WISH Away the Pounds -- Fantastic February Challenge -- Everyone Welcome!

[Flossbolna]

Time is flying - why is it that on weekends time passes much quicker than during the week? So, before Saturday is half over, here is the next

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I hope you all had a great start into the weekend. I had a haircut this morning (and highlights) and had a success moment there. I do have a rather round face with big cheeks. Sitting at the hairdresser watching my face with the hair around it all wet or even pulled back (I do have quite a lot of curls, so usually a lot of volume in my hair) I am always depressed how fat my face looks. Today as I was sitting there I noticed that my face has become slimmer and less round. I did not look fat anymore! And I only could see one chin! Sometimes it is things like that that can be as motivating as movement on the scale!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Magdalene! Thank you for hosting this week and thank you to Pam for last week!

Since I didn't lose a stinking ounce last week, I'm going to increase my activity level, even if it means I have to drag my butt out of bed before work. I'm a diehard "work out after work" girl, but if an extra 20 on the elliptical in the a.m. gets the scale moving again in the right direction, I'll do it. And even though I'm not eating too many of those blasted yummy Girl Scout cookies, I better cut back to just 2 a day instead of 4!

I am not a morning work out girl either - but I think adding 20 minutes each morning is a great way to get more exercise in.

And I hear you on the cookies. I find that often when I think I am eating well, but too many of my calories are made up with treats that I don't lose. I seem to lose more if my calories come from healthy food. Makes sense... unfortunately.

Thanks for the welcome! I haven't caught up reading all the posts yet but wanted to add I am already doing a plank a day! I do it first thing in the morning. My chiropractor told me to start them. I got really good at them and was going to add variations then i quit them and recently started back up and had to start all over. I am up to 50 seconds a day!

Meanwhile I am an expert at losing weight...unfortunately I always seem to find it again. LoL

That's great that you joined out plank challenge before you even knew about it!! 50 seconds is great. After having been able to do 1 minute for two days, yesterday I was back down to 30 seconds...

Just sneaking on from work to wish everyone in the northeast a safe weekend with the big storm. I'm hoping to be out of work early, 2ish, and will catchup with you all later, so long as the power stays on.

Happy Friday!!

Hope you got home safely and still have power!!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Time is flying - why is it that on weekends time passes much quicker than during the week? So, before Saturday is half over, here is the next

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I hope you all had a great start into the weekend. I had a haircut this morning (and highlights) and had a success moment there. I do have a rather round face with big cheeks. Sitting at the hairdresser watching my face with the hair around it all wet or even pulled back (I do have quite a lot of curls, so usually a lot of volume in my hair) I am always depressed how fat my face looks. Today as I was sitting there I noticed that my face has become slimmer and less round. I did not look fat anymore! And I only could see one chin! Sometimes it is things like that that can be as motivating as movement on the scale!

That's a great NSV!! I hate getting my haircut, I'm glad I wear glasses because I can't see my face when she's cutting my hair.

I am a fast eater but I'm trying to learn to slow down. Speed eating for me has more to do with second servings vs portion size on one plate. I still think I'm hungry when those brain receptors just haven't kicked in yet.

 

[Flossbolna]

Happy snowy morning friends! Snow day here in NH today! It is easy for me to be excited because DH is home to snowblow and everything today and tomorrow has been cancelled, so I can hibernate for a change, instead of risking life and limb driving in the snow and ice.

I'm treating this as a BONUS day, since I was originally scheduled to work and will spend the day scrapping. Already got 2 pages finished!

May try to dig out a yoga DVD to use today. I've been having some neck pain and I am starting to think it is a positional thing related to lots of TM time. So today the TM can have a rest.

I'll pop on again later when I can use the desktop computer....off to have another cup of coffee and RELAX! .........P

Hope you are safe in all that snow! Otherwise it sounds like you are doing great with using that day in the best way possible!

Welcome host. Well, I've decreased my alcohol by half which will be in play from now on.

That's a great step! It is really scary how many calories alcohol has besides the other unhealthy side effects it has. When I losing weight I nearly give up drinking any alcohol all together. With the effect that not being used to it anymore just one glass of wine makes me very tipsy!

