From ZERO to HERO - The October 2015 W.I.S.H. Challenge

JacknSally said:

Welcome, welcome, WELCOME! And THANK YOU for bringing that insight into your post. You said it best when you said "Well-- part of helping myself with this is being willing to look at it honestly, right?" --- That is exactly what I love the most about these challenges. If you are really honest with yourself, you can learn or realize some amazingly eye-opening things. It's really tough to do. You have to set aside the excuses and the justifications and really pinpoint what you do, why you do it, and how you might be able to change that. It's amazing how much of a head game losing weight is!

OK, I think I'm going to set my MFP back up tomorrow. I've been using LoseIt! and I really love it, though a large part of that is because all of my food is already saved there, so I don't have to re-log everything, haha. But it looks like the majority of us are MFP users, and I know you can be friends through the app, so if anybody wants a buddy, let me know!

Good luck to you on your October journey - I can't wait to see where you end up!

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DisPup75 said:

Welcome! This is a wonderful group and has been great for helping me find balance. This is a hard journey and it is wonderful to have a whole bunch of extra people on your side. I'm glad you are with us.

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Flossbolna said:

Ok, I just decided to come and post here as I am getting the typical evening snack attack! I have done well with eating today, am on course for my 750 calorie deficit after I went out for a 30 minute run (even did some speed work!). So, I feel great about myself, but really want to snack this and that. So, I am trying very hard to just not do that. And post on here instead. I think I will make myself a nice cup of tea and then lock the kitchen door! Thanks for listening!!!

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courtneybeth said:

We talked about it and it seems we'll be doing a second trip next year for Food and Wine for my birthday. I've never been, so depending on the schedule we'll also do MNSSHP too!

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Flossbolna said:

Ok, I just decided to come and post here as I am getting the typical evening snack attack! I have done well with eating today, am on course for my 750 calorie deficit after I went out for a 30 minute run (even did some speed work!). So, I feel great about myself, but really want to snack this and that. So, I am trying very hard to just not do that. And post on here instead. I think I will make myself a nice cup of tea and then lock the kitchen door! Thanks for listening!!!

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NOOOOOOOO DON'TTT DOOOO ITTTTT!!! Drink a full 8oz. glass of water (minimum) and tell yourself you're going to wait 15 minutes and if you still want that snack in 15 minutes then you can have it. I bet that you won't want it anymore!!

pjlla said:

Sounds like you have a GREAT plan in place! BTW, can I ask about your Disboard user name? Are you a swimmer? Just asking because DD was a swimmer for 11 years.....I have a soft spot in my heart for swimmers!

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pjlla said:

Butt Paste (aka A&D ointment or diaper rash cream.... also useful for many issues!)

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Raenstoirm said:

I was doing great, eating well and running every week and racing a half marathon or other race at least once a month. Then I broke my hip, a stress fracture caused by all the running.

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SwimminAtAKL said:

...Did you say...Butt paste??? I want to ask ...wha? ...why? But I'm not sure I want to know... Great concept, though. BUTT PASTE!

Please excuse my Beavis & Butt-head moment...

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SwimminAtAKL said:

Thanks, Maggie! I'm so glad to be here. Although so far I've had trouble keeping up with the thread! I'm making so many positive changes right now, I'm feeling very busy and haven't got my schedule well sorted out quite yet. I'll get there!

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SwimminAtAKL said:

Hey there, Hi there! I picked my username because...I LOVE the AKL pool! It's my happy place, and I visualize it and imagine swimming there sometimes when things feel rough! It's just one of my favorite places on the planet. I have it totally locked into my memory...I can feel that wonderful water on my skin, and feel that luminescent blue-green in the back of my eyes...with the wonderful tropical foliage, echoes of African drums....

...Along with the occasional stench of flamingoes, wafting in the sultry evening air...

