WISH Away the Pounds--January 2013 challenge--Everyone Welcome!

[elyse43230]

Hi everyone, just checking in!

It's the last week of the semester for me, and for some reason this time of year always seems so hectic! Like we're half way done with the school year also with the semester comes changes in schedules for the students and teachers.

So needless to say, it can be hard to stay on track with good food choices, but I am happy that I've been keeping up with this thread.

Your conversations just help me so much!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

QOTD for Tuesday, January 15, 2013:

I believe, as a society, we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I hear people talking about their "healthy meals" and I am constantly wondering "where are the veggies?" How many servings of fruit/veggies do you eat daily (on average)? If you aren't eating at least 4 servings of non-starchy veggies, how do you think you could incorporate more into your day?



BONUS QOTD:

On last night's episode of the BL, they quizzed the contestants about childhood obesity statistics. Who do YOU think is to blame about today's childhood obesity epidemic? Fast-food restaurants? Parents? Schools?


Off to school! Hopefully I can pop on during the day to chat!............P

I'm getting better at getting up to 4 servings a day. I need more at lunch, I tend to not have some then.

As for childhood obesity, all of the above!!

Fast food joints and restaurants because their serving sizes are ridiculous. 2500 calories is the average for one meal at Cheesecake Factory, and that is just the entree.
I was sooooo pissed at Sci Fi Dine In when DH asked for whole milk. Their response, oh we don't carry that, Disney is part of a healthy food initiative. Really?? so DH said let me get this right, I can get free refills on a mega super large soda but I can't get whole milk?? In what world is that right?!?!?
Movie theatre - we get one large soda or they each get their own water and one large bucket of popcorn for the 6 of us. I see people with a large soda and a large popcorn for themselves.

Parents because they don't educate themselves on the value of healthy whole foods. And because their lives are so busy they don't take the time to make good meals. They'd rather grab a pizza, and I will whole heartedly admit I am one of those parents sometimes, but I'm trying to get better.
And they would all rather sit down and watch TV or play video games instead of go outside. Or if the kids do do something like sports or dance, the kids are overbooked and running from one event to the next and they wolf McDonalds down in the car. We had a parent who pushed to have her boys run XC first so they could jet off to soccer right after that. Now they had breakfast at 7, snack at 10:30, lunch at 11:30, recess, gym, ran 1.7 - 2.1 miles at 4pm, then jetted off to soccer for 5. When the heck do they eat? Because the kids didn't have a snack at XC. And this was there schedule every day. Soccer, Boy Scouts, XC, Track, karate. Every single day. And to boot, the mom was a nurse, she had to know no fuel for that long was bad for their kids.

I do blame schools, they allow the gov't to come in and tell us potatoes and ketchup are vegetables. They serve processed crap, because it's cheap and it's convenient. They also don't help to foster kids trying new things. I look at even my kids menu and hot dogs are on there 3 times in one month. And we have a nutritionist as a parent who has helped make the menu better.
I watched that show with Jamie Oliver about the school lunches. He couldn't serve his stir fry because you couldn't measure out the 1/2 a cup of veggies. But every single kid bypassed the "salad", really lettuce, one slice of cucumber and one grape tomato. At least his got some kind of veggie in them. And it was made from scratch, honest to goodness food.

I blame the gov't because they force the schools to qualify kids for free lunch so the gov't can pay for the "food". They then in turn make all kinds of stupid rules, 3 processed "nuggets" 1/2 a cup of fruit (but no more than that), a little bitty container of milk and maybe some yogurt. And you get the same amount wether you're 6 or 12. Then they turn around and fine the school for every item not taken.
At our public school the gov't got involved when we tried to put a garden in. Nope, can't do that. You can't follow the food, what if it gets contaminated. Dude, it's from farm to table. What is there to follow?!?!
Oh and another local school tried to start a slop bucket for the pig farm next door (our school had a slop bucket years ago) anyway. Yeah, gov't got involved with that too and said the food wasn't fit for consumption by pigs. Wait, my kids can eat it but it's not fit for pigs?!?!?

And on top of that we wolf down food in 15-30 minutes. Kids get 15 minutes for lunch. Employees get 30 minutes. I know in Spain and France, lunches can last hours. When DH goes to lunch when he's in the UK they take at least an hour.

 

[lovetoscrap]

QOTD for Tuesday, January 15, 2013:

I believe, as a society, we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I hear people talking about their "healthy meals" and I am constantly wondering "where are the veggies?" How many servings of fruit/veggies do you eat daily (on average)? If you aren't eating at least 4 servings of non-starchy veggies, how do you think you could incorporate more into your day?



BONUS QOTD:

On last night's episode of the BL, they quizzed the contestants about childhood obesity statistics. Who do YOU think is to blame about today's childhood obesity epidemic? Fast-food restaurants? Parents? Schools?


Off to school! Hopefully I can pop on during the day to chat!............P

I probably eat 3-4 servings of veggies on a good day, but the norm is probably closer to 1-2-- bad I know. I am just not really a "veggie" person. And I only like fresh, not frozen or canned, so that makes keeping the available and preparing them more time consuming.

I never really liked a lot of non starchy veggies but I am trying to expand my palate . I have learned to like spinach and broccoli as an adult. I love zucchini, fresh green beans, snow peas, snap peas, carrots and lettuce. I will eat cucumber in a salad but only in small pieces. I am working on ways to eat Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with limited success. I don't like peppers at all which makes a lot of "diet" recipes off limits to me. They aren't the same without the peppers. I don't like the texture of onion either but can substitute onion powder. I love mushrooms, but am not sure if they really count as vegetables? Currently I am trying to find jicima so I can try it. 2 stores I go to don't have it and haven't had a chance to get to the one that is mostly likely to have it.

I also love most fruit but since I limit carbs I do limit the amount I eat.

I agree with all the observations that people have made regarding childhood obesity so don't really have anything to add to that.

Bonus QOTD: coming from abroad there are a number of things which I noticed when I travel to the US which I think are part of that problem. I don't want to say that everything is rosy here at home, we do have a problem with childhood obesity as well, just to a smaller level. And there are definitely many more factors to the problem than just two or three. I found all your answers very interesting and agree with a lot and some are factors which I see happening here as well.

First, I get the impression that the blessing of space the US has is not a blessing in this regard.

Another observation I made is serving sizes.

And thirdly: free refills. .

Thanks for sharing this -- it is great to hear about the differences.

Today has been a bad day. My lunch exploded in the microwave at lunch and since i promised myself i wouldn't order lunch out at work i didnt bring any money with me. So i have 3 hours left of work and im starving. This is not good!

That really stinks! Can you keep an "emergency" stash of healthy snacks in your car or at work so if there is an issue you at least have something you can eat? Or tuck $10 away somewhere and promise to never touch it unless it is an emergency?


I am so sleepy. I really just want to skip dinner and go to bed, which may happen-- I am too tired to even chew right now. But had a good on plan day. No chance to walk after school but it was busy I am pretty sure I burned some calories since I was on my feet all day.

Have to go to the dentist tomorrow. Kind of looking forward to lying back in the chair, closing my eyes and not having to think for an hour. I will have to tell the hygienist to wake me up if I start snoring or when she is done!

 

[jillbur]

QOTD for Monday, January 14, 2013:

What is your creative outlet in life? How often do you find time for it? Is your family supportive of it?


Bonus QOTD: Do you have any sort of weird/strange food combinations that you just love?

I am not really creative at all, so I'll stick with baking. I love to try new recipes, especially pies, cakes, and cookies. But, I do have a problem taste testing, so I don't bake as often now.

I do not have any weird or strange food items. Guess I'm boring

QOTD for Tuesday, January 15, 2013:

I believe, as a society, we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I hear people talking about their "healthy meals" and I am constantly wondering "where are the veggies?" How many servings of fruit/veggies do you eat daily (on average)? If you aren't eating at least 4 servings of non-starchy veggies, how do you think you could incorporate more into your day?



