Marching Our Way to a Healthy Lifestyle ~ March 2016 WISH Challenge

[Lady Marie]

So you just cooked the cabbage in with your pasta? I've never heard of that. What kind of dish was it that you made?

It was a shrimp pasta, so you sauteed the cabbage strips with garlic until it was soft. Then added some tomato paste, water, and shrimp to more or less get a sauce in the pan with the cabbage strips. Then added your cooked noodles to the dish to mix it all together.

@pjlla The veggie pasta sounds good too! The cabbage may be a step in that direction for me. Haha! As for Blue Apron, I drank the kool-aid and I love it! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about food and just get a grip on portions. It's even been good for our marriage too. 3 nights a week we cook together-- no tvs, phones, or other distractions-- and just have fun together in the kitchen. While it may not apply to everyone, the money we are saving by not buying food we would have otherwise wasted is making it worth it for us as well. We have had dishes we loved, and dishes that were not to our taste, but nothing was bad. And my diva DH would have been the first to put it in the trash and go get take out if it wasn't good LOL One thing we have not been a fan of though has been too much lemon in the dishes sometimes, and occasionally the dish makes portions for 3 rather than two. So even though they tout its 500-700 calories per meal, you just have to check to make sure you aren't accidentally eating a portion and a half!

 

[donac]

Question of the Day - Thursday, March 3rd:

Several floats in the Main Street Electrical Parade feature characters from the Disney animated film Alice in Wonderland. While Alice is in Wonderland, she find treats that say “eat me” and have magical effects – like making Alice grow larger or smaller.

We all have foods and drinks in our lives that seem to scream “eat me.” Some of these foods/drinks are good for us, while others can lead to setbacks in our diets. For today’s QOTD, let’s discuss those foods.

What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?
What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?​

I love baked goods but after the first day of making it no one seems to eat it except me so I have not baked anything since Christmas. I may be baking this afternoon since I have frozen cookie dough in the freezer. I will be bringing with me tonight when we have a big crowd working on costumes for the show.

I was happy I got 9000 steps in yesterday

off to get some things done this afternoon before I leave.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[JacknSally]

Question of the Day - Thursday, March 3rd:
​

What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?
What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?​

What a clever question!

For me, it's SWEEEEEETSSSSSSSSS. I love chocolate. I love gummies. I love cupcakes. I love cake cakes. I love cheesecakes. I love ice cream. I love cookies. I love sweets. Omnomnom. And I don't know how to stay away, because even when we do the "I won't buy these at the grocery store because then they won't be in my house and I won't be tempted", we just end up making special trips and spending more money to get them than if we'd just picked up something to have on hand. But if there's something on hand, it doesn't stay on hand long! Sigh.

As for healthy foods, I really love green grapes and bananas. I could eat them all day long. But alas, no matter how much I love most fruit, a grape will never be as good as a white chocolate Reese's cup, so no amount of grapes will keep me away. And I DESPISE dark chocolate so I can't even rationalize my chocolate binges as being even remotely healthy.

 

[SarahDisney]

I was out of the house for a few hours this morning and I'm still trying to catch up on everything I didn't get to do, so I'm going to be doing replies slowly today. But hopefully I can get through a few replies right now.

But first, my answers to the QOTD:

What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?

I have to go with the three "C"s - cookies, chocolate, and candy. I wish I could use the strategy of "keep them out of the house," but I live with other people who like to have them around.
My best strategy for avoiding them is to always go into the kitchen with some idea of what I want. If I'm not trying to decide what to eat, I'm less likely to grab the junk food that's sitting around. This strategy doesn't always work, but it does help sometimes.

What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?

My biggest "eat me" healthy food is berries - when I see berries, I eat them. Sometimes if I'm hungry and don't know what I want, I'll grab a handful of berries while I'm deciding. Which is not as good as going into the kitchen already knowing what I want, but it's better than reaching for the junk.
Of course, we don't always have berries in the house. Stupid seasons ... sometimes we can get decent berries in the off-season, but not always.

I think you will all chuckle a bit about this..... my step goal for March was/is going to be 15K/day x 5 days week (at least). Well.... I kind of forgot about it yesterday with all of my fairly sedentary activities around the house.... and at bedtime I was still at less than 10K steps! So there I stood, next to my bed in my pajamas, marching i place... and the MINUTE that stupid Fitbit buzzed, I collapsed into bed! I didn't hit 15K yesterday, but I didn't feel right going to bed under 10K steps!

Oh, I do that sometimes. I'll walk around in my pajamas until I hit 10K and then go straight to bed.
The Fitbit motivates us to do some crazy things - but since it's exercise, it's a good thing!

