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

[Rose&Mike]

Unfortunately this afternoon's workout wasn't as great as I would have hoped. I did not reach my 3 mile marker as I was hoping, my body just really kind of shut down I showed up at the gym ready to work out, no need for my normal mental pep talk to quit whining and just do it, I was ready. I got about 10 minutes into the run and my side started to hurt, I continued to push, got up to 20 minutes and started feeling sick. I still didn't give up, I just slowed down, but it was a real mood crusher. I continued to push again through to 30 minutes and I started to feel sick again. So I just went into a cool down from there. Oh well. I was sweating more than I even do when I run 35 min, so I was doing something.

Nicole

Nicole--everyone has a cruddy workout every once in a while. Great job for sticking it out for 35 minutes. The important thing to get out of this is that it was just one run. Doesn't mean there will be issues with the next one. That was hard for me. Hang in there!

Tracey--I bet those 4 pounds are gone quick! Have a great time at the party tonight. I am always so impressed with anyone who gets that many photo pass pictures. We try, but we're usually lucky if we have 50!

I think we're going to have a party tomorrow night as it is the anniversary of Hunter's tumor removal. I can't think of a better reason to celebrate

I think that's a fabulous idea!!

P--thanks for the update! So glad things are going well. And I am glad to hear you are trying maintaining--at least for now. Lisa's right--you have been doing it for a long time, so there is nothing to worry about!

Kathy--hope your run goes well today! You are really getting up there in miles! Have you looked at any of the refueling products yet?

Dona--that sounds like a great Christmas gift to each other! When do you find out about the knee? I really like a tree with just lights too.

Taryn--hope you have a lovely family party. And I agree--it is all about control. I actually saw a Dr. Phil once (which I am kind of embarassed to admit) where the guest was anorexic and her eating was controlling the entire household. And I could see that happening with me. I am too much about control as it is. I think that's why I am still so bothered that we can't have the junk in the house. I don't want to dictate to Mike and Tom what they can and can't eat in there home. It's a fine line, I guess.

QOTD for Sat. 12/11: Although not everyone follows WW, we have been discussing the new program and how fruit is "free." Does this give you a new attitude about fruit? Has your opinion of eating fruit changed?

I find the fruit stuff interesting. I never gave up fruit. I like to get my vitamins from food, and I have a banana and an apple almost everyday. I sometimes would think, maybe I would lose faster if I did things differently, but never stopped eating fruit. Anyhow, kind of nice to know I was on the right track without knowing it!

Lindsay--I am so sorry.

We had a good run last night. It was right around 50 when we started, but cooled off quickly. My ear hurt at the end, but I didn't cough. For the first 2 miles I complained about the cold, but then decided I didn't want to do that anymore--Taryn I thought about your attitude of gratitude. Anyhow I started listing all the things I was greatful (sp??) for. Being outside, having a beautiful park to run in, etc. We got to the top of the last hill and Mike said look--there were two deer on the side of the road having dinner! It was so cool. We walked for about a minute just to watch them. Keep in mind this is an Olmstead park, but it is right in the middle of a large city. Made the whole run worth while. We ran another mile at right around a 9 minute pace for 5 miles total. I was nervous about the hills after being on the treadmill so much, but I had no problems.

This morning we went to the Y and Mike did spinning. I planned on an hour on the elliptical, but only did 3 miles. My knee was really bothering me. Got on a bike for the last 30 minutes.

I made my menu plan for the rest of the time until we go to Disney. This afternoon I am going to work on getting things organized for the next challenge while we watch Army/Navy.

Have a great day!

 

[lisah0711]

Well apparently I never came back this morning . . .

Lindsay, I am so sorry for your loss and for your DH for having to go through that. Your boys will help you through this tough time -- nothing helps you to look toward the future than those guys!

QOTD for Sat. 12/11: Although not everyone follows WW, we have been discussing the new program and how fruit is "free." Does this give you a new attitude about fruit? Has your opinion of eating fruit changed?

Is all fruit free or a certain number of servings? I've always like fruit and find it much easier to get my fruit servings as opposed to veggie servings. I was just thinking today that it will be clementine season soon!

Tracey, hope you can have some time to take it easy this week-end, too.

Nice work on the menu planning, Rose!

 

[mikamah]

Hope to get my shopping done today. Dh and I have decided to make life easier we are not going to give each other many presents. My school is having a bus trip to see La Cage aux Folle in NY so that is our present to ourselves. Kelsey Grammer is in it now but he is leaving just before we see it. The replacements are coming in that week so we know that they will be there. We will be seeing Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor. I am okay with this. I have always wanted to see Harvey Fierstein in a show so I am pretty excited about it. We saw this musical 27 years ago so I can't wait to see it again.

I also have to clean the house this weekend. we are getting our tree next Friday. I usually put the lights on the first night it is up since I love to see a tree with just lights on. Then on Saturday I will put the ornaments on. BUT we have to go to an Eagle Ceremony on Sat at 11. We are not happy that one week before Christmas we have this obligation. We have to go since dh was asked to be the Master of Ceremony. If I get my shopping done this weekend it should be okay.

That should be a great trip to ny, and so nice you won't have to drive. I just put the lights on the tree, and it does look so pretty. Michael is watching a show til 6:30 and then we'll decorate together. Bummer about the eagle ceremony, but I'm sure the scout and his family will appreciate it. My friends son is an eagle scout and I went to the ceremony and it was just beautiful, and such a big honor.

I had to run to the car yesterday at school, and realized that when I do get back to running, I'll probably have to start c25K all over again. It was hard. That really upset me, considering I was up to 10 miles!

Tonight's going to be tough. We have our first family get together since Daddy died. There were 5 brothers, only 1 left, but after my Granny died each brother or his family hosted our Christmas party on a rotating basis so we could keep in touch. It snowed it out last year. This was very important to Daddy, and I mentioned we also lost an aunt last year, one of my cousins had breast cancer this year,so it's going to be tough for a lot of us, but I think we'll find strength from each other. Not to mention all the great food. Snack/party food is my favorite, and my weakness! I haven't seen a lot of the family since the funerals, so hopefully their reaction to my weight loss will motivate me not to eat too much.

