August/September Disneyers...let's get in shape for our trip!!

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

I'm starting this thread for all those who want to lose a few (or many) pounds in the next few months to get ready for DISNEY! I know there are others out there in my situation. The weight has been creeping on and all of a sudden you don't recognize the person in the mirror. (For me the mirror lies but when I see photos of myself...oh my!!)

Disney provides lots of photo opps AND you need to be in shape for all that park touring fun, right? So let's motivate each other to get going and get in shape!!!

I think it's motivating to share stats and keep each other posted so here goes:

I'm 31, married mom of 2 (4 and 7) and 5'5. I was around 140 lbs 9 years ago on my wedding day and weighed in this morning at 189! My ultimate goal would be to see the 140s again. My goal for Disney (POP Century August 24-31) is to be down at least 20 lbs.

My DH is also overweight and hates the heat at his weight. He's going to be trying to lose 20-30 too before our trip. (He's 5'11, 255 lbs.) I'll keep you posted on his progress, too!

I would love to hear from others out there looking for support. I think we can help each other!!

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

I quit smoking 2 years ago and put on 20-30 lbs!!!
We are going Aug 20-27, so I am sooooooooo ready to start loosing the weight
Lets do this

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

Congratulations on quitting smoking. I've heard that's waaaay harder than losing weight so just think, if you can do that you can do anything!!

My plan is to go simple-sugar free and limit process foods. I'm also going to try to do some form of exercise everyday. What's your plan? How much of those 20-30 do you think you can lose before the trip?

 

[JacksLilWench]

I wanna join in with you guys! I go the second to last week in September, and want to be down quite a bit! I am going to cut down on processed foods and sugars/sweets and salts/junk food. They're all my downfalls, haha. Tomorrow starts the all-out assault on my diet: no more junk, and more moving around! I'm also probably going to start tracking my exercise minutes on here or my WISH journal...probably my WISH journal so I don't look like a thread hijacker

Can't wait to get started!

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

Welcome Jacks (Kaiti)! I just read a bit of your WISH journal and it sounds like we have similar goals. It looks like you have done ok so far though. You posted awhile back that you were at 192 on your way to 145, right? How far have you come? I'd love it if you posted your progress here, too! I wouldn't call that thread hijacking! It's motivating to know other people are with you and keeping you accountable. Thanks for joining!

I didn't have the best day but not the worst either. No formal exercise but my excuse is that I was running around all day doing errands and cleaning a bit for my sister, brother in law and nephew's visit tonight. We had dinner with them (pasta) and ice cream for dessert. But I kept my portion sizes less than usual. At least I'm being mindful of what's going into my body. Tomorrow we're visiting other relatives but I'm going to plan on exercising afterward, no matter how late it is!

How are you doing Peace?

 

[NickNElliesMom]

Hi, I would love to join you. I'm 38 and single Mom to 2 (ds 11 and dd 8). I need to get and stay motivated, I've been yo-yo dieting for about 2 months now, but I really need to stick with it. I've been doing weight watchers, well I should say, I've been paying for weight watchers, and even weighting in each week, but not following the plan I weighted in today and was actually down 6 ounces, so that was a nice surprise. We'll be at ASmo August 21-28. I have a good 50 pounds to lose, but I will be very happy with 20 pounds by the time we go. Let's keep each other motivated for this!

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

Yay for joining NickNElliesMom! 20 lbs will make a big difference in the August heat! We both have about 15 weeks till our trip. If we lose 1.5-2 lbs per week, we'd more than reach our goal! That seems doable! I have two young kids too so I know it's hard but let's try to post our progress (and trials) regularly to keep each other motivated! If you're already paying for WW I'd say make the most of it! I'm going to try to do it alone (with all of you!) but might join WW or something similar if I don't progress well. In my 20s I could lose weight easily but now that I'm in my 30s it's a whole different story! Hard work and dedication - here I come!!