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JacknSally said:

Good morning, and welcome! 5-lbs is completely do-able, especially with as active as you probably are. Just be careful with your diet plans - at your age and with your (assumed) activity levels, you definitely don't want to undercut your nutrients and calories! Obviously I do not know your health history or weight (or have any medical expertise myself!), but keep in mind that your body will naturally do some of the work for you over the next few years. Also, not trying to belittle anything by anymeans, but "overweight" means different things at different points of your life - I have been "overweight" my whole life, but I would give ANYTHING to be "overweight" like I was in highschool vs. "overweight" like I am now . There's an e-card somewhere that says "I would give anything to be as skinny as I was when I thought I was fat." and boy is that true for me and my teenage/college years. By no means was I the smallest person around, but I was much smaller than I am now. ANYWAY. I say all that to say this - only YOU know yourself, but definitely please don't kill yourself or go to any extremes to lose weight. Focus instead on being healthy, and the other stuff will come with it. We are here to help!

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JacknSally said:

QOTD for Monday, October 5, 2015

Personally, I feel like it's harder to stay on track on the weekends than through the week. With work Monday-Friday, I have a schedule that doesn't really fluctuate much, and it's easy to have my routine and stick with it for the most part. But weekends are a free-for-all of errands, projects, snacks, and take-out.

So let's take a look at our first October weekends! How did you do? Were there any roadblocks or speed bumps along the way? If so, were they things you have to deal with every weekend, in which case you need to come up with a new way of attacking that - such as always having to run errands on Saturday which means you usually swing through Starbucks or the McD's drive through at some point during the day, so maybe you should make up some overnight oats or a sandwich Friday evening? Or was it just a one-time special occasion, such as a birthday dinner, or unexpected rain making you miss your evening walk, and you feel like the rest of your weekends will go as originally planned? If you didn't stick to your plan - DON'T FRET. Today is a new day and it's a new week. If you did stick to your plan - YAY! Keep it up!! ​

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JacknSally said:

SO MUCH CHATTER! So much catching up to do!! SO sorry I didn't make it back around this weekend to be more involved - it ended up being a lot crazier (and not a good crazy!) than ever anticipated... Saturday's bachelorette party did not go well... Sunday we found out that some of the wedding things that had been delegated to others were not even started and the odds of them getting finished in time for the wedding were <1%, so we spent the day adding those things BACK onto our list and trying to figure what of our already-cut-down-to-the-bones list of plans could be cut... Sigh. 19 more days 'til Disney! I will catch up to everyone today and get our week 1 progress report posted!! Can't wait to see how everyone did!


Good Monday morning, everyone! I hope everyone's weeks are off to a great start! Mine has been interesting. Went to bed sick, woke up with a migraine, running a little behind because we cleaned so all of my go-to clothes have disappeared, and I go to start my car and NOTHING... and, of course, DH2B is already halfway to work. Most likely (hoping beyond hope) it's just the battery, and thankfully my parents gifted me a portable/emergency car charger for Christmas a couple of years ago....... but, of course, it hasn't been charged in ages. So it looks like I'm home for the day. Less than ideal as we're implementing a new procedure at work today, I'm off for two weeks in two weeks, and it will end up shorting me on my next paycheck since all of my PTO is scheduled for wedding and honeymoon... But I also know that I NEED the extra day off - for my nerves, my sanity, and my projects. Plus my pup is pretty stoked to have mommy home with him. Here's hoping the rest of the week goes more smoothly than this!

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QOTD for Monday, October 5, 2015

Personally, I feel like it's harder to stay on track on the weekends than through the week. With work Monday-Friday, I have a schedule that doesn't really fluctuate much, and it's easy to have my routine and stick with it for the most part. But weekends are a free-for-all of errands, projects, snacks, and take-out.

So let's take a look at our first October weekends! How did you do? Were there any roadblocks or speed bumps along the way? If so, were they things you have to deal with every weekend, in which case you need to come up with a new way of attacking that - such as always having to run errands on Saturday which means you usually swing through Starbucks or the McD's drive through at some point during the day, so maybe you should make up some overnight oats or a sandwich Friday evening? Or was it just a one-time special occasion, such as a birthday dinner, or unexpected rain making you miss your evening walk, and you feel like the rest of your weekends will go as originally planned? If you didn't stick to your plan - DON'T FRET. Today is a new day and it's a new week. If you did stick to your plan - YAY! Keep it up!! ​

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dsnyfn1022 said:

Thank you!