BONUS QOTD:

On last night's episode of the BL, they quizzed the contestants about childhood obesity statistics. Who do YOU think is to blame about today's childhood obesity epidemic? Fast-food restaurants? Parents? Schools?


Off to school! Hopefully I can pop on during the day to chat!............P

I usually get enough fruits and veggies. I love all fruits and usually eat a salad at some point in the day. However, I have noticed days when I get no veggies. I still get fruit, but I guess I'm not in a veggie mood those days?

I think it falls largely on parents. I teach in a city in which every student gets free breakfast and lunch. These same kids are eating Ramen noodles for breakfast and drink sugary drinks (Kool aid). These are items that are ridiculously cheap & ridiculously unhealthy. The other day, a girl brought pizza rolls for breakfast and a Lunchable for lunch. Hello? I'm not saying the school breakfast & lunch are any healthier, but then when she wasn't feeling good I reminded her maybe she should eat a little better. People say eating healthy is too expensive, but when I decided to eat a lot better and cut junk food out of the house (with a few exceptions for DH & kids), I saw no change in my grocery bill. I think parents are too busy or too lazy to cook. We ate a home cooked meal every night growing up. Fast food was a treat, however, there were only 2 or three fast food places. In our small community, we now have so many fast food places. I'm not perfect and we do eat out about 2 times a month, but I plan meals for every night. Even tonight, we had to run to Old Navy and Sam's Club (about 20-25 minutes away) after school/work. We packed "lunches" for our kids to eat so we didn't stop for fast food. It took all of 5 minutes to make dinner to go.

Don't worry about being wordy! I was REALLY interested in the answers that you all had to offer. I am thinking ahead to when my new job may entail me working with overweight youngsters and teens and I want to understand where this is all coming from. Parents blame the fast-food restaurants and the cereal/junk food advertisers. The government blames parents and soft-drink manufacturers. We all want to point a finger, but I don't see many folks/industries/places/groups finding SOLUTIONS!

I was just thinking about your new job. Do you know when you start? Can you tell us any new info?

****************

Well..... I found a few minutes without my student (I am a 1-on-1 today), so I am caught up!! I just need to answer my own QOTD and the day will be complete!

Praying that this day goes by quickly. This little child is sweet and has a lot of needs, but it just isn't my "cup of tea". Tht said, I spend the day trying to treat him as if I would want MY child treated if he/she were in this same situation.... lots of love, patience, tenderness, understanding and learning opportunities!

How sweet of you to think about how this child needs to be treated! Coming from a special education teacher, sometimes it is very hard to be patient and understanding as they are testing your every last bit of nerves!!

Hello to all!

Will be reading and catching up in the next day or so but thought I would share this with you from the official Run Disney Facebook page of our very own WISH Scream Team from Sunday.

That is me with the strategically placed the sign.

Whoohoo! I saw this on Facebook last night and showed DH. He asked if I knew who anyone was, but I didn't. I just showed him again & said I do know someone! Thanks for cheering on the runners!

Pam, the idea of less cardio would have been good! But I read it too late and just completed my 5 km for the day. It went much better than expected, it seems that I am not ill (yet).

QOTD: I usually get 3-4 servings of vegetable/fruit in a normal day. But it is an effort and I need to get it up a little bit! I am still struggling in getting in the amount of protein as I used to have a far to carb based diet.

Bonus QOTD: coming from abroad there are a number of things which I noticed when I travel to the US which I think are part of that problem. I don't want to say that everything is rosy here at home, we do have a problem with childhood obesity as well, just to a smaller level. And there are definitely many more factors to the problem than just two or three. I found all your answers very interesting and agree with a lot and some are factors which I see happening here as well.

First, I get the impression that the blessing of space the US has is not a blessing in this regard. I find that most places in the US are much less pedestrian friendly as compared to most of Europe. Here space is so valuable that everything is just much closer together. Also, I think at times when cars were still very much a luxury here due to the economic hardship that WWII caused in all of Europe they were already a standard in the US which lead to different urban planning in the 50s and 60s. Here in Germany there was only a very short time span when urban planning was "car happy".

Another observation I made is serving sizes. A long time ago my cousin came to visit us from the US. He wasn't very happy being away from home and about nearly everything he commented: "It's bigger in the USA". When I started to travel to the US one of the first things I noticed was that it was actually true to a large extent: cars, streets, skyscrapers, but also portions in restaurants. In 2005 I was travelling with a friend in California and after the first two nights we always just shared one entree - often with a side salad - between the two of us and thought that this was the adequate amount of food. I know have figured out that a lot of people seem to like to have left overs for a second meal at home, but I am sure many people just eat what is being put in front of them. Once the adults are used to these portions, I am sure this also influences the portion size they give their kids.

And thirdly: free refills. Well, not that a free refill immediately makes people obese, I more connect it with the American attitude that soft drinks are kind of staple drink that is cheap. Here in Europe soft drinks are still considered more of a "luxury" item. I have heard many Americans comment on the - from their perspective - ridiculous prices soft drinks cost in European restaurants. It would not be uncommon for a small 8 oz. glass to cost 4 US$. And in Paris you could easily end up paying double the amount. If you want another 8 oz. glass you have to pay again. Since it is still more of a luxury, I think more people tend to drink water as their main source of liquid - or what is very common here in Germany: half fruit juice mixed with half sparkling mineral water.

I read your response to DH and we just had a nice conversation about it. Thanks for your perspective of our culture. I agree with everything you have said, although I didn't realize that soda is expensive in Europe. I told DH that if a 2 liter of soda cost $5 instead of $1, I bet a lot less people would buy it! Also, I think someone else in a previous Biggest Loser thread mentioned that the US has very sugary cereal & it is regulated in Europe? I also found this very interesting.

Today has been a bad day. My lunch exploded in the microwave at lunch and since i promised myself i wouldn't order lunch out at work i didnt bring any money with me. So i have 3 hours left of work and im starving. This is not good!

Oh no! I hope you made it through the day okay!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! I am just confessing right at the get go...I haven't exercised much at all. I told myself that I would do a dvd or elliptical at home, but I haven't yet. I have been so busy and am exhausted at the end of the day. In fact, I am getting ready to head to bed soon.

I feel like I have a lot going on this week with grades due, 2 IEPs to do and no internet at work to do them, DH finishing school & graduation next week, DSs sports/lessons, PTO meeting, 2 doctors appointments, and leaving for wdw next week. I think I'll pack my gym clothes & hit the treadmill right after work tomorrow, come home to shower, eat & go to my meeting. I just hate not seeing my kids much on some days

It sounds like everyone is doing well. And, Hi Christopher Good to see you back for another round!

I'll try to pop on tomorrow. Have a great night!

Jill

 

[Mary•Poppins]

QOTD for Tuesday, January 15, 2013:

I believe, as a society, we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I hear people talking about their "healthy meals" and I am constantly wondering "where are the veggies?" How many servings of fruit/veggies do you eat daily (on average)? If you aren't eating at least 4 servings of non-starchy veggies, how do you think you could incorporate more into your day?



BONUS QOTD:

On last night's episode of the BL, they quizzed the contestants about childhood obesity statistics. Who do YOU think is to blame about today's childhood obesity epidemic? Fast-food restaurants? Parents? Schools?


Off to school! Hopefully I can pop on during the day to chat!............P

When I focus on my eating, I eat 4-5 fruits and veggies. I tend to eat more fruits and I think I need to rethink this. The scale isn't moving downward as fast as I would like it.

Bonus: I agree with everyone above. It is a real complex problem. I do tend to focus more on parents and taking the time to focus on healthy eating at home.

My middle son has weight issues and we have been part of a study for the past 5 years. We see a doctor once a month and talk to a nutritionist at times. It is hard having a child that struggles with his weight while his brothers do not. My husband and I are not happy with our weights but we don't struggle like my son does. So ... all of our doctor's visits have made our whole family aware of what we eat and how to live healthier lives. Now, my son is about to turn 18 and knows what to do in order to be healthy ... does he do it all the time? ... no. But, I think he has become more aware and I pray that when he goes to college next year, he takes what he has learned and doesn't gain a lot of weight.