 

[JacksLilWench]

Welcome Jacks (Kaiti)! I just read a bit of your WISH journal and it sounds like we have similar goals. It looks like you have done ok so far though. You posted awhile back that you were at 192 on your way to 145, right? How far have you come? I'd love it if you posted your progress here, too! I wouldn't call that thread hijacking! It's motivating to know other people are with you and keeping you accountable. Thanks for joining!

Thanks for the welcomes!! I have done okay with my goals, but I could have done much better. I tend to make decisions about what I think might happen, knowing full well that's NOT what's going to happen, lol. I'm rather impulsive so I can get off track pretty easily. But I do have to get it in gear for my upcoming trip!

I had the best intentions when I went to sleep last night of getting up before work and going on a little 1-mile walk...and then I overslept and was 40 minutes late to work So the walk didn't work out too well. I'll just have to go on one after I get off this afternoon!

And since it won't be considered thread-jacking (yay!!) I'm gonna go ahead and post my exercise goal by minutes on here. My goal for May is 620- that's 20 minutes a day for 31 days. I would goal for more, but I know I would fall short of it. And I'd rather exceed a small goal and feel super accomplished than to fall short of a big goal and feel like a failure. If anybody else wants to use that number, please do!

 

[BlackPearl695]

Like everyone else, I have some pounds to lose. I keep trying, but they keep finding me again. AND THEN THEY BRING THEIR FRIENDS! Ideally, I need to drop 60lbs. But I will be happy with any loss before our vacation in Sept. I really want to get fit and not just drop weight. I joined a gym and I take karate classes twice a week, so I'm hoping to see some changes. I already feel better, but I don't see a difference and the scale is NOT my friend!

 

[NickNElliesMom]

And since it won't be considered thread-jacking (yay!!) I'm gonna go ahead and post my exercise goal by minutes on here. My goal for May is 620- that's 20 minutes a day for 31 days. I would goal for more, but I know I would fall short of it. And I'd rather exceed a small goal and feel super accomplished than to fall short of a big goal and feel like a failure. If anybody else wants to use that number, please do!

I'm going to use that goal! My 8 year old daughter was yelling at me last night because I haven't been exercising, she's trying to keep me on track.

 

[Brownsfan317]

I'm in! I have lost 38 lbs. already. Would really love to lose 20 more before we go in September. We just joined the Y that just opened here and signed my DS up for swim lessons. That helps force me out to the Y and work out with him after his lessons. He really enjoys it.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

Congratulations on quitting smoking. I've heard that's waaaay harder than losing weight so just think, if you can do that you can do anything!!

My plan is to go simple-sugar free and limit process foods. I'm also going to try to do some form of exercise everyday. What's your plan? How much of those 20-30 do you think you can lose before the trip?

I really want to loose 20 lbs by the end of August. That seems like a reachable goal. I am cutting out sweets, and only having healthy snacks like fruit or raw veggies. Also, I joined a gym and will go 2-3 times a week for an hour workout.

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

Wow! You are all quite motivating! Weekends are hard for me but it's almost Monday so I'm going to start hard-core tomorrow. My eating wasn't horrible again today...just didn't make time to exercise again!

I love the 20 min a day goal. I'll start that too! Thanks Kaiti!

Thanks for joining BlackPearl! And Brownsfan! And congrats on your loss so far. You've got to tell us how you did it!

Peaceluv&mickeymouse, you're in with NickNEllies mom and I on the 20 lbs by the end of August goal! Yay! And NickNEllies mom...my 7 year old daughter is just like your 8 year old. She's trying to keep DH and I on track, too! At least they care, right?

Anyone else up for introducing ourselves with our real first names? Or abbreviated nicknames? It would be easier to keep track of who's who.

Please let us know what you want to be called and any other info about yourself you think would be good to know!

Here is a summary of our "group" members and what we've shared so far: (More welcome if any one else is reading along! Join in!)

