2015 Make-the-Most-of-it March WISH challenge! All are welcome!

[Rose&Mike]

Today I am asking you to share some INSIGHT into what keeps you going on this journey. Why did you adopt a NEVER GIVE UP attitude with regards to weight loss/healthy lifestyle living? What spurs you on, keeps you moving, motivates you even when things aren't going in the right direction? Share a story, anecodote, situation, or just a motivational quote that always picks you up!

My story was shared, a bit, yesterday, when I talked about my social anxiety in meeting new people. While that has always been an issue for me.... I've always been shy, awkward, and lacking in self-confidence, being overweight certainly compounded those problems. Add to that having two kiddos that I didn't want to embarrass and I definitely had motivation to keep me looking good. While it is a bit easier to lose the weight for an occasion (upcoming wedding, vacation, reunion, etc), there will ALWAYS be something in life coming up ..... meeting new people, attending a new church, etc where having extra self-confidence will come in handy.... and getting to and maintaining my goal weight is what I need to give me that extra self-confidence!

Off to work, but I'll BBL to chat!...................P

I agree--goal weight definitely=confidence. And I think when you back slide and put a bunch back on you feel even worse sometimes--mentally and physically.

So I am going to be brutally honest (as much with myself as anything) about 'never give up' attitude. This might only make sense to me. I think in someways I have used it as a crutch--the whole idea that it's ok that I messed up today, because I am not quitting and I will get back on the wagon tomorrow. Of course we should always forgive ourselves and move forward, BUT we also need to be accountable to ourselves and realize that sometimes we are just plain messing up and being lazy about the healthy living stuff and in my case using it as an excuse to fail and be a failure (again). It is really not ok that I binged on chips a million times over the last 6 months. It is really bad for me and if I don't lose some weight it is going to impact my long term health. So while I do not want to give up I do need to STOP making excuses for my poor behavior and at a minimum own my choices, be they good or bad.

YOU HAVE BEEN SORELY MISSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy you are back! You can do this.... you know what to do. Can't wait to share a successful April with you!...............P

Thank you. I have thought about posting so many times. Finally had enough of myself and decided to get back on track!

yay Rose&Mike you are back!!!!! confession is good for the spirit, but no judgment here....we are just happy for your return!

Pamela -- I love your motivation story, its really a great point. my confidence soars when I'm feeling good in my clothes, or wearing a smaller size...

for me motivation has been lacking...I'm trying to tap into how GREAT I felt just before I left for FL when my body was feeling good with eating healthy and getting in lots of activity. Further back, I try to tap into how awesome I felt when I was my leanest and strongest, how I loved to be included in the pictures, how proud I felt being hungry and not just mindlessly eating. I have two vaca coming up this summer and I am determined to be down another 10 lbs for those ---

back on the wagon for me today, hit the gym, did some dog grooming, and laundry. off to a good start for the week

Hi Molli! I too have to remind myself over and over how great I feel when I am eating better, exercising, meditating, etc. Great post!

I am with Rose. I am coming back too. I may not do a weigh in this month. I just want to get back to eating right and starting to work out again. My eating for the last couple of weeks has been pretty good but I want to concentrate on being with a group that will encourage me and getting back into a fitness program.

This week is the one year anniversary of my dad's death and the 2 month anniversary of my father in law's death. But we are waiting to hear some news from ds2 and that is coming this week so we are excited about that. I will announce it when we know more.

See you a lot more in April.

Hope you have a great April Dona!

****
I volunteered this morning, had a job interview this afternoon, went to the gym (despite the fact that I forgot I wore spanx--spanx and working out is not a good combo) and then came home and walked the dog for two miles. I should finish up way under my calories for the day. I did my weigh in for the dietbet this morning.

Hope everyone had a great last day of March!

 

[pjlla]

I am with Rose. I am coming back too. I may not do a weigh in this month. I just want to get back to eating right and starting to work out again. My eating for the last couple of weeks has been pretty good but I want to concentrate on being with a group that will encourage me and getting back into a fitness program.

