Hcg Rogues and Alternatives 11/14

[DisneyPrincess]

Good morning. I decided not to weigh today since I slept terrible last night and TOM is killing me! I'm hoping for a nice woos when I do weigh, probably tomorrow. I'm doing a very low day today and will omit my fruit to add more protein I think. Once I'm at goal I think I'm going to have to maintain mostly LC so I want to get some days of practice in while I can. I'll be having carbs only after heavy weight workouts.
Speaking of, I can't wait to start working out and running again. I'm giving myself another week off, but will probably start next Saturday, and then figure out some modified schedule while I'm dieting, which hopefully won't be too much linger

Taking Ds2 ti a huge bounce house today so it will be fun. I love my weekends!

Hope everyone sees what they are expecting on the scale this morning. Let's make it a great one

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by mdolph

I've gone from 287 to 143! Granted it was 143.8, but I'm owning it, lol!

Huge congratulations! That's a big accomplishment. I'll join you when I hit 116 (I started at 232 5 years ago).

I struggled with my DD yesterday, it turned into an Up day. Still .8 down - expected that since the bounce up had to have mostly been water.

Will try to make today/tomorrow MDs, but I'm not good at those. Then Mon-Wed DDs. Then Thansgiving, here I come!

[catjrow3]

Originally Posted by mdolph

Cathy, my weightloss is very cyclic like that too but it changes like once a year or so. For the last year or so I would find it impossible or have some gained pre-ovulation then post ovulation I would be able to eat just about anything and lose. The last 2 cycles its been the opposite. At least you realized this! My weightloss has been one way I keep track of when I ovulate and when TOM is set to visit.

I've gone from 287 to 143! .

Melanie, good job!! I am sooo jealous!!! I would have to get to 120 to be half the person I was... not that i would mind that number, but I cannot get and stay in the 140s, 120s seems like an impossible dream to me!!

Well only down 1 lb of my UP... but as least its not the same or up... hope for maybe the 140s again tomorrow!! Hope you all have a good Saturday, and For the Losses, and for the gains!!

[mdolph]

I'm going to post a new picture later today or tomorrow. Right now I'm still in my jammies and my hair is crazy. I bought this dress at a garage sale when I got serious a few years ago. It looked so tiny and I never thought it would fit. I tried it on about 10 pounds ago and it fit but looked tight. I'm going to try it on today as it was my goal dress. Now maybe someday my husband and I will actually be able to find a baby sitter and I can go out in my fancy pants dress.

Thanks guys!

Disney, I will always have to low carb, always. I'm ok with that. I actually like it. I am just so carb sensitive and have struggled with insullin resistance so I've accepted that I need to eat low carb. I will do higher carbs on the weekends and probably low carb on the weekdays.

Paula sorry about dealing with daughter. I have those days and mine are only 4 and 5! Right now they are playing so nice. Its scary! They must understand that mama has got to get some organization done and daddy is working today so they can have a nice Christmas!

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by mdolph

Paula sorry about dealing with daughter. I have those days and mine are only 4 and 5! Right now they are playing so nice. Its scary! They must understand that mama has got to get some organization done and daddy is working today so they can have a nice Christmas!

Actually I was referring to my Down Days - which are similar to protocol days. Since I've really been doing JUDDD lately rather than hcg...

BUT, funnily enough I've had plenty of problems with her lately. She has such a mouth on her, it's so hard to keep her disciplined. I take away her IPOD and then she is all tears. She has always had a very emotional temperament (gee, wonder where that came from!). She is 12 and there is just SO MUCH DRAMA!

[minimonkey]

Yahoooooo Melanie!!!! Major congratulations all around!!!!!!!!!!! That is a totally amazing transformation!

[minimonkey]

Paula -- I thought you meant your daughter too, lol -- and sorry you are having trouble with her I struggle with mid calorie days too -- like you, I am almost hungrier on days I eat more.

Melanie, I CANNOT WAIT to see pics -- and I bet you anything that dress fits like a charm

Since the scale is being nice to everyone, I am going to face mine. The hair is done enough that it won't affect the scale to finish it, or only a teeny tiny bit, and that'll be balanced out by the fact that I am still a bit bloated.

