BP.Net Weightloss CHALLENGE

I wanna join in... I need to excersize really bad.. Its just hard to get started.. I want to loose 30 lbs :)

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Originally Posted by Blu Mongoose

I've heard of the lights, but you pretty much have to stay put in one spot for a while to get any benefit from it. Maybe over my computer desk? That would help for about 2 hrs a day!!:D

I know!! A Zoo Med light!!! Something has to work. If you can find out the maker of the light please!!

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I found a website that sells sun lamps and such: http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/

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Originally Posted by icygirl

I found a website that sells sun lamps and such: http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/

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Thanks for the link!!

ya sorry... i missed your post. glad you got a link though! and ya over your computer desk would work great... even over the bath tub!!! or your bed... you could lay there reading and be naked... getting even more benefit!

Wow! Very inspirational thread.:gj: Great job everybody!

i am so freakin' proud of myself i have to share this. on january 10th i joined a fitness challenge at my local fitness centre. the challenge is to complete 36, 54 or 72 visits within 12 weeks.

i completed the 36 visits already and today i'm completing 54 visits. (and that's with me being sick for 3 weeks and not being able to get to the gym during that time)... the fitness challenge ends in three days!

i'm so pleased. i've never stayed with a work out program like this. i'm doing it. i'm lifting weights, doing cardio and added in yoga three times a week as well.

my 'scale' weight isn't going down - but my 'size' weight is reducing! my strength is increasing and my stamina is way higher now.

and... the added bonus. so many people at the gym are now consuming green smoothies daily and adding more raw into their diets.

on monday i'm starting a 30 day green smoothie feast. nothing but green smoothies for 30 days. lots of fibre, lots of health... i am so excited about beginning this!

oh and i am, of course, buying another 3 month fitness pass!!! i love my new routine. answering emails in the morning, drink a green smoothie, then off to the gym... back home to homeschool, work on the magazine or run errands. sometimes i even toss in a little housecleaning LOL

anyway, i know this is long-winded but i'm so excited... i can't get my fingers to sit still!!!

Not a bad idea. Cause those skinny people would like to compete as well. You should judge by bodyfat percentage. It's more accurate than weight or that damn BMI (Body Mass Index) which would say that a 300lb bodybuilder is morbidly obese. I was on the ABs Diet for about a month and lost 20lbs. All while eating 6 meals a day and about 1500-2000 calories a day. I got injured at work and was on light duty for about a month and actually, to my surprise, only gained 10lbs of it back. I need to get back into it, though. I'd strongly recommend looking into that method. My girlfriend was on a "diet" of 500-1000 calories a day and didn't listen to my warnings about her health (she's an RN and I'm a Medic). Well, she finally started listening to me when the doctor said her white bloodcell count was low and she was about to go into kidney failure.

You can get The Abs Diet book at any bookstore for about $6. It's well worth it and has loads of information for a measly six bucks.

Congrats Aleesha! What an achievement to be proud of. :yes:

I'm going to have to try and check my body fat, since I STILL haven't lost any weight. (even after working my butt off at the gym 1.5 hours five days a week - and that's alternating cardio, weights, and yoga/pilates)

Could you should post your recipe for those green smoothies. I would like to try working those into my diet as well. :)

well the one I recommend for beginners is: (and this is my own personal favourite)

A nice big handful of baby organic spinach (greens are healthier for you BEFORE they flower)
about 2-3" of filtered water.
Blend.
Now add 3 organic bananas.
Blend.
Next add some frozen blueberries. 1 cup is a good amount.
Blend.

Drink!!!

:D
Super healthy, super yummy and a great way to start your day!

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well the one I recommend for beginners is: (and this is my own personal favourite)

A nice big handful of baby organic spinach (greens are healthier for you BEFORE they flower)
about 2-3" of filtered water.
Blend.
Now add 3 organic bananas.
Blend.
Next add some frozen blueberries. 1 cup is a good amount.
Blend.