Things I should not eat or should at least LIMIT ..... that list is pretty long.... but the things that tempt me are light beer and tortilla chips. We do keep them in the house and I limit them to an occasional weekend splurge. Beer isn't something I ever thought of as a "week-day" food (well..... maybe in college.... ), so Sun-Thurs nights I don't really even think of it! And the tortilla chips I keep in the house because they are a favorite of DS..... but I know better than to even have ONE.... because it is impossible to stop!

I used to have a beer every day after school when I was in grad school ... light beer sounds like it's not too bad, but it can really be a problem.
And I'm with you on the tortilla chips ... if I have one, I have like 30. I think staying away from even having one is a good approach!

Healthier foods that I love to eat...... roasted sweet potatoes, oatmeal, hummus, smoothies with lots of greens...........and as long as I am eating PLENTY of these delicious healthier foods, I am less likely to end up with my hand in the chip bag!

Lots of good stuff on that list!

Baked goods kill me. I just crave them and I know. I shouldn't eat a lot of them.

I totally get that. I wish I had a solution, but I struggle with that too.
Anyone have some good suggestions for staying away from having too many yummy baked goods?

Last Saturday night we went out and my niece watched our kids. When we got home, they have made chocolate chip cookies. It was impossible for me not to have one. Impossible. The good news is I only had one and not the dozen or so that were left. Most foods I can stay away from, but fresh cookies not so much.

I do pretty well with healthier foods. I really love vegetables. We get rotisserie chicken and pull it apart when we go shopping and I’ll snack on the white meat if I’m really craving something. Also, having a hardboiled egg for a snack between meals has worked well.

Good job sticking to one cookie!
That rotisserie chicken thing sounds like a good idea. I'm not a big meat eater (I always say that I'm 75% vegetarian), but I'm guessing that's a pretty good, filling snack.

---

Okay, time for me to go back to other work. Hopefully I'll be back later to finish replies!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hi friend!!! Our hostess for March (Sarah) said she would be posting some mini-challenges, so I think you found the right place!! If I don't see you around when the first one gets posted, I'll send you a PM or find you on the Budget Board!! Do you have a Fitbit? I know some of the folks here are "friends" on the Fitbit challenge!.............P

I just got a fitbit last week. Still learning a bit about it but I'm getting the hang of it.
I just need a smidge of free time and some warmer weather. I just can't drum up the motivation to get on the dreadmill.

 

[SarahDisney]

Cheezits, cheetos, goldfish...anything cheesy and delicious! I'm a sucker for snack foods. Not so much chips (although if there's an open bag of doritos I won't shy away) but cookies, crackers and cheese, dips, etc. So to avoid these foods I don't buy them. Which means my "interaction" with them is at parties or social gatherings. And those I usually give myself a break because I know I'd be unhappy if I restricted myself to the point of not being able to enjoy those foods on the rare occasion that I can have them.

Not having things like that in the house is definitely a great strategy!

A banana is a healthy food that screams eat me! I love bananas. So to make it feel a little more decadent I add a little bit of PB and some mini chocolate chips. Still a healthy snack because I control the unhealthy stuff but then it feels like s sweet treat to me. I also love hummus and carrots, cuties, strawberries, asparagus. I'll happily eat those things.

Oh, bananas. Bananas are such a perfect food to always keep around the house!

Oh wow - the list of foods that tempt me are long! The most dangerous of all are "handful" foods. Foods that you can grab a handful of and eat right out of the package. This includes virtually all crackers and chips, plus things like m&m's and chocolate chips. I always say - just measure it and then eat it, but 90% of the time I just grab a handful and then have no idea how much I just ate.

"Handful" snacks are definitely hard! Have you tried making pre-portioned snack baggies so that you always know how much you're having? it's a lot easier when things are already measured out and you don't have to measure right before you eat!

Other foods that I love, like pizza, ice cream, fancy alcoholic (or virgin) drinks I use the strategy of having a free day once a week. Has anyone ever read the book Body for Life? I read it years ago and followed the plan for 12 weeks and had great results (one of the few times of my life that I was at a healthy weight), but then in the middle of the next 12 weeks I got pregnant and sick as a dog! Now it doesn't really fit into my lifestyle since I'm cooking for a family. Anyway, he was a big proponent of a free day and it always worked for me. You can only eat so much in one day so it's not disastrous on all your excellent efforts during the week. If instead I had a treat or two a day, I think I would do more damage. Maybe it's mental, but it's easier for me to say no to the Starbucks mocha latte on Tuesday when I know I can have one on Saturday. Sometimes I end up having one, sometimes I don't, but the option is never more than 6 days away!

