HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEILA!!!  I hope you have a very special weekend!  I'll weigh in as well.  I was able to exercise 3 times this week, so no matter what, I'm happy. 

Lori, I wanted to let you know that I never log my exercise!  I know that's bad, but I've seen a lot of complaints on the site about the accuracy, so I just don't do it.  What I do try to do is work out as hard as I possibly can when I'm at the gym - that way I know I'm burning at least 300 plus.  More with the classes I take. 

Leila, I'm going to look for a meal assembly place near you.  No pressure at all; it's a total luxery, but it's a really fun date night and great to have those extra meals in the freezer if you've had a really hard day. 

And I'm feeling much better guys,  my hubby says I don't have to leap into panic mode just yet and that I can calm down.  Thanks for lettting me vent...

Alison

Hye liela - I found a couple of places for you: Let's Dish, Supper Thyme and one in Mt Washington (?) called My Girlfriend's kitchen.  Check them out!

A

Hi girls,

Thank you  Alison! We are planning to go  to celebrate to the Japanese restaurant. The new one opened couple weeks ago not far from our house, so we are going to try it. Reviews are really good about this place. You know, i love sushi  so it is the best place to eat. Besides sushi is not high in calories.

I am glad that you feel better,it's great. Thank you that you looked up for me these meal assembly places. I really want to try it,sounds like fun.  I have been in the gym 2 times this week. It's getting really hot again, tomorrow will  be 93-94F. So i just couldn't force myself to go outside. But i am going to do my workout at home.

have a good week-end

Leila

Hello, Sorry I have not checked in for so long. It has been such a busy week, and boy has it been hot.

Hope your birthday was wonderful Leila. Did you have sushi at the new restaurant? I notice that you always find a way to get you exercise in. I haven't been getting much at all, but I have been doing good with the calorie counting.

Alison thanks for the info on dream dinners, I checked out the web site and it looks very interesting. I think once the summer is over I will try it out. I hope things are going better for you now. Try not to stress to much over the curve balls that life tosses your way. I had to learn the hard way that things always work out some how. The most important thing is that your family has good health. I know it is easier said than done, but try to take one day at a time without stressing. I am not trying to make light of what is stressing you, just reminding you that it could be worse.

I noticed that you girls didn't weigh in on Friday, I'm hoping that isn't a bad thing. My week was blah when it comes to dieting, I can't get rid of the last few pounds. I know I have to kick up the exercise, but I keep going less and less. Once again you have to read the same thing from me, I will try harder this week.

Talk to you girls soon, hope today brings fun and happiness your way.

Lori

PS: on Friday I was back up to 108.6 from the 108 even the week before. I keep going back and forth a few ounces and I hate it.

Hi girls,

I had wonderful birthday with presents,flowers, birthday wishes. We went to the new Japanese restaurant and sushi was so good.

I did weight in on Friday, i was 142.80. I think that i hit the plateau and i have read a lot about it on Friday, i had a day off. So as far as i understand i need to change something in my routine in eating and exercising. So i decided to start with workouts. Today i took a body pump class and that was really good. We will see if this will help. Everybody who is trying to loose weight reaches this point sooner or later. I lost my first 5 pounds pretty easy but now it will get more difficult. But i am ready to change things and see what will happen next week on Friday.

It is very hot here too, today it will be 100F and i really don't want to go out . I can't wait when it will get cooler or even cold. I am ready for fall.

I checked the places that you Alison told me about. That really sounds like fun, i will try it later when it won't be so hot.  I was under my calories on my birthday so i was snacking on fruits when we came home at night.  I should say i feel really good, i feel much lighter and my inches are melting too. I lost 2 inches in my hips and but.

have a good rest of the week-end

Leila

Hi guys  - sorry i haven't written!  My hubbie's computer broke down and he's having to use mine!  I have to make this short, and hopefully write more later.  No weight lost, again.  However, I had 3 people this week tell me that I looked really good, which is not normal for me, and I am really seeing definition in my stomach and legs.  So I actually feel really good.  And I made it to the gym 4 times last week!  I think I'm going to eat fewer carbs this week and see if that will kick start me again.  I'm not a low carb fan, but I might be overdoing it, and I'll just make up the calories with protien.  We'll see! 