Drink!!!

:D
Super healthy, super yummy and a great way to start your day!

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That sounds delicious!
Would it still work if I used frozen spinach?

nope. frozen spinach has been blanched... no longer LIVE food. no nutrients left for you to assimilate and would probably taste horrid.

gotta be LIVE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well the one I recommend for beginners is: (and this is my own personal favourite)

A nice big handful of baby organic spinach (greens are healthier for you BEFORE they flower)
about 2-3" of filtered water.
Blend.
Now add 3 organic bananas.
Blend.
Next add some frozen blueberries. 1 cup is a good amount.
Blend.

Drink!!!

:D
Super healthy, super yummy and a great way to start your day!

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SPINACH AND NANNERS!! EEEWWWW!:bleh::puke:
Sounds like Tut would like it though!

you don't taste the spinach at all... hence the reason for adding the nanners... they cover the taste! LOL

Sounds good to me, and I'm hoping the kids will like it too. I'll let you know how it goes over, once I get my tush to the store.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

you don't taste the spinach at all... hence the reason for adding the nanners... they cover the taste! LOL

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Why put it in if you can't taste it??:confused::weirdface

I'll take my nanners plain thank you!!!:D

the reason you drink green smoothies is for the health benefits. greens should make up 40% minimum of your daily intake. they have so many important nutrients for our bodies to repair themselves. that's why people with cancer, ms, fibermyalga (sp?) etc start drinking these... to heal themselves.

you add different greens to the smoothies and by adding the fruit you don't taste the sometimes strong flavour of the greens. although once you've been drinking them for awhile (like me) you get to like the flavour.

it's all about health. it's all about nutrition.

and... it's all about taste!

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

the reason you drink green smoothies is for the health benefits. greens should make up 40% minimum of your daily intake. they have so many important nutrients for our bodies to repair themselves. that's why people with cancer, ms, fibermyalga (sp?) etc start drinking these... to heal themselves.

you add different greens to the smoothies and by adding the fruit you don't taste the sometimes strong flavour of the greens. although once you've been drinking them for awhile (like me) you get to like the flavour.

it's all about health. it's all about nutrition.

and... it's all about taste!

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Health is a big helping of fresh spinach!! Nanner for dessert!!
I always eat spinach. Fresh with cuts of yellow squash, zuchinni, tomatoe, broccoli, whatever veggies I have. I never could get into liquid veggies. Got to have that crunch!! I haven't ever been a smoothie person. I have them on occasion, but seems to be something lacking. Everyone tells me I should get into it for health reasons. It would take some serious getting used to. My size is finally going down again, but not my weight. I don't care if I weigh 300 as long as I feel good and wear my size 32-33 jeans!!
My ideal weight I guess is about 200 lbs. since I have a lot of muscle. That means I need to lose about 30 more lbs. I back slid a little but caught it and started working out again.

i hear ya... i love the crunch as well. but unfortunately you have to chew your greens for a good loooong time to get them broken down on a cellular level so your body can get the nutrients out of them.

and...

just a thought...

you do realize if you have some in a smoothie, you can always have some in a salad on the side! :P

if you want to learn more... order "green for life" http://www.rawfamily.com/

Shame about the frozen veggies... Fresh ones are sooo expensive :( I think I might try to steal some from the dining commons, as I do have a limited meal plan ;). I'm in college without a ton of money, but I try to eat as healthy as I can. I hate how money is such a big factor in eating right! Thank god I don't smoke, cigarettes cost a fortune in more ways than one!!

My personal goal from now on is to greatly limit sugar consumption. I hate to admit this but sugar is a comfort food for me, and I eat lots of candy especially when I'm stressed out. I'm going to try and go as long as I can from today on without eating candy. I'll try to come back here in a bit and update on how it goes (well this is the big thread about food and exercise, isn't it? :))

it is sad that healthy food costs... but then so does a bad of chips LOL

i wish you the best in fighting your sugar addiction!