Congrats! That's a lot of hard work and a great feeling



I did not stick to my plan this weekend. Saturday I spent the whole day out with my SIL and BIL at a fall festival and then DH and I had evening plans with some friends. The good news is that I mostly resisted all the carnival food (just a couple bites of funnel cake). We didn't have dinner made so stopped by McDonald's so I ate a grilled chicken sandwich without the bun. But I also ate fries

Yesterday, my mom made a buffet of delicious game day food. I did better than I normally do but still ate A LOT more than I had originally planned. Fortunately, I plan on kicking it at the gym this week and still have some WPP left. Next weekend I'll be celebrating my anniversary so it'll be another weekend of food. It's pretty frustrating and yet no one is forcing me to eat. So I guess I'm just frustrated with my lack of self control?

But yay to a new week!

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contempgal said:

First off, I'm way behind in reading all of the posts but will try to catch up as soon as I have a spare moment.

How did I do this weekend? Good in some regards, bad in others. I did great in the activity category. My DD got up at 6:00 on Saturday morning (what!) so I was on the go all day. I was able to get 45 minutes of step aerobics. Then I did laundry, cleaned and played with her all day. I ended up with almost 25,000 steps on my fitbit. Similarly, we were up early yesterday and I got in another 45 minutes of step activity and then was on the go all day. I was at just over 20,000 steps for Sunday. I was pleased with activity. On the other hand, I was not so pleased with my eating habits. I did make a lightened up tuna salad and chicken chili but my friend had stopped by last week and brought cheesecake and I ended up eating some of the leftovers! Ugh. I don't know what it is about rainy weekends and being at home but it makes me want to eat, even when I'm not hungry. That is a constant battle for me. The thoughtless eating. It's a killer. I must get better! I didn't look at the scale after Saturday morning and I'm not going to until check in day so I'm hoping that cheesecake didn't derail me. Focus time!

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pjlla said:

Sounds like you have a good week planned and ready to be fully back on track! I haven't made squash soup in a while..... time to pull out that recipe again!!



Thanks for everyone's good thoughts and prayers for DD and her classmates.... and all the Bermuda people!!

Well.... when I told DH that tonight was a FAMILY DINNER at 6pm, no excuses....he had an excuse. He has an appointment with his trainer at 5:30. And since DS needs to be back at school for 6:45 for Quiz Bowl practice, there goes that idea. So change of plans.... I will pick up DS after school and head into town to buy the supplies for his Halloween costume (he wants it done before I leave for Bermuda..... but no promises!) and then buy him and I dinner out somewhere (probably Subway or Chipotle) and then drive back here to drop him off at the high school for 6:45. Kind of kills the idea of having a productive night at home (making soup, roasting veggies for later in the week, etc), but it will work out.



Fingers crossed for a GORGEOUS fruit platter and NO cookies in sight!!!



Well, this weekend was unusual for us with DMIL's birthday celebration. But many times in the nicer weather, my biggest speed bump is MYSELF! I know we work outside a LOT and if I don't have something firmly planned or even in the crockpot, I arrive inside at 5 pm or 6 pm or even 7 pm exhausted, starving, dirty, and just NOT mentally ready to prepare a full meal. Sometimes I do fall back on sandwich night.... but most of the time I push through and make something for dinner. I am GREAT at meal planning for M-F, but I often fall away from it on the weekends.

I know that perhaps it sounds like I have amazing willpower or determination when I NEVER mention running out for McD's or ordering Dominoes, but remember I live way out in the boondocks and there is NOTHING of the sort around here! We do have a local pizza/sub shop (8 mile drive) that has a pretty standard menu..... I can get a salad in an emergency, but they are nothing special. We have had a Dunkin Donuts here for about 6 years or so, but again, it is 10 miles away (in the opposite direction of the pizza shop) and it just isn't a decent meal replacement option for us. We had a Subway open here last year (also about 10 miles away, same area as the Dunkins), but it makes me cringe to spend close to $18 on just an "adequate" meal for the three of us (6" sub for me, footlong sub for DS and chopped salad with double meat for DH) , not counting any chips or drinks or extras! If we are going to have sandwiches, I can manage that at home!m Believe me, there are days I would give ANYTHING to have take-out just 5 minutes away!!!!

