Lauren A.

Ditto on the good luck!! You will do awesome; you've been rocking this challenge and life in general!! Have a fantastic time!!

Great job on keeping up with the running! We are all cheering you on to the 5K and half marathon!! I've have got to get more stretching in. I have very tight hamstrings : / do you have any stretches you do that you really like that are different from the standard ones we all know?

You are doing great on your sleep and good job on not giving in to the soda! I've been working on figuring out which restaurants in my area have paleo-friendly meals. Qdoba has been a good go-to -- I get a taco salad without the shell (i.e. a bowl of lettuce), and add meat, a bunch of veggies, pico de gallo, and guacamole. It's delicious and huge and I can never finish it, lol. One of my compromise restaurant meals is baby back ribs (with dry rub, no sauce, yuck! lol) and sweet potato fries. Oh yummies. : D Great job on getting faster with your running and good job going to FW later even though you missed the morning session! Awesome work!

HA! I'm AWFUL at updating!! I just spend all my time on my team board, and that's okay with me, haha. UPDATES!! I was so excited to finally have my weigh-in day (I weigh in and measure only once a month) So I was really looking forward to this past Wednesday! Since the beginning of my journey a month and a half or so ago, I am down 17 pounds overall!!! WOOT! In the last month (roughly the time of the challenge so far) I have lost 9.5 pounds and 7 inches!! Including 1.5" from waistline and 1.5" from bust/back and 1" from my hips (my toughest zone, pear shape FTW lol). It's so excited to see measureable changes, but also visible ones too! I'm a size down and into a bunch of clothes that wouldn't fit before! And I just look a little slimmer. Hubs has definitely noticed : D I had to take two weeks off from exercising to recover from my fall/injury, so I'd probably be even further along withut that break! But while I was on my break, I tried to be extra good about my food and calorie intake. I will be visiting my family this weekend, so that will make staying on track a little harder, plus I will miss opportunites to workout on Saturday and Sunday, but seeing family is worth it! Grades this week: Workout: B- went for three days so far and worked hard Food: A- I have had a few very small treats (CHOCOLATE) here and there, but for fairness, it was that time, and its 85% dark, and the yummiest choclate I've ever had. I'm in love. Sleep: D-/F I have been terrible about sleep this week. I am helping to plan and put together my sister's wedding, and staying up so late every night to do so. I've gotten about 4-5 hours a night, which, at 26 years old, I cannot sustain, not like I did in high school and college, lol. It's taking a major toll and I might be starting to come down with something. : ( Everyone here is awesome and helps keep me accountable and encourages me to no end. You guys are the best. Two and a half more weeks to go (WHERE on EARTH did the time go? Seriously.)

Thanks so much for the support!! I'd say we are pretty great too, haha! : D Thanks for the positive words!! Congratulations on getting that done!! I know that can be so tough to complete! Rock on!! And here's to the light!

I'm so sorry to hear about your foot! We are glad you are back though! I know life can get so busy. That's can be so frustrating, to have things that are out fo your control trying to hold you back. Great for you trying to find ways around ti to keep moving and working! Also, for the sugar cavings have you tried some sweeter fruits? Banana, strawberry, kiwi, apple, etc? I also made the foray into green smoothies, which I've been having as dessert or pre-workout snack! I really enjoyed this one and it got even better after sitting for a couple days, http://alisongolden.com/stuff-my-mum-says makes 4 or 5 servings. It's also really filling if people need a good, filling snack/meal to get them through the day. You just described me to a T, haha. I'm so grateful for you and this team too!! YAY TEAM! lol.

Yes! A WOOT for you too!! well done! (for the backwards Americans, self included: 2.2 lb in a kg) That's amazing! We have some pretty awesome people in this group. : D

Time for a WOOT! Got to weigh in and measure yesterday. I am officially down 17 pounds and 7 inches!! (start date was prior to the beginning of this challenge). YEAH!!!!!

whoops, meant to post what was here before in the Team forum. Know how to delete a post? lol. Either way, sorry about that! : D

Sorry you feel poopy today : ( I'm asleep on my feet. I get a D- for sleep this week, lol. I hope you feel better STAT! You can always wean yourself off and then just have tylenol handy for a couple days for the headaches. It's not that bad, you just have to expect it and push through. You could also switch to black, I guarantee you won't absolutely love the flavor, haha. That's how I view mine now. It's like, of course I'd enjoy it more if is were sweeter, but then it'd be a sweet drink, and not something I'm drinking to help keep me from falling asleep at my desk. So I broke off my love affair with coffee and turned the relationship into strictly business, haha. If you just love the taste but don't need the caffeine, do a trial month! I want to get to the point where I go without coffee regularly, but can have a cup on days when I desparately need it (and then it's more effective because I'm not desensitized to the caffeine). Good luck with the gym, commit yourself to half your normal time and then see how you feel at that point! You'll have all the momentum of already being there, so you'll probably just keep going! Rest up!

That was hilariously wonderful. haha, thanks for sharing!!

Welcome back from vacay!! How was it?? Link for the paleo meatloaf? I'm looking to improve mine, last time was 'meh'. Yay for Whole30! Good luck!! Great work on still getting the workouts in, even with the yummy vacay food. Hopefully this break will refill your willpower stores and you will be rocking it out in the weeks to come!!

NOPE. ; D Seriously though. I have wrestled with this for ages. I finally worked my way down from about 4-5 tbsp(!) of sugar in my coffee (170 calories every day) to a teaspoon. Then at that point I mixed in one packet of stevia with the little bit of sugar. Now I use only stevia: ~1/16 of a tsp (the TINY scoop in the container). I'm still using half and half, but would be fine switching to coconut milk/cream, I just havent tried it yet, I'm always in a HUGE rush in the mornings, lol. So that's my compromise, because right now, I need the boost. Maybe if I get my sleep under control I can move away from it (did it once before for about 3-4 months). Focus on your sleep, and maybe ditching the coffee will follow? Also, so many congrats on the new job! I hope it's fantastic!! Have you been using the free weights at the gym? How's that going? I'm still scared to! Haha.

Great work on the good sleep last night, AWESOME. I'm a bit jealous. My average this week is about 5 hours, lol. Yeah, my hubs thinks that unless BMac got an undeniable offer, he will stay with the Braves. He grew up in Atlanta, he's settled, he's a Braves man. Like maybe someone offers him 15 mil, and we can offer 12 mil, he would probably still stay. Idk, we will see. Also, I will chain myself to Kimbrel so he can't leave. Haha. I know Uggla is frustrating, but for whatever reason I have a soft spot for him, lol. And maybe some of the 'special' ones will get some great work in and figure things out in the offseason. I agree with you though, I hate this part of the season. At least I have more time to watch FOOTBALL. Haha. And 827,234 tv shows... *sheepish shrug* : D

No, I will not accept this. lol. B-Mac wil always be a Brave. GAH! The thought is NOT HAPPY! I guess we'll see. Sigh. I'm an fan of NL rules... I wonder if they will ever all get on the same page rules-wise (NL of course, lol)... A girl can dream can't she?