I've been taking cardio kickboxing since the middle of January 2 days a week at my wifes school and I think I have lost around 8 or 9 pounds so far. It's coming off slow but at least its finally coming off lol.

Wish me luck, my goal is 30 to 35 pounds

Kyle

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

you don't taste the spinach at all... hence the reason for adding the nanners... they cover the taste! LOL

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I can attest to that!! I've been drinking the smoothies since saturday, and they are sweet and keep you full all day. Aleesha and her friends are a huge inspiration to me, since I too was skeptical and have wanted to stop now every single day.

But every morning, I get up, and make my smoothies for the day in less than an hour. All my food for the day in one hour!? Fresh, delicious, and most of all filling! :D

My favorite smoothies so far are:

1 cup of water
bunch of spinach leaves
Blend till nice smooth and almost liquid

add:
about 2 cups of fresh pinapple (more if you like it sweet)
1 banana
hand full of strawberries (and for the seeds to chew on)
flax seeds
bee pollen
and some ice

Blend together and I have 8 cups of smoothie for the day! (2 quarts)

Then I make my breakfast smoothie, which is usually very green heavy

1 bunch of kale and spinach
1 cup of water
Blend well

2 bananas
some pinappple
cucumber
ice

blend again

That's me breakfast!

I have a bunch of frozen fruits now too, pineappple, berries, blue and raspberry, fresh strawberries
mangos
kiwi
fresh whole pineapple
bunches of and bunches of bananas
oranges
limes
passion fruit
apples
cucumbers (Yuuuummy)



and for greens I like kale, and romaine and looove spinach

So good!

hi guys. i want to join this thread. im currently in offseason mode right now, and will be going through my pre-contest prep mode.
i am currently 205 lbs now. with 14% bodyfat. i am aiming for around 8-9%. while still holding on to as much muscle as possible.

i currently eat about 4 lbs of meat a day. which is 3 lbs of chicken and 1 lb. of beef. and about 4 scoops of protein powder which totals about 400+grams of protein a day.. and consume around 300-450 grams of carbs.my fat intake, whatever.lol.

im starting my diet soon. dropping the carbs to around 100 on low days and 300 on high days. high days are once a week just to load up the glycogen stores.

supplements that i use are:

N.O. xplode
glutamine
creatine ethyl esther
dymatize whey
testosterone
anti estrogen nolvadx
lipo-6/hydroxycut hardcore

i hope to achieve this in 9-12 weeks, after that i am hoping to rebound on that and maybe up my weight by dec. at around 225-230 lbs. my long term goal would be to look like jay cutler.lol.

hope we all achieve our goals this year. good luck guys. thank you for letting me share.

Connie... you are grinding those flax seeds first right? :D You body doesn't break down those little shells... so you have to do it first. ;)

Yup, Connie and I are on day 4 of drinking green smoothies only. It's a great healing opportunity for our bodies... and a nice weight release opportunity as well. :D

I'm still working out, loving life and smiling... a lot! Yaaaaaaaaa HEALTH!!! Looking back on where I was a year ago... my liver in severe distress, no energy, sick all the time... gaining weight more and more every week... and now it's the opposite. Thank goodness... *yes I'm blissed out folks*

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

Connie... you are grinding those flax seeds first right? :D You body doesn't break down those little shells... so you have to do it first. ;)

Yup, Connie and I are on day 4 of drinking green smoothies only. It's a great healing opportunity for our bodies... and a nice weight release opportunity as well. :D

I'm still working out, loving life and smiling... a lot! Yaaaaaaaaa HEALTH!!! Looking back on where I was a year ago... my liver in severe distress, no energy, sick all the time... gaining weight more and more every week... and now it's the opposite. Thank goodness... *yes I'm blissed out folks*

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LOL, yea, I guess I threw those two in at the end of the list because I forgot about em in the first place, so when I edited it they got stuck at the bottom. They get ground up pretty good. ;)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