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Phew! Caught up.... and just in time. I have another student to test in 18 minutes and I need a bathroom break!! And fingers crossed that I at least get time for a 10 minute walk outside at some point today! It is chilly, but sunny...............P

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JacknSally said:

Here goes nothing!



Welcome, welcome, welcome @Raenstoirm! I hope we can help you get to where you want to be, even despite your impending surgery and recovery. I know your big focus currently is getting back into running condition, but are there dietary changes you could focus on during your "no exercise" period that would also help get you back to that point?




YAYYYY!!!!




"Great" is an understatement!! That's fanastic!!! So, so proud of and excited for you! Congratulations!



I was just talking to DH2B about the new prices yesterday. I haven't actually seen the prices yet, per sé, but I heard there is a new annual pass option that includes the Memory Maker package at no additional cost? I haven't done any research on the ins-and-outs and fine print and prices along with any of it, largely because AP's just aren't practical for us any time soon... But depending on the bottom dollar, that pass may be a heck of a deal! So sorry that you're looking at such a large, unexpected chunk. Especially near the holidays!



Good morning, and welcome! 5-lbs is completely do-able, especially with as active as you probably are. Just be careful with your diet plans - at your age and with your (assumed) activity levels, you definitely don't want to undercut your nutrients and calories! Obviously I do not know your health history or weight (or have any medical expertise myself!), but keep in mind that your body will naturally do some of the work for you over the next few years. Also, not trying to belittle anything by anymeans, but "overweight" means different things at different points of your life - I have been "overweight" my whole life, but I would give ANYTHING to be "overweight" like I was in highschool vs. "overweight" like I am now . There's an e-card somewhere that says "I would give anything to be as skinny as I was when I thought I was fat." and boy is that true for me and my teenage/college years. By no means was I the smallest person around, but I was much smaller than I am now. ANYWAY. I say all that to say this - only YOU know yourself, but definitely please don't kill yourself or go to any extremes to lose weight. Focus instead on being healthy, and the other stuff will come with it. We are here to help!



SO GLAD she is good and safe, and sending all good vibes that it stays that way. Will any parts of the storm or its aftermath on any areas affect your trip in any way? I saw pictures last night of the flooding in South Carolina, and oh my goodness.



YES! I had DH2B buy extra ziplocs at Kroger the other day, and he thought I was crazy because we have plenty at the house for our every-day-Ziploc-usage. He'll thank me in the end, though, when we find little odds-and-ends that we forgot to pack up, or his smelly socks need to be confined away from the rest of the clothes in the suitcase.

Hoping you have a yummy yummy healthy free lunch today!!



I. Love. Game-day food. We aren't sports people, but for NYE or for the Tony awards, we'll have "crap night", where we just get a ton of the frozen appetizer-y foods (like taquitos and pizza rolls and bbq chicken bites) and pig out on the spread while watching the show on TV.... on the calories, but oh so good.



You've got this! Don't beat yourself up too much over the cheesecake. As long as it wasn't a whole one, or some of one every day, or several times a day, it won't wreck you! Just don't let it be that first slippery slope step.



Thank you for your kind words and empathy! They didn't carry over in the quote, but honestly it's more helpful than you know to just once have someone NOT say "I don't see what the issue is. I mean, [insert project delegated or new item added to the list or new unexpected roadblock here] isn't really that big a deal, is it? Can't you just figure out something else?" Yes, of course, MIL-to-be, you're right that all of the centerpieces that you begged and begged me to let you do, which are really the only decorations we're having in the room at all, are really not that big a deal and we can EASILY come up with a new plan for 21-centerpieces, 2 weeks out, on a less than miniscule budget. How early in the day is too early for a glass of wine?

But I do agree about the D.I. this morning.. All day yesterday I toyed with the idea of calling in sick to work, even though I hate to do it, and don't even call in when I AM sick unless it's something bad... Then my car wouldn't start and I almost immediately thought "Well, someone must KNOW that I don't need to go to work today".