And being a teacher, it is so hard to see what our school lunches serve. When we started going to the weight clinic for my son, we ended up telling all our sons that we were trying to save money and were going to start packing their lunch. Our real reason was to have them eat healthier! At first the boys were upset ... but when I started asking about which of their friends bought lunch ... I found out most of their friends were packing too!

Okay ... a lot of thoughts on this question.

Hello to all!

Will be reading and catching up in the next day or so but thought I would share this with you from the official Run Disney Facebook page of our very own WISH Scream Team from Sunday.

That is me with the strategically placed the sign.

Thanks for providing support! I dream of running that race someday. I hope all our runners did well!

 

[Flossbolna]

I don't like peppers at all which makes a lot of "diet" recipes off limits to me. They aren't the same without the peppers.

While it won't help for any recipes, but have you ever tried roasted peppers? I can only tolerate raw bell peppers (and only yellow and red), I love them roasted. One of my favourite dishes is just a medley of all kind of vegetables with some potato junks roasted in the oven. I usually eat it with a quark (low fat German dairy product), but one could easily make it with greek yoghurt dip as well.

 

[Flossbolna]

I read your response to DH and we just had a nice conversation about it. Thanks for your perspective of our culture. I agree with everything you have said, although I didn't realize that soda is expensive in Europe. I told DH that if a 2 liter of soda cost $5 instead of $1, I bet a lot less people would buy it! Also, I think someone else in a previous Biggest Loser thread mentioned that the US has very sugary cereal & it is regulated in Europe? I also found this very interesting.

I am glad that you enjoyed it. I must admit that I don't know about the cereal. I remember a recent article though where an organization was complaining that cereals for kids had about 50% more sugar than those for adults.

However, one thing I noticed is that I find most sweet things in the US to be sweeter than what I would experience at home. But I can't really verify that. It might just be that I am not used to overly sweet things anymore - even when I bake something myself I usually reduce the sugar content of the recipe by quite a bit. I often think that things taste better when you can taste the other ingredients better and not just the sweetness.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Good morning!

I have updated the first page. If something doesn't look right please send me a pm and I will correct it.

Thank you to Pamela for being our coach this week. I am sure she is doing an amazing job as always.

Just a reminder:
When you pm your weight this week, please send me your current weight. That is what I plug into the spreadsheet to calculate percentage lost and I don't want to make a mistake.

Thank you to so many of you who asked about the race. Just like any race there were parts of it that went really, really well and parts that didn't. If you are interested I will type up a mini-report.

I am not going to read back on the thread, but rather read forward from here. Someone tell me if I missed something important.

I am going to work for a couple hours today and head to the gym. I am on day 16/365 for my run a mile (at least) a day challenge in 2013.

 

[jillbur]

Good morning!

I have updated the first page. If something doesn't look right please send me a pm and I will correct it.

Thank you to Pamela for being our coach this week. I am sure she is doing an amazing job as always.

Just a reminder:
When you pm your weight this week, please send me your current weight. That is what I plug into the spreadsheet to calculate percentage lost and I don't want to make a mistake.

Thank you to so many of you who asked about the race. Just like any race there were parts of it that went really, really well and parts that didn't. If you are interested I will type up a mini-report.

I am not going to read back on the thread, but rather read forward from here. Someone tell me if I missed something important.

I am going to work for a couple hours today and head to the gym. I am on day 16/365 for my run a mile (at least) a day challenge in 2013.

I would love to hear about your run! I've heard from a few others from a different site & chat.

Congrats on the 16 days! I'm finally heading to the gym for a run today after work. I love running but lack motivation after the temps fall below 45

I hope you have a good day at work & can adjust back to reality easily after your magical weekend!

Jill

 

[pjlla]

Hello to all!

Will be reading and catching up in the next day or so but thought I would share this with you from the official Run Disney Facebook page of our very own WISH Scream Team from Sunday.

That is me with the strategically placed the sign.

Pam, the idea of less cardio would have been good! But I read it too late and just completed my 5 km for the day. It went much better than expected, it seems that I am not ill (yet).

Hope you stay well!

QOTD: I usually get 3-4 servings of vegetable/fruit in a normal day. But it is an effort and I need to get it up a little bit! I am still struggling in getting in the amount of protein as I used to have a far to carb based diet.

If you push one fruit serving and one veggie serving into every meal, that will be a good start! Add a fruit snack at least once a day, and you are up to 7 produce servings!

Bonus QOTD: coming from abroad there are a number of things which I noticed when I travel to the US which I think are part of that problem. I don't want to say that everything is rosy here at home, we do have a problem with childhood obesity as well, just to a smaller level. And there are definitely many more factors to the problem than just two or three. I found all your answers very interesting and agree with a lot and some are factors which I see happening here as well.

First, I get the impression that the blessing of space the US has is not a blessing in this regard. I find that most places in the US are much less pedestrian friendly as compared to most of Europe. Here space is so valuable that everything is just much closer together. Also, I think at times when cars were still very much a luxury here due to the economic hardship that WWII caused in all of Europe they were already a standard in the US which lead to different urban planning in the 50s and 60s. Here in Germany there was only a very short time span when urban planning was "car happy".

Another observation I made is serving sizes. A long time ago my cousin came to visit us from the US. He wasn't very happy being away from home and about nearly everything he commented: "It's bigger in the USA". When I started to travel to the US one of the first things I noticed was that it was actually true to a large extent: cars, streets, skyscrapers, but also portions in restaurants. In 2005 I was travelling with a friend in California and after the first two nights we always just shared one entree - often with a side salad - between the two of us and thought that this was the adequate amount of food. I know have figured out that a lot of people seem to like to have left overs for a second meal at home, but I am sure many people just eat what is being put in front of them. Once the adults are used to these portions, I am sure this also influences the portion size they give their kids.

And thirdly: free refills. Well, not that a free refill immediately makes people obese, I more connect it with the American attitude that soft drinks are kind of staple drink that is cheap. Here in Europe soft drinks are still considered more of a "luxury" item. I have heard many Americans comment on the - from their perspective - ridiculous prices soft drinks cost in European restaurants. It would not be uncommon for a small 8 oz. glass to cost 4 US$. And in Paris you could easily end up paying double the amount. If you want another 8 oz. glass you have to pay again. Since it is still more of a luxury, I think more people tend to drink water as their main source of liquid - or what is very common here in Germany: half fruit juice mixed with half sparkling mineral water.

VERY interesting to see it from another perspective. Thanks for taking the time to share those insights with us!

QOTD: I love fruits and veggies and in the summer it's practically all I eat but during the winter months I usually only get a couple of servings. I tend to not love them during the colder months. They just taste off to me. I really need to eat them more. Today has been a hard day. I have been battling constant hunger all day.

I try to keep hot drinks nearby when I have days like that. If I keep my belly full of tea, it helps. Hope the day went by quickly.

Today has been a bad day. My lunch exploded in the microwave at lunch and since i promised myself i wouldn't order lunch out at work i didnt bring any money with me. So i have 3 hours left of work and im starving. This is not good!

NOT GOOD! Could you call anyone at home to bring you something? Could you ask a friend if they have any healthy snacks at their desk? I know that I often will carry an extra Babybel cheese, apple, or snack bar with me, just in case.

Hi everyone, just checking in!

It's the last week of the semester for me, and for some reason this time of year always seems so hectic! Like we're half way done with the school year also with the semester comes changes in schedules for the students and teachers.

So needless to say, it can be hard to stay on track with good food choices, but I am happy that I've been keeping up with this thread.

Your conversations just help me so much!

Glad we can help!

I'm getting better at getting up to 4 servings a day. I need more at lunch, I tend to not have some then.

As for childhood obesity, all of the above!!

Fast food joints and restaurants because their serving sizes are ridiculous. 2500 calories is the average for one meal at Cheesecake Factory, and that is just the entree.
I was sooooo pissed at Sci Fi Dine In when DH asked for whole milk. Their response, oh we don't carry that, Disney is part of a healthy food initiative. Really?? so DH said let me get this right, I can get free refills on a mega super large soda but I can't get whole milk?? In what world is that right?!?!?