I'm NewlyDisneyCrazed but call me Tara, married, 2 kids, Goal: lose 20 lbs by Aug.24 (50 total to lose)
peaceluv&mickeymouse: Goal: lose 20 lbs by Aug. 20th trip
JacksLilWench: aka Kaiti, Goal: to exercise 20 min/day...great idea!
NickNElliesMom: single, 2 kids, Goal: 20 lbs by Aug. 21st trip (50 total to lose)
BlackPearl: Goal: to be fit! (And try to be friends with the scale??) (60 total to lose)
Brownsfan: Goal: down 20 more lbs by Sept. trip (already down 38 lbs!)

That's six of us in total so far! Here we go!!

 

[JacksLilWench]

Whoo-hoo, I lost a pound last week!! It may not sound like much, but a victory is a victory, right?? And I just went for a 20-minute walk/run, that was just over two miles So my time is better than I thought! I have to do an extra few minutes today to make up for missing yesterday (it was madness yesterday ) so I think I might pull out a ten-minute ab DVD or a 20 minute pilates DVD...haven't decided yet. But one of them is getting dusted off TODAY!

How is everybody else doing on their goals???

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

Congrats on your victories! I'm getting on the Wii Fit for a bit then going for a walk right now. (I have an hour before I get the kids off the bus so that will make up for yesterday and put me ahead 20 minutes!)

 

[Riverhill]

I'm in. We will be in WDW Aug 22-Sept 1. I am 5'3 and 195lbs. I too would be happy at 140. I have just joined a weight loss clinic and feel very nervous about the whole thing. By the way my name is Cathy.

I have been overweight for about 15 years and it may seem odd but I am worried that if I do lose the weight people will look at me differently.

 

[Brownsfan317]

Hi guys-My name is Krista. I am 34, widowed and have one awesome 11 year old.

I have really just been trying to eat better and not eat out so much. I am trying to reduce the amount of high fructose corn syrup. I had not idea it was in the bread I was eating! Even my peanut butter!

I have an office job, but my co-worker and I try to take a walk every day. When it is nice out, we will walk about a mile outside. There is also a Subway a couple blocks away and will sometimes walk down for lunch.

This week is hard. My boss' 50th birthday is tomorrow. We are ordering out for lunch and will be having cake! Doesn't help much either that I have a sinus infection and my head is throbbing!

Hey Cathy-You mentioned that you were worried that people would look at you differently. After losing 38 lb so far, I haven't had/felt anything negative. I just had someone this morning compliment how good I looked and that I look like a totally different person. It is motivating for me to hear that people can tell. Helps makes the "pain" of not eating the goodies as much easier to bear!

 

[Riverhill]

Thanks Krista,

That made me feel better.

I just keep remembering the sign at the weight loss clinic that said: Don't give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment.

I made a deal with my 15 soon to be 16 year old DD. That when I reach my goal weight, we will get matching mickey mouse swim suits.( the black ones with the white mickey) Me in the one piece and her in the bikini. She loves the idea.

 

[QueenCityDiva]

Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! I want to join!!! LOL

My name is Jennifer and this is EXACTLY what I need. My story is a little long, but I really need people to keep me accountable and check up on me if I'm not sticking to the plan. Are you guys up for that?

Ok then, I'm Jennifer - a 33 year old wife and step-mother to a 15 yo son and 13 yo daughter. I adore my kids, but I am SO EXCITED that my amazing husband and I are planning our 10th Anniversary trip this September! Just the two of us for 7 amazing days - I can't even imagine. We are even planning a super-simple vow renewal while we are there just to celebrate and reaffirm our love for each other after a really tough year.

Here's what this past year has been like for us: In August I hurt my back - they didn't know what had happened but put me on bed rest while they ran test after test after test. Luckily I have an amazing job that allowed me to work from home for 3 months until they found out I had a severely herniated disk and needed emergency surgery. I had the surgery in November and did another 6 weeks of bed rest. Both good and bad was that my DH was laid off in October. I'm glad he was here to help me after surgery but with the economy the way it is, I was nervous. After the recovery, I went back to work for 2 1/2 weeks and guess what? I re-herniated the disk. This only happens to less than 5% of the people who have the surgery I had and it's the result of nothing I'm doing - just a really bad disk. They put me back on bed rest to see if it would correct itself. After 7 more weeks, it was worse and I had surgery again. I'm now on week 3 of recovery with 3 more weeks of bed rest. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to going back to work and having a life again. My DH has been out of work this entire time so it has been great being together, but it's also been hard on him to have to do everything for the family. But we have made it through and are determined not to go through this again!