Leila, I'm so glad you had a good birthday.  I haven't had sushi in forever, now I have a craving! 

Lori, you are so close to your goal!  It's wonderful! 

Talk soon!

Alison

It sounds like we have all been staying around the same weight, maybe there really is a plateau stage and we have all hit one. Leila you are changing your exercise around and Alison your eating, so please let me know if either of you find it helps. With me I think it is because over the weeks I have slacked off in both areas. For the first six weeks I ate only healthy food and exercised 5-6 times per week, which brought good results every week. Although I continued to stay under my calorie limit, I choose to eat not so healthy foods and went to the gym less. Maybe my body has lost as much as it wants to, but I think it is the slacking off that stopped my progress.

Leila happy that your birthday weekend was nice. I tried doing exercise at home a couple of times this week, it really isn't for me. It is to easy to just take a break of give up before I am done. For me to get a good workout I must go to the gym. My gym is a no frill place, they don't have any classes which really stinks. I think if I had classes to go to, I would be doing much better. Even if they are hard, I bet they would be fun in away. I really do love the gym I go to, it just opened a couple of months ago and it is so clean, all new equipment, very nice employees. I signed up for a year, so I will be there until next May. Maybe then I will look for another place, one that has all the classes.

Alison I hope things are looking up for you. They say when it rains it pours, but then some how everything falls into place. ---- I don't get how you don't record your exercise. So do you allow yourself extra calories on gym days? If not I bet your deficit is to large and your body thinks it needs to hold on to everything. It is true that this can really happen, I remember studying that in nursing school. I also had a friend that went crazy with exercise and ate very little (way to little), yet didn't lose an ounce. She went to a nutritionist and was told to lose weight, she would have to start eating more.  Of course this sounded crazy to her, so she continued doing what she was doing for months and stayed the same weight.  Then her doc told her the same thing and she tried it, the pounds seemed to melt away  when she was eating enough.   I know that isn't the case for me eating to little, but I wonder if you are on the days you are working out.  I have read many things that say with a calorie deficit of over a thousand a day, you are defeating possible weight loss. Just thought I would throw that out there, you might want to read about that.

Is the heat still unbearable where you girls are? Today is finally a bit cooler here, and we are expecting rain all week. I love going to the gym on rainy days, so I plan on a weight loss for sure this week lol

PS I changed my default pic to one of me and my grandson on the beach. I finally found a bathing suit that I will wear in public. Notice how smart I was I have JC and my arm covering my belly lol  I didn't do that on purpose, but it worked out great.

Hi girls,

Yes, i decided to change my workouts and went to body pump class on Sunday morning. Wow, that was something, i am still so sour from the class. I didn't do such good weight lifting for a long time. But i really liked it and i am going to go next Sunday again. Unfortunately i come too late to the gym for the class they have during the week, so i guess i just go with what i can do in the gym. I feel that clothes  fits better and besides i can fit into the jeans i couldn't wear before because they were too small. That's great feeling. Wow, Alison, that's great that you go to the gym 4 times a week. Just be careful and don't burn yourself. I did it once, i was going every day 4 times a week and  in a month after i started i couldn't force myself to go to the gym at all. I did South Beach diet two times and this is really low carb diet. But i still have little hobbits that i kept, like eating only whole grain bread, eat sugar free or low sugar food. I don't eat pasta much, but when i eat it, i eat whole grain or multigrain. So maybe you should try it, just cutting out some things.

You look slender on the picture, Lori. I don't know what do you want to loose really  I have read too that if your difference more than 1000  calories, you won't loose any weight.  So i guess you should keep it in the middle, difference shouldn't be too much nor too little. I don't know,Alison, how you don't put your workouts on CC but if that works for you that's great.

