~WISH Away The Pounds~ AMAZING APRIL 2014 Challenge! *All Welcome!*

[beno44]

I mostly do high school, but also a little K-8, big kids are easier for me to deal with..

 

[lloydy]

Hotel food ideas. Welll...... will you have a fridge? Microwave? Are you flying or driving or train travel?

If you bring along a cooler or have a fridge, I would definitely bring along low fat cheese snacks (Laughing Cow or Baby Belle or string cheese), carrot and celery sticks, yogurt, hummus. Also (no fridge needed here).... apples, oranges, bananas, nuts, high fiber granola/snack bars, pretzels.

Are you thinking of whole meals or just snacks or breakfast in the room?

I'll help you come up with a plan if you give me a few more

Sorry you were so hungry! Hope you found a good meal!

Some great ideas for me on here already. The snacks are organised around the ideas you have suggested. The main meals are a worry. Breakfast is at the hotel, so I can have the usual porridge. Lunch is a granola type bar which is part of the diet plan. So... Evening meal? We will eat out - I am a really fussy eater and only really like stuff that is bad for me.

 

[lloydy]

I forgot to mention that we are driving but we won't have a microwave. We have a fridge in the room.

 

[Flossbolna]

Some great ideas for me on here already. The snacks are organised around the ideas you have suggested. The main meals are a worry. Breakfast is at the hotel, so I can have the usual porridge. Lunch is a granola type bar which is part of the diet plan. So... Evening meal? We will eat out - I am a really fussy eater and only really like stuff that is bad for me.

not really sure what you like - but a few thing I have done when I go to the cafeteria at work for lunch and have to work with what they offer there:

if there is a fired/baked fish (I am thinking fish and chips like): don't eat the batter, but just the fish inside. I know, difficult as the batter is the best thing! But you do get some very niche healthy fish inside the batter! And if you just have peas, no fries with it, it is quite a healthy meal.

Same goes with chicken - if there is a breaded chicken breast on the menu, you can just eat the chicken inside, not the crust.

Pasta: spaghettis with a plain tomato sauce are not too bad. Just watch your portion size on this and stay away from bread that they might serve with it. Maybe order a mixed salad as a starter.

Thai: I love Thai food and often get a green or red vegetable curry. It does have a lot of fat thanks to the coconut in it, but if you watch your amount of rice and don't take all the sauce they serve you, this can work as a fairly health meal as well.

Pizza: order a pizza with ham and/or vegetables without cheese. Might sound odd, but tastes better than you would think. Also: consider to share a pizza and a nice salad.

General tips: avoid anything that is ground meat (usually very fatty), try to get lean fish or chicken breasts and vegetable sides. I often find that plain rice is the easiest starchy side to get in a healthy form as most potato dishes come with lots of fat (like fries, scalloped potatoes etc.). If ordering a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. The best version is if they give you a bottle of oil and vinegar for you to pour over your salad as then you can just drizzle on a teaspoon of olive oil and some vinegar. Stay away from deserts (that should be obvious!), but if you can't resist, look out for ones that are made with lots of fruit. For example (think of English puddings now - which I love!) an apple crumble is preferable to a sticky toffee pudding. And in general: consider sharing!!

Hope this helps!

 

[Flossbolna]

Not the best day today. Did not make the wisest food choices.

But it had its great moments. I am so happy with my decision to not step on the scale anymore. It makes me look at my body more and the amazing thing is: it seems to be changing on nearly a daily basis!!

Also I really did not want to do my exercise today. I am getting to the point where I just feel plain exhausted. I wonder how that is going to work when I move on to the next level, which will be more difficult, on Sunday! But even though I did not want to, I put on my workout clothes and gave it the best I could. It is so strange that there are some exercises which killed me when I first tried them and now feel quite confident about. But then there are others where I seemingly did not make any progress. The worst thing is when you have to go from plank with straight arms to plan with your underarm on the floor and then up again. I can only push myself up with the left arm, not the right arm. It just does not work! Anyway - the positive was that I constantly kept giving it that little extra effort, trying to get out of my comfort zone to that point where the magic happens!

I am also starting to come up with exercise strategy for while I am on vacation. I am counting on going for regular runs, but I think I need to do some additional exercise on a daily or at least every other day basis to keep at least some of that conditioning that I built up over the six weeks before the cruise. Hm, I wonder how silly I will feel if I do crunches, planks, lunges (I do hat those!!) etc. in a hotel gym. But I guess I will just have to live with that...

