterday, it seems!!!  To top it off, I missed my workout because work messed up my schedule!!!  But, today I have a much better outlook!  It might not sound like it, but I do.

I was so mad last night.  I even took a bite of a cupcake & ate some McD french fries!!!!  Only a few off my son's plate...  but, I still gave in, uggghhh!  Oh well, I am OVER IT today!  Why is it that I have been doing FABULOUS & then all of a sudden I was having cravings like CRAZY???!!!  I guess it may have been the stress of yesterday or something.  I even think it may have been b/c I did not drink enough water!  What ever it was, it needs to BE GONE! lol  OK, enough...  MOVING ON!!!

I know what you mean Kree, so many people say that stuff to me too.  (I am the fattest "little" girl by far!!)  It may be that we just know how to hide it well & what not to wear!!!  Also, some of those people who say that stuff would love to look as good as we do right now in the condition that we are in!

It wasn't until I showed others my before & after photos (back on my 1st challenge yrs ago) that some friends would say, "I didn't realize you had that much to get rid of!"

Don't worry about it.  Just stay focused & talk to all of us on here who totally understand and "get it!"

To be extraordinary (look like a fitness model!) we have to take "extraordinary" steps!  Focus, Dedication, Planning, & Implementation to a "Life Style" is beyond the norm in our society.

IT WILL BE SO WORTH IT!!!  Stay strong!  We will have extraordinary results & hopefully we might even inspire some of those people who need it!  : )

Thank you again for being my friends!!!  

Hey Sassy, Leggs, Kree, BFL'ers,

Another week and we are still here doing it, Yay!!  It's been a pretty good week for me, I am hurting all over and thats a good thing.  Kree I totally hear ya on the people that have nothing good to say.  I hear it all day at work, you look fine, you're over doing it, should you be working out that much..and yes, its usually from those that just dont get it, and are too lazy to get up and do something for themselves.  You're right Leggs, they are jealous, and when we are done and look great they're gonna realize that I guess we knew what we were doing after all.   Sassy forget about yesterday, today is a new day, and tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.  I have been snowed in twice this week and feel that boredom grazing thing going on inside of me, but I have locked myself upstairs and not going in the kitchen unless its meal time.  It's definitely a struggle.  This week I have been craving numerous things, chocolate, baked goods, you name it.  It's tough when its THAT week, how do you gals manage? I will probably buy or bake some of the things I've been craving for tomorrow but I hate to use a full cheat day, it just seems wrong.  we'll see, who knows by tomorrow it could be a completely different story.  

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Peeps...get yourself some really good Dark Chocolate (for that Free Day)! My favorite is (organic) Chocolove 61%dark (www.chocolove.com ). If you can't find it at your grocery store than check the local health food stores. My husband likes to chew it up, but I like to take one square and just let it melt in my mouth...yumm. Ok, now I'M craving it...LOL! I was thinking of making some hot chocolate the other day, with baking cocoa, skim milk, and Purevia (stevia sweetener). Haven't done it yet though. When it's 'my week', I tend to go for the salty stuff more, but definitely the sugar too! It is very hard!

Have a great weekend and good Free Day. Drink extra water and that might keep you from overindulging too much.

Leggs

Hello all, Day-5,  Today went good,  worked out early this morning, had a good shake, nice lunch, resisted Sheppards pie, so I passed my first real test, lol

Days-3+4 were good as well, I was off work both days, and found it was harder to space my meals out not being at work (I think this is because work moves at a fast pace, I lose track of time) Any rate, I hope you all have a great weekend.

Thanks guys - I was thinking that mostly it was just others being too lazy or jealous that I'm where they want to be (why would anyone want to be unfit????), but I guess I just needed to know that other's think that too.

Sassy, I heard (I think it was Lorig who said it on another thread) that when you are getting those uncontrollable cravings it means you're about to drop a pound so it's really worthwhile hanging in there and trying so very hard to not cheat - I can vouch for this totally as it happened to me.

