B A L A N C E

I was reading over our earlier posts this week and also the "about " sections that we each typed when we started this challenge. I love something that Rachel wrote.

She said, " I want to find balance in all things in life, to not be afraid of food, eating it and not eating it and becoming a fit person for life (no more start and stop exercising when I "have time"..."

Thank you Rachel! I needed to be reminded why I started this challenge. I've mentioned before how I haven't lost weight at all. (Did lose 5 inches though..?) I've also mentioned how hard it is because I am limited in what kind of workouts I can do with my injured hip. Well, this week has been especially depressing. I had 8 x-rays taken of my hip as well as an x-ray taken of my lower lumbar spine. I'll meet with the doctor next week to see what he thinks. I may also have to get an MRI. I just need to tell someone how frustrated I am, looks like you ladies are three lucky "someones" who get to hear it. MY HIP HURTS!!! IT MAKES ME MAD!

I am literally off balance all of the time because of my hip. But I'm off balance in other parts of my life too. I did great drinking water last week but I noticed that I was afraid to eat anything. I can't do my regular walking and I was worried that I'd put on a bunch of weight. I am also not sleeping very well. Too much stress I guess. Brady is leaving for Afghanistan next month and I have a bunch of emotions to deal with.

This week I will strive for balance. I will not give up on exercise. I know I can find fitness routines that I can modify for my hip. I will also start the online food journal in order to keep my diet balanced. And finally, I will work on getting more sleep.

There you have it.
Thanks for listening.

$4 Workouts
$2.50 F&V

Oh the winter blues . . by Jj

K, so first an update on last week. No milestones but for workouts and diet, I'll be depositing $7.50.

And for this week . . well holidays are bleh. I don't have internet access on my laptop at my parents house so I don't track things. I know, my bad. But I kinda kept a mental track as the days went and I don't think I really went over at all so I'm not counting that. However, I doubt I ever got all of my fruits and veggies in. As for workouts . . they were hit an miss. I did however spend a couple of hours helping my dad haul firewood so I'm considering that both cardio and strength training, I spend a half an hour boxing and bowling with my nieces and nephews on the Wii and I spend an afternoon climbing up the steepest snow covered hill in Southern Utah just to slide back down - narowally missing death few times - on a big black tub. So I'm totally counting that too. There's no reason why workouts can't be fun.

So, with that I've hit another weight loss milestone and I'll be depositing a total of $11.50. Which reminds me . . I think I'm a few weeks behind with the actual deposits. My bad.

Maria Week 15

The good the bad and the ugly ..... And the ugliest ...

The good ...
Good week for me as far as reinforcement. My favorite instructor (who has a body I'd kill for!) came up to me in the middle of powerflex class .... I was expecting her to correct me on form or something like she is known to do .... but instead she told me that I looked great, very thin, and to keep up the good work. WA-HOO! (BTW - she was my favorite instructor before she said this to me, but this did solidify her place in my heart!) Also, one of my idols at Gold's tells me every class together (which is twice a week) that I am looking really thin. And another friend in my classes - one who is incredibly fit - told me I have great calves. My calves! One of the parts of my body that I hate the most! So nice to hear! And so nice to know that people are noticing! Helps to keep me motivated!
Also, measured this morning and I am down another inch on my waist (milestone!), another inch on my hips (milestone!), and a quarter inch on my thigs!

The bad ...

So...my cell phone is my life. My blackberry is truly my CRACKberry. I stored everything on that little device and now it is dead. The port used to both charge the phone and transfer data from the phone to the computer is non-functional. What does this have to do with this fitness challenge? ALL of my workouts were stored as notes in the phone. And are now completely inaccessible to me :-( Thankfully....I have a wonderful friend who has given me his old blackberry and I am back in business!!!
(I cannot thank you enough! And keep up the good work on your own work outs - you are a rockstar!)

The ugly ...
Plateau. Ugh! No weight lost for nearly 4 weeks! This is tough, but I'm getting through it. I'm only a few pounds away from my goal weight so I'm dealing with it like a real trooper.
The ugliest ....
Another plateau. My training. I really feel like I'm getting nowhere - fast! Double ugh! That half marathon will be here before i know it and I'm competing if it means I have to crawl across that finish line. Which at this point, is looking very possible.

Finally ... I want to say ... I love Jim! ;-)
Those of you who are not using or familiar with BodyDaemon might not understand my love affair with Jim. He has really made me feel important. He has taken all my suggestions and implemented them on the BodyDaemon website. And it is continually improving. I don't care if there are more user-friendly websites out there. I am a big fan of Jim and BodyDaemon and I'm supporting it 100%!

Depositing - ????? I'll figure it out later when my old phone has a freshly charged battery so I can extract all necessary information. (My best guess at this point - max $10 + $4 for two milestones!)

MJ Let's go H2O!!!

Merry Christmas!

Thank goodness this is the only time of year that plates of fudge show up randomly at my door!

Still limping along this week and so I have cut back my workouts to take some of the stress off of my hip. I need to change things up for a little while. It's been hard because really miss my daily fitness routine. I think that talking with my workout buddies is just as important for me as the walking is. Only for different reasons.



To avoid feeling frustrated, and to maintain some semblance of control over my life, I have decided to change my focus this week. I need to work on things that I can control rather than things I can't, like my hip. Honestly, "hip" is almost becoming a bad word in my vocabulary these days.

So, this next week, I'm going to focus on water intake.

I'm still fighting a cold and we all know the drill, "Plenty of fluids with those antibiotics." Besides, I think that water intake is the thing that has helped me the most with this challenge. I love water!!! A friend of mine who also happens to be a chiropractor once gave me a formula for water intake. Here it is:

Take the number of pounds you weigh, divide that number in half and drink that many ounces of water a day.

Let's say I weigh 100 pounds (FYI- I do weigh 100 pounds, according to my broken bathroom scale. So does Brady! Ha ha ha. The first time I stepped onto it and it read 100 pounds, I laughed my head off for the rest of the day. I am almost 5' 8" and so 100 pounds is just not happening for me, ever. And Brady is over 6' so it really isn't happening for him!)

Anyway, back to the formula:

100/2=50

The number you get (50 in this case) is the number of ounces you should drink everyday.

So, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces of water a day. If you weigh 140 then drink 70 ounces a day. And to use Brady as an example, because I can, if you weigh 223 then you should drink 111.5 ounces a day.

The chiropractor said that water helps with weight loss, digestion and your immune system as well as other things. I can confirm that it helps with digestion. I also know from personal experience that it helps maintain a healthy immune system. But I've been drinking a ton of water and have had no weight loss. I do imagine that if someone is well over their healthy weight range then water would definitely help them with weight loss, if for no other reason than filling their stomach and keeping them from eating as much. I wonder if any of you ladies have found water to be beneficial to weight loss...?

Now, this week I will:
Drink a glass of water as soon as I wake up.
Drink a glass of water before every meal.
Drink a glass of water before every workout.
Drink a glass of water before I go to bed.

I will also continue to stretch every night because I feel so great when I do. As for working out, we'll see what happens.

Hope you ladies have a great week! And if you have an overload of fudge at your house like I do, I encourage you to drink a glass of water before taking a piece!


$5


xoMJ

I'm a slacker . . by Jj

Sorry, ladies! I have no idea where I am for this week. I know I've worked out but I haven't figured out my food and I'm at my parent's house so I don't have access to all of my stuff. I have no idea what my cash will be but I'll check in again as soon as I figure it out. I just didn't want you to think that I'd forgotten about you!

Hope everyone has had a great Christmas!
xoxo

Maria Week 14

Work outs are never an issue for me. Because 1. I'm addicted; 2. I have this big scary race looming in the near future that I have to train for or I'll die; and 3. my friends at the gym are like family - I miss them if I don't go.

Food - that's my issue.

My little sister recently found out she's allergic to corn - she can't eat anything! Poor girl. Nearly everything has high fructose corn syrup or some other corn by-product in it.

I have been sick all week. :-( This is becoming the story of my life. I have been avoiding it, putting it off, whatever - but I have GOT to figure out what is setting me off like this. I am hoping it's not some sort of food allergy - no fun!

OH! Nearly forgot! I ran 4.5 miles straight on Saturday! That's a record for me! And then on Tuesday I ran another 3 miles straight. So, that's technically 2 5K's and that's 2 milestones.

Depositing $14

Merry Christmas from Rachel

I've done a little better this week. I've even eaten pretty good for eating out and all the Holiday treats until the past day and last night. All of a sudden we have had all sorts of goodies dropped off at our door and after Lars sharing his Christmas gift from the uncles I sort of pigged out on some holiday treats. I think the goodies are done. I have lost at least 1 pound this week and maybe 2! I wasn't at home to weigh myself this morning and my afternoon weight just isn't what I wanted to record but it was still looking pretty good but not at what I was the morning before. So I'm going to check tomorrow and see!

So I will be depositing $3 for the three work outs I did this week. I also wasn't good at keeping track of my food but I wasn't worried about it until last night so there won't be any money for veggies.

Merry Christmas!

MJ Week 13

I am so HIP!!!

