BL Summer Challenge 2009

[lisah0711]

Good morning, losers!

Lisa I know what you mean about being the old guard. Both my dh and I have been at our teaching jobs for over 30 years. I have been in the same school for my entire teaching career.

I had a student teacher last fall., She told me that my classroom reminded her Seinfeld's apartment. Everyone going in and out all the time asking questions and sometimes just to talk. And I am not the coordinator of the department. Just someone who has been here forever.

There is only 1 guy in the department who has been in the building math department longer than me and he is talking about retiring next JUne.

Have fun

donac, I love it when my son is assigned of one the experienced teachers. It is so fun to work in their room and watch what is going on!

Sounds like you had a lot more COW participants this summer than reported and I definitely think that you will have a lot more COW participants in the fall challenge. Thanks for all your hard work and have a great time at DW next week!

Tuesday QOTD: What's your favorite healthy food?

This is a hard one to answer. I would have to say a salad with low fat dressing, a handful of nuts and whatever other veggies I can find. When the weather cools down a bit, this answer will change to soup. And I love hummus and veggies.

I'm happy to say I survived my crazy day yesterday. I don't know how Sahbuska does her double shifts. My 13hour day yesterday was crazy, but may have been better if I hadn't had to start so early. I did end up using flex points yesterday for the pizza that was brought in for lunch, but I did say no to the donuts and no to getting chips from the vending machine. Instead I had a small portion of chips at home last night to get rid of the craving, so I know I can be good again today.

I'm glad that you survived your crazy Monday and that it is behind you now!

And a great big congratulations to you as BL for the week and to all the other BL superstars.

I'm getting really close to my 15# reward at WW. it won't be this week, but maybe next week.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you. There is a special WISH clippie as you meet your WISH goals. I'll be looking for your 15 lb. one soon!

I have journalled all my food this week, though I'm out of flex points now, but without the journalling, I know I would be so much worse. Today is hopefully the last of the heat wave, so that is making me happy. I was very cranky after work yesterday with the heat, but today is a 4 hour day for me, and after work I"m heading to get groceries for camping this weekend. I have plans for good, healthy foods, and am planning to indulge more in the alcohol for my excess calories.

Have fun camping! A glass of wine and camping sounds good!

Have a great, OP day, losers!

 

[MickeyMagic]

Way to go LuvBaloo !!

 

[FLAngie]

Great Job LuvBaloo I have to say when I see others doing such a good job on the BL list, it is inspiring. And I need that right now. I have been journaling faithfully, staying with in my plan, and have really kicked up my exercise but still haven't seen any results. It is getting a little frustrating to feel like I am working so hard for nothing. Dh keeps telling me that one day I will wake up and that scale will have finally moved in the right direction

Dona- I started late in this challenge, but have the COW posted on my door and am still following it pretty well. I am not sure how the whole point thing, adding activities works, but I am excited to start it again in the next challenge. I know that it seems like a really long summer, but I will bet the worst is over now that you are done with pt and it will only get better. Before you know it you will be running laps around the house Have a great trip!

Tuesday QOTD: What's your favorite healthy food?
Mine would be fruit. I love strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon.


Have a great day to all my fellow losers!

 

[princessbride6205]

Congratulations to LuvBaloo!

I'm sorry I don't have time to respond to everyone's posts this morning, but I did want to get the QOTD up.

Wednesday QOTD: When healthy habits fit into our lifestyle, it's so much easier to stay on plan. What is one (or more!) of the easy and painless healthy things you do? Maybe one of your ideas will inspire others to try it.

* I like to take walks on my lunch at work. Sometimes it's only 10 minutes, if it's a nice day and I bring my iPod I'll do 30 min. It gets me out of the office and moving - instead of my 8pm work out being the first time I'm active all day.
* Breakfast smoothies - we bought a stick blender and it has turned smoothies into a 20-second prep. It's something I can pour in a to-go mug and eat on my way to work.

 

[LuvBaloo]

Popping in to answer the QOTD which is a tough one. I like a hot lunch so I've been buying the frozen meals (WW and other brands) as the main part of my lunch. Its much easier to avoid running to A&W for lunch when I can make a healthy one in 5 minutes at home.

I need to get more easy healthy habits in place.

Thanks for all the congrats. It felt strange putting my own name at the top. This week, I'm really hoping to see another loss and get my new clippie. Only 2 days left and I still have a few flex points, and I haven't touched my activity points, and I don't think I'll have to.

I am committing tonight to doing some stepping or exercise bike tonight. I'll be watching So You Think You Can Dance Canada with my DD's, and its a perfect time to get off my butt and get some exercise in. But I didn't sleep enough last night (reading Twilight), and I know I'll be tired, so I'm going to call home and leave a message on the answering machine telling the kids to tell me to exercise. They enjoy getting to remind me of things I want the loss, I have to work for it.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Wednesday QOTD: When healthy habits fit into our lifestyle, it's so much easier to stay on plan. What is one (or more!) of the easy and painless healthy things you do? Maybe one of your ideas will inspire others to try it.

