Biggest Loser 10 Fall Challenge -- for losers and maintainers :)

[mikamah]

I would like to say that it really helps me when I do but I also have lost 29lbs now not doing in consistently. So I have mixed emotions about this.

I weighed myself today and am down a lb from friday. Its got me motivated!!!

I am off to get the kids to bed and then finish up a load of laundry. Then its relaxing time for me. I deserve it right?

Wow, 29 pounds is awesome!! Hope you're enjoying that relaxing time.

A Welsh Dragon is a drink DH and I first tried at the Rose N Crown in 2006! It's a strange combo of oj, pineapple juice, melon liquer, peach schnapps and a splash of creme de menthe. It's so refreshing! We usually make a blender full. The ingredients were in the menu and we just ended up making it at home!

Tomorrow is DD1s first day of 5th grade. She is really excited! Hope she can get to sleep!

Good luck to dd on her first day tomorrow. Michael starts 3rd grade tomorrow, and is very excited too. I feel very lucky I don't have to fight him to go to school. That Welsh Dragon sounds delish.

I just took a shower because I just did a 35-minute workout! I had to drop something off at my neighbor's house and she sent me back with some mini cupcakes and frosted pound cake. Other than dessert, I ate very well today, drank 10-8 oz glasses of water (achieved that goal!), and got in lots of exercise. I'm hoping to see the number on the scale go down tomorrow morning.

QOTD: Journaling is so valuable to me. If I don't journal my food, I am 99% guaranteed to gain weight.

Sounds like a great day, CC. I'm with you on the journalling. It really helps keep the binging from going totally out of control.

Ok, losers, I am WAY off track & having trouble geting on. ARGH!!!!!!

Your day sounded pretty crazy. I hope things are settling down for you now, and that tomorrow is much better.

I am at home today and it has not helped me stay out of the kitchen...ds12 is very nervous and excited about starting his new school tomorrow, adding to the "adgitaty" feel of the house.

Good luck to ds in his new school. It's tough to get back into routine after vacation, isn't it. I was pretty much out of food since we were away most of the past 2 weeks, and luckily went to the grocery store in a good frame of mind, so it will be hard to stray too far. I think once school starts things should smooth out for all of us.

Hi! I'm back from the Disneyland Half Marathon. It was lots of fun - I met and reunited with lots of WISHers, enjoyed the parks and had lots of fun on the course as well. I ran with my friend Jen (from Team Ohana) whom I've met at several other races, though we've never run together more than about a mile-long stretch at last year's Disneyland Half - through Angels' Stadium, no less.

We were not pushing for speed, just took lots of photos and enjoyed the run, for the most part. It was 100% more enjoyable than my last half marathon - I keep saying that I set a PR....in FUN. I do think it's important to remember that the finish time is really a very SMALL portion of what makes a great race experience. Even though I think it is exciting to push the boundaries and see how fast I can go sometimes, I had really lost sight of what I love about racing - I found it again over the weekend.

Love the pic, Corina. Congrats on your new PR in FUN!! I love it!!

alamere1496 - Yay, more Mass residents. We're in Danvers, but it would have been nice to have a walking buddy.

Speaking of which, Dylan slept all night again and I woke up to the sound of him playing in his crib at 7 am. Yay! Go Dylan. Either he's getting into a routine or I'm in for it tonight

Congrats on Dylan sleeping through the night. We're in Danvers too, close to Plains park. My son is 8 and starts school tomorrow. We often go down to John George park, him on his scooter and I walk/run the track. It's great there because he's old enough to hang at the playground or scoot or bike ahead of me. It's great to meet you, neighbor.

Hope it's the former! Your post brought back fond memories of my DS waking up so happy in his crib in the morings. This morning my "baby" was telling me about his plans to grow a goatee and that his job is to separate from me now that he is in middle school -- and he just turned 11!

Oh my, a goatee. He'll still always be your baby, even though he's got a job now to separate from you. That does make me appreciate the fact that Michael wanted me to lay down with him til he fell asleep tonight, when all I wanted to do was get on the dis and get updated on everyone.

Definitely. Its a must do. Anytime someone asks me how I lost weight, I say by keeping track of what I eat and by exercising. I dont think theres ever been a time where I have lost weight and not tracked my food.

I totally agree. When I'm journalling faithfully, I'm mostly going to lose.

I'd like to rejoin for this Fall Challenge. I gained back all but 3 of the pounds I lost in the end of the summer challenge.

I'm working on getting the exercise back up to daily. I did a lot of swimming over the weekend but want to get the good cardio going so I'm ready to start walk/jogging training towards the couch to 5K plan.

Welcome back. The couch to 5k is such a great program. It truly got me up and running, and actually liking it.

Lisa -- Thank you for the opportunity to be a coach! I am so excited! I have even put it on my calendar and have put it on outlook for several times a day to remember to check the thread that week. It is going to be so much fun to get to know everyone even better that week. (Off to check for a listing of the "duties" of the coach, to be sure I don't miss anything. )

You will love being coach, and like lisa said, it is a week that you will stay on track. My most successful weeks are when I'm coaching. It makes sure you come here and check in at least daily, and thus it's more difficult to completely lose focus.

Thanks guys! I really do try to be a happy and optimistic person most of the time. I feel like lately all I do is whine and I know I need to break out of it. I feel like the whining and the weight gain are going hand-in-hand right now. I do now know what I would do without all of you here to keep me in line and put that spark of positiveness back in my day!
Well, I am feeling a real struggle today with letting it all go or staying in control. So far, my list of having things to do and knowing what I am going it eat is winning. I have been working out just by cleaning the house today. In some ways it is great to be home while the family is at school because I am finding I can get a lot done. I also did go and run - I ran 5 miles this morning in 48 minutes. I had thought I would run more but it was cold (50°), windy (gusts to 50 mph) and drizzling. YUCK! I ate breakfast since I have been skipping that and I know I should not be. I have my plan in place for lunch and dinner. I will now work on some e-mails to schools for about 2 hours. To help with the stress of this task, I plan on setting an alarm for 1 hour in. At that point, I am going to take a 10 minute exercise break. It is not much but it will at least get me away from the computer and get me moving. It might make me feel a bit energized instead of just stressed. I have WW tonight and I am dreading the weigh in. I thought about skipping it but know that to keep moving forward, I have to accept responsibility for what I have done and get going in the right direction again. Skipping the meeting doesn't change the fact that I have gained weight and it will help motivate me a bit.

