So I decided to return to this challenge after failing to complete it back in October 2010. This time I plan to customize it so I can complete it! Info on this challenge can be found at:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/8-week-slim-down/how-it-works.aspx

STARTING WEIGHT: 159.0

STARTING MEASUREMENTS:
Waist: 35''
Hips: 41.5''
Bust: 38.5''
Arms: (R) 14'' (L) 13.5''

I will post comparisons every two weeks (including pics, weight, & measurements) as follows: Mar. 8, Mar. 22, Apr.5, & Apr. 19.

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So I ended up slacking off toward the end of the challenge for a few reasons:

1) Workouts were becoming quite long.
2) Period disrupted a few days and kept me from working out
3) Low motivation
4) Workouts were not varied enough for me; got bored
5) Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Needless to say I've probably gain all that weight back and then some, but I have a plan (of course) and will be exercising full force once again. Stay tuned for my new plan(s)!

This entry has been a long time coming...Though I have much to say I will try and make it brief. So, during spring/summer 2010 I was sticking to my workouts and healthy eating fairly well and I was losing weight consistently...not as fast as I would have hoped but consistently none-the-less. On May 18, 2010 I reached my third goal of 148.4lbs and was elated! However, my excitement quickly sank the next week when I weighed myself and had put on almost 2 pounds! Over the next month I fluctuated between 149 & 151lbs.

Then I moved to another city due to my job (July '10)...thats when things went downhill. It took me longer than expected to unpack and get situated in the new place and as a result my workouts and eating fell off. At first I didn't really notice a change in my body but after a few months I could tell my pants were getting tighter. I was not weighing myself consistently because it was just discouraging seeing my weight rise.

In December '10 I finally decided I wanted to turn this thing around after, once again, not reaching my final goal (130lbs). After weighing in at 159lbs (yeah I had gained that much!) I put myself on a fitness challenge from Dec. 6, 2010-Feb. 12, 2011, giving myself small weekly goals to achieve and then rewarding myself when I met those goals. Honestly this has helped me get back on track. Every week hasn't been perfect since on the challenge but I've been doing pretty good. I'll be truthful, its been hard realizing I gained all that weight back and now it seems to not be going away as quickly! I know I probably need to step my workouts up and eat 'cleaner' in order to achieve this. Not sure what I will do after my challenge is over in Feb. but I will come up with something...but I really have to step it up and be more disciplined if I'm going to finally reach 130lbs in 2011. I'm still committed to this journey and hopefully, by the help of the Lord I will be 130lbs this year!

Reached this goal 10/29/2009!

Leading up to this goal, I continued to write down each and every food item to track my caloric intake (1500 calorie cycling). I also started the 90 Day Challenge by Hairmania3000. The consistent workouts are paying off.

Observations:

*Pants fitting looser!
*Afro Chic shirt is fitting better in shoulders!
*Can wear size 12 jeans again!

Body Measurements:

Chest.....38.5''
Waist.....34.0''
Hips.........40.5''
Thighs....(R) 23.8'' (L) 24.0''
Arms......(R) 13.2'' (L) 13.0''

Clothe Sizes

Shirts..................size 14/L
Jeans & Pants...size 12 &14
Skirts..................size 12

Next Goal: 148lbs

Joining with Hairmania3000 (youtube) to keep hair protected for 90 days! I'm starting the challenge 4 days late but it should still be a good challenge for me. I have no set goals other than to lose weight and tone up. Here are my details:

*Workout Sun-Sat 1hour (30min cardio, 30min toning; or some variation)
*NO beef
*NO food past 9:30pm
*Refined sugar ONLY 3 days weekly (14g per day)-gradual decrease to 1 day weekly
*Fiber 20g daily (gradual increase)

Oct 1-Dec 29.

**********Comparisons Posted**********

Starting Weight: 155.4 lbs
Ending Weight: 152.0 lbs

Inches Lost from October to December
~Waist- 1''
~Hips- 2''
~Chest- 1.3''

Well, its been a while since I reached another weight loss goal. I reached my first one within four months of starting to exercise again. Now it has been 7 months with very little progress. The lowest I have been is 154lbs (which is close to my next goal of 153lbs) but I continue to fluctuate. Thank God I haven't gained weight.

This summer has been rough calorie-wise and on many occasions I have exceeded my caloric intake. I've still continued to workout but I need to be more consistent. I have also become discouraged along the way since I haven't seen the rate of weight loss I was seeing 7 months ago. So I have been writing down my thoughts and feelings in a journal, which has been helpful. I have also continued to count my calories on a daily basis.

I plan to boost my efforts through what I like to call "Exercise and Diet Challenges". This is where I push myself a little harder by working out more days during the week or doing more intense workouts and challenging myself to eat better and drink more water. I have been doing these two/three week challenges since February 2009 and found that they boost my metabolism and motivation. I just hope I can figure out what's causing the 'slow-down' and get over this hump.

--UPDATE Aug 30 2009--

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!I decided to start calorie cycling to break through my plateau. This means will be cycling up and down from my baseline caloric intake. My baseline is 1,800. For the initial 10 days I will cycle up 300 calories daily (2,100 total) to boost my metabolism. After that, for 4 weeks, I will cycle down 300 cals for 5 days and cycle up 300 for the remaining 2 days of the week. I will exercise 3-4 days out of the week. My diet will be filled with lean protein, healthy snacks, plenty of green veggies, fruit, smoothies and water. I'm hesistant to consume so many calories but many have seen weight loss during this process so I thought ''why not give it a try''. I'll try to update during the journey to let you know how my progress is coming along.

--UPDATE Sept 6 2009--

I stop consuming 2100 cals for the recommended 10 days. I was gaining weight even though I was exercising. I was not at all comfortable with that therefore I have started to cycle down (1500) for 5 days and up (2100) for the remaining 2 days of the week starting today. I will now end the challenge Oct 3.

--Update Oct 5 2009--

Initial calorie cycling didn't yield the results I desired but after talking with a fellow fotki friend I am going to try it again with some new rules: Cycle down 200-300 from baseline for 2 months and cycle up to baseline for 2 months. No counting for 1-2 weeks then start process all over. Hopefully this will work! I'll keep you posted on my progress in the 90 Day Challenge album.

Reached this goal 01/06/2009!

Leading up to this goal, I continued to write down each and every food item to track my caloric intake (1,849 daily). I exercised consistantly and cut back on sugar, starches, and red meat.

Observations:

*Pants fitting looser!
*Knee pained has ceased (noticed Nov. 2008)!
*Can wear size 16 slacks again w/o them squeezing my tummy! No more jeans for church (noticed Dec. 2008)!


Body Measurements:

Chest.....38.8''
Waist.....35.5''
Hip.........40.8''
Thighs....(R) 25.7'' (L) 25.5''
Arms......(R) 13.5'' (L) 13.7''

Clothe Sizes

Shirts..................size 14/L
Jeans & Pants...size 16
Skirts..................size 12

Next Goal: 153lbs

Started my journey in September 2008 at 168.4lbs (My heaviest weight was 171lbs). As soon as I started exercising more consistantly I immediately started seeing the pounds come off (mostly water weight). I had more energy, I would not get winded by walking/climbing stairs, and my pants were fitting looser!

Body Measurements:

Chest.....41.5''
Waist.....39.5''
Hip.........43.5''
Thighs....(R) 26'' (L) 27''
Arms......(R) 14.5'' (L) 13.8''

Body Type/Clothe Sizes

5'0'' (petite)
Shirts..................size 14/L
Jeans & Pants...size 16-18
Skirts..................size 12

Next Goal: 158lbs