I started Curves last summer and when I found out I had gained 7 pounds the first month (probably muscle-building) I stopped going in on my measurement day. Then life (wedding, Finer Womanhood meetings) took over and next thing I know, I hadn't been in in over two months! But this Sunday I did make it back and get measured. My net weight gain from then to now was ... drum roll please ... 3 pounds! I was so relieved. So now, whenever I do not have a commitment in the evening, I'm up in there! It's great that Mr. BB91 is helping me remain accountable.

I am also planning my evening meals in advance. (Lunch is still a challenge.)

Best to all!

I'm enrolled in a bootcamp right now and I love it. We have 6am workouts 3 mornings a week that mainly consist of running and we also have a kickboxing or cardio/fat-burn class 2-3 times a week depending on the week. The few days we have off we are given homework assignments. ITS REALLY WORKING. I started June 5 and my 8's (some of which were getting tight) are falling off of me and my 6's are fitting NICE!

But anyway- the lady over the program gives us great tips about lunch, so I thought I'd share one with you.

When I go to a restaurant I order something healthy (clearly) but then I also have them box up half of it before I even get it. This makes sure I am paying attention to portion control. Also, then I have a meal for later.

Also, here is a portion tidbit (I think its borrowed form Weight Watchers, but its a good guid for me). Look at your hand, your hand balled in a fist is equivalent to the size of carbohydrate FOR YOU and your hand laid flat, palm up with fingers touching is the equivalent of one portion of protein for you. If you do that and have 2.5 veggie servings (use your judgment), 4.5 carb servings and 3.5 protein servings you'll see results...I have!

Also, in bootcamp we eat 6 small meals a day and I have found that REALLY helps my metabolism. I do this and cook out of The Eating for Life cookbook- ITS AWESOME. The food is great and very healthy. If you just follow his recipes for each of the six meals (there are about 20-25 recipes for each meal), he takes all the guess work out of it and I'm eating WAY better than I ever did.

My eating day goes something like this:

Meal 1: 8:00 am approx 1 hour after completion of 6 am workout (that one hour maximizes fat burn): 1/2 whole wheat bagel and 2 strips 95% fat free baked turkey bacon

Meal 2: 10:00 am watermelon or 1/2 w.w. bagel and 98% fat free turkey breast lunch meat

Meal 3: 12:00 baked chicken breast, rice, brocoli

Meal 4: 3:00 Dannon Light & Fit yogurt or apple

Meal 5: 6:00 ground turkey meat, lettuce, tomato, black beans, salsa, and baked whole wheat pita bread for Eating For Life Cristp Taco Salad

Meal 6: 8:00 apple or watermelon or 1/4 cup of egg beater (equals one egg) scrambled in whole wheat tortiall with salsa

We're not supposed to eat after 9:00 but sometimes to get all six meals in I have to. Also, they recommend no carbs after 6, but clearly I don't do that and I've still had AMAZING results.

Also, if you like to count calories here is something to try:

Finding the right number of calories to consume

Basic Calculation

Multiply your body weight by one of the following factors

* 8 to 10 if you want to lose bodyfat

* 12 if you want to gain muscle while losing bodyfat

* 15 if your goal is to gain muscle

For example, if you weigh 130 lbs. and want to gain muscle and lose bodyfat, multiply your bodyweight by 12. Therefore you should consume 1560 calories per day. You may have to adjust that number up or down based on your metabolism and activity level. The key is to make progress, not starve yourself.

You want to get 40% of your calories from Carbohydrates, 40% from protein, and 20% from unsaturated fats. In the above example that works out like this

Protein = .4 * 1560 =624 calories

Carbs = .4 *1560=624 calories

Fat = .2 *1560 = 312 calories

Since food labels have nutritional information in grams you may want to convert: to convert to grams, divide protein and carbs by 4, and divide fat by 9.

Protein = .4 * 1560 =624 calories /4 = 156 grams

Carbs = .4 *1560=624 calories / 4= 156 grams

Fat = .2 *1560 = 312 calories / 9 = 35 grams

**I've not tried this as the 6 small meal a day with careful portion control works for me. However, this came straight from an email from the facility leader and EVERYONE there is super fit.

Good luck to all and hopefully this time next month there will be less of you! I am definitely going for less of me!

