Well, I've been a member at DT since December, 2002 and just until a few days ago I have never read anyones journal, so out of curosity I started reading a few and I laughed, I cried, I grieved, and I laughed some more and realized that there were actually people out there who felt just as dysfunctional as I do! Boy, this is better than The Young and the Restless but alot more therapeutic.

So as it states ladies, welcome to my life. It's going to be a bumpy ride so hang on. I'm not exactly sure how to start out with this I have never had any kind of diary/journal before in my life, except for the one as I got as a kid and my sisters would pick the cheap little lock on it and read it OUT LOUD so I never did bother writing in it. LOL But from what I read in other journals I could tell you everything and get support almost on every issue.......THIS IS GREAT!! But Oprah always said "you must journal, journal, journal"!! So here it goes.

Today I hit 233 which makes a 63 lb. weight loss so far. It would have been more if I wouldn't have been so stubborn and ate more my weight loss started slowing down around the middle of March and I didn't start loosing again until about June 22nd. But you live and learn I guess that's what is all about though. I could not have done it though without the people on here...without their kindness, compassion, understanding and knowledge I NEVER, EVER would have made it to where I am now without them.
Today sucked!! It rained most of the day and to top it all off I'm going to start my period (my stomach is grumbling) and that will make any situation happening right now seem 200 times worse than it is, I gain 5 lbs. or more, I cry really easily and I get depressed, but thank God its only for one day! But one thing that is interesting, I didn't have any kind of "emotional periods" until I started dieting and exercising!!!

I was reading in another journal that as you begin to loose weight you have emotions that might surface, something that you thought you might have dealt with a long time ago and then it begins to rear its ugly head again. I wonder why that is???? I feel so differently about alot of things now as my weight goes down.....its almost scary! You hear about people who were quite obese and loosing all their weight and just going "WILD" because they have felt like that have missed out on so much life because they were overweight for most of it. Their marriages were breaking up, their friends and even sometimes families said that they would become another person and they didn't know them anymore.....will this happen to me?? It's not in my heart to be that way, but i'm fearful of the unknown and I've never been the type person to say "never say never". Worry about today, not tomorrow. Today has enough worries.

Up until about 2 weeks ago or so, I didn't feel that good even though I was loosing weight I just didn't have the energy that most people were talking about, but its starting to "kick in" plus there is ALOT of stress in my life right now and has been for the last year and a half, but things are getting much better and I know that has something to do with your energy level also. But I am looking forward to the future and what is going to come my way concerning alot of areas of my life because there has been sooo many changes I just don't know what to expect anymore.

Boy have I jumped from subject to subject or what!!!! But enough for tday, I will check back in tomorrow.

Hi Tina:D

Congrats on your 63# so far, I know you're feeling great about that!
I love journaling, it helps a lot. Not all days are about eating, some days I'm just venting about life, hubby, kids, etc. I love it cause you suddenly have a little "clique" that seems to visit frequently and you get comfortable "talking" to them about your life, problems, etc.

I found my issues didn't hit me until I'd lost almost all my weight, I think I was concentrating so hard on the actual losing I was able to keep them buried, but then BAM! I hit about 190lbs and suddenly I was being hit in all directions with issues I'd fed, stuffed, buried, etc. And there I was having to face them and find a new way to deal with them, cause I couldn't use food anymore! That's where journaling helps big time!

And I'm glad you're starting to feel better about yourself. I know you probably look great! You've been working out and getting stronger (no choice with the PS Series!) and now you should start to appreciate those positive changes in your body. You've done something a lot of women are afraid to do, and that's weight train and impact cardio at higher weights. You bit the bullit, and you know I know how hard it is when you're heavier, but look at your results, and I bet because of the weights, you don't look like you weigh 233! So be proud of your accomplishments, you've done really well, and you set a positive example because you don't make excuses, you push yourself to make progress! You go girl!:D

Well, I'll be waiting to hear how you like CardioKicks! (insert smilie with sadistic grin!):D

I'll be back.................

Donna

Hello,

congrats on all the weight you lost so far. stress is the worst feeling to deal with. i know as i feel stressed alot.

the weight loss is a learning process and we do change somewhat after we lose but i think the majority wont go wild except maybe buying new clothes and such but emotions run high and feelings do reach a head of things we have held in and avoided dealing with. i also go through those periods of crying too. if i see a gain i get so depressed.

i have had many setbacks but i keep moving forward. i know its all i can do.

your doing so well.

take care and im glad you decided to journal. it does help.

Thanks Donna, it does feel great knowing that I'm just a little closer to my goal and I know I'll get there eventually. There has been alot of ups and downs and I've learned alot about myself emotionally and my body and how it works, and its all for the best. I'm not sure if I look 233 lbs. or not I still see myself alot of times at 296 lbs., And I think you are also right on obsessing?? on your weight while your loosing and it also takes top priority in your life most of your times, you can't stop thinking about it....especially if your not loosing then you really can't stop thinking about it! I'll let you know how Cardio Kicks goes, but it can't be as bad as Leaner Legs......please tell me it isn't, please!! I guess we will see. Talk to ya later.

Hi Minnie,
I'm sure your right most people probably don't go "wild" after loosing their weight, but I personally can't wait to go wild at the mall to get all new clothes when I finally get to a weight that I'm happy with (or close to it). I live for that day!!! One day at a time is all we can do. You've done a great job!!! Thanks for posting.

Hi Tina.
Welcome to the journals!!!!!!! i know that you will love it here, Donna is right you start to get a little group of people whom you feel really comfortable with and all sorts of issues get discussed.
i did go wild when i hit goal as Minnie said....i went wild shopping and doing all the things that i avoided due to my low self esteem. i joined the gym and am a gym junkie now...i learnt to drive...
You have done awesome so far and whatever does come up along the way i know you will handle it just fine...it is a bumpy ride at times but nothing worth having is ever easy!
hugs bell :)

Hi Tina,

I do the same thing, I see myself much bigger than I am, I still have some "fat issues" to deal with I guess. There are days I'll look at an outfit and say, "will this fit me, it looks too small!" But it fits fine, and it's not until then I say, "okay, I'm not as big as I think I am." But any given day if I just stop and look at myself in the mirror I don't see "me" now, I see "me" then! Got to work on that!