You are one of the most positive people I know, and we are always here to listen. Just a hug for you. I hope you got to ww, and now you can move on. Hang in there.

This was my first of 13 half marathons over the next 13 months, so right back to the trainer tomorrow. It's definitely a love-hate relationship. Love running-hate the "gym" workouts-love the results! 7 pounds in the last month. Another 15 or so to hit my goal.

Wow, that is an amazing goal, a half a month. Now I could do that if I could split it up among several runs.

Ok, here's my little whine for the day, feel free to skip it. We just wasted 5 hours of our lives trying to get a brand new samsung android phone to sync to our computer only to be told by samsung that they have no idea what was wrong with it and to take it back to sprint! Uggh! We have resisted getting a new phone for a long time--Mike and I both have the most basic phones you can buy--doesn't even have picture mail. But with as much traveling as we are doing in the next couple months, we decided why not. I was looking forward to checking email, having my music at the same place as my phone, being able to get pics from ds, and Mike wanted to be able to check sports scores. Neither one of our laptops will recognise the phone and so we can't do anything that involves moving data back and forth. We couldn't even get the app which moves itunes wirelessly to work! So now tomorrow Mike is going to spend another hour or so dealing with the sprint store. Sorry, to sound like such a whiner, but I hate it when you pay a lot of money for something and IT DOESN'T WORK!!!! At this point, I just want my old phone back. Who cares about the extra stuff. So frustrating! And I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm getting a little cranky to boot!

That is soooo frustrating. I think it's why I still have my little razor phone and don't even know how to text. It's so frustrating when things don't work like they should. I'm pretty impressed you spent 5 hours struggling with that, but didn't take any time outs to eat a dozen donuts or anything. Oh wait, that would be me. Nice job staying focused.

Im so glad your back Kathy! Missed ya around here. The trip sounds like it was fabulous. I bet it was so fun just spending it with you and michael. The weight loss is amazing especially while being in disney and you even had 2 vacations prior too. That is excellent. I know you will get right back on the wagon.

I say do it. I would read along. I love reading the TR too. I have to say doing one for our trip was so much fun. Its nice to go back now and read it. It brings back all the wonderful memories we made.

Thanks Lindsay. I was very happy with myself on vacations. I didn't deprive myself at all, but like pjlla says, I just made some good and better choices, and I didn't gorge myself at the buffets. Plus in disney it was just the two of us, so I didn't have any alcohol, so the excess calories were well spent on desserts. I'm toying with the trip report idea. I"m on call this weekend, and just hanging around, so I'll definitely get working on my pictures.

They were minature schnauzer/maltese mixes, and seemed very healthy. We checked them all, all over, and had been well cared for. Not like us to make an impulse pet decision. I knew nothing about the 2 breeds, just thought they were cute. He talked her down off her selling price, which I only think worked b/c she had seen DD crying earlier. He's mostly white, with black on his face and ears, and a ring on his tail, and 1 black spot on the side. A total furball, so sweet and good. He's responding very well to no!

Brought him back, and the girls went nuts! DH gets the father of the year award. So we spent the afternoon buying puppy gear that we needed, playing, training (no accidents!!!!) and researching, working on class stuff, and watching VT lose.

Turns out, this is one of those crazy "designer hybrid" dogs. Mauzer is what they are called. I thought it was just a cute mutt! When I was looking it up, found ads for $400-$900 for these things. Sheez! Actually found an ad for him she had posted, asking $400. Didn't pay even half that. No wonder she was so reluctant to come down, like we were killing her. She begged me, "don't tell ANYONE how much you paid for him". She said she had already sold three over the weekend at asking price!

Congratulations on your newest addition. How wonderful for all of you. And just a hug to you and your family, and your mom. I know what an emotional
time this is for you all.

Kathy-- on coming back with a loss! Did you all do the Halloween party? Don't you just love all the fall decorations at the MK?

I had planned to do the halloween party since it started labor day weekend last year, but it doesn't start til next weekend, so we did the Pirate and Pals fireworks cruise out of the contemproray, and it was so much fun. I would highly recommend it. Our pirate captain was hilarious, and it was so beautiful to watch wishes from the lake. The halloween decorations are just amazing.

Hi everyone. My name is Stephanie. I am a 38 yo mom of one wonderful 6 year old daughter, Kayla. I have been married to my hubby for nearly 8 years. DH and I both work at WDW. He is leader, and I am back part-tme in the parks. I joined Weight Watchers in March 2009, and hit my 50 pound lost mark in early June this year. I am on a 4 month plateau, and hoping this group will help me push through when I need that increased help and support.

I have had quite the few 2 years. In October 2008, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. In February 2009, my Dad was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma. In March 2009, I was laid off from my 13 year dream career with WDW. I made the decision to lose the weight for good, to reduce my risk of cancer. My Mom recently passed away on June 25, 2010 after her strong fight. Dad told DH and I 1 week later that his cancer was being considered terminal. We had already booked our Aug 2010 cruise getaway, so we enjoyed that (me with the extra desserts, knowing after cruise it was time to kick it in gear). With all of this I am hovering at having gained between 5-7 pounds back. Time to start losing again.

Hubby and I have a goal of 12 races in 2010. We have completed 6 5k's, 2 10k's, and we have the WDW Wine & Dine half marathon relay coming next month. We are also registered for the WDW half marathon. I am restarting the C25K program and focus. I don't care how I finish, running, walking, but I will finish. My goal is to complete my weight loss journey and drop the last 25-30 pounds. I have the goal of 1-2 pounds per week since I want it to stay away for good! 18 weeks, and barring any plateaus...I will hopefully be at my lifetime weight by the WDW half marathon in January. I have never been a runner, don't really enjoy running, but enjoy the races and completing them.

