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Where are all the "getting in shape" threads?

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Courtneylub

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I need one!!

Let''s see, I''ve got 20 weeks until my wedding, but I''d like to fast track that and pretend it''s 10 weeks away. The showers and parties are coming up quick!

10 lbs gone and toned up would be great, but I love my food!! I was on a workout kick there for a while until my knee started hurting. I started taking those joint vitamins (last night), so I hope they help.

Anyone got any tricks up their sleeves? Meaning...something I can follow as far as a diet and exercise plan go?
 

Stephanie

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There''s the weekly work out thread in the Home Family & Health area..

Also sparkpeople.com is handy.
 

brazen_irish_hussy

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You need a comprehensive diet plan, but here are a few small things that aren''t that painful to do but really help.
Cut out artificially sweetend drinks. No soda, gatorade or sugar, real or fake, in your drinks. The fructose that sweetens soda is metabolized only by the liver so you stomach never gets the signals that it took in those calories, so you are just as hungry. If you want to know all the problems with fake sweeteners, search for the thread on it, it''s much worse than sugar.

Smaller portions over a longer period of time. Not only will you eat less, it steadies your blood sugar so your body dooesn''t panic and suddenly want more food than if you kept it steady.

Eat dinner early. Unless you are doing something athletic between dinner and bedtime, those calories just sit there and don''t get burned and the later you eat, the less you burn.

I will try to remember the others from when I was losing weight.
 

musey

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I was calorie counting last fall and lost only 3 lbs. I switched to low fat, med. carbs and protein and HIGH fiber and I've lost 10 in the past 8 weeks.

It's really about finding what works for your body, but that's what worked for me. I don't know what your most surefire way to fast-track it would be...

Oh, something that helped me (this is more a mindset thing) was to measure progress in percentage-of-bodyweight-lost rather than just pounds. Losing 13 pounds didn't feel all that great until I thought of it as having lost 10% of my body weight.
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ETA: re: low-impact exercise... Don't underestimate the power of simply walking! Cardio is always great, but I've seen more of a difference in my body by simply moving as much as possible throughout the day... doing lunges while I'm waiting around for something, cleaning, doubling whatever physical movement is needed to do something (going to the bathroom? walk there, back, then there again).
 

Laurenj915

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Are you taking Glucosamine? It takes a while to start working. Took me about a month. Try swimming or bike riding in the meantime.

The only book/plan that I have ever found on working out that is worth it''s price is
"Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You" I love the nutrition plan. It''s really simple.

The workouts are really good and extreamly detailed. They are interval training so you get a butt kicking cardio and weight training workout in about 30 minutes (I do an extra 30 minutes of running afterwards). I run marathons so I am thin and in very good shape. I cannot tell you how amazed I am at how toned and cut I am getting from following this book. It''s only been 2 weeks.

I keep telling my friends about it. I think I paid $11 dollars for this book at Target. If I have any advice on this book is not to skip writing down everything you eat and adding up the calories. It''s really the key to losing weight on any plan or you are going to underestimate how much you eat.

There is also one workout video that I would reccomend for people who do not go to a gym and want to workout from home. All you really need is a 5-10 pound set of weights. It''s a damn good workout and it will get your toned fast. It just doesn''t have a nutrition plan and with the book the workouts are different every day. This video is obviously the same thing every day. It still works though.
Get Ripped
 

EricaR

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I just joined Weight Watchers. Again. I used it about 6 years ago to lose 60+ pounds, but 30 of that has come back.
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I want to lose about 35 or 40lbs and I have just over a year to do it. I lost 3.6lbs my first week so I was super excited.

I''m trying to make small changes that have a big impact. Snacks are fresh fruits and veggies vs. crackers and cheese, I''ve stopped baking fresh bread and cookies ever week, and I''m making a point to walk for at least half an hour each day. I''m always amazed how refreshed I am when I walk back into the office after a 15 minute walk. My head is clear and I''m ready to work!
 

scm1012

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I am trying to be as physical as I can every single day even if it''s just taking a stroll. I''m starting with a 25 minute workout on an eliptical machine at the gym as well as weights every other day.

As far as eating my 2 main issues are portion control(i have none) and I love to indulge myself on stuff i love(mashed potatoes, pastas, european desserts, etc)...so I''m not really into chips/candy/chocolate at all, I just tend to overeat regular stuff. Lately I''ve been trying to cut down my portions close to half the amounts and eat more small meals/snacks throughout the day.
 