I've never read that book, but I've heard of the idea of having a "cheat day" once a week. I'm honestly afraid of it (my theory is that if I have one free day, what's to stop me from having a free day the next day too), but it really seems to work for some people, and I'm glad it works for you!

I have a few foods that I have a hard time staying away. Malley's chocolate is one of them. Thankfully they are not in the regular stores. They have their own and they are not around the corner from me. I only buy them at Christmas and Easter when I buy then for gifts for the kids. I did buy chocolate covered pretzels the other day when I got the kids theirs for Easter. I only eating a few at a time and sharing them with the kids so they will be gone quicker. I am also a big pop drinker. I don't drink coffee so pop is my caffeine. I stopped drinking it for a month + last year so I am going to try it again. They that I do this is my not buying it. I also love the doughnuts from a shop close by me. I take my kids on Sundays after church. I use it as an incentive for them to behave. I need to work just letting them pick out a doughnut and for me not too. I also love Chipolte. I used to go several times a week. I started to get a bowl since it is less calories and I only get the rice, steak, tomato salsa and a very little bit of cheese. It is only like 400 calories so I can make it work with my calorie without going over. However it is still not the best. I have not had it since the E-Coli out break and not sure when I will go back.

I stopped drinking soda (which is what we call pop in my neck of the woods ) a few years ago, and it made a big difference for me! It's definitely hard to give up, though, especially if you need the caffeine.
I've never actually been to Chipotle (it doesn't work for my particular dietary restrictions), but that's one of those places that gets a reputation for being "healthy" fast food. Which seems like an oxymoron ... but like you said, there are some things that aren't as bad.

All the cookies, all the cakes, all the bread, all the pastas. I wish with all my heart I could have the same feeling I have about bread about vegetables instead. *sigh* I don't have a strategy to stay away, but I am looking for loopholes to keep them in diet... So far, that has been allowing myself a sugar-free cookie or two at night if I have the calories available. No loophole on the bread yet, although I have been reading about this cloud bread phenomenon I may have to try. But I learned a good trick from Blue Apron last week to help me cut back my pasta portion. They had us add sliced cabbage to the pasta mix and it served the purpose of a secondary noodle almost. So it seemed as if I had a big bowl of pasta to eat, but in reality it was about half noodles, half cabbage. I was super full and didn't feel like I had missed out on the pasta portion at all. So this can help me moderate my pasta intake in other dishes.

Oh, pasta. Two big bowls of pasta is one serving, right?
I like the idea of using cabbage as a secondary noodle! We acutally had zucchini noodles in my house last week ... I think that's something else that can work to help cut down on the pasta portion. Adding in some other pasta-like texture is a good way to cut down on your pasta!

I forgot the healthy foods. I love salads, cucumbers, celery, peppers (any color), carrots, broccoli and asparagus. The problem with them is I have to prep them. I can't just grab and go. I am horrible at prepping for the week. Something my husband and I are working on. Some weeks are better then others.

Prep is definitely hard ... but it's great that you're working on it! I know someone else suggested it, but I really think that buying some pre-cut veggies may help. Just be careful, because I've found that sometimes the pre-cut veggies spoil a little more easily.

There are lots of foods I know I shouldn't even start eating because I won't want just one serving! I'm hoping that I won't always feel that way, but for now, they are just easier to completely stay away from. For me at this point, they are things like cheez-its, ritz crackers and a good dip and other things like that. I sometimes feel like I could eat a whole box of them, and I know that is just ridiculous!

Staying away from foods like that is definitely a good strategy. Maybe with time you'll find a way to have a little at a time, but until then ... if you can live without them, just don't have them in the house!

As far as healthy foods, I'm just getting started on my new way of eating, so haven't gone too far away from the basics, but one thing that I discovered that I'm loving is a homemade egg sandwich. I was eating one of the frozen jimmy dean delights breakfast sandwiches each morning for breakfast (I know, not the best, but better than what I had been eating lol). I got out my pampered chef egg cooker and now use it each morning to cook one egg and put that with a slice of cheese on a thin bagel. I love it - I feel like I could eat it for breakfast and lunch each day, but I'm not sure what the whole dieting stance is on eating eggs now, so I figure one a day is plenty lol! But, it's cheap, quick and filling, so for now, it's my go-to breakfast.

I don't know what the "official" stance on eggs is, but I think this sounds like a great breakfast. It starts you off with lots of protein, and if it fills you up, that's perfect!

I need to back in this but my schedule is just insane.
I need some mini challenges to get back on track, anyone have any suggestions?

Have you tried a step challenge? A lot of people find that setting a step goal for the day helps keep them active!
Also ... if you're trying to work on what you eat, I've found that one meal at a time really helps me. One week I'll focus on breakfast, then the next week I'll focus on lunch ... it's not perfect, but it's a great way to start small!