AMEN!!


Movie theatre - we get one large soda or they each get their own water and one large bucket of popcorn for the 6 of us. I see people with a large soda and a large popcorn for themselves.

Parents because they don't educate themselves on the value of healthy whole foods. And because their lives are so busy they don't take the time to make good meals. They'd rather grab a pizza, and I will whole heartedly admit I am one of those parents sometimes, but I'm trying to get better.
And they would all rather sit down and watch TV or play video games instead of go outside. Or if the kids do do something like sports or dance, the kids are overbooked and running from one event to the next and they wolf McDonalds down in the car. We had a parent who pushed to have her boys run XC first so they could jet off to soccer right after that. Now they had breakfast at 7, snack at 10:30, lunch at 11:30, recess, gym, ran 1.7 - 2.1 miles at 4pm, then jetted off to soccer for 5. When the heck do they eat? Because the kids didn't have a snack at XC. And this was there schedule every day. Soccer, Boy Scouts, XC, Track, karate. Every single day. And to boot, the mom was a nurse, she had to know no fuel for that long was bad for their kids.

I do blame schools, they allow the gov't to come in and tell us potatoes and ketchup are vegetables. They serve processed crap, because it's cheap and it's convenient. They also don't help to foster kids trying new things. I look at even my kids menu and hot dogs are on there 3 times in one month. And we have a nutritionist as a parent who has helped make the menu better.
I watched that show with Jamie Oliver about the school lunches. He couldn't serve his stir fry because you couldn't measure out the 1/2 a cup of veggies. But every single kid bypassed the "salad", really lettuce, one slice of cucumber and one grape tomato. At least his got some kind of veggie in them. And it was made from scratch, honest to goodness food.

I blame the gov't because they force the schools to qualify kids for free lunch so the gov't can pay for the "food". They then in turn make all kinds of stupid rules, 3 processed "nuggets" 1/2 a cup of fruit (but no more than that), a little bitty container of milk and maybe some yogurt. And you get the same amount wether you're 6 or 12. Then they turn around and fine the school for every item not taken.
At our public school the gov't got involved when we tried to put a garden in. Nope, can't do that. You can't follow the food, what if it gets contaminated. Dude, it's from farm to table. What is there to follow?!?!
Oh and another local school tried to start a slop bucket for the pig farm next door (our school had a slop bucket years ago) anyway. Yeah, gov't got involved with that too and said the food wasn't fit for consumption by pigs. Wait, my kids can eat it but it's not fit for pigs?!?!?

And on top of that we wolf down food in 15-30 minutes. Kids get 15 minutes for lunch. Employees get 30 minutes. I know in Spain and France, lunches can last hours. When DH goes to lunch when he's in the UK they take at least an hour.

I SO agree with everything you are saying!!! Don't even get me started on school lunches!!

I probably eat 3-4 servings of veggies on a good day, but the norm is probably closer to 1-2-- bad I know. I am just not really a "veggie" person. And I only like fresh, not frozen or canned, so that makes keeping the available and preparing them more time consuming.

I'm with you on the fresh, but I've tried to put my "cheap self" on hold and buy already prepared veggies to help when the schedule is nutty. Costco sells a big bag of broccoli already to rinse and dump into a pan without any cutting, etc. Sure it is a bit more per pound than at the regular store, but no waste and no extra time needs to count for something! Same with the green beans I buy. Already washed and snipped and all I do is dump them on a pan with a bit of EVOO and roast the up. Sure they cost a bit more, but it saves me a bucket of time!


I never really liked a lot of non starchy veggies but I am trying to expand my palate . I have learned to like spinach and broccoli as an adult. I love zucchini, fresh green beans, snow peas, snap peas, carrots and lettuce. I will eat cucumber in a salad but only in small pieces. I am working on ways to eat Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with limited success. I don't like peppers at all which makes a lot of "diet" recipes off limits to me. They aren't the same without the peppers. I don't like the texture of onion either but can substitute onion powder. I love mushrooms, but am not sure if they really count as vegetables? Currently I am trying to find jicima so I can try it. 2 stores I go to don't have it and haven't had a chance to get to the one that is mostly likely to have it.

Mushrooms certainly count! There really isn't any vegetable out there that doesn't have at least some redeeming quality to it (except maybe iceberg lettuce ).

I also love most fruit but since I limit carbs I do limit the amount I eat.

I agree with all the observations that people have made regarding childhood obesity so don't really have anything to add to that.


That really stinks! Can you keep an "emergency" stash of healthy snacks in your car or at work so if there is an issue you at least have something you can eat? Or tuck $10 away somewhere and promise to never touch it unless it is an emergency?


I am so sleepy. I really just want to skip dinner and go to bed, which may happen-- I am too tired to even chew right now. But had a good on plan day. No chance to walk after school but it was busy I am pretty sure I burned some calories since I was on my feet all day.

Have to go to the dentist tomorrow. Kind of looking forward to lying back in the chair, closing my eyes and not having to think for an hour. I will have to tell the hygienist to wake me up if I start snoring or when she is done!

I was looking forward to relaxing a bit at my dentist appointment yesterday, but they were trying a new "tool" to help eliminate bacteria below the gum line and at times it felt like she was cutting into my gums with a razor! And I am not particularly sensitive, I don't have any gum/teeth issues, so the dentist isn't usually a big deal. But I had to tell her that it HURT! Hope they don't use that on you so you can rest!

I am not really creative at all, so I'll stick with baking. I love to try new recipes, especially pies, cakes, and cookies. But, I do have a problem taste testing, so I don't bake as often now.

I do not have any weird or strange food items. Guess I'm boring

I usually get enough fruits and veggies. I love all fruits and usually eat a salad at some point in the day. However, I have noticed days when I get no veggies. I still get fruit, but I guess I'm not in a veggie mood those days?

I think it falls largely on parents. I teach in a city in which every student gets free breakfast and lunch. These same kids are eating Ramen noodles for breakfast and drink sugary drinks (Kool aid). These are items that are ridiculously cheap & ridiculously unhealthy. The other day, a girl brought pizza rolls for breakfast and a Lunchable for lunch. Hello? I'm not saying the school breakfast & lunch are any healthier, but then when she wasn't feeling good I reminded her maybe she should eat a little better. People say eating healthy is too expensive, but when I decided to eat a lot better and cut junk food out of the house (with a few exceptions for DH & kids), I saw no change in my grocery bill. I think parents are too busy or too lazy to cook. We ate a home cooked meal every night growing up. Fast food was a treat, however, there were only 2 or three fast food places. In our small community, we now have so many fast food places. I'm not perfect and we do eat out about 2 times a month, but I plan meals for every night. Even tonight, we had to run to Old Navy and Sam's Club (about 20-25 minutes away) after school/work. We packed "lunches" for our kids to eat so we didn't stop for fast food. It took all of 5 minutes to make dinner to go.

Good for you for packing the dinner to go. I do that a LOT because of our schedule and I know many folks have said to me "isn't that a PITA?" or "Doesn't that take a lot of time?" But when I stop and think about what a drive-thru meal would cost me (at least $20 for 3 of us) and how very, very much I do NOT want my kids to eat it.... it is definitely worth the extra time!

And I can't even TALK about what kids bring to school for meals/snacks! It makes me insane! You know "little Bobby" who can't sit still and disrupts the entire class all day? Take a look in his lunchbox.... there is a good chance that morning snack is a Capri Sun, a Froot roll-up, and a Little Debbie treat. And lunch is peanut butter and fluff on white bread and a package of cookies! No wonder he can't sit still for math!!!!

TRUE STORY: In Kindergarten here last year we had a child who was bringing a large prepackaged cinnamon roll for snack nearly every day (and ordering chocolate milk with it, of course). One day I took a peek at the wrapper. Nearly 300 calories and 20 grams of fat, not to mention a slue of unpronounceable ingredients.... for snack time for a 5 year old!!! What are we doing to our children????