The mirror is saying good things, so I hope the scale concurs....

[minimonkey]

AAAAAAAArgh -- my scale hates me! I am at 111.8 -- that is still UP from where I was

TOM is very much here, so I am blaming that -- and no matter what the scale says, my legs really have thinned out. I think I must be in one of those inch loss/reshaping phases that often stall the scale.

I'm going to add some protein today, and I think I am going to go back to regular p2 for a while. I will weigh again when TOM is over, or at least when I can tell the bloat has gone down some.

This TOM is kinda kicking my butt right now -- bad, bad cramps and lower back pain this morning.

Advil and tylenol, here I come. Those probably aren't helping the scale right now either.....

[minimonkey]

I just have to put this in writing to solidify it in my head: I WILL do whatever it takes to hit 105 this year! If I have to fast, or do strict protocol for weeks, so be it. That last 5 lbs to 100 is negotiable, though I'd really like to do that too, so I have room to bounce up a bit in p3 and also to bulk a bit.

I am not quitting this close to goal.

Tomorrow I think I will do a steak day or an egg day -- that tends to work for me.

I think I am still due for a good TOM drop, actually -- that hasn't really happened yet... but I am still staring down about 6 lbs between me and 105. It has to go.

[CherylB]

I just got back home from riding and OH BOY do I have stiff hips. I just took 800 mg of Advil and I'm in my PJ's, relaxing. It was embarrassing when I went to mount the horse because I got my left foot in the stirrup and then couldn't swing my right leg over without some help! I asked the girl to give my leg a little push and then I was in the saddle.

I would have expected them to give me a horse that size back before I lost all this weight. This horse could have handled me back around 234 lbs! This was over-kill to be sure. He was a big boy. But even if they had given me a smaller horse, I lack flexibility; especially in my hips. I've always had very tight tendons. I could never even approach anything that looked like a split when I was a teenager.

So, after that, my hips began to loosen up some and I felt like all would be fine. There were four others that were supposed to be riding during that hour and I was the only one who showed. So it was just me and Lori. The temps were in the mid 40's but there was a definite "breeze" which made it feel more like upper 30's. I was fine except for my cheeks during the ride.

The stable itself is very nice and the people are very nice but I'm less than thrilled for a couple of reasons. First, where they take you for a trail ride needs to be gotten to by walking the horses along two roads first. There are two road crossings and then you hang a left to get into the "park" which really wasn't scenic at all.

So, after you get off the large rut that you walk the horses in along the roads, you then take a very rocky (large rocks) wide path (full of ruts from water run-off) up a hill and then it levels out and becomes more sandy. I attempted to get my horse (Merc, named after some guy) to ride beside Lori because with the wind it was difficult to have a conversation. He was more comfortable in the fall-back position with his head practically joined to Lori's horse's buttocks.

So, we got to a certain place and she turned the horses back around and we did the entire thing again. It would have been much nicer if it was a loop trail so that you see different things the entire ride. And it would be great if we rode up into the woods that adjoins their property so there were no roads to cross and ride beside.

Other than that, it was great! It was a good first-ride to break me in after 17 long years of not riding. They have the trail riding, lessons, they board horses and they even offer a "leasing" program. I was asking about that. I was given the phone number to a woman who could fill me in on the details. Basically, you are paying for riding lessons, but you also get to come and ride your leased horse once (or whatever you are paying for in your plan) another time during the week. You get to brush it, saddle it and everything!

Only problem with that is you have to then ride him in the ring outside. I guess once the trainer sees what you are capable of doing, they "loosen the reigns" on you. It is fun to walk a horse, but sometimes you just have to break into a trot or cantor. It takes no skin to sit and steer a horse left and right and get them to stop. And you gain no experience that way either.

But for now, until B&R stables open back up in May, I will ride at Lee's. I'm going to see what it costs for the leasing deal. That would be very cool and it would be something I've never experienced (saddling, etc.)

I will post a couple pics now but they are nothing great.