Well I did the free Bally's thing until it expired. I switched jobs along the way, and that has made it harder for me to get in organized "workouts". I've been maintaining, but I'm in between sizes, so I see all these cute summer clothes, and everything is either too big or too small. :( I need to avoid desserts for a few weeks and see if I can get into the smaller sizes more comfortably. I've also started doing step practice, which burns cals, and keeps me from eating for a few hours before hand, b/c I can't step on a full tummy.

pulled out the short shorts yesterday...
 

I am not where I want to be (but then again, I never am!) but I am well on my way. I pulled on a pair of short shorts this weekend and was gratified to see that my work has definitely paid off!

I still don't have much of a formal regimen though- I just try to stay active (walking instead of taking the train or elevator) and watch what I eat (no fried foods during the week, limited sweets, no soda, very little juice). I eat really well though- mostly organic, and almost vegetarian (with a little fish or chicken now and then).

I might not have the six-pack I had on the high protein diet, but my skin damn near glows and I have so much energy!

Good luck to all the exercisers!

I was sitting around chatting with some ladies the other day and they were raving about colon cleansers. Has anyone here tried them? Did they make a difference in kick-starting a program/regimen? I have tried to research it, but all the sites on the Internet are just advertisement.

Also, for those that use protein supplements, do you rather soy or whey? I think I may buy small pouches af each and mix a small scoop of each into the shakes. Any suggestions?

Whey protein is absorbed into your system quicker than soy protein- makes it great for supplementing post-workouts! Soy protein and other casein proteins are slow absorbing- they help you feel less hungry throughout the day. They're great for meal supplements, or occasionally, breakfast.

It's all about your goals!

Thanks for the help. I think that I will use the soy protein for my breakfast meal replacement. I hardly have time for breakfast, so that will work out well for me. I can use the whey for when I come from the gym. I want to lose weight (burn fat) and build muscle through weight training.

I ran across BeanRuby last night while going through the Nappturality weight loss thread. That girl did the damn thang!!! She is my inspiration. I saved her as a friend and bookmarked her. I might make her my home page so that every time I log on, I will know that I need to get my butt to working out!

Just goes to show that the scale means NOTHING. She looks FAAAABULOUS!

Yep...she looks awesome.

Explain to me how I have gained back the weight I lost (:() but I can still fit all the clothes I bought for my new size? And I don't mean squeeze into them, I mean, they fit. And my old clothes are still too big. The pounds are back but the inches are not. Why? :confused: (I am not complaining, but I am confused.)

And I can tell by the pictures that CT4 posted in the LAM thread that I've gained the weight back. :( My face looks so much thinner in that picture than it looks now. :( I wanna look like that again.

I'm mentally preparing to get back on the bandwagon. AGAIN. Each week will have a new goal. Let me document them so that I don't forget. I'll put them in my weight loss journal when I get home.

Week 1: Water (nothing else until you've had your req'd amount of H2O for the day) and pack your lunch EVERY day
Week 2: Water and Start counting those points (keep packing your lunch)
Week 3: Water, keep counting those points (pack lunch and snacks), and Exercise

My new roommate is going to be my personal trainer. :D I've been walking every day the last couple weeks, but I've done no weights or resistance stuff. So she is going to teach us (me and my other roomie) some exercises to help us tone. We have to work out a schedule. I'm voting for 5am cuz who wants to exercise after they've been at work all day? By the end of week three, I hope to have formed some habits.

TTT
 

Getting ready for the new year!!

Anyway, as I posted in the ?emoc woh thread, I recently joined Curves. I also created a weight loss photo album (a la BeanRuby) to keep track of my progress. If anyone is interested in the link or have their own weight loss albums ro share, PM me.

Let's make some real progress and keep one another encouraged this year! If anyone has made some notable progress this past year, post it. I love to hear weight loss success stories!

Re: TTT
 

I had to go back and look at BeanRuby for encouragement.

For those like myself that would like to adopt a healthier lifestyle and shed a few pounds in the process, the Discovery Channel has provided the resources to make it happen via the National Body Challenge. Click on the link below for more information.