So sorry your Monday night family dinner isn't coming together after all! Hopefully you and DS will have a good mother-son dinner instead, though, and DH will just have to suffer knowing he's missing out on Chipotle! I can't justify Subway, either. If I want a sandwich, why spend $6 minimum when I have bread, meat, and cheese at home, and this will end up unsatisfying because it will be drowning in toppings and be more bread that anything else anyway? But, we are in the minority, as the number of Subway storefronts in my area makes it look like it's all anyone in town eats.


_______________________________________________________

I think I'm caught up! I will do another read through in a while and see what I missed, because I am SURE there is something, and I will get the chart updated today, too. Bonus day for anyone who didn't get their updates posted this weekend, or who saw a better number today than they did on Saturday or Sunday! My delay means you can still submit if you'd like. Off to see what projects I can get through!

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contempgal said:

Glad to know this.....I was worried about the calories for my upcoming trip. Haha

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meghammy said:

I haven't had time to update in a few days, so here's the past few days all in one go



1. I need to lose weight for my health, but my actual motivation is to be able to ride ALL the rides at WDW and UO. I was unable to ride the Dragon Challenge at UO last year, and that will NOT be happening next year! And to wear the cute Disney/Marvel/Star Wars clothes they don't make in my sizes.
2. I'm keeping myself motivated by TELLING people I'm working towards losing weight. This makes me feel more accountable.
3. Little electronic happies are always a good reward, but I think the questions are going to be my biggest help from you wonderful people!



I take my 3B cream any time I'll be walking in shorts! It helps prevent chaffing and is a LIFE SAVER! I also always have some form of antacid, because they are SUPER expensive to buy on the road. But who knows, maybe after I lose this weight, I won't need these items anymore!
Sunscreen, because my pasty white skin burns so easily.
Breakfast/protein bars, instead of spending money on sugary breakfasts at the resorts or park.
I also always make sure I have my favorite water bottle (so I don't keep buuying soda!).

I listen to Disney music 90% of the trip to WDW, and recommend taking a Disney movie (or 5!) to increase the excitement! (As if that is really needed!)

As for apps, I don't have any specifically helpful ones other than WDW experience. But my tip for this (though it's probably out there quite a bit) is to turn your phone to airplane mode and use the WDW wifi. This helps save your battery. I never dipped below 40% battery life, even on our 20 hour MK day, which featured LOTS of pictures and WDW Experience checking



My roadblock this weekend was visiting family. I live 6 hours from my family and 6 hours from DBf's family, and we do not get a lot of time off, so we take off to visit whenever we get the chance. We finagled a whole week off to visit both families, and are currently on leg 2 The biggest issue with these trips is that everyone wants to eat out and go to the bar (which results in fast food or pizza after). This was definitely not a normal weekend, so hopefully this won't be an issue most of the time!

Phew, all done!

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DVCFan1994 said:

UGH. This weekend was rough. It was jammed packed with stuff to do with the kids and my husband was out of town, so I was on my own to accomplish it all. In additional I had unexpected overnight guests Saturday which meant getting the house ready after being neglected all last week due to how busy I was. So, I ended up with fast food for lunch Saturday and Sunday. On the plus side, I realized, as much as I grew up loving fast food, I really don't like it at all anymore. I actually couldn't finish my chicken sandwich from McDonalds yesterday the chicken was so gross. I almost always have healthy fast options prepped at home. My DS(9) has several food allergies, and fast food is not an easy option for us. But he was up for the few choices we had this weekend, probably because it had been so long since we'd had it, and I took advantage of the convenience. So eating wise, the weekend was awful. On top of that, with DH out of town I had no one to watch the kids while I went for a run (Saturdays overnight guests left too early). So exercise was also lacking from what I normally do.

In short, weekends are always a challenge, but I usually set myself and my family up for success by being sure I have good food options ready to go as we enter the weekend, and this weekend I was just too busy both heading into the weekend and as it progressed. Lesson learned and I will be sure to be better about it in 3 weeks when DH heads out of town again.