Actually, I'm having some hip problems. I have an appointment to see my doctor tomorrow. The pain from my hip has been constant the last month or so. It wakes me up at night. How is that for an old ladyish thing to say? When I wake up in the morning, I have to force myself not to limp. I didn't think much of it at first because it hurts most days. But Brady noticed the limping and so did my mom. My hip also pops when I walk. The muscles in my lower back and upper leg are really sore. I am having a hard time being able to do the yoga and pilate moves and it hurts really bad when I try to do a push up or anything like that. The worst part is that I can't pinpoint what I did to re injure it. Another weird thing is that I can balance on the leg with the injury but if I try to stand on the other leg and lift my injured leg, I fall over. I don't just wobble, I actually fall down. WHAT IS GOING ON???

I might have to do some physical therapy in January. Argh!!! Hey, does that count as exercise? Needless to say, I will not be pushing things quite so hard this next week.

Limping along, singing a sad song...


MJ
$8

In memory of my Prom dress . . by Jj

While I was home for Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago I was digging though the closet in the room I was staying in and I found my graduation dress, the dress I took my senior pics in and my prom dress. Needless to say . . I couldn't help but try. And while I was able to get the dress on and (mostly) zipped up - it DID NOT look good. I was bulging in places that I never thought it was possible to bulge. I knew I should have worn one of those stretchy elastic sequin mermaid looking things. That's what I get for having taste, I guess. (yes, I know I wore one of those stretchy elastic sequin mermaid looking things to the JR prom - but that was NOT by choice). Okay, done rambling . .

I've been doing pretty good with the exercise but the weight loss and inches has SERIOUSLY slowed. I think that can be credited to winter (willpower has nothing to do with it). I did lose another pound this week, which I think puts me to where I only need one more for my next milestone but I'll have to go back and check that. And some how I managed to GAIN an inch around my chest!! And it's in the "good" part! How on earth did I manage that one?!? Probably hormones or something but I'll take it any way I can get it. Heaven knows I need it. So with all of that I'll be depositing $9.50 for workouts and diet. Sadly, no milestones this week.

I think one thing that will help me (which I need to be more diligent with) is my food journal. I'm great as long as I'm at work but when I get home I think, "I'll record it when I go upstairs," or "I'll record my dinner tomorrow" but then I forget and when Wednesday rolls around I can't remember what I ate. Who am I trying to kid?!? Anyway, recoding EVERYTHING is my new goal (even if it puts me over my calorie/carb count which I admit, I've totally cheated and not recorded stuff because it would look bad). There, I said it. I feel better now. Here's what I need from you . . every time you talk to me remind/ask/reprimand me about recording stuff so I'll get on top of it! I know I won't if I don't know people are wondering and checking up on me.

Rachel week 13

Okay so I'm still in this funk of not exercising much but I lost my water weight from my girl stuff!! and I'm 10 pounds away from my goal weight!!! Doing a little better on the water. It's when I'm on the go that I have the hardest time. So working on that!

Reviewed my milestones and realized that I need to start working on having breakfast every morning. So...when my family is home I eat breakfast but when I'm trying to get everyone out the door I don't. Therefore I'm going to start trying the breakfast thing when the kids go back to school in January.

Weird January is almost here!!

Depositing $5 for my loser efforts.

Maria Week 13

I'm sort of getting a jump on this week. YAY!
After a violent rollercoaster with weight (gaining 6 lbs in one week - didn't think that was possible and then losing 4 lbs in one day - didn't think THAT was possible.) I am finally back to my original weight. So no loss to report, but nothing gained either. I'll take that.
Didn't really measure this week - measured my waist and found I had lost 1/2 inch on the small part of my waist, but nothing on the larger part so I stopped measuring.
Working out like crazy! Got a freaking half marathon to train for that I'm scared to death of! So because of all my workouts and some fruits and veggies I'll be depositing the max $10

Canyonlands Half Marathon

I made it! My registration to the Canyonlands Half Marathon was accepted! I won the lottery! Hehe. That's what the email that I got called it - a lottery. And I got accepted - that's kind of like winning right? Or losing? This is so daunting and scary! OMG! What have I gotten myself into? As of today (December 16) I only have 95 days to prepare. Yikes! But 95 is a good number - I should be ok. Right?

BFG's?!

We're BFG's now eh? When I read "BFG" in the side bar, Roald Dahl's "Big Friendly Giant" popped into my head. I know it means Butterfly Girls ... but what can I say! It gives quite the opposite vision of what we are becoming. Thanks for the laugh. I'm glad that we're trying not to be big or giant but I'm all over the friendly! Keep up the hard work fellow butterflies.

Maria Week 12

I'm so late ... and so sorry. Feels like the story of my life lately. Late to work, staying late at work, late getting home, late to the party, later period - but sometimes early - what's up with that?!?!?! (Sorry - I'm a girl - I gotta mention my girl issues.)
Anyway. Fell off the wagon - been REALLY bad at recording things on BodyDaemon. Pretty good at putting my workouts in to my phone so that by the end of the week I can see what I've done to calculate that. Maybe that will need to be another one of my milestones that I'll forget about (like not eatting out - ARGH!)
Anyway ... depositing the max $10 - no milestones this week. (Should have been a new weight milestone, but i put that 1/2 lb back on after the weekend.) Maybe next week. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

MJ bronchitis please stay away!

AHH...CHOOOO!
I have a really bad cold. It's starting to get into my chest so let's hope I can get rid of it before I end up with a bacterial infection!! Hey, Janis, does cabbage soup have any medicinal benefits? If so, bring it on!

It's been a pretty regular week for me. The cold makes me really tired and so I've missed a couple of workouts. I hope to be back to my old self by next week.

I think I may have mentioned before that stress is a huge problem for me. Well, it's about to get worse. Brady will be deploying in January. He should be gone about 8 months. I'm worried about getting depressed. I'm really glad that I already workout on a regular basis because I know that it will help me. I decided to start the food journal again while he is gone because when I get depressed, I lose my appetite. I don't want to have my metabolism shut down because I'm not eating a balanced diet.

To be honest, I feel a little like I'm lost in transition this week and might not ever get out of the cocoon. There is a nice bright light at the end of the tunnel right? Like maybe sunshine on our vacation? I would really like to decide on our destination so I have something more tangible to look forward to. Anybody have a really great place in mind?

$8 this week.

Rachel at week 12

I've been lazy this week:( However, I have done some non conventional workouts/toning- scrubbing my hardwood floors by hand to remove paint footsteps!!! One time visiting Julia, I was looking at a book of pictures from the 30's, 40's and 50's, those ladies had buff arms! I now know why...they did everything, laundry, floors, etc. without our modern stuff! No wonder America is over weight!

I've also noticed that I've fallen off the water wagon again. So I'm working on drinking water every day. I'm beginning to believe that water intake will be a battle my entire life!!

I'll be depositing $6 for my pathetic efforts for this week.

Holiday Rut . . . by Jj

Hey Ladies! I don't have much to report this week. I lost the weight that I gained over Thanksgiving but nothing more. However, it's a relief to see that gone (again). Hopefully, without any big family gatherings I won't be tempted to binge like that again over Christmas. Honestly, I was feeling pretty sick for a couple of days after the holiday because I hadn't been eating as good as I normally do. Anyway, I measured this morning like I do every Wednesday and I haven't lost any inches either. Sad, but I guess it's better than gaining. One day I'll figure out the miracle solution that will get rid of the rest of the weight . . I'm thinking cabbage soup diet. (For those of you that don't really know me, that was a joke. Cabbage is gross.)

So with my workouts, and F&V - and my sad lack of milestones - I'll be depositing $7.00 today.

Hope everyone else did better!

MJ

Hey, Girls! Sounds like the holiday didn't totally do us in like we thought! I was traveling during the holiday and so I didn't exercise as much as I usually do. And it was harder to keep within my regular food choices because we ate out a lot. I had to minus subtract $ from my total because I went over with the calories!

I was happy to find that I'd lost a half an inch from my lower abs!!! What is going on? That is truly my trouble spot, thanks to two C-sections. I wonder if any other C-section moms have the same problem? Am I the only one who feels like I was butchered a little bit? I didn't have much of a problem with the first one but since my second baby was born, I haven't been the same. That wonderful bouncing baby boy is also the source of my hip injury. I have a very flat stomach under my scar but above it is another story. The skin is thick and not very lovely. I seem to have a permanent bump there. Oops. A little off the subject. Back to my update. . .

I have to confess something. I don't know if you've noticed or not but everybody else reports losing a pound here and a pound there. I have lost absolutely no weight!!! In fact, I have gained some. Not too much but I have gained it nonetheless.It has never been enough in one week to subtract money but it is annoying! I am not surprised because I usually gain weight when I exercise regularly. Plus, I have been doing a lot of things to keep my behind from shrinking. (It's that inverted triangle shape that Mrs. Judd taught about, remember Janis?)

Anyway, I tend to be heavier on the top than on the bottom. It drives me crazy. I was determined not to lose my behind and hips during this challenge so I've been working on those muscles. Here is my theory. The weight I have gained is muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fat burning capability you have. Yay. I would like to lose weight though. I am at an average weight for my height and age, but still, I'm bummed. The inches are important but I would love to be seeing a teeny tiny number on the scale.


I'll be depositing $3.50. Wow, it pains me to type that in. It's a pretty sad number isn't it?

ugh . . by Jj

Thanksgiving is not my friend. While I did exactly what R was talking about and took my own food down to my parents house so that I'd have my normal healthier munchies available - it only lasted the first night I was there. After that, I just got lazy and ate whatever was easily accessable. Chuck the Wonder Dog got plenty of exercise though - and I'd love to say it's because I took him out multiple times for nice long jaunts around the Elsinore countryside but it's just not true. In all honesty, I only took him out on a real walk one time. The rest of the time I'd take my dad's Ranger and throw him in the back then head up to the flats and just let him go. He probably got a good 2 mile run in at top speed almost everyday while we were there.