 

[lloydy]

not really sure what you like - but a few thing I have done when I go to the cafeteria at work for lunch and have to work with what they offer there:

if there is a fired/baked fish (I am thinking fish and chips like): don't eat the batter, but just the fish inside. I know, difficult as the batter is the best thing! But you do get some very niche healthy fish inside the batter! And if you just have peas, no fries with it, it is quite a healthy meal.

Same goes with chicken - if there is a breaded chicken breast on the menu, you can just eat the chicken inside, not the crust.

Pasta: spaghettis with a plain tomato sauce are not too bad. Just watch your portion size on this and stay away from bread that they might serve with it. Maybe order a mixed salad as a starter.

Thai: I love Thai food and often get a green or red vegetable curry. It does have a lot of fat thanks to the coconut in it, but if you watch your amount of rice and don't take all the sauce they serve you, this can work as a fairly health meal as well.

Pizza: order a pizza with ham and/or vegetables without cheese. Might sound odd, but tastes better than you would think. Also: consider to share a pizza and a nice salad.

General tips: avoid anything that is ground meat (usually very fatty), try to get lean fish or chicken breasts and vegetable sides. I often find that plain rice is the easiest starchy side to get in a healthy form as most potato dishes come with lots of fat (like fries, scalloped potatoes etc.). If ordering a salad, ask for the dressing on the side. The best version is if they give you a bottle of oil and vinegar for you to pour over your salad as then you can just drizzle on a teaspoon of olive oil and some vinegar. Stay away from deserts (that should be obvious!), but if you can't resist, look out for ones that are made with lots of fruit. For example (think of English puddings now - which I love!) an apple crumble is preferable to a sticky toffee pudding. And in general: consider sharing!!

Hope this helps!

Thank you for all this advice. There is a lot here that I feel I can achieve now, I was worried I would be really off the wagon. I will need a large spoonful of willpower too.
I am confident that I can do this. We have a swimming pool and gym, so a good plan will be to utilise these too.

I had a good look into the Jillian Michaels revolution pack. It is so much cheaper in USA, I will try and get it when we visit this summer. Hats off to you for keeping going with it so far. 6 days is a tough programme to follow. You have done so well. When you are ready, just focus on your new look and your healthy approach. Your body will be strong and you will feel great if you can make the next step. You can do it!
Thank you for this great advice.

 

[lloydy]

Not the best day today. Did not make the wisest food choices.

But it had its great moments. I am so happy with my decision to not step on the scale anymore. It makes me look at my body more and the amazing thing is: it seems to be changing on nearly a daily basis!!

Also I really did not want to do my exercise today. I am getting to the point where I just feel plain exhausted. I wonder how that is going to work when I move on to the next level, which will be more difficult, on Sunday! But even though I did not want to, I put on my workout clothes and gave it the best I could. It is so strange that there are some exercises which killed me when I first tried them and now feel quite confident about. But then there are others where I seemingly did not make any progress. The worst thing is when you have to go from plank with straight arms to plan with your underarm on the floor and then up again. I can only push myself up with the left arm, not the right arm. It just does not work! Anyway - the positive was that I constantly kept giving it that little extra effort, trying to get out of my comfort zone to that point where the magic happens!

I am also starting to come up with exercise strategy for while I am on vacation. I am counting on going for regular runs, but I think I need to do some additional exercise on a daily or at least every other day basis to keep at least some of that conditioning that I built up over the six weeks before the cruise. Hm, I wonder how silly I will feel if I do crunches, planks, lunges (I do hat those!!) etc. in a hotel gym. But I guess I will just have to live with that...

How about putting a few motivational songs/ tunes on your iPod or phone etc have either a portable speaker or your headphones and do them in the hotel room? Not sure if that would work, but sooooooo want you to succeed as you have worked so hard

I don't really know what plank is, I may know the move etc but not the term, I have real trouble holding my weight on one hand, there is a yoga move that does this and it puts real strain on my arm and wrist. You can't quite adapt it, I have tried but it seems an all or nothing move. I think as your whole body tones, it will be achieved but in time. Keep going - to help get over those hurdles.

 

[jenne]

I had been thinking about this very topic all day. I have been pretty faithful to healthy eating and WW since I retuned from WDW. I have been doing well with my food choices. What I am happiest with is the fact that when I do slip up, it is a BRIEF slip up now - I used to thow in the towel for the whole day or even the WHOLE WEEK in the past! Now, if I am really craving something, I just have it and move on. I have also noticed that I don't mindlessly eat anymore. I can remember, not too long ago, standing in my kitchen with a mouthful of peanut butter - and having no recollection of eating it AT ALL!