I really like the free 8 week trial Bally's membership. Too bad I am already a Bally's member. :(



http://health.discovery.com/converge...e2005/wow.html

Well, I'm down about 15 pounds from when I signed up for the Discovery Health Challenge last year. I still would like to lose some more, so I'm signing up again. I really need to get past this plateau! So far I think I liked last years menu planning better. This whole e-diets thing is really cumbersome, and hard to adapt. last year, I recall you could change it to fit your lifestyle, ie it would remember that you don't like banans and never assign you a meal with a banana smoothie. Also, you could look stuff up, ie, what's the carb/cal/protein breakdown for food at popular places, ie a Starbucks latte.:cool:

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Challenge....
This will be my first year doing the challenge, I am praying for excellent results.

:)

No problem :) I think making the public comitment of getting weighed in public really forced me to deal with my weight adn motivated me to stay on track. The other thing that has helped me is I found a pic of Tyra Banks in the Vicky's catalogue in her undies looking fab. i put it at eye level on my fridge, that way when I'm just going looking for empty calories I think twice. Good Luck!

Well ladiez first off hello....this will be my first post.....but i think i can help.....

I really do recommend palates.....i danced professionally for about 8 years and if you want to get a lean thinning look its the best way to go....instead of workouts that include weight lifting and heavy endurance...which gives you a muscular bulky look palates really slims down and very quickly i might add.
I had a friend start the palates work out and loose 3 dress sizes in about a month a month and a half......and even wit the large amounts of food and calories i take in everyday.....i styll maintain a very slim figure...and when i tell you it work i mean it.....on average a video or dvd (for specific target areas) runns about 15 to 20minutes which isnt alot of time.......especially if youre very busy....and youll feel it workin.....you may not even breaka sweat....and the only other thing i recommend is less sugar in your diet and alot of water everyday.....

i hope wat ive told youwill be of some help

let me kno how it goes....and if anyone wants to kno specifics you can message me and ill tell you as much as i can


~~Happy to helP~~

Does anybody know any good diet pills that will help you to lose weight quickly. I exercise at least 5 times a week and I'm not losing anything. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

I'm finally trying to get my act together. I have family history of diabetes and heart disease so i HAVE do something before the demons catch me. I've put on 50 pounds in the 4 years since undergrad - it was easy staying slim when you're in an HBCU marching band... So now it's time for the pounds to go!

I have a buddy at work and we've started going to our building's gym after work, about 4x a week. I've also started packing my lunch (salads or healthy sandwiches) bringing fruit to snack on during the day, i've cut out the sodas and just drink water. I'm also getting the hang of this "portion control" thing - but i ain't perfect!

This has been going on for about 2 weeks and although it's too soon so see a difference, i definitely FEEL it. My sleep cycle is more regular and even my boss has noticed i'm more alert and productive on the j-o-b.

the only thing that's driving me crazy is my skin! I'm breaking out like a teenager! Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this?

What are you eating? I told my personal trainer that I was doing cardio 4 times a week and not watching what I ate for an entire semester and that I only lost 4 lbs--- he told me that was great (for not watching what I ate). So if you're not dieting, then don't be surprised at your small lost. Try it, before pills.

Girl, don't go that route! Look at ALL other healthy outlets before pills. They are short-term, but may have long-term side effects. You want your weight loss to be natural and maintainable. I promise, I lost weight by eating right and exercising moderately vigorously for 12 weeks. I started with 20 minutes 3 x a week and went up to 40 minutes 5 x a week. I eat about 4 small meals a day. I let myself have mini indulgences daily. I am a 'thick' girl by nature, but now it all flows 38 27 39.5, size 8 was a 40 33 44 size 14. Just realize what body type you have and love it! Also, try a different exercise method, your body may have adapted to your routine. Shake things up and make sure your are eating! I would suggest, the firm, pratically any step aerobics(your knees permitting), or good old fashioned jogging. If you would like any more advice pm me, I have a degree in Recreation(minor in health), emphasized in both Tourism and Fitness Management. Good Luck to you and prayer works best!

Does anyone know the name of the product that helps to trim the mid section/abdomen section only? It's some sort of pill or cream or something. Is it sold in drug stores?

I could be mistaken about what you are asking for, but the only thing that I can think of is CortiSlim. It is a pill that is supposed to burn fat in the stomach or something like that.

Yes, I think that that's it. Do you know if that can be purchased in drug stores?