It is still very hot here, but tomorrow it should be cooler, in 80s and it will be raining all week. But if it will stay cool, i don't mind. I am so tired of the heat, i told my husband yesterday that i am ready for winter , to wear warm clothes, hats and gloves.  I am so desperate......

have a nice day

Leila

Leila you say I look slender, but you wouldn't have ten pounds ago. I can't believe what a difference ten pounds have made. I have a totally different  shape, thats why I have to stick to this.  If this was May, I wouldn't be caught dead in a bathing suit. Some of my family members laugh and say why did you want to lose weight you were already skinner, and others  have noticed a huge change in my body. I guess what matters is how I feel, and I think it is  a change for the better. I went to the gym today and stayed 2 hours, then I walked around the lake (3.5 miles). I was so happy that I bought myself flowers today and they are so pretty. 

I hope you girls are having a good day. Now that I have been out all day, I should start the laundry ugh!

Lori

Hi girls,

You look great,Lori. I lost 5 pounds and i feel the difference in clothes and in shape. I agree with you, actually we are doing this for ourselves, not for the family members.I really feel good about myself. I wish i could stay for 2 hours in the gym, but i can't. I feel so tired after an hour in the gym i spent usually after work. On week-ends i stay longer of course, but every week-end. I wish we would have places where i could walk. There is a beautiful park where i work and i try to walk as much as i can. I miss walking so much, i used to walk all day every day back home.I didn't use car then, metro and buses, of course walking. I am going to the gym tonight after work and going again to body pump on Sunday. They have this class only once a week now.

well, have a nice day, girls. It should get cooler tonight here with storms and showers.

Leila

Hi girls, not much posting going on here, looks like we have all been busy. No workout today, had the grandsons all day. Tomorrow morning I will be going to the gym, with the IPOD. I used it the other day for the first time, and I love it. Tomorrow is Friday, are you girls ready for a weigh in? I'm hoping I did good this week, but you never know. Hope you are all well, talk soon.

Lori

Had a good week. Went from 108.6 last Friday down to 107.2 today. I'm glad I'm down since last week, but still not going anywhere. I think I was 107 about a month ago. Keep going up and down a couple of pounds, but never reach the goal. I will keep trying, but I guess I will have to choose to be happy if I stay at my present weight. This is crazy only a bit over two pounds away and I cant do it. Seems like no matter how hard I try I am now staying between 107.2 and 108.6. I know it's not really a big deal, but when you have a number in your head, you want to see it in the end. Hope you girls had a great week. How much farther do you girls have to get to your goal weight? I will continue to use this site, because without it, I know I would gain every last ounce back. I was thinking about not adding my calories for a week just to see how I do on my own, but I am afraid that I wouldn't estimate very well and I would end up gaining.  Maybe I will try that in a couple of weeks. Happy Friday, enjoy the weekend. I'm off to the gym.

Lori

Hi everybody,

Well, i didn't loose anything again this week. I feel really bad and just don't know what to do. Maybe i need to eat more. Because website says that i need to eat 1400 calories and i am eating only 1200-1230. But i lost 5 pounds so easy eating 1200 calories. Well, i guess i need to change that. I went to the gym two times this week, was really busy at work and when i came home really didn't have any energy to go to the gym, besides it was very hot. So, i will try next week to go more often, as it is cooler today and it should be next week. I didn't think to stop doing what i am doing but that i don't see any results second week really is discouraging. I hope you did better, Alison and Lori.  You are so lucky, Lori. You are just couple pounds away from your goal. I am 5 pounds away and it seems that i am stuck. But i will try to do some changes and we will see where this will bring me.  Do you think i need to eat more that i am eating now? Your opinion is important for me.

It was really crazy week at work and at home too. My husband is in the middle of looking for the new job. And we are looking for the new house. So everything is just crazy and i feel so tired that  every week i want to take my vocation. But i can't because i don't want to spent this time alone and my husband doesn't have any vacation right now. So...