Just kinda wondering what everyone's traditions/thinking is on this one. I've got to decide quickly, b/c my time w/o kids around to wrap stuff is limited. (Stuff from us goes under the tree Christmas Eve morning, any earlier and they would get into it, Santa always wraps his in Santa paper and brings after we go to bed.)

Have a great day everyone! Have you told you lately that I love you? Cuz I do!
Taryn

I'll be thinking of you tonight. I know how hard it will be, but I hope you're able to enjoy your family's company too, and reminisce about the good times. It is so tough, especially the first time seeing everyone.
On the running, I bet you'll pick it up again much easier than the first time since you've lost all that weight, and you've kept it off and are keeping it off, even without running. You really have done so well with that, and should be proud.
On santa, I give michael a few small things, and have them wrapped under the tree before christmas and he'll open them christmas eve, and the rest is from santa. Funny, growing up, there were 5 of us and we'd all come downstairs together, and there would be 5 piles of presents with our stocking leaned against each one, and we'd go to our pile and open our gifts. I remember there always being many presents, and never gave it another thought that we didn't get gifts from our parents. I guess by the time I was old enough to think about that, i knew the truth. Santa wraps all michael's gifts in santa wrap, and this year, I'm being so much more careful since he's on the edge of not believeing. I haven't bought anything we've seen together in a store, and he asked for a leather jacket, and I said maybe he should wait til he's older and it will fit longer since they are so expensive, so he crossed it off the list, so santa will give him one.

QOTD for Sat. 12/11: Although not everyone follows WW, we have been discussing the new program and how fruit is "free." Does this give you a new attitude about fruit? Has your opinion of eating fruit changed?
Mini-Challenge: Enjoy at least 1 serving of fruit today.

I've always felt that fruit is healthy, and i did not get to this weight by eating fruit. I think if I were following ww again, I would definitely choose fruit more versus other snacks since it's free, where as before if I felt like a snack, I might choose chips or crackers over fruit for the same points, but having fruit now, could keep me within my dailys. I am very interested in the program, and probably should bit the bullet and rejoin.

Hi all,

Sorry not alot of time to reply but I will try to get back later for that. Life has thrown us another curve ball. My dh's nana passed away yesterday. His mom and him could not get a hold of her all day so he went over to check on her and everything was locked up with her paper out front. Knew something was wrong and went he went in she was still in bed. I feel that god blessed her with going peacefully in her sleep.

I am trying to keep the normal holiday stuff going with the boys. We had planned to go to the tree farm and cut down the tree today so we are still sticking to it. Not sure if dh will want to go along or not, Im leaving it totaly up to him. I have my office christmas party tonight and I feel horrible having to leave. If I was not the boss I probably would skip it but since I am I feel obligated to still go. Life will go on.......

I hope everyone else is ok, I didnt have much time to read but like I said I hope to get back on later for my much needed therapy.

So sorry, Lindsay. My heart goes out to you, dh, and your family. It's so hard to lose someone, but seems even more difficult during the holiday season. I hope dh is doing ok, so hard with all you've been through. Hang in there, we're here to listen.

[BKathy, we will be having a great time being in ONE-derland and at the Princess soon! Thanks for all the support that you have given me.

It's been my privilege to be hostess the past several challenge and Rose will do a wonderful job for us!
.

I know we will be there for the princess. I can't believe we are really doing this. You really have done such a great job as hostess, and I am positive rose will also do a fabulous job.

Good morning!

Just had a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Lunch will be a protein shake and I will watch what I eat at the party tonight. I will try to drink a lot of water but will also enjoy a drink or two. I will get up tomorrow and do the elliptical and hopefully get in a 2nd workout tomorrow night. Planning on running to the grocery store at some point today though I don't know when. Maybe if I got off the couch and took a shower that might happen!

I woke up at 6 and then fell back asleep until 7:30 and then got on Photopass to put borders on our photos. We preordered the CD so we will have lots of photos (over 200 with the borders). Also have tons of other photos from our three cameras! Gotta pick put our Christmas card photo and send it in to Costco in the next 2 days!

Gotta get moving!!!!

TTFN

Have fun at the party. It's so fun to relive the trip with the pictures, and you did great with the photopass. I'm with rose, and don't usually get that many.

Kathy--hope your run goes well today! You are really getting up there in miles! Have you looked at any of the refueling products yet?

I haven't looked at the refueling products yet, but really need to. This morning since we went to the park, i brought a banana and water to have mid-way, but ended up having the water on my last lap, and the banana after I stretched on the way home. I have read that over 90 min you need to think about refueling, so it is on my list of things to try before the princess. I'm thinking I'd be better with the beans or gummies rather than the gu's or gels. What do you use?

We had a good run last night. It was right around 50 when we started, but cooled off quickly. My ear hurt at the end, but I didn't cough. For the first 2 miles I complained about the cold, but then decided I didn't want to do that anymore--Taryn I thought about your attitude of gratitude. Anyhow I started listing all the things I was greatful (sp??) for. Being outside, having a beautiful park to run in, etc. We got to the top of the last hill and Mike said look--there were two deer on the side of the road having dinner! It was so cool. We walked for about a minute just to watch them. Keep in mind this is an Olmstead park, but it is right in the middle of a large city. Made the whole run worth while. We ran another mile at right around a 9 minute pace for 5 miles total. I was nervous about the hills after being on the treadmill so much, but I had no problems.

This morning we went to the Y and Mike did spinning. I planned on an hour on the elliptical, but only did 3 miles. My knee was really bothering me. Got on a bike for the last 30 minutes.

How awesome to see the deer during your run. This morning the sun was a huge bright orange coming up over the horizon as we got to the park. Nature really can make your day. Hope your knee is ok. Smart to take it easy if it bothers you. So exciting your meals are planned til your trip. It's right around the corner now.

Well apparently I never came back this morning . . .

Now that never happens to me.

