hahahaha I love this cuz she's says 3 then it increases to 5.not a big deal AT ALL.I wish I could eat that well.but its just funny!

hehehe, I just now read what I said. It was a typo I swear I only ate 3

Beita: I took diet pills once a few years ago. Didn't do a thing for me as far as weightloss goes. If I were you, I'd talk to a Dr. first. I work with a lady who took PhenPhen and now she has heart damage. The whole diet pill thing just kinda scares me now.

Hi All:

Welcome Whitney. I'd like to see us keep this 90-day thing going, so start whenever works for you. ;)

Fred, I am so loving your diet and workout plan. I am sooooo proud of you for your accomplishment. You are truly an inspiration. I really like that you are low-carbing, but go about it in a healthy manner. Kudos to you!

Rich, I agree with you, with regards to getting a great workout from a spinning class. That's exactly why I am going to keep trying until the pain subsides.

Glenda, I am so glad you shared your insight from your book. I may have to go out to get a copy. I'm usually pretty focused. This is the first time that I have to "wait" to see results. Losing weight has become quite a challenge for me, but I do not want to lose site of my goals.

As for me...well, today I only took one class. It was a cardio mixer (little of this, little of that). I did manage to work up a goooood sweat and it turns out that the instructor, also the director of the program lives across the street from me. Who'da thunk it? She and another student are my neighbors, so I'll have local support too.

Now, I confess to a salt craving. I sucked down a couple of olives yesterday and still had the craving today. Since it's freezing again, here in the burgh, I decided to have some miso soup. Almost no calories, but very high in sodium.

I don't know if giving in to the salt is any worse than giving into a sweet tooth. I know that sodium isn't great for you...oh well, at least I'm still staying focused, in general.

How is everyone else doing?

good morning! thank u glenda and vy, after reading what both of you had mentioned, i decided to suck it up and go to the gym. once i read what pills can do to you, i think i'll just stick to working out...thanks for the insight!

grrrrrrr...I am so angry with me. I cannot believe I slipped up and grabbed the snacks.

Ok, confessional is over. I'm back in the game (after picking up my saggy pieces).

Way to go Beita...good for you! Sonja, better focus tomorrow. What's done is done so long as you don't throw in the towel. We musn't expect perfection or we set up too lofty of expectations of our selves; pedestals are terrible places to fall from...

Best, best to all,

Glenda

A few random product plugs that may not work for anyone (and may not be the most nutritional things you could eat) but will satisfy a sweet tooth in a much better way than traditional snacks (candy bars, donuts, cakes, etc):

- No Pudge Brownies (box mix, make with nonfat yogurt, very tasty; multiple flavors)

- 100 Calorie Granola Bars (the 100 calorie packs in general are really good for me, because I can have a little taste of things I miss, but have enforced portion control; the downside is (1) still need control not to eat two packs, and (2) are obviously more expensive than if you portioned the food out yourself; for me, the benefits outweigh the costs)

- Skim milk (might be the reason I'm vegetarian and not vegan; for whatever reason, this really curbs my hunger, and is virtually all protein and vitamins)

- Fiber supplements (I usually take them once a day, 45 minutes or so after I arrive at work; curbs hunger until lunch time)


Like I said, this may not work for you, or might not fit into your diet/nutritional needs, but these things have helped me keep off 95 pounds (I used to top out just over 300 on a 6'0" frame) so I wanted to share. Good luck to all!

My thoughts on cheating (respective to diet).

I think I have expressed that I have never been a small guy. I have spent most of my adult life either dieting or considering dieting. I can say honestly that every diet I have started I stated genuinely. I was a repeat zealot. The downfall for each one was the small cheat.

As fallacious as the argument of the slippery slope can be, in my experience that is exactly what has caused my prior attempts to fail. The reason is a small cheat generally doesn’t register if you are working out and generally eating according to plan.

And cheat won’t, small or large. Assuming it is a limited event. Unfortunately, when I start accepting that small cheats are ok, I condition myself to no longer make them limited. Ten small cheats and a week later I am frustrated that my ‘diet’ isn’t working and I give up.

In my experience, it is far more effective for my diet to cheat big. When I cheat big, I know it. It is a conscious decision. Sometimes it sets me back; each time, in a way, it sets me forward. The reason is I make my cheats worth it. I don’t cheat at McDonalds, my idea of a splurge is not a slice from Domino’s (no criticism if those are your fav’es I just don’t enjoy them terribly). I am a bit of a foodie, so when I cheat I make it grand. I go to that new restaurant I have wanted to try, order that ‘bad entrée,’ go for the dessert so decadent it is outlawed in 13 states and Puerto Rico.