However, when I got home and stepped on the scale Monday morning to assess the damage I almost cried. Of course, I'm also retaining more water than the Hoover Dam right about now so that could have a little to do with it too. So I took CWD for a run and then hit the gym and did 65 minutes on the elliptical and I really tried to push it hard. According to the machine I burned 762 calories. So between that, the run and the ab workout I did in the morning I burned almost 1,000 calories on Monday. I'm surprised I didn't pass out. I had grand plans for Tuesday too but they fell way short when I went home from work at 11 am and feel asleep before 1pm and didn't wake up until after 6pm. I probably could have gotten to the gym last night as all internal pains had subsided but I still didn't feel up to it. So here I sit feeling flubby and regreting my decision.

Okay, I'm done rambling. I'm depositing $3 for my minimal workouts and my crappy diet (less $1 for going WAY over on Friday too). Plus I'm subtracting another $1 for gaining back 2lbs - so much for my excitement over my milestone. I don't know if I'm blaming the water retention or Thanksgiving for that one. I'll let you know in a couple of days. However, I did manage to hit two milestones - I lost 1" around my thighs and 1" around the dreaded MT (go figure?!?). So that gives me a grand total of $5.00. Ugh. On a happier note, I put on a freshly washed (and thus slightly shrunk) pair of jeans this morning and they keep falling down. I've caught myself doing some sort of weird denim shimmy multiple times this morning to get them to sit where they're supposed to so I don't have that little "pocket" in my crotch. I know, pretty picture, huh??

Maria's Week 11

I have hit a new low. It's only a half pound lower than my last low, but the way the past two weeks have been - it's incredibly exciting.
Also, I a need to be committed .... to an insane asylum. In a fit of temporary insanity I registered to run a half marathon in Moab in March. YIKES! What as I thinking!?!?!?!?! I haven't been selected - it's a lottery so there's a chance I won't be running (I'm secretly praying for that). It will be good though - get my butt into shape. And it's nice to have a deadline - even if it is only 3.5 months away!!! (banging my head against the wall at this time).
So, new low, but not quite low enough for a milestone - still half a pound away for that. And only 3.5 lbs from my goal! That's exciting! Maybe I'll reevaluate my goal. Lost another inch in my waist - the biggest part of my waist. The smallest part is the same - strange. But that's a milestone! Lost another inch and a half off my chest - what?!?!?! How is this happening? Not where I want to be losing anything! I measured 3 times to be sure. Nearly an inch in my ribs, an inch in my hips, quarter inch in my bottom (another place I don't really want to lose), and 1/2 inch off each thigh. I'm getting there - slowly but surely.
I'll be depositing $14 - max plus 2 milestones.

Rachel's week 10 & 11

Sorry I didn't post last week! oops! So here it is for two weeks
The week leading up to Thanksgiving wasn't the best or the worst. I got in one workout and toning session and ate pretty good.

So I'll be depositing $5 for week 10

Week 11

Very interesting things happened over Thanksgiving.

1st- I learned that I really love my own bed and so do my children! I was so excited to come home and sleep in my bed and my children in theirs and not with me!!!

2nd- I reached another milestone! I have lost 3 more pounds!!!! Over Thanksgiving!!!! I thought that I would gain weight while home but when I stood on the scale on Monday morning I had lost weight. Wahoo!!!

3rd- The munchies are harder to deal with when away from your own fridge. I have learned that having the munchies isn't a bad thing. (I lost weight grazing over Thanksgiving) but it is hard to control what you eat or even know what you can eat as a guest. So for the Christmas Holiday when we are away from my fridge I'm going to pack food for those munchies and maybe even loose 3 more pounds over Christmas!

I'll be depositing $10 for week 11

MJ on Vacation

I'm out of town!
Just found internet access.
$10 + $2 for stretching milestone.
12 bucks in all.

Have a great weekend everybody!
xoMJ

This post is dedicated to 5 free day and 4 peanut butter cups . . by Jj

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that was last week and I talked about it then but I've just got to say . . this whole over the plateau thing is REALLY nice!

This week has been a little hectic and I've only managed half of my regular workouts because of freelance jobs in the evening and stuff like that. However, I did manage to hit the gym after the Jazz game on Monday (which I am very proud of, btw). So with workouts and food I have $5.00 to put it but . . . I've hit two milestones this week!! Whoohoo! I lost an 1" around my hips and I've lost another 3 lbs. So that brings my grand total up to $9.00.

Now . . here's to hoping we can all keep it up through the Thanksgiving holiday. I have a sneaky suspicion that today is going to be way over on the food since I'm heading home this afternoon and we all know that Thursday is going to be a free day and then there will be left overs on Friday . . . guess we'll all have to walk around the malls and stores a lot on Friday to work off all of those calories. Have a great holiday, ladies!!

Maria Week 10

ARGH! I worked my butt off this past week and I still gained 2.5 lbs. Ok, ok, so I also ate like crap. :-( So I have no one to blame but myself. I've been sick for eating so badly and ... again, still haven't learned my lesson. Maybe someday I'll get it through that thick head of mine. For now, I'm weak - chocolate and peanut butter and salty tortilla chips have been calling my name and I've completely given in. (I blame PMS - for the cravings AND the weight gain.)
So, with all my workouts, fruits and veggies most days, minus $1 for gaining more than 2 lbs, I will be depositing $16. (Told you I worked my butt off! I'm thinking of having all my mail delivered to Gold's Gym since it is my primary residency.)

Yummy Chicken Salad

Okay, I made the best salad last night and it was low carb and low calorie and WAY easy (only took about 15 minutes) so with the holiday's coming up I had to pass it on.

And, no, I didn't take the picture. I stole it from the website where I found the recipe.

Pomegranate Chicken Salad with Almonds

Ingredients:

1 cup arils from 1 large Pomegranate 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 pound cooked chicken breast meat, cut into 1-inch chunks (I boiled the chicken to save on the calories from the oil - and I put some parsley in the water while it was boiling to infuse the flavor a little bit) 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds 1 chopped apple (I prefer red delicious but next time I think I might use both a red apple and maybe a Granny Smith) 1/2 cup chopped or thinly sliced celery 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley (I just used dried parsley - just as good, I'm sure) 1/4 cup chopped green onion 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (optional)(didn't have any curry powder so I didn't use it but I love curry so it could make for an interesting additional flavor) 1/3 cup extra-virgin oil 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste (I didn't think I would like it but I tried it with a little salt and it really brought out the flavors so try it!)

Directions:

1. Score 1 fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) 2. In a large mixing bowl combine the pomegranate arils, raisins, chicken, almonds, apple, celery, parsley, green onion and curry powder. 3. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Pour in chicken mixture, mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. I then mixed one cup of the chicken salad with 2 cups of green salad and tossed it to spread the dressing a little bit. It is so AMAZINGLY good! I was walking around the office with my salad this morning making everyone try it because it was so freakin' awesome. I think I'm going to triple the recipe and make it for the fam for Thanksgiving. Now I'm wishing I hadn't eaten it all and that I still had some to munch on this afternoon. PS If my calculations are right, here is the nutritional information: 17 carbs, 6 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 141 calories.

Shout out to VL

I want to give a shout out to VL who has lost 8 lbs in a little over a week and has been working out consistently and eating healthier. I am honored and flattered to know that I am inspiring and motivating others to lead healthier lives. And the greatest compliment I could ever get is that someone made better choices because of me.
Wa-hoo! VL - you are a rockstar! I am so proud of you. Keep up the good work and keep calling me to check in ;-) You are motivating and inspiring me to be better, too!

MJ

OOOPS! I missed Wednesday. Sorry about that!

It's been a pretty good week. I did some yoga and realized how much I miss it. I think it will really help me with my goal to become more flexible.

Just a word or two about positive peer pressure...It is a great thing! I have a couple of friends that I work out with. They are doing so great! One of them has been losing a pound a week since we started and the other one needs to go buy smaller pants because the ones she has been wearing are about to fall off!!! As for me, I get up and go because I know they will be there. It really helps, especially on cold mornings when I'd rather stay in my warm bed.

I guess I have some of the same feelings that Maria is having this week. I love the changes that I'm experiencing and I've noticed that our fitness challenge seems to be making a difference in the lives of people around me. Thanks girls! I sure needed this and I'm glad that we are doing it together!

$10
Working on getting a milestone next week!!!

I think I am going to die!

My body doesn't love me anymore. Depositing $3.

Over the P-word . . by Jj

Okay, so I was originally going to take Wed thru Fri off from my diet to jump start my system since I hit my . . (plateau) but then was too lazy to worry about going back on the diet on Saturday or Sunday so it turned into a 5 day break, rather than just 3. But in all honesty, I don't think I went over on Sunday. I just didn't record anything. I didn't, however, take a break from the workouts. I think Maria was right. It would have been really hard to get back into them after almost a week off - and just the diet was hard enough. I don't think I could have done both.

So anyway, as of this morning the break seems to have helped. I'm actually down a half pound from last Wednesday's weight in. I don't have any substancial inches, but I really didn't expect any considering the fact that I ate four (yes, I said four) individual Reese's peanut butter cups in one day. They were left over from Halloween and I just had to tell myself that it was for the greater good.

