Biggest Loser 8 Fall Challenge -- for losers and maintainers!

[LuvBaloo]

We stayed at POP last trip and really enjoyed it. I thought it was an excellent value. We bought DVC this summer, so when we go in November we're staying at Bay Lake Tower. It's our first DVC trip, so I'm very excited about that, too.

Yesterday I made reservations for the Segway tour one of the mornings we're there...I'm saving it as a surprise for my boyfriend and I'm so excited and DYING to tell him. We've done it once before and it was so much fun, but I know he isn't expecting to do it this trip....

I've seen pictures of the Segway tour; it looks like a fun thing to do in the future when the kids are old enough.

QOTD:

1. The meaning of my name: My daughter started to ice skating when she was 4 years old. She decided to quit skating last April at the age of 14. Therefore, I was an ice skater's mom for 10 years.

2. I am a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers. Presently, I am 8 pounds over my goal weight. I need to get back in control before the situation gets out of control. My short term goal is to workout at least four times this week and drink water instead of diet Pepsi.

What happens when you become a lifetime member of WW? do you get reduced fees?

 

[LuvBaloo]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

I tend to make it up as I go, but have lots of easy things available to make healthy choices. DH has been getting involved with cooking, and usually deals with dinner on Mondays, and he's supportive of my weightloss and wants to eat healthier too, so he's adjusted to the healthier choices we've got. For example, no more white rice, its whole grain; same with pasta.

Have a great Saturday everybody! DH & I are heading to the pool with the girls in the morning, so I'll get some exercise in

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

I sometimes plan it out a day in advance but usually it is done as I go along. Being in school full-time and working part-time it is hard to plan out meals in advance since I never know where I am going to be on a given day.

 

[disneychrista]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

A little bit of everything. Dinners we tend to plan out a week at a time. Breakfast & Lunch are as you go...though sometimes I do plan out the entire day if I know that one meal is going to be "bigger."

Unfortunetly work can pre-empt my plans...since I can be called into cover the bar w/o advance notice...like today.

 

[spokanemom]

Whew. All caught up. I did not answer yesterday's QOTD, so I will answer yesterday's and today's all in one!

Screen name: It is not real creative. I live in Spokane. I am a mom. I had to think long & hard on that one... But I now use that name on several boards. It works.

Mini Goal: I have a goal, I would like to fit into single digit sized pants again. In order to get there, I know that it is going to take time. It took one broken thyroid, one hysterectomy, and one good length of time to get here. It is going to take time to get the weight off. I am making a goal of managable pounds lost each week. 5 would be wonderful. 2 or 3 will be more realistic. When I meet the goal each week, I will be able to reward myself with something. It will be different each week, but I will have one.

Now, today's QOTD.
Meals: My DH and I plan them at least a week in advance. Since football season has started, I take my DS13 to practice and when my DH gets home, he starts dinner. It helps him to know what he is supposed to make. It helps me with grocery shopping. It takes less money and time (for me anyway) when I know what we will need.

One last thing. There was a post about a cyclist being hit by a car. That happened to my DH 2 years ago. He rides his bike to/from work as long as there is not a foot of snow on the ground. Sept 2007 he was riding and a truck pulled out of a driveway and hit him. I got a call at work from some woman who witnessed it. When I got there, he was already in the ambulance and there were emergency vehicles everywhere. There was a huge dent in the man's truck and my DH's bike was mangled. It was really scary. Surprisingly, he was fine. He was really bruised up, and it took several months of physical therapy for him to feel back to normal, but he is ok now. And back to riding. But he will not ride past where the accident happened.

Which brings me to my point. I do not want to take any more days for granted. I have some physical issues as well, but I will save that for another post someday, but I really want to appreciate all the things that life has to offer. I can't do that hauling extra weight around. Thanks for the support, I need to be accountable to someone else. I have not been able to make me accountable for me. I am a mom, but not just a mom. I am finally remembering that.

Again, whew. That feels better!

 

[chrisula]

So how do you pronounce your name? and I like it because it is unique and feminine!

Chrisula is pronounced - wow thats a tough one, the only way I can type it out so you can say it is for you is put Chris and Hula together now drop the letter H and say it really fast Chris ula - my dad is from Greece and thus its a Greek name

 

[jennz]

Which brings me to my point. I do not want to take any more days for granted. I have some physical issues as well, but I will save that for another post someday, but I really want to appreciate all the things that life has to offer.

Wow - what a great thing to read to start my morning off, thank you for posting. I am so sorry about your dh and so glad he is okay. I agree totally about not taking a single day for granted - this is it, no second chances. I do forget, though...thanks for the reminder to enjoy each moment!!