No, NOTHING is as mean and cruel as Leaner Legs aka "Meaner Legs!" CardioKicks is really, really fun, the hour speeds by, and you're drenched in sweat, even with modifying it!:D

But you are doing really great Tina and you should be proud of yourself! I don't know how many people here know just how tough Cathe's workouts are, with the exception of CJ5 and Lindasue who also do them. But just so others can get a sense of what you do for exercise, Cathe Friedrich workouts are advanced, gym style and quality workouts on video/DVD. She is tough and her workouts are tough! So Tina, you are making leaps and bounds in regards your fitness level, you may not be the weight you want yet, but I bet you're the healthiest/most fit 233lb gal on your block!:D

Donna

p.s. Not being a video pusher, but for anyone who wants to get the "jist" of what Tina's doing and how brutal her workouts are, you can check out Cathe workouts at www.cathe.com

p.s.s. Bell~they're made for you!:D

Wow Tina, great on the weight loss!
I have had the same impact on me about other's journals that you have had. How can they not touch our emotions right?
I read journals all the time.
I am trying to exerisize too while dieting.

Donna and a few others here are like Rambo's man! The things they can do I only dream of right now lol
Im lucky to do a few miles walking and a coupled 'forced upon myself' ab crunches..

Welcome to the world of journaling!

Hi Tina, :wave:

I too want to add my welcome to the Journals; many congrats on your terrific successful loss of 63 pounds ..... :cheers:

I am looking forward to reading and learning more about you. If I can ever be of any help, just let me know (either by sending me a pm .... or posting in my Journal).

I host the 100 plus Chat on Wednesday evening (lol which happens to be tonight) .. so maybe you will stop by and meet with the rest of us who are on our journey to success. Make it a great day ... Always, Monica :wn

Hi Ya Tina :wave:

WELCOME TO JOURNALS

I beleive you will find Love, compassion and understanding here. It helps along this journey of ours to a better us.

Oh and hey, When ..(WHEN) I get to 122, I am going to rip my clothes off and walk around like some hoochi mama, and other woman will hate me call me a skinny little ******! LOL :rofl:

YA RIIIIGHT!!!!! I'll just be glad to wear some shorts and not be ashamed of my thunderous legs!

;)

Hello Everyone! Did you think I died and left journal heaven? Actually, I forgot about it....but that's nothing unusual for me lately.

You guys are great! :laugh:
One of the things I was just thinking about was how much fun everyone could have if we just lived closer together.....so pack up your bags and move to Houston YEE HAWWW! I love how people come out and say whever they want to say here about whatever is on their minds, that's the way I like it, because believe me I hold nothing back, but I'm very sweet about it! :o

Bell
I can't wait to hit my goal....or even close to it and go shopping, its almost like I live for that day. But what the problem might be is I'll probably pick up a size 3x, or size 24 when I should be wearing a size 10???. I just went shopping yesterday and picked up those sizes and thank God they were too big!!! As far as joining a gym....I need to loose weight first. LOL But maybe one day I will, but I just find its easiest for me right now to workout at home. You have done fantastic, congratulations on hitting you goal!

Donna
You look absolutely fantastic and I can only dream of the day I finally get down to the 160's, you have done so well and I'm sure one day it will "click" and you will start thinking skinny (now) instead of overweight (then) when your buying your clothes.....and underwear (didn't I read something about underwear somewhere? LOL)
On days I am proud of myself and on other days (like when the scale doesn't move for days, weeks, etc.) I get depressed but I keep moving forward because I know eventually it will start moving again. I've gone too far to give up now. Thanks

Karen
It is very difficult at times to read others journals, I know their pain in areas and can only imagine the pain in other areas and feel blessed because its something I don't have to deal with on top of everything else. And I also know what you mean when you talk about Donna and the others doing things that I cannot definately do yet like scissors, and plyos?. My fat still comes to that painful, screeching halt when I do certain exercises so I just have to modify, modify, modify. But one day Karen we will be able to do those exercises also!

Monica
Thanks for the welcome! I know I'm going to enjoy it and I'm looking forward to it....and believe me your going to learn all about me, maybe more than you would like to know even....hummm. LOL I know its going to help me out emotionally to be able to "vent" about life's problems and to get support and hopefully give as much support as time goes on. I've never been in the chatroom before but I guess next Monday is a good time to start. Hope to see ya there.

Maximum
THAT'S SO FUNNY! You may not want to rip your clothes off, but maybe like everyone else in California you could start out with a thong! OH MY GOD! I could see myself now......they would have to surgically remove that piece of lycra from beneath my large butt crack, because once its in there it ain't coming out that easily!! You take care and I look forward to hearing from ya again.

Hi Tina!!

I wanted to join the others & welcome you to the journals. I just started one myself in the last few days. I think it is a great place to write what you fear most because later, you can go back and reread what you wrote. It can be an amazing way to see how much you have changed over a period of time.

I also wanted to send my congrats on your 60+ weight loss! Do you have any hidden secrets you would be willing to share with me??

Tasha

Hi Tasha!

Thanks for the welcome. I think it will be an interesting journey if I just can be a little bit better about trying to write at least something each day, but that hasn't happened yet, I'll work on it.
Nope Sweetie, no hidden secrets. I've had my struggles with plateaus and such and stopped loosing weight again so I'm trying to find out what's wrong there again!! But, if you ever do have any questions or just want to talk, I'll be glad to help in anyway I can. :)

Today was a pretty good day....I was tired, but got alot accomplished. I actually mowed the front and back lawn today, AND IT WAS HOT!! But, I got it all done and I wore my shorts so I could get a little sun and I showed the whole neighborhood my very white, Pillsbury Doh-Boy legs (and just as squishy).

I only did my weights today, I just wasn't in the mood for cardio so I blew it off completely...bad girl, but I don't do that very often so its ok with me.
The !@#$% scale is not moving again and I don't know why (could be the weights I just increased added more reps) but its been over a week and still nothing, but I'm LEARNING to be patient.

I'm STILL working on drinking more water and that's been actually more difficult than the diet. But I really need to increase that ALOT more and who knows that could even make the scale start moving again.

Until tomorrow.