Congratulations on your 50 pounds down and your races completed. A big hug to you on the loss of you mom, and your dad's illness. My prayers go out to you and your family. It's so overwhelming to lose a parent, and then to have your dad sick too must be so tough. Remember to take care of yourself, and don't be too hard on yourself. Hang in there.

Well, I'm hoping to keep up with the thread from now on. I did go back and read through most of it, and it seems like a great group here. I'm on day 2 on track!! That's big for me. Before vacation I thought I was all ready for back to school, but we spent a good part of today getting ready and doing errands. Then I started organizing his clothes, and he need to have his retainer checked, and before I knew it, was dinner time.
Michael will get on the bus at 7:35 and then I will get out for a run/walk. It's been over a week, but since I don't go to work til 10, I'm hoping to do 4-5 miles. I've been looking forward to school starting so I would have my dis and coffee time back, but I am amazing myself that I want to get my run/walks in first. The princess half in feb is such a huge motivator right now.

Off to bed now. It's back to reality tomorrow, but luckily i'm only working a 4 hour shift. Have a great night.

 

[mikamah]

I'm very impressed with all the runners in this group. I wonder, for those of you used/are using the C25K program, do you like it? Would you recommend any adjustments?

I started it in february, and the first day I couldn't make the full minute for all the intervals. I stuck with it, and pretty much followed it until I got up to running 2.5 miles straight, but I was so sore after that,
so I took to running and walking in intervals instead, and am working on increasing my distance. I would say to listen to your body, and don't push too hard, but I think the program is well planned out. Also repeat weeks or days if you need to. I weighed about 215 when I started and am 46 yo, so for my age and my body, I found that the intervals of walking hugely decreased the stress on my joints. The other thing I would say is to always stretch after your run/walks. I notice a huge difference in the soreness if I stretch faithfully.
Good luck if you give it a try.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Okay, so this is my first time doing a challenge like this, but I so desperately want to lose the baby weight! I was at a healthy weight for nearly the first time in my life about 5 years ago...then I found out I was expecting my first little one! Now, 2 kids and 45 pounds extra, here I am. Can someone tell me, who do we send our weight to at each weigh in?

I actually gained 60 pounds with my first, lost 20, then gained 40 more with my second. I have lost some, and I have about 45 left to go. Here goes!!

Welcome!

No, I didn't go. I was planning on it but life took a fantastic detour and I went to Nashville instead.



Cheesy Crackers, Jen! You know me too well!!!

So what took you to Nashville and what did you do there? Inquiring minds want to know!

Ok, losers, I am WAY off track & having trouble geting on. ARGH!!!!!!

Food has been ok until today, but I missed my nightly 1.6 with the yorkies Saturday, Sunday & Monday. Yesterday I didn't get my morning 3+ in because I got up early & went with DD18 & others to our Fav Thriftstore 1/2 price day, then the mall. Then last night when I wanted to walk, DH went off about no one being allowed downstairs (where the TV, Wii, & kids rooms are) until after 9 pm daily as DS24 works nights & sleeps til then. Which basically means DS21 & DD18 can't watch a movie, play games etc as starting after 9 p.m. is too late when they all get up at 5:20 for school. No other place for anyone to watch TV or play games. I haven't played my piano in over 2 yrs as DS24 is always asleep & I just don't want to after 10 at night & same with my WiiFit - if he isn't at work, he is on the TV playing his PS3 or is asleep. GRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Then, we are still having computer problems getting it set up so that the Mac laptops and the PC Desktop can share the router & printer, so when DD went to print her 6 pg english paper this morning, it woudn't . I ended up driving her to the bus & by the time I got home, got DS21 off to school, it was too hot to walk.

DS21 finally got an accellerator cable for his vette, so he can drive it, but not before something in his pocket tore a 3 corner hole in the leather seat of my Bug....I cried! Not that it is new, but it is about the only thing around here that is MINE - I have 1 2003 Beetle, 2 yorkies & that is about it.

So, this morning, by stress overcame me. I crawled in bed & read & ate chips & ice cream. But I also got a little bit more sleep. GRRRRR!!!!!!

Must STOP letting life take over!

Sorry for the vent.........Hope your day is going better than mine!

Julie Hang in there! Sometimes you just need a day in bed with a good book.

Maria--good luck to DS tomorrow. Enjoy your day at home by yourself.


Corinna--sounds like a great trip!

Well darn. It rained enough to flood the football field, so no game for the boys tonight. Postponed til not sure when. And I need to figure out something else for dinner. We were going to grill burgers after the game, but it is still pretty nasty out there. I need to have a plan B in place for days like this..i am fine with a salad but the men need meat .



Have a good evening!

Sorry the game got rained out! I don't do well when I don't have a plan B either.

There's a thread on the podcast board about a Cedar Point meet, I'm not sure if they have a date yet. Last time I checked it was in the discussion stages still. Hey how about a Holiday World meet?

I haven't been to Holiday World since DS was in elementary school! I hear it's pretty fun!

I weighed myself today and am down a lb from friday. Its got me motivated!!!

Woohoo! Survived my first multiquote!



Going to post before I lose this!

This made me smile Tracey! Hope DD enjoys 5th grade! And I might need to try a Welsh Dragon.

QOTD
So the QOTD is do you think tracking food is an important part of weight loss?
* Yes, definitely
* Maybe, it depends on the person
* No, I don't think it's necessary
I'm a maybe. I think for some people it works great. I do best with portion control, and trying to make healthy choices the majority of the time. I will track occasionally on sparkpeople--but most of the time it's because I think I'm not getting enough to eat, and I'm usually right.

Heading to bed!

Signing up for my first 5K tomorrow! I've been procrastinating about it so I had better just do it!

Too exciting!

Well, I think I'm caught up. Long day today.