This week is the one year anniversary of my dad's death and the 2 month anniversary of my father in law's death. But we are waiting to hear some news from ds2 and that is coming this week so we are excited about that. I will announce it when we know more.

See you a lot more in April.

Yeah!! Another "sheep" returning to the fold! And you have been missed as well Dona!! Now if we could only get Buffy back with us and Lisa posting regularly, it would feel like old times here! Love my newer friends, but miss the "old" friends!

How is school going? Counting the days until the end of the year yet??

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

Hey all! I cannot TELL YOU how excited I am to see some chatter returning to my BELOVED WISH thread!! Seeing these faces returning to the group is really inspiring me to have a GREAT April challenge!!

Busy, busy day here.... work at school, then took DS to an appointment, then bought a few groceries and then home to put away said groceries, make dinner and prep some veggies for later in the week. Working double jobs tomorrow, so have to get ready for that as well.... did my weekly reading and pulled my inventory and loaded it into the car, so now I'm off to shower and lay out my clothes. Lunch for tomorrow is packed, dinner for the men for tomorrow is defrosting (made it last week), coffee maker is set-up for the morning.

Gotta dash to I have a few minutes to watch DWTS before I crash! See you in the a.m...................P

 

[donac]

I am not counting down to my class AP exams and the end of the school year I am counting down to my 60th birthday and my retirement at the end of the school year. I put in my paperwork to the board and to the state.

 

[Flossbolna]

hey thanks for thinking of me sorry it was at the doctors office after hearing your body is misbehaving. I have limited knowledge on thyroid issues, which I'm very fortunate in that I've had 75% of my pituitary gland removed (which controls your thyroid) and so far my thyroid is functioning normally. yeehaw. many of my fellow friends in my online community for disease support have thyroid issues, so I'm happy to help you figure it out if you need someone to bounce it off. on another note, maybe German thinking of leaving natural foods just as they are is spot-on. I think American food has gone too far additives. America is seeing far too many outbreaks too of kids not being vaccinated ;( Are you able to make purchases on amazon? I've bought the mega vitamin D on amazon, and take one a week to boost up my vitamin D levels. i'll never tell your doc

I am pretty sure that I am not allowed to have Amazon ship high level vitamin D pills to Germany if the ones I got already have to be prescribed! I had no idea that your condition can cause thyroid problems as well - crossing my fingers that that will not be an issue for you ever! No, what made me think of you was thinking about how the whole chemistry in our bodies is actually quite an amazing thing and how important it is for our well being. Reading about your issues has certainly made that so much clearer than learning about it in biology in school. I find it fascinating what a wonderfully complex system we are on a purely chemical level. I guess the science geek in me (I thought about getting a degree in biological chemistry - instead I went into a totally different, non-science, field).

Hello! I feel like the prodigal daughter returning. This move has been a bit more challenging than I thought it was going to be. I am coming clean--I have gained way too much weight and I am now within 15 pounds of my weight when I started the WISH challenges. Sigh. But I am getting back on track. I joined a Dietbet for April. It will be hard for me--4% for the month--but even if I only hit 75% I will be happy. I am looking forward to the April challenge and catching back up with everyone.

Rose! Great to have you back!! Sorry that you gained so much, but it seems like you are getting into a better place with coming back here and the Dietbet for April! Hopefully that will give you the motivation to stay on track from now on!

Motivational Monday

Pam, thanks for sharing your story! I used to have similar issues and agree that it helps a lot if you don't feel fat and can act with more self confidence. Somehow, between losing a lot of weight in my 20s, having a job that requires me to appear in public, I managed to get rid of a lot of my shyness by now though. I noticed that I start talking to strangers on trains or at the supermarket even!