:) :)

Hi Tina,

You might trying to put a slice of lemon or lime (or both) in your ice water ....

also if you like Crystal Light ..... you can have that along with your snacks ....

there are many ways to increase your water intake. Make it a great week . As always, Monica

Thanks Monica, I do add a little lemon or lime at times just for something a little different, but today was the first time I ever drank almost 100 ounces of water EVER, I had slacked on on drinking water and drank very little of it and when I got on the scale...I had gained 7 pounds from less than days ago and I nearly fell off!!! It's ok, because I think I cried it all out. LOL. The scale has been moving very slowly for me lately so I'm trying everything I can think of to get it to start moving again and my last option is water, after that I'm out of ideas. :c(

I don't have much to report today other than calories, fat, cardio, weights went as usual today. Even husband didn't get on my nerves today like he usually does!

Tina,

That is terrific 100 ounces of :water:; out of curiosity do you use www.fitday.com to compute what your caloric and nutritional intake is each day ..... I find it to be a very valuable tool ....

Also do you weigh yourself every day ....? I usually weigh myself once a week ... I think if I were to weigh myself daily ... I would get tremendously frustrated by the constant fluctuations ... as it is when I weigh myself on Wednesday .... I always try for the same time in the morning .... if I don't than I wait until the next day.

In any case , congrats on drinking 100 oz. of :water: ... lol up to the challenge of making it 108 oz. Have a great evening ... don't :tomato: SUCCESS IS SOMETHING YOU WILL ACHIEVE ... BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF As always, Monica

Hi Monica,

I do use Fitday.....I can't do without it! Yesterday we had a storm down here and our phones were messed up which meant I couldn't get online either because we have DSL and I nearly went nuts, but I did pretty well considering I didn't have that to fall back on.

Yes, I do weigh everyday and I know that's the worse thing in the world you could do, but I'm beginning to know what to expect and what not to expect, I have to admit when I gained the water weight that threw me for a major loop, but its starting to go back down again. I'm trying to drink at least 120oz of water a day but each time I take a drink I try to "force" a little bit more down to help me get that much closer to what I need.

I don't know if I have said this Monica, but you have done terrific!! Its so encouraging to see someone who was close to my weight and is now close to their goal weight it just gives me that much more of a push. Have a good day Monica and I look forward to seeing you again.

Tina, is there a reason you weigh everyday? Personally i do not feel that is productive, but it is your choice. I weighed once a week, same clothes, same time, when i got near the end of my loss (when it SLOWED WAY DOWN) I weighed once a month. if you ar ehaving plateaus that seem to come on too often you may need to add more time to you workout, slowly add five more mintues every several days, you do need to add to your workouts as time goes by, your body adjusts to what you are doing, i had to add distance and speed always and mix up my calories, i had slowed to a 1 1/2 pds loss a month towards the end, my best at the end was about 3 pds a month, i was losing 2 pds a week pretty steadily, consistancy, consistancy consistancy, i can not say that enough, that will lead you towards goal weight! good luck at goal since March '97

Hi Tina, :wave:

Way to go on all those lost pounds! You should be really proud of yourself - I know I will be once I get a few more pounds off.

I am like you, I have a daily weighing compulsion. I know it's not the most accurate way to do it, but I just can't help myself! If anyone has any tips on how they make themselves wait, I'd love to hear it!!

elivi, one suggestion, if anyone else is living in the house with you, have them put the scale away(you dont watch or dont be home when they do it) and they bring it out once a week for you to weigh. Weighing yourself like this new life journey is all about bringing new habits into your life and replacing the old habits. Just PUT the scale away, it is your life, if you want to weigh everyday, keep a running account in a notebook, so you can get a handle on your fluctuations, times you retain water, learn your body, then you wont freak out when you see ups in the scale, you will know it is normal for your body at the time........i on the other hand would be in an institution if i weighed every day...............

Hi Tina,
I have been hearing a lot about fitday from different journals. Can you fill me in a little on what it is? I am using Weight Watchers online to help keep track of my points and stuff but I am wondering if I would check out fitday as well.

I am curious like others about the having to jump on a scale daily. I am thinking that it can't be good for your emotions. I know I would flip out everytime a change happened.

I can't believe you were able to drink 100 oz of water. Way to go on that!!!

-Tasha

Judith,
I know its horrible to weigh everyday, but I actually do handle it well...believe it or not, I wouldn't if I didn't have good control of my diet because it would send me into a tailspin because I didn't eat right, or exercise enough, etc. but I know I'm doing everything I should and that's why I keep with it.....but the water thing did really throw me, but it starting to go down again and I'm back to where I was as of today. I've learned to take into consideration different things that may make the scale go up from time to time: the last how long its been since I've ate, how much I've been working with weights, that time of the month, etc. Since my weight loss has slowed down so much I have went heavier on some weights or added more reps (which I know that can cause an increase in weight) and added more cardio.....still it isn't moving, but I'm being patient.8-| Thanks for the response and I will eventually try and stay away from the scales!

Elivi
You should be proud of yourself whether its 11 lbs. or 111 lbs. Your doing great, keep going!!
I know getting on the scale daily (sometimes more) is an obsession and I just can't seem to stop doing it!! But if I find it starts working on me too much emotionally/mentally I'll get off of it and start doing it just once a week and Judity is right, if you learn body and how it works and believe me there will be alot of flunctuations for alot of different things, it is easier to handle...and it depends on your emotional state for the day too how well you handle what you see :rollleyes:. Take Care Sweetie.

Tasha
I don't know much about weight watchers but I know they work on a point system so I'm not sure how well fitday will work for you. But it is wonderful if you do use it, you can register very easily and quickly and when you do you can go get all sorts of tools and information that you will use daily. But what i use it for is my calorie/fat intake. You choose what foods you have eaten for that day.....you can even customize if you brand varies from theirs because at times. If you are trying to stay within a certain range of carbs or fat it keeps a total for you. Example: If you ate 1800 calories it tells you 25 percent of those calories may have been fat, 20 may have been protein, 40 carbs, etc. Its a great tool and I can't live without it.
I wouldn't recommend stepping on the scales daily to anyone but I've been doing it so long I'm used to the up/down thing and someitmes I do get discouraged but personally it only makes me strive that much harder to make it start moving again. Still working on the water thing!!8-} Keep with it Tasha, you can do this!! If you have any questions on fitday.com or anything else you are more than welcome to PM or e-mail me....that goes for anyone. Bye for now.

Tasha

Weigh yourself once a week !