On the plus side, the scale moved for a first time in a while. Not much, .3 pounds, but I will take it! And sorry I have been MIA so much, I am just WAAAAY busier than normal right now.

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courtneybeth said:

I did fairly good for this first weekend -- walked about 30,000 steps over the course of two days and stuck to my plan. It's day 5 of the month and I haven't had any candy yet -- which is awesome. I did have a Mickey waffle yesterday - so that was my splurge for the weekend.



We talked about it and it seems we'll be doing a second trip next year for Food and Wine for my birthday. I've never been, so depending on the schedule we'll also do MNSSHP too!




Once you get past the magic gates, the pounds come on and you go home with a souvenir

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Flossbolna said:

Ok, I just decided to come and post here as I am getting the typical evening snack attack! I have done well with eating today, am on course for my 750 calorie deficit after I went out for a 30 minute run (even did some speed work!). So, I feel great about myself, but really want to snack this and that. So, I am trying very hard to just not do that. And post on here instead. I think I will make myself a nice cup of tea and then lock the kitchen door! Thanks for listening!!!

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SwimminAtAKL said:

Thanks, Maggie! I'm so glad to be here. Although so far I've had trouble keeping up with the thread! I'm making so many positive changes right now, I'm feeling very busy and haven't got my schedule well sorted out quite yet. I'll get there!

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SwimminAtAKL said:

...Did you say...Butt paste??? I want to ask ...wha? ...why? But I'm not sure I want to know... Great concept, though. BUTT PASTE!

Please excuse my Beavis & Butt-head moment...

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JacknSally said:

A&D ointment is a topical ointment used for rashes and dry skin. I used some on my tattoos to keep the moisturizer after getting them. I am betting it was recommended here for chafing. I have body glide ready to go for both myself and DH2B, and baby powder and/or Gold Bond on my need to get list!

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belle032 said:

Yesterday was a killer! Football game days are the worst for trying to stay healthy! Went to a friends house and all it was was beer, pizza, wings, dip, etc. Ate way more than I should have and paid the price. Went to bed feeling horrible! Lesson learned!

But today I got up early and officially started the P90x3 program. The good thing about this program is all the workouts are only 30 mins. But let me tell you, that 30 mins is enough! It totally kicked my butt! I even questioned if I was fit enough to handle this program, but I sucked it up and did it anyway. I can already feel the soreness coming on. But its that good type of soreness.

Trying to get back on track eating wise. Had yogurt and granola and an apple and string cheese. Tempted by Starbucks, but am managing to resist so far. And it's a nice (chilly) day so we're grilling turkey burgers and veggies tonight. Definitely want to get some meal planning and grocery shopping done but it looks like that will have to wait til tomorrow! Have a good night everyone!

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Trith said:

So meal prep Sunday was pretty long this week, but that means minimal cooking the next two weeks! As promised, here are some pics (under the spoiler tag so as to not break the thread):

Spoiler

This one's a bit of a cheat as I made them on Friday. Sweet potato protein muffins for an after work snack. 12 servings, 54 cal

Pumpkin spice oatmeal. This one went straight into the freezer. I'll pop three out for breakfast, microwave and add a scoop of protein powder and fiber cereal. 4 servings, 312cal

Pumpkin spice and mocha pancakes. On the side is 'syrup' which is milk and protein powder. Again, they go straight in the freezer to be microwaved as needed. 5 servings each, mocha 205cal, pumpkin 199cal.

Tomato cream sauce. Not a great picture, but tastes pretty good. ~6 servings, 129cal

Lentil meatloaf. Not too sure how this one is going to taste, but it's got awesome macros! ~3 servings from each, 263 cal

Veggie lasagna! Frozen uncooked. 2 servings each. Sent one to my parents. 6 servings, 309cal

Broccoli and cheddar quinoa casserole. ~8 servings, 292cal. Bf loves this one so I have to share.

Ricotta gnocchi action station. These were slightly easier than I thought they would be, but still kind of a pain. ~4 servings, 233cal.

The beginnings of apple crisp, one each for bf, mum and dad. I had some the day before and it just has a bit too much sugar for my tummy.

