Well I am coming from the Thanksgiving group as well. I just started the BFL and boy are my legs killing me! In a good way that is. I hope I can stay with this plan because I think it will be just great. I can get two challenges in before summer and I am hoping to wear a size 10 in some new shorts! I want to shop in the Jr.'s department!

Jessica

Way to go on starting the BFL challenge! I am looking forward to starting..... DH and I agreed to get each other a mutual Christmast gift of a weight set; due to our recent marriage we will have to put off purchasing until the end of Jan due to $$ shortage We just "discussed" it last night.

My office is a dangerous mine field of Holiday treats. Bowls of chocolates here, cookies there, candy canes. It's hard today. I brought in green tea and splenda so I may way over consume the splenda today just to get through.....

I am in on this challenge!!! I was another one on the "Countdown to Thanksgiving" thread, and I think we were all going to try and find our way here. I haven't had a problem with Xmas goodies yet, although I know it is coming. We are going to a Christmas party next week, and the place we are having dinner is known for its yummy potato dishes. And I'm Irish...Yikes!!
I learned a lesson yesterday, it is not a good idea to skip a meal. I never had an opportunity to have lunch, so by the time I got home I was into the nuts, my biggest downfall. And I was still STARVING. It was not pretty.
My DD comes home from college for Xmas in about 10 days, we haven't seen her since August, this is her first year away and I miss her so much!! Of course I have to have Christmas baking around (my 3 kids are beanpoles, go figure...) but I have a couple of LC cookbooks with some LC treats I am planning on making so that I and hubby do not feel deprived.

Have a great day everyone!!! Hope that hopping Cheryl turns up here soon!!!

Katie

What is this "BFL challenge" I keep hearing about? Is it a program some where or a book? What does it consist of?
I see it's to do with exercise....

So how is everyone doing? It appears I might have lost 2lbs this week, we'll see on Sunday. So far my scale has said 298 for four days
Today I'm getting my heart checked
I shouldn't be nervous because my doctor didn't find anything when he check and with the EKG (I think that's what its called).
I'm just getting a base line since I'm 38.

I had a little help this week, my roommate, bless his soul, has been making low carb dinners for me in the last two nights. I have been working overtime and he brings me dinner at work.
What great best friend I have

Lessara, way to go on the two pounds gone!!! Isn't it wonderful when your scale registers a new milestone? So now you are out of the 300's, never to be seen again!!!! Almost like Christmas came early...

I'm wondering where everyone else on this thread is? Probably out buying gifts. I would like a sports car please (hahahaha). I went to a party last night, dinner was a buffet and I made some reasonably intelligent choices. Had no problem passing by the pasta salads and mashed spuds with gravy.

I have made myself a mini-goal for the holidays, I am challenging myself to MAINTAIN my loss. I am not sure it will be possible to lose weight, however I can really try not to gain any back. Each pound comes off so darn slowly that I really don't want to have to lose them again!!!

Katie

Lessara---I second that! Way to go on the recent loss! BFL is Body for Life---It is a book which consists of a very rigorous 12 week challenge with 6 days a week of exercise alternating strength training and high intensity interval training (HIIT) aerobic activity. The food portion is 6 meals a day----the folks on this site modify it a bit to be lc---or lower carb than the book says, I should say. I have the book but haven't started yet.

sewcrazy--I think you are smart to have a goal of maintaining through the holidays. I had a mini-goal of 173 by New Year's, but at the rate I'm going, I may have to change that.

How's everyone doing on the Christmas shopping? I am doing nothing but homemade soaps and bath salts to save on $$$. It's inexpensive but very time consuming.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

Wow, homemade bath salts and soaps. Please tell me how to do that. I would also like to be able to make my own candles for gifts. I have shopped for a few friends, but I have one couple left and their kids. For two of our other friends I made blankets with fleece. You just buy the fleece and on the short ends you cut 1/2" wide strips and tie the strips into knots. It makes an easy project and a nice gift. Well I made them the blankets and bought them each PJ's. I am going to get them a movie and add popcorn and hot chocolate mix into a gift basket.

I am also looking to maintain. Since I started the Body For Life BFL I have gained weight. I read that it will take about 6 weeks for me to see a loss. I am really seeing some increase in strength and muscle definition. The workouts are really not too bad, the cardio is only 20 minutes long and the weight training takes about 45 minutes and it is every other day. I have a hard time eating 6 times a day. I can keep the protien up which is important, but if I am busy at work I can't stop to eat.

Lessara good luck with the heart check. Losing weight has got to have a good impact on the hearts function, it doesn't have to work so hard to get the blood to your ever shrinking body!

Sewcrazy do you sew??

Jessica

Jessica---For the soap, I go to Michaels and get the soap base, soap dye, scent and molds. It's very easy! You can pick up a crafting book on how to make very simple to very elaborate soap. As far as the bath salts, visit my journal as I have posted 3 or 4 different variations there (about 2 pages back from the end). Easy and fun!

Great idea on the fleece blanket!!! So you go to a fabric store and just by several yards of fleece? I will definitely have to start scanning the fabric stores and watch for sales. Thanks!