Having to start over on the water and F&V milestone. For some reason I think you're going to be hearing that from me every Wednesday for the next few weeks. I'm really trying though, I swear! It's just SO much to get in! I may have to rethink it . .

Anyway, depositing $6.50 this week for workouts and the F&V I got in once I started back on the diet.

Maria Week 9

Lost a full pound from last week. I'm very excited about that because I now weigh less than the weight reported on my drivers license. I'd be willing to bet that there are very few people out there who can say that!
Also, I have reason to believe that I have inspired more than just my fellow Butterfly girls to get in shape.
I have gotten a few compliments at the gym from guys in my classes that I talk to, but not necessarily "friendly" with. They've been telling me that I look great and that I've lost a lot of weight or that they've really seen a change. Always nice to hear. Oh, and my favorite - one asked me what my goals were. Different sort of question than I usually get - specifically said goals. I liked that.
Depositing $10

MJ Yoga "Noga"

I have a yoga milestone. Really an easy one. Yoga every Saturday for a month. I had this milestone last month and put it off until this month. There was a time when I could do this--->

I can still do it but I wouldn't want anybody to see me because I wobble all over the place. Here is my yoga update:

November 1st

I found my favorite yoga workout video.

I wrote Yoga on my To Do list.

I got a schedule from the rec center and noticed they do yoga every Saturday morning.

I thought about all of those yoga stretches that I really enjoy.

I underlined Yoga on my To Do list

I looked at the yoga video case and thought, "I love this workout."

I put the yoga video down and got sidetracked.

November 2nd - yesterday

I did not do yoga.

Today

I remembered my milestone.

I felt guilty.

I thought about blaming it on the weather. (Jj. wink wink)

I know it isn't because of the weather.

So I did some yoga breathing in the car on the way back from picking up the kids.

Now you know why I might as well call it Noga.

This is not a W post. I just wanted to put it in type to remind myself to do it!!! No more Noga for me! Yoga from here on out! I will be subtracting $5 from my total every week if I don't get the yoga in.

xoMJ

Maria's Week 8

I felt like it was a good week for me. I look back on my BodyDaemon journal and I missed several work outs (or else I missed logging them because I don’t feel like I missed that many work outs.) But good results this week so I’m happy. I lost inches almost all over, but I will only report what is significant. I lost another inch from waist – that’s a milestone! But more importantly, I am an inch smaller than I was in high school (and then I was SUCKING IN!!!!!!! This time I wanted it to be accurate so there was absolutely no sucking of any kind.) I didn’t specify a milestone for losing inches from my butt, but I’m going to count it anyway – I lost 1 ½ inches from my butt! This is like losing inches off my chest – a little bittersweet. We all know I didn’t have much of a butt to begin.
Good thing I hit those weigh and measurement milestones because I’m sucking it up on my newest ones. In fact, I completely forgot that I had set one not to eat out for two weeks. Hmmm … may need to rethink that one.
Had my bodyfat % tested – FINALLY! And I so wish I had done this before I started working out. But I am extremely happy to report that it was 3% less than it was when I had it measure in high school and again in college. WA-HOO!!!!!!
Finally, there is this ultra fit and thin woman in my classes and the past two classes I’ve had with her she’s commented on how great and how thin I look. You gotta love that – it never gets old!
Depositing $12.50
Oh, and adding new milestone - every 1% of bodyfat lost.

MJ

OK, I'm -1 inch this week on my lower abs!!! That makes 4 more for a milestone! Sometimes I feel like I'll never get there. Can I just tell you that I was walking with my friend Monday morning and the most discouraging thing happened! We walk on an indoor track at the local rec center since it's too cold to walk outside in the mornings. She was in the stroller lane and I was in the next lane. We were walking at an average pace and talking about something or other when we got passed by a white haired gentleman. He must have been in his 70's! AHHHHHHHHH!

I can't tell you how much I would love to RUN around that track! But if I do, I won't be able to walk the next day. I wish I didn't have this hip injury. Anyway, it made me so mad that I went down to our gym that night and walked at a 15 incline (the highest one on that treadmill) for 45 minutes. He might pass me every morning this winter but his butt and legs will not look as good as mine!!!! (Hee hee hee. Of course he is around 70 years old so I've got an advantage!)

$10

xoMJ

I hate to say it . .

(bad word warning) . . . but I have TOTALLY plateaued. I haven't lost any weight or inches (if anything I've gotten a little bigger but nothing really measurable) in about three weeks. How is that possible when we're only on week eight now?? I blame the weather and it sucks. Anyway, last weeks report . .

I forgot to record my food for a couple of days but I've got a general idea of what I ate and I know I didn't go over so I'm just going to let it slide this time. I'll be depositing $7.50 for my workouts. I've also screwed up my water and F&V milestone so I'm starting over . . again. It's the weekends that get me! Obviously, since I've plateaued I haven't hit any milestones so I've got nothing exciting to report. Wow - this is a really pathetic and depressing post. So sorry.

Anyway, I think I'm going to take a few days off on the calorie/carb watching so I can get over this hump. I was hoping to make it last so I could take the week of Thanksgiving off but I can't stand the idea of having to go another two weeks without any progress. I think I'd totally give up if I went that long. So I'll take a couple of days and see if it does me any good. Just out of curiosity I'm still going to record what I eat but I'm not going to count it for or against my deposits. Hope no one minds. Here's my question though . . and I guess Maria would probably be the one to answer it . . what about my workouts for these next couple of days? Should I keep going like normal or take a break from them too? Or maybe just change the lenght of time or something like that??

Rachel is here

Depositing $8 this week.
Heading off to the doctor's office to see why my littlest dude is having blood in his poop! There it is folks two weeks in a row talking about bowel movements.
Keep us in your prayers that it isn't anything too serious and that he just needs to up his water, fruits and veggies. Maybe I should pay him to eat his 4 a day!

Winter Makes Me Fat and Lazy . . by Jj

This has been the worst week as far as food goes. I didn't even try to track or wonder about what I ate on Friday. I figured there would be tons of junk at the party and I'd go to town, turns out none of it looked good to me (which really, now that I think about it is no surprise cuz I HATE eating in public - unless at a restaurant - more than I would hate being being pantsed in the middle of a party. It's weird and I have issues. Deal with it). So really, I didn't end up eating anything there but didn't track anything else I ate that day. And since I knew that I wasn't too bad on Friday, I didn't bother on Saturday either. I blame the cold. I lose all motivation when I'm cold. Winter is not my friend. It's weird and stupid and probably 97.6% mental but I find being cold to be absolutly painful. Guess I'll never move to Alaska.

Anyway, so as far as workouts go, I did pretty good there but didn't lose any weight. I blame the crappy eating but at least I didn't gain anything. I also didn't lose any significant inches either, but, again, I didn't gain anything. Hope I'm not hitting one of those bad words that Maria mentioned. Is that really possible when you've only been really trying for about 2 months? I have done much better with my water and my fruits and veggies since making it a milestone but Sunday sucked cuz it was Fast Sunday and it's really hard to get that many servings into one meal (digital eyeroll). So I'm not counting Sunday as a negative. I'm just going to ignore that day all together. And with that, I'll be depositing $9.50 for my workouts and F&V's. Sigh. One day I'll hit another cool milestone that I can brag about.

PS I've got a movie line stuck in my head . . is it from Saturday's Warriors? I see a blonde writing a letter, getting annoyed and just saying, "Try harder." That's how I feel right about now.

The effects of water on Rachel

We're into to this 5/6 weeks(I've already lost count!) I'm already feeling better and healthier. The best part is that I can see my desire to be active and fit is influencing people around me, especially George. He was doing really well in exercising until the death of our baby. He has now joined a league basketball team with people from work and goes and plays church ball more often. I know that my kids are watching and I'm working out how to do more active things as a family. My mom has even commented on my desire to exercise. I hope this helps her to find the motivation. I'm so excited!

Now on to the effects of H2O! I don't get as much as I should every day but I know that I'm drinking more. Also, my kids are drinking more because they see me drinking water. Actually they just take gulps from my water bottle! Oh well... but that will have to change soon with flu season on us. I like to share but... the flu? No thanks. Another change that I think has come from water is my bowel movements. Since having kids I've had a difficult time staying regular. So I would add more fiber rich foods and more fruits, even prunes! Nothing worked! Now that I have been drinking water regularly I don't have that problem.

So for this week I will be depositing $8 for the workouts and toning. Nothing for fruits and veggies because, even though I've been good, I think Halloween canceled out the goodness of eating them.

MJ

Hi, ladies! Time to check in again!

This week has been OK. I haven't worked out as much as I usually do because I was fighting off a head cold. I got over my cold very quickly and I seriously think it has to do with water and multivitamins. I've mentioned these before but I have to say, they have really made a difference in my life. I feel so much better when I drink enough water during the day.

I have started to stretch out every night before bed. I think I'm addicted!!! It feels great and I sleep better. I actually have tight muscles that need to be stretched because I exercise every weekday. I never thought sore muscles would make me happy but they do! I am changing! My clothes fit differently. I am so glad we started this challenge. I absolutely needed it my life!

I really want to push myself this next week! Sore muscles, here I come!

Depositing $8

PS I read Rachel's post before I signed in to finish mine. Rach, you are not alone in your bathroom issues and water has helped me too. Thanks for being willing to put that out there!