Drinking water is fun and throw em colas away - I am drinking like 6 liters a day - a pang of hunger hits you and you head for the bottle ....the water bottle that is :)

Today was an interesting day...I get up eat a little breakfast, start my workout and my lights go off!!! I look out my window where I'm exercising and see there's an Entergy man who has disconnected my lights!!! I run downstairs ready to kick some utility man butt and then remembered I had the light bill in my purse for over two weeks that I never paid!!! OMG, I have no lights which means I can't blow dry my hair, which also means I'm not going anywhere today unless he comes back pretty quick after I've had to run to Kroger and pay my bill.....boy was that a site it was just too bad I didn't have one of those shirts that say "real women sweat" it would offer some explanation why I looked the way I did....and to add insult to injury my son tells me "you sure don't smell like a rose" meaning you stink mom!!
But when the lights finally did come back on, I didn't finish my exercise or even finish cleaning my house I sat my big butt on the couch and watched TV for 3 hours, but I did keep my cals low today so it won't be soo bad on the scales.
I guess the water thing did it, because I started loosing weight again, I'm trying to drink at least 115oz a day but I have only came close to around 105 or so, but getting there.

Hello,

im glad you got the lights turned back on. too hard to be without. i too weigh almost daily. it helps me focus. if it goes down it makes me feel good to keep going and if it goes up then i push harder to make it go down. it works well for me too.

the water thing is very important. i do beleive it helps in the aid of losing the wt. it flushes out the fat from our systems. ever tried lemon in water. doesnt taste good to me but sure makes you run to the bathroom even more.

take care.

Hey Tina,
Have heard from you in awhile. What's up chickee??

Tasha

Hey Ladies!

Minnie:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who weighs in daily, but I just can't help myself, it calls me every morning, and sometimes it stays just where its at and sometimes it goes down, and when it goes up I usually knows what's going on when that happens because I stick to my diet and exercise pretty well and I know it isn't fat I gained. Like you, it does help keep me focused and a weekly weigh in would just disappoint me if I didn't loose any weight and not know why.

Tasha
I'm so proud of you! I peeked at your journal and even though your diet is not perfect it's still an improvement over what you used to eat you will eventually work it out to where you eat a little more healthy as time goes on....I know I have IT'S A MIRACLE! Obviously I'm not very good at keeping up with my journal but I've been pretty busy lately, I'm going to make a point of trying to at least write a sentence or two daily.

Take care of yourselves, and I look forward to hearing from you guys again. :D

Hey Ladies!

Minnie:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who weighs in daily, but I just can't help myself, it calls me every morning, and sometimes it stays just where its at and sometimes it goes down, and when it goes up I usually knows what's going on when that happens because I stick to my diet and exercise pretty well and I know it isn't fat I gained. Like you, it does help keep me focused and a weekly weigh in would just disappoint me if I didn't loose any weight and not know why.

Tasha
I'm so proud of you! I peeked at your journal and even though your diet is not perfect it's still an improvement over what you used to eat you will eventually work it out to where you eat a little more healthy as time goes on....I know I have IT'S A MIRACLE! Obviously I'm not very good at keeping up with my journal but I've been pretty busy lately, I'm going to make a point of trying to at least write a sentence or two daily.

Take care of yourselves, and I look forward to hearing from you guys again. :D

Hey Tina,

How terrible about the lights, I can't believe they can do that with no warning! How did they know you didn't have someone ill in the house or something that depended on electricity!? Here (PA) they have to let you know in advance what day you're scheduled for disconnect. But glad they're back on!

I'm with Minnie, I believe in water, I believe it does help our body flush fat and toxins. It's always easier for me to get in more water during hot weather like now, but my intake does slow up in winter, I probably only average 96-100oz/day in winter, where now while its hot I can do 120-140oz easily. But then I don't drink anything else so that's a factor too.

Glad the scale is your friend again!:D

Donna

p.s. in case you don't get to my journal, "IT's here!:D "

Oh my Tina! That same thing happened to me!! Only it was with garbage pickup.. They went right past us, so I called the company and they said I didnt pay since March.. We are billed every three months LOL
Well, I just 'batted my eyes' in that telephone voice, and said please come and pick up my garbage... it will get disgusting lol
I told them I would put a check in the mail right away! LOL

And you are doing good with your plan..

Donna - It was my "warning notice" that I forgot to pay!! When I got it in the mail a couple of days later I wrote out the check, put it in my purse and forgot about it....which isn't unusual believe me.
And I love that water to (actually a love/hate relationship). I try and drink at least 120 ounces a day and once I did, I gained the water weight for about 3 days and then lost it and have been loosing ever since. YEAH

Karen
I haven't had that one happen YET, but my trash bill is also included in with my water, so I hope it never happens.


JOURNAL TIME!
Believe it or not.

Today is such a boring day, the house is cleaned, my friends or family I normally hang out with is either on vacation, busy or working....how dare them!

I changed out my workout routine: When I get up in the mornings from now on I will have a light breakfast and do approx. an hour of cardio, and sometime in the afternoon do my weights and in the evening do some light cardio if I'm in the mood...or if my husband wants some and I tell him I have to exercise instead. I know I'm horrible!!!

The water is starting that scale to moving again and I'm so excited. I hate water....but I love it also. I hate it because I don't like the way it tastes (even with lemon) but I love what it does for me because it started the scale moving again. So far I'm loosing AROUND a pound a day (appox. 5-6 pounds a week). I'm not sure how long that will last, I've heard once you get closer to 150's or so you only loose approx 1-2 lbs. per week, but that's better than nothing.

We was supposed to go to Europe in August (our airfare was paid), but we have decided to hold off on that until the beginning of the year, which is ok with me, it just gives me more time to loose more weight because I just don't want to investment money in clothes right now that will be too big soon. Also, it gives us more time to pocket some more money because I've heard things are really expensive over there.....and if there is a choice between me eating and buying some "stuff" you know which one I will choose! And with us JUST starting to get out of the big money crunch for so long it gives us a little more breathing room to not have to go a spend a big lump of $ on something right now....For those of you who don't know my husband was laid off for almost a year and a half and we went through a horrible financial crisis, had perfect credit and then we had to file bankruptcy because the credit card payments were not as important as "living". But he's been blessed with a WONDERFUL job beyond anything we had ever expected...but that's how God works....we had it really rough for about a year (we lived on our savings for about 8 months), but I had from time to time thought about answering the thread "how commited are you to your marriage?" and to be honest during all that time when my husband was unemployed I changed dramatically (some for the better and some for the worse) you seem to loose the person who you were and you develop this other person (like Sybill, I guess) LOL. You view things so differently, yourself, your marriage, your faith, your finances, your relationship with your friends, family, etc. and I'm still trying to "find myself" AT 39!! But as the pressure lifts a little more each day and things get back to a little more "normal" I'm sure I will view things differently once again, because stress can play tricks on you in so many different ways. We'll I've went on and on, so maybe I should shut up for now and go be bored downstairs until I have to start dinner.