(I copied and pasted this from my journal. The pics didn't translate so I'll have to post them later. Also, I will get caught up on the new posts here as soon as I post this on all my subscribed threads. BBL)

[CherylB]

Here's the best of the pics. The close up of my face is a self portrait. It was pretty darn cold, and sunny (hence the sunglasses.)

[nola baxter]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I just have to put this in writing to solidify it in my head: I WILL do whatever it takes to hit 105 this year! If I have to fast, or do strict protocol for weeks, so be it. That last 5 lbs to 100 is negotiable, though I'd really like to do that too, so I have room to bounce up a bit in p3 and also to bulk a bit.

I am not quitting this close to goal.

.

I dont know Mini,
I know how determined you are and that it good because it usually gets you to where you want to go;
but if you do have to fast or go low calorie for ever and a day to lose the weight;
is it going to be sustainable? will you be able to maintain the loss?
and what would you have to do to stay there?
(ie, will you have to stay low calorie forever- would you want to?)

I know you can push your body like crazy and try and force it to some end, but for me it always backfires;
ie, crashed out metabolism, hunger, lack of energy, eventual regain

I dont want to be a downer in any way, but nor would I like to see you end up in some metabolic hole that works against what you really want!

[minimonkey]

Point taken, Nola -- at the moment I actually am prepared to live low calorie forever if I have to... I hope I don't, but if that's what it takes....

I'll wait until TOM ends and see where I am -- if I have a good drop, I'll just keep doing what I am doing. If not, I'm going guerilla!

Great pics, Cheryl!!!! Glad you had fun -- don't be surprised if you are sore tomorrow.

I always had either a lease (where I paid for lessons, and then maybe a small fee for leasing) or a sponsorship, where I had full responsibility for caring for the horse, but got to ride whenever I wanted. That's fantastic, except that it does mean breaking ice off frozen troughs in the winter, going riding when you are tired, sick, etc. -- a lot of work!

It was well worth it when I had fewer responsibilities in my life, but now, it just isn't feasable. The one day a week deal sounds sweet, though! And yes, there is nothing like a swift canter or a full gallop -- except, of course, taking fences, which trumps almost everything else I've ever done in terms of pure thrill.

The only thing that compares to that is a really good downhill skiing run, or hang gliding (which I haven't done in years) .

Off to fiddle more with hair -- should be done by the end of the day, and I am loving it

[minimonkey]

I really like the pictures, Cheryl! I love the with you looking down from the horse

When you are riding alone, there is something to be said for arena riding -- the last thing you want to do is take a bad fall somewhere out on a trail by yourself.... I love trail riding, but when I was alone, generally stayed in the arena or at least close to the ranch.

As you can gather, I have taken a few pretty bad falls in my day -- the last one put me out of commission for riding for a couple of years (dislocated shoulder and hip, cracked ribs, etc.) I came off over a jump, and landed really badly on very hard ground. Even after I healed physically, I was terribly afraid of jumping for a while after that.

I was riding a particularly ornery mustang at the time when I fell, and he did something called "sunfishing" - bucking and twisting all at once. He did that coming out of a series of jumps, and I just couldn't sit it no matter how hard I tried.

When I did start jumping again, it was on a sweet little pony mare who was solid as could be over jumps -- that got me through my fear. (I actually took a pretty bad fall on her, too... but it was because she misjudged the jump, and she fell... on me! Neither of us was hurt, thankfully.)

I

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by mdolph

Well, I'm not sure if I was to say it's official quite yet but..... I AM HALF THE PERSON I USED TO BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've gone from 287 to 143! Granted it was 143.8, but I'm owning it, lol! I am stoked. I told my husband yesterday that it was the first day that I really felt thin. This morning I caught a look of myself in the mirror and I couldn't believe it was me. I'd like to continue hhcg though as I really think it helps me sleep and my mind is more calm if that makes any sense. I am going to keep doing hhcg and very low calorie until Thanksgiving and then I will figure out what I want to do after Thanksgiving. I have an upcoming race so I'll have to add some calories.

Hope everyone has a great Saturday. I need to get chores done.