Maria Week 7

I know the title of my post is really boring, but it helps keep my hopeless brain a tiny bit organized.
I worked extra hard this week to try and make up for all the workouts I missed last week. I think I did pretty good as far as that goes. I also tried harder to eat more fruits and veggies. I need to measure myself (promised myself I'd do it this week, but I'm menstrating so I put it off!) I'm feeling a difference even in my few new items of clothing so I think I might hit that go down a size milestone soon. YAY! (Except that I'm not financially ready to go buy a new wardrobe - ARGH!)
Didn't lose any weight this week - that's two weeks in a row. I'm hoping this isn't a (watch out - naughty word warning) "plateau".
Also, I think I've got my free day under control. I weighed myself the morning of my free day (or free meal, rather) and then again the next day and I'd only gone up 0.2 lbs! I was careful with what I ate all day except that one meal and then I didn't eat anything after 6 PM. I did notice that I am not getting enough water on my free days and I think that could be part of the problem, too. I'm dehydrated, but I think I'm hungry so I eat.
I'll be depositing $16 - unless anyone has any objections to that. I know that it's past the "limit" but I earned it (without milestones) and I want a very expensive reward next year.

Rippling Muscles

Not mine. I don't have any. Well ..... I don't have many. At least not yet.
Some day I'll have some. Some day I'll be covered in them. Just like my beautiful inspiration.


I began watching myself in the mirror while working out to ensure that I had good form; was doing the exercises properly. I continue to use the mirrors for that purpose as well. But now I also use the mirrors to watch some of my muscles bulge and ripple. Yep, some of them are starting to ripple!
I have never liked my calves. I have always thought they were too big. But they weren't fat so I didn't know WHAT to do about them. I still think they're too big, but I'm starting to like them - A LOT! They're getting a lot of definition and I love to watch them in the mirrors while I'm on the bicycle, treadmill, or elliptical - to watch my rippling muscles.

Ode to a New Scale, Part II - the follow up. . . by Jj

So I learned one more thing from my fancy schmancy scale yesterday . . . when wet, my hair holds onto over a half pound of water. And that is after towel drying. And to think I was wondering about the headaches. Silly me.

MJ

First of all, I just want to say "BOOYAYA*!!! Sister, you rock!" to Maria. I'm very impressed with the way you have handled everything in your life this week. I feel like sending you money for your last post about your milestone!! And I loved seeing Justin post a comment!

Now, back to my update. I had a regular kind of week as far as exercise goes. I'm happy to say that my hubby has been watching my progress and decided to be my fitness coach. He researches exercises for me and even works out with me sometimes! (Thanks, Babe!) My biggest challenge right now is the bore factor. I would love to do PX90 or something like that but my options are limited. I love Tony Horton by the way, I do his ab workout and it's great but the rest of the stuff is too much.

Water and vitamins are now a part of my lifestyle thanks our milestone program and so I'm going to move on to flexibility! Rach, let me know if you have any tips since this is also one of your focus areas!

Depositing $12 this week

*BOOYAYA is a butterfly form of the urban slang "booya." It still carries as much power and feeling as the old form but has evolved into a more feminine and empowered expression.

Ode to a New Scale, Part II . . . by Jj

Something seems to be in the air this week . . I've felt totally unmotivated and like I wasn't making any progress all week - and my feelings were right. Since I'm starting over with my new scale I have no idea if I've lost any weight but I will tell you this . . it's one of those fancy schmancy scales that measures my body fat, body water, muscle mass and bone mineral mass. And I learned way more about myself than I ever wanted to know (however, had the measurements been positive I probably would have been excited). Now I've got to figure out what all of them mean and what I need to change to make them better. Like for instance, I learned that within the last six months I went from just fine on the BMI scale - to disgustingly obese. All while fitting into the same jeans (although admitidly not comfortably). How does that happen?? Obviously I've lost muscle mass and gained fat to replace it . . but that will change. I refuse to jiggle in places I didn't know could. Of course, I don't think those scales are totally accurate either so I've got to weight myself everyday (ugh) and keep track of the numbers so I can figure out an average for the next month and then I'll be able to get a little more out of it.

Anyway, on to the minimal positives that I have for the week . . for the first time I didn't lose any significant inches that fit into my milestones, althougth I did lose them in random other places which I know cuz clothing is fitting differently - but that still doesn't make it any less depressing, by the way. But I did however accomplish one goal that I didn't think I'd reach for months . . .

On Saturday I ran an 8:12 mile! I totally passed my goal of a 9 minute mile by 48 seconds!

But now for the rest of the story . .

I was waiting for a phone call from my Mom who was waiting for me to join her at a wedding reception that evening so I took my phone with me in Chuck's backpack and had to stop and pause my timer to answer the phone half way through my run. So technically I had about a minute and a half break which gave me the chance to catch my breath and rest and then I was able to finish the mile in record time. So now I'm wondering . . does that count? Technically I did finish it and I did run the entire mile - just not in one stretch. So I'm taking a vote . . does it or does it not count as my milestone? If yes, then I'll be depositing $10 this week, and if no then it will just be $8. And as for my other new milestones . . One freakin day of not getting my 8 cups of water and fruits and veggies! I so need to be better on Sundays! So those two both started over again on Monday. One day I'll get on top of these things . . . (don't hold your breath, ladies).

It's been a rough week

I feel like that's my new motto. But hopefully, not for much longer. I expect that things will turn around very soon - and just in time for the holidays and all the wonderful holiday parties, family dinners, and neighbor gifts of cookies and chocolate and SUGAR!
I slacked off. I feel bad admitting to that after my last post. But I'm also motivated to make up for it! And I'll convince myself that's the difference between the old me and the new me. The old me would have put off the change until after Halloween, next Monday, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas, or until New Year. The new me is ready to start TODAY. I'll hit the gym even harder and longer than ever. And I'll get back on track with my diet and my on-line journal.
I'll be despositing $5.50 for the few workouts I got in and the few days I actually ate my fruits and/or veggies.

The first thing I have done this week ahead of time

I have been such a procrastinator this week! Signing in is the first thing I have done this week before it became crunch time!! I have worked out and didn't allow the unpredictability of life get in the way until Monday. I couldn't shake the overwhelming depression:( It didn't help that I stayed up until 4 am each reading because I couldn't sleep. So instead of exercising I laid on the couch! However, I did eventually get up to help a friend reupholster her chair. What a workout...my body hurts! We've been working on it for the past two afternoons and have barely made a dent. I was sweating and breathing hard as we pulled out staples. So I'm going to count both days as one work out. So I'll deposit $8 again this week.

New Milestone

This isn't the kind of milestone I get paid for. It isn't a milestone I listed on the side of the blog. But I feel it's a milestone worth noting anyway.
I have a good friend who's a competitive cyclist and works out 6 days a week. I can't remember exactly how he put it, but essentially he said that he can't go two days without working out because he feels yucky. I'd heard other people make similar statements and I didn't get it. I just couldn't understand that. I mean, that's crazy, right?
This past week, with my dad being in the hospital - the emotional toll his failing health and scary upcoming surgery has taken on me; my mom staying with me - the time and energy necessary to take care of her and get her where she needs to go; the Q4 sales meeting - the stress associated with making arrangements for that and making sure everything went smoothly; having all my sales guys in town - and the stress associated with that (some of you know EXACTLY what I mean here); all the company dinners - the lost sleep due to late nights out with the guys (and I'm not complaining about this - I could have gotten out of them if I'd wanted to). But you get my point. It has been a difficult week.
I slacked off with my work outs. And oh, boy! did I feel it! That's right! I felt yucky for not having worked out like usual.
In addition to that, Tuesday morning I got about 5 hours of sleep and as tempting as it would have been to sleep in, I didn't really want to skip my work out to do it! I had an excellent and plausible excuse and I wouldn't use it.
On Wednesday I had a work event where I got to sit in a beautiful aspen grove waiting for my co-workers to find me. I took my book to read while I waited for each team to find me and get their next clue. (Those of you who know me well know how much I LOVE to read.) After reading for about 2 minutes I thought - hey, I could be doing push-ups and crunches right now while I wait for these guys. So in between arriving teams I did 30 mins of crunches and push-ups. To sacrifice a reading opportunity to workout is a huge turning point for me.
And finally, by Sunday afternoon I was exhausted. I was so exhausted that I could have cried if I'd stopped to think about it long enough. I had a moment when I thought - if I had 30 minutes right now to myself would I sleep or workout? The answer was easy as pie - I'd work out. WOW! Did I really just say that? Yes! I would work out! And that's when I realized that I had truly hit a new milestone.

Maria Week 5

I'm a bit late - sorry, this week has been hectic. Well, I'm at my lowest weight in about 5 years. (Although just barely). I'm down from last week by nearly 2 lbs. Which means I am 0.4 lbs from another milestone.
I haven't been able to workout as hard as usual. I was busy on Saturday and skipped the entire day. I was pretty upset with myself about it and I was really feeling the lost workout that day. I was just so antsy all day.
I am taking a new supplement with essential oils that is also supposed to help with energy and I am sure feeling it. I am hungry all the time. And it would seem I might be able to increase my caloric and carbohydrate intake and still lose weight. Wahoo! (Fingers crossed)
I didn't measure this week. But I can say that I am wearing the smaller of the three pair of jeans I bought about 2 months ago when nothing else fit anymore and I noticed today that they fit a bit big in the waist. YAY!
I am depositing $7.50 today.