Hmm. Easy or painless...I've switched to almost exclusively drinking water and tea, and that's been pretty easy. I also bring my lunch to work -- and I don't buy anything else. Bags of chips never leave the kitchen --if it's not in a bowl (i.e. portioned), I don't start eating it.

Maria

 

[SeedsLuvDisney]

OMG, just an AWFUL week after 2 weeks of losing 6.5 pounds, have are horribly because of a weekend trip and a few birthdays.. The absolute best I see happpening is only gaining a pound or 2...

 

[donac]

Wednesday QOTD: When healthy habits fit into our lifestyle, it's so much easier to stay on plan. What is one (or more!) of the easy and painless healthy things you do? Maybe one of your ideas will inspire others to try it.


Packing my lunch when I go to school. If I leave my classroom I don't take any money with me so I can't buy anything in the cafeteria.

 

[sskem96]

Wednesday QOTD: I've started taking my own condiments when we go out to eat so I can keep the meal within a reasonable points range. I take an insulated lunch bag with fat free dressing, spray butter, and fat free sour cream. That way I can have my salad and baked potato and be totally guilt free and stay OP.

Congrats LuvBaloo on your loss! Good luck on getting your new clippie this week. I'm hoping to get my 15# reward at WW next week, and if I get it I think I'll put the clippie up for it too.

I've already weighed in this week. I'm down 1.8# and I only have 1.6# to go to hit the 15# mark which was my goal for this challenge! Unfortunately, the TOM cravings have kicked in and I've eaten too many rice krispie treats today! I work all weekend though, and I never eat much when all I do is work and sleep for 3 days straight, so I think I'll end up being ok overall for the week. I better step up the exercise a little bit!

My mom's coming to town Friday and she has some Old Navy and Kohls coupons, so I think I might be able to talk her into buying me a pair of jeans if I can find something I like. Thankfully all the ones I have now are going to be too big this year! I'd love to be able to buy some new things, but I'm trying to talk myself into waiting til I've lost 10 or 15 more so the new stuff doesn't just get too big in a few weeks, and I have no money since I had to buy the kids a bunch of new stuff for school, but if my mom's willing to buy me a couple things I'm not going to turn it down!

 

[lisah0711]

Wednesday QOTD: When healthy habits fit into our lifestyle, it's so much easier to stay on plan. What is one (or more!) of the easy and painless healthy things you do? Maybe one of your ideas will inspire others to try it.

I thought that I had a good answer for this QOTD until I saw the "easy and painless" part. I have to say making sure that I have a good, healthy lunch to eat would be my best idea. I've been eating frozen WW entrees (Smart Ones) for lunch for the past couple of weeks -- I haven't had a bad one yet.

I was happy today because I wore some pants that are a size down from what I had been wearing. They were fine in the hips, thighs and bottom. The waist got a little pinchy by the end of the day, though. It is a good reminder to not let my guard down!

Have a great evening!

 

[princessbride6205]

Thanks to all who answered the QOTD - sorry it was hard to think of "easy and painless" healthy habits! Hopefully as we continue our weight loss journeys, we'll find lots of things second nature instead of having to really work at it all the time. I think healthy habits are a lot easier as they become part of our routine.

Today was definitely an off day for me. Sigh. I'd been doing good about not stress eating or comfort foods until now. Today was about the perfect storm of stress (DH out of town for work, DD is sick, very heavy workload at my job, and lack of sleep for various reasons) and I couldn't resist when a coworker invited me out for pizza lunch. I didn't have enough cals left for wine AND dessert tonight, but I consumed them anyway. Like the quote from earlier this week, it's just a "detour." I really wanted to see a maintain or loss - however tiny - on the scale this week. I knew I'd have to work a lot at it since I would have to exercise at home (since DH is OOT) and we ate a lot this weekend with my folks visiting. But maybe I need to just accept the detour and hopefully get all the way back on plan tomorrow.

On the plus side, I knew I'd be too worn out for a formal exercise session tonight. So instead, I put on some music for DD and I to dance to. And after she went to bed, I played Wii Tennis. Not as good as a formal workout, but definitely burning more cals than sitting on the couch!

Have a great on plan day for Thursday everyone!

 

[LuvBaloo]

I'm happy to say that I followed through and did some exercising tonight!

Great job, sskem96! Hopefully we'll both be sporting new clippies soon

 

[lisah0711]

Well, Shannon, that is a nice, new clippie you are sporting now!