That is seriously WONDERFUL!!! Like Cathy said, for me to have the same "claim to fame," I'd have to get down to 117 and that won't happen until I'm dead for a few years.

Originally Posted by DisneyPrincess

Taking Ds2 ti a huge bounce house today so it will be fun. I love my weekends!

Hope everyone sees what they are expecting on the scale this morning. Let's make it a great one

Sounds like major fun, DP! Hope you can post a pic or two. Have a great day with DS2.

Originally Posted by mdolph

I'm going to post a new picture later today or tomorrow. Right now I'm still in my jammies and my hair is crazy. I bought this dress at a garage sale when I got serious a few years ago. It looked so tiny and I never thought it would fit. I tried it on about 10 pounds ago and it fit but looked tight. I'm going to try it on today as it was my goal dress. Now maybe someday my husband and I will actually be able to find a baby sitter and I can go out in my fancy pants dress.

Can't wait to see the pics, Melanie! I have a goal dress of my own and I'm going to be wearing it someday soon.

Originally Posted by paulabob

Actually I was referring to my Down Days - which are similar to protocol days. Since I've really been doing JUDDD lately rather than hcg...

BUT, funnily enough I've had plenty of problems with her lately. She has such a mouth on her, it's so hard to keep her disciplined. I take away her IPOD and then she is all tears. She has always had a very emotional temperament (gee, wonder where that came from!). She is 12 and there is just SO MUCH DRAMA!

This was funny. Be careful of your acronyms! And good luck with the disciplining of teens.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

AAAAAAAArgh -- my scale hates me! I am at 111.8 -- that is still UP from where I was

Advil and tylenol, here I come. Those probably aren't helping the scale right now either.....

Sorry, Mini. I think you had a golden opportunity to weigh without the dreads! That's what I would have done. I know you've been feeling poochy but that's as stripped-down as you ever get! Maybe red hair dye weighs more than blond?? Please excuse my jocularity today. I'm sore but I'm feeling pretty good inside.

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Great pics, Cheryl!!!! Glad you had fun -- don't be surprised if you are sore tomorrow.

I always had either a lease (where I paid for lessons, and then maybe a small fee for leasing) or a sponsorship, where I had full responsibility for caring for the horse, but got to ride whenever I wanted. That's fantastic, except that it does mean breaking ice off frozen troughs in the winter, going riding when you are tired, sick, etc. -- a lot of work!

It was well worth it when I had fewer responsibilities in my life, but now, it just isn't feasable. The one day a week deal sounds sweet, though! And yes, there is nothing like a swift canter or a full gallop -- except, of course, taking fences, which trumps almost everything else I've ever done in terms of pure thrill.

The only thing that compares to that is a really good downhill skiing run, or hang gliding (which I haven't done in years)

Wow! I didn't know about sponsorship but that would be way down the road from where I stand today. I really am going to look into the leasing, though. Too bad it's getting colder rather than warmer. This will be a true test of how much I love and want to deal with horses, though! If I'm still into it come Spring, I know I've gotten myself a life-long hobby.

As far as soreness goes, my hips were really aching when I got home (went from horse straight to car and then drove home.) I took a little walk with the dog around the neighborhood to see if I could get some relaxation of those muscles and it helped while I was walking but didn't last long. I took 4 Motrin and that helped some but my left hip is still sore. (It's been bothering me since I put this weight back on; the regain lbs.)

I may do the hot tub after dark. (Won't need to wait much longer for night to come. It's almost 4:30 now. "Love" daylight savings time.)

That's all the news here. Was down 0.2 today but still losing something everyday on day 6 of Atkins. I'm really getting back into LC! It's not a bad way to live, at all.

Later, ladies! Love ya much.

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

I really like the pictures, Cheryl! I love the with you looking down from the horse

When you are riding alone, there is something to be said for arena riding -- the last thing you want to do is take a bad fall somewhere out on a trail by yourself.... I love trail riding, but when I was alone, generally stayed in the arena or at least close to the ranch.