Ode to a New Scale . . by Jj

So this morning I ran down to the basement after my shower to weigh in (on my roommates scale which is why it's in the basement) and weighed myself but then remembered that I hadn't gone to the bathroom yet so I ran back up to my bathroom and then back down and by running up those two flights of stairs, peeing and then running back down those two flights of stairs - I somehow gained a pound. And with that, I think it's time for my own scale. I'll be hitting Target on payday to invest in one of my own that I can trust because there is obviously something wrong with that one. So when I get my new scale I'm going to start the weight loss milestone over and go from there.

I got to thinking earlier this week about something Maria said about gaining a pound on her free day so I thought I'd check it out for myself. I didn't quite understand how that could really happen when normally it takes weeks to put on weight and it's usually so gradual that you don't even notice until eventually you just can't button your pants anymore. So I put it to the test. I weighed myself Saturday morning and then went to town (I was feeling deprived so I really kinda gorged myself on the Halloween candy which really may have been my downfall). I then weighed myself again Sunday morning and I'd gained not one, but two and a half pounds! Luckily, I was able to take if off again before this mornings weigh in but it made me think. If I'd been more careful on my free day rather than just letting all hell break loose on my diet, would I be two pounds lighter now? I guess I need to learn some discipline when it comes to free days and still be a little more careful than I was . . and then I need to get a new scale. ;-)

And now for the actual report . . while I didn't lose any weight this week (I totally blame the scale), I did lose an inch around my waist (milestone #1), an inch around my thighs (milestone #2) and an inch around my muffin top (milestone #3) which is the one that I've really been waiting for. I can handle having to squish myself into my pants as long as I'm not spilling out over the top once I get there so I guess I'm on my way. Whoohoo!

So, with workouts, diet and milestones, I'm depositing $15 this week. Ya know, I think I may have to rewrite my milestones or I'm going to be broke before we're half way through the year! But that's good right?

Another note . . Marion and I were talking the other day and she suggested we pick a destination for our trip now so that we can get a basic idea of what it's going to cost us to get there. She thinks it might be a motivator to work harder. Originally, I'd set it up so that the amount of money we had would determine where we were going. Which I guess is still the case, right? If we don't have enough in the end to go where ever we'd originally planned then we can have a backup plan or maybe extend the challenge until we have the money. So now it's your turn to chime in . . what do you guys think?

Rachel signing in

Hey ladies! Overall I had a great week! I went hiking several days with my family over the fall break and did some pretty tough workouts and toning. I need to figure out how to do water when I'm on the go so I'm working on that.

On top of the great week I have found that I am craving all sorts of foods and just want to eat! I don't know if it because I'm a little more active or if it is a depression thing. It's driving me crazy. I need to do the food journal to see what's up!

So for this week I'll be depositing $8 for good exercising but I won't get my extra for fruits and veggies because I ate too much!

MJ

This has been an interesting week for me. First of all, I have to confess that I didn't even think about the food journal.


In the beginning of this challenge, I found the food journal to be really useful as a jumping off point. It helped me to see what my daily diet is like. I was surprised to find that I wasn't eating as much as I needed to during the day. I also realized that I drink soda when I have forgotten to eat and so if I eat on a regular basis, I don't crave soda. These things have been helpful. But it has become tedious for me to keep track of every little thing I eat.


I don't know if this is a lack of discipline on my part or just the fact that I have figured out what I need to work on to make my body more healthy. Weight loss is not a big motivator for me. I don't mind my size 6 jeans. I need to focus on taking the time to sit down and eat during the day. The starch exchange diet that I learned with my gestational diabetes still plays a big part in my life. I am also a social eater and will eat more if I'm out with people. But overall, I eat pretty well. So while I want to follow some guidelines with my diet, I don't feel like I need to record everything I eat. As far as dieting goes, I will do the following:


Eat breakfast every day
Eat 5 small meals daily
Focus on foods that are high in fiber and low if fat.
Drink water with every meal and after every workout
Stop eating after 7pm
Take my multivitamin daily

A little while ago, I stopped eating after 7pm. The exeption to this is if I work out at night. I have to eat something small afterwards or my blood sugar drops in the middle of the night. I have learned that if I eat during the day, I'm really not hungry at night anyway and I just eat because Brady does.


Now for the good news!!! I hit my lose 5 inches milestone this week!!! I also met my H2O milestone again!! I'm getting pretty close to just making that one a habit rather than a milestone! One more should do it.

I'll be depositing $14 this week!!!

My Wall

I have this wall - Maybe we all have our walls. I've hit my wall twice in my life. The first time was when I was 27 and I stepped on the scale one morning and saw ZZZ lbs. For my height and body type - ZZZ lbs is 5 lbs from clinically overweight. I made the decision right then and there to make some changes in my life. And for the first time EVER I seriously dieted and I lost 25 lbs. I worked out a little, but not really hard, my main focus was on my diet. The weight came off in about 6 months and once it was off - I went back to my same lifestyle. I was very fortunate in that I didn't put it all back on, at least not immediately. The second time I hit my wall was this past March. I had gone from a size X to a size Y and I needed to move up to size Z. I stepped on the scale one morning and I saw ZZZ lbs AGAIN! ZZZ lbs is evidently my wall. My do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to unhappy. I had two choices - go out a buy a new wardrobe or lose weight. I had two choices - given in and accept that this was me or get to work. I didn't want to spend money on a new wardrobe of even bigger clothes. But I also wasn't ready to just give in and be completely unhappy with myself, my health, and my body. The difference between this wall and the last one? I didn't want to simply lose weight – I wanted to get healthy, I wanted to get active. I’ve never been athletic and I asked myself why not? Because I never wanted to work for it. (My cross country experience being a perfect example of this.) Now I want to work for it. Now I’m willing to work for it. I didn’t want to just lose weight – I wanted to make a major transformation.
Not only am I down more than 15 lbs and 2 sizes, but just as important - I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm not even finished yet.
Somewhere along the line I skipped a size. In my closet I had my "fat" clothes which were my clothes that fit me at ZZZ lbs. And then I had my clothes that fit me at YYY lbs. And my clothes that fit at XXX lbs. Well, in my weightloss journey I seem to have skipped over my YYY clothes. I find myself at a new crossroads. I'm up against a different wall. I don't really fit into my size X's anymore either. So do I go out a buy a new wardrobe of size W's? Clothes that will fit me at WWW lbs? Or do I take a break, lay off a bit so I can fit in my size X's. Well, what do you think?
I am so happy to have my Ya-Ya Sisters (can I say my Butterfly Girls?) making this transformation with me. I am excited that you guys have caught the fever with me and that we're all going to be much healthier and in much better shape soon. And maybe we'll all be buying new wardrobes soon. For our trip at the end of the year - maybe we'll NEED to go to a shopping hot spot!

Last but not least!

I'm finally signing in! I've decided that my life really is crazy but I love it! Any who, I'm back in the exercise saddle again! I did an amazing work out on Monday. It was a little hard to breathe and not cough but I kept at it and my quads are sore. Yeah only today and tomorrow left on the antibiotics. I'm glad it is nearly over because it is so nice to be almost normal! I had a pretty good week on my fruits and veggies..I'm sort of sad the garden froze (I'll miss the easy access fresh produce but that's it! no more weeding!!!!) My water intake slipped a little so I need to keep that up. Other than that I've had a fair week of sinus recovery and I'm so excited for the next week where I am going to step it up literally! $8 this week for me!

One step closer to those skinny jeans . . .

Who knew that a Wednesday could be so insane and hectic? And I really don't feel like I did that much but I only had about three minutes all day when I wasn't busy. Anyway, Rachel, you're definitely not last - however I just realized that because I started my blog earlier today it's going to show up before yours. My bad. I know I set the rules but unfortunately I had to break them today. Forgive me?

So I didn't have the best week when it comes to cardio workouts and I was all kinds of tired and bloated all week so I really wasn't expecting to see any sort of progress. I actually weighed my self Saturday morning when I realized my schedule was all mixed up and I'd gained 2 lbs since last weeks weigh in but I'd lost it and one more by this morning so thank goodness for that. I only got in 4 cardio workouts rather than my usual 5 and I only did 2 toning workouts instead of my usual 4 however I did my best to work hard in those few that I got in. And I did see a little progress. Not only did I lose that 1 lb, which gives me a total of 5 - just 1 more pound to another weight loss milestone. I lost a 1/2" off my waist so that gives me a total of 1" and a milestone there. And . . get this one . . I lost 1 1/2" off my hips! Whoohoo! So that gives me a total of 2" lost on my hips so I guess that counts as two milestones for my hips!! I've also lost a total of 2" off my lower thighs which is great - but I haven't listed that one as a milestone. It's just cool. So with workouts, fruits and vegetables, and milestones I'll be depositing a total of $11.

I've been doing really bad with the whole fruits and vegetables thing this last week or two so I'm going to add that to my milestones. I'm also adding eight cups of water. I've been doing better than I've been in the past, but still rarely getting all the way to eight.

Okay, it's way late and I'm dead tired and sore from my hour long toning workout this evening so I'm going to bed. zzzzz . . .

MJ

Hi, girls!

Good News! I'm literally inching my way closer to the "lose 5 inches" milestone. Yay! Taking my measurements made me happy this morning...but I was already smiling because I feel better than I have felt for a long time. I know it's a combination of exercise, diet, water and actively working to improve my life. I was exercising regularly before starting this challenge but now I really put my heart into it. I'm glad to have a Wednesday in every week on my calendar because I know you girls will be checking up on me and I need that.