I did 8 miles run/walk this morning, and I felt pretty good after. I mixed the intervals up a bit, was run 4 min, walk 1 min for the first 4 miles, and was under 15 min pace, more like 14:30-14:40, and then mile 5-6 I really slowed down and was closer to 16 min, so for mile 7-8, I did run 1min/walk 1 min, and I picked up my speed and ended up with 14:57 pace for the whole 8 miles. Very happy with that, and I felt pretty good after, just the 46 yo joint and muscle aches, but no pain. I had been sticking with the 4/1 thinking that 1/1 seemed like such short intervals it would be harder, but now I'm rethinking it. I may try doing my next long run 1/1 the whole time and see what that does for my speed.

We got our tree, and then went to the santa by the sea festival down at the local marina for a little while. Now I'm off to make dinner and then decorate the tree. We need to do some cleaning out and organizing before christmas too.

Have a nice evening all.

 

[donac]

Good evening everyone.

Got a new microwave this morning. It looks just like the old one. The only problem is it is a little taller than the last one. I had a set of cookie jars on it. It was Mickey, Goofy and Donald on the monorail. They now don't fit. We had to put them on the top of the cabinets. You can still see them up there and maybe better than when they were on the micro.

Dh went one way and I went the other way and we got home about 12:30. We layed out what we got the kids and we think we are just about done. I do have to get gift cards for neices and nephews but that will wait until ds2 comes home. His bank has Visa ones free if you have an account. I still have to get the guys some tickets. A theater close by has a couple of the guys from "Who's Line is IT" coming in May and we are getting the guys tickets to see them. We can give them an IOU and I can get them after the holidays. Usually dh says we don't have enough but he even said I think we are just about done. I am so glad that we got a good portion of that done.

I still need to finish a quilt for my parents. I will spend all day tomorrow on that and most of next week. We started to decorate today also. The Nativity set is up and some small things are out. More to be done tomorrow.

Dh is out for the evening at a scout meeting so it is just me and the animals. I just turned on "National Lampoon's Chirstmas Vacation" and I am going to get out the quilt and get some work done on it. \

Have a nice evening everyone.

 

[my3princes]

Hi all,

Sorry not alot of time to reply but I will try to get back later for that. Life has thrown us another curve ball. My dh's nana passed away yesterday. His mom and him could not get a hold of her all day so he went over to check on her and everything was locked up with her paper out front. Knew something was wrong and went he went in she was still in bed. I feel that god blessed her with going peacefully in her sleep.

I am trying to keep the normal holiday stuff going with the boys. We had planned to go to the tree farm and cut down the tree today so we are still sticking to it. Not sure if dh will want to go along or not, Im leaving it totaly up to him. I have my office christmas party tonight and I feel horrible having to leave. If I was not the boss I probably would skip it but since I am I feel obligated to still go. Life will go on.......

I hope everyone else is ok, I didnt have much time to read but like I said I hope to get back on later for my much needed therapy.

I'm so sorry to read this. I'm sure she is in a better place

 

[my3princes]

We just got home from my brother's house. They decided to have Hunter's party there to surprise him. It was fun. My mother even made homemade ice cream. We played some Wii and then all 11 of us sat down and watched Grownups together. My family had seen it before, but the other six hadn't. Just as funny the second time

Dh and I went shopping together this afternoon. It was his idea. Mind you he NEVER goes to a store...NEVER. He wanted to get me some Christmas presents, but didn't want the responsibility of picking things out. He did pick out some nice things and even though I know everything he bought, I'm happy that he made the effort.

 

[tigger813]

Good evening all!

Back from a fun Christmas party! One person really noticed my weight loss and said he didn't even recognize me! I've known him for like 20 years now! Redwalker's DH also told me how great I look! That made me feel so good! That will inspire me to work hard this week so I will reach my final goal (again! LOL)!

Going to get up at around 7 and do 2-3 miles and then another 2-3 later!

Time to make our Christmas cards using my free digital download from photopass!

TTFN

 

[cclovesdis]

Good Morning!

It's raining here and it will be until early tomorrow morning. I'm reminding myself that it isn't snow.

Here's today QOTD of the day.

QOTD for Sun. 12/12: There has been a lot of discussion about Christmas shopping. If/How is that impacting your weight loss efforts? If you think it's necessary, what change can you make?

Mini-Challenge: Make a list of anything you can think of that needs to be done by this Friday.

Replies in the next post.

 

[cclovesdis]

It's hard to believe that we are so close to the end of our challenge. Work hard and make good choices on this last week-end of the year for our official challenge!

Ditto! We can do it!

Tracey: You did great with Photopass. One trip, I think we got 3.

I find the fruit stuff interesting. I never gave up fruit. I like to get my vitamins from food, and I have a banana and an apple almost everyday. I sometimes would think, maybe I would lose faster if I did things differently, but never stopped eating fruit. Anyhow, kind of nice to know I was on the right track without knowing it!

I am good about having an apple every day, but really need to incorporate a banana into my day more regularly. I never answered the question yesterday, but what I was going to say is that it's nice to be able to have more of it and not feel like I may not have enough points for other foods, like dairy. It seems like now it won't be so necessary to pick which essential food I will I eat for the day.

Glad you didn't give up fruit!

Is all fruit free or a certain number of servings? I've always like fruit and find it much easier to get my fruit servings as opposed to veggie servings. I was just thinking today that it will be clementine season soon!

I keep hearing the phrase "in moderation." I'm not sure what that means exactly though. As of now, I'm doing fine with 3 servings a day. I'm with you on getting in fruit versus veggies. I like veggies a lot, but cooked, and it's much easier to grab a banana than boil water and steam broccoli.

I love clemenintines too!

I've always felt that fruit is healthy, and i did not get to this weight by eating fruit. I think if I were following ww again, I would definitely choose fruit more versus other snacks since it's free, where as before if I felt like a snack, I might choose chips or crackers over fruit for the same points, but having fruit now, could keep me within my dailys. I am very interested in the program, and probably should bit the bullet and rejoin.

Love this! Here's what I do. I subscribe to WW online, which is less than 1/2 of meetings. As an online member, I'm allowed to purchase what WW calls "Program Essentials" online. I asked for a kit for Christmas (as my large item because I don't need anything else) and told my dad last night to order I was gone and surprise me with which package he picked out. I need to get pack to using paper and pencil and I'm hoping this will help!