Missrocks

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Yes to the Glucosomine! That stuff really works.

Funny thing is I lost more weight when I stopped "dieting". I tended to obsess and think about food way more when I was trying to lose weight. Also I became a bit obsessive at the gym which made me starving afterwards and again, think about food. Actually, I''m twenty pounds lighter now than I was a year ago and work out less. (Maybe about five pounds less muscle and the rest less fat)

I do really love to work out and that helps. I do cardio and bag kickboxing classes 3-4 times a week they keep me in pretty amazing shape. I pretty much eat whatever as long as in moderation. And it helps that I don''t like soda or am not a big fan of fast food.
 

Neveah

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Date: 3/6/2008 8:13:10 PM
Author: Missrocks
Yes to the Glucosomine! That stuff really works.

Funny thing is I lost more weight when I stopped ''dieting''. I tended to obsess and think about food way more when I was trying to lose weight. Also I became a bit obsessive at the gym which made me starving afterwards and again, think about food. Actually, I''m twenty pounds lighter now than I was a year ago and work out less. (Maybe about five pounds less muscle and the rest less fat)

I do really love to work out and that helps. I do cardio and bag kickboxing classes 3-4 times a week they keep me in pretty amazing shape. I pretty much eat whatever as long as in moderation. And it helps that I don''t like soda or am not a big fan of fast food.
Okay, fess up ladies.... what the heck is Glucosomine and what does it do??????????? This last stubborn 7 lbs won''t budge and I''ve got 10 weeks til the wedding!!!
 

ladyciel

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Date: 3/6/2008 11:00:47 PM
Author: Neveah
Date: 3/6/2008 8:13:10 PM

Author: Missrocks

Yes to the Glucosomine! That stuff really works.


Funny thing is I lost more weight when I stopped ''dieting''. I tended to obsess and think about food way more when I was trying to lose weight. Also I became a bit obsessive at the gym which made me starving afterwards and again, think about food. Actually, I''m twenty pounds lighter now than I was a year ago and work out less. (Maybe about five pounds less muscle and the rest less fat)


I do really love to work out and that helps. I do cardio and bag kickboxing classes 3-4 times a week they keep me in pretty amazing shape. I pretty much eat whatever as long as in moderation. And it helps that I don''t like soda or am not a big fan of fast food.

Okay, fess up ladies.... what the heck is Glucosomine and what does it do??????????? This last stubborn 7 lbs won''t budge and I''ve got 10 weeks til the wedding!!!

It''s a supplement for joints. Helps rebuild the padding and stop pain - especially good for bad knees.
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Courtneylub

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brazen_irish_hussy - I LOVE coffee with Splenda in the morning. Do I have to give that up?
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musey - Yeah, calorie counting has worked for me in the past, but it wasn''t the right way to lose weight. I restricted below 1200 cals a day which is why I gained some of it back so quickly. That is good advice about low fat, medium carbs, etc.

Lauren1116 - Yes, I am taking Glucosamine, but just started taking it yesterday. I even forgot to take them today. Question, it says to take 3 pills a day. Can I take them all at once or do I need to spread them out? I will check out that plan!!

Thanks, ladies!
 

musey

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Date: 3/7/2008 12:41:22 AM
Author: Courtneylub

musey - Yeah, calorie counting has worked for me in the past, but it wasn''t the right way to lose weight. I restricted below 1200 cals a day which is why I gained some of it back so quickly. That is good advice about low fat, medium carbs, etc.
That really works for me (esp. the high fiber part), but everyone is so, so different. My mom, for example, really thrives on a HIGH protein, medium fat, LOW carb diet, and she doesn''t really pay attention to fiber. When I tried out her diet for a couple weeks, I gained 5 lbs! In TWO WEEKS! But she''d instantly pack on pounds with my low fat/medium protein/medium carb, because carbs are what really do her in.
 

gtn

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I need to do cardio. I haven''t done much and I know that would help a ton.
 

bee*

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Date: 3/6/2008 5:46:27 PM
Author: EricaR
I just joined Weight Watchers. Again. I used it about 6 years ago to lose 60+ pounds, but 30 of that has come back.
7.gif
I want to lose about 35 or 40lbs and I have just over a year to do it. I lost 3.6lbs my first week so I was super excited.