I'm sorry for the looong story, but I wanted to explain why I won't be working out for the next 3 weeks, but also why it is so important that I lose this weight and build up my core strength. My absolute goal would be to lose right around 75-80 pounds and look like I did in college. I'm 5'10" and would love to be a slender size 10-12 again. I hate shopping in plus sized stores more than anything! Anyway, my goal before our trip is to lose as much weight as I can so that I will feel beautiful and confident as I recommit to my amazing husband! I don't know a # yet, but I'm going to stick with 80 pounds as my goal.

In the meantime, I'm a great cheerleader if you'll have me!!! I know that my biggest fault will be sticking to this, so it would be great to have people who will PM me or "fuss" at me if I don't check in.

And there you have it!
ETA: The 8 pound loss is something I have NO idea how I did. When I weighed in for surgery 2, I had lost weight! Who knew that laying flat on your back eating junk food all day for weeks could result in weight loss? I think something screwy happened, so I'll update everything when I get up and really start this process!

 

[NewlyDisneyCrazed]

So happy to have a couple more joiners! Welcome Cathy and Jennifer and thanks for introducing yourself Krista!
Cathy, I love the quote! Don't give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment. I'm going to use that...maybe post it all over my kitchen!
Krista, you are an inspiration to the rest of us! I can't wait for the feeling of not being at my highest weight ever! I know what Cathy means about a bit of fear about looking "amazing"...maybe that's why we're overweight to begin with, but I'm so happy that you said you've only been experiencing positive feelings about being smaller!
Jennifer, I must admit that although I'm so excited to take my kids and DH on their first Disney trip in August, I'm jealous that you're going on a romantic adult vacation! I would love to do that someday too! AND, guess what...in 2009 I had herniated discs! No surgery, just physio and I still have to be careful (no heavy lifting) but I'm pretty much recovered. There's nothing worse than back pain (I'd rather birth my children all over again than go through that again!) Good luck with your recovery, I wish you all the best! About the surprising weight loss while you were in bed eating...that happened to me too and I was thrilled at the time. However, I think what I lost was muscle because even though I vowed to get healthy and strong after my back ordeal, I found it very difficult and the weight kept creeping on once my normal life started again. (Lower metabolism due to decreased muscle mass I guess.) So we're here to make sure you don't gain those 8 lbs back! Unlike what I did (kept eating badly), I know you can start to turn things around and eat healthy and start exercising whenever you are medically cleared to, so that you can build your muscles back up and start looking great! (Core strenth really is the key...I've been working on my "planks". Whew they are tough!)

Anyway, I'm still on track for 20 min of exercise/day in May and am down 1 pound since the weekend. It's a start! Last week though, I lost a pound in the week and gained it back on the weekend. I'll try not to let that happen this week!

How's everyone else doing?



Updated Roll Call!

Tara (NewlyDisneyCrazed): married, 2 kids, Goal: lose 20 lbs by Aug.24 (50 total to lose)
Krista (Brownsfan): mom to 11 year old Goal: down 20 more lbs by Sept. trip (already down 38 lbs! )
Cathy (Riverhill): mom to DD16, joined weight loss clinic to lose weight before Aug. 22 trip.
Jennifer (QueenCityDiva): married, mom of 2, getting ready for Sept. romantic vacation!
Kaiti (JacksLilWench): Goal: to exercise 20 min/day...great idea!
NickNElliesMom: single, 2 kids, Goal: 20 lbs by Aug. 21st trip (50 total to lose)
BlackPearl: Goal: to be fit! (And try to be friends with the scale??) (60 total to lose)
peaceluv&mickeymouse: Goal: lose 20 lbs by Aug. 20th trip