My dilema is ..... I can feel myself starting to get bored with my food choices. I really try to avoid the refined carbs because I just can't seem to stop at a reasonable portion. The cut veggies and apple or pear are starting to get old. Any other suggestions for that late afternoon or evening craving?

 

[TheRose227]

QOTD: What other healthy habits have you developed (or are you trying to develop) along with losing weight and exercising? Are you trying to quit smoking? Eliminate artificial sweeteners? Reduce caffeine? Reduce stress?

I'm trying to be more organized. I'm usually such a planner with my life but recently with so much I've been such a mess. I usually plan my meals out for everything. I really haven't which is probably the explanation of my non-loss

QOTD: When you're in a hurry and tired, what is one of your healthy go-to meals that you prepare? Or, maybe, you can't prepare, what are the good to go snacks that you rely on?

We are taking a short family break to Cardiff, Wales. I have to attend a residential course teaching English as an Additional Language (advanced). Then there is a literary festival to visit and we have tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters, who I dreamed of seeing since I was very young. ( so a life goal). Staying in a hotel and trying to plan food...

Any ideas welcome

I keep clementines in my purse and always portion out snacks of tortilla chips and 100 cal packs of guacamole. I also have kept usually make some of my chicken nuggets to grab in a last minute when I haven't really made enough for lunch!

*******
Like I said I have a mystery no-loss. And I think it's from not planning out my meals or doing anything with that. I also went to my parents and have been keeping up with my grandmother the past few days. She isn't really mobile, but she doesn't listen or understand that fact so it's an adventure and tiring to keep up with her!

I did have my dress fitting for the wedding! While I might only be down a few lbs since I bought it, it looked so much better than when I purchased it. So I think my next move it to stop being so dependent on the number and be better at just looking at clothes feel, how I feel because I have way more energy and can do so much more than even a month ago.

 

[lloydy]

I had been thinking about this very topic all day. I have been pretty faithful to healthy eating and WW since I retuned from WDW. I have been doing well with my food choices. What I am happiest with is the fact that when I do slip up, it is a BRIEF slip up now - I used to thow in the towel for the whole day or even the WHOLE WEEK in the past! Now, if I am really craving something, I just have it and move on. I have also noticed that I don't mindlessly eat anymore. I can remember, not too long ago, standing in my kitchen with a mouthful of peanut butter - and having no recollection of eating it AT ALL!

My dilema is ..... I can feel myself starting to get bored with my food choices. I really try to avoid the refined carbs because I just can't seem to stop at a reasonable portion. The cut veggies and apple or pear are starting to get old. Any other suggestions for that late afternoon or evening craving?

We have so much in common! Getting bored...This was one of the reasons I bought in a diet plan (I did initially regret the expense) but it provides calorie controlled portions and the food is different to my usual choices. I am going to be honest and say I don't eat healthy snacks per se. I eat snacks that are calorie controlled, but they are potatoe chips and cookies ( crisps and biscuits as we call them). So mentally perhaps I am kidding myself that I am not on a diet. If I was more healthy ( like the veggies and fruit that you eat) I may lose more, but I would not be able to stick to it - I am a really fussy eater and I don't like veg or fruit, I make myself eat it, but like a big kid I have to tell myself it is something else (in order to physically eat it). There we are, I have said it, I am a rubbish dieter.
A lot of great suggestions on here Jenne and I hope other people can give you some good ideas. The ideas I was given for my trip this weekend are great.

I don't know what the weather is like with you, but making up a soup is kind on the purse strings, quick to access if you are busy with children and research has shown it keeps you feeling fuller for longer, as well as calorie controlled.
Keep going.

 

[lloydy]

I'm trying to be more organized. I'm usually such a planner with my life but recently with so much I've been such a mess. I usually plan my meals out for everything. I really haven't which is probably the explanation of my non-loss



I keep clementines in my purse and always portion out snacks of tortilla chips and 100 cal packs of guacamole. I also have kept usually make some of my chicken nuggets to grab in a last minute when I haven't really made enough for lunch!

*******
Like I said I have a mystery no-loss. And I think it's from not planning out my meals or doing anything with that. I also went to my parents and have been keeping up with my grandmother the past few days. She isn't really mobile, but she doesn't listen or understand that fact so it's an adventure and tiring to keep up with her!