Case in point, as dedicated as I have been on my program since November, I recently had the opportunity to go to a new restaurant I had wanted to try. It is an Asian Fusion place whose chef prepares food in unique ways (think lasers and liquid nitrogen). Neither my wife, nor my friend’s wife, care for that type of thing, so I do not oft have the opportunity to partake in such enjoyment. When the opportunity presented itself, I made a go of it. I knew going in that it was going to be a cheat, a big one, and 17 courses later (tasting menu) and at least 5 or 6 glasses of wine I was right.

And it did set me back. But it also set me forward. I had something to hang my hat on. It was a real cheat, and I really enjoyed it. The next morning at the gym I gave an extra effort. I rededicated myself to eating healthfully, and net on net by the end of the week I still lost 2 lbs.

I don’t know how others feel about this sort of thing; however I wanted to share my thoughts.

Good luck to everyone today!

Fred

Hi Fred,
Again referring to Body For Life that I read this week, he also advocates putting aside 1 day a week for free and unrestricted eating. Why? To mentally and physcially assure your body that it is not to be in permanent deprivation mode (and the increase in cal's has something to do with resisting over efficientcy and plateaus); to make it easier and have a big motivating reason to stay disciplined throughout the week. So all in all I think there is something to this approach.

Such great insight Fred, thanks for sharing...

Glenda

Rich, thanks for the information, regarding snacks. I am definitely going to try adding a fiber supplement. I think that I need to feel mentally full, if nothing else.

Fred, you know the first time I tried to lose weight, I had one particular where I cheated so badly, I thought certainly I had set myself back two weeks. Wouldn't you know, the scale actually DROPPED?!

So, that shows that there must be something to having a day where you definitely cheat and do it up big.

Glenda, I could kick myself. I walked into Barnes and Noble and didn't even pick up the book (bending over...please kick me).

Today: I did a spinning class. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the first class. I also did a kick-boxing class. It was tough, but I kept moving and felt the rewards. My legs got a great workout.

I don't even want to talk about what I ate...I didn't over do it, but I'm not on point today.

Where's everyone else? Vy, Mary, David...Juliana...come on people. Don't be discouraged. We're in this together, remember?

Sonja, you said you took a spinning class...What is that? Ive seen it as one of the classes offered at the gym, but Ive never stayed to see what it is. I was taken a few step classes, now those are FUN!! If given the oppertunity I would suggest everyone try a class. The instructors really get you into it! =)

Beita, spinning is a cycling class. You sit on a stationary bike and do all sorts of combinations. I never imagined that a cycling class could be so creative.

I am taking some step classes and let me just say that not all classes OR instructors are created equally. While I enjoy my classes, the overall ambiance is barely breathing. I would love to be in a class where there are loud grunts, or people counting out, really getting into it. So, I just imagine myself in a Tae-Bo video when I'm in there with the snoozers LOL

Hmm, well maybe I should give the spinning class a shot... When I first began taking the step class I was one of the snoozers hehe...Then I realized that I got more of a workout if you get into it and if you want to count, by all means, COUNT! =)

Hi - I would love to join in as well - I manage the all girl fitness group, we could put the challenge up there if you want and track it that way, even for the guys in the bunch. I want to do a 1/2 marathon this summer, and definitely need some motivation ... what do you think?

I'm struggling right now with an allergic reaction to a food that I'm trying to pin down -- pre-migraine symptoms and a lack of balance. It is really hard to exercise when I can't walk across the stupid floor without it moving on me!

I'm sticking to my eating goals, but this is doing me in!

Susan, you will not believe, I just spent the past hour creating a group. Now, why didn't you post this yesterday, before I pulled out my hair LOL.

I just logged in to tell everyone that we officially have a group...YippEE!!

http://90daychallenge.groups.traineo.com/

Good luck with that Mary! migraines are horrible and to have pre-migraine symptoms because of food is just no good. I hope you figure out the culprit soon.

Mary, please, go to the doctor. Please...don't play around with allergies.

I developed an allergy to mushrooms and went into anaphylactic shock, without knowing. I couldn't breath, my entire body was like a walking balloon; every inch of me was swollen.

Please get medical care.

Sonja, I'm not playing around with my safety, I promise you! I spent a day in the ER last fall with an allergic reaction to tomatoes. I had isolated it to almonds, tea or tomatoes, the ER decided it had to be one of the first two. Had tomatoes that evening, and went back to the ER with an even worse reaction. I have a very restricted diet because of food allergies and intolerances, so I watch it carefully. I have an EPI pen, nebulizer and meds here, and the hospital is 3 blocks away.

I have stopped the foods that I think may be causing it -- I won't reintroduce unless something else proves to be the trigger.