Mike went to the sprint store and I'm trying a different phone. One with less bells and whistles. We went running around 8:30. It was still 79! And muggy. We did our 4 miles. Not sure what the pace was. My left lower calf was a little sore for about 3 miles, and then it finally loosened up. I'm glad I took yesterday off. Tomorrow I have a dentist appt which is my very least favorite thing to do. I feel like I'm having a little panic attack the entire time I'm there! I'll either get a workout in before of after--or maybe both, if it's really stressful!

Talk to you tomorrow!

 

[goldcupmom]

Time to catch up on QOTD's. Feeling TERRIBLE from eating nothing but JUNK today from stress.....just had some turkey on light bread to hopefully help. Why oh Why do I do this to myself!! Must find new stress releaser! Once I get my concealed carry permit I won't be quite as reluctant to go walking after dark, but don't have it yet. Used to play piano, but can't as DS24 is always sleeping.....

Sunday QOTD: Share with us one thing that you are grateful for today? It can be big or small. Just think about how blessed you are and share with us.

Every day I'm grateful that I have the ability to get out & be active. Grateful that I have my dogs. Grateful that DH still has a job, that DS21s car is working, that DD has a full ride scholarship. Trite, but true, I'm mostly grateful for my Salvation & that God is always there to pick me up & put back the pieces when life falls apart.

QOTD Monday: If you were at DL (Disneyland) or WDW (Walt Disney World) right now what would you be doing?

Don't really know. I've only been to DL once - in 1991, and to WDW 3x - Honeymoon in 1982, with kids in 1996 and 1998. The rest of my family has no interest (but DD has no memory of any of it, so wants to go back...so there's hope!) Probably, if I were there, I'd be with my 2 DNieces & their families who live in FL and camp at FtW each month in their motor homes. I stayed there 1x with them a year ago and it was AWESOME.

So the QOTD is do you think tracking food is an important part of weight loss?

Tracking for me is VITAL, and I've not recorded a point since I rejoined WW 3 weeks ago, and I'm sporadic on my Bugg. I REALLY need to get this under control!

Off to try to get some sleep & hopefully wake up with some self control!!

 

[lisah0711]

Good evening all!

I'm posting the QOTD tonight and will be back tomorrow am -- if my internet holds on -- for replies. I did this once and it went "poof." Hope it works this time.

I read a quote once that said "You can have anything that you want, just not all at once." (I can't find where I read it even with a Google search). And it makes sense to me. How many times do you find yourself pulled in too many directions to really do justice to anything that you need to do?

The same idea applies to eating in our healthy lifestyles. You can eat anything that you want, just not all at once.

So with this in mind I am going to share a little quiz from sparkpeople.com called "Portion Distortion." It is a great reminder for those of us who are losers and maintainers to remember what a serving size really is.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/quizzes_questions.asp?quizid=32

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion? If you don't want to take the quiz, share with us whether you feel comfortable that you know what a serving size is for most of what you eat.

Have a great evening all!

 

[Connie96]

I still haven't heard from (at least) four people who have said that they want to participate in the WIN!. (Yep, I'm talking to you - Bree, Leslie, Rose & Maria) In order to include as many folks as possible, I'll leave this open for another day or so. Please get your measurements in as soon as you can! Thanks!!

 

[Holly324]

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion? If you don't want to take the quiz, share with us whether you feel comfortable that you know what a serving size is for most of what you eat.

I got 10 out of 16...not bad, but improvement needed!

I have been on a great exercise routine recently, but I just threw my back out tonight playing racquetball! I am now recliner bound...

 

[LuvBaloo]

Sorry folks!

I underestimated how long it would take to buy groceries and cook a real meal. (for the last week we've been eating out or eating what somebody else cooked). It felt great to have food that I made, and to know there's food ready for the kids lunches this week, but I ran out of time.

I've got about half the initial weigh-ins recorded and I will finish the rest tomorrow and post a few starting stats.

Hope you are all having a great week.
(once again, I haven't been able to read the thread, so if you asked me a question, I'm not ignoring you!)

 

[princessbride6205]

Ack! This thread is already 28 pages! It's fun to have a busy thread, just can't believe how much I've missed!

Please count me in for this challenge on the maintainer team. Thanks to everyone who keeps this going strong!

 

[tigger813]

QOTD: You scored 11 of 16 correct on this quiz.
On Your Way to Proper Portions
You've picked up some portion facts here and there while working towards your healthy goals. But the more you learn, the more successful you will be. Check out the links below for more help with portion sizes.

Knew more than I thought!

Quick check in while DD1 showers! I got in the 3 mile Pilates walk. My abs are aching from the strength workout I did yesterday. But I survived. I realized I'll only have time for another 2 miles this morning before heading out for the day. Hope to be home with DD2 by noon at the latest so I can get in a few miles on the elliptical this afternoon. I'll try to do it while watching Y&R.

Shorts are feeling looser this morning. Not weighing myself until Friday. I think this may help me stay focused and not splurge!

Gotta get DD1s breakfast on the table! Catch you all later!

 

[disneymom2one]

QUOTD:

I didn't do very well on the portion quiz - 7 out of 16. Admittedly, I'm a little distracted. Our AC is awaiting a new motor. This is NOT good considering we live in very sunny Florida where fall temps are still a month away. The motor is on order but I imagine we'll be like this for another week or so. It's currently 80 degrees in my house - and it's 5:30 AM.

Hope everyone is having a great week. I am trying not to lurk as much but it's a crazy time around here - as always.

 

[cclovesdis]

Hope everyone is having a great week. I am trying not to lurk as much but it's a crazy time around here - as always.

It's always great to hear from you! Hope things settle down a bit and your A/C is working really soon.


Morning!

I started my morning off by readying my daily e-mail of potential jobs. I will check another search engine later this morning. I did study last night and I am just a bit overwhelmed. It took me about 30 minutes to do 2 pages of questions on order of operations.

I think I will change my daily studying goal to 1 hour a day. In reality, I'll have to do 3+ hours a day to feel comfortable, but I'm kind of into achieving goals lately and I know I can do 1 hour a day. Today I am studying the different properities of basic math: cummative, associative, etc. I see flash cards in my future.