I''m trying to make small changes that have a big impact. Snacks are fresh fruits and veggies vs. crackers and cheese, I''ve stopped baking fresh bread and cookies ever week, and I''m making a point to walk for at least half an hour each day. I''m always amazed how refreshed I am when I walk back into the office after a 15 minute walk. My head is clear and I''m ready to work!

I''m the same as you. My mother joined WW a couple of weeks ago and I joined with her and am down 8lbs in two weeks. Still eating quite a bit but I just changed my diet plan as such.
 

honey22

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Hey there! I have been losing the extra kilos (oops, pounds I guess for you guys). I have lost 55 pounds so far. I get spurts of motivation where I will drop lots and then bum around for a few weeks (not gaining but) before I get back on the band wagon. I have tried everything, ww, fad diets etc but I this is what I found works (very cliche, but it might be successful for you to)

When I am on track
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- I have tried to eat as much unprocessed foods, ie fresh fruit and vegies, lean meats etc. No shakes (I know they work but they are not a long term solution and you can have heaps of food instead of a shake for the same total calories, fat etc). Breaky would be eggs or high fibre cereal. I love eggs for breaky as it fills me up much better than cereal. (And no don''t fret, my cholesterol is around 3 even when I eat lots of eggs!). Low fat yoghurt or fruit for snacks (morning and afternoon tea). Lunch is ham or tuna and salad sandwich on multigrain bread. I found this to be something I have really stuck to, I only have white break ocasionally for toast, and never for lunches. It just doesn''t fill me up for long enough like multigrain does. Dinner is some sort of lean meat, and vegies or salad, occasionaly pasta, but we rarely eat potatoes or pasta. Sometimes I will feel like something sweet and I make up diet jelly! I believe for me if I am having ''diet snacks'' I don''t lose as much weight as when I am just trying to eat unprocessed low fat foods.

Saturday is my day off! I can have takeaway, chocolate etc but I really try to be good every other day. Yep, I fail, lots but I think I need to concentrate on the big picture. I have more weight to lose, so if I was good everyday I would feel too restricted and I would have crashed ages ago.

I bought an exercise bike, parked it in front of the telly and set my self a goal of to do at least 10 mins everyday for one week. That goal soon turned into three months straight without missing a day, 45 mins a day. Now I can do Body Step, Attack and am giving Pump a go too.

The only downside - I have spent a fortune on new clothes! I have dropped about 4-5 dress sizes and that''s a lot of new clothes. It doesn''t sound like much but open up your underwear draw and estimate how much it would cost to replace just the basics, bras and knickers etc. Not to mention jeans, t-shirts etc. A lot of money! It''s a great feeling but!!

Good luck! I am sure you will look beautiful on your wedding day!!
 

Laurenj915

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Courtneylub- I take it twice a day when I''m training. Honestly, I don''t know if you have to take it once or twice a day. I just know that it gives me indigestion if I take it all at once or without food.


honey22- congrats on the success! 55 pounds is very impressive!
 

LaraOnline

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If you are serious about shifting weight (or rather, losing fat and increasing ''tone) as quickly as you can, you really truely MUST consider resistance training along with your cardio, or maybe before your cardio sessions. Do they have Pump classes in group fitness classes near you? That''s when you train with a bar and weights. Man, does it shift things around fast! Go as hard (heavy) as you can. At first, you think you want to die (especially in the squats) but do not be afraid. You''ll quickly learn to love it!
 

Courtneylub

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Musey - How do I know which plan works best for me?? I tried low carb and lost some weight on that, but the thing with low carb is you gain it right back!

Laraonline - Squats are amazing I know...but I have to let my knee heal first.

I want to get back into swimming laps at the gym during lunch, but I hate getting out there in a bathing suit. Blah.

I ate half of a funnel cake last night at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (big deal here). I only eat that crap once a year, so I gorged!!

Not good.
 

LegacyGirl

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Weight watchers, cardio, and lifting really works for me. I try to eat only whole foods, nothing processed. Lots of fruit and veggies. Lately I''ve been looking into going raw for breakfast and luch and then having a lean meat and maybe a sweet potato and salad for dinner. I really like what I hear about the benefits of raw food but it just looks so hard to do.
 

musey

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Date: 3/7/2008 9:55:17 AM
Author: Courtneylub

Musey - How do I know which plan works best for me?? I tried low carb and lost some weight on that, but the thing with low carb is you gain it right back!
That's the problem, because it's usually just trial and error. There's really no way to know what will work best for you until you try a few different combinations.