Have a good week-end

Leila

Leila maybe it is that your not eating enough. I had a week that I ate way lower than my limit everyday and I didn't lose anything. Maybe you should try to eat what the site says you should for a week and see if that works. Make sure you get in your exercise as well, that always makes a difference.  I'm looked back at my exercise and food logs to see what worked the best for me, so I can do that on a regular basis. I noticed that the weeks that I stayed right at my limit and exercised three times that week, are the weeks that I did best. Go back and look at your logs for the weeks that you had the best results and see if anything has changed.  I'm sorry to hear that you didn't lose anything for two weeks, I know how that feels. Well like you told me before, at least you didn't gain. I wish there was a trick for us to lose these last few pounds, it's really driving me crazy. Maybe our bodies are at their happy weight.** How exciting looking for a new house, I loved house shopping. A new house and a new body, this is going to be a good year for you.

Alison did you get tired of us? Where have you been? I hope your termite problem has been resolved and all is well.

Hi,

I liked the picture you put, Lori. The brothers look so cute together.

Well,  i think that  you are right, i need to eat more. Maybe it was enough calories to loose first 5 pounds, but not now. The thing is i do everything the same that i did when i was loosing every week. I went back and checked. I will start eating as much as it says on the website ,it is 1400 but i will eat 1300 calories. I will do it for a week and we will see what will happen then. But you know what is really strange, i went shopping on lunch break and tried pants size 6 just to look where am i and how much until i will be able to wear size 6. I was able to fit into the pants size 6 and then i tried shorts, the same thing. I am really confused here. But i will try to eat more, maybe this will help. My co-worker is stuck with the same weight for a month now, she is in Weight Watchers. She started to eat a little more too, hoping that this will help to start loosing again. I have read somewhere that this plateau is happening also because you were stuck at the same weight for a long time, and now your body "thinks" that this is your ideal weight and doesn't want to loose more.  So, i guess what you are saying about "happy weight"is true. For me at least it is true, i was stuck at 143 for couple years on my " way up"

Oh yes, it is exciting, i love it too. But we are still looking although looked at 30 houses. We didn't find yet "our"house, but i hope we will soon.  Thank you, Lori, i hope that this year all our wishes and my own  will come true.

I hope that everything is all right with you, Alison.

Hi girls,

Yesterday  we went to steak house to celebrate our friend's birthday and it was great to eat something so good. I liked it a lot and i ate grilled vegetables,but for dessert couldn't resist to try two forks of key lime pie. I did pretty good, was in my "new "calorie limits. In the morning went to the gym and spend an hour on nordik trale. Tomorrow morning i have body pump class, so i think that i am on the roll. I measured today myself to see if i maybe added couple inches, no i didn't . I really lost couple in my legs and but.

It is hot again here and we just came home from doing errands. Because it is so hot i feel like taking a nap.

Where are you,girls? Hope you have a good week-end.

Leila

Leila grilled veggies is one of my favs when I go out now. It doesn't hurt to have a couple of bite of dessert, we are human. Like I said the inches are what really count, because that is what everybody can see. We know when the numbers don't change and it sucks, but losing inches is awesome. I think Alison left us for good, I hope not. I hope all is well with her and her family.

Hey I'm pretty excited, today I tried on my skinny jeans and they fit. I put a new picture up in my gallery, check it out if you want. Wow that was a good feeling. I tried them on right before I started counting calories and I had to squeeze into them. So I put them in the back of the closet and decided it was time to lose some weight. I'm glad I saved some of my jeans, I gave most of them away. I honestly thought that old age was catching up to me, and I would never get in them again. This morning they went on so easy, I was dancing around and singing. Funny how the small things can make us so happy, no pun intended.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Hopefully we will hear from Alison soon.

Lori, you look great!!! I don't even know, again, why you want to loose more, but  if you want to, it's up to you. You are right, inches, are more important than what we see on the scale. My husband tells me the same, but you know our nature, that upset us anyway.  I know this feeling when you can fit in something you put into the back of the closet a while ago. I felt the same way trying on my skinny jeans last week, they fit now, i didn't think that they will ever do. 

I hope Alison will be back. Have a good week-end too! You look fantastic!!!