As you can gather, I have taken a few pretty bad falls in my day -- the last one put me out of commission for riding for a couple of years (dislocated shoulder and hip, cracked ribs, etc.) I came off over a jump, and landed really badly on very hard ground. Even after I healed physically, I was terribly afraid of jumping for a while after that.

I was riding a particularly ornery mustang at the time when I fell, and he did something called "sunfishing" - bucking and twisting all at once. He did that coming out of a series of jumps, and I just couldn't sit it no matter how hard I tried.

When I did start jumping again, it was on a sweet little pony mare who was solid as could be over jumps -- that got me through my fear. (I actually took a pretty bad fall on her, too... but it was because she misjudged the jump, and she fell... on me! Neither of us was hurt, thankfully.)

I

No wonder you suffer from chronic pain! Even if you hadn't gotten Lyme! I agree that riding horses can be very dangerous and you are helping me to see the rational for riding on the stable grounds. I will learn to enjoy it for what it is and give myself time to grow and get better. I mean, look at poor "Super Man". He fractured C2 or something from a riding accident; also while jumping his horse.

[CherylB]

Do you prefer English or Western? I've only ever ridden Western, but if I'm going to take lessons, why not go for what's best? English looks nice to me.

The horse in the last photo was named Lavender and he liked the smell of my cup of DD coffee. I kind of wanted to ride her but it wasn't offered to me to choose a horse.

[Life4Me]

Hi, cheking in with a quick question:

What happens with fasting & hHCG drops?

Curious if anyone has any experience/insight.

Please, please, pretty please.

Life is seeming to be very sucky right now :'( and so wt loss success would really brighten me up.

[nola baxter]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Point taken, Nola -- at the moment I actually am prepared to live low calorie forever if I have to... I hope I don't, but if that's what it takes....

Well, you are clear about what you want and willing to do what it takes!

I hope it goes very well!

[paulabob]

Originally Posted by Life4Me

What happens with fasting & hHCG drops?

Curious if anyone has any experience/insight.

Never done that...

Sorry your life is not fun right now.

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by Life4Me

Hi, cheking in with a quick question:

What happens with fasting & hHCG drops?

Curious if anyone has any experience/insight.

Please, please, pretty please.

Life is seeming to be very sucky right now :'( and so wt loss success would really brighten me up.

How much fasting are you talking about? Like 40 days and 40 nights? Or do you mean fasting for the majority of each day and then eating your 500 calories of food? Mini likes to do intermittent fasting like that, where a person sets a 5 hour "window" (less or more, depending on what works for you) and only consume calories during that time frame.

I've gone a day here and there when I barely ate anything on hcg or just took in liquids like coffee (black) and water, but I don't recommend doing that with any frequency.

Can you be more specific? Looks like you've been doing HCG already (by your siggy) so where are you coming from? We want to help so fess-up.

[minimonkey]

Cheryl has done some fasting with hhcg, and had good results.

Yeah, Cheryl, some of the pain is definitely from those early injuries flaring up -- I knew it was a risk, and it was worth it. I had a trainer who told me that if I was afraid of falling off, I had no business being on a horse at all ... because falling was guaranteed after a certain point in one's advancement ... he was right.

I fell off that darn mustang more often than I fell off every other horse I've ever ridden, all combined.... he was a force to be reckoned with. Really, he probably shouldn't have been ridden at all .. he had been wild, and had been captured and gelded late, and he really didn't like people... he bit, he kicked, stomped on feet, you name it. He would have been much happier being left alone.

I ran across another mustang who was really similar, later -- I was teaching riding lessons to little kids at summer camp (so fun!) and they had a mustang whose temperament was very similar ... he had also been wild. He stomped on my hand, when I was cleaning his hooves (I got careless) and I still have joint problems in my right hand from that.

He was another bucker, but very solid on jumps, and a lot of fun to ride, despite his orneriness -- you just had to watch him. He, at least, had been caught somewhat earlier -- but when you geld them late, they never really figure out that they aren't stallions.... he was quite a little casanova, that one. I liked that horse quite a bit, but didn't like having him around kids.