How sweet of you to think about how this child needs to be treated! Coming from a special education teacher, sometimes it is very hard to be patient and understanding as they are testing your every last bit of nerves!!

We got through the day just fine and hopefully he wasn't too bored!

Whoohoo! I saw this on Facebook last night and showed DH. He asked if I knew who anyone was, but I didn't. I just showed him again & said I do know someone! Thanks for cheering on the runners!

I read your response to DH and we just had a nice conversation about it. Thanks for your perspective of our culture. I agree with everything you have said, although I didn't realize that soda is expensive in Europe. I told DH that if a 2 liter of soda cost $5 instead of $1, I bet a lot less people would buy it! Also, I think someone else in a previous Biggest Loser thread mentioned that the US has very sugary cereal & it is regulated in Europe? I also found this very interesting.

Oh no! I hope you made it through the day okay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! I am just confessing right at the get go...I haven't exercised much at all. I told myself that I would do a dvd or elliptical at home, but I haven't yet. I have been so busy and am exhausted at the end of the day. In fact, I am getting ready to head to bed soon.

I feel like I have a lot going on this week with grades due, 2 IEPs to do and no internet at work to do them, DH finishing school & graduation next week, DSs sports/lessons, PTO meeting, 2 doctors appointments, and leaving for wdw next week. I think I'll pack my gym clothes & hit the treadmill right after work tomorrow, come home to shower, eat & go to my meeting. I just hate not seeing my kids much on some days

It sounds like everyone is doing well. And, Hi Christopher Good to see you back for another round!

I'll try to pop on tomorrow. Have a great night!

Jill

I'm not sure what I would do if my choice were to spend more time with my kids or to exercise. Hopefully you can find a healthy balance.

When I focus on my eating, I eat 4-5 fruits and veggies. I tend to eat more fruits and I think I need to rethink this. The scale isn't moving downward as fast as I would like it.

Bonus: I agree with everyone above. It is a real complex problem. I do tend to focus more on parents and taking the time to focus on healthy eating at home.

My middle son has weight issues and we have been part of a study for the past 5 years. We see a doctor once a month and talk to a nutritionist at times. It is hard having a child that struggles with his weight while his brothers do not. My husband and I are not happy with our weights but we don't struggle like my son does. So ... all of our doctor's visits have made our whole family aware of what we eat and how to live healthier lives. Now, my son is about to turn 18 and knows what to do in order to be healthy ... does he do it all the time? ... no. But, I think he has become more aware and I pray that when he goes to college next year, he takes what he has learned and doesn't gain a lot of weight.

And being a teacher, it is so hard to see what our school lunches serve. When we started going to the weight clinic for my son, we ended up telling all our sons that we were trying to save money and were going to start packing their lunch. Our real reason was to have them eat healthier! At first the boys were upset ... but when I started asking about which of their friends bought lunch ... I found out most of their friends were packing too!

Okay ... a lot of thoughts on this question.

Thanks for providing support! I dream of running that race someday. I hope all our runners did well!

I'm sorry that your son struggles with his weight. But how wonderful that you have been leading him in the right direction for so many years. I'm sure that will pan out in the long run to help him become a healthy adult.

While it won't help for any recipes, but have you ever tried roasted peppers? I can only tolerate raw bell peppers (and only yellow and red), I love them roasted. One of my favourite dishes is just a medley of all kind of vegetables with some potato junks roasted in the oven. I usually eat it with a quark (low fat German dairy product), but one could easily make it with greek yoghurt dip as well.

I love roasted veggies as well!

Good morning!

I have updated the first page. If something doesn't look right please send me a pm and I will correct it.

Thank you to Pamela for being our coach this week. I am sure she is doing an amazing job as always.

Just a reminder:
When you pm your weight this week, please send me your current weight. That is what I plug into the spreadsheet to calculate percentage lost and I don't want to make a mistake.

Thank you to so many of you who asked about the race. Just like any race there were parts of it that went really, really well and parts that didn't. If you are interested I will type up a mini-report.

I am not going to read back on the thread, but rather read forward from here. Someone tell me if I missed something important.

I am going to work for a couple hours today and head to the gym. I am on day 16/365 for my run a mile (at least) a day challenge in 2013.

Welcome back! You were missed! Love to hear more about the race!

**************

Happy SNOW DAY friends! Yup.... no school and no morning swim practice for us because of snow! We all have lots to do though. Mid-terms are next week, so DD will be studying, etc. and DS will be making flashcards and organizing his binders (although he doesn't know this yet ). And of course I will have a fun day with things like laundry and housework. The extra nearly 4 hours of sleep were DELICIOUS! (

Off to post the QOTD, pour some coffee and feed the troops!............P

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

I know that many of us have been struggling to fit in exercise with our busy schedules. What are some "quirky" ways that you have found to fit a bit of extra fitness into your day? (Try to stay away from the old school answers of "take the stairs instead of the elevator" and "park further away from the building".... we've all heard those many times.)


BONUS QOTD:

If you were going to WDW and only had time for three parks, which one would you skip and why??

BBL to answer!............P

 

[tinkerbye]

When I watch the news I do squats during the commercial breaks.
I'm doing only three parks when I go in Febuary. We're skipping Disney Studios, I worked there as a teenager and feel like I know that park the best. Epcot and Animal kingdom are my favorites and you can't go to disney and not go to Magic Kingdom.

 

[Quicklabs]

Hi WISH'ers

We had a perfectly wonderful time!! In all, I gained only 1/2 pound on this two week trip, far better than I have ever done in the past. I loved wearing my new "old" clothes that I thought would never fit me again. This contributed to some serious overpacking! I had enough clothes for a month; last cruise (in April), I could barely find stuff that fit. I was 35 lbs heavier then.

I have a lot to say about this vacay, but wanted to share some things I've learned about food and fitness-wise. I was so scared about gaining TONS, especially since I am using an ECV, pending knee replacements...

The food on the Dream was "dreamy" in the Royal Palace and in Enchanted Garden. Honestly, some of the best sea bass I've ever had was in EG. The desserts were also Deee-lish. I didn't restrict myself much on the cruise, but I note that I ate differently than I did on past cruises, when it was nothing for me to get two apps, a meal and two desserts and run the buffets! This time, I'd get one app. If I skipped the soup and the other app looked good, I had that app for the "soup and salad" course. Apps were small, so that worked. One main, no matter what. One dessert, except for once! LOL

In the a.ms, we had a continental breakfast delivered by room service. At home, all I usually eat for bf is a cup of cereal, so I ordered that. One day, I ordered a bagel instead. Added a cup of tea and split a fruit bowl with my DH and I was good to go. It was ever so nice! We really enjoyed our quiet and peaceful breakfast on our stateroom balcony. I recommend Room service as an alternative to a big, calorie laden breakfast buffet.

For lunch, I grabbed sushi from Cabanas or a half of a wrap from the fast food place (can't remember the name) with a piece of fruit. Maybe 3 shrimp, too. Of course, I indulged at the BBQ on Castaway Cay. (THe ribs were fabulous!) You can eat healthy on Castaway Cay, but I just had to give in to everything there.

One day, I gave in to the Chocolate Pudding Cake at Cabanas, which was a rich chocolate cake, slathered in pudding, and topped with ice cream (you could top that with whipped cream and chocolate or caramel syrup). This may have accounted for my half pound gain all by itself.

Key for me: I did not hang out at the Adult Quiet Cove, which is just too darn close to all those tempting desserts at the Cove Cafe. Instead, I found a perfectly quiet and comfortable chair on Deck 4 and enjoyed the waves and reading. Proximity to food kills me, and I had to keep my distance. My willpower is so weak when I see and smell food.