I posted the BL 8 poll this morning so please stop by and give us your input on the fall challenge.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2262267

Have a great day all!

 

[princessbride6205]

Thanks for the heads up, Lisa!

Thursday QOTD: Today's is a 2-parter, since I think it's my last day (correct me if I'm wrong, Lisa!). If you were in Disney right now, what resort would you be staying at? And back to reality what are you going to do to stay on plan today?

If we were at Disney, I think we'd be staying AKL. If price was no object, maybe I'd talk DH into the Grand Floridian.
As for an on plan day, I started well with a smoothie for breakfast, and I've already had 2 glasses of water. I brought a small amount of leftovers for lunch, along with tons of fruit and edamame. Depending on our mood at dinner, we'll either have cereal night or leftover turkey chili. I'm going to stick with fruit as my dessert. For exercise, I'm going to take a little walk at lunch and then do my BL DVD after DD goes to bed. I'm hoping that by typing all of this, that I'll make myself do it!

Have a great on plan day everyone - drink your water and try to get moving!

I'm off to answer the next BL poll!

 

[lisah0711]

Thursday QOTD: Today's is a 2-parter, since I think it's my last day (correct me if I'm wrong, Lisa!). If you were in Disney right now, what resort would you be staying at? And back to reality what are you going to do to stay on plan today?

Thank you, princessbride6205, for coaching this week! You had a lot of interesting questions. Yes, tomorrow the next coaches start -- this will be a shared coaching week.

If I was in Disneyworld right now I would be at AKV Jambo or VWL (it is really hard for me to decide). I'll be at both in less than 120 days for Christmas.

If I was at Disneyland right now I would be at the Grand Californian -- only 6 more days!

I still remember my tight pants from yesterday so it will be easier to stay on plan today. I already had my 8 point breakfast and have my 7 point lunch in the fridge here at work. Tonight we are having grilled chicken breast and zucchini and grape tomatoes so it should be a good OP day foodwise.

The activity is going to be a little more of a challenge. I played 18 holes of Wii Resort golf yesterday -- probably worth a point but my muscles are sore! It is going to have to be an indoor activity because it is really smoky and hot and miserable outside. Maybe a WATP DVD or the Wii Fit.

Have a great, OP day all and don't forget to PM your weigh in to LuvBaloo tomorrow.

 

[sahbushka]

If I was at Disneyworld right now I would love to be at Wilderness Lodge, no, Polynesian, no wait, Animal Kingdom, well, maybe Wilderness Lodge. Oh, I don't know. That's why I am having such a hard time planning my trip for 2011. I just can't decide. We will probably end up at Fort Wilderness in a cabin due to our group size and the price. But I can dream!

Sarah

 

[Worfiedoodles]

If I was at WDW right now I would be staying at the Treehouses -- because those really look fun!

Today I went out for lunch -- I had a grilled chicken sandwich and substituted grilled asparagus for fries. I also finally went back to the WW Online site, and entered my weights since the middle of June. It was sobering to see how much I've gained since my vacation. I am ready to get a handle on this, just one more week of company and then I'll really get going!

Maria

 

[LuvBaloo]

Is I was at Disney today, and money was no object, I'd be at Disneyland trying out the California Hotel whose name I am forgetting, but its the one that's attached the California Adventure. I'd love to try it out and its so close to go to Dl or CA.

As for staying on plan today, I am focussed on counting points as I eat them, so I know what I have left for dinner. I'm ending this week with some flex points left, and I feel like its been a pretty good week

Thanks for coaching princessbride!

 

[corinnak]

Congratulations Shannon! That clippie looks great on you!

I can not believe I even made the list with my itsy bitsy loss! :

I have missed a whole entire week of QOTD. Unbelievable. Not sure what happened there, but when I don't get message notifications in my email, I tend to space things out. So to catch up:



QOTD: Do you feel like you are cultivating the things that you enjoy in life? If so, how? If not, what are you going to do to change that?

During the time I spent as a depressed SAHM, this was one of the things I was sorely, sadly neglecting, and correcting that is part of my 3 step Depression eradication and maintenance plan. "Do the things you used to love to do." And it makes such a huge difference.

Currently:

-I am thinking of signing up for another painting class this fall.
-I am going back to Kung Fu this fall, after my nearly year long absence due to that concussion last year.
-I hope to work on scenery for a show or two this year, even if I can't do running crew. It's DH's turn and he just got cast in Reefer Madness! as The Lecturer. Very exciting for him, but I need to make sure I get some fun as well!
- I am going to continue training and planning for long distance races.



QOTD: How does your weigh-in affect your plan for the coming week? How can you turn your weigh-in result (whether it was a gain, loss or maintain) into motivation to stay on plan this week?