My reason for not giving up is that I know how much better I feel when my weight is lower. Kind of as if having some superfluous pounds is similar to wearing uncomfortable clothes. I don't want that. One revelation was when after I had lost quite a bit and went on a trip to the US and realized that the air plane seat was just so much more comfortable when I was 30 pounds lighter. And for a long flight it really makes a difference!

or me motivation has been lacking...I'm trying to tap into how GREAT I felt just before I left for FL when my body was feeling good with eating healthy and getting in lots of activity. Further back, I try to tap into how awesome I felt when I was my leanest and strongest, how I loved to be included in the pictures, how proud I felt being hungry and not just mindlessly eating. I have two vaca coming up this summer and I am determined to be down another 10 lbs for those ---

I think what you describe is what my motivation is as well! I just know that it feels so much better to be lower in weight!

I am with Rose. I am coming back too. I may not do a weigh in this month. I just want to get back to eating right and starting to work out again. My eating for the last couple of weeks has been pretty good but I want to concentrate on being with a group that will encourage me and getting back into a fitness program.

Welcome back Dona!

This week is the one year anniversary of my dad's death and the 2 month anniversary of my father in law's death. But we are waiting to hear some news from ds2 and that is coming this week so we are excited about that. I will announce it when we know more.

I am sorry for your losses! It sounds like you had a very rough year! But hopefully the great news will come and turn that around!

So while I do not want to give up I do need to STOP making excuses for my poor behavior and at a minimum own my choices, be they good or bad.

I recently read the quote "losers have excuses, winners have solutions" and it really spoke to me. I am really great at excuses as well. And if it is just the excuse that one piece of chocolate is not going to change much in my daily calories. So, that quote really motivated me to be more conscious about what I do and identify the excuses and then came up with solutions. Over the last few weeks I had kind of forgotten about it, so thanks for bring that topic up! I need to go back to finding solutions!!

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all and welcome to the FINAL DAY of your Make-the-Most-of-It March WISH Challenge! Wowza, this month has FLOWN BY, hasn't it??!! But an "ending" is a great time to reflect on things..... what went well, what didn't go so well.... etc.

I'm going to suggest that today we do a good old self-analysis on the month of March and see where we stood strong and where we struggled and figure out what we are going to do in April to keep up some POSITIVE momentum. Our robotics team calls it a SWOT analysis..... Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Look at the recent days/weeks of your weight-loss journey. Where do your Strengths lie? How about Weaknesses? What Opportunities might be coming up that you could take advantage of? And what is an out-and-out Threat to your journey? Looking at these things and perhaps even making WRITTEN NOTES about them will make you that much stronger going into April and the REST OF YOUR LIFE on this journey!

Remember that this will be the LAST DAY that I can take losses for March! If you didn't get a Friday number into me or you were waiting for today to do a final weigh-in, get those numbers (weight loss percentage toward goal!!) to me in a PM and be ready to send a starting weigh-in and goal number to ohmom, our hostess for April!!

It has truly been a pleasure to be your hostess and weight-loss buddy for the past two months! I hope I was able to pass along some inspiration, motivation, and help you keep it real!

BBL in the day if I can, but today is a double job day, so no promises! .....................P

 

[ohMom]

real quick on this, than I promise to shut-up since vitamin D levels are low for almost everyone...here is the link to the product on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A0F2B2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Magdalene - the mega-vit D is a prescription in America too, but this over-the-counter product did work for me. my doc Rx me the 50,000 iu but my levels weren't up by the time my prescription ran out, so I bought this and my levels continued to rise. I'm not truly trying to tell you what to do, just give you the info for your own research


ok, the April thread is up, please read my comments and let me know if you guys want to do chatter or chatter and WI...I'm nervous to account for all the WI and math i'll admit

great summary question for the month Pamela!


strengths -- faithful to workouts

weakness -- Easter goodies, living with Addison's

opportunities -- utilize my job as April coach to stay ultra-dedicated this month

threats --- time and energy needed to plan a graduation party, and assist my mom at the end of April when she has surgery


forgot to add -- I did not lose my vaca lbs ;( instead I'm up another 1.5 lbs! so I'm 4.5 heavier than I got down to the beginning of the month! frustration!!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Pam, thank you so much for coaching for two months!! And that you kept us going with so many new questions, motivational quotes and pictures!! I am really sorry that I was so absent the second half of the months, but I was just so stressed out somehow. And my trip reports take up a lot of my DIS time!