Limited myself to one small plate of food on Pirate's night. What a tempting dessert buffet! They were making fresh crepes! Could have avoided these, but chose not to. Had a lovely strawberry and chocolate crepe. OK, had two--they were small! LOL


Beverages- (adult and otherwise)- We brought on one bottle of wine four the four nights and a small bottle of rum which we enjoyed greatly at Castaway Cay. Being the daughter of a tavern owner, I've learned a thing or two about drink-making! LOL. I made a shake with a blend of Chocolate and Banana soft serve ice cream, swirled with rum. Okay, I made two of them. Hey, I was on Castaway Cay on a perfect day and iced tea just wasn't going to cut it! LOL. We had our Hydroflasks, and so most of the time, kept those filled with Crystal Lite or just plain ice water and lemon. In the past, it would have been nothing for us to split a bottle of wine each day.


TIP: Hit the gym! OMGosh, the exercise equipment on the Dream is beautiful! On 2 out of the 4 days, I used the recumbent bike or the elliptical. I prolly overdid the elliptical, which is set up to look out at the sea, so I was happy to keep on truckin' on that. I had never even looked at a gym while on a cruise in the past. I'm a believer now. Loved it. They had the same brand of equipment at the resorts. Hey, you're paying for it! Use it! LOL

I didn't have to use my ECV much on the ship, though WDW was a different story.

We got pedometers for Christmas, so used those to keep track of steps. I made it a point to park the ECV as much as I could and walk . I usually walked about 1.5 miles/day, sometimes a little more. I do have to say that this well exceeded my limit, and I'm paying some for this now. I can hardly wait for that surgery next month when they can fix one of my knees. Thank goodness for that EVC, which we rented at Apple Scooters.

Eating at WDW. One night, we had a pizza at Via Napoli (split it), which was worth every calorie. Loved it there. Ate twice at Be Our Guest. The food was okay, but nothing special. In fact, I wouldn't return there--service is so rushed, room is so noisy and if you get a bad table, it's a dining disaster (I'll provide a review on Restaurant board).

We stayed at the BW Villas in a one bedroom. (This is our home resort). We rented a car, went to the Publix on Apopka, and stocked up on the "usuals", but this time, the "usuals" included LOTS of fruit and veggies. . We prepared every other meal in the room. Breakfast was easy--usually just cereal and maybe a cup of greek yogurt. I brought a small insulated cooler bag from home for lunches--it was about the size of a medium sized purse). I bought sandwich bags at Publix (good for lots of stuff) and each day, filled two with water and froze them to make an ice pack. Tossed it in the cooler with my food. Lunch was usually a half sandwich (turkey breast or something like that), topped with lots of good veggies, and a portion of Popchips or pretzels (around 120 cals). We had grapes or fruit as a midmorning or midafternoon snack.

TIP: Rent a car for just one day, and you can make a grocery run. We rented ours at the National desk right at the Dolphin. There are other on property places where you can rent cars. If you don't want to rent a car, consider allowing the Garden Grocer or a similar company to shop and deliver for you.

There are lots of nice little out of the way places to have lunch around the World. We were lucky that the parks we chose each day were NOT terribly crowded (except on 2 -4) January. I think our fave place to hideaway was the tables in back of Tusker House. Absolutely no one was there. Of course, if the counter serves are running full, DO NOT take up a table. But, if you eat later in the afternoon, there's no problem.

TIP: If you want to lunch on your own, bring a little tupperware container for your sandwiches and fruit. Those babies are perfect for lots of stuff. Your lunch will stay cool, and you can use the empty ones to contain small items on your way home. A portable insulated bag comes in plenty handy. Use lockers to store your lunch if you don't fell like carrying it around all morning. But, really, it's not heavy at all.

We carried our Hydroflasks in the parks as well, and the ice remained well intact all day long. TIP-- Consider purchasing one.


Dinners- Except for three dinners out, I made dinner in the room. One night, I broiled a very nice steak. Unfortunately, I set it a little to close to the broil element. It's not a vacation until you set off the hotel smoke detectors, right? I called down to the front desk right away and let them know that there was no need to send up RCFD to our room! They were very nice about it. Steak was tasty--I think the extra char added something special. I made up a baked potato and some broccoli, with a strawberry salad for that one. On other nights, I made spaghetti and meatballs, pork chops, chicken breasts, and stuff like that. It was easy enough to cook fresh vegetables (red peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots just about anything) or some rice as a side dish. We had a nice green salad each night as well, topped with Ken's lite Balsamic vinagrette. For dessert, we had our usual Weight Watchers ice cream bar. I did bring some brandy filled chocolates from home: we had one each while watching fireworks from our balcony. Nice.

TIP: You can bring some non-perishables like some basic seasonings, etc from home and have more room in your suitcase for your return. I brought herb blends and they were great. I also bought a little bottle of olive oil from Publix. I'll keep the bottle and re-fill it for our next trip.

Alcohol: We went up to the Top of the Lounge at Bay Lake Towers and I indulged in a chocolate martini, so totally worth the calories. We also had a glass of wine with dinner (5 oz pours). Publix had a great selection of wines.

So, overall, I learned that I can indulge on a long vacay as long as I eat normally at least 2/3 of the time. I was so worried that I would gain a LOT more, but I can make this 1/2 pound disappear within the week, I suspect.

TIP--You can save some serious $$$ by making your own healthy meals at Disney. (We dropped around 80-100 bucks on each dining out: total food bill from Publix, including 5 bottles of decent wine was about $225 for ten days--That comes to just $22 per day for BOTH me and my DH. Choose meals that take about 30 minutes to prep and cook--you're on vacation! A carry in lunch takes only 5 minutes to prep and beats standing in long lunch lines at the QS places. Even if you have only a hotel room or studio, you can still make breakfast and lunch there. Rent a small fridge if you have to.

Well, time to unpack and get back to reality. Hope these tips and experiences may be of a little benefit to WISH members.

 

[trinaweena]

I've had no energy lately. Even when I go to bed early. I mean I know I'm not a morning person but this is ridiculous. If I sit down during the day I dies off as well. I was doing homework last night, just reading, and I kept just dozing off. So weird.

I did get a workout in Monday night after class, I went to the school gym with a friend for the first time. I think that was good because it got me out of my comfort zone as in I worked out in front of other people. I'm in a running rut however and keep having the worst runs. Plus I haven't worked out since! Last night I went to open my car door and slammed it into my head really hard! I have a huge bump and it hurts to chew and I had a headache all night. Oh well, it's from my own clumsiness. Hope things are going well for everyone else

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

I know that many of us have been struggling to fit in exercise with our busy schedules. What are some "quirky" ways that you have found to fit a bit of extra fitness into your day? (Try to stay away from the old school answers of "take the stairs instead of the elevator" and "park further away from the building".... we've all heard those many times.)

I sit on my exercise ball while folding laundry, do high knees and kick backs during recess duty, do calf raises and one foot stands when forced to stand around a lot (like during lunch room duty and when overseeing a test or waiting in line anywhere), Kegel exercises at red lights, squats and lunges when vacuuming, go up and down the stairs at home multiple times, rather than loading up my arms and making it in one trip...that is all I can think of right now!

BONUS QOTD:

If you were going to WDW and only had time for three parks, which one would you skip and why??

BBL to answer!............P

So hard! I would say Epcot, but I'd miss Soarin'! I think my answer would be HS, but that would depend on who I was with. DS loves TSMM, Lights, Motors, Action, Fantasmic, and of course ToT and RnR! DD also loves RnR and ToT. If I were with other adults who didn't care for the big thrills, HS studio would be the one to skip. So my final answer is I DON'T KNOW!

When I watch the news I do squats during the commercial breaks.
I'm doing only three parks when I go in Febuary. We're skipping Disney Studios, I worked there as a teenager and feel like I know that park the best. Epcot and Animal kingdom are my favorites and you can't go to disney and not go to Magic Kingdom.

Hi WISH'ers

We had a perfectly wonderful time!! In all, I gained only 1/2 pound on this two week trip, far better than I have ever done in the past. I loved wearing my new "old" clothes that I thought would never fit me again. This contributed to some serious overpacking! I had enough clothes for a month; last cruise (in April), I could barely find stuff that fit. I was 35 lbs heavier then.