Usually dh says we don't have enough but he even said I think we are just about done. I am so glad that we got a good portion of that done.

and Thanks for the inspiration for today's QOTD! I know I cannot wait to be finished with Christmas shopping.

We just got home from my brother's house. They decided to have Hunter's party there to surprise him. It was fun. My mother even made homemade ice cream. We played some Wii and then all 11 of us sat down and watched Grownups together. My family had seen it before, but the other six hadn't. Just as funny the second time

Dh and I went shopping together this afternoon. It was his idea. Mind you he NEVER goes to a store...NEVER. He wanted to get me some Christmas presents, but didn't want the responsibility of picking things out. He did pick out some nice things and even though I know everything he bought, I'm happy that he made the effort.

for DB! That was so sweet of him! I was watching part of Grownups on Friday night.

for DH. My mom usually tells my father what she is interested in and where she can find it so he can give her a gift certificate to that store.

Back from a fun Christmas party! One person really noticed my weight loss and said he didn't even recognize me! I've known him for like 20 years now! Redwalker's DH also told me how great I look! That made me feel so good! That will inspire me to work hard this week so I will reach my final goal (again! LOL)!

That's awesome! for a great night!

I know those 4 lbs will be gone by Friday!

Have a great day today!

How much water did you have yesterday? Make it 1 glass more! Did you have enough servings of fruits and veggies? Is today an exercise day? Did you schedule a time for exercise? What about protein? 2-3 servings are the norm.

I just wanted to say that everyone is talking about Christmas shopping so I used Christmas in the QOTD. I hope I didn't offend anyone.

 

[flipflopmom]

Morning everyone!

I have 300 things I should be doing right now, so this is going to be quick!

Last night wasn't as bad as I had feared emotionally, a few sad moments, a few "elephant in the room" kinda times when we just didn't say what we were thinking, but not too bad. Caught mom crying one time, but I kept the tears in check!

Food - omgoodness. SOOO much. I ended up overindulging more on pineapple than anything, which I guess is good, but ended up with serious heartburn this am??

Supposed to have my PC show that was postponed from last Sunday this afternoon. Under a winter weather advisory just until noon. Temps hovering at freezing right now, but supposed to get a bit warmer mid day, then some possible ice/snow/sleet tonight. She doesn't have a lot of people coming thus far, but I am hoping for the best! Send PPD my way for warmer temps and higher attendance!

Have a great Sunday! Doubt I'll get to check in tonight, since I need to submit this show when I get home.

Taryn

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Just have a few minutes. I was able to quickly scan what I have missed but no time to reply. Hopefully later.

Yesterday we did get to the tree farm to cut down a tree. Dh stayed home. We are planning on putting it up today. Dh and his mom made the arrangements yesterday for his nana. The service will be on tuesday. He seems a little better today. Yesterday he was a mess but Im sure time will heal.

I did get in a 4 mile run yesterday before my christmas party. Luckily my parents took the boys with them after we got our tree. It gave me some extra time which was so greatly needed. I didnt eat anything all day until the party....which by the way did not make for a great run. I think I may have ate a bit much last night but in general it was healthier items, chicken breast, homemade crab cakes-not much filler and it had carrots/celery in it. Salad, fruit, bruschetta. I skipped the cookies and cakes!!!

Today I am going to take the boys to sunday school...they have their rehersal for their xmas play that is next week. Then we will come home and set up and decorate the tree. My inlaws are coming over and bringing hot wings for the football game. I am not going to eat them!!!!! Then I have to go to my nana's for dinner to celebrate my cousins birthday. Busy day today!!!

I hope at some point to get back on and catch up with everyone.
Talk to you soon.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

Now that never happens to me.

Yeah, me neither!

I still need to finish a quilt for my parents. I will spend all day tomorrow on that and most of next week.

What kind of quilt are you making for your folks? I'm always intrigued by all your sewing projects, maybe because all I can sew is a straight seam.

Dh and I went shopping together this afternoon. It was his idea. Mind you he NEVER goes to a store...NEVER. He wanted to get me some Christmas presents, but didn't want the responsibility of picking things out. He did pick out some nice things and even though I know everything he bought, I'm happy that he made the effort.

Wow! Isn't that nice of your DH.

Back from a fun Christmas party! One person really noticed my weight loss and said he didn't even recognize me! I've known him for like 20 years now!

It's always fun to get those kinds of compliments. Goal is definately in your near future!

QOTD for Sun. 12/12: There has been a lot of discussion about Christmas shopping. If/How is that impacting your weight loss efforts? If you think it's necessary, what change can you make?

Mini-Challenge: Make a list of anything you can think of that needs to be done by this Friday.

Christmas shopping doesn't impact my weight loss efforts really. Well, except maybe for that tall peppermint white chocolate mocha I had yesterday but it was within my calorie range.

CC, Bird's Eye SteamFresh frozen vegetables are really good. No prep, cook fast, and you can eat a whole bag by yourself for about 100 calories. Frozen vegetables keep their nutritional value very well, too, since they are frozen out in the field.

Last night wasn't as bad as I had feared emotionally, a few sad moments, a few "elephant in the room" kinda times when we just didn't say what we were thinking, but not too bad. Caught mom crying one time, but I kept the tears in check!

Food - omgoodness. SOOO much. I ended up overindulging more on pineapple than anything, which I guess is good, but ended up with serious heartburn this am??

Supposed to have my PC show that was postponed from last Sunday this afternoon. Under a winter weather advisory just until noon. Temps hovering at freezing right now, but supposed to get a bit warmer mid day, then some possible ice/snow/sleet tonight. She doesn't have a lot of people coming thus far, but I am hoping for the best! Send PPD my way for warmer temps and higher attendance!

Have a great Sunday! Doubt I'll get to check in tonight, since I need to submit this show when I get home.

Glad that you had a good time at the party and it wasn't too emotional. Sorry about the heartburn. Here's some that you have a great party tonight, too!