Hi friend!!! Our hostess for March (Sarah) said she would be posting some mini-challenges, so I think you found the right place!! If I don't see you around when the first one gets posted, I'll send you a PM or find you on the Budget Board!! Do you have a Fitbit? I know some of the folks here are "friends" on the Fitbit challenge!.............P

The first mini-challenge will be going up tomorrow ... hopefully this will help people get a jump start!

---

Okay, it's almost Jeopardy! time, so I have to stop now. I love how active the thread is ... but it sure makes it hard to stay caught up! Oh well, there are worse problems I could have

 

[SarahDisney]

Basically anything sweet is calling my name, but ice cream is my particular downfall. Ice cream with something crunchy in it, like Chocolate Chip Mint or Rocky Road. I can eat an entire quart in an evening... and having to run up to the grocery store to get it won't slow me down. In the past two months I've only had ice cream once - a small single serving container of strawberry. I knew I was hooked when I walked past the ice cream freezer at the store and I knew I would eat whatever went home with me so that was my "control" mechanism, and it worked because I don't particularly like strawberry ice cream or the only brand that was available in the single serving size so I had no desire for more.

Ice cream is definitely a tough one, so kudos to you for only having it once in the past two months! That's awesome!

Healthy foods that scream at me...none that I can think of, unfortunately. Oh, wait, for some reason I get cravings for cashews which could be considered healthy if you don't over do it. But I will. So I'll get a baggie with just half a cup of cashews from the bulk section and then eat them all, in one sitting, usually in the car on the way home.

I'm a big cashew fan ... but that's definitely something you need to portion control!

It's employee appreciation week at work and every day has been a candy desk drop. I've had to throw the candy away in the trashcan in hopes of me not eating it. But yesterday was bad and I dug into the box of buncha crunch and I woke up this morning feeling a little guilty about it. Donuts are in the breakroom this morning and I'm doing my best to avoid them like the plague.

Oh, I hate when work becomes candy and junk food land. At my old job we often had leftover cake or food lying around ... it's never easy to avoid. Kudos to you for trying, and I hope you were able to avoid the junk all day!

This week has been hard to not give into the comfort food feelings -- a bit of family drama and I think it's put me into a little bit of a depression. But the good news is that i have my personal trainer today and she'll get me on the path of working it out.

I hope the personal trainer session really helps you!!

Healthier foods? I love snack-size portions of cottage cheese and yogurt. Much more manageable when taking them to work and preplanning all meals for the week.

Yummy! Both excellent options ... and good sources of protein and calcium!

Man Page 6 I'm late to the party (and my lunch isn't long enough today to read them all but I'll do it tomorrow) .. been sick and then catching up at work and now this week we are allowed OT till the 11th.. I am joining but my goal is just to maintain.. If you remember I am trying to purchase a new home and we've had some hurdles so I'm impatiently waiting for our CC to) show a zero balance on our credit reports (which should be soon!) I am Michelle, Mom of 2 grown kids (DD 22 and DS 19) both who live at home and go to college locally. I have a hubs - he's a chef, 12 yrs younger then me and has Epilepsy.. I have type 2 diabetes and in the last month started a new med that appears to help quite a bit - I saw 94 pre dinner for the first time ever (never have I been under 120! mostly I hover around 150 - 170 pre-meal time) You'll hear me mention Hunny quite a bit - she is our Orange Tabby rescue cat that is 5 and a total love bug now that she had good humans..
Welcome to the newbies and Hello to all my old friends.. PS love the intro on the first page.. Disney Parades are my favorite things!!

Welcome - I'm excited that you're back for this month!
Maintaining is a good goal for a month that sounds like it may be hectic for you.

I know it's not Wednesday but I have a woohoo-I ordered baseball tickets for our vacation in July.

Awesome WooHoo! Any chance you bought a ticket for me? (I'm a huge baseball fan ...I like to go to a few games every summer)

@pjlla The veggie pasta sounds good too! The cabbage may be a step in that direction for me. Haha! As for Blue Apron, I drank the kool-aid and I love it! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about food and just get a grip on portions. It's even been good for our marriage too. 3 nights a week we cook together-- no tvs, phones, or other distractions-- and just have fun together in the kitchen. While it may not apply to everyone, the money we are saving by not buying food we would have otherwise wasted is making it worth it for us as well. We have had dishes we loved, and dishes that were not to our taste, but nothing was bad. And my diva DH would have been the first to put it in the trash and go get take out if it wasn't good LOL One thing we have not been a fan of though has been too much lemon in the dishes sometimes, and occasionally the dish makes portions for 3 rather than two. So even though they tout its 500-700 calories per meal, you just have to check to make sure you aren't accidentally eating a portion and a half!