My exercise plan for today is C25K Week 1 Day 1. Kathy-thanks for sharing about your experience ith C25K. I was already planning to modify it a bit based on my last experience with it and it was very reassuring to hear that someone did so as well.

QOTD: I scored 11/16. I was impressed with my score. I had a hard time with the juice questions. I haven't drank juice since I started WW so that probably didn't help. I am good with portion control at home. It is when I am at a restaurant or eating at someone else's house that I have portion distortion. I am still comparing x restaurant's portion sizes to y restaurant' portion sizes instead of home portion sizes.

My mom left some laundry in the dryer for me to take care of and then I plan to go to the gym.

Have a great day everyone!

CC

 

[Worfiedoodles]

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion?

Apparently, I do! I got 10/16, so I need to do some work! On the bright side, most of the ones I had incorrect we're because I was making the veggie/fruit portions too small, and for me, that's progress. I tend to go too big!

It is pouring, and dh and ds both left without any weather protection. This should be interesting. I'm sure it's all my fault -- dh won't say that, but ds12 will...first day of school and he can't find his phone. First day of taking the subway to school and back by himself, and no phone in sight. We let him get himself ready for today. Turns out, that was a mistake -- didn't dry the clothes he wants to wear today, didn't pack his lunch, didn't charge his phone because it's lost...this is not a stellar start. I really hope today improves for him.

Of course with all the drama this morning, no workout for me (yet, I'm hopeful after the lightning stops), and now I'm worried about ds. Not shaping up to be the day at home I had planned or hoped for. On the bright side, I did put away the summer decorations, and I almost have Autumn out. I'm also thinking I may go back to bed and restart after a nap. I was abruptly awakened at 6, and that is not helping my outlook.

Haven't eaten anything yet, so I'm calling that a small victory...planning on a nice bowl of soup and corn vitamuffintop for lunch, after my usual breakfast -- but maybe much later.

Maria

 

[Dreamer24]

I'm pathetic! 9/16. No portion control.

It's been going well with exercises and water and just ok with eating. I've had more good eating choices than bad but the bad are always really bad! We were planning wraps for dinner last night and when we got home from the gym at around 8, there was no more turkey (deli) and we had no leftover cooked chicken so we through in a frozen pizza. I feel really bloated today!

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

Sorry for the late replies. This internet problem is very annoying. I think Frontier (who replaced Verizon in our neck of the woods) is going to have to send me a new modem. Of course, they really hate to do that so we have to struggle for a few days to get to that point.

No, I didn't go. I was planning on it but life took a fantastic detour and I went to Nashville instead.

Glad it was a fantastic detour -- Nashville sounds like fun!

I know those are lowfat lowcal cheesy crackers right?

Of course they are, jenn!

Ok, losers, I am WAY off track & having trouble geting on. ARGH!!!!!!

Wow, that was a hard day! We all have days like that sometimes. What's happened is in the past, like jennz says, don't dwell on it just move forward.

Is there someplace upstairs that DS could move to so you could use stuff downstairs? Or maybe get him a white nosie machine so the daily house noises wouldn't disturb him. I know it's been unseasonably hot in your neck of the woods and that doesn't help matters. Hope that things calm down soon.

Oh, and Worf, our 17yr. old cat, is particularly insistent I lay with him at all times, probably due to being left alone (with a cat sitter) for 9 days. No one gives lovins like Mama!

Being at home alone tomorrow should help me feel and get more settled. I ran 4M yesterday, but did nothing today. TOM arrived and I just felt blah. Now I have a ridiculous headache, tomorrow is absolutely going to be better!

Awww, bless his little kitty heart Worfie missed you!
Hope the first day of school goes smoothly!

I track my food, it's how I got started and how I ended up here. I use a website and phone App to track my food/calories. It's My Fitness Pal and I use the Android phone app - there is also an iPhone app and a Blackberry app being is being developed. It's amazing, I recommend it!

I need to explore some phone apps a little more. The problem is that although I have an iPhone it is a first generatioon "no G" phone so it's not too fast.

Hi! I'm back from the Disneyland Half Marathon. It was lots of fun - I met and reunited with lots of WISHers, enjoyed the parks and had lots of fun on the course as well. I ran with my friend Jen (from Team Ohana) whom I've met at several other races, though we've never run together more than about a mile-long stretch at last year's Disneyland Half - through Angels' Stadium, no less.

We were not pushing for speed, just took lots of photos and enjoyed the run, for the most part. It was 100% more enjoyable than my last half marathon - I keep saying that I set a PR....in FUN. I do think it's important to remember that the finish time is really a very SMALL portion of what makes a great race experience. Even though I think it is exciting to push the boundaries and see how fast I can go sometimes, I had really lost sight of what I love about racing - I found it again over the weekend.

I even met a WISHer from this very, very thread and got a picture with her after the finish. What do you think, Stephanie - Should I post it???

Glad that you had a great race and a great time at DL, corinna! Come on Stephanie, let her post your pictures, please! I like how you picked a green character in the picture that you posted. What a wonderful time! Is this your second coast to coast medal? I'm hoping to get one of those in 2011.

Well darn. It rained enough to flood the football field, so no game for the boys tonight. Postponed til not sure when. And I need to figure out something else for dinner. We were going to grill burgers after the game, but it is still pretty nasty out there. I need to have a plan B in place for days like this..i am fine with a salad but the men need meat!

men need meat. Maybe some frozen, cooked chicken breasts you could heat up. Hope that rain passes quickly. Sounds like there's been a lot of it.

I weighed today and was in shock. I keep retaining water so I'm betting it drops off but not sure what to use as start weight because it was almost 10 lbs less when I weighed less than a week ago.

PM Shannon and see what she says. She has ways to make adjustments for scale changes and other issues. Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day? Maybe TOM? Maybe just a big whoosh?