Connie... you are grinding those flax seeds first right? :D You body doesn't break down those little shells... so you have to do it first. ;)

Yup, Connie and I are on day 4 of drinking green smoothies only. It's a great healing opportunity for our bodies... and a nice weight release opportunity as well. :D

I'm still working out, loving life and smiling... a lot! Yaaaaaaaaa HEALTH!!! Looking back on where I was a year ago... my liver in severe distress, no energy, sick all the time... gaining weight more and more every week... and now it's the opposite. Thank goodness... *yes I'm blissed out folks*

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Have you ever thought about being a nutritionist or health educator? I think you would be awesome at it.

heehee... na, i just love to share my info... hence my passion with my magazine!

although, to be honest... i'm going to be teaching about raw foods in my little town in sept!

*thanks so much for the huge compliment!*

Ok, I've skipped over this thread since I joined the board, but now I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon too... First, Aleesha, seeing your before and after pics and reading your posts here are VERY inspiring... Good on you for keeping with it, and keep it up!!!

So, here's my backstory... My weight has been like a yo-yo since I graduated high school. I weighed about 175 or 180 when I graduated, and I think that was too skinny for my build. I am 5' 10", and have a VERY large bone structure. Since graduating 12 years ago, I've bounced from a low weight of 180 and a high weight of 315 or more (I stopped getting on the scale when I saw 300, but didn't stop eating the double quarter pounders).

About 2 years ago, I went to my 10 year reunion at around 225-230 lbs. Almost nobody recognized me, but that's where I reunited with my now girlfriend. Over the last 2 years though, I have been too happy and comfortable and have let my weight slide again... We decided about a month ago that it was time to do something about it, so we joined a gym. I went for the first time last night, weighing in at 266. I've set my goal at 200, not giving myself a deadline to lose the weight. I'm going to try to make it to the gym 3-5 times a week. Now that the weather is getting nice, the nights we have my girlfriend's daughter, we'll go for a walk or go to the park... On top of that, after running on the treadmill last night, I've decided that as soon as I finish the last pack of cigarettes I bought, I'm done with those too... Wish me luck guys. Here's to an amazing adventure I'm about to start...

Sorry for the long post everyone, but I'm feeling highly motivated after reading this whole thread... ;)

im joining a gym to as soon as summer starts for now im just trying to eat better. I am 6'2" and 320 i want to weigh 250. wish me luck you guys

Thor, Inksteel... I wish you both the motivation to keep on keepin' on! That's what does it for me... motivation and routine. I go every day (after all, kids don't have a day on from playin!) - I don't do weights daily... only 3 times a week max... but using weights and the cardio machines really works!

I'm happily down to 190 today... that's 75 pounds released in total so far. On day 11 of my "Green Smoothie Feast for 30 days" - hopefully the weight release will continue :)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

Thor, Inksteel... I wish you both the motivation to keep on keepin' on! That's what does it for me... motivation and routine. I go every day (after all, kids don't have a day on from playin!) - I don't do weights daily... only 3 times a week max... but using weights and the cardio machines really works!

I'm happily down to 190 today... that's 75 pounds released in total so far. On day 11 of my "Green Smoothie Feast for 30 days" - hopefully the weight release will continue :)

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Thanks =]

you are welcome :hug:

down to 188 today... day 13 of my green smoothie feast.

what's in your green smoothie

I'm in! *raises her hand*

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). You can go to WebMd for the deails but basically my hormones are out of wack becasue of these sacs filled with water around my ovaries. Its hard for me to lose weight. What takes a normal person 6 months can take me a year!

I'm 5'6 and 220 lbs. I was at 240 but I still have more to go! My goal is to be 130-140. I can't wait to fit back into my clothes again.

*sigh* I joined a gym and need tips for exercise.