I have to admit ... I've been very curious about Blue Apron, so it was definitely interesting to read this. I'm glad it's working out well for you!
(I know it won't work for me, but I've heard so much about it that I really wanted to know if people like it)

I love baked goods but after the first day of making it no one seems to eat it except me so I have not baked anything since Christmas. I may be baking this afternoon since I have frozen cookie dough in the freezer. I will be bringing with me tonight when we have a big crowd working on costumes for the show.

I have the same problem when I bake ... I'm the only one who eats it. It's good that you've stayed away from baking for a while, and I hope you don't get stuck with any leftover cookies tonight!

I was happy I got 9000 steps in yesterday

Yay!!

For me, it's SWEEEEEETSSSSSSSSS. I love chocolate. I love gummies. I love cupcakes. I love cake cakes. I love cheesecakes. I love ice cream. I love cookies. I love sweets. Omnomnom. And I don't know how to stay away, because even when we do the "I won't buy these at the grocery store because then they won't be in my house and I won't be tempted", we just end up making special trips and spending more money to get them than if we'd just picked up something to have on hand. But if there's something on hand, it doesn't stay on hand long! Sigh.

Minus the gummies, this sounds exactly like me. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some way to stop yourself from making unscheduled shopping trips? I'm okay not getting the junk once, but like you, if I want it, I'll go back for it and pay more. It's definitely frustrating ... but at least you're aware of the problem and hopefully you can find a solution!

As for healthy foods, I really love green grapes and bananas. I could eat them all day long. But alas, no matter how much I love most fruit, a grape will never be as good as a white chocolate Reese's cup, so no amount of grapes will keep me away. And I DESPISE dark chocolate so I can't even rationalize my chocolate binges as being even remotely healthy.

Grapes are a great snack ... but yeah, they're not chocolate. I'm also a little sad about that.

I just need a smidge of free time and some warmer weather. I just can't drum up the motivation to get on the dreadmill.

I totally get that. We've had a few warmish days here, but then it keeps getting colder again. Wasn't this supposed to be a short winter?
Here's hoping you get some better weather soon!

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Okay, I'm all caught up.
How was everyone's day? Mine was kinda weird. The good news is, I ate pretty well and got in lots of exercise (a decent run and like 45 minutes of walking). But I've just felt off all day, and I really hate that feeling. Plus, I may have put my contact lenses in the case wrong, so we'll see what happens next time I put them in - if I can't see, I'll just have to switch which lens is in which eye and see if that helps.

Okay, that's all I've got for right now. Have a great night/morning/day, everyone!

 

[JacknSally]

Thursday woohoo - DH won a contest at work that we didn't even know existed, lol, and came home today with a $500 gift card. I know the responsible thing would be to put it toward whatever bills we can.... but we're looking at a weekend Flower & Garden trip instead, haha. Of course, that gift card would only cover the two nights at Pop and the gas to get there and back, but we've already got one-day tickets good for EPCOT, and a little in Disney gift cards left over from October. @pjlla I'm having a "do I be responsible or do I make memories" dilemma! Haha.

 

[4Mickeys]

That definitely sounds rough. I've had a few mini panic attacks and they're not fun, so I kinda get what you're going through. It's definitely hard to identify everything that's causing you stress, but it can be important to try to acknowledge those smaller stressors so that you can try to do something about it.
I hope the lump ends up being no big deal!

Thanks Sarah, it helps knowing others know what it feels like to have one.

What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?
What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?

Chocolate, soda, potato chips, take-away food. I do allow myself a little chocolate each day. I only drink water at work (well most days occasionally I will have one with lunch). I am limiting take-out by working on my budget better and limiting how much I can spend on it.

Healthy foods I like are queen garnet plums (recently found these and yummy), grapes, berries,

4Mickeys..... prayers for you today. I'm sure it is absolutely NOTHING to worry about, but I understand your worry, nonetheless.

Thank you - support from my far away friends helps

I have had one panic attack in my life time and my trigger is also something happening to me healthwise. I had a medical event happen out of the blue about 3 years ago and it really rocked my world and has made me very "medically cautious" as I like to say (aka paranoid). Panic attacks are so scary! My DH was there but had no idea how to handle it. It was a rough night. I'm so sorry that you have to deal with them! You should not get frustrated with yourself. It sounds like you handled it really well! You were able to drive and remain somewhat calm which I think is awesome. I'm sorry your Wednesday wasn't a WooHoo day.