I think leaving wild mustangs well enough alone, and letting them live their lives in peace, is the way to go ... they just aren't suited to being ridden past a certain point. Amazing creatures, but better in the wild.

I prefer English riding, though I enjoy both. Most of my training is English -- (or German, because I rode Dressage for a while.) English is harder to learn, but I think more elegant on the whole, and you definitely have a closer connection to the horse because the saddle is smaller and lighter. Once you get the hang of it, it is really no harder. It's killer exercise, too!

I hope you find that the leasing program is a good fit for you -- that really sounds perfect to me ... one day a week, and lessons, is enough to improve quickly without having a full time commitment ... heck, if I could do something like that, I'd jump right on it!

[Life4Me]

Catching up in my forum reading.

Mdolph, your stats give me hope!

Minimonkey, can't wait to see the red :-)

[DisneyPrincess]

Good evening. Had a great day with my boys. Went to the bounce house which actually wasn't a big hit. He loved it a few months ago when he was younger, but I think he would have had more fun with someone else to play with. We ended up at Chuckie Cheese and en went for pizza. I got a salad and had the topping off one piece. It's all I had all day besides my morning coffee with cream. I'm so not hungry today which means TOM will hopefully slow down a bit.
Dh has to work from 4am to after 5pm tomorrow so it's just me and DS2. We'll find something to do

Oh, and we started potty training today. He seen going sporadically since he was 18 months, but I'm ready to get it done. He went 4 times today though he peed in his new big boy undies once. Not bad for the first day! Hope he takes fairly easy but being just 2 I know I can't expect much.

Ok, going to go play and then me and Dh are going to watch a movie. Have a good night

[minimonkey]

Hair will be done tonight -- it's getting close! The finessing of the roots took longer than I thought, but I am closing in on done.

The extensions are really long! Like, obnoxiously past my butt long... but I think I will leave them this length for a bit, anyhow.... I'll probably shorten them later, but I may as well have a little fun with it for now. The bangs are darker than I planned, but I kinda like them that way -- they stand out from the rest of the hair, and they make my eyes pop nicely.. I may change that later, but will run with it for now....

[minimonkey]

Good luck with potty training, Disney! I hear that is quite an adventure -- eeeek. I don't envy you that one!

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Cheryl has done some fasting with hhcg, and had good results.

Yeah, Cheryl, some of the pain is definitely from those early injuries flaring up -- I knew it was a risk, and it was worth it. I had a trainer who told me that if I was afraid of falling off, I had no business being on a horse at all ... because falling was guaranteed after a certain point in one's advancement ... he was right.

I fell off that darn mustang more often than I fell off every other horse I've ever ridden, all combined.... he was a force to be reckoned with. Really, he probably shouldn't have been ridden at all .. he had been wild, and had been captured and gelded late, and he really didn't like people... he bit, he kicked, stomped on feet, you name it. He would have been much happier being left alone.

I ran across another mustang who was really similar, later -- I was teaching riding lessons to little kids at summer camp (so fun!) and they had a mustang whose temperament was very similar ... he had also been wild. He stomped on my hand, when I was cleaning his hooves (I got careless) and I still have joint problems in my right hand from that.

He was another bucker, but very solid on jumps, and a lot of fun to ride, despite his orneriness -- you just had to watch him. He, at least, had been caught somewhat earlier -- but when you geld them late, they never really figure out that they aren't stallions.... he was quite a little casanova, that one. I liked that horse quite a bit, but didn't like having him around kids.

I think leaving wild mustangs well enough alone, and letting them live their lives in peace, is the way to go ... they just aren't suited to being ridden past a certain point. Amazing creatures, but better in the wild.

I prefer English riding, though I enjoy both. Most of my training is English -- (or German, because I rode Dressage for a while.) English is harder to learn, but I think more elegant on the whole, and you definitely have a closer connection to the horse because the saddle is smaller and lighter. Once you get the hang of it, it is really no harder. It's killer exercise, too!

I hope you find that the leasing program is a good fit for you -- that really sounds perfect to me ... one day a week, and lessons, is enough to improve quickly without having a full time commitment ... heck, if I could do something like that, I'd jump right on it!