I guess that when a loss is less than I would hope for (i.e. in the realm of 1), I question what happened the previous week that might have led to the number on the scale. The problem is, I'm not always sure if it means I should eat less or if I need to eat more. I try not to let the scale impact my mood or motivation too much - I think it kind of does what it's going to do and sometimes that's directly connected to our behavior and sometimes, well, who knows.


WEEKEND QOTD: We've often heard the phrase, "everything in moderation." Is this something that works with your weight loss philosophy? Do you allow yourself treats in moderation or fall off the healthy eating wagon once you eat one?

I have often said "It is easier if I just don't start." And this is particularly true with little munchy things like dark chocolate M&M's. Chocolate chips. Potato chips. Graham crackers. Ice cream when it's in the house. Once I taste it, I just want MORE. Which is not to say there is no room for treats in my plan, I just need to choose carefully what they are and the circumstances in which I enjoy them. I think it's a good idea to have controllable treats periodically. This keeps the plan liveable in the long term.


Monday QOTD: It can be a challenge to stay on plan even when everything goes right. When life throws unexpected twists at you, it can feel downright impossible. When life gets crazy, how do you stay on plan?

I hate when that happens. I have two rules. 1. Make the best choices for myself that I can in a given situation and 2. Don't eat to the point of feeling overly full.


Tuesday QOTD: What's your favorite healthy food?

I love them all! Seriously, I do. My newest loves are some little seeds: Flax and Chia. They are so good sprinkled on oatmeal or yogurt and have Omega-3's and fiber. I LOVE oatmeal. Frozen berries. Soup made with beans or lentils and lots of vegetables. Frozen vegetables are a lifesaver. 1% milk. I know skim would be more virtuous, but the points are the same and also that 1% just tastes like decadence. If you haven't tried them already, the Southwestern Egg Beaters are so, so good. 50 calories per half cup and with a little salsa - really tasty! Vitaspelt whole grain pasta. Oikos Fat Free Greek Yogurt - OMG. I was supposed to choose a favorite??

Wednesday QOTD: When healthy habits fit into our lifestyle, it's so much easier to stay on plan. What is one (or more!) of the easy and painless healthy things you do? Maybe one of your ideas will inspire others to try it.

This was one of the things on my original daily checklist of things that help: Do a little "healthy reading" each day. Whether it be in a book, magazine or online articles, reading something about weight loss, running, weight training, nutrition each day really helps keep my head in the game. When I lose focus and stop caring, that is when I get into big trouble. I have been surprised how helpful just doing my daily reading has been in keeping my focus and motivation where it needs to be.

Thursday QOTD: Today's is a 2-parter, since I think it's my last day (correct me if I'm wrong, Lisa!). If you were in Disney right now, what resort would you be staying at? And back to reality what are you going to do to stay on plan today?

Realistically we need to stay at Animal Kingdom Villas. We have some points there and have not stayed in the villas there before. I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian someday as well, though!

As for staying on plan today, I a Tempo Run this morning that was supposed to be 8 miles with 6 miles at tempo. It ended up being 9 miles with closer to 7 miles at tempo. I don't know why that always happens to me. Poor planning, I guess. For today, I'm just going to continue on with a little light stretching and choosing nourishing foods for the rest of the day.

All Caught Up. Whew.

 

[donac]

I realize that I did not answer all the questions this week so I will do a couple

QOTD: Do you feel like you are cultivating the things that you enjoy in life? If so, how? If not, what are you going to do to change that?

This summer when I was layed up I did do a lot of needlework. Since it got so hot here I haven't done much. But my friend just got involved with making pillowcases for kids with cancer and this is really exciting for me. Yesterday I made 15 for her and have at least 6 more cut out and ready to sew.

I am also thinkg of signing up for a yoga class in Jan when my foot is completely healed.

Thursday QOTD: Today's is a 2-parter, since I think it's my last day (correct me if I'm wrong, Lisa!). If you were in Disney right now, what resort would you be staying at? And back to reality what are you going to do to stay on plan today?

I have stayed for a night at AKL and it was unbelievable. We had a Savannah view and had giraffes and long horn cattle outside our window. I also spent a night at WL. I loved the feel of this place since dh loves the outdoors. I also enjoyed Poly for our 10th anniv. AS strange as it seems we loved POP last year. Next week we couldn't get into POP so we are staying at POFQ. We have stayed here before and love the intimate feeling of this place. It is perfect for next week so that we don't have as much walking when we get to our hotel.

This morning I got up and it was cool outside so I walked for 20 minutes and then went in and did 15 minutes of yoga and then went to physical therapy. Eating is light this week since dh is away and ds1 has not come home for dinner. It will probably be some salad with tomatoes I got from a local farmer's market and some corn I also got there. I have been eating pretty light today since it is so hot.

Congrats luvballoo on your win this week.