I have a lot to say about this vacay, but wanted to share some things I've learned about food and fitness-wise. I was so scared about gaining TONS, especially since I am using an ECV, pending knee replacements...

The food on the Dream was "dreamy" in the Royal Palace and in Enchanted Garden. Honestly, some of the best sea bass I've ever had was in EG. The desserts were also Deee-lish. I didn't restrict myself much on the cruise, but I note that I ate differently than I did on past cruises, when it was nothing for me to get two apps, a meal and two desserts and run the buffets! This time, I'd get one app. If I skipped the soup and the other app looked good, I had that app for the "soup and salad" course. Apps were small, so that worked. One main, no matter what. One dessert, except for once! LOL

In the a.ms, we had a continental breakfast delivered by room service. At home, all I usually eat for bf is a cup of cereal, so I ordered that. One day, I ordered a bagel instead. Added a cup of tea and split a fruit bowl with my DH and I was good to go. It was ever so nice! We really enjoyed our quiet and peaceful breakfast on our stateroom balcony. I recommend Room service as an alternative to a big, calorie laden breakfast buffet.

For lunch, I grabbed sushi from Cabanas or a half of a wrap from the fast food place (can't remember the name) with a piece of fruit. Maybe 3 shrimp, too. Of course, I indulged at the BBQ on Castaway Cay. (THe ribs were fabulous!) You can eat healthy on Castaway Cay, but I just had to give in to everything there.

One day, I gave in to the Chocolate Pudding Cake at Cabanas, which was a rich chocolate cake, slathered in pudding, and topped with ice cream (you could top that with whipped cream and chocolate or caramel syrup). This may have accounted for my half pound gain all by itself.

Key for me: I did not hang out at the Adult Quiet Cove, which is just too darn close to all those tempting desserts at the Cove Cafe. Instead, I found a perfectly quiet and comfortable chair on Deck 4 and enjoyed the waves and reading. Proximity to food kills me, and I had to keep my distance. My willpower is so weak when I see and smell food.

Limited myself to one small plate of food on Pirate's night. What a tempting dessert buffet! They were making fresh crepes! Could have avoided these, but chose not to. Had a lovely strawberry and chocolate crepe. OK, had two--they were small! LOL


Beverages- (adult and otherwise)- We brought on one bottle of wine four the four nights and a small bottle of rum which we enjoyed greatly at Castaway Cay. Being the daughter of a tavern owner, I've learned a thing or two about drink-making! LOL. I made a shake with a blend of Chocolate and Banana soft serve ice cream, swirled with rum. Okay, I made two of them. Hey, I was on Castaway Cay on a perfect day and iced tea just wasn't going to cut it! LOL. We had our Hydroflasks, and so most of the time, kept those filled with Crystal Lite or just plain ice water and lemon. In the past, it would have been nothing for us to split a bottle of wine each day.


TIP: Hit the gym! OMGosh, the exercise equipment on the Dream is beautiful! On 2 out of the 4 days, I used the recumbent bike or the elliptical. I prolly overdid the elliptical, which is set up to look out at the sea, so I was happy to keep on truckin' on that. I had never even looked at a gym while on a cruise in the past. I'm a believer now. Loved it. They had the same brand of equipment at the resorts. Hey, you're paying for it! Use it! LOL

I didn't have to use my ECV much on the ship, though WDW was a different story.

We got pedometers for Christmas, so used those to keep track of steps. I made it a point to park the ECV as much as I could and walk . I usually walked about 1.5 miles/day, sometimes a little more. I do have to say that this well exceeded my limit, and I'm paying some for this now. I can hardly wait for that surgery next month when they can fix one of my knees. Thank goodness for that EVC, which we rented at Apple Scooters.

Eating at WDW. One night, we had a pizza at Via Napoli (split it), which was worth every calorie. Loved it there. Ate twice at Be Our Guest. The food was okay, but nothing special. In fact, I wouldn't return there--service is so rushed, room is so noisy and if you get a bad table, it's a dining disaster (I'll provide a review on Restaurant board).

We stayed at the BW Villas in a one bedroom. (This is our home resort). We rented a car, went to the Publix on Apopka, and stocked up on the "usuals", but this time, the "usuals" included LOTS of fruit and veggies. . We prepared every other meal in the room. Breakfast was easy--usually just cereal and maybe a cup of greek yogurt. I brought a small insulated cooler bag from home for lunches--it was about the size of a medium sized purse). I bought sandwich bags at Publix (good for lots of stuff) and each day, filled two with water and froze them to make an ice pack. Tossed it in the cooler with my food. Lunch was usually a half sandwich (turkey breast or something like that), topped with lots of good veggies, and a portion of Popchips or pretzels (around 120 cals). We had grapes or fruit as a midmorning or midafternoon snack.

TIP: Rent a car for just one day, and you can make a grocery run. We rented ours at the National desk right at the Dolphin. There are other on property places where you can rent cars. If you don't want to rent a car, consider allowing the Garden Grocer or a similar company to shop and deliver for you.

There are lots of nice little out of the way places to have lunch around the World. We were lucky that the parks we chose each day were NOT terribly crowded (except on 2 -4) January. I think our fave place to hideaway was the tables in back of Tusker House. Absolutely no one was there. Of course, if the counter serves are running full, DO NOT take up a table. But, if you eat later in the afternoon, there's no problem.

TIP: If you want to lunch on your own, bring a little tupperware container for your sandwiches and fruit. Those babies are perfect for lots of stuff. Your lunch will stay cool, and you can use the empty ones to contain small items on your way home. A portable insulated bag comes in plenty handy. Use lockers to store your lunch if you don't fell like carrying it around all morning. But, really, it's not heavy at all.

We carried our Hydroflasks in the parks as well, and the ice remained well intact all day long. TIP-- Consider purchasing one.


Dinners- Except for three dinners out, I made dinner in the room. One night, I broiled a very nice steak. Unfortunately, I set it a little to close to the broil element. It's not a vacation until you set off the hotel smoke detectors, right? I called down to the front desk right away and let them know that there was no need to send up RCFD to our room! They were very nice about it. Steak was tasty--I think the extra char added something special. I made up a baked potato and some broccoli, with a strawberry salad for that one. On other nights, I made spaghetti and meatballs, pork chops, chicken breasts, and stuff like that. It was easy enough to cook fresh vegetables (red peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots just about anything) or some rice as a side dish. We had a nice green salad each night as well, topped with Ken's lite Balsamic vinagrette. For dessert, we had our usual Weight Watchers ice cream bar. I did bring some brandy filled chocolates from home: we had one each while watching fireworks from our balcony. Nice.

TIP: You can bring some non-perishables like some basic seasonings, etc from home and have more room in your suitcase for your return. I brought herb blends and they were great. I also bought a little bottle of olive oil from Publix. I'll keep the bottle and re-fill it for our next trip.

Alcohol: We went up to the Top of the Lounge at Bay Lake Towers and I indulged in a chocolate martini, so totally worth the calories. We also had a glass of wine with dinner (5 oz pours). Publix had a great selection of wines.

So, overall, I learned that I can indulge on a long vacay as long as I eat normally at least 2/3 of the time. I was so worried that I would gain a LOT more, but I can make this 1/2 pound disappear within the week, I suspect.

TIP--You can save some serious $$$ by making your own healthy meals at Disney. (We dropped around 80-100 bucks on each dining out: total food bill from Publix, including 5 bottles of decent wine was about $225 for ten days--That comes to just $22 per day for BOTH me and my DH. Choose meals that take about 30 minutes to prep and cook--you're on vacation! A carry in lunch takes only 5 minutes to prep and beats standing in long lunch lines at the QS places. Even if you have only a hotel room or studio, you can still make breakfast and lunch there. Rent a small fridge if you have to.

Well, time to unpack and get back to reality. Hope these tips and experiences may be of a little benefit to WISH members.