I did get in a 4 mile run yesterday before my christmas party. Luckily my parents took the boys with them after we got our tree. It gave me some extra time which was so greatly needed. I didnt eat anything all day until the party....which by the way did not make for a great run. I think I may have ate a bit much last night but in general it was healthier items, chicken breast, homemade crab cakes-not much filler and it had carrots/celery in it. Salad, fruit, bruschetta. I skipped the cookies and cakes!!!

I'm glad to hear that you all are doing okay. And I'm very impressed with your running before the party and resisting the siren's call of the cookies and cakes!

I'm doing 4 miles today, too. I'm switching my running schedule from T/Th/Sat or Sun to M/W/F because I think it will be easier for me to keep on track if I can just go to the gym from work. We have freezing rain here today. I've resigned myself to training for this race inside on the TM or walking track. Lots of people have to do that and it turns out just fine. I'm still apprehensive about the race -- especially when my partner is running twice as far as I am now -- but I am just trusting that the training will work and I will be just fine.

Have a great day all!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Ok, I have had one reply disappear, if this one goes, I'm giving up for now!

It's a mess here. Really icy and it's supposed to snow on and off all day. We are supposed to do some shopping, so hopefully the salt trucks are out. I am really glad Tom is waiting until Tuesday to drive home.

We streamed Julie and Julia last night and Princess and the Frog on Friday. I think the new dvd player was a great choice for us!

Yesterday I made African sweet potato stew again. Tonight we are having red lentil burgers. Eating at home is so good for my weight! I am on the low side of maintain again, which is a great way to start a Disney trip!

Last night I ended up with malware on my computer again. I think I have figured out what site it is coming from. So frustrating. After doing another system restore, disc clean up and virus scan, I think I have the garbage off. This time the virus scan found a file that was definitely related to this malware. Anyhow, what a pain. I will not be visiting that site for a while. I don't even want to go there to post that there is a problem, because I don't want to get stuck with it again.

Have a great day. Be careful if you are getting snow!

 

[SettinSail]

Hello BL friends!

Hope you are all safe and warm today! I hear there is a big snowstorm hitting alot of the US so be careful out there if you have to go out. We just heard on the radio the roof of the Metrodome in Minn. collapsed under the weight of snow! We had a good weekend and I finally got out of the house We went to the big Christmas Market in Nuremberg, it was very neat. We left here at 7:45 this morning and got there right at 10:00 before it opened at 10:30. You should really spend a whole day there to soak in the atmosphere but of course my guys are ready to go after 2 hours!
I made them stay until 1:00 and by 3:30 we were back home. Got some neat Christmas presents, a few new ornaments for us and we ate some very tasty foods. They are famous for their tiny brats, they look alot like the link sausage that I am used to seeing in the US. They are cooked on an open charcoal grill, they put 3 on a soft roll and you can put mustard/ketchup on it.
Their other specialties are an almond/spice cookie and fruit bread. It was freezing cold, about 1 degree Celsius, which is probably mid 30's F.

I sound like a broken record, but I have not had the best weekend in terms of eating. I really need to get serious! Thankfully I am exercising enough and not eating TOO much of the bad foods so that I can just barely keep things in check. I am really pushing the envelope though and you know what they say about a slippery slope.....I am holding on hard and trying not to fall all the way backwards. The old me would say screw it until after the Holidays but I'm wise enough to know now that could mean going backwards 10 pounds or so. I need to keep myself in line as many days as possible!

Thanks for all the ideas for being stuck inside during cold/bad weather! Tayrn, I love the idea of the job jar! I used to have a WATP video. I don't remember it being too strenuous, but I think it was just the one mile one.
CC, I'm adding the one you mentioned to my list and Lisa, I will search for the online Zumba classes-neat! Kathy, I think the Wii dance video sounds fun too and maybe one of the BL exercise videos. That's alot of variety right there to keep me going !! Yesterday, I tried to jump rope inside. We do have a place in the apt with a high ceiling so that's something else I could do. I only made it 49 jumps before I quit! VERY hard for me and I could feel that sore place in my butt again where I fell I thought that was gone After that, I did a short circuit with 2.2 kg hand weights. The lunges were very hard for me. It's good to do something different, I thought I was in such better shape based on my running and elliptical work but now I'm not so sure I will try the jump rope again. Not sure if I should jump with both feet or one foot at a time, both were hard

Lindsay, so sorry to hear about DH's Nana I'm glad you are there for your boys to carry on a normal routine for them. That's important for kids during times like this, esp during the Holiday season. You are a great wife and Mom !

QOTD Saturday: I have definitely been thinking of eating more fruit since hearing it was now "free" on WW. I typically eat a banana and an apple every day but was brainstorming to think of other fruits I can eat at this time of year and/or picking up some canned fruit.

QOTD Sunday: My first thought was that shopping does not affect my weight loss efforts but look at what happened today....eating and shopping went hand in hand. Thinking of the Malls at home too, there are plenty of temptations there. I think it's important to have a game plan, maybe carry your own snacks to eat or make sure you are home by meal time. Plan to have crockpot meals or quick healthy meals since you'll be shorter on time. Or take advantage of online shopping!

Tayrn: I'm so glad you are not cancelling your NYE trip with the family! It sounds like you have a good game plan for keeping the cost down and I think you will really enjoy getting away with the family. It sounds like a fun resort!

Kim: Good to hear from you and CONGRATS on losing 25 pounds
That's AWESOME!!! Maybe I should be listening more and talking less
For some reason, I find it so motivating to hear the successes as well as the setbacks of others. It really makes me try harder. I'm not sure how I am still wearing my same set of rings even though I gained 76 pounds since my wedding 16 years ago (23.5 pounds of that are now gone) I rarely take them off but when I do I think my rings have just deformed my ring finger into a smaller size!

Nicole: You can keep sharing those nuggets of information your sister tells you when you have time And, you can still give her a hard time about it And, for your PF. I am a sufferer too.
Congrats on reaching 15 pounds lost !!!

Deb: So glad you are celebrating Hunter's health this year!!