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Originally Posted by LIZARDLADY

I'm in! *raises her hand*

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). You can go to WebMd for the deails but basically my hormones are out of wack becasue of these sacs filled with water around my ovaries. Its hard for me to lose weight. What takes a normal person 6 months can take me a year!

I'm 5'6 and 220 lbs. I was at 240 but I still have more to go! My goal is to be 130-140. I can't wait to fit back into my clothes again.

*sigh* I joined a gym and need tips for exercise.

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lol i know how to exercise im just to darn lazy:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by LIZARDLADY

I'm in! *raises her hand*

*sigh* I joined a gym and need tips for exercise.

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Hi there!

Here's a plan I've never seen fail- do 20-30 minutes of actual cardio... meaning that your heartrate is way up- check out High Intensity Interval Training (30 seconds of normal jogging, 30 seconds of running flat-out) or do a plateau-style workout (where you do 1 min of normal jogging, then ratchet your speed up each minute for about 6 minutes, then drop back down to normal jogging). I'm not sure if that makes sense, but on the plateau you start with 5 mins of normal jogging, then go up each minute until you're running flat-out, then drop back down. I see people in the gym every single day doing the same crap and getting no results. I am naturally a bit lazy, so I want to do 20 minutes of maximum effect as opposed to hours of mediocre effect.

Check into circuit training, where you do 3 sets of 10 on various machines each day (usually 4 days per week, keeping your body parts separate). I firmly believe that the best way to reduce overall body fat is to lift heavier, using a 'pyramid.' Most women initially don't like this approach because they think it will make them bulky. The fact is that most of us could use some core muscle building. It also takes about a year of consistent HEAVY lifting to build 8-10 pounds of muscle mass. I've never known a woman to 'bulk up' too much using a pyramid-style workout plan.

Hope this helps, and just remember that you are the one that controls how you look!

I honestly think that swimming is the best way to lose weight. I lost 15 pounds that I didn't want to lose because of swimming. Put in 4 to 5 miles in the pool a day and no way you can keep weight on.

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Originally Posted by Thor26

what's in your green smoothie

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well the one I recommend for beginners is: (and this is my own personal favourite)

A nice big handful of baby organic spinach (greens are healthier for you BEFORE they flower)
about 2-3" of filtered water.
Blend.
Now add 3 organic bananas.
Blend.
Next add some frozen blueberries. 1 cup is a good amount.
Blend.

Drink!!!

:D
Super healthy, super yummy and a great way to start your day!

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Originally Posted by AndrewGeibel

I honestly think that swimming is the best way to lose weight. I lost 15 pounds that I didn't want to lose because of swimming. Put in 4 to 5 miles in the pool a day and no way you can keep weight on.

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I totally agree with you Andrew but I'm allergic to chlorine! yuck

I took my measurements today... released 5.5" and 11 pounds since starting my water fast (i'm on day three) and green-smoothe feast 15 days ago! (all we consume is green smoothies of different greens each day) I plan on continuing with my water fast for up to 10 days and then going back to green smoothies to complete our 30 day feast. IF I continued to release my weight at the same rate... I'll be down to a wonderful 174 pounds (current weight 185) - but honestly I'm doing this for the health benefits the weight release is simply icing on the cake!!! :banana:

I am not at all concerned about gaining any of it back, since I eat only raw foods anyway... there's nothing in my diet to cause weight gain! Yipppeeee I can feel how happy my organs and blood are!

BTW, I don't know if I shared this with you all. Last year at this time my liver was in bad shape. My doctor told me that it was in the condition of someone who drank heavily for 50 years!!! I just got my test results back and now my liver is working ABOVE optimum!!! Yup you read that right! He considers me no longer a diabetic, my cholesterol which was really high is now perfect ;) He is so proud of me... he couldn't sit down he was so excited sharing my results with me! He told me to keep eating raw and exercising (I work out daily at the gym... and do weight max 3 times a week, with 2-3 yoga classes a week as well)... it's working folks!!!