For a total of 24 servings of lunch/dinners and 14 breakfasts. I take some to my parents and bf eats a bit, but overall not a bad haul.

We have a pretty big haul of unhealthy food left in the house from Saturday, so I haven't eaten all that well the past two days. BUT I have been weighing/tracking everything as best I can and I've been staying under my daily calorie allotment, even if macros are a wee bit skewed.

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courtneybeth said:

Can I have a "woohoo Monday" since my Wednesday last week was terrible? We learned about an annual passholder loophole and were able to score a fairly decent discount on our annual pass predicament. It turns out that the local Disney Stores were still selling the Premium level pass. I went to our local store and got nearly the last two! This allows us to upgrade to Signature Plus level at the old Premium Price!!!! YEAH!

Just saved us nearly $700 between the two of us; so so so excited and relieved.

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DisPup75 said:

My free lunch was something of a disaster (tree nuts in both the salad and on the fruit tray and im deathly allergic) but I managed to ignore the chips and the cookies and just stick with a sandwich so not too bad of a points total. Still, it was kind of dry and tasteless and if I'm going to spend points on a deli sandwich, I'd rather it be a good one!

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JacknSally said:

Participants
- @JacknSally
- @ANforever1030
- @Trith
- @ilovevacation
- @DisPup75
- @Flossbolna
- @robndani
- @mickeyfanachey1999
- @pjlla
- @bigsis1970
- @courtneybeth
- @SwimminAtAKL
- @dsnyfn1022


Future Hosting Schedule
- November 2015 - @courtneybeth ("No One Loses Weight Like Gaston" Challenge)
- December 2015 - @pjlla (Tentative - if anyone would like to host for December, feel free to volunteer!)


We are still in need of a host for December 2015, so we can finish out the year (and the holiday season!) with a BANG! Any volunteers? It can even be a group activity, if we have multiple volunteers!

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contempgal said:

I’m Amanda and this is my very first WISH Challenge! Yippee!!! So, a bit about myself….let’s see….I’m 38 years old. I can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t overweight. Sometimes that thought depresses me. Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to be a normal size. I guess I’m lucky in the sense that my weight never seemed to make me any different from anyone else in high school and even in college. BUT THEN….I got married. It wasn’t a good marriage. Not in any sense of the word. And I think I used food to cope with it, which made this already big girl an even bigger one!

I was still wearing blinders then….UNTIL….one day I was walking down the street and some guys yell “Earthquake” at me. While extremely hurtful, that was the moment that FINALLY opened my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I had become. I was 310 pounds and miserable.

The next few years brought several changes. A divorce. An exercise regiment. Better eating habits. An establishment of self worth! It was, and still is, a roller coaster process.

By 2011, I was at 220 pounds. That’s huge to many but was awesome to me. I was sooooo looking forward to finally seeing a 1 at the beginning of my weight. BUT THEN….I got pregnant. TOTAL SURPRISE.

I didn’t really gain much weight during my pregnancy but started slowly packing the pounds back on after my little princess was born. By January of this year, I was up to 270 pounds and was miserable AGAIN. I started back to exercising, back to eating better but also found that rollercoaster again. Did I mention that I HATE rollercoasters!

So now, I’m around 240 pounds (will weigh in exactly to start this challenge). Better than I was. Not nearly where I want to be. I’m not getting any younger and have a small child. I want to be there for her as she grows older. And by “there,” I don’t just mean being with her, I mean doing things with her. I don’t want my weight to hold me back in any way. And as an added bonus, I’d also LOVE to be able to ride on an airplane without a seatbelt extender.

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ANforever1030 said:

Well, I'm in for another fantastic month!

I don't think I've actually fully introduced myself to the group yet.

Hello my name is Nathan. I am the N in ANforever1030. I do talk about my DW2B on here occasionally. We are getting married on October 30 and leaving November 3 for our Disneymoon! Similarly to @JacknSally I am using my upcoming nuptials as a goal for weight loss, but it is not the end goal.