:)

Hey Tina,

You are doing your thang girl! Now you know the whole world is going to tell you you're losing too fast but not me, cause that's how it was for me too. Cathe was frying my bacon fast as I could workout each day! A disappointing week for me was a 3# loss! So you go for it, just make sure you're eating to fuel your workouts, especially in this heat.
And don't I know what you mean about the finances! We've been going through a really tough time since the first of the year and sometimes I don't know if others really understand the concept of being on a budget so tight you don't even have savings, there's nothing left over to save! But we keep praying and holding our heads up and hopefully we'll come out on the other side of this okay! But yeah, it does mess with you and changes you in a lot of ways. For sure you look back on all the times you wasted or took something for granted. But I'm glad to hear you and your family are doing better.:)

Talk to you later,

Donna

Thank you so much for saying that Donna! I have had people tell me that I was loosing weight too fast in the beginning and now that I'm starting to loose the weight at approx. 1 lb a day I'm sure people are going to start saying it again. But I'll just smile...:D and say your probably right and then go and do my high intensity aerobics, lift my weights, eat right and drink my water and not blink an eye about it because I know they probably just don't understand especially if they have never been almost 300 lbs. , but because I'm doing everything right now or at least I hope I am, I'm sure the day will come I won't loose that much weight each week and cry my eyes out like a baby :c( because I miss those "good ole days"
Thanks Donna we are doing much better now...whewww. And I did learn to appreciate the simple things in life and that you didn't need money to make you happy and not take things for granted and out of all this I can say I am a much better person in more ways than one now.

xoxoxo,
Tina

getnfit, i do understand what BUDGET really means, not due to a layoff, but yrs ago my hubby was in school, we had two kids and literally had to budget fuel for the car to get him to school, we did not buy extras like pepsi or chips, just good food for meals! LOL we had a long haul for education(my hubby kept tellling me someday it will be worth it! he was right) we had 11 yrs like that

Say Tina, you little high impact queen you, do you think you're up to a rotation challenge?
There's one starting on Aug 3rd and its using Cathe's PS Series, the weights from CTX and some others, but all the cardio is generic so you can pace yourself with impact and intensity. And whichever Cathe's you don't have can be subbed with something else.
Take a look at it at www.fitnessvideofanatics.com and click on the "Challenges" icon and it will pull it up. The challenge is titled "Ultimate Arms & Shoulders."
I think you'd like it!:D

Donna

Tina and Donna, I definately do understand a BUDGET. Seven years ago, my hubby had to quit his job, he developed a bad back too. He was a foreman for an awnings company. As time went by, he also recieved bad knees from that place from knealing on concrete, plus to top it off hemroids so bad that he would wear my pads. I told him to please quit that job and find any thing he could, didnt matter what it was. I went to work about a week before he quit. I got a data entry job, thinking it would be good for me since my back was bad too (big mistake lol). That lead to a lowly position of data processer..but I still felt like all I was doing was making food for the paper shredder.. so unfullfilling lol... My hubby took a job that was a $12/hour cut in pay lol
We jacked our credit card up to $15000.00 just trying to survive all that. Together working we both together made only what his cut in pay amounted too ..lol
Now that I am not working we are back to the drawing board again.
And we have no savings..I think $12.36 LOL And here I am buying giant balls n things ... shame on me..
I dont care tho, as long as hubby feels better where he is at. We are eating and warm (cool) and still together as a family. My hubby was a foreman and that drove him insane.. not to meantion all the pain.
So, I am with you girls ...

Tina,
Wholy buckets, look at you go!
:cheers:

What an inspiration you are. I'm lucky if I lose .5 pound a week. No. Wait. I'm lucky if I don't GAIN in a given week.

Well, I'm motivated now. Thanks!!

Donna :whip:

At first I though NO WAY once I looked at that schedule and I saw M.I.S. which I'm familiar with from Cathe's book I have only skimmed over because it looked too intimidating, no it looked HARD and then I looked at the Pyramid workouts and saw that they worked with a stability ball....I had a flashback :c( of me on my hoppity horse (a big ball with ears and a nose like a horse that you bounce up and down on) and it breaking under me.....oh, the memories! or me just rolling right off of that thang...OUCH. But then I thought, you need to keep pushing yourself in order to achieve what I want to achieve (being in top condition, or at least close to it) so I thought.....I must be a few sandwiches short of a picnic but I'm going to go ahead and do it, so I did become a member, YEAH I'M OFFICIAL and you have me as your slave for 6 gruelling weeks....All I can say Donna is, please forgive her father because she knows not what she does!! Looking forward to August! LOL

Karen :spring:

Oh, I also understand that budget stuff, but there was a time there was no money to budget...that was scary, we tried the credit card thing too because we ran out of money and those suckers got really, really high and thats when we had to end up filing bankruptcy but we had no other choice but to use them...we enjoyed eating too much!! And as far as the exercise stuff goes I did the same thing, things were still really tight when I started loosing weight back in December, but I would buy, buy, buy because for once I was putting myself first and I didn't go overboard toooo much 8-|. OK, I LIED, I DID.
I'm happy hubby is happy where he's at Karen and I've been reading your journal and I know you have a strong faith which is important, God can do miracles on the job he's at or move him to another one that pays better and things won't be so tight on you guys financially, so keep praying...it works!!

Elivi :cheer:
You've already lost 12 lbs. that's a great start!! It feels so good to see that scale go down, down and down and it only encourages you to go even farther. Keep up the good work and keep in touch!