Mini, I either never knew how much experience you had with horses in your life or I simply forgot. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Those poor mustangs. Born to be free, leave them alone. I know their numbers can get out of control but there must be another option (I mean other than dog food.)

Maybe when I call and get more information about leasing (I can't imagine it's going to be something I can do weekly and afford to do it. Maybe more like twice a month) I can ask if I can try both a lesson in Western and in English. I might prefer English. I agree. It looks way cooler too.

I got kicked by a miniature horse when I was a teenager. He was trying to kick the Quarter horse standing behind him but he got me squarely in the thigh. I thought it was broken. I was in so much pain! I went into the barn to pull my pants down and take a look and as I was doing that, Bula the elephant nearly grabbed a hold of me! Bula was not a friendly elephant (petting zoo and carni people.) I lucked out both ways that day. Somewhere I have a picture of myself sitting in the booth outside of the "smallest horse in the world" (or something like that) exhibit at one of the carnivals. My Dad took the shot. I was freezing my tail off that day. I have virtually no other pics of my horsing around days.

I'm glad your hair is almost done! We want to see!

[HexaTheAmazon]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

AAAAAAAArgh -- my scale hates me! I am at 111.8 -- that is still UP from where I was

TOM is very much here, so I am blaming that -- and no matter what the scale says, my legs really have thinned out. I think I must be in one of those inch loss/reshaping phases that often stall the scale.

I'm going to add some protein today, and I think I am going to go back to regular p2 for a while. I will weigh again when TOM is over, or at least when I can tell the bloat has gone down some.

This TOM is kinda kicking my butt right now -- bad, bad cramps and lower back pain this morning.

Advil and tylenol, here I come. Those probably aren't helping the scale right now either.....

When you weigh and you have TOM it's all water. Disregard the scale for now. My sister weighed one day when she was on or near TOM and she was 5 pounds up. I lie to you not when I say she got on the Eliptical for 1.5 hours and when she got off she was 5 pounds less. She sweated out the water and she can work the Eliptical. When you weigh during TOM it is a total disaster. Forget about it.

[HexaTheAmazon]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Here's the best of the pics. The close up of my face is a self portrait. It was pretty darn cold, and sunny (hence the sunglasses.)

[HexaTheAmazon]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Point taken, Nola -- at the moment I actually am prepared to live low calorie forever if I have to... I hope I don't, but if that's what it takes....

I'll wait until TOM ends and see where I am -- if I have a good drop, I'll just keep doing what I am doing. If not, I'm going guerilla!

Great pics, Cheryl!!!! Glad you had fun -- don't be surprised if you are sore tomorrow.

I always had either a lease (where I paid for lessons, and then maybe a small fee for leasing) or a sponsorship, where I had full responsibility for caring for the horse, but got to ride whenever I wanted. That's fantastic, except that it does mean breaking ice off frozen troughs in the winter, going riding when you are tired, sick, etc. -- a lot of work!

It was well worth it when I had fewer responsibilities in my life, but now, it just isn't feasable. The one day a week deal sounds sweet, though! And yes, there is nothing like a swift canter or a full gallop -- except, of course, taking fences, which trumps almost everything else I've ever done in terms of pure thrill.

The only thing that compares to that is a really good downhill skiing run, or hang gliding (which I haven't done in years) .

Off to fiddle more with hair -- should be done by the end of the day, and I am loving it

I have to agree with Nola on this one. From the pictures you have in your gallery you appear to have transformed over the years just beautifully. It does not appear there is anything wrong with your physical appearance. It is obvious that you are well disciplined because anyone who can bulk like you must have discipline to undergo that pain. The person must love weight training and discipline even though it really hurts. Learn to appreciate your body because it is the only one you have and it appears to be in beautiful condition.

Now, if you are training for a competition that is another story. I am considering entering an amateur competition and it's the early stages for me and it is pain however, I enjoy my curves and I have to make sure that I do not hurt myself in the process of wanting to build and get into bodybuilding shape. My mind wants it now but my body takes its own time because it knows what is best.