Sounds like it was a hard weekend for staying on plan. You definitely made some good choices. You just have to keep moving forward. This might sound silly--but here's what I do with the bread basket. I take what I am going to eat, put it on a plate and move the basket as far away from me as it will go on the table. Kind of out of sight out of mind. I have also been known to make Mike take what he wants, and then have them remove it from the table. It doesn't work everytime, but it does help!

That's a great strategy for the bread basket, Rose! that the dentist visit goes quickly and smoothly today!

Oh, and Rose, I've been meaning to say "thank you" for mentioning the Amy's frozen meals. I kind of thought they were a splurge -- although it is silly to be willing to spend $3 on a burger that doesn't taste all that great and isn't good for you vs. $5 for frozen meal that tastes good and is good for you -- go figure! Anyway I bought a few and they are so good! I actually look forward to my healthy frozen food lunch now!

I almost forgot to answer the QOTD- I say Maybe! I really have great intentions with journaling but it seems like I do it for a day or so and then I forget. So I am an on again off again journaler. I would like to say that it really helps me when I do but I also have lost 29lbs now not doing in consistently. So I have mixed emotions about this.

What works for you is the best choice! You've been successful so you know what works. It is just another tool in your arsenal that you may or may not need on any given day.

A Welsh Dragon is a drink DH and I first tried at the Rose N Crown in 2006! It's a strange combo of oj, pineapple juice, melon liquer, peach schnapps and a splash of creme de menthe. It's so refreshing! We usually make a blender full. The ingredients were in the menu and we just ended up making it at home!

Yum! I'd love the recipe! Good luck to your DD on her first day of school today!

You have a great day today, too, CC!

I am learning it is a great combination of things. I know that without my social support that I would have given up long ago. That has to be the number one thing for me. I am also learning that I am someone who has to put it on paper. Without it staring me in the face, I stray. The rest are all important but a support group and putting it in writing are the key for me right now.

It's all about learning and fine tuning what works for you. You've been very successful, jen, in your weightloss and your exercising. Now a little fine tuning and you will be right where you want to be!

QOTD: Keeping track of what I eat, and drink, is very important. I'm someone who tends to underestimate what I eat and overestimate my exercise. Tend to "forget" snacks, and sometimes even entire meals (oops). It keeps me honest.

I'm very impressed with all the runners in this group. I wonder, for those of you used/are using the C25K program, do you like it? Would you recommend any adjustments?

What Kathy (mikamah) shared with you about her running experience is very similar to mine -- not surprising since we are running the Princess together .

When I started running earlier this year I was well over 200 pounds and pushing 50. I never liked to run, even when I was a kid. Some days I still wonder what the heck I am doing. I can't run and run but I can do run/walk intervals. It is easier on my joints and bones and actually I get a better time that if I would have run all the way because I don't get so exhausted. Once I get past that initial first few intervals -- the ones where I am going "why am I doing this?" -- and get in the groove -- I feel like I have a hard little thing inside my chest that is relaxing and spreading warmth and good feelings all throughout my body. Like the Grinch's heart or something like that.

So I say give it a try and don't be afraid to modify it for you. Not everyone will like it but it is surprising how many people who never thought they would be a runner do.

Heading to bed!

Signing up for my first 5K tomorrow! I've been procrastinating about it so I had better just do it!

First 5K! When and where is your race so we can cheer you on?

Well, I'm hoping to keep up with the thread from now on. I did go back and read through most of it, and it seems like a great group here. I'm on day 2 on track!! That's big for me. Before vacation I thought I was all ready for back to school, but we spent a good part of today getting ready and doing errands. Then I started organizing his clothes, and he need to have his retainer checked, and before I knew it, was dinner time.

Day 2 on track! Hope Michael has a great day at school!

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion? If you don't want to take the quiz, share with us whether you feel comfortable that you know what a serving size is for most of what you eat.

I got a 13 out of 16 so I'm savvy but not a pro. It is good to remind ourselves sometimes of serving sizes because it is so easy to add when you shouldn't!

Have a great day all!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Well, I'm hoping to keep up with the thread from now on. I did go back and read through most of it, and it seems like a great group here. I'm on day 2 on track!! That's big for me. Before vacation I thought I was all ready for back to school, but we spent a good part of today getting ready and doing errands. Then I started organizing his clothes, and he need to have his retainer checked, and before I knew it, was dinner time.
Michael will get on the bus at 7:35 and then I will get out for a run/walk. It's been over a week, but since I don't go to work til 10, I'm hoping to do 4-5 miles. I've been looking forward to school starting so I would have my dis and coffee time back, but I am amazing myself that I want to get my run/walks in first. The princess half in feb is such a huge motivator right now.

Off to bed now. It's back to reality tomorrow, but luckily i'm only working a 4 hour shift. Have a great night.

Hope Michael has a good first day of school and you get a good run in!
I'm sorry you missed the Halloween party, but I'm glad you got to see the decorations. They just put you in a fall mood, don't they?

Julie--hope you have a better day today.

I got 10 out of 16...not bad, but improvement needed!

I have been on a great exercise routine recently, but I just threw my back out tonight playing racquetball! I am now recliner bound...

Feel better.

QUOTD:

I didn't do very well on the portion quiz - 7 out of 16. Admittedly, I'm a little distracted. Our AC is awaiting a new motor. This is NOT good considering we live in very sunny Florida where fall temps are still a month away. The motor is on order but I imagine we'll be like this for another week or so. It's currently 80 degrees in my house - and it's 5:30 AM.

Hope everyone is having a great week. I am trying not to lurk as much but it's a crazy time around here - as always.

Oh, that stinks. Hope you find a way to stay cool.

CC--good luck w/ C25k

Apparently, I do! I got 10/16, so I need to do some work! On the bright side, most of the ones I had incorrect we're because I was making the veggie/fruit portions too small, and for me, that's progress. I tend to go too big!

It is pouring, and dh and ds both left without any weather protection. This should be interesting. I'm sure it's all my fault -- dh won't say that, but ds12 will...first day of school and he can't find his phone. First day of taking the subway to school and back by himself, and no phone in sight. We let him get himself ready for today. Turns out, that was a mistake -- didn't dry the clothes he wants to wear today, didn't pack his lunch, didn't charge his phone because it's lost...this is not a stellar start. I really hope today improves for him.