Thank you my first ever one was quite a few years ago at a shopping centre that resulted in an ambulance trip to hospital - it is really scary. I am now better able to use relaxation breathing, and self-talk to work through it. They sneak up on me when I don't expect it though.

think you will all chuckle a bit about this..... my step goal for March was/is going to be 15K/day x 5 days week (at least). Well.... I kind of forgot about it yesterday with all of my fairly sedentary activities around the house.... and at bedtime I was still at less than 10K steps! So there I stood, next to my bed in my pajamas, marching i place... and the MINUTE that stupid Fitbit buzzed, I collapsed into bed! I didn't hit 15K yesterday, but I didn't feel right going to bed under 10K steps!

I love this - you are so funny but dedicated.

I am also a big pop drinker. I don't drink coffee so pop is my caffeine

This is me too!

 

[flvy]

Question of the Day - Thursday, March 3rd:


What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?
What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?​

So if it's in front of me and I'm upset I'll eat it. I'm an idle snacker. I'll just eat it. I had a very, very, very bad day today and basically ate based off of cravings. I had prosciutto with melon for lunch, half a slab of danish, and sausage on a pretzel roll for dinner with three beers. It was that level of a rough day. I apparently needed salt and carbs to heal my soul because I still can't run from my blisters. Very very very trying day today.

I actually in general love healthy foods. Baby carrots are my ideal snack, so are celery sticks. If I remember to buy them green peppers are also on that list. I'll crave the occasional avocado with just some chicken breast, red onion, and olive oil. In general non processed foods are an easy go to for me. Then bad days happen, or I'll go to work where there is lots of bad and processed food and just kind of hang off the wagon a little bit.

 

[PoohBelle]

Question of the Day - Thursday, March 3rd:

What foods and/or drinks tempt you even though you know you shouldn’t have them? What strategies do you use to stay away from these foods?
What about healthier food – what healthy foods scream “eat me” to you? Does incorporating more of these foods help you stay away from the not-so-healthy “eat me” foods?​

I find m&m's and chocolate in general really tempting. I try to avoid buying them and have blueberries and raisin around to give me a slight sweet fix.

I love avocados and berries but can't get them much where I live in China. Recently I've been sautéing mushrooms and onions a lot and I really like those for some reason. Sometimes having food I like helps me from staying away from the bad "eat me" foods and sometime just staying full helps me too.

 

[LindseyJo22]

Hi everyone I'm a little late in joining in. I kind of waffled about whether I wanted to be in this challenge or not - I seem to disappear somewhere around mid month most of the time :/

However, I still love being on the Disboards, and I'm still working on my healthy lifestyle

I'm Lindsey, just turned 26, and I'm working my way toward some weight loss goals to make my life healthier and happier. My family history is pretty awful, so I'm trying to be proactive with my own health to try and avoid some of those issues!

Lately, I've been trying running again for the millionth time. Right now, I'm using the Galloway run/walk program and I usually run on the treadmill. I'm currently trying to build up to a 10k distance and have my grand ambitions set on the 2017 Princess Half I still think that's kind of crazy, considering the fact that my longest run was this morning at 4.5 miles, but I think I can do it! Run/walk intervals are the only time that running hasn't messed up my knees, and I actually think the exercise is helping my recurring back issues.

I'm considering starting a journal here to keep track of my training and help keep me motivated, but I haven't decided if I would actually stick to it or not

In terms of my goals for this challenge, I think I'm going to lay off the weight loss goals in pounds. I haven't been very successful with those, and the lack of success seems to lead into self-sabotage for me a lot of the time. So I think for this challenge, my goal will be to keep up with my 10k training and stay consistent with my next 28-day challenge for strength training. The challenge officially starts March 14, so this may be a dual-month goal

10k training is 3 runs per week minimum, and my challenge has 5 days of routines. I'll plan to score each goal separately each week to make it easier on myself

Glad to be here, and as usual, I hope to be more active (but we'll see how real life goes)

 

[SarahDisney]

Thursday woohoo - DH won a contest at work that we didn't even know existed, lol, and came home today with a $500 gift card. I know the responsible thing would be to put it toward whatever bills we can.... but we're looking at a weekend Flower & Garden trip instead, haha. Of course, that gift card would only cover the two nights at Pop and the gas to get there and back, but we've already got one-day tickets good for EPCOT, and a little in Disney gift cards left over from October. @pjlla I'm having a "do I be responsible or do I make memories" dilemma! Haha.

I know that dilemma well ... my last two trips were a result of that dilemma.
I hope you can make the right decision (whatever that happens to be for you)!

Chocolate, soda, potato chips, take-away food. I do allow myself a little chocolate each day. I only drink water at work (well most days occasionally I will have one with lunch). I am limiting take-out by working on my budget better and limiting how much I can spend on it.