I did have my dress fitting for the wedding! While I might only be down a few lbs since I bought it, it looked so much better than when I purchased it. So I think my next move it to stop being so dependent on the number and be better at just looking at clothes feel, how I feel because I have way more energy and can do so much more than even a month ago.

You are on the right lines here I feel. Thank you for advice re organisation - I feel this is required and the key to success. We are packing for our trip and those suggested snacks are right in there.

It is hard to shift thoughts towards how clothes feel. Go for it!

 

[pjlla]

Morning all and TGIF!!!

Just a quick fly-by to remind you to start sending in those weigh-ins! My PM box is ready! I will continue to accept weigh-ins for this week until Sunday night, at which point I will get page one changed up!!

Off to work in 1st grade.... not sure about my computer access, so no promises about chatting! .........................P

 

[pjlla]

Not the best day today. Did not make the wisest food choices.

But it had its great moments. I am so happy with my decision to not step on the scale anymore. It makes me look at my body more and the amazing thing is: it seems to be changing on nearly a daily basis!!

That is wonderful to hear!!

Also I really did not want to do my exercise today. I am getting to the point where I just feel plain exhausted. I wonder how that is going to work when I move on to the next level, which will be more difficult, on Sunday! But even though I did not want to, I put on my workout clothes and gave it the best I could. It is so strange that there are some exercises which killed me when I first tried them and now feel quite confident about. But then there are others where I seemingly did not make any progress. The worst thing is when you have to go from plank with straight arms to plan with your underarm on the floor and then up again. I can only push myself up with the left arm, not the right arm. It just does not work! Anyway - the positive was that I constantly kept giving it that little extra effort, trying to get out of my comfort zone to that point where the magic happens!

I am also starting to come up with exercise strategy for while I am on vacation. I am counting on going for regular runs, but I think I need to do some additional exercise on a daily or at least every other day basis to keep at least some of that conditioning that I built up over the six weeks before the cruise. Hm, I wonder how silly I will feel if I do crunches, planks, lunges (I do hat those!!) etc. in a hotel gym. But I guess I will just have to live with that...

So impressed that you are working so hard in improving your strength and that you are thinking ahead about your vacation exercises!!

Thank you for all this advice. There is a lot here that I feel I can achieve now, I was worried I would be really off the wagon. I will need a large spoonful of willpower too.
I am confident that I can do this. We have a swimming pool and gym, so a good plan will be to utilise these too.

Pool and gym right there at your fingertips!? That will be great!

I had been thinking about this very topic all day. I have been pretty faithful to healthy eating and WW since I retuned from WDW. I have been doing well with my food choices. What I am happiest with is the fact that when I do slip up, it is a BRIEF slip up now - I used to thow in the towel for the whole day or even the WHOLE WEEK in the past! Now, if I am really craving something, I just have it and move on. I have also noticed that I don't mindlessly eat anymore. I can remember, not too long ago, standing in my kitchen with a mouthful of peanut butter - and having no recollection of eating it AT ALL!

My dilema is ..... I can feel myself starting to get bored with my food choices. I really try to avoid the refined carbs because I just can't seem to stop at a reasonable portion. The cut veggies and apple or pear are starting to get old. Any other suggestions for that late afternoon or evening craving?

You are really making big lifestyle changes when you realize that you don't need to throw the entire DAY/WEEK into the trash when you have a slip-up!! YOU have the power to change a slip-up minute into a BUCKLE DOWN moment!!

Bored with snacks?.... change up the fruit and veggies. Try jicama with hummus, sliced star fruit, cold roasted veggie salad, pea pods with a bit of dip (yogurt and ranch), veggie "sushi", kale and/or spinach "chips". Experiment a little bit! If you are bored with your eating, you need to make some changes! Healthy eating should still be fun and delicious and comforting!

Look for low carb tortillas and wraps and toast those up to make your own chips for healthy dips like "skinny guacamole"!

I'm trying to be more organized. I'm usually such a planner with my life but recently with so much I've been such a mess. I usually plan my meals out for everything. I really haven't which is probably the explanation of my non-loss

Sometimes life gets crazy and I fall off the organizing/planning bandwagon as well, but it definitely start affecting other areas of my life, like my healthy eating! Take an hour or two this weekend and get your planning mojo back on!

I keep clementines in my purse and always portion out snacks of tortilla chips and 100 cal packs of guacamole. I also have kept usually make some of my chicken nuggets to grab in a last minute when I haven't really made enough for lunch!

YUM!

*******
Like I said I have a mystery no-loss. And I think it's from not planning out my meals or doing anything with that. I also went to my parents and have been keeping up with my grandmother the past few days. She isn't really mobile, but she doesn't listen or understand that fact so it's an adventure and tiring to keep up with her!