I can tell you that adding fiber (and LOTS of it!) is almost a surefire way to help (I believe that this is also a big part of the weight watchers plan, correct me if I'm wrong). Also, spreading out your meals throughout the day... eat 7 or 8 little meals instead of bigger ones (I'm not just talking about adding snacks--literally little meals.) My FI recently went on this thing called the "3 hour diet" (google it) and it has worked WONDERS for him. You basically MUST eat every 3 hours... it majorly ups your metabolism. He increased his calorie intake by almost 1,000 per day, but lost 10 pounds within 3 weeks (though, we ALL know how much faster guys lose weight!!). He combined that diet with heavy weight lifting, and it's been like a total body makeover within 2 months. I tried it out for couple of weeks and also had good results with it.

Anyway, that one's been "big" here (LA) for a little while.

Here are some "snack" foods that have seemed to help me... because, who doesn't love a snack?
Grapefruit (eating these seems to hitsome kind of magic weight-loss button for me!)
High-fiber crackers
Real fruit popsicles (Dreyers brand makes some that are only 45 calories each, and low sugar/fat)
Sugar-free Jello (10 calories, and good for when you have a genuine SWEET craving)
Frozen vegetables (so easy to prepare, and the good ones--broccoli and cauliflower mostly--are practically freebies!)
Dark chocolate chips (suck -don't chew--on them when you have a chocolate craving, it'll only take 2 or 3 to quell it)

Wow, I really took that and ran with it. I hope it helps!!
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Laurenj915

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We should all write down some healthy foods that we really like and/or work for us to curb cravings. Then we will all have some new ideas.

I agree 100% with the sugar free jello. 10 calories! It rocks

Sugar free fudgesicles are about 10-20 cals a pop. Good for a chocolate fix

On Sunday by man and I have a Slow Churned (Edy's or Bryers?) cookies and cream ice cream bar. It's 150 calories but it's our Sunday ice cream treat. I think about that thing all week!

I do peaches a few times a day. They are almost half the calories of an orange or apple and taste great.

Original Fiber One cereal is the lowest calorie highest fiber cereal I can find and I love it. I sometimes I put it on a fat free yogurt for some extra crunch and flavor.

I measure (i love my food scale) 2 oz of deli turkey and wrap it in two pieces of romaine lettuce for lunch. Sometimes I add hot sauce and it is around 65-70 calories.

Watermelon fills me up with very few calories
 

areagirlsbestfriend

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Oct 26, 2007
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If you''re like me, and need something to drink throughout the day while chained to the desk ... I highly recommend Arizona Diet Green Tea. 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 everything. Green tea supposedly speeds up your metabolism, also.

I also really like tthe South Beach Living "Tide Me Over" drink flavors ... add it to a 20 oz. bottle of water. 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, and FIVE grams of fiber. Tastes delicious.

Both are good alternatives to boring old water =)
 

brazen_irish_hussy

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Date: 3/7/2008 12:41:22 AM
Author: Courtneylub

brazen_irish_hussy - I LOVE coffee with Splenda in the morning. Do I have to give that up?
8.gif


musey - Yeah, calorie counting has worked for me in the past, but it wasn''t the right way to lose weight. I restricted below 1200 cals a day which is why I gained some of it back so quickly. That is good advice about low fat, medium carbs, etc.

Lauren1116 - Yes, I am taking Glucosamine, but just started taking it yesterday. I even forgot to take them today. Question, it says to take 3 pills a day. Can I take them all at once or do I need to spread them out? I will check out that plan!!

Thanks, ladies!
If you want to lose weight, then cut the splenda.
For one thing, it is sugar molecularly combined with chlorine, like in pools, so your body doesn''t absorb it well.
It has been linked to increasing obisity:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/040629.Swithers.research.html

I never thought I could drink tea without sweetener, but I switched to a lighter type of tea that had a less intense flavor and feel no need to add sugar, perhaps you could do the same with coffee?
 

nickolsae

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So, for Glucosamine, what do I look for in the store. Will it be called Glucosamine, or will it be another name??? Thanks!!
 