Hey-- I'm down 4 pounds this week! I know a lot of it is water weight because I'm almost done with my period but it's still fun. Going to see Lincoln tomorrow as my non--food reward. I think bringing up my first challenge here and reading my posts from it really helped me this week. (that was wish bigggest loser 7)
I think what helped me the most from reading it is realizing how hard it was for me then--seems I was hungry all the time-- and knowing that that is temporary and necessary. Aslo because it's so hard-- I need to be nicer to myself all around. Also the non food reward thing-- movies really worked for me last time and I think it will work that way again for me.

Congratulations on the loss! I think it is a great idea if you are stuck to go and think back to a time when you were successful at losing weight. If one is keeping a food journal that is also a good to see what kind of foods helped with weight loss. From that I realised that I lose better if I make sure to eat protein.

Today I had some wonderful NSV's!!

First my brown mid-calf boots used to be super tight and I would have to push them way down to zipper them and it would be uncomfortable. Yesterday and today I just had to push them down a smidge to zip them.
And we went to the chiropractor today and he asked me if I lost weight because there was less of me to to adjust today. He asked me how much I've lost but I'm not sure yet, I haven't updated MFP lately.

Sent from my iPhone using DISboards

Ah! Had some difficulty to figure out the NSV acronym, but now I got it: Non Scale Victory!!

Yes, those are important! And yours sounds really great!

 

[Flossbolna]

I'm going to just keep on ramping up my activity and tracking like crazy. I am a little frustrated because the scale did not show my efforts so I'm hoping for a big reversal this week.

Hang in there - I am sure that there will be movement on the scale for you in the future!

My weight loss is never linear. I seem to get stuck at a level for some time and then suddenly quite a good junk of weight comes of in a space of a few days.

Hi Magdalene! Your English looks perfect to me. Good question!
Monday the 4th was my husband's birthday and I got him a cookie cake which I helped him eat. He ate the majority of it but I ate more than I should have.
I'm not sure what I need for next week. I am hoping my new reward will keep me motivated.

Thanks for the comment on my English. I am usually quite confident, but rarely I manage to create misunderstandings. And I wanted to prevent de-motivating someone by posting something stupid!

I think a reward is a good thing to keep motivated! And since the cookie cake was for an event that happens only once a year, I am sure you will be able to avoid it in the coming week!

I talked with DH tonight and we've decide we are going to lose 50 pounds each and once we reach that goal we will book a trip to WDW!!! I am going to use my start weight as my December 1 start weight (220) which is when I started 'again'. Which means I am already 16 lbs in. But usually what happens is I 'always' lose the 200s fairly quickly then I plateau in the 190s and can't break it and I end up giving up and going back to 200s. Well this new reward will hopefully help me BREAK that plateau! Meanwhile DH is in the 300s (used to be in the 400s). He usually loses with Atkins but last time he was on that it seemed to have 'stopped' working for him so he's just going with portion control and whatnot now but with eating that big cookie cake he is off track right now too. He is going to do an official weigh in tomorrow for his start weight. I'm sooo excited! It's one step closer to planning for Disney! I think I am going to start a WISH journal too.

I hope all of you in the northeast stay safe and warm this weekend!!!

That sounds a great plan! I think having someone to go on the weight loss journey with you is great for motivation. I hope you will soon be planning that trip to WDW!

Hello everyone!! Good day today!

Day 3 soda free!!! (And artificial sweetener). Wow I never thought I'd go this far. We went out to dinner last night at Furrs (cafeteria) my ds7 wanted to try it - we never go there. I had baked chicken and peeled off the skin, veggies, and about4 bites of Mac and cheese. Cafeteria Mac and cheese is the best! And of course plain tea to drink. dH seems to think I'm a little crankier but I don't know about that I think when I really watch what I eat I get that way.

Missed my exercise today as we had painters in the house on the stairs so I was isolated to downstairs and just got busy.

I was at my ds7 school helping out and my son says "mommy Nathan just insulted you - he said you have a big bottom". Part of me wanted to laugh and part of my wanted to locate this Nathan for a "talking to" his mom is a size 2 on a bloated day so I guess it's all relative. I'm 5'8" and a size 14 so I don't think I'm huge or anything but compared to most of the cutesy moms in their skinny jeans I guess I am big.

So while the rest of the family went out for Taco Bell (no time to cook w other things going on) I waited and took my big butt home for a healthier meal!