Only drinking water at work is a really good idea - that's actually how I started cutting out soda. I started only drinking water during the day and having soda at night, and eventually I got used to having less and less soda. So that's definitely a great thing!

Healthy foods I like are queen garnet plums (recently found these and yummy), grapes, berries,

All excellent choices

So if it's in front of me and I'm upset I'll eat it. I'm an idle snacker. I'll just eat it. I had a very, very, very bad day today and basically ate based off of cravings. I had prosciutto with melon for lunch, half a slab of danish, and sausage on a pretzel roll for dinner with three beers. It was that level of a rough day. I apparently needed salt and carbs to heal my soul because I still can't run from my blisters. Very very very trying day today.

I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a rough day! Hopefully today is a better day and you don't have any reasons to eat your feelings!

I actually in general love healthy foods. Baby carrots are my ideal snack, so are celery sticks. If I remember to buy them green peppers are also on that list. I'll crave the occasional avocado with just some chicken breast, red onion, and olive oil. In general non processed foods are an easy go to for me. Then bad days happen, or I'll go to work where there is lots of bad and processed food and just kind of hang off the wagon a little bit.

It's great that you do have lots of healthy foods that you like. Maybe you could try keeping some healthy snacks at work to keep you away from whatever processed foods are around?

I find m&m's and chocolate in general really tempting. I try to avoid buying them and have blueberries and raisin around to give me a slight sweet fix.

Sometimes I think m&m's were invented just to torture healthy eaters. They seem so basic, it's just candy-coated chocolate, butt they're so yummy and you can never have just one! It's great that you've found some healthy snacks to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I love avocados and berries but can't get them much where I live in China. Recently I've been sautéing mushrooms and onions a lot and I really like those for some reason. Sometimes having food I like helps me from staying away from the bad "eat me" foods and sometime just staying full helps me too.

Wow, I didn't know that you couldn't get avocado or berries in China. It's really interesting that even though we live in such a globally interconnected world, there are some things that I guess don't travel well enough to get everywhere.

Hi everyone I'm a little late in joining in. I kind of waffled about whether I wanted to be in this challenge or not - I seem to disappear somewhere around mid month most of the time :/

However, I still love being on the Disboards, and I'm still working on my healthy lifestyle

I'm Lindsey, just turned 26, and I'm working my way toward some weight loss goals to make my life healthier and happier. My family history is pretty awful, so I'm trying to be proactive with my own health to try and avoid some of those issues!

Lately, I've been trying running again for the millionth time. Right now, I'm using the Galloway run/walk program and I usually run on the treadmill. I'm currently trying to build up to a 10k distance and have my grand ambitions set on the 2017 Princess Half I still think that's kind of crazy, considering the fact that my longest run was this morning at 4.5 miles, but I think I can do it! Run/walk intervals are the only time that running hasn't messed up my knees, and I actually think the exercise is helping my recurring back issues.

I'm considering starting a journal here to keep track of my training and help keep me motivated, but I haven't decided if I would actually stick to it or not

In terms of my goals for this challenge, I think I'm going to lay off the weight loss goals in pounds. I haven't been very successful with those, and the lack of success seems to lead into self-sabotage for me a lot of the time. So I think for this challenge, my goal will be to keep up with my 10k training and stay consistent with my next 28-day challenge for strength training. The challenge officially starts March 14, so this may be a dual-month goal

10k training is 3 runs per week minimum, and my challenge has 5 days of routines. I'll plan to score each goal separately each week to make it easier on myself

Glad to be here, and as usual, I hope to be more active (but we'll see how real life goes)

Welcome!! I'm excited that you're joining us, and don't worry if you kinda disappear sometimes ... it happens to the best of us, and we're always happy to hear from you whenever you get a chance to stop by!
And I'm with you on the not tracking a pounds goal - sometimes having a weight loss goal just screws you up when you get a little off track. If you focus on other important things, hopefully the weight will come off too!

---

Okay, so ... I did not want to get out of bed this morning (which means you know it's going to be a great day), so your Wildcard Weekend is a little behind schedule. I'll get it up before breakfast ... which hopefully will be relatively soon.

 

[Flossbolna]

Arggg!! I am home sick today. And being sick is one of the worst things for my weight loss: I tend to be incredibly hungry when I am sick (unless I am so sick that I lose my appetite) and also lose all self control because: Eating does make me feel better - not just emotionally, but physically. And then I can't move. I am still under 2000 steps today and here it is already 2:30pm... And I missed Wednesday's and today's run because of that lousy cold!!

Thanks for letting me vent!