Courtneylub

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Date: 3/7/2008 1:55:12 PM
Author: nickolsae
So, for Glucosamine, what do I look for in the store. Will it be called Glucosamine, or will it be another name??? Thanks!!
There''s a whole section in the drug store on joint vitamins. You will find all different brands that contain glucosamine. I got the one that said for joint repair and prevention.
 

Courtneylub

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Date: 3/7/2008 1:41:42 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy

Date: 3/7/2008 12:41:22 AM
Author: Courtneylub

brazen_irish_hussy - I LOVE coffee with Splenda in the morning. Do I have to give that up?
8.gif


musey - Yeah, calorie counting has worked for me in the past, but it wasn''t the right way to lose weight. I restricted below 1200 cals a day which is why I gained some of it back so quickly. That is good advice about low fat, medium carbs, etc.

Lauren1116 - Yes, I am taking Glucosamine, but just started taking it yesterday. I even forgot to take them today. Question, it says to take 3 pills a day. Can I take them all at once or do I need to spread them out? I will check out that plan!!

Thanks, ladies!
If you want to lose weight, then cut the splenda.
For one thing, it is sugar molecularly combined with chlorine, like in pools, so your body doesn''t absorb it well.
It has been linked to increasing obisity:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/040629.Swithers.research.html

I never thought I could drink tea without sweetener, but I switched to a lighter type of tea that had a less intense flavor and feel no need to add sugar, perhaps you could do the same with coffee?
Oh man...I guess I should go ahead and try to cut out the coffee. I just don''t see how I can. I love Splenda...that stuff has been great to me. Or has it?
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musey

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If you cut out the coffee, your teeth (and bladder!) will thank you too!

I don't use substitutes. If I want sweetener, I use sugar. It's really not all that bad, in moderation
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But I'm not a daily coffee drinker... I drink tea, and the flavors I like (twig tea, green tea, etc.) are better without sugar.
 

Shannon72781

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178
I''ve gotten pretty serious about getting in shape, too.

I have plenty of time to get in shape since my wedding is April 09, but with summer around the corner and standing up in 2 weddings (1 April, 1 in June), I decided I needed to up my motivation.

I bought a treadmill, hand weights (3, 5 and 8 lbs), excercise ball, floor mat and 2 DVDs (1 for arms, 1 for abs- my 2 areas I like the least). I better be motivated after spending that money!!

I also do Calorie Count to log my food and eat a minimum of 1200 a day. More if it''s one of my cardio days. I''ve lost 4 lbs last month, so it''s average weight loss results. I''ve also lost 1 inch off bust, 1.5 inch off waist, 1 inch off hips, .75 inch off arm and .5 inch off thighs in 1 month, so that''s also be very motivating for me! Yay for results, it seems worth it in the end.
 

Courtneylub

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I just typed this long post and it didn't go through! Grrr

Let me try again.

Here is my schedule, ladies:

Monday - Friday: I eat pretty well by eating 3 meals a day with maybe a snack or 2. This is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I try not to eat past 7:30 in the evening. Before my knee screwed up, I worked out at the gym twice a week (30 min on elliptical) and a couple days a week at home (jogging/walking or workout DVD).

Come the weekend...I never do as well as I do during the week. FI LOVES to eat out. If we have a night out, I always pig out the next day and do nothing. It ruins all my progress from the week, so I just seem to maintain my weight...not lose.

Currently, I am not working out due to my knee injury. I maybe do the occasional 15 minute pilates routine that I like and some arm dips. You would think the lack of exercise would make me eat better, but it's not. I'm not doing horribly, but not great either. I turn down cookies, donuts, etc, but nothing to brag about.

I usually have a special k bar or cereal for breakfast. This week I happened to have a whole wheat kolache with egg in it twice! They are not low cal. Lunch consists of salads at restaurants or tuna with crackers at work. Dinner really varies. We go have sushi sometimes and I try and be real good here. No crazy rolls with mayo, I limit any rice intake, and I use low sodium soy sauce. If we go have mexican, I get chicken fajitas with no tortillas and I limit the chips. If we go to Outback, I get an ahi-tuna salad and limit the bread. We go to Marble Slab and I get yogurt about once a week. If we order pizza, I get a thin crust tomato.

Again, all this is doing is maintaining my weight and fitness and it pisses me off. But I guess it makes sense. I need to get a tank-ini or once piece and start swimming laps at the gym.

I want to feel great at all the upcoming events!!! 5 months seems like a long time, but it isn't.
 
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