I have to work tomorrow - boo - but I just got told my weekend pay is going up - woohoo!!

Congratulations on day 3 without soda! Well done!

And it seems like you are doing fine with the temptations that eating out creates. Well done, I am very impressed. That is one of the things I find the most difficult.

QOTD;
The hardest thing for me is to not eat after work. I work at night and get home around eleven. I'm usually really hungry because of all the stairs I run at work. This week I'm going to try to curb the late night munchies by eating a snack during intermission.

That's a great idea to have a snack a little bit earlier to prevent the munchies! You could also make sure to prepare something for you to have after work, as long as it is healthy. Like some carrots with a dip. Prepare everything, put it on a plate and in the fridge and when you get home all tired and exhausted you could just get your snack out of the fridge instead of going on the hunt for something to eat which might then be something unhealthy.

 

[Flossbolna]

Time to lose the winter blues and on to better spring things!

We are happy that you are joing us. Please have a look at the first post and send a PM to Lisa with your start weight and your goal for the rest of January.

Okay. So no yoga for me today. After our record-breaking snowfall yesterday I can't get the car out of the driveway, or driver on the streets fir that matter. I guess I'll just shovel for two hours. That'll probably be a better work out anyway. Hope everybody was safe in the storm yesterday. I did get to take my daughter to Disney on ice last night. It was a white knuckle drive both ways. Damn that Walt and his Disney crack.

Melinda

Wow, I hope you are safe in the snow madness! I am sure that shoveling snow will be a fantastic upper body workout! I would be scared of the sore muscles I would get from it.

I am glad that you were able to make it Disney on Ice yesterday, I guess today you would not have been able to get there? Is it still snowing?

Finally the scale moved! Lost 2.2 pounds.

Yay!!

 

[sskem96]

Looking back at the first week of February and thinking about what worked for you that last week and what did not, can you pick one thing which you will try to either keep doing or which you will try to change for the next week to help you on your weight loss journey for the next week? And for those of you who just decided to join us - there appears to be a bunch of you - what will you pick as the one thing that will help you get started with this new week?

Doing the couch to 5k workout 3 times a week is what's helping the scale move for me, so I will do my best to keep it up this week! The other thing I need to do is make sure I check in here every day to stay motivated!

 

[sskem96]

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I am a very slow eater. That probably helps with my portion sizes because I'm always the last one done so I'm less likely to go back for seconds. I just have to be careful how much I put on my plate in the first place! I've been thinking about getting a set of those WW serving spoons that have a measurement on them so you know you're taking the correct portion size.

I'm not doing the WW plan anymore. I never could get into it after the changed to points plus. I'm just journaling on MFP and wearing my fitbit everyday. DH got me the Aria scale for Christmas, so that takes the place of my WW weigh in book. It automatically uploads my weight to my fitbit account so I can look back and see how much I've lost each week. The whole family is using it now, and I think the competition is helping keep us all motivated!

 

[mikamah]

I'm not doing the WW plan anymore. I never could get into it after the changed to points plus. I'm just journaling on MFP and wearing my fitbit everyday. DH got me the Aria scale for Christmas, so that takes the place of my WW weigh in book. It automatically uploads my weight to my fitbit account so I can look back and see how much I've lost each week. The whole family is using it now, and I think the competition is helping keep us all motivated!

A little competition is always helpful. I am doing a wt loss challenge with my sister and some of her friends, and I'm beating her. She's always been the skinny sister, so that makes me feel good.

Time is flying - why is it that on weekends time passes much quicker than during the week? So, before Saturday is half over, here is the next

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I hope you all had a great start into the weekend. I had a haircut this morning (and highlights) and had a success moment there. I do have a rather round face with big cheeks. Sitting at the hairdresser watching my face with the hair around it all wet or even pulled back (I do have quite a lot of curls, so usually a lot of volume in my hair) I am always depressed how fat my face looks. Today as I was sitting there I noticed that my face has become slimmer and less round. I did not look fat anymore! And I only could see one chin! Sometimes it is things like that that can be as motivating as movement on the scale!

That's a great non scale victory, Magdalene. It is so motivating to be able to see some changes of your hard work.

