AN: So massive set back this week. I gained weight and body fat. I'm hoping I can get the body fat down and they will switch me to that to get my refund. I now need to lose 12 lbs. in this last week. We all know that isn't happening. I'm very disappointed & discouraged. I did 4 classes this week plus a personal training session. I can only figure what I ate out wasn't as healthy as I thought. I had chicken & salad.

Now I know muscle weighs more than fat. So this week they only want me to do 3 classes & cut the fat. I already limit my carbs to fruit only, no rice, beans, red or sweet potatoes. I have cut the lean ground beef & bison. Now I will be cutting pork tenderloin. Chicken, turkey & egg whites only for protein. I really don't know if I can make it through this last week, honestly I feel like why bother.

I have actually joined the gym under a family plan with some of my new friends so our monthly fee is only $200 for all four of us. Plus Michael paid the registration fee because he was joining with his partner anyway. I will just pay him each month. I enjoy the classes.

Again I want to thank everyone for their support. I'm having a hard time writing this week, probably because I'm discouraged so it will be a pretty short update.

Week 5 was really tough. Val went out to dinner on the Fourth and had brick oven chicken with arugula in lemon vinaigrette. She did really well ignoring the dessert case. Mrs. Kloughn had a gift card so she insisted they get dessert to bring home. Val weighed herself on Thursday morning and gained two pounds. She was so devastated she ate one of the cinnamon buns they brought home. It actually made her sick. She is in a shame spiral.

Lula is still struggling as well. She is really missing her fried foods and hamburgers. She cheated several times and Tank took pity on her and gave her a free personal training session. She said it went well and he emailed her what he wants her to do twice a week. Tank brought her into the Rangeman gym, locked the doors and scrambled the cameras so she wouldn't be so self-conscious. She said it was really helpful but I doubt she'll do it outside the one time. She isn't exactly a self-starter when it comes to exercise.

I was struggling with a lack of variety in my diet. I used those drops so I could tolerate water; I drank green tea instead of coffee. But frankly I can only take so much baked or grilled chicken. It doesn't matter I've tried different spices. I want a juicy steak. I want bread and pasta. I'm Italian for crying out loud, we live on bread and pasta.

I finished working today, it was finally Friday. I decided to work another class in today and went to the 5:30 class. Robin was the only one who wanted to join me. We went to class and there was a new instructor, well one I hadn't seen before, his name was Kyle and his class was great. There were about 25 people and he created a station for each of us and we rotated through twice after jogging 2 laps outside. Then we did a cool down.

After class I went back to Haywood where Ella made us a lovely dinner. It was salmon, thank god it wasn't chicken. We had cedar plank salmon, salad, broccoli and bottled water. Ranger was quiet during the meal which wasn't unusual, but so was I.

"What's wrong Babe?"

"I'm worried about Lula and Val. They are really struggling. I'm also having a hard time with the diet. I can only take so much of the same things every day. I need more variety."

"Once the challenge is over you can add some food back in. You'll need to still watch what you eat but you can have other things in moderation. Maybe you can try using an air fryer. It's healthier than deep frying in oil," Ranger explained.

"You know I can't cook."

"Babe, you program it and it cooks for you. I can't really help with Lula and Val. They have to want this and I already told you that I'll pay for a friend to join you. The family plan at the gym is good for four people. They can all join you for the same price. They may not be eligible for a refund but they have made progress."

After dinner I called Val to discuss her joining with me under the family plan. She said she would love to; she was enjoying the classes even though she was discouraged. I tried to bring her spirits up. I told her she was so much stronger than the first week. She could do several exercises easier than before; heck some she couldn't do at all. That seemed to help and Ranger wouldn't let her pay him. He said as long as she'll go and I go to fulfill my requirement he didn't want to be paid.

I called Lula to check in with her and made plans to weigh in tomorrow. I explained the family plan and that up to four people could join. Lula said she'd think about it. She said she was tired and would be going to bed. I found it odd but Lula hasn't been herself.

We all met in the morning to weigh in, Connie said she'd join under the family plan, she lost 3 lbs and 3% body fat.

"White girl, I ain't gonna join. I just weighed myself and I gained another 2 lbs. I ain't gonna make the 20 and I'm sick of starving myself. I don't even know if I'm coming to class this week," Lula grumpily said.

"Lula, I really hope you come to the classes this week and stick it out. You've lost 15 lbs. don't you feel better? You've made progress," I reasoned.

Connie chimed in, "Yeah, even Vinnie noticed you lost some weight and seemed to have more energy."

"I know myself and I'm gonna blow it up at some point. I can't handle this much longer. I'm not gonna hold ya'll back. You can keep this up and get the exercise but I'm done. I talked to Jackie and she's getting me a deal like hers. Her social worker is gonna get me into cosmetology school and I'm gonna share an apartment with her," she explained.

Connie and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows, we were stunned. "I'm gonna miss working with you," Connie said.

"I'm glad you are doing something to improve your life but you need to be careful of your health too," I said.

Val came out and said she gained 3 lbs. and 3% body fat. She was frustrated, but not giving up. I went in and I lost another 1% body fat and a couple of pounds. Robin went in last and she lost 2% body fat and 4 lbs. She also decided to join us under the family plan. We figured we could continue to motivate each other.