OH YES! (insert smilie spinning around and doing the happy dance!):D

Now seriously, because I want you to really appreciate what this particular rotation is going to do for you, on Sunday the 3rd, take a good hard look at your shoulders and biceps and triceps in the mirror and commit the sight to memory, then after the 6 weeks look again and see what changes you find. Not all rotations make differences, but I have to say this one is a "keeper" because it really helps to bring out hidden definition and burn fat. I think it's because you're hitting those 3 areas (shoulders, bis and tris) an extra time each week. But whatever? I find this is grueling, I almost shudder at it myself because it is a lot of weight work, but it works! I'm hoping to improve some on my biceps definition, they're slow growers for me!8-| And dropping a few pounds wouldn't exactly hurt my feelings either!:D
I'm looking forward big time to this now Tina, I feel like I have a friend doing it with me!:D

Donna

p.s. Now you might as well sign on for Bells August exercise minutes! She should be putting out a post by the weekend as July is just finishing up!

Hiya Tina, is Donna after you too with Bells minutes? hehehe
I am joining it too, maybe I can get some more steam inside me.
I have plans. Everytime I lift my glass of water to drink it, im calling it a bicep curl.
That challenge just might be what the doctor ordered, because I get so frustrated about my body parts not doing as I say.

Have a wonderful day Tina...

I forgot to tell you Donna one of the other reasons I decided to do it was because my shoulders do need some work. I have a fairly small frame and my shoulders have always sloped (even when I didn't have much weight on me I had to wear shoulder pads) and they really need work, but I have noticed that with weights and diet of course they are becoming a little more defined but I'm sure they are going to need more work than other areas....I think, but we will see as time goes on. Have a wonderful day. :smile:

Karen
Yeah, she's mentioned it a couple of times and I'll probably end up doing it kicking and whinning all the way, but I know its good for me so I'll check into it. As far as your body parts doing what you tell them they will come into submission once Donna and Bell get after you/us with that whip!!

When you guys gets a chance do me a favor and go to http://inch-aweigh.com/calc_body_fat.htm and take that test (you may need a measuring tape) and tell me if you think that test is accurate in your opinion because it tells me my lean weight should be almost 164 lbs. I don't know if I believe that since I have such a small frame but let me know what you guys think, its exciting to know I would only have another 66 lbs. to loose as opposed to another 70+, but I'm not holding my breath. Especially you Donna since you are soooooooo close to your goal weight......we will get there soon Karen, I promise! Its just that Donna is getting to be a skinny minnie and I would love to hear what she thinks about it. :smile:

Ya know Tina, you are just too good for my self esteem! The words "Donna" and "skinny minnie" have never before been written in the same sentence!:D

I'll try that calculator when I come back, I don't have my tape measure handy and you have to measure your wrist and forearm for it so I'll try it later and tell you the results.

But I hope you feel really proud of yourself Tina! You are one of the few people that are really willing to push the limits and work your body hard. So many people just assume they can't or shouldn't work out that hard because they're 225, 250 or 300lbs. But little do they know that if they just tried it, they'd be hooked! The weight darn near falls off even when you're modifying your way through it! Cathe isn't easy at 166lbs, and I clearly remember doing it between here and 350, so I know exactly what effort and determination it takes to get through her workouts, but the pay off is what's happening now for you. You can eat a comfortable amount of food and still lose 3+lbs/week, that's living!:D I think you should put your story on her success stories board and call yourself a "story in progress" because you don't need to wait until you hit your goal weight, what you're doing right now is a success story! :D

Donna

Ok, I have a question for you all .... I cant possibly keep up with Cathe or even the others that do those Step things.. How in the world can you two go that fast? I am not worried about finishing an exercise hour, that will come in time. But when they do 10 of something, I barely do 5-6 LOL I am never in sinc.

One more question lol
That trainer said that if you let your heart rate go too high, you will not burn fat, you will the quickest energy available.. ?
So much to learn! lol

Hi Karen,

You know what, if the instructor is doing 10 of something and I can only do 5 before I poop out, then I march in place while they finish their last 5 and I pick right back up with them. Eventually, maybe in a few weeks, or maybe even a few months, you'll be able to keep up all the way through, but until then, do what you can for as long as you safely can, and when in doubt, march in place! It's worked for me and I still do it today when I can't keep up all the way through!

And as for that stuff about not burning fat when your hear rate goes too high, regardles of whether you're burning stored fat, carbs or whatever, you're burning period and you're gonna lose! I refused to listen to that crap about not letting my heart rate get too high, yadda, yadda, yadda because like Tina when you step on the scale and see you're burning fat and losing 5# a week all the "fat burning" theories in the world go right out the window! You are so psyched up cause you see your hard work paying off big time! Plus, I've found that perceived exertion is a better monitor for me. I can tell how hard I'm working by my breathing and I rarely even use my heart rate monitor, I do about once/month just to keep track of how I'm judging my perceived exertion compared to the HR monitor.

Plus, you'll notice that new theories in fat burning will come out every 6 months or so. What's wrong today is right tomorrow? So I don't really believe any of them really know what is best! All I know is by challenging myself with the advanced stuff, and just doing what I safely could (which differed at different weights) and walking in place through the rest or marching in place until I caught my breath and could go on, it worked.

And look, I have Cathe workouts I still can't do all the way through! I'm still modifying many of her cardio workouts! But her strength workouts are do-able for anyone because you use weights that are right for you and your current ability.

And just so you know, that Keli Roberts step workout you have, it took me MONTHS before I could do the whole thing! MONTHS! I use to do just the first 2 sections before you turn the step, and after about 4 months or maybe more I added the 3rd section. So it takes time. And Cathe's All Step, I told you, put that thing in a closet girl, I still feel like I'm going to have a heart attack when I do that one! That one took me MONTHS just to get the steps down, and even longer to "hang in" there with her!

So just build, do what you can with the cardio, don't worry about doing it like the instructor, do what you can. But the weights is the key! The more lean muscle you build the more calories you'll burn even at rest! And anyone can do Cathe's weights, you just use as light a weight as you need until you build up to more.

Donna

Just wanted to drop in and say hello.

hope you have a great day!