I am definitely a fast eater, and try to slow down when i think of it. Eating healthier, big salads and stuff is easier to eat more slowly. I do think if I'm done before others, I'm more likely to have seconds.

Thanks for the welcome! I haven't caught up reading all the posts yet but wanted to add I am already doing a plank a day! I do it first thing in the morning. My chiropractor told me to start them. I got really good at them and was going to add variations then i quit them and recently started back up and had to start all over. I am up to 50 seconds a day!

Meanwhile I am an expert at losing weight...unfortunately I always seem to find it again. LoL

Welcome! Nice work on the plank, and here's to this time losing being your last time losing!

Happy snowy morning friends! Snow day here in NH today! It is easy for me to be excited because DH is home to snowblow and everything today and tomorrow has been cancelled, so I can hibernate for a change, instead of risking life and limb driving in the snow and ice.

I'm treating this as a BONUS day, since I was originally scheduled to work and will spend the day scrapping. Already got 2 pages finished!

May try to dig out a yoga DVD to use today. I've been having some neck pain and I am starting to think it is a positional thing related to lots of TM time. So today the TM can have a rest.

I'll pop on again later when I can use the desktop computer....off to have another cup of coffee and RELAX! .........P

Sounds like a nice day. I hope you are ok up there in the snow, and not without power.
Congrats on dd's last swim practice, I'm sure that was a bittersweet early morning wake up call. Thank you for coaching last week. I do get on and read, and even think about my answers to the qotds, even if I never get back to post them.

I'm going to just keep on ramping up my activity and tracking like crazy. I am a little frustrated because the scale did not show my efforts so I'm hoping for a big reversal this week. :

You can do it Lisa!! Hoping the scale will show your hard work next week.

Finally the scale moved! Lost 2.2 pounds.

whoo hoo!! Congrats buffy. Hope you're all shovelled out.

Thank you for coaching this week Magdalene!

I earned me some activity points shovelling today for sure. My forearms are very achey, as is the rest of my body. It really is a great core exercise. We got 2 feet here, and did the shovelling in a couple trips out. I still need to finish the last clean up of the walkways since the snow is finally stopped, but am going to wait til after dinner when I take the dog for her last walk of the day.

Enjoy the rest of your weekends!!

 

[tiki23]

Looking back at the first week of February and thinking about what worked for you that last week and what did not, can you pick one thing which you will try to either keep doing or which you will try to change for the next week to help you on your weight loss journey for the next week? And for those of you who just decided to join us - there appears to be a bunch of you - what will you pick as the one thing that will help you get started with this new week?

I have to journal, journal, journal. The exercise is no problem - I worked out 3 hours today at some fun classes - food is my issue. I'm a thoughtless eater.

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I think I fall somewhere right in the middle. What I need to remember to always do is to drink a full glass of water 10 minutes before I eat. If I stick to 5 small meals a day and take a multivitamin, it really helps control my appetite and my willpower.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

whoo hoo!! Congrats buffy. Hope you're all shovelled out.

Finally!! Plow guy got stuck 1/2 way up the drive. The mound was over 6 feet tall and he couldn't push it anymore so he came back later with a bucket loader.
It took 150 minutes to just shovel out the cars and the back step. DH and I had parked side by side and it took an hour just to do between the cars and behind my car.
DS11 shoveled a path to the wood pile then they all built tunnels through the piles. We got around 27 inches but had 30+ snow drifts.
I'll post pics soon, I need to get them off my camera first.
I made sure to log my shoveling as part of my exercise for Feb. I'm sooo sore!!

Did manage to get my plank in but I barely got a minute.

I hope everyone effected by the storm is safe and has power and warmth!! We lucked out and didn't lose power, knock on wood.

Sent from my iPhone using DISboards

 

[nocomment711]

So, on to the first Question of the Day:

Looking back at the first week of February and thinking about what worked for you that last week and what did not, can you pick one thing which you will try to either keep doing or which you will try to change for the next week to help you on your weight loss journey for the next week? And for those of you who just decided to join us - there appears to be a bunch of you - what will you pick as the one thing that will help you get started with this new week?

Hello and thank you for coaching!