Pamela: Keep on pumping DH full of those healthy juices with vitamins! He is lucky to have you there! And, happy with the low 130's ????? I should hope so !!!!!!! That's awesome!

Kathy: You are doing so well getting out in the cold to train for the Princess. I am in amazement!

Dona: Enjoy your NYC trip. We are considering adding a few days in NYC to our visit when we are at home DH and DS have never been. I can get our flights and decent hotel for 3 full days and 2 nights for all 3 of us for about $400-$500pp. But, I know we would spend a ton of money on activites and food once we got there so I am still debating it. I might see if we can use some Delta miles to fly free and get the cost down more. I need to think quickly because the best dates for us would be Dec 21 - Dec 23.
I want to see the Rockettes show again and a couple of other shows too. I need to research what shows there are right now. Just musing outloud right now I guess.....

Tayrn: I think you are exactly right with your tradition of letting Santa bring one gift for each child and the others are from Mom/Dad. We really let the Santa thing get out of hand and we don't do any set thing from year to year except each year seems to get bigger and bigger. It's hard to go back now. Last year it was a little less since we had Christmas in the USA and could only bring so much back over here. It will be the same this year. I've made sure to tell DS his new Timberland boots are a BIG part if his Christmas!!
I would stick to your tradition and make the season more about the time spent together, family parties, special Christmas movies/popcorn as a family, the Church things, and of course your great trip!
Good luck with the party today!

Hope I didn't miss anyone! and to all who need it today!

I need to sign off and go work on my German homework now. I have a BUSY Monday and Tuesday so I will enjoy it since I'm usually stuck at home doing nothing!!! We are having frozen pizza for supper and a few other leftover items and going to watch SC II and SC III tonight if there's time for both!

We leave for the USA in 6 days!!! I can hardly believe it !!

Shawn

 

[keenercam]

Okay, I am so far behind in replying that I found myself writing a book in word so that there was no risk of losing it all here. I just don't know how some of you posting superstars do it so organized and pretty, like Lisa and CC and Taryn and Rose and many others. You ladies rock!

So, hopefully this will work. Maybe the trick is to not use many smilies.

Kathy – I am so glad that Michael went shopping with you. I’ll bet it will give him a better appreciation for what goes into Christmas gifting. Plus, you didn’t have to be alone for all the time that took AND he gets to be part of the gifting process for his cousins. Win-win all around. And right back atcha’, sweetie, on the support thing. You are always so supportive and encouraging to everyone here. Thank you.

CC – How wonderful that you already have a special assignment and that your supervisors must have already tuned in to your special talents for teaching and helping others. I hope it is very satisfying to you.

Pamela – Care-giving is so exhausting, emotionally, physically and psychologically. Even though DH is doing so well, I know that you are doing so much to take care of him and to keep your kids’ lives as normal as possible. I am glad that DD understands your time limitations and I hope her first meet of the season went really well. And I hope DS is coping well too. But most of all, I hope that there is someone in your life taking care of you, whether it is yourself or someone else. I am sure your DH appreciates all you do, but it can be tough for the patient to be sensitive, too. Please take good care of yourself.

Deb – Your celebration sounds absolutely perfect. What fun!! What a joyous, joyous time. BTW, that movie reminded me of a thread on the community board here a while ago about nursing older children. It totally cracked me up that I related a scene in the movie to a thread on the DIS. LOL!

Rose – Thank you so much for coaching last week. You are so wonderful and generous. What an awesome attitude about your run. I think the surprise of seeing those deer so unexpectedly might have been kind of a “reward” for your attitude of gratitude.


Tracey – Welcome back! It sounds like you have gotten right back into your routine. Congratulations on being so on-track!

Nicole – Kathy gave you great advice about possibly slowing your run a bit. I have been part of the WISH racing team since mid-2005 and the one lesson I learned that continues to surprise me more than anything else is that if you slow your pace a bit or if you take regularly scheduled walk or jog intervals, your overall time will almost inevitably be faster and you’ll end your runs feeling better physically. It sounds counter-intuitive, but you might want to give it a try.

Shawn – You deal with so much, being in a foreign country away from family and old friends and now the weather issues. I agree that it sounds like you have a fantastic plan for continuing on your weight loss journey in 2011. When I first started trying to get fit after my 4th heart surgery, the first thing I did was the Leslie Sansone WATP DVDs. Even once I was pretty far along on my fitness journey, when I needed a quick workout, I’d do the 1 mile DVD with ankle and wrist weights just to pump up the calorie burn a bit without a huge time commitment. You may find that you enjoy that series of workouts for a change of pace when weather prevents you from getting outside.

Jeannette – Congratulations on your engagement! What happy, happy times. As for choosing where and when to have your wedding, remember that this should be the happiest day of your life to that point and it should be everything you want it to be. It is okay to be selfish so that you and DF have the wedding day that YOU want, not what fits everyone else’s vision. Just remember that if certain people can’t take off work or can’t travel, etc. it just might be a trade-off. I just wouldn’t want you to always regret not having the wedding you wanted. Heck, you don’t want to be like me and have to wait until your 25th year of wedded bliss to finally get the wedding of your dreams. LOL!

Lindsay – I am so sorry for your family’s loss.

Taryn – We have also always felt that Santa shouldn’t get all the credit and that the kids should appreciate the financial aspect of the gift-giving, and as the kids got older the transition got easier. I think it is okay for a “significant” gift from SC not to be the most expensive. And I don’t think it is a selfish mindset, either. BTW, in our house, Santa even used a different pattern Santa paper for each of the kids. That made it easier for them to find their presents even if they couldn’t read the tags or didn’t want to wade through all the other presents under the tree.

Susan – I am sorry for your struggles. I have a dear friend who suffered weight issues related to her weight being low, her need for it to be very low and then her inability to gain weight due to the emotional struggle associated with control issues. It was so painful to see her struggle when in the back of my mind I was wishing I had those types of problems instead of being at the other end of the weight spectrum. But it gave me a sincere appreciation for the struggles that a person can face that have to do with their weight when for the world it looks like they are in the perfect situation. That’s just a rambling way of saying that I am glad you are cognizant of the situation and that you are being aware of taking care of you. We all care about you and want you to be well.