So as of today... I've released 80 pounds since August 2007!!!

*If any of you want to join the green smoothie feast... please visit the forum attached to my magazine (link below "The Whole Being" it's in the fasting section) where you can get your questions answered by people with great knowledge!

Thought I would share this with you all. This is my raw lifestyle coach... Melissa. she's so great, supportive and full of knowledge. She's helped me a LOT.

She also has two great recipe books. one is for green smoothies and the other is for raw baby food. so... if any of you are interested in changing your life... she's amazing!

http://loverawlife.com/store.htm

Here's the interview I did with her... as you can see... she's released a LOT of weight herself and cured cancer using raw foods.

http://www.timelessspirit.com/MAR08/interview.shtml

So there... my little info-mercial is over LOL

christie asked me to post a pic so... here's my most recent one although i've released about 10 pounds since it was taken :P

http://aleeshasrawlife.blogspot.com/...st-day-12.html

So, I have 2 main goals fo summer.

1) Build a snake rack, leading my to acquire new BPs.

2) Get back into the gym and bust my butt.

I am 6ft, 170 lbs. I want to lose about 10 lbs of fat, but gain about 15 pounds of muscle in the process.

I am looking forward to both challenges.

I am constantly battling late night snacking issues. When I was young, I would ALWAYS eat a "snack" before bed and now I can't stop. I will go to bed and tell myself "you had a good full dinner earlier, there is no reason you need to eat again at 11pm, just go to bed" and I will literally stay wide awake until I eat something.

I believe the combination of this and my metabolism slowing is making me pack on the pounds and I need to nix this habit before it gets out of control. If anyone has experienced something similar, I would love to hear what you do to help control the snacking, or general tips from anyone really.

Thanx all for listening, and thanx Kim for making this thread.

drink lots of water... it'll make you 'think' you are full.

other than that... do some affirmations, "i do not need food at night" or "an empty tummy is a healthy sleep"

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

drink lots of water... it'll make you 'think' you are full.

other than that... do some affirmations, "i do not need food at night" or "an empty tummy is a healthy sleep"

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Thanx for the tips Aleesha! I've been doing good for a few nights now, and I even went for a run today! 2.5 km!! I used to run a lot but I need to work my way up to a reasonable distance.

ah good for you!!!

Aleesha, I read your story and your blog, and I must say, you look AMAZING!

I am currently living at home with my mother for several reasons (mostly money - college, grrr) and what goes in our fridge is not up to me, nor can i afford to purchase my own groceries which I would would LOVE to do (laid off from work *sigh*).

For the past few months, Ive actually been heading over to my boyfriends parents house, and eating with his mom because she adores when I cook for her. They always have TONNES of fresh fruits and veggies, lean chicken, fresh yogurt (I LOVE frozen strawberries and plain yogurt, I want to make my own yogurt eventually) but my house is all pizza pockets and frozen dinners (my fat spoke up there).

I have taken the first step, doing what I can to minimize the awful things I usually eat, but as soon as I am in my own dwelling (September!!!) I will be CERTAIN to keep anything of the fried or pre-cooked nature OUT of my kitchen (oh what a dream). I love your Raw lifestyle, and I really would like to incorporate it into my life. After all, I LOVE smoothies!!

Thank-you for sharing your story, you give me so much hope.

*What a great 900th post:)*

if you ever want any really great easy to make raw recipes... i have a handful for ya!

and remember... a bag of apples costs little, as does a bunch of bananas. :)

UPDATE: 1 month and 8 lbs gone... I kinda slacked this month, going to the gym on average 2-3 times per week. So, trying to keep myself a little more motivated to keep up with my workout routine, hopefully next month I will be able to post a better number... Here's to 258 and shrinking! :headbang:

YIPPPPPPEEEEEE congrats!!!!! :banana: :banana: :banana:

*sneaks into the room... lays down a note saying "I weight 179 pounds today!" and quietly walks back out of the room*