I don't really know what I would change except maybe exercise /less/ than I have over the past week and a half. I was so exhausted yesterday (Friday) that I could barely get out of bed to go to work... and even today, I got up and went to my NIA class before napping for another two hours. I don't want to burn myself out, you know? Because of my exhaustion and stress, I caved today and ate more than I should have. Ooops.

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I'm in between. Compared to others, I can eat relatively slowly. A lot depends on what it is and what I'm doing too. I can scarf down breakfast (usually greek yogurt and cereal) in a few minutes. At the same time, lunch takes me longer now. If it is ice cream... better be ready for me to take at least half an hour to eat that sucker. XD

-------------------------------------

Anyways. I'm down a little over a pound this week. My measurements have all gone up (except for one) and I feel a little discouraged. I believe part of it is that I'm coming up on Shark Week. So we'll see what the next week brings.

I started doing a fitness class called NIA and I love it so much. It's a little pricey and I'm going to have to give up my vocal lessons to do it every month, but if it helps, I'm going to do it. I can't just keep running on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike, or lifting weights. My attention span is crap. This class is fun and very welcoming (even though I still feel like an idiot sometimes). It's a mix of yoga, tai chi, and dance (I wanna say a mix of jazz and ballet). The only bad part is I think I'm getting a blister because of it.

That much being said. Good luck this week guys!

 

[NightAngelX]

That's great that you joined out plank challenge before you even knew about it!! 50 seconds is great. After having been able to do 1 minute for two days, yesterday I was back down to 30 seconds...

Some days I can go longer but I think some days I count faster...lol

That sounds a great plan! I think having someone to go on the weight loss journey with you is great for motivation. I hope you will soon be planning that trip to WDW!

Thanks! I think its easier too. DH and I tend to eat alike. If he's being 'bad' I'm more likely to and vice versa. Today he was talking about eating something with a million calories that he was craving (i can't remember what!) and I said 'NO! We're going to Disney World!' lol So I think this is definitely the perfect motivator for me. All I have to think is 'do i want a [insert 2nd serving of food or bad food here] or do I want a trip to Disney World?'

Welcome! Nice work on the plank, and here's to this time losing being your last time losing!

Thanks! I want to lose it never to be found again.

DH went on my daily walk with the dog with me today but because of his arthritis it had to be a super short walk. I should have continued the walk after taking him home but it was so darn cold. I hope it warms up soon so I don't have an excuse for short walks anymore.

I watched Fantasia 2000 and Fantasia tonight...sorta. I was playing an online game while I watched. When I was little I didn't like fantasia because it was so long and boring in my opinion. But now that I am older I enjoy it more but I can't just sit there and watch it non-stop. I have to be doing something else or I fall asleep, but not in a bad way..in a peaceful sleep kind of way. Love the music regardless.

Have a nice Sunday everyone!

 

[Flossbolna]

Happy Sunday everyone!!

I hope you are all keeping warm - it seems that many of you were in that area that got a lot of snow!

Let's start with the QOTD and I will then be back with replies.

QOTD:

Let's chose a lighter topic today: Which place on earth would you love to go and visit if money and all other circumstances (health, security issues etc.) were taken care of?

And I guess I better answer my own question immediately, as I seem to have difficulty to answer my own questions later in the day.

There are so many places I would love to see. I am tempted to pick a place in Africa - I once planned a trip to Zimbabwe, but the planning stopped as the political situation got worse there. But to be honest, the one place I am most longing to get to is Hawaii.

 

[donac]

Good SUnday morning.

I am glad to hear that everyone north of here is okay. We got about 6 inches. Dh and I shoveled out yesterday morning. It then turned into a beautiful day that ds took off with some friends to visit another friend who lives in Va. He knew if the snow really was bad he couldn't go but from us south there wasn't much.Our other son is outside of Philly and only had an inch.

I treated yesterday as a snow day and did very little.

The only bad part of the day was around dinner time. Dh went out to feed the dog and fell down the back steps. There are ony 2 and he didn't land on the pavers at the bottom and he didn't hit his head. He banged up his back and twisted his knee. He just got up and said he is feeling better than he thought he would.

Off to get ready for church.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[Flossbolna]

Time is flying - why is it that on weekends time passes much quicker than during the week? So, before Saturday is half over, here is the next

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

I asked this question as it is one of my major problems: I am a very fast eater and usually am the first to finish my plate - unless my father is around, I seem to have gotten it from him. I am working hard on slowing down as I know that it helps me to eat smaller portions - or as many of you said, prevents me from getting seconds. I have developed the strategy of putting my cutlery down after each bite and only take it up again after I have finished that bite.