I am so very, very impressed with everything you did! Seems like you struck just the right balance between staying OP and healthy, and enjoying and indulging! Obviously it worked well! Thank you so much for sharing all,of that with us! I am glad I was home today and had the time to read your post thoroughly!

I have a few trips under my belt when I packed/planned meals that can be stored and prepared in a standard hotel room...both for health reasons and for budget reasons, so I know you are right when you say it can be done!

I've had no energy lately. Even when I go to bed early. I mean I know I'm not a morning person but this is ridiculous. If I sit down during the day I dies off as well. I was doing homework last night, just reading, and I kept just dozing off. So weird.

I did get a workout in Monday night after class, I went to the school gym with a friend for the first time. I think that was good because it got me out of my comfort zone as in I worked out in front of other people. I'm in a running rut however and keep having the worst runs. Plus I haven't worked out since! Last night I went to open my car door and slammed it into my head really hard! I have a huge bump and it hurts to chew and I had a headache all night. Oh well, it's from my own clumsiness. Hope things are going well for everyone else

Maybe you should get a concussion check? Take care of yourself and please see a doctor if you start having any other symptoms like dizziness and/or nausea.

Sorry about the lousy runs. I've had a streak of crappy workouts myself this past week, but I keep reminding myself that as long as I am TRYING, I am ahead of the game!

*************

Totally indulging in doing NOTHING right now with my "found"time. After lunch I will kick myself into high gear. Also indulged in some extra carbs with breakfast in the form of a corn Vitamuffin...so good with my perfectly brewed coffee!

Snow continues to fall. DH cancelled his planned overnight to Maine, which is great because it means he will be here to snowblow! I hate using that thing!

Off to swill coffee and relax! ..............P

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

QOTD for Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

I know that many of us have been struggling to fit in exercise with our busy schedules. What are some "quirky" ways that you have found to fit a bit of extra fitness into your day? (Try to stay away from the old school answers of "take the stairs instead of the elevator" and "park further away from the building".... we've all heard those many times.)


BONUS QOTD:

If you were going to WDW and only had time for three parks, which one would you skip and why??

BBL to answer!............P

Dancing around the house. I did that last night while working on Scrap stuff.

Park to miss. I'd probably skip MGM, I log the least amount of miles there and I don't do a lot of the rides/shows there.

So hard! I would say Epcot, but I'd miss Soarin'! I think my answer would be HS, but that would depend on who I was with. DS loves TSMM, Lights, Motors, Action, Fantasmic, and of course ToT and RnR! DD also loves RnR and ToT. If I were with other adults who didn't care for the big thrills, HS studio would be the one to skip. So my final answer is I DON'T KNOW!

No no no!!!! You can't skip Epcot!! We had so much fun running with you and DD back and forth between Mission Space, Soarin' and Test Track.

 

[Figment1990]

QOTD for Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

I know that many of us have been struggling to fit in exercise with our busy schedules. What are some "quirky" ways that you have found to fit a bit of extra fitness into your day? (Try to stay away from the old school answers of "take the stairs instead of the elevator" and "park further away from the building".... we've all heard those many times.)

BONUS QOTD:

If you were going to WDW and only had time for three parks, which one would you skip and why??

BBL to answer!............P

I love this question because I do this stuff all the time! I always do stuff while I brush my teeth. Especially since injuring my ankle, that's now my ankle strength and stretch time!

I do situps and arm weights while I watch tv, leg exercises while cooking and I try to walk around the office at least every hour at work. It's only like 2 min each but it keeps my neck and back from stiffening too much.

Can't wait to get more ideas. Love the balance ball for folding laundry one! Might try that today.

I'd skip animal kingdom. Just not my thing.

 

[araes2102]

QOTD for Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

I know that many of us have been struggling to fit in exercise with our busy schedules. What are some "quirky" ways that you have found to fit a bit of extra fitness into your day? (Try to stay away from the old school answers of "take the stairs instead of the elevator" and "park further away from the building".... we've all heard those many times.)

BONUS QOTD:

If you were going to WDW and only had time for three parks, which one would you skip and why??

BBL to answer!............P

I don't really have any quirky ways to get exercise in, I guess I should! DF does though, he "hula hoops" ( without the hoop of course) while he's brushing his teeth, moving his torso in different positions to get a full abdominal workout.

As for WDW, we would definitely have to do all 4 parks. Never been and wouldn't wanna miss a thing!

 

[pjlla]

Dancing around the house. I did that last night while working on Scrap stuff.

I totally rock out when I'm home alone (which isn't very often).


Park to miss. I'd probably skip MGM, I log the least amount of miles there and I don't do a lot of the rides/shows there.

No no no!!!! You can't skip Epcot!! We had so much fun running with you and DD back and forth between Mission Space, Soarin' and Test Track.

Yes we did! I forgot to tell you what DD made me for Christmas. She made me a huge (16 x 20) photo collage from our trip. I should post a photo of it.... it is fabulous! She designed it and ordered it from Costco, conned me into driving her there to pick it up on the sly and printed herself an AC Moore coupon and got a great frame! I re-arranged some stuff near my scrap table and hung it there. That was such a wonderful trip. And meeting you and your DS made it extra special!!

I love this question because I do this stuff all the time! I always do stuff while I brush my teeth. Especially since injuring my ankle, that's now my ankle strength and stretch time!

I do situps and arm weights while I watch tv, leg exercises while cooking and I try to walk around the office at least every hour at work. It's only like 2 min each but it keeps my neck and back from stiffening too much.

Can't wait to get more ideas. Love the balance ball for folding laundry one! Might try that today.

I'd skip animal kingdom. Just not my thing.

I love the idea of doing it while brushing! I am guilty of running around with the toothbrush in my mouth in the morning.... picking out my clothes, waking the kids, etc.

I do try to remember to do squats and such while cooking, but I RARELY am standing still anyhow. I'm usually hand-washing dishes while waiting for stuff to cook, etc.

There are plenty of things that I could live without at AK, but I do love all of the character encounters. That seems to be a GREAT park for that sort of thing.... and I really love FOTLK.

I don't really have any quirky ways to get exercise in, I guess I should! DF does though, he "hula hoops" ( without the hoop of course) while he's brushing his teeth, moving his torso in different positions to get a full abdominal workout.

As for WDW, we would definitely have to do all 4 parks. Never been and wouldn't wanna miss a thing!

He would probably love the hula-hoop game for Wii Fit. It is really fun and a great workout! I haven't thought of it for a long time!

*************

Wow, this day is certainly getting away from me! Laundry is done (just one last load of jeans in the dryer) and put away, dishwasher is run and unloaded, my bed is made (I put it on the kids to make their own beds today.... probably not done though ).

I did get in a workout, just in case we don't get to the Y tonight. Plus I would WAAAAAY rather workout in the morning than the evening. It was hard and I started out just telling myself I could quit after 15 minutes of circuit training, but after that 15 minutes (free-weights, squats, push-ups, lunges, jumping jacks) I hit the TM and did a full 30 minutes of walking/running. I worked up a great sweat, did a few miles, and really feel like I accomplished something!

Lunch for the most part was leftovers for everyone. I made myself a HUGE salad (I estimated it to be 6 servings of veggies) and had a small portion of last night's meatloaf, plus a grapefruit for dessert.

Dinner is still up in the air. DH was supposed to be gone tonight so I had planned frozen pierogies (he doesn't eat them because of the carbs), but when I checked the freezer today I realized I don't have any so time to think again! I have the fixings for a homemade turkey soup in the freezer. I think I'll make up the soup for DH, DD, and myself and give DS leftover meatloaf.

Off to hit the shower, get the soup going, and check email (again) to see if swim practice is cancelled. The usual rule is "if the Y is open, practice is on".... but considering we live the furthest away, we kind of need to make our own decisions.

TTYL..........................P

 

[Eliza32]

No quirky ways to work out unfortunately, I just put my shoes on and go for a walk when I can. Final exam at University tomorrow, so after that I have some time for me!!

I'd probably skip AK as I can go to a zoo at home (I know it's not the same, but is a kind of alternative - there are no alternatives to the other 3 parks).