Hi Karen, Donna said it all perfectly but I'll put my .5 in (of course)

When I first started exercising I started with Richard Simmons, Sweatin to the Oldies tape 1 (low intensity/impact) and at that time it was VERY difficult for me to get thru, but as time went on I was able to do it without taking a break and now I don't even breath a little heavy or break a sweat. Just like anything your body works up to the level your pushing it to. When Donna suggested Cathe's CTX Series, the day I got them I watched some of the tapes and KNEW I was going to have trouble learning just the step choregraphy much less trying to get thru the cardio session without taking at least 5 breaks or more, and when I actually started with the first one, Cathe would be on the 3rd routine and I would still be trying to learn the first one. But each day I was building my endurance and learning my choregraphy and getting a little further and even though I still can't get thru some of them (still with modifications!) I still push myself to complete it and with time I will. And I also agree with Donna when she said no matter how high your heart rate goes you still burn fat because if that wasn't true I/Donna wouldn't have lost as much weight as I/we have, I have never used a heart rate monitor and I most likely never will. There has been days when I'm exercising that I don't think I can go any further (I know you know about this Donna) because my face feels like its on fire, I'm breathing like a really, really bad asthmatic obscene phone call and I don't think I can exercise another second, but I take a short break, a sip of water and hit it again and it does pay off on the scales. I have heard so many different theories about weight loss and what you should and shouldn't do and it only confused me even more so I've learned to do what I know is right for me and as long as I'm eating right, exercising and lifting weights and still loosing weight whether it be a pound a week or 7 lbs. a week I'm doing it right and that's the important thing. You will be able to get your patterns down eventually...you'll see. Keep pushing yourself beyond that comfort zone that's where you will see your results.

Karen....again.
Did I read Donna's post right, do you have the CTX Series? Do I have someone else to whine to about it and they know what I'm talking about??

Hi Minnie!
Thanks for stopping by, its always good to see your little "mousey face". :)

Hi Tina,

Karen doesn't have CTX (yet!:D ), she bought a step and in the step package was Cathe's All Step workout! What a horrible, horrible workout for anyone to have to try to learn stepping on!

So she's looking for some more gentle workouts to learn step aerobics on, which is wise, and that's why I told her to put that All Step tape on a shelf somewhere and forget about it for a few months until she learns the basics and the choreography isn't so overwhelming.

But in time (a short one too), she'll be a stepping fool!:D

Donna

LMBO... Tina I dont have CTX anything. I cant even keep up with Richard Simmons things for elderly hahaha
CTX = Cathe's Totally Xcruciating lol
My flub has too much mometum of its own!
But when I started I could only get through 5 minutes of Eliptical, 5 minutes of WATP lol
Now I am up to a whopping 30 minutes.

Donna, I just get all confused when I fall out of sinc with everyone on the video. I told ya I have two left feet hahaha

But, I love this new thing of exercising and I miss it from not doing it the last few days. I have allowed other things to stand in my way and that is going to STOP.
There will be days when I cant do a thing because of my bad body parts. So, its not a very good idea to have a 'good' day ruined by errands, chores..etc..

"HHHHeeeelllooooo Tina, where are yooooouuuuu????" Did you see you made "Diettalker of the Week" this week?:D

You Go Girl! See~all that panting, wheezing and sweating was not for naught!

Just wanted to pop in and say, "HI" and "see you" tomorrow or Monday at the other forum. Tomorrow is a rest day so many people don't check in until the first day of exercise, but I usually check in anyway on the first day just to say "hey!" I'm looking forward to some decent results with this rotation, upper body weights 3x/week usually helps me to pop up some new muscle definition, so hopefully I can make something new happen for me over these 6 weeks.

I did that calculator you gave the link to. I don't know if I buy my body fat % being at 26% like it said? I think if it were that low I'd have more visible muscle definition than I do, realistically, I'd probably put me at about 28% BF. But hey, I can use some numbers in my favor so what the heck? I think that's why they ask for the wrist and forearm measurement along with the waist and hips and not just judge it by your weight, waist and hips. But whatever? I think when I'm having a "fat day" I'll go there and make myself feel better with the "nice" numbers!:D

I thought about you this morning when I did Leaner Legs. I about died during the static lunges and actually laughed aloud at one point thinking about how everyone's face must look the first time they do this workout!:D Ashamed to say that by the end of them I had traded my 40#bb for an 18# bodybar to finish them out! My legs fatigue easily on static lunges! I can squat forever, but lunges take it out of me! That's a brutal little workout, I don't do LL often, and every time I do I stick it way in the back of the other workouts so I won't think to do it again any time soon! The only other workout that's as brutal as that one is Firm's Standing Legs, that one is pretty brutal also!

Well, just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on Diettalker of the Week, "see ya" later,

Donna

I attended a weight loss class/behavorial management, and one of the first things they taught us was no more excuses and you will exercise and build on it weekly! i could walk two homes from mine, i would do this three times a day(around my neighborhood the circle is 1/2 mile, took me a month to be able to have the stamina to walk around it, but BOY! did it feel great to make it! then i slowly built up to three laps then on and on. They would always say, are you feeling comfortable doing your program, then it is time to speed it up and add distance, not to hurt yourself of course but even just another house or tree to the walk helps. of course people with health issues i am not speaking to you. i just know i was at the point i could not go on outings with my family any more i could not keep up due to weight gain, i do not ever want to go back to that condition again!

Hey Tina, congrats on the diettalker reward..
When you taking me and Donna to lunch? hehe

Hi Guys!
Sorry I haven't been here in a while, but I had a car accident and broke my right leg in two places and had to have surgery, I was in the hospital for 5 days because at one time I had a tendency to get blood clots in my leg a few years ago and they wanted to keep an eye on me. But I'm going crazy, and I'm not able to do much because of my limited mobility.......feeling guilty because I can't exercise and I REALLY wanted to start that challenge with Donna on last Monday but it looks like that will have to be put off for about a month. I missed talking to everyone and I hope everyone is doing well (I haven't had a chance to go to the journals yet) but as soon as I get this contraption off my leg I'll be doing wonderful!!!!

Karen
If you and Donna can get yourselves down here I'll take you to one of the best restaurants in Houston THAT'S A PROMISE (I have connections :) ) no matter how long it takes you to get down here.