SWOT analysis..... Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

I like that idea. So, looking back at the month:

Strengths:
my 10 days sugar free showed me that I can have willpower, if I get my act together
being very constant with my tracking of food

Weakness:
getting too hungry because of bad planning of meals
still not exercising as much as I should

Opportunity:
getting my blood chemistry worked out to help with weight loss
having signed up for a 5k in the middle of may that will motivate me to train for it (my sister is running, too, it will be her first 5k!)

Threats:
Easter weekend with the family
Work stress

I realize that the "work stress" threat is also what causes my weaknesses. I cannot really do anything about work. I love my job, but it comes with a certain amount of stress. However, I have found out that I have learned to deal better with it over the years. I somehow manage to no longer comfort eat in those periods (or at least can stop after one binge meal). So, the next step will be to try to keep the exercise going! I have decided to give up walking to work and instead use the bike. That should save me 20 minutes each way. With that it should be easier to get runs in on a regular basis. Of course the first step would be to get the bike ready for being used again after the winter...

 

[Flossbolna]

real quick on this, than I promise to shut-up since vitamin D levels are low for almost everyone...here is the link to the product on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A0F2B2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Magdalene - the mega-vit D is a prescription in America too, but this over-the-counter product did work for me. my doc Rx me the 50,000 iu but my levels weren't up by the time my prescription ran out, so I bought this and my levels continued to rise. I'm not truly trying to tell you what to do, just give you the info for your own research

Interesting, thank you! Those high levels are still not allowed to be sold here in Germany though at all. I know that a friend of mine had such a very high dose therapy once where he got weekly pills. But my doctor seemed to want to try the slower approach first. He is generally a pretty good doctor, so I will see how it works.

 

[ohMom]

so excellent to hear you say you like and trust your doctor!

I just had to pop on here and tell you all that my poor puppy is pooped! I've walked her both yesterday and today, today was a long one almost an hour! she didn't realize she was going to be getting more exercise for all this!

 

[pjlla]

Hey all! I am on sitting here with one or two final weigh-ins for March!! I'll give you until the morning before I update page one and call March a "done deal"! .....................P

 

[Rose&Mike]

I am not counting down to my class AP exams and the end of the school year I am counting down to my 60th birthday and my retirement at the end of the school year. I put in my paperwork to the board and to the state.

That is so exciting! You definitely want to be healthy and on track for your retirement.

I recently read the quote "losers have excuses, winners have solutions" and it really spoke to me. I am really great at excuses as well. And if it is just the excuse that one piece of chocolate is not going to change much in my daily calories. So, that quote really motivated me to be more conscious about what I do and identify the excuses and then came up with solutions. Over the last few weeks I had kind of forgotten about it, so thanks for bring that topic up! I need to go back to finding solutions!!

Great quote! I am the queen of excuses and really good at saying I will deal with it later.
On the vit d thing--I recently saw a study that debunked the benefits of taking vit d, but personally I swear by it. It seems to even out my mood and overall I just feel better. Luckily we moved to a place with a lot more sun and I am taking advantage of it.

SWOT analysis..... Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Look at the recent days/weeks of your weight-loss journey. Where do your Strengths lie? How about Weaknesses? What Opportunities might be coming up that you could take advantage of? And what is an out-and-out Threat to your journey?