That's a great NSV!! I hate getting my haircut, I'm glad I wear glasses because I can't see my face when she's cutting my hair.

I am a fast eater but I'm trying to learn to slow down. Speed eating for me has more to do with second servings vs portion size on one plate. I still think I'm hungry when those brain receptors just haven't kicked in yet.

Thanks!! And now I also figured out what NSV means!

The thing with the brain receptors is really it. Since I am a fast eater I can go from hungry to feeling like I ate too much in seconds as it just takes some time to register that I got some food...

Doing the couch to 5k workout 3 times a week is what's helping the scale move for me, so I will do my best to keep it up this week! The other thing I need to do is make sure I check in here every day to stay motivated!

Well done on keeping up with the C25K programm! I think it sounds like a fantastic programm and I would have loved to have something like that to help we when I started running.

And I can only encourage everyone to check in here regularly! I used to mainly lurk on previous threads and I find that getting more active here really helps me to stay focused on my weight loss!

I am a very slow eater. That probably helps with my portion sizes because I'm always the last one done so I'm less likely to go back for seconds. I just have to be careful how much I put on my plate in the first place! I've been thinking about getting a set of those WW serving spoons that have a measurement on them so you know you're taking the correct portion size.

I'm not doing the WW plan anymore. I never could get into it after the changed to points plus. I'm just journaling on MFP and wearing my fitbit everyday. DH got me the Aria scale for Christmas, so that takes the place of my WW weigh in book. It automatically uploads my weight to my fitbit account so I can look back and see how much I've lost each week. The whole family is using it now, and I think the competition is helping keep us all motivated!

I think correct measurement of portions is a huge help. We discussed food scales on here recently and I think everyone who got one really if a fan of using it.

It's wonderful how a simple thing like a new scale with a gadget feature can help you all to stay motivated!

A little competition is always helpful. I am doing a wt loss challenge with my sister and some of her friends, and I'm beating her. She's always been the skinny sister, so that makes me feel good.

That's a great non scale victory, Magdalene. It is so motivating to be able to see some changes of your hard work.

I am definitely a fast eater, and try to slow down when i think of it. Eating healthier, big salads and stuff is easier to eat more slowly. I do think if I'm done before others, I'm more likely to have seconds.

I earned me some activity points shovelling today for sure. My forearms are very achey, as is the rest of my body. It really is a great core exercise. We got 2 feet here, and did the shovelling in a couple trips out. I still need to finish the last clean up of the walkways since the snow is finally stopped, but am going to wait til after dinner when I take the dog for her last walk of the day.

Enjoy the rest of your weekends!!

I totally get how great it is to beat the skinnier sister! It's the same with my sister who always was the skinnier one of us.

Eating salads is a good way to slow down as they usually require quite a lot of chewing work. That's why I like eating raw carrots as an appetizer. It takes time eating them and by the time I start eating my main meal I not only already got a serving of vegetables, but my stomach is already signalling that food has arrived to the brain!

I am impressed with your shovelling workout!!

I have to journal, journal, journal. The exercise is no problem - I worked out 3 hours today at some fun classes - food is my issue. I'm a thoughtless eater.


I think I fall somewhere right in the middle. What I need to remember to always do is to drink a full glass of water 10 minutes before I eat. If I stick to 5 small meals a day and take a multivitamin, it really helps control my appetite and my willpower.

Yes, journaling is definitely one of the secrets to weight loss. It is so easy, but I sometimes struggle with it as well. However, then I tell myself if I stay focused now that time of reduced calories will be over sooner than if I don't concentrate and eat without thinking

That's a great tip with the glass of water before the meal!

 

[Greenfield1984]

I haven't been on in a few days because I got busy with life and snow...caught up reading the thread and congrats to all those with weight loss and NSVs this week and to anyone who was disappointed this week, I'm sorry, but lets just keep on trucking in this new week!

Happy Sunday everyone!!

I hope you are all keeping warm - it seems that many of you were in that area that got a lot of snow!