I was athletically nerdy growing up. I was usually a little taller and athletics came naturally, but I was never truly muscular or faster than those my age. I stopped getting taller my senior year of high school/freshman year of college and that first semester of college put on the traditional freshman 15 (or in my case it was probably closer to freshman 25) as I was mostly eating pizza or whatever I could get from the on-campus store as I regularly missed meals. My second semester I enrolled in a racquetball course and began lifting weights. I dropped most of the weight and actually put on some muscle. This continued to repeat itself for the next couple years until I started working out with some friends who did amateur bodybuilding. I actually got interested when I was about five months away from visiting a cousin for her wedding in California and wanted to look good on the beach. I dropped about 30-40 lbs and looked good doing it. I even continued after the wedding and began training for my own first competition. Unfortunately, before I could get there I caught pneumonia, then tore a shoulder muscle within the same month. I kept eating the same way I did while I had been training though and put on about 30 lbs.

Over the years I kept getting into the pattern of gaining some, hitting a new high in weight, then dropping about half of what I'd gained, then falling back into the old habits. Late last year, I realized something needed to change. I was tired all the time. I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I had a chronic cough which I found out was due to my chronic acid reflux. I stepped on the scale and I was at 317 lbs. I may have a big build at 6' and enough muscle that I shouldn't drop below 205-215 lbs, but even so I couldn't believe I had gotten that big. I knew something needed to change and I needed to drive that change. So, my DW2B and I began exploring different options. We tried the GM cleanse -- that did not work AT ALL. We then began a nutrition program she got from Dr. Oz's website. It helped get the weight loss started. Following that I got into the gym. We planned a vacation to Mexico in April and I wanted to lose 50 lbs before then. I worked extremely hard, busted my tail and achieved the 50 lb. mark the day before we left.

Of course, while in Mexico I drank...A LOT. It was all-inclusive and I definitely took advantage of that. I also ate...A LOT. We were on Isla Mujeres and there were numerous local establishments with fantastic food. When I got home I found that I had gained about 15 lbs in six days. I should have gotten back to the gym and eating properly right away, but I didn't. As a result, in late July, after a summer of not working out and eating out way too frequently I found myself at 307 lbs. So, I began using StrongLifts 5x5 as a workout program and watching what I eat. I haven't gotten to the point where I track every calorie, although I have definitely considered it, but I do make sure I am in the gym three days a week and usually spend about 1.5 hours lifting, then stretching. I have dropped my weight down to 282, but more importantly I have seen my muscle mass increase and my fat percentage decrease. I have exponentially more energy today than I did ten months ago and I am excited about walking around Walt Disney World and no longer apprehensive about it.

I am only seven pounds away from my wedding goal of 275, although I will likely set 270 as my final wedding goal now that it seems within reach.

I can't wait to spend more time talking with everyone this month

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ilovevacation said:

Hello everyone. I'm in for the first time. My name is Melissa and I'm from pittsburgh, the city that puts fries on everything. I am turning 33 next month and have been on a healthy lifestyle journey for the last 3 years. I was always average, never thin or overweight. I have migraines and hit a rough patch in my late 20s. The medicine that I was on, coupled with being depressed from feeling awful, I packed on some weight. I peaked at 150 which was a lot, I was usually around 120 and in 5`1. So, prior to my 30th I joined weight watchers. I got down to 115, but it was all diet and no regular exercise.
I kept the weight off until this spring. I gained a few pounds here and there, in actually dont know how much I weigh, last time I checked I was in the mid 120s. I ended up hating myself for letting myself go. I wasn't mentally ready for weight watchers. I loved it and know I can eat whatever I want in it, but I worried if I failed I would go down a path that would be hard to turn around.
I randomly bought a jaw bone in the beginning of august. I started running, until my ankle told me it didn't like to run. I walk, play golf (walk with my clubs) or do insanity 3 to 4 times a week.
I feel great, but in feel even better that I am not doing it for weugh loss, for an end (class reunion, etc...), or anyone other than myself .
My goal is to get my 10k steps everyday, but be ok with myself if i don't. I am gone 15 hours a day and there are days I can't exercise. I want my overall step average to be 10k.
I fear about putting my weight out there. I don't want to be judged for being a healthy weight. I just want to feel better on the inside.
I look forward to continue on my health journey with all of you!

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