Threats--possible continued issues with our new house (it has been a long ugly process) and still no job, so all the stress from interviewing, etc.
Weaknesses--white carbs. I love potato chips, french fries, baked potatoes and white sugar so much. And I have found I really need carbs or I am a miserable person, so have upped my fruit intake and hoping that helps. I just need to keep the other stuff out of the house.
Strengths--I have done this before. This is NOT the hardest thing I have had to overcome in life--this is just one of those life lessons I obviously have not completely mastered yet, so just need to keep working on it! And I have kept up with my mile a day! Only missed 6 days last fall during our move since Jan 1, 2014!
Opportunities--Spring is here! The weather is gorgeous and there is absolutely no reason to get out and enjoy it. We went for two hikes last weekend and I cut the grass yesterday. I am also volunteering for a wonderful organization and that is really helping me keep my perspective in check about life in general.

strengths -- faithful to workouts

weakness -- Easter goodies, living with Addison's

opportunities -- utilize my job as April coach to stay ultra-dedicated this month

threats --- time and energy needed to plan a graduation party, and assist my mom at the end of April when she has surgery


forgot to add -- I did not lose my vaca lbs ;( instead I'm up another 1.5 lbs! so I'm 4.5 heavier than I got down to the beginning of the month! frustration!!!

Those vacation pounds will be gone soon!

Strengths:
my 10 days sugar free showed me that I can have willpower, if I get my act together
being very constant with my tracking of food

Weakness:
getting too hungry because of bad planning of meals
still not exercising as much as I should

Opportunity:
getting my blood chemistry worked out to help with weight loss
having signed up for a 5k in the middle of may that will motivate me to train for it (my sister is running, too, it will be her first 5k!)

Threats:
Easter weekend with the family
Work stress

I realize that the "work stress" threat is also what causes my weaknesses. I cannot really do anything about work. I love my job, but it comes with a certain amount of stress. However, I have found out that I have learned to deal better with it over the years. I somehow manage to no longer comfort eat in those periods (or at least can stop after one binge meal). So, the next step will be to try to keep the exercise going! I have decided to give up walking to work and instead use the bike. That should save me 20 minutes each way. With that it should be easier to get runs in on a regular basis. Of course the first step would be to get the bike ready for being used again after the winter...

Stress is a recurring theme for me--and I don't deal with it well. I have found that (if I do it) mindfulness and meditation (even 10 minutes a day) helps so much. I don't know why I am not more consistent with it! Great job on the 10 days sugar free.

 

[pjlla]

yay Rose&Mike you are back!!!!! confession is good for the spirit, but no judgment here....we are just happy for your return!

I agree!!

Pamela -- I love your motivation story, its really a great point. my confidence soars when I'm feeling good in my clothes, or wearing a smaller size...

for me motivation has been lacking...I'm trying to tap into how GREAT I felt just before I left for FL when my body was feeling good with eating healthy and getting in lots of activity. Further back, I try to tap into how awesome I felt when I was my leanest and strongest, how I loved to be included in the pictures, how proud I felt being hungry and not just mindlessly eating. I have two vaca coming up this summer and I am determined to be down another 10 lbs for those ---

back on the wagon for me today, hit the gym, did some dog grooming, and laundry. off to a good start for the week

Sounds like you are back with a vengeance!

I agree--goal weight definitely=confidence. And I think when you back slide and put a bunch back on you feel even worse sometimes--mentally and physically.

So I am going to be brutally honest (as much with myself as anything) about 'never give up' attitude. This might only make sense to me. I think in someways I have used it as a crutch--the whole idea that it's ok that I messed up today, because I am not quitting and I will get back on the wagon tomorrow. Of course we should always forgive ourselves and move forward, BUT we also need to be accountable to ourselves and realize that sometimes we are just plain messing up and being lazy about the healthy living stuff and in my case using it as an excuse to fail and be a failure (again). It is really not ok that I binged on chips a million times over the last 6 months. It is really bad for me and if I don't lose some weight it is going to impact my long term health. So while I do not want to give up I do need to STOP making excuses for my poor behavior and at a minimum own my choices, be they good or bad.