Let's start with the QOTD and I will then be back with replies.

QOTD:

Let's chose a lighter topic today: Which place on earth would you love to go and visit if money and all other circumstances (health, security issues etc.) were taken care of?

And I guess I better answer my own question immediately, as I seem to have difficulty to answer my own questions later in the day.

There are so many places I would love to see. I am tempted to pick a place in Africa - I once planned a trip to Zimbabwe, but the planning stopped as the political situation got worse there. But to be honest, the one place I am most longing to get to is Hawaii.

The one vacation that I would love to take but will never be able to take is an African safari. It would be so amazing but those trips are crazy expensive! So I will continue to dream about it

I hope everyone has a great day today. I'm planning on spending most of the afternoon outside playing in the mountains of snow with my girls.

 

[pix13dust]

Happy Sunday everyone!!

I hope you are all keeping warm - it seems that many of you were in that area that got a lot of snow!

Let's start with the QOTD and I will then be back with replies.

QOTD:

Let's chose a lighter topic today: Which place on earth would you love to go and visit if money and all other circumstances (health, security issues etc.) were taken care of?

And I guess I better answer my own question immediately, as I seem to have difficulty to answer my own questions later in the day.

There are so many places I would love to see. I am tempted to pick a place in Africa - I once planned a trip to Zimbabwe, but the planning stopped as the political situation got worse there. But to be honest, the one place I am most longing to get to is Hawaii.

Good morning!

First off I want to say I read every post and it really helps keep me on track! I don't have a computer, I do everything from my iPhone, so quoting, multi quoting is a pain in the booty. No computer in the near future either - my husband broke our 5th laptop in 5 years, he's definitely not responsible enough for one, lol! As for the QOTD... Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm terrified of flying, with enough medication I can just barely do the 2 1/2 hour non stop flight to Disney. In fall 2011, my parents spent 5 weeks in Africa, their pictures are amazing! It's really inspired me to try and get over my fear of flying. So in November 2012 I flew the 4 1/2 hours to Mexico. Lots of Meds and Patron got me on plane, however, I'm not really setting a good example for the kids. So for now, I'll pick Disney!! And keep working on my fear of flying
Have a great weekend! Can't wait for the " Dead" to come back tonight!

Melinda

 

[lisah0711]

Time to lose the winter blues and on to better spring things!

Alice! I am totally ready for spring, too.

Finally the scale moved! Lost 2.2 pounds.

Congratulations!

Time is flying - why is it that on weekends time passes much quicker than during the week? So, before Saturday is half over, here is the next

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

Time does fly when you are having fun!

I am a slow eater but I also tend to be a distracted eater. I usually am reading or looking at my phone or doing something else so I don't notice what is going on and don't get the signals that I've enjoyed something or that I am done. It will take awhile to work on that one.

Hang in there - I am sure that there will be movement on the scale for you in the future!

My weight loss is never linear. I seem to get stuck at a level for some time and then suddenly quite a good junk of weight comes of in a space of a few days.

Thanks for the reminder! And that is a great tip about having foods at the ready for those times you know you are likely to have problems, like right after work!

Doing the couch to 5k workout 3 times a week is what's helping the scale move for me, so I will do my best to keep it up this week! The other thing I need to do is make sure I check in here every day to stay motivated!

It does help to see that everyone goes through the same things!

A little competition is always helpful. I am doing a wt loss challenge with my sister and some of her friends, and I'm beating her. She's always been the skinny sister, so that makes me feel good.

Go, Kathy, go!

I have to journal, journal, journal. The exercise is no problem - I worked out 3 hours today at some fun classes - food is my issue. I'm a thoughtless eater.

I think I fall somewhere right in the middle. What I need to remember to always do is to drink a full glass of water 10 minutes before I eat. If I stick to 5 small meals a day and take a multivitamin, it really helps control my appetite and my willpower.

Excellent strategy! And thanks for the reminder about the vitamins!

Finally!! Plow guy got stuck 1/2 way up the drive. The mound was over 6 feet tall and he couldn't push it anymore so he came back later with a bucket loader.
It took 150 minutes to just shovel out the cars and the back step. DH and I had parked side by side and it took an hour just to do between the cars and behind my car.
DS11 shoveled a path to the wood pile then they all built tunnels through the piles. We got around 27 inches but had 30+ snow drifts.
I'll post pics soon, I need to get them off my camera first.
I made sure to log my shoveling as part of my exercise for Feb. I'm sooo sore!!

