Hello all!
It's good to be back posting on the boards after almost a month away! I've tried to catch up with the last challenge & the start of this one, reading through your posts. Huge congratulations to all those who achieved their goals & took positive steps, and also a big congrats to those who took part in the challenge but didn't quite make their goal, the most important thing is that you stuck with it! 
So, onto the next challenge!
My husband & I got back on Saturday from spending 3 incredible weeks in Australia! 10 days in Melbourne with my sister-in-law & her partner & 10 days in Sydney. It. Was. Awesome! We saw some incredible sights, ate some unbelievable food & drank some ridiculously good coffee & cocktails 
! Back to work now with some serious holiday blues (& jet lag... still, 4 days later.. eugh). It's so hard to say what the best part was because we were well & truly spoilt with just how incredible the holiday was, but having said that, I did get to meet 2 Koala's (a childhood dream come true) & the epic hikes we did around Manly & from Bondi to Coogee were beautiful!
We walked our socks off! Especially around Sydney, but we also ate loads, like seriously a lot, lol! After a year of tracking what I eat & being careful I went away & thought, "you know what, I'm not gonna hold back on my food this holiday, if I want to try something I'm just gonna go for it & have fun" & I am so, so, so glad I did, the food was just ridiculous, I tried (& loved) sushi for the first time, had some crazy good Chinese & BBQ food, & the breakfasts were amazing. It has definitely made me want to try & be more creative with fresh ingredients now we are home & I have bought a couple of cook books with that in mind to give a go. So with all that in mind I was actually OK when I stepped on the scales this morning & saw a 4lb gain, it sounds like a lot but when I look back at the holiday it's actually much better than I thought it would be lol! So yeah, all fun stuff! Back to reality now & going to work hard to be more creative in the kitchen & shift these last few pounds to reach my UGW.
All the best to everyone for this challenge & a massive thanks to @awood08 for starting it off!
USW 23/3/15: 186
PW 2/3 (pre-holiday): 131
CSW 31/3: 135
GW 30/5: 126
UGW 23/6/16: 126
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I am super stoked! Lost 2# so far this week!!!!!!
Things I am doing differently this week:
1. Went for a wonderful lunchtime power walk yesterday with a friend where we crushed over 5000 steps in 38 min!!
2. The past 2 nights I have played some basketball with my son (about 40-45 min each night) and we did some of his drills he does during practices. Whew was I winded!! I love that he is willing to help push me.
3. I also started doing a simple workout on my work break this week. It's called "The Little Black Dress Workout". It targets toning up the arms/shoulders. I am only doing one set of 10 using 5# dumbbells right now but I can already feel it working. It only take a couple of minutes to do and I am doing it everyday - taped the workout on the bathroom wall and have my weights on the bench waiting for me - NO EXCUSES! 
4. I have also just started drinking a shake for breakfast. It is from the PeerTrainer Cheat System Diet ...I use Thorne pea/rice protein mix. It's chocolate flavored (yum!) so I use one scoop of that with 1 cup of Silk coco/almond milk blend, 1/2 cup of water, toss in 8 whole strawberries, a cup of frozen spinach, a couple drops of vanilla extract and blend. It is sooo tasty! I drink it on my commute to work and keeps me feeling full until lunch time
Here are my stats!
USW - 220 (Jan 2016)
CSW - Mar 27 - EASTER - 214.6
Week 1 - Mar 31 - 212.6 {-2.0#}
Challenge Goal - 199
Today will be a bit of a challenge. A co-worker is retiring tomorrow and the ladies are taking her out for lunch. She chose a Mediterranean restaurant that I have never been to. Not quite sure what to choose as they do not have a nutritional info guide. I am thinking of going with the Greek Salad (no olives) and add grilled chicken. for logging purposes I guessed it would be similar to Panera Breads salad? We shall see...
Hope everyone has a fabulous day! #KeepMovingForward!
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Thanks @HelenKr!! Lunch went well. The salad was delicious! I ended up logging it as 1.25 servings since I wasn't really sure. It came with a light lemon vinergarette dressing.
I ran across many variations to the LBDWO (Little Black Dress Work Out) online but
Here is the one I am following:
The Little Black Dress Workout
The following exercises have withstood the test of time when it comes to upper body toning for women. We call them "the classics". And the best part is, they can be done at home. All you need is a set of light dumbbells (or if you don't have dumbbells, you can always use soup cans or water bottles.)
For each exercise, start out with one set of 10 repetitions and work your way up to three sets of 8-12 reps, 3-5 times per week.
Push-ups:
Push-ups are a great exercise for toning your chest, shoulders and arms. If you are unable to complete a traditional push-up (lying on the floor face-down, stretched-out), simply do GIRL PUSHUPS - touch your knees to the floor and push up from there. ** I am actually starting off with wall push-ups & will improve from there
Tricep Dips:
Tricep dips are a great exercise for toning your arms. To complete a "dip" you will need a strong chair or bench. Sit on it and place your hands next to you on the edge of the chair with your fingers pointed forward. Then lift your behind off the chair and bend down toward the floor. Gently raise back up again.
* YOU CAN EVEN DO THIS ON THE FLOOR - FEET IN FRONT OF YOU.
HANDS BEHIND FINGERS POINTED FORWARD - NOW DIP DOWN.
Bicep Curls:
Bicep curls work the front and back of your arms. To perform this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides with light dumbbells in hand. With your elbows at your side, lift the palms up towards the shoulder, pause, and slowly lower the weights back down to your sides.
These next toning exercises should be done in addition to the classics.
Lateral & Frontal Raises:
This exercise will help tone both the front and sides of your shoulders. Stand with your arms shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands at your sides. Slowly raise the weights out to your sides, with your palms facing down towards the floor. Pause, and slowly lower weights down towards the floor. Then, slowly raise your arms up in front of you, pause and slowly lower them down towards the floor.
Overhead Presses:
This exercise will help tone the shoulders and the backs of the arms. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, upper arms parallel to the floor with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Slowly raise the weights up towards the ceiling, pause, and slowly lower to start position.
I just finished doing my set for the day 
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