I'm going through a season of self realization right now. Maria put it best when she talked about a transformation similar to that of a butterfly. I don't want to drift along in life anymore. I want to make every minute count. Being healthy and happy is a big motivator for me. I am in a position where I see a lot of older people who are losing their ability to function because of life choices they made when they were young. I don't want that to happen to me. (Or to you for that matter and I'll be keeping an eye on you three!) I am glad to know that you will always support me. I was a little frustrated last week because of the limitations I have due to my bad hip. Your comments really helped me. It meant a lot to know that you love me the way I am, Thank You.

$10

I still haven't heard from the bank so I'll keep this until I get the signature card.

Working Lunches, Dinner Parties, and Football Games

I got killed this last week. With three working lunches, four dinner parties, and one football game I cheated nearly every day! And I have paid for it in many ways; stomach aches nearly everyday (you'd think I'd learn), gaining 4 lbs, and losing money.
On a positive note. I lost 2 of those 4 lbs before my weigh in. I literally ran a pound off last night. Also, it isn't one of my listed milestones, but it's a big deal to a girl who's never been able to run a mile without stopping before - I ran 2 1/2 miles last night and I didn't stop to rest once. I think I might have been able to go a little further, too, but it was getting really dark.
Another thing is that I'm seeing a lot of definition in my forearms and calves. I didn't have far to go with them, but I haven't concentrated on them at all. Usually I avoid exercises that work my calves because the last thing I want is for them to be any bigger and there wasn't much fat to lose from them. But nonetheless - they are looking very defined and I sort of like them!
I'm updating my milestones. I don't believe I'm getting enough sleep so I'm creating a milestone regarding that. I want to be in bed weeknights by 9 PM. In bed by 9:00 PM should mean I'm asleep by 9:03 PM. That will put me at 7 hours of sleep each night. I've also seriously slacked off on the food journal - primarily because I have no idea how to calculate a lot of the foods I've eaten. So I'm creating a new milestone regarding not eating out and keeping an ACCURATE food journal.
I'll be depositing $13. Lots of working out and a milestone seemed to have made up for my bad eating days.

Why Can't I Be Incredible?

How much would I have to weigh or how big would I have to get before I can say I'm trying to lose weight and people would be supportive and say "good for you" instead of "you don't need to lose weight"? Am I expected to get to clinically overweight, socially overweight, obese, or morbidly obese? I do know from personal experience that if you're simply approaching clinically overweight you can't expect any support from others. But why is that?

I'm all for loving yourself no matter what size, shape, or weight you are. But why should I have to settle? What if I'm not happy with sitting on the fence of overweigtness? (if I may be so bold as to make up a word here.) Why should I be fine with a weight that is still within "healthy" (albeit JUST barely) when my lifestyle isn't healthy and my diet isn't healthy - I've just been fortunate thus far with my metabolism and my genetics? I don't think I should wait until my metabolism is no longer in my favor to make a decision to change and actually get a little support.

My doctor told me I have an 80% chance of developing diabetes in my lifetime. Do I sit around and wait to see if I’m just lucky enough for that 20%? Do I wait until I’m pre-diabetic or diabetic to start taking control of my health? At what point is it acceptable for me to decide that I’m going to do everything I possibly can to avoid that 80%?
When I've told people I’m trying to lose weight, or I’m trying to make better food choices, or I’m going to the gym everyday they often say, “You don’t need to do that.” “You don’t need to lose weight.” “You can eat this.” “You’re ok.” “You look fine.” What is their purpose to saying those things? Are they just trying to be polite? Do they say that because they think I want to hear that? They certainly aren’t doing me any favors and they come off as very discouraging. Why don't they want me to be the best that I can possibly be? Why should I settle for ok? Why should I settle for fine? Why shouldn't I be amazing? WHY CAN'T I BE INCREDIBLE?

I want to reiterate .... No, it's not just about the weight. It IS about being healthy. It's also about being happy with myself. I may say that I need to lose weight and it isn't about the actual weight it's about being tone. I could never lose another pound and be perfectly happy as long as I continue to get tighter and firmer. But also, even if THAT NEVER happened. I could accept that and be happy as long as I knew I was strong, healthy, and in the best physical condition I was capable of.
I know that when people hear, "I want to lose weight" they equate that to "I'm fat". Because of this I need to make a change. I need to make a change in my vocabulary. I need to stop using phrases like "lose weight" or the word "fat" (not that I use it often). And I need to start using words like healthy, fit, tone, active, endurance, and strength.

To those of you who have offered and continue to offer me support - thank you! To my Butterfly Girls - thanks for being a part of this journey with me. I have faith that someday every one of us is going to be incredible.

Maria's Week 3

This week I discovered that my free days just might be counter-productive (if they were ever productive in the first place). I think that a free day is good because there are going to be events and occasions where a free day is needed; because we need to be able to reward ourselves sometimes; and because we can't completely deny ourselves all the time. But I am struggling with a balance with regards to my free days.
And I've settled on an on-line fitness journal - www.bodydaemon.com I'll write more on that later.
On a much more positive note ....
I lost another pound this week which puts me at 3 lbs since this challenge began and that's a milestone. I also lost an inch on my waist since this challenge began (that's 4 since I started my own challenge) and that's another milestone. I also lost 2 1/2 inches from my hips - that's two milestones!
A note about my measurements ... since I started working out about 5 or 6 months ago I have lost:
1/2 inch from my calves (not that there's much to lose there)
1 1/2 inches from my thighs
2 1/2 inches from my hips
4 inches from my waist
1 inch from my arms
2 1/2 inches from my chest
So I will be depositing $7 for workouts (4 cardio and 3 strength), $2 for eating fruits and veggies, $8 for milestones reached, minus $1 for going over my carbohydrate intake on a day that was not my free day for a grand total of .... $15.

Rachel's week

Well Ladies the antibiotic is really starting work!!! With my head so painfully stuffy I haven't worked out this week. However my water intake has been AMAZING! So I have hit a milestone this week(now I just need to keep keep drinking H2O!) So I will be depositing $5.50 for veggies and water! Wahoo I sound so heathly too bad my body doesn't feel heathly. A few more days of antibiotics and think my head won't explode. My plan is to start exercising on Monday! I think I will be able to bend over and put on those walking shoes agian.

A testament to good friends, workout buddies, bland food, weird side effects and the elliptical machine. By Jj.

So this week has been an up and down one for me. I felt like I wasn't really accomplishing anything because of how much I've still been babying my ankle. My runs have slowed down and I haven't been able to push as hard because it still hasn't healed. So I was pretty convinced that I wouldn't see any results this week. However, it would appear that I was wrong. I don't know if it's the hour I spent on the elliptical on Monday or if it's the diuretic side effects of my new medication but I lost 2 1/2 pounds this week (even though I accidentally when over my calories one day - minus $.50 - and I went three days this week without any workouts at all - but not in a row)! I was doing a little jig on the scale this morning. It was a good time.

Anyway, with that weight loss it puts me at a total of 4 lbs since we started so that gets me over another milestone (one that I'll hopefully continue hitting). I also lost my first 1/2" around my hips and another 1/2" around my thighs. So that give me 1" on my thighs total and another milestone for that too. So, with my workouts, milestones and fruits and veggies I'll be depositing $10.50.

MJ: Signing In!

Marion, Janis, Rachel, Maria 11-05-2005

Hip Hip Hooray! I have met my first milestone!!! My H2O for 2 weeks!

I have been really working on my water intake. I mentioned this last week but I'll say it again. I have so much more energy!! Now, I love water, but it has not replaced Mountain Dew as my drink of choice. Honestly, I love the stuff. So, I have a rule that if I'm craving a soda, I drink a glass of water first. A lot of times the craving will go away after that. I don't beat myself up if I happen to still crave the soda. But I am sure to underline the carbs in my food journal since soda carbs are empty carbs. (Yes, girls, my food journal is still a notebook. I haven't taken the time to get one of the online options that are available. I hope to do that soon.)

I am loving my workouts. Having great women to walk with makes a huge difference. I'm also doing some ball workouts with another good friend of mine, Gunnar Peterson.
I like these workouts because they don't hurt my hip and you can use weights with them. I am so proud of you ladies and all of the fantastic workouts you talk about. I wish I had more options. We all know I'm like the lady on the lowest level of those 1980's and 90's aerobics videos thanks to my bad hip. Sometimes I get envious of the runners that I see in the morning. There's a group of three women who run and carry on a conversation at the same time. I would love that! But I keep reminding myself that I need to do what is right for my body and learn to be happy with myself. So, I'll keep on walking and I'll see you on vacation in a year!

I am going to remove my H2O milestone from the list and replace it with taking my multivitamin everyday for 3 weeks. I can't believe how often I forget to take it. And I will be depositing $10.