I did have my dress fitting for the wedding! While I might only be down a few lbs since I bought it, it looked so much better than when I purchased it. So I think my next move it to stop being so dependent on the number and be better at just looking at clothes feel, how I feel because I have way more energy and can do so much more than even a month ago.

Glad you can see the positive side with having more energy! The dress fitting must have been a big boost to your motivation! Can't wait to see pictures!!

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

Well, good morning again! Hope you all are well and healthy! As I said, I'm in 1st grade today, so I'm sure I'll be hopping! And they asked me to work every day next week too. I said yes to Mon-Thurs, but DD has Friday off from classes, so I will take the day off to spend with her.

The men are off to a comedy show tonight, so I have the house to myself. I plan to eat a salad for dinner, splurge a bit on some homemade popcorn and watch a chick flick (after I fold laundry, of course... ). We have nothing on the schedule for the weekend, but DS would like to use his gift certificate for indoor sky-diving, so I will probably call there today to see if they have any openings.

Kiddos will be here momentarily, so I'm going to dash! TTYL..........P

 

[pjlla]

Well.... I don't see a QOTD for today yet, so I'll post a quick FUN FRIDAY question!


FUN FRIDAY QOTD for Friday April 11, 2014:

What is your favorite thing to do and how do you RELAX when you have a bit of time to yourself??


BBL when I get home with my answer and to chat! .............P

 

[lloydy]

QOTD : ( a little late due to travelling)
Think about where you were at the start of your journey and where you are now. List at least one positive thing that you have accomplished. This can be about anything--really think about how your life has changed. I know everyone has at least one thing, because I can think of at least one thing.

Well I am now here in Cardiff with the family. We had a walk around whilst waiting for our hotel room. We took the stairs and thinking about 'where I was' I would have gone for the lift and called short on a walk, whereas today I could really enjoy it so this is a big change.

 

[ohMom]

hello! well bummed that my 10 days of journaling faithfully and exercising much has netted me a loss, then gain. but overall loss of 1.3 lbs , but sadly a gain for this month's challenge. bottom line, I was down more last Friday than I was today ...ugh. I hate the scale

QOTD -- for fun, I like to scrapbook and watch movies. to relax I like to take a long hot bath in the winter. now that it's getting warmer I just bought one of those zero gravity chairs to sit out on the deck and work on my tan, maybe read a spell in the afternoon

I'll be taking over coaching tomorrow, but i'll be gone most of the day. so I'm going to try very very hard to remember to post the weekend QOTD this evening!

 

[Flossbolna]

Jules, a plank is an exercise where you are with your tummy towards the floor, sour feet are on their toes and you support your upper body with your straight arms and you try to make your whole body as flat as possible. Instead of straight arms. Similar like for a push up, but the arms are not out to the side. You can also do it so that you bend your arm and have the lower arm on the floor. There are even more variations. The idea is that you hold that position for quite some time. It trains your stomach, your back and your shoulders as you really need to hold with all muscles you have!

FUN QOTD:

Today I took a bath to relax! But otherwise, often the DIS is what I do to unwind.

Cardiff QOTD:

I think for me the biggest change is that I am starting to be more aware of the portions I eat and to try to eat them slowly. Today I had some crisp bread with lean cold turkey for dinner with carrots. I was very proud of me that I managed to take smaller bites constantly and actually took quite some time to finish my meal!

 

[jenne]

QOTD: For me, it is all about reading. Whenever I get the chance, I will be curled up in my favourite chair wth a good book. I come from a whole family of readers and I even married one! DH and I spent last summer converting our front living room into a library/tea room. That would be my ultimate indulgence - a full afternoon tea - scones and devonshire cream, shortbread, little sandwiches....... Great, now I'm hungry!!!

Thanks again for your awesome tips and fantastic support. You are making this journey enjoyable!

 

[glss1/2fll]

QOTD1: I usually keep some "meals in a bag" in the freezer for nights when tired/hungry. I throw in another bag of frozen veggies with it and a can of some type of bean.

QOTD2: I love to read. I have many, many, many projects around the house that I should be doing, but instead escape into a lovely mystery.

QOTD3: I am watching portion sizes much more closely than I was. Love my food scale!

 

[ohMom]

Weekend QOTD - what have you been looking forward to doing once spring arrived?

I am looking forward to planting flowers and getting a much needed pedicure now that my sandals are coming out of the closet!