As long as you know what type of ATTITUDE works best for you! Please try to remember that every step AND every stumble on this journey can teach you something.... and as long as you are LEARNING from the stumbles and slip-ups, then you will keep moving in the right direction.... even if it is slowly!


Thank you. I have thought about posting so many times. Finally had enough of myself and decided to get back on track!

I hope you know that I truly missed you and thought of you often and wondered how you were. I should have been better about shooting you a PM!

Hi Molli! I too have to remind myself over and over how great I feel when I am eating better, exercising, meditating, etc. Great post!

Hope you have a great April Dona!

****
I volunteered this morning, had a job interview this afternoon, went to the gym (despite the fact that I forgot I wore spanx--spanx and working out is not a good combo) and then came home and walked the dog for two miles. I should finish up way under my calories for the day. I did my weigh in for the dietbet this morning.

Hope everyone had a great last day of March!

Sounds like a productive day! When will you hear about the results of the job interview?

I am not counting down to my class AP exams and the end of the school year I am counting down to my 60th birthday and my retirement at the end of the school year. I put in my paperwork to the board and to the state.

I knew you were planning to retire after this year and wondered if that was making the school year go by painfully slowly!!

I am pretty sure that I am not allowed to have Amazon ship high level vitamin D pills to Germany if the ones I got already have to be prescribed! I had no idea that your condition can cause thyroid problems as well - crossing my fingers that that will not be an issue for you ever! No, what made me think of you was thinking about how the whole chemistry in our bodies is actually quite an amazing thing and how important it is for our well being. Reading about your issues has certainly made that so much clearer than learning about it in biology in school. I find it fascinating what a wonderfully complex system we are on a purely chemical level. I guess the science geek in me (I thought about getting a degree in biological chemistry - instead I went into a totally different, non-science, field).

Glad you are taking steps to be informed about you own health!

Pam, thanks for sharing your story! I used to have similar issues and agree that it helps a lot if you don't feel fat and can act with more self confidence. Somehow, between losing a lot of weight in my 20s, having a job that requires me to appear in public, I managed to get rid of a lot of my shyness by now though. I noticed that I start talking to strangers on trains or at the supermarket even!

ME TOO!!

My reason for not giving up is that I know how much better I feel when my weight is lower. Kind of as if having some superfluous pounds is similar to wearing uncomfortable clothes. I don't want that. One revelation was when after I had lost quite a bit and went on a trip to the US and realized that the air plane seat was just so much more comfortable when I was 30 pounds lighter. And for a long flight it really makes a difference!

I think what you describe is what my motivation is as well! I just know that it feels so much better to be lower in weight!
Welcome back Dona!
I am sorry for your losses! It sounds like you had a very rough year! But hopefully the great news will come and turn that around!

I recently read the quote "losers have excuses, winners have solutions" and it really spoke to me. I am really great at excuses as well. And if it is just the excuse that one piece of chocolate is not going to change much in my daily calories. So, that quote really motivated me to be more conscious about what I do and identify the excuses and then came up with solutions. Over the last few weeks I had kind of forgotten about it, so thanks for bring that topic up! I need to go back to finding solutions!!

What a great quote! I've heard it before, but it definitely bears repeating!!

ok, the April thread is up, please read my comments and let me know if you guys want to do chatter or chatter and WI...I'm nervous to account for all the WI and math i'll admit

If I can do it, ANYONE can do it! No stress, no worries, no pressure!!

great summary question for the month Pamela!

strengths -- faithful to workouts

weakness -- Easter goodies, living with Addison's

opportunities -- utilize my job as April coach to stay ultra-dedicated this month

threats --- time and energy needed to plan a graduation party, and assist my mom at the end of April when she has surgery

Good reflections!!


forgot to add -- I did not lose my vaca lbs ;( instead I'm up another 1.5 lbs! so I'm 4.5 heavier than I got down to the beginning of the month! frustration!!!