I'll be back soon with an update on me. Sorry this got so long.

 

[keenercam]

I am so relieved that things are going so well for me on the new WW plan. I am a person who enjoys new beginnings and actually sometimes needs a new start in order to put the negativity aside and give myself a break about what I view as failures. So far, things are going well and I am seeing small losses on the scale almost every day. I should hit a new decade at Thursday's WI and that will be very validating for me.

Yesterday I did an hour on the treadmill and they were very slow miles. I am realizing my limitations and trying to be more accepting so that I don't live my life in a state of constant dissatisfaction with myself, which can be so draining.

Howard and I left the house just before 1 yesterday and got home around 9:30 pm and were shopping the entire time, which did not help my knee but which really, really helped our Christmas shopping list and our Costco shopping/entertainment-grocery-getting list.

I got a new short winter dress coat. I was unhappy not to buy as small a size as I'd hoped I'd be in this year, but Howard said it looked really cute on me so I guess I'll cut the size tags out and be happy with how it looks rather than unhappy with some label inside it says.

Oh, and I did so well food-wise during our shopping yesterday. I had bought the new WW Dining Out Companion and was thrilled to see a relatively low Points Plus value for a Chick Fil-a grilled chicken sandwich. PLUS we had a BOGO coupon so Howard got the sandwich he wanted with fries and I got the grilled one and a fruit cup and felt very satisfied. It made it easier not to go to the Costco food counter, too, knowing I'd been good.

Dinner was rotisserie chicken with green beans and a huge honeycrisp apple shared with Howard and Andrew for dessert. Andrew and I also shared hummus and a flat wrap cut into small pieces to dip in it. I splurged before bed with chips and pretzels, but I felt okay about it since I had the points.

Have I mentioned that I really like the new WW plan? LOL! I am reaching for fruits more often and really enjoying them. And I LOVE the emphasis on proteins and am building my meals around a nice portion of lean protein and then adding free veggies and good fiber choices. This is definitely a lifestyle I can adapt to and live with long-term.

Okay, back to work for me. Andrew is here with me until he has to go sing at an awards Mass at school. I'll run errands while he is at Mass and then Jenn is coming home from campus so we can all see Narnia together.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Im ready to catch up....I only went back to yesterday morning so Im so sorry if I missed anyone.

I'm planning my long run in the am, 7-8 miles, and then we'll go cut down our christmas tree, we'll decorate it tomorrow night. I'd like to do some cookie baking this weekend, probably the spritz and next weekend we'll do gingerbread men. Might do sugar cookie cutouts too, if michael gets into it this year. Maybe i'll make a plan, for every mile I run/walk, I can have one cookie while I'm baking.

I like the plan Kathy. Even if it involves cookies at least you have a plan and that will stop you from eating the whole batch!

Dh and I have decided to make life easier we are not going to give each other many presents. My school is having a bus trip to see La Cage aux Folle in NY so that is our present to ourselves. Kelsey Grammer is in it now but he is leaving just before we see it. The replacements are coming in that week so we know that they will be there. We will be seeing Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor. I am okay with this. I have always wanted to see Harvey Fierstein in a show so I am pretty excited about it. We saw this musical 27 years ago so I can't wait to see it again.

Dona the musical sounds like a great gift to each other. I love to give gifts to my parents or husband that involve going somewhere...it makes great memories.

QOTD: how much of my enjoyment of the holiday is wrapped around the magic of it all.

I actually have been thinking about this lately too. I was feeling like my kids didnt really ask for anything big this year and that it wasnt as much fun to surprise them with that "big" gift. Believe me Im not complaining.....It just confused me as to what to make sure I got for them. Ryan has been asking for the Nintendo DS game Zhu Zhu Ninja pets, and nick asked for a wrestler ( I dont even let them watch wrestling on tv but somehow they are into the action figures and they like to pretend wrestle with them) So those things I am going to write from Santa. Otherwise we usually just write mommy and daddy. I never really thought of the whole financial thing though. My parents always had a ton of presents for me. Some from santa, some from them, some from rudolph, frosty, the elves, etc. I dont think I ever paid much attention to who it was from. Once I knew there was not a real santa I knew my parents paid for everything. So I dont think it matters what you do when the kids are still believers because once they know there is not a santa they will know the you buy the presents. I didnt realize how much it really took from my parents until a few years ago when I had kids and had to do it all on my own. But I was always thankful of what my parents would give me. We always put the presents out once the kids are in bed and even when I was little I remember when I got close to not believing my mom had me shop and wrap with her and then we left them on a pile in the living room on xmas eve and santa claus picked them up when we were at church and delivered up in the morning. (not sure what kind of sense that makes now but when I was that age I thought it was magical) So not sure if I answered your questions completely but I think the plan this yr is to write santa on the two things they asked him for and the rest from us. PS. santa always drops of xmas pj's under the tree on xmas eve when we go to church too. Can you believe it???

Good morning!

Gotta pick put our Christmas card photo and send it in to Costco in the next 2 days!

Hi Tracey, I dont think I had a chance to welcome you back. I hope you had a wonderful trip. I always thought the xmas cards we got from patients over the years that have disney xmas pictures were so magical. visiting around xmas time is on my to do list at some point in life.

We got to the top of the last hill and Mike said look--there were two deer on the side of the road having dinner! It was so cool. We walked for about a minute just to watch them. Keep in mind this is an Olmstead park, but it is right in the middle of a large city.

Thats sounds like a wonderful run. I run around my development and its all houses. The only thing I ever see is some squirrels, crows, and bunnies. I do enjoy looking at the different homes. Flower gardens in the spring/summer, halloween/xmas decorations in the fall/winter. I change my route frequently so I am not always looking at the same thing. It does make my day brighter to just relax and take it all in.

I did 8 miles run/walk this morning, and I felt pretty good after.

Wow 8 miles...this has been your farthest run yet right? Great job. Like lisa said I am nervous that I only just completed wk 3 and a 4 mile run. But I am going to trust the plan I picked and hope that it will be ok to get me over the finish line. You are doing great!