I looked on Walgreens.com. It was on the website, so it's likely that it's in the store. I believe that I have seen it in there before, but I can't be sure.

Thanks. Yes, it's there and at CVS. I purchased Abgone instead. We'll see how it works.

I've never read anything that says that might even work. I'm interested in how it turns out for you though.

When it came to weight loss, ECA stacks (xenadrine, ripped fuel, etc.) were really the only things that worked. But they were banned over the whole ephedrine issue. I am using another product that is supposed to be pretty good. It's called Hot-Rox. So far I'm feeling a little edgy...They have several versions and all that. I buy mine through the Vitamin Shop.

http://www.biotest.net/readTopic.do;...ydra?id=486378

-Rudey

Thanks for the info. I can't use that stuff that has caffeine in it. It has me all jittery. Besides, I only want to lose a little around the middle section to try to get more of an hourglass...trying to hold on to the rest. Most pills cause a person to lose all over.

Thought I'd share
 

I know everyone doesn't agree with Atkins but I started March 1 and have lost 20 pounds so far. My goal is 30 more and I'll be straight. i'm 5"7 so I can carry the weight but I refuse to buy any more bigger clothes! I also walk/jog 3 miles every other day-but I've only been doing that for the past 2 weeks. I do a slightly modified version, meaning I do eat carbs, just not alot. I eat absolutely no sugar, and if I do, its not alot and I walk it off. But most of the time I don't have sugar for health reasons. I feel great, my clothes are too big, and I'm eating heathier which is a plus. I'm not losing as fast because I still eat carbs, I just don't over do it. Mostly just chicken, fish, salads & little to no sugar. Oh and lots and lots of water!!

Re: Thought I'd share
 

Soror, I have done the Atkins diet off and on since 99 and I agree that it does work! I now do a modified version as well that seems to work very well...I cut out sugar almost completely from my diet. What I've found is that when I do that, I can still eat the starches and the breads w/out gaining weight...and I don't exercise at all with it. Of course, I need to do so, just to keep my health in check but that's another subject.
SC

Has anyone tried Abgone and and did it work. I'm taking the green tea pills to help curve my eating. It does not seem to be doing anything, because I'm still always hungry.

Maybe because it takes longer for pills to get into your system? I have been having mad cravings all morning, usually I'm not that hungry, but I've been struggling not to eat up the whole kitchen today. I just had a cup of green tea and now I'm straight. It was hard to force it down since it's not sweet at all, but I'm right full if I do say so myself.

I found an article on AbGONE if anyone else decides they want to try it. You have to scroll down a bit before it starts.

http://www.securesci2.com/biotech/ca...bgone_news.php

I've tried Abgone as well but it did not work for me at all. Not to mention, that mess screws up your metabolism.

Actually, I have been eating 5 small meals throughout the day. (Well in reality, the meal before lunch and dinner are actually snacks that are fruits or veges.)

I have been eating 5 meals a day and working out to Billy Blanks Boot Camp Tae Bo (25-30 minutes) for almost three weeks and I can see results. (I know I sound like an infomercial but I am serious).

Good Luck.

TTT for 2006!

Has anyone recenlty tried optifast, or any other medically supervised liquid diet plan??????

I can't say I've tried a liquid diet, but I too have a question...

Because I know no discipline when it comes to food, I've decided to replace my usual lunches and dinners with Lean Cuisine meals (because, according to the labels, they're MUCH healthier than my usual choices and because they taste darn good!).

I'm hoping that this will make me more mindful of portion sizes and ingredient choices when I come off my cooking hiatus. I was delighted that my first Lean Cuisine lunch (roasted turkey with apples and cornbread dressing... mmmmm....) tasted great, but incredibly frustrated that I was still hungry after I finished. Now I make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and with my meals, and the meals leave me satisfied.

Has anyone else gone on a kind of "pre-packaged meal" plan? What were the results? Were you able to translate these kinds of meals into your cooking?


[editted for grammar]

Meridia
 

Get you some Meridia from your doctor. I am on my first month's prescription and my tight jeans are getting baggy. You hardly have an appetite and you get full real fast. If you try to over eat you will feel really sick. I simply eat pretty much what I want and exercise a few days a week. It would really work well if you are eating right and exercising. Talk to your doctor about it.