nm I think I figured it out ;)

I know, right? 9 hours would be awesome :drool5: Everyone will tell you to do everything. What looks good on paper is never realistic in real life. It drives me nuts. Line all of what the experts tell us to do and we would need 3 lifetimes, at least. A balance is a must. I exercise a lot and other moms will ask how in the world I have time for it. I don't have time, I make time. I rarely watch TV or read pleasure reading, I don't go out with friends much, etc, etc ,etc. Why? I can't do it all.

I do not make separate meals for me, but we as a family eat pretty healthy. Because I work out a lot I am not trying to stay to like 1,000 calories or anything though. If you use a tracker like my fitness pal, tracking is not very difficult. You will find that you eat tthe same things a lot and you can simply copy meals from one day to the next, etc. Many of my friends find success with small changes. I had a friend drop a good bit of weight by only taking out soda, snacks, and walking 1/2 hour a day. Everything else was the same for her. I'd try the simpler things first, for sure! That doesn't cut it with me, unfortunately...maybe because I already didn't drink soda or snack? My metabolism has always been low.

This is great to know and very encouraging. Thanks for sharing.

He is pre-algebra this year. We switched from Saxon to Lial's at the suggestion of a few moms here. Mostly dislikes and lacks confidence. He is also super slow. He procrastinates to start it and he drags doing it. Certain aspects of math he shines in, like fractions and decimals, etc. With basic math he tends to make a ridiculous amount of errors which he can correct on his own once you mark them. It isn't a lack of understanding in that area. He is struggling a good bit with anything algebraic for some reason.

He is pre-algebra this year. We switched from Saxon to Lial's at the suggestion of a few moms here. He does like it better. Certain aspects of math he shines in, like fractions and decimals, etc. With basic math he tends to make a ridiculous amount of errors which he can correct on his own once you mark them. It isn't a lack of understanding in that area. He is struggling a good bit with anything algebraic for some reason.

I am totally aware of the fact that the ACT doesn't test true Science. I know from experience that he is good at Science and I am not basing this on the ACT. He has the crazy ability to fully understand things that are Science based though. Maybe this helps with that section? I have a crazy theory... He lacks confidence. He struggles with focus. Yet he is good at science. Did he excel in that portion just because he approached it confidently? He sort of panics with anything math. He didn't do too bad with reading - 26, not terrible for an eighth grader.

Science. He's always had an outstanding comprehension for anything science related. So just for fun with no practice or explanation I gave him the ACT Science section from a real ACT exam and he only missed four...as an eighth grader. It just confirmed his aptitude for anything science. He struggles in math though. How do I plan and gear studies for him for high school when he seems so one-sided? Will this even out with time? What are some good career paths for a kid who is great at science but not math?

I like that name :lol:

I wish there was a simple way for me. It is blood, sweat, and tears. I workout a ridiculous amount and put in 110% and I am the slowest person I know to make progress. Also everything that goes into my mouth has to be calculated. That being said, it is worth it anyway. I've had people say that they wouldn't want to live that way (always working, always calculating). Well, for some of us we have to choose our misery....being fat or putting in a boatload of effort. I choose the effort over the way I felt with all of that weight on me. Someone else may choose to carry the weight and I respect that choice...to each her own ;) Good luck.

Light day today because it has been crazy busy. Just an hour of weights at the gym. I hope to get a walk or run in later. We'll see. Tomorrow is my "off" day from the gym. I'll aim for a short run. That is about all I can usually get to on Thursdays :)

Oh my gosh....priceless. I would have loved to have been there...to see the look on her face. Maybe she found a new job after that? haha

I think he will be nice about it. He wasn't hurt or offended, he was humored ;)

He is waiting for next week when she asks for his help again...."I don't know, would your mom be okay with having a HS kid help you?" hehe She has him help her quite often. :lol:

Oh he isn't shy and he loves to make jokes. He sees her weekly. He is waiting for the right moment - like next time she wants help with math ;) She has a little crush on him. Actually, I can't believe she didn't know he was homeschooled. I guess it has never come up.

Here is the scenario... My son, not even a math kid, is sitting at a table helping a private schooled girl with her math before a youth event. She doesn't know ds is homeschooled. Convo is going on around them. Someone mentions something about wanting to be homeschooled and the girl being helped innocently pipes up, "my mom says that homeschoolers don't do anything....like nothing, they just play around all day and never have to do real schoolwork". She had no idea that a homeschooler was helping her with math. :lol: DS didn't say a word, he just smiled. hehe ETA: He didn't say anything because he has a plan up his sleeve. He isn't too shy to say something.

45 minute run this a.m. 90 minutes lifting and plyometrics at the gym this afternoon

I would never try to convince someone to increase or decrease because I do not know your body or your habits like you do. If you truly have tracked consistently and know that over 1200 comes with significant weight gain then I have no idea what to tell you. You mentioned thyroid. Do you have any hypothyroid symptoms?

Yes but if it is print outs then don't worry. I really don't want you to go through too much trouble. I will search some more :)

I am sorry for your struggles. Sincerely frustrating :grouphug: How long have you been eating/logging 800 calories? Have you logged every single day during that time? 800 seems awfully low. I ask because I tried years ago to eat 1,000 calories. That is very low for me. I really wanted to lose a few pounds and it seemed like the quick way to get there. Instead it went like this....I would eat 1,000 calories a day for a week and then I would binge for a few days and then I would eat 1,000 calories for a week...rinse, repeat. I had far more success when I increased my calories to something that didn't cause me to binge. I am not saying that you are doing this....I just want to share my experience just in case. Have you ever been to Scooby's calculator and calculated your calorie needs? http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ You are small so your maintenance calories are probably much lower that others. I have heard very successful stories of women in your situation who increase cals and count accurately for a month or two. They are told to accept up to a 3-5 pound weight gain at first (water gain). Then they stop gaining as long as they are tracking and not binge eating. Then from there they decrease by 20% in order to lose. For example, a lady is eating 1,000 calories a day and her maintenance is 1,900. She increases to 1,700 for two months and tracks everything (no cheating). She gains 3 pounds in the first 2-3 weeks but then she stops gaining because her body adjusts. Then, she drops down to 1360 calories per day and bam....she is losing. She is losing even though she didn't lose on 1,000 a day previously. It is sort of a metabolism reset deal. I am no expert but I have heard stories of ladies in your situation where it worked nicely. Maybe it is worth a try for you?

What a terrible person to have to treat like family. The MIL + DIL relationship can be strained enough, it doesn't need ridiculous comments like that added to it. She was obviously a mean person, I hope you can eventually not hear her voice in your head :grouphug:

I can't remember ... is it a book or website that you got these from? You can PM me if you don't want to post it. or maybe you did already and I can't find it now :confused1:

I would like to just empathize. I have a terrible problem with this. I can't jump on a rebounder, jump rope, do jump squats, etc without peeing all over myself. I love exercise so this was crushing to me. I have been using a diva cup to take care of it while exercising but I have been reading some great information that I hope can help me solve the deeper issue. The funny thing for me is that most people have this problem after childbirth and I had four kids and no bladder problems. It struck me out of no where about 9 months ago. Hang in there. Hopefully we can figure this out.

I have heard that deep bodyweight squats like this are far better than kegels. So not silly at all.

I completely agree with this :)