Donna
I didn't agree with the body fat percentages also, but it sure made me feel a little better.....AND I can't believe you do static lunges with a 40# barbell I can barely do the static lunges by themselves without a barbell, especially now. I was looking forward to your challenge and was really disappointed that I couldn't do it, but I am doing the weights as well as I can but I'm kinda limited even on that some because of the extra weight on my legs OUCH! But when/if you decide to do another challenge, count me in :)

Judith
Congratulations on hitting your goal! That must be a wonderful feeling....one I hope to feel soon. But like you the exercise, walking, etc. gets easier as the weight goes down and I didn't realize how bad of a shape I iwas in until I started exercising. Take care of yourself (like you have been):)

Tina,

Take care of yourself .... and :sick: FEEL BETTER VERY SOON

Your goals will still be ACHIEVED. Remember it took us time to gain the weight .... SO WE WILL TAKE THE TIME TO LOSE THE WEIGHT IN A HEALTHY AND PERMANENT WAY. As always, Monica :wn

Wow Tina, sorry about that car accident. That has got to be terrible to be confined. I know I have in the hospital a few times and signed myself out lol
Well, you take it easy with that leg and just do the best you can. I havent officially exercised in awhile myself. I am doing other things. When I get this house completely done, maybe, just maybe I might have more room for more exercise equipment haha
Clean it up, toss it out.............just to get more stuff! Welcome to the widget world of good old USA lol
Got another day and half uninterupted. Thursday I am taking my sister to the Mustard Seed Store.. geez I have got all these non-drivers hooked on a place so far away hahaha

I dont know what those lunges are you guys are talking about, but they sound painful. I would lunge the weights out the window lol
I bought two more videos from GoodWill. I love only having to pay $1...LOL
Well, girl you take good care of that leg, dont over do anything...

OMG Tina,

Somehow I missed your journal entry on the 12th. I only came here today and dug it out because I saw your post under the "getting to know each other" thread and figured you were back online!
I had no idea what happened to you? I am sooooo sorry! I've been thinking about you so much this month. I knew you were looking forward to that challenge so when you didn't show up I got worried, then when you didn't come back here I got scared! I tried to think it was "just computer problems" but it dawned on me that if something terrible had happened to you I may never know.:(
I'm so sorry about your accident, but I see it hasn't slowed up your weight loss cause you've dropped some serious pounds this month girl! 10 pounds if I'm not mistaken right?:D You go girl!
Oh, you may have an email I just sent asking you where are you? Guess I just figured it out~duh!8-| So "never mind."
I hope you're healing well and there is a new challenge starting on Sept 14th, really the 15th since Sun is a rest day. I called it the "100% Generic Challenge" and there is no specific video workout to do each day, just an outline of the days activity so each person can choose the video workout they want. I figured it was a good way to get more people who aren't doing Cathe involved, or who don't have all the videos called for in a normal challenge, they can use what they have and still participate with the group and have some fun posting about their days exercise.
So you heal, there will be more challenges ahead!:D

Glad you're okay, I was really worried about you!

Donna

I'M BAAAAAAAACK!

It's been a long recovery, but its finally over! :D
Thanks for the e-mails while I was "out of it" and just being your great supportive selves you are :rose:
I would get on occassionally just to keep up a little bit but couldn't stay on that long because of the position I had to sit in for any length of time my leg would start to hurt....Thank God that's over.

But I still did pretty good on my weight loss, it even seems I lose weight a little better when I'm not exercising or lifting weights so I need to try and find that "magic calorie number" that works for me when I start again on Monday.....I"M SO CONFUSED :shrug: I think that has been the hardest thing for me thru all the weight loss is the frustration with not being able to get my calories right, one week I would loose 4-5 lbs. and the next week I MAY lose one or two and do basically the same thing. ANY SUGGESTIONS on finding that magic number let me know..

But it is good to be back and thanks everyone for all the support.

Monica - Thanks so much for your support, I'm doing great now!

Karen - Got that house finished yet so you can buy more "stuff" LOL Take care.

Donna - OK, OK I missed this challenge to, but I will be up for the next one!! Ready, willing and finally able.
:coach: WAY TO GO DONNA You are getting soooo close to that goal and I know you feel so good with that...I KNOW I DO FOR YOU. Do you think you are going to be happy with a 150 lbs. or are you going to disappear on us completely? LOL Take care.

:spring: xoxo Tina

So glad you're back Tina! :cheer:

At this point I'll be doing the "happy dance" just to see 159! Talk about HARD! :sweat:

Not pushing, but there is a 100% Generic challenge going on right now that you can join and everyone is doing their own thing, you can either follow the outline for the day (like it'll say cardio, total body weights, kickboxing) and then post about what workout you chose or you can do whatever you want and come back and talk about it. I figured this would people of all levels from beginner to advanced to post together and would give others a chance to talk about some new and different workouts they do, I'm hearing about some I'd never heard of before! But it's a small group right now, maybe 5 of us? Anyone can come in at any time, so come on in if ya want! :D

Magic number? Haven't found it yet myself! But I remember when I hurt my foot once and couldn't do any cardio for a month and I was so afraid I wouldn't lose weight but I still did and I was amazed that I could still lose by just doing some yoga (which I stunk at) and weights every other day. So I don't know Tina? It's still a mystery to me?

But so glad you're back! :D

Donna

Ok, I'm really, really back this time!!!

Life has been extremely challenging for a while now but its finally starting to slow down at least until the end of the month when I move to Ft. Worth......I've never lived out of Houston (or north of Houston) so its a little scary to me, but we do have some friends who live in Decatur and my husbands family who live in Granbury, but other than that NOBODY all my friends are down here. I'm ready for a change in some ways, but in others its not very welcome....maybe i'll be pleasantly surprised.

My husband has started asking questions on why I'm loosing my weight....I actually think he's jealous. He's wondering why I've changed my hair, gotten a tan (that I pay for) and dressing differently which I haven't other than I wear shorts now and they are fairy long because the top part of my legs are still too fat in my opinion, he likes it he says but he still asks questions. I try and reassure him by saying "I just feel better about myself, I look better in clothes and as far as my hair style goes I've had the same one for 10+ years it was time for a change!!

I can't wait to get back into the journals and see what's going on with everyone, hope things are good!!!

Donna - Get your dancing shoes out because you only have one more pound before you do your "happy dance" (read the previous post) and I'll be doing the "happy dance" down here in Texas. And I'm still searching for that magic number!!

Hey Tina :wave:

Glad you're REALLY back!:D

I think our transitions are hard on hubbys sometimes. They like it for many different reasons, but I think it does probably make them a tad insecure, especially when we "revamp" ourselves with a new style of clothing, a haircut, etc. But I think as long as we still act the same towards them they figure it out.:D

Good luck with your move at the end of the month.

Donna