JoAnns has fleece 1/2 off if you have one there. I buy a yard and a half for most people. For taller men use 2 yards. They had some great Christmas fleece there last night. I also am making a baby bunting with matching hat. The hat is done, the bunting is 1/2 done, I bought the wrong sized zipper, it will be done tonite, so easy to make.

I will be going to Michaels today.

Jessica

Bath stuff!!! Yum!!! I love baths and have gone to your journal and printed off your recipes. Can't get some of the ingredients here in my small town so will look when I get to a larger centre. I have a most lovely tub (the reason I made DH buy me this house) and I disappear into it every night before I go to bed. Thanks Tricia!!

Jessica - I saw a pattern for the absolutely cutest baby bunting bag, it is a "starfish bag", it is shaped like a star, made out of fleece using a serger. Saw the pattern at our quilt shop and online somewhere. Do I sew?? Hi. My name is Katie and I am a sewaholic. A fabricaholic. And - dare I say - a threadaholic. I love to sew, I have 9 (!!!) sewing machines, and my biggest frustration in life is not getting to sew enough. I sew everything. I especially loved creating frilly gorgeous dresses for my daughters when they were little. They have insisted on keeping them all for when they have little girls... Now that they are too big for dresses (18 and 15) I have discovered quilting and I particularly like to create my own landscapes out of fabric. I haven't had time to make anyone any Christmas gifts this year, one of my favourite things to do. Too much other stuff going on this year. Oh well!!!

I bought my niece a really nice soapmaking kit at Costco. Gonna cost me a fortune to mail that sucker because it has 2 lbs of glycerine in it (hey - is THAT HOW MUCH TWO POUNDS WEIGHS??? Kind of puts it in perspective for me...)

Have a great day everyone!!!

katie

The star bunting, I love that one. That is the one I originally wanted to make. The baby I am making it for will be one in Feb. So I had to pick one that had pants so he can walk.

9 sewing machines, my god woman what do you do with them all?? I have one, it is maybe 3 years old. One of the newer singers. This is my second one though, the first (almost identical) was accidently left behind when we moved into our house. I had it at the top of the closet and I didn't want it to get damaged in the move, so I was going to pack it last. When I called the apartments to say that I left it behind they said they trashed it. I doubt they did, there was nothing wrong with it.

I like to make the frilly dresses as well. I made my little girls Christmas dress last year and I made her Halloween costume this year. I don't have time to make a Christmas dress this year. I also don't have a serger. I made shorts for my husbands softball team this past summer, it was neat to see them all wearing them at the fields, all these other people were begging me to make them some. This year we are working on getting a vinyl heat press for making shirts and such. So now I will be able to put messages on thier clothing.

I can't quite get into quilting, takes too much time and you have to be so much more precise.

Jess

I hope you all recognize that little quote from "The Night Before Christmas". And what did I get to wonder about? I am so excited - I lost another pound! I know, a pound isn't a big whoosh or anything, but I am now in the 170's which is pretty darned exciting to me. It also means I met my own little personal goal of getting into the 170's before DD came home for Christmas...

Good Morning Jessica - what do I do with 9 sewing machines? Uh... hmmmm... Well, you know, it just sort of happened. One is a 1905 treadle, machine is in great shape and cabinet is pretty good, DH and I are trying to decide whether to refinish it or not. right - like I have time for that!! Another is a little 1945 Singer featherweight, which I have in my foyer because it is so darned cute; I have two sergers one of which doesn't work because I can't find a replacement blade; I have a computerized Bernina which I've probably had for about 6 years, I have a small portable I take out when I go to classes etc., I have a Kenmore I don't use much because it is not very precise, if you know what I mean. My daughter uses it whenever I can talk her into sewing. Then there is my mom's old one I keep for sentimental reasons even though it has seized up, and my dad has another older one of mine from the 60s.

It is just in recent years that I took up quilting, mostly because I stopped making clothing. And I do not do any hand quilting. Actually, I am now remembering that I stopped sewing for myself because I couldn't make anything fit anymore - maybe I get to start making myself stuff again!!! Brainwave!!!

Katie

Going to check journals for Sewcrazy and Martha. I picked up some soap making equipment yesterday. I am hoping to get some bars made this weekend. I got a butter yellow color and a pretty green. The mold I picked has leaves on it, I thought it would be pretty to make the leaves green and the rest the yellow. Oh the scent is honey almond I believe, very soft and not too intruding. I may see about making some candles as well. I wonder how many bars of soap you get out of each block?

Anyways I will check some journals, look for soap web sites and hopefully get some work done today!

Jess

(I also got the right zipper so I can finish the bunting.)

Wow, look at all the great ideas here!!! I copied and printed each one to try!

Martha- I don't lose much either but you sure sound positive!

Did you know that I quilt too, I'm only a beginner, because I work I don't have much free time. I love hand quilting the most, its so relaxing for me. So far I've only done pillows, mainly due to a lack a table to lay a larger project on. Someone once mention I try the quilt as you go where you quilt each block you do then sew the blocks together. Got to try that