However, being at home has let me get caught up on a few things. I recently read an article about how in Japan most women would have a budgeting book and how this helps with keeping your spending under control. I thought that this was a neat idea and got myself a very cute budgeting book sometime in February. I started at the beginning of March, but still needed to catch up on researching the exact amounts of all the monthly payments I have etc. I really hopes that this will help me with saving money as I will have a clearer picture of how much money there is still left in the budget. I guess in a way it is like calorie tracking and I think with the little book that I bought I have a very good tracking tool! Since I am used to tracking my calories, I will hopefully stick to tracking my spending as well. The little book always wants me to formulate a goal and a plan for my budget for the month as well and the one thing I put down as a plan is to eat more lunches that I brought with me at work. So, in a way this is a budget and weight loss plan!!

 

[flvy]

And today I feel horrible.

Don't eat/drink your feelings kids you'll feel like crap the next day.

 

[SarahDisney]

Wildcard Weekend – Friday, March 4th:

Weekends are an extra special time of the week – so we’ll use this time to celebrate extra special parades that we may not get to see very often, including special event and retired parades.

Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade runs during the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in September and October. This parade features Disney characters and special Halloween-themed floats, and is one of the most popular Disney parades!

Have you seen Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” parade? Please share your pictures!

With Halloween as our topic for this weekend, let’s talk costumes! Have you ever worn a Disney-themed Halloween costume? Please share pictures (if you have them)!
Have you ever worn a Disney-themed outfit for a different event? Do you wear Disney-themed clothing or DisneyBounds when you go to the parks?

BONUS: How do you make sure to stick to healthy eating on candy-centric holidays such as Halloween?​

 

[SarahDisney]

Weekly Challenge – Week 1:

We’re introducing something new this month – weekly challenges! Every Friday I’ll post a challenge, and you’ll have until the following Thursday to answer the challenge. Challenges are about sharing with your fellow participants and bringing everyone closer to your favorite parts of living a healthy lifestyle.

This Week’s Challenge:
Are you a walker/runner? Show us some pictures of your favorite walking or running path!
Not a walker or runner? Show us pictures of one of your favorite spots – whether it’s somewhere you go to exercise or just somewhere you enjoy sitting and thinking!
If you can, spend 30 minutes in your favorite spot or path this week, then come back and tell us what you did! If you can’t make it to your special spot, spend 30 minutes exercising while imagining that you’re in your special spot. Tell us what you imagined you were doing there!

Challenge Due Date: Thursday, March 10th ​

 

[piglet1979]

Wildcard Weekend – Friday, March 4th:

Weekends are an extra special time of the week – so we’ll use this time to celebrate extra special parades that we may not get to see very often, including special event and retired parades.

Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade runs during the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in September and October. This parade features Disney characters and special Halloween-themed floats, and is one of the most popular Disney parades!

Have you seen Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” parade? Please share your pictures!

With Halloween as our topic for this weekend, let’s talk costumes! Have you ever worn a Disney-themed Halloween costume? Please share pictures (if you have them)!
Have you ever worn a Disney-themed outfit for a different event? Do you wear Disney-themed clothing or DisneyBounds when you go to the parks?

BONUS: How do you make sure to stick to healthy eating on candy-centric holidays such as Halloween?​

One of the years that my sister was in Marching band they did Beauty and the Beast as there theme. She was in color guard and they wore the blue and white dress from the beginning of the movie. I wore it several years at the daycare I worked at. I wore it up until I had my kids and no longer fit into it. Everyone thought I was Alice from Alice in Wonderland. They are pretty close to the same dress. I was also Minnie one year when I was a kid.

I am pretty good when it comes to candy at Halloween. I very picky with what candy I eat. I am really good at staying out of my kids candy. If they caught me they would be so mad so I just stay away. As long as I don't see it I am pretty good.

 

[piglet1979]

Weekly Challenge – Week 1:

We’re introducing something new this month – weekly challenges! Every Friday I’ll post a challenge, and you’ll have until the following Thursday to answer the challenge. Challenges are about sharing with your fellow participants and bringing everyone closer to your favorite parts of living a healthy lifestyle.

This Week’s Challenge:
Are you a walker/runner? Show us some pictures of your favorite walking or running path!
Not a walker or runner? Show us pictures of one of your favorite spots – whether it’s somewhere you go to exercise or just somewhere you enjoy sitting and thinking!
If you can, spend 30 minutes in your favorite spot or path this week, then come back and tell us what you did! If you can’t make it to your special spot, spend 30 minutes exercising while imagining that you’re in your special spot. Tell us what you imagined you were doing there!

Challenge Due Date: Thursday, March 10th ​

Question, How do you upload a picture here? I haven't been able to figure it out.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

@Lady Marie My wife and I signed up for Blue Apron yesterday. If we don't like it, I'm blaming you. No pressure.