Of course with all the drama this morning, no workout for me (yet, I'm hopeful after the lightning stops), and now I'm worried about ds. Not shaping up to be the day at home I had planned or hoped for. On the bright side, I did put away the summer decorations, and I almost have Autumn out. I'm also thinking I may go back to bed and restart after a nap. I was abruptly awakened at 6, and that is not helping my outlook.

Haven't eaten anything yet, so I'm calling that a small victory...planning on a nice bowl of soup and corn vitamuffintop for lunch, after my usual breakfast -- but maybe much later.

Maria

Oh Maria, sorry for the rough start. I hope you got a good nap. It's always our fault isn't it? It's hard to be the Mom!

Good morning. I'm still debating running upstairs and getting ready and going to the Y before the dentist, but I think I'll feel too rushed. I'll probably just do laundry instead.

Quiz Completed
You scored 13 of 16 correct on this quiz.
Perfect Pro-Portions
You know a thing or two about portions, and that's important when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. Way to go!
I'm glad I did well on this, especially because I often question whether I should track calories rather than rely on portion control. The one's that I got wrong were because I was underestimating the size.

Jen--hope you are having a good day.
Pamela--hope you are doing well also!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Lisa--I'm glad you like the Amy's. They are kind of pricey, but I feel the same way--I used to spend money on garbage food, and this fills me up and is pretty healthy. Mike likes it because if we don't feel like cooking he just runs up to the Kroger and grabs a couple. Hope the computer is fixed soon.

That's a great description of how I feel after running. What was so weird about the race this weekend, is that I never got that feeling. Maybe cause it was a race, maybe cause of the circumstances, maybe I was way too anxious. Last night when we ran I felt great at the end! I kind of look at running and especially racing like childbirth. On Saturday morning I swore I was never going to run again, and forget racing. After a couple of days you start to forget the really bad parts--or at least the memories become a little duller. Then you find yourself thinking, well mayber it wasn't that bad....

 

[mikamah]

I have been on a great exercise routine recently, but I just threw my back out tonight playing racquetball! I am now recliner bound...

Hope your back is feeling better soon. Take it easy and give it the time you need to heal.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/quizzes_questions.asp?quizid=32

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion? If you don't want to take the quiz, share with us whether you feel comfortable that you know what a serving size is for most of what you eat.

I got 12 out of 16 right. Thanks to my many years of ww experience. I do think I know what a serving size is for most things that I eat, it's just not going overboard that is my issue.

My exercise plan for today is C25K Week 1 Day 1. Kathy-thanks for sharing about your experience ith C25K. I was already planning to modify it a bit based on my last experience with it and it was very reassuring to hear that someone did so as well.

Glad that was helpful. Good luck on w1d1 today!!!

It is pouring, and dh and ds both left without any weather protection. This should be interesting. I'm sure it's all my fault -- dh won't say that, but ds12 will...first day of school and he can't find his phone. First day of taking the subway to school and back by himself, and no phone in sight. We let him get himself ready for today. Turns out, that was a mistake -- didn't dry the clothes he wants to wear today, didn't pack his lunch, didn't charge his phone because it's lost...this is not a stellar start. I really hope today improves for him.

Sounds like it will only get better from here for DS, and hopefully when he gets home, you might be able to laugh about it, after you take complete responsibility for it all.

We got up and ready for the bus, and a huge thunderstorm came through. I was so disappointed I couldn't run, and thought, who am I? The rain slowed when we had to go to the bus stop, and I debated on going out just the same, but thought of Rose, and your run in the lightning, and decided to be safe, so I then thought of CC and the wii fit and did 45 min on the wii fit and made my coffee and figured I'd enjoy some dis-ing time. A couple times while wii-fitting, it looked like the rain was stopping, and I debated on going out, but I'm glad I didn't. It's stopped now, and if Michael wants to go to the park after school, I might try to get a run on the track.

Lisa- a Coast to Coast in 2011!!!!! How exciting. Hmmmmmm, I usually end my vacation with labor day weekend, and DL is on my list of places to visit. Wouldn't that be something.

Have a happy, healthy day!!

 

[jenanderson]

Cam and Jennz – I was going through posts this morning and saw that you guys both have pain while walking still. I know I talked about the KT compression tape before an what an incredible difference it made with my pain…have either of you tried it? Also, I am no longer using the compression tape but now do use compression socks for long runs. It is also amazing how much better it makes my legs feel. I rarely have shin splint pain and before it was so bad I thought I would die!

Holly324 – Welcome to the group! You will find so much support here and I bet you will get rid of that weight in no time! Sorry to read that you threw your back out – that is no fun. Be sure to rest and take care of yourself.

CC – You sound like you really have been exercising like crazy! Good for you! I am sorry that you have to pass more exams to teach in another state. The state exams are so much work – I was thankful when I passed mine. Good luck with the C25K!!!

Connie – I have decided that I AM going to do the measurement challenge. I don’t know how many inches I will really lose at this point but a little incentive to keep toning up might help. I am glad you have extended the dates for sending it in. I will find my tape measure this morning and get my numbers to you soon!

Lisa – I love how you find the great quizzes to make us think about the QOTD. I always learn something from the links you post.

Julie – Hugs to you! Sounds like you have a lot going on in life and it is so easy to get off track when that happens. I am working on this right now. Always feel free to come here and vent – you will find so many people who will listen and offer words of support and encouragement.

Corinna – Love your photo! I am so glad to hear that your run went so good and that you had so much fun with it. You are an amazing runner!

Lindsay – Great job on losing a pound since Friday. I agree…it is so motivating when you see the scale go down.

Alisaheather – I did not make any adjustments to the C25K but I know many people here have. I think the best advice is to listen to your own body. If you have serious pains, stop and figure it out. If you feel like can’t complete a week, repeat it. I know that a friend of mine repeated almost every single week. I know that she had to walk sometimes when it said to run. She really tried each day hard but did what she knew she physically could do. The great thing was that she finally did finish the program and she has successfully done 2 1/2 marathons.