Leggs, I do love my home gym.  We have a cross trainer, olympic-standard weights multi gym thing (coz my husband was too heavy for standard ones and we decided to splurge and get something that would last) and a TV in there so we can play music DVDs.  I have a gym ball, but haven't blown it up for ages - will have to do that.  The Wii Fit is used most though unfortunately because the other stuff is in the shed out of the house and hubby is away during the week for the next 2 years.  I can't in good conscious leave my 4yo asleep in the house while I spend an hour heaving weights.  If only there were a way to connect the two so that if she needed me I'd know.  I can't do it after I pick her up from school because that's when her behaviour is getting really bad.

Leggs, I also love to just put a square of chocolate in my mouth and just let it melt and slide down my throat.  Hubby likes it frozen but I find it has no flavour that way.  It's just gotta be on the edge of melting :-)

Peeps, It truly is tough during THAT week.  I think though that your hot chocolate idea would be fine as there is minimal fat and no sugar.  Personally, I HATE sugar substitutes and refuse to use them.  Lately, I've been making banana smoothies with ice, ripe banana, a little honey, soya milk and protein powder.  Sometimes I put frozen berries in when I've got them (noting it's summer in Aus).  That quells the sugar cravings and I don't feel like I've cheated even with the honey.

Lisa - any wedding pics yet?  I can't wait to see how gorgeous you were on your special day !

I'm still groaning when I go to do my Wii Fit exercises.  They're hard work (I'm using EA Sports Active2 with the heart rate monitor on medium) but I hate doing them...  I've always hated any sort of aerobics stuff and sometimes the rubber band thingy doesn't work for me and I end up swearing at the TV because it keeps telling me to stand still and I AM!  Going to do a weights session this afternoon to sort myself out :-)

Got DD to take a pic of me this morning (after my Wii Fit workout though) so that will be my day #1 as hubby decided to make free day Saturday so we can go out for brunch.  That will end up McDonalds probably as it's more suitable to take a 4yo there than somewhere fancy and we really don't have the dollars to go fancy anyway.  Still, a nice muffin, mediocre coffee and a toasted sandwich is always nice :-)

I guess my biggest problem is that because I have my own chooks, I don't like throwing away the yolks.  My chookies are true free rangers.  They have heaps of space, I keep their water, nests and coops really clean and they get lots of veges.  These eggs are the best I've ever eaten.  That said, I like to have an omelette with 2 egg whites and one yolk (plus home-grown organic chives and parsley) and it's STILL yellow-er than if I'd used 2 full eggs from anywhere else.  I put my omelette on top of a piece of wholegrain toast spread only with Dijon mustard.  Sooooo tasty.

Ok, my rant I guess is done.  Time for a home-made fish pie (no pastry) lunch.

Kree...do you still have your baby monitor? I would use that if I were you, that way you can hear her if she wakes...just a thought...

Hi, I'm just reading through some of these posts to get the motivation to start BFL again.  How did things go for you?  I took the challenge in 2001 and lost 35# and felt great.  Three years later I had a baby and have never lost the weight.  I have been up and down on the scale and on and off with weight training.  I dread cardio.  I stuck to the plan strictly for 10 weeks about 3 years ago and did not lose more than a few pounds.  I was so discouraged.  My doctor said it was because I was getting older.  Now I am convinced in my mind that my body is resistant to weight loss.  I have tried lo carbs with some success, but can't keep it up for long.  I do not want to invest all that this program demands and not see results.  I wish I had the faith that it would work for me.

Hey everyone!!

i'm back...i'm off task...it's so frustrating.  I did good sun, mon, tues, wed, thur (didnt work out)..and then friday it started.  My daughter's Lupus has been flaring up a little and she has had some issues with bleeding and stuff...long story short, after her sonogram on friday, we stopped at the icecream shop...and there the weekend binge started.  My 40th bday was saturday, so that was a day full o' crap...and then sunday, all the leftovers were laying around...brownies, cake, cupcakes, ....so, the birthday weekend continued.  