Well, you are in good company. I am actually up 1.3 from where I was at the start of March, instead of down the 4 pounds I wanted!!! GRRRRR..... so frustrated with myself. But I've made some changes (oh carbs, how I miss you!!) since Friday's weigh-in and plan to see at least a pound gone by this coming Friday!

Pam, thank you so much for coaching for two months!! And that you kept us going with so many new questions, motivational quotes and pictures!! I am really sorry that I was so absent the second half of the months, but I was just so stressed out somehow. And my trip reports take up a lot of my DIS time!

I do love reading your trip reports when I have time, so I understand! And you are welcome!!

I like that idea. So, looking back at the month:

Strengths:
my 10 days sugar free showed me that I can have willpower, if I get my act together
being very constant with my tracking of food

Weakness:
getting too hungry because of bad planning of meals
still not exercising as much as I should

Opportunity:
getting my blood chemistry worked out to help with weight loss
having signed up for a 5k in the middle of may that will motivate me to train for it (my sister is running, too, it will be her first 5k!)

Threats:
Easter weekend with the family
Work stress

I realize that the "work stress" threat is also what causes my weaknesses. I cannot really do anything about work. I love my job, but it comes with a certain amount of stress. However, I have found out that I have learned to deal better with it over the years. I somehow manage to no longer comfort eat in those periods (or at least can stop after one binge meal). So, the next step will be to try to keep the exercise going! I have decided to give up walking to work and instead use the bike. That should save me 20 minutes each way. With that it should be easier to get runs in on a regular basis. Of course the first step would be to get the bike ready for being used again after the winter...

Sounds like you really are making an "action plan" to go along with your SWOT analysis.... and that is a big reason to do a self-analysis like that.... to see where changes need to be made and can be made.... and then to MAKE THEM!!

That is so exciting! You definitely want to be healthy and on track for your retirement.

Great quote! I am the queen of excuses and really good at saying I will deal with it later.
On the vit d thing--I recently saw a study that debunked the benefits of taking vit d, but personally I swear by it. It seems to even out my mood and overall I just feel better. Luckily we moved to a place with a lot more sun and I am taking advantage of it.


Threats--possible continued issues with our new house (it has been a long ugly process) and still no job, so all the stress from interviewing, etc.
Weaknesses--white carbs. I love potato chips, french fries, baked potatoes and white sugar so much. And I have found I really need carbs or I am a miserable person, so have upped my fruit intake and hoping that helps. I just need to keep the other stuff out of the house.
Strengths--I have done this before. This is NOT the hardest thing I have had to overcome in life--this is just one of those life lessons I obviously have not completely mastered yet, so just need to keep working on it! And I have kept up with my mile a day! Only missed 6 days last fall during our move since Jan 1, 2014!
Opportunities--Spring is here! The weather is gorgeous and there is absolutely no reason to get out and enjoy it. We went for two hikes last weekend and I cut the grass yesterday. I am also volunteering for a wonderful organization and that is really helping me keep my perspective in check about life in general.

Those vacation pounds will be gone soon!

Stress is a recurring theme for me--and I don't deal with it well. I have found that (if I do it) mindfulness and meditation (even 10 minutes a day) helps so much. I don't know why I am not more consistent with it! Great job on the 10 days sugar free.

You are such a ROCK STAR when it comes to walking and running.... you absolutely put me to shame! I am so impressed you have kept up with your mile-a-day for so long! I did a mile today... perhaps I should aim for AT LEAST a mile a day in April (already formulating excuses in my mind for the days I might miss.... pathetic).

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Hey all!!! Page one is totally caught up with any weights I've received since Friday and we ended the month with TWO people at 100% and another at 76% !! Considering how small the group was this month (and how little I contributed , I'm going to say we did GREAT!! I'm now moving to April for good! See you there!....................P