My Discovery

Today a bunch of my co-workers decided to go to Red Lobster for the all you can eat shrimp fest. I was invited to go and I think I've mentioned once or twice that I work with some of the coolest and funniest people on the planet so I hate to pass up an opportunity to hang out with them.
What to do? It is only day 1 in my week - do I use my free day today? And what if something should come up later in the week? Saturday is a birthday party - what if I want cake or icecream - or BOTH?
I was fortunate in that I knew ahead of time where we were going to eat lunch today. I was also fortunate in that a few days ago I found this amazing website that has the nutritional information on hundreds of menu items from hundreds of restaurants (www.thedailyplate.com). I went to this website and started looking at the nutritional information for several items on the menu at Red Lobster.
I am sure we are all starting to discover what a wonderful tool a food journal is for us. Not only does it allow us to track how many calories, carbs, or fat grams we're consuming and how much water we are or (in my case aren't) drinking, but it also makes us so much more aware of what we are ACTUALLY putting in our bodies - good or bad.
Today could have been an easy day to blow my diet - whether intentionally (just deciding I am going to eat as much cocnut shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheddar bay biscuits as my tummy can hold) or unintentionally (by ordering something that I think is a healthier alternative only to find out later that it was very high in calories, carbs, etc.) Janis inspired me to start looking more closely at the nutritional information in restaurant foods when she discovered that her Quiznos SALAD was NOT the healthy alternative she originally believed it to be. It is because of her that I decided to check out the nutrional information of my potential Red Lobster options beforehand.
I took a few mintues this morning to map out what I could order today and still stay within my alotted calories and carbohydrates. Because of the food journal, because I knew how many calories and carbs I had consumed for breakfast and would be consuming for dinner and because I did a little research online I was able to make a very informed and smart decision regarding what I could eat for lunch. And I didn't blow my diet today! YAY!
I remember being taught in YW to decide beforehand what I am going to do or not do in certain situations. Then when you are faced with what could be a difficult decision - it won't be difficult at all because you have already made that decision. I am going to apply this to my food choices.
I know that it isn't always going to be possible to plan ahead, especially with regards to eating out. My plan is to chose 6 or 7 restaurants and fast food joints where I am the most likely to eat "on the go" and I am going to research their menus. I am going to select the most healthy options available from those menus. Then if I am ever in a tight spot and have to grab something fast I can be sure I am making an informed decision and won't be surprised later to find out that I just consumed 800 calories or 50 carbs for lunch and completely blew my diet.
I am also going to plan out my own menus ahead of time. That way if I get asked to lunch again, having a good idea what my dinner plans are, I can make better decisions regarding lunch options.
Sorry to be so long winded ladies. But you guys know me well enough to know that I love to talk, chat, write, express, and share. I love you guys! I am so glad that we are doing this together!

YES!!!! for Rachel

I lost 2 pounds this week! So now I need to decide if my milestone is 3 pounds in one week or cumulative. I did always like the cumulative property in Algebra. Anywho...I will be depositing $8-$10 this week! and $5 for last week. All the running around has paid off!!!

My Second Semi-productive week . .

I don't think I've ever been as accident prone in my entire life as I have been the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to be more active and in actuality, I've always been a klutz or if it's God's way of telling me that I should just be happy the way I am and sit around all day and get fat. First, there is my famous and unattractive sprained ankle (in all my years of gymnastics, dance and cheerleading I've NEVER sprained anything and then I do it simply running). And then last night I was running with Chuck and it was dark by the time I got home. Anyway, long story short . . he cut in front of me and I tripped (maybe I'll tell the whole story on my own blog). So now I'm all scrapped up and bruised etc etc etc. But, just like my sprained ankle, it won't stop me. Probably not the smartest, but whatever.

Okay, now for my progress. I'm still not quite where I want to be on my carbs. Some days are better than others so I've been researching different low carb recipes to help keep that down. I've been tracking all of my food and everything on SparkPeople.com but I think I'm going to try using fitday.com too for a couple of weeks to see which one I like better and then I'll continue with that. I'll be depositing the maximum of $10 for this weeks progress. Also, I've lost another 1/2 inch on my ribs, a 1/2 inch on my waist, a 1/2 inch off my lower thigh, and I've lost one pound since our last weigh in. I know, it's not much but it's better than nothing. Just another pound and a half to reach a milestone. When I put it that way it seems a little daunting, doesn't it?

Got a question on measurements . . when we way a milestone is every 2" lost (or whatever) is that 2" overall - like do you add them up? Or 2" lost on one body part? I've got it as a milestone which most of us do but I didn't actually think about it until today when I was trying to calculate. Cuz I've lost 4" total all over, but obviously not all of that in one place. Hhmm . . guess I could follow Maria and do it 1" off hips, waist etc. What is everyone else doing??

Over and out.

Maria's Week 2

Hello Ladies! Interesting week for me. I've been much more careful with what I'm eating. I've created an on-line food journal (which I've only actually utlized the past three days) that tells me exactly how many calories, carbs, etc I'm eating. And I can also enter my workouts and it will tell me how many calories I've burned. I'm really liking it. I just need to decide WHICH on-line journal I'm going to use - right now I'm trying to decide between three.
www.sparkpeople.com
www.fitday.com
www.dailyplate.com
Anyway ...I lost 1 lb since last week. And I am extremely happy with that one little pound since I am also menstrating this week and we all know what that can do to our bodies! ARGH! I feel like I've gained 10! I didn't measure myself this week because 1) I'm only going to measure like once a month and 2) ... well... as I said, I'm menstrating and well know what that can do to our bodies.
I'll be depositing the max $10 this week.
My goal for the week is to keep my new on-line journal completely up to date and as accurate as possible - which means I need to pay closer attention to how much time I spend at the gym. And to drink more water!

MJ: Is it Wednesday Already?

Hi, girls! Just wanted to sign in quickly and let you know how I'm doing on the challenge. Thanks for your help on my $ calculating issue. I decided that the morning walks will only be 1/2 of a full workout because they are not strenuous. Thanks for that idea, Janis.

So, let's get down to business...I measured this morning and am happy to say that the inch I lost last week has not resurfaced! Hooray! I'm losing a little bit on my legs but that is where I always lose inches first. I hope to see some more progress in my abs soon. When it comes to apples and pears, I'm an apple shape:)

I didn't do so well on my food journal last week. I took notice of everything that I was eating, I just missed a couple of days writing it down. So, I'll be starting over with the journal this week. Wish me luck! I want to reach that milestone by the end of this month.

I placed a lot of my focus on water intake last week and I have so much more energy! It's amazing how much better I feel. Maybe I've been walking around in a dehydrated stupor for the last couple of years.

This week I'll focus on ab workouts, bigger breakfasts and H2O.

I will be depositing $13 (A combination of this week and last week.)

P.S. I went to the grocery store this morning and bought more yogurt, a multivitamin, wheat bread and HALLOWEEN CANDY!!!!! I couldn't control the impulse. Maybe I better put my food journal right next to the candy bag in my pantry!

MJ: I Need Help Calculating The $

OK...After reading what everybody posted today, I realized I forgot to calculate my $ amount earned this week. I need to know how much to put in. The problem I'm having is figuring out what my work outs are worth. I read back over the original guidelines and I 'm still not sure. I don't do cardio because of my hip and I'm not sure what counts as toning. Would it be OK if I list my workouts here on the blog and you guys can help me figure out what I owe this week? Then, I'll use it as a guide from now on.

I walk with a friend of mine every morning M-F for 45 minutes. It is up hill halfway and downhill the other half, obviously. The distance is just over 2 miles.

I also work out 2 night a week for 30-60 minutes down at our gym. I am on the treadmill and so I usually keep track of the calories I burn rather than distance. I shoot for 200+ each night. I can't run so I usually increase the grade every minute or so until it is at the max and then I go back down every minute or so. Am I making sense?

Anyway, I also have a 15 minute workout that is similar to power yoga and focuses on breathing. I love it and I did it 3 times last week. This week I'm adding an ab video that doesn't take long. It's 200 crunches.

So, girls, what do you think?

Rachel's 1st week

This week has been crazy! Everything turned in the garden and all I've done is canning. I haven't stopped moving from sun up to past sun down. I now have 6 more quarts of tomatoes, 14 quarts of peaches, 16 quarts of pears, enough peach pulp in the freezer to do two batches of jam at a later date (thank heavens) and more still to do!! Unfortunately it has interfered with exercising; however, I did loose one pound, 1/2 inch in my waist, an inch in my hips, and been more aware of my water intake. I basically exercised the way people did before there was a gym to hit! So I don't think I should put any money in this week but I am proud of what I accomplished.

An Official Report from Jj Hansen

Okay, so I've been trying this low carb thing for the past week and I've got to say, it's much harder than it looks. I been fairly good about keeping it in the 175-225 range (except on my free day which I used to totally blow any and all progress) but hopefully as I find more recipes I'll be able to get that number even lower. My biggest problem is milk! I just can't give it up! But I've been better about not just taking the whole gallon with me. Usually I make dinner and sit down with a glass and a gallon in front of me and drink at least 3-4 cups with a meal - but I've been measuring it out and only drinking 2 cups at each meal and then drinking water after that. Can I just say it's killing me??
Anyway, due to my sprained ankle I've had to cut back or change my workouts a little bit so I didn't strain it even worse before our hike on Saturday but I've still managed to get some decent workouts in. Some of my cardios were shorter than required due to the ankle but I've done my best to make it up with toning. Plus, I've gotten all of my fruits and vegetables in almost every day this week (I don't know what I'm going to do when watermelon is out of season and I can't get it anymore).
So, that being said, I will be depositing $7 into our account as soon as it's set up. Oh, and I took my measurements and weighed myself this morning . . not the most amazing progress, but there's a little. I've lost a half inch around my ribs and a half inch on my thighs. As far as weight goes, only a half pound . . but I just started a new medication yesterday that also acts as a diaretic. Some side effect, huh? I looked up the med and most people reported losing 10-15 lbs when they started taking it. If only I'd known it could be so easy . . .