Tracey – YEAH! I think it is great you signed up for a 5K!!! You will rock it!

Shannon – You are amazing! I do not know how you are keeping up with everything…new house, new job, etc. I hope you get situated soon just so that you can relax a bit again. Thanks for all you do by being our weight keeper...I know that takes a lot of your time.

Kathy – Sounds like you have had a busy time getting ready for school again. I hope you were able to get your walkrun in this morning. Think of how far you have come…you want to get your miles in right away! GOOD FOR YOU!!!!

Rose – I am going to mention the compression socks again. I had read a bunch about them and was a bit hesitant to invest in a $30 pair of socks but they are great! With all the running you are doing, you might like them as well. I wear them sometimes when I do a long run or sometimes after a run when my legs feel tight. When I run 10 or more miles, I put them on after the run for a couple of hours or the rest of the day and my legs feel great! I hope your heat and humidity let up a bit soon!

MB – I hope your AC gets repaired soon!

Maria – Sounds like a bit of a stressful start to the school year. I hope things get better and that the sun begins to shine there soon!

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion? If you don't want to take the quiz, share with us whether you feel comfortable that you know what a serving size is for most of what you eat.

According to the quiz...I am ON MY WAY! The funny thing is that the ones I missed, I actually guessed a smaller serving size.

That's a great description of how I feel after running. What was so weird about the race this weekend, is that I never got that feeling. Maybe cause it was a race, maybe cause of the circumstances, maybe I was way too anxious. Last night when we ran I felt great at the end! I kind of look at running and especially racing like childbirth. On Saturday morning I swore I was never going to run again, and forget racing. After a couple of days you start to forget the really bad parts--or at least the memories become a little duller. Then you find yourself thinking, well mayber it wasn't that bad....

I feel that all the time! I swear I will not go out and run again and suddenly there I am thinking all is good and that I am a runner!

We got up and ready for the bus, and a huge thunderstorm came through. I was so disappointed I couldn't run, and thought, who am I?

Who are you? You are an active and healthy person! Doesn't it feel great?

Well folks...I will say it again...you are all great! Yesterday was a really hard day for me and with all the support from friends, I made it through the day. I stuck to my list and my plan and was able to stay on plan all day long. It was a struggle not to snack or do bad eating but I was able to fight through it and I feel better today knowing I did it.

My plan is to make a list of things I want to accomplish today. I told myself no running and that I had to find something else to do so I will figure out something new to do in a bit. I have my food all planned for the day again so I am ready to go.

I know I will check in later because that is what helped me get through yesterday. Have a fabulous day everyone!
Jen

 

[keenercam]

So the QOTD is do you suffer from portion distortion?

I definitely have suffered from portion distortion. I got 10/16 on the quiz because I underestimated some portion sizes, but that is because I have been shocked at how small portions really are supposed to be. I have a food scale and am really devoted to using measuring tools. I learned somewhere along my WW journey that 3 oz of chicken breast is not as large as I thought. And the pasta portions that I grew up eating in my old world Italian family are really enough to feed a family of 4.

One of the most difficult aspects of this journey for me has been learning what "full" feels like. I'd always eat too much and too quickly (leftover habit from growing up with 3 brothers who were always hungry and to whom I'd have to give food off my plate if I was still eating and they were done and hungry --UGH!). I've learned now to eat in phases. I'll have veggie soup for lunch and not move on to my salad or sandwich until I'd waited a bit to see if I was still hungry. I've also learned to serve myself a smaller portion with a promise to myself of getting more later if I am truly still hungry.

It is pouring, and dh and ds both left without any weather protection. This should be interesting. I'm sure it's all my fault -- dh won't say that, but ds12 will...first day of school and he can't find his phone. First day of taking the subway to school and back by himself, and no phone in sight. We let him get himself ready for today. Turns out, that was a mistake -- didn't dry the clothes he wants to wear today, didn't pack his lunch, didn't charge his phone because it's lost...this is not a stellar start. I really hope today improves for him.

Maria -- I'm sorry there was so much stress this morning and that DS12's first day of school had a bit of a chaotic start. I'd like to think it was a lesson he had to learn and that things will get better for him having had this lousy morning, right? I hope his day got much better. And yours too!

Cam and Jennz – I was going through posts this morning and saw that you guys both have pain while walking still. I know I talked about the KT compression tape before an what an incredible difference it made with my pain…have either of you tried it? Also, I am no longer using the compression tape but now do use compression socks for long runs. It is also amazing how much better it makes my legs feel. I rarely have shin splint pain and before it was so bad I thought I would die!

Thanks for the advice, Jen! I can't wait until I can actually use it.

I am frustrated and sad that my knee isn't working right. It is seriously "angry" as Anthony (my physical therapist) says, swollen and not functioning right and we can't figure out why. Last week, I did 2 phsysical therapy sessions (40 minutes of working the knee, including 10 minutes on the elliptical and then strength and balance stuff) and 3 trips to the Y -- (trip 1- 15 minutes bike, trip 2- 30 minutes elliptical and trip 3- 30 minutes bike) -- and it didn't hold up well.

I haven't even begun to start walking any distance. It's just too painful with every step and I really thought I'd be training for the Disney 1/2 marathon by now. I am frustrated as heck that I went through all of that and am not feeling less pain or better function than before the surgery. So, that's where I am right now. The plan is to do ibuprofen 800 mg 3x/day and only elliptical in 30 minute segments outside PT. At PT, I do 10 minutes elliptical to warm up and then "manual" stuff rather than any machines, and no weight training. Hoping to move forward next week. As Anthony says, today is only 2 weeks out of the brace and only 3.5 months post surgery, and you can't rush these things.

I'll tell you one thing -- It was certainly easier to stay on track with food and much easier to lose weight when I was in the routine of working out 5x/week and was burning all those calories doing cardio.