Today I worked out with the trainer and was ashamed to admit my naughtiness, but i did. so, today i have been good.  I jogged a mile and half before we did our 1 hr training session....i'm feeling strong on the treadmill..i'm just not getting the BFL workouts like prescribed.

leggs~good job on staying on top of your workouts!! are you taking vitamins?

sassy~ you sure seemed energetic the other day!! pB&J on rice cake???? hmmm, interesting. im gonna have to look at lor's profile.   i need reinspiration...430am!  eek...that would be early...ive been waking up at 520 to be at the gym by 6...i like the early morning workout, otherwise, it doesnt get done. still getting used to "swipe"...yes, love my android..but love the larger battery even more.  i used to not be ab,le to get thru the day without charging...now, it stays charged til i go to bed at night.  good job on losing the under clothes to work out...i actually bought a pair of size 16s last sunday.  before i started i was pushing into 22s...i do NOT want to be there ever again.

peeps~ snow would definitely mess my schedule up...but then, no excuses right?? im the same way about morning workouts. you know, i always feel like *** if i dont work out....or when i eat bad...so why do i do it? ugh, hate them cravings...how do you not use a whole cheat day? do you just do a cheat meal?

hey kree~challenge 3?? wow...did you do any active rest? one forum said 1-2 wks of active rest will do wonders between challenges. i lost a few poundds during active rest, and was able to get back on...but then the vacation, wedding, holidays happened....anyway. good job on your completed challenges...we just have to remember, body for "life"..not Body for 12 weeks, right?  i wish people would tell me i dont need to lose weight...ha!!  must be nice!!! no wedding pics on here...anybody on facebook? theres some on there...heheheh!

GALOF~ howdy!!!  welcome!  i refuse to believe that you age wont let you lose what you need to lose. you have to do 12 weeks, not 10....you/we need to do 24 weeks, not 20....ya know.  i mean, if you workout, eat right, drink your water, follow the program...the math will add up.  this is long term...(gosh, why cant i listen to myself most of the time)...you have to just keep on keepin on...i mean, overall, im 20 or so pounds lighter.....and i can run 1.5 miles without stopping...and my clothes fit better...have you checked your thyroid? whats your starting point? goals? cardio is a necessary evil...i total veg out when i jog...its therapeutic....( i think you just breathed some life in me!)...thanks for showing up!  keep reading...and look at before and afters...look at YOUR before and afters...and now your new "befores"...do ya like what you see?? you can do this...the whole point is to live a healthy life...we all deserve that...

talk about rambling...sorry, missed yall!

i'm back! i hope to stay back!

Lisa

hey seth! how are things going?? you staying strong??checked out your profile...you can do it, man! for real...just work the program....and success will be yours...

Leggs - I gave my baby monitor away ages ago.

Galof - Don't give up hope.  Sometimes you are just trading weightloss for muscle and it pretty much evens out (that's what happened to me 10 years ago when I did BFL the first time).  I hear you though because I stacked on the weight after I had my baby and it's stubborn.  It's nothing to do with age.  Some people's bodies just hold onto their fat harder than others and women are particularly prone to stubborn fat because that is how we are made.  I decided for challenge #2 (just completed) that I wasn't going to get hung up on the weight issue ( I ended up at my 9mth preg weight - eek!) but figured if I do the program and stick with it, I'll FEEL better and the dress size will just HAVE to follow so I'm doing this for ME and as long as I make any progress, that's what counts.  As Lisa said, this is Body For Life, not Body for 12-Weeks (thanks Lisa - love it :-D)

Lisa, I'm on Facebook - I'll send you a PM with my addy if you want to look me up.  I went out to lunch today with a friend who NEEDS BFL.  Of course, she chose Maccas partly because she like fries but also because it's easier with her child as there is a playground.  I ended up just getting a coffee (no sugar) and a low-fat muffin.  When I got home, I had a couple of rice cakes with tuna.  I ran out of money before Christmas and haven't been able to stock up on protein bars.

My confession - tomorrow is Australia Day (I guess kind of like Independance Day???) and it's traditional to eat sausages, bread, meat pies with sauce etc.  I don't want my little girl to miss out on a day that is just so Aussie!  We both have Australia flag swimsuits, matching "True Blue Aussie Chick" t-shirts, Aussie flag towel, tea-towel, oven mitts, hats, etc and meat pies with tomato sauce for lunch.  I'm just not going beat myself up on having an extra free meal - I'm sure that no American missed out on Thanksgiving!

Anyways ladies and Seth, keep at it.  Body For Life :-)