That sounds like a great workout, Buffy! Glad that you are all safe!

Anyways. I'm down a little over a pound this week. My measurements have all gone up (except for one) and I feel a little discouraged. I believe part of it is that I'm coming up on Shark Week. So we'll see what the next week brings.

I started doing a fitness class called NIA and I love it so much. It's a little pricey and I'm going to have to give up my vocal lessons to do it every month, but if it helps, I'm going to do it. I can't just keep running on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike, or lifting weights. My attention span is crap. This class is fun and very welcoming (even though I still feel like an idiot sometimes). It's a mix of yoga, tai chi, and dance (I wanna say a mix of jazz and ballet). The only bad part is I think I'm getting a blister because of it.

Congrats on your loss! I would not check measurements more that once every 3 or 4 weeks. Those changes take a bit longer and it is easy to get discouraged if you are expecting too much too soon.

Nia is a great class. The class I've gone to is full of older ladies and they really know how to whoop it up! I'll have to see if I can take an early lunch and try a class again some time. Right now I am really enjoying the pool in addition to my running.

Some days I can go longer but I think some days I count faster...lol

Happy Sunday everyone!!

I hope you are all keeping warm - it seems that many of you were in that area that got a lot of snow!

Let's start with the QOTD and I will then be back with replies.

QOTD:

Let's chose a lighter topic today: Which place on earth would you love to go and visit if money and all other circumstances (health, security issues etc.) were taken care of?

And I guess I better answer my own question immediately, as I seem to have difficulty to answer my own questions later in the day.

There are so many places I would love to see. I am tempted to pick a place in Africa - I once planned a trip to Zimbabwe, but the planning stopped as the political situation got worse there. But to be honest, the one place I am most longing to get to is Hawaii.

Great question, Magdalene! I would really love to go to every Disney park in the world. I'm sure I should be more enthusiastic about going to other places but anything Disney related really satisfies my soul! It's who I am! :MickeyMo:

Dona, to your DH that he recovers from his fall very soon. This has been a tough year for you guys and injuries.

I haven't been on in a few days because I got busy with life and snow...caught up reading the thread and congrats to all those with weight loss and NSVs this week and to anyone who was disappointed this week, I'm sorry, but lets just keep on trucking in this new week!

Very good point!

Good morning!

First off I want to say I read every post and it really helps keep me on track! I don't have a computer, I do everything from my iPhone, so quoting, multi quoting is a pain in the booty. No computer in the near future either - my husband broke our 5th laptop in 5 years, he's definitely not responsible enough for one, lol! As for the QOTD... Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm terrified of flying, with enough medication I can just barely do the 2 1/2 hour non stop flight to Disney. In fall 2011, my parents spent 5 weeks in Africa, their pictures are amazing! It's really inspired me to try and get over my fear of flying. So in November 2012 I flew the 4 1/2 hours to Mexico. Lots of Meds and Patron got me on plane, however, I'm not really setting a good example for the kids. So for now, I'll pick Disney!! And keep working on my fear of flying

Melinda, I am so impressed that you do all your posting on your iPhone. That shows dedication! and a for your flying issue.

Last call for weigh ins. I will be posting the results in Post 3 some time tomorrow so if you haven't sent your PM, the time is now! Everyone is doing great and we should see some pretty colors soon.

 

[Eliza32]

Question of the Day:

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Are you aware of how fast you eat and does the "speed of eating" have something to do with your portion sizes?

Left to my own devices, I am a fast eater, but as I'm trying to lose weight, I've been trying to slow down and actually appreciate the food more, now that it's home cooked not out of a packet!! I usually try to eat whilst holding a conversation about my day with Hubs, or if he is not there, I eat whilst surfing the net, thus slowing down my shovelling as I need hands for the keyboard!!!

I have also invested in 2 IKEA 365 china pasta plates (big white soup plate type thing!). We eat nearly all of our meals out of these now - there is less volume in there. On a plate, I can pile it high without even thinking about it, but I like to keep the content of the bowl below the rim for some reason. Hey, whatever works for me right??!!!!