We just got home from my brother's house. They decided to have Hunter's party there to surprise him. It was fun. My mother even made homemade ice cream. We played some Wii and then all 11 of us sat down and watched Grownups together. My family had seen it before, but the other six hadn't. Just as funny the second time

Dh and I went shopping together this afternoon. It was his idea. Mind you he NEVER goes to a store...NEVER. He wanted to get me some Christmas presents, but didn't want the responsibility of picking things out. He did pick out some nice things and even though I know everything he bought, I'm happy that he made the effort.

Sounds like a wonderful party and such a good reason to celebrate. Grown ups is a funny movie...I cracked up at that one. How nice of Dh to at least go with you to get the things you wanted. Even though you lost the element of surprise at least you have the things you really want.

Back from a fun Christmas party! One person really noticed my weight loss and said he didn't even recognize me! I've known him for like 20 years now!

Congratulations! That is such a great feeling when you get the compliments. I sometimes think when people make a fuss its like there saying I looked horrible before but then if no one says anything I get down because I think they didnt notice. Now I just take the compliments and feel proud of myself and how good I am starting to look. Glad that you are able to take them as a positive too. Great job!

Here's today QOTD of the day.

QOTD for Sun. 12/12: There has been a lot of discussion about Christmas shopping. If/How is that impacting your weight loss efforts? If you think it's necessary, what change can you make?

I was going to say no but after shawns post I would agree that shopping and eating out sometimes do go hand in hand. I think one way to change is plan shopping around meals. Eat dinner and then go or plan to be home by a certain time and have a quick meal planned to prepare. It really is difficult when you are tired from shopping to not just stop somewhere out to eat.

Last night wasn't as bad as I had feared emotionally, a few sad moments, a few "elephant in the room" kinda times when we just didn't say what we were thinking, but not too bad. Caught mom crying one time, but I kept the tears in check!

Glad the party went well. I hope the PC party goes extra good today. I wouldnt be upset about over induldging on pineapple it could have been worse. I hope the belly/hb are feeling better today.

I'm doing 4 miles today, too. I'm switching my running schedule from T/Th/Sat or Sun to M/W/F because I think it will be easier for me to keep on track if I can just go to the gym from work. We have freezing rain here today. I've resigned myself to training for this race inside on the TM or walking track. Lots of people have to do that and it turns out just fine. I'm still apprehensive about the race -- especially when my partner is running twice as far as I am now -- but I am just trusting that the training will work and I will be just fine.

Did you see my post to kathy? It makes me nervous too but I think it is just 2 different ways of getting to the same goal. We all just picked which plan we thought will work best for us and Im sure we all will do awesome. Im sure you will do fine on the TM! Running is running!

We streamed Julie and Julia last night and Princess and the Frog on Friday. I think the new dvd player was a great choice for us!

Sorry for the yucky weather you are having today. It is raining here and has been all day on/off. It is actually warmer out than it has been and I am just thankful it is not snow. I am hoping we have a mild winter here, but if it does snow I would like a blizzard so I can close the office and stay home. Otherwise its just a mess. I loved the movie julie and julia. Your technological purchases sound dreamy. I hope you got the shopping in safely today.

I sound like a broken record, but I have not had the best weekend in terms of eating.

I feel the same way shawn. I know what I should be doing for my eating but I keep slipping down the slope. I always crawl back up a bit but I just cant seem to get to the top....at least I havent hit the bottom....like you said the old me would have threw in the towel until the new year. Not happening this time. I hope your week goes fast and that you are back to the US soon!!!!

I am so relieved that things are going so well for me on the new WW plan.

Cam I have to WW meetings on/off for years. The past few years I followed it on my own but I am still following the plan from many years ago. It seems like this time it really has changed alot. I am dying to start fresh with something but just dont have the funds to join online or meetings. Im glad you are doing well and really liking it. It sounds very interesting. Im hoping at some point I can join again and update myself. Until then as Taryn would say Im keeping on

Ok I feel better now that I am all caught up. We got the tree up and decorated and the train around the tree. The kids were very into it this year and I let them pretty much do all the ornaments. Of course it took me a half hour while they were napping to move them all around the tree otherwise it was only the bottom half that was decorated. We are off shortly to my nana's house for my cousins bday. The dinner choices are not great but I am going to pick what I eat smartly! I didnt run twice this wkend for nothing.

 

[Rose&Mike]

So I thought I would give you all a sneak preview of the clip art I am working on for the next challenge. I made an executive decison and we are going to go with Team Mickey and Team Donald.

All you attorney types--I found the clip art and it says it's from the public domain and I am assuming that means it's ok to use. What do you think?

I would love some opinions, before I put a lot of time into the donald clip art or the main one for the challenge.

Thanks!

 

[tigger813]

NO exercise today but had two protein shakes for 2 of my meals. Also drinking a lot of water today! I will get up early to do the elliptical. There's just so much still to do from the trip. I finally took care of the suitcases at least. All the laundry is done. I'm still feeling overwhelmed but looking forward to having the morning to myself tomorrow except for when redwalker comes by for a walk.

DD2 and I will pick up Christmas cards in the afternoon and run to Trader Joe's before we go to pick up DD1 and I will have her conference. Got a lot of stuff done to catch up on her homework this weekend and study for a test despite not being home much. We were at church twice today so it's been a long day.

I'll be doing the protein shakes twice a day everyday this week so I can reach my goal by Friday. I love the challenge of that and it's TOM starting tomorrow which helps me in a way.

I hope to pick up some Christmas presents tomorrow too for DD2 despite the fact that she'll be with me and DH. Planning on going to Costco and Best Buy. I still have to visit another Best Buy to pick up the Santa Paws stuffed animal that wasn't in the last time I was there. I will try calling them tomorrow morning to see if it has come in yet. Only 1 client so far this week but I will spend time at work hoping for more clients.

Still catching up on shows.

Sorry I haven't been answering QOTD. I will start again with the next challenge!

Good luck to all this week!!!!

TTFN

 

[donac]

Rose I love it. AM I Team Donald? That would be my preference.

Nice job