QOTD: I usually plan a day at a time. I have a rough idea of meals for the week when I go grocery shopping and then my mood decides what I make for the day.

 

[NC_Tink]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

Wow - I'm up way too early for a Saturday! My DH and DS (11) are off to hockey -- DS plays and conditioning clinics begin today for the upcoming season. While I love that my son plays -- hockey season is very tiring
Quote:
Originally Posted by spokanemom
Which brings me to my point. I do not want to take any more days for granted. I have some physical issues as well, but I will save that for another post someday, but I really want to appreciate all the things that life has to offer.

That's wonderful! I'm happy to hear that your husband is doing fine. It's sad that it sometimes takes something awful to make us appreciate life and our loved ones. My Father suffered a stroke at the beginning of August -- he's now doing very well overall -- but it really made me appreciate my parents so much more. Because they're still relatively young - mid 60s - I guess I didn't contemplate them not being around for a long time still. Then Dad's stroke happened and now I find myself calling them almost everyday - just to check in and I take my boys by to see them a couple of times a week. I just want to make sure that we get to spend as much time with him as possible. So, definitely a life's lesson I learned was not to take for granted the people in my life.

Okay - back to the QOTD -- planning meals People actually do this??? No, all kidding aside -- we "loosely" plan our meals. As in, while I'm making the grocery list - my DH says "What are we going to eat this week?" and I say "I dunno" . And, then we fall back on our usual stuff - basically stuff we can cook in about 1/2 hour. I try to make it a habit that we sit down as a family for dinner -- so it often has to be something relatively quick either after sports or right before we run out the door going to sports. I do try to make sure we eat a salad with dinner - that way I fill up on those veggies and don't need to eat all the pasta, rice, etc. that everyone else is eating -- we're big on carbs in our house. I think I've gabbed enough this morning - being sleep deprived makes me chatty Have a great weekend everyone!!

 

[pjlla]

Morning all! I haven't had any time to post, but I did spend some time this morning reading all of the replies. Glad I'm not the only one with a "not-very-imaginative" username!

QOTD: I'm going with a 2-part question today. Since many of us don't know each other, I'll start with something simple: What's the meaning of your DisName? and for part 2: We have all set our own goals for this 14-week challenge, have you got a mini-goal to help measure success along the way? The goal could be a small weight loss, or exercising a number of times in a week, or a belt notch or . . . . .

My user name stands for the first initials of everyone in my family. I really didn't anticipate still being here on the DIS many years later or I definitely would have thought a bit harder when I registered. I keep hoping that we will be offered some sort of "change your name without losing your post count" day!! My name is Pamela (hence the P), DH's name starts with a J, each of the kids start with an L and our last name starts with an A. We use it for our email and lots of other things too.

Many people here seem to put an "i" in it and think that my name is Jill. I don't usually stop to correct them, but if you PM me I will respond with my proper first name (I think it is the polite thing to do).

The goal thing I haven't thought a great deal about. Sadly, I really bounced around with the same 2-3 pounds almost all summer. At one point over the summer I was within 6 pounds of my original goal weight. But I have decided to drop my goal another 5 pounds plus I am experiencing some female issues that really bloated me up right now, so I am actually about 14 pounds above my new goal weight. My final goal for this 14 week challenge will be to FINALLY hit my goal weight! But I'm not sure how these seemingly peri-menopausal issues will change things. (Sorry if that is TMI!)

I don't tend to "reward" myself after a weekly weight loss. The great feeling of seeing a lower number on the scales is usually enough. Plus I spend $$ on scrapbooking supplies pretty regularly, so I don't feel like I should spend much more than that.

I have, of course, bought many new clothes as I have lost this weight. (For those of you who don't know me... briefly.... I lost 40 lb. on WW in 2003.... kept most if it off for 2004, gained about 20 back in 2005/2006/2007. Started up WW again in 01/2008 and have been steadily working on getting to goal since then. I am currently 75 pounds lower than my original starting weight in 2003.) I'm not buying a lot of expensive clothes, since I am not at goal yet, but I am finding lots of nicer stuff at the Goodwill (brand new LL Bean pants with tags still attached... $4.99!, Coldwater Creek pants, fully lined wool trousers, etc.) So that is sort of my reward I guess.

QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?


During the Spring and Summer when extracurricular things are not as busy, I don't tend to plan in advance much. But for the Fall and Winter we are CRAZY busy with soccer, swim team, Rainbow Girls, Lego Robotics, school, and work and I MUST plan in advance or go crazy.

I will try to sit down on a Sunday evening, take a peek in the freezer, fridge, and cupboard, and plan our dinners for about a week. (Lunch and breakfast are "help yourself".) I will plan the main dish and sides, make notes of what needs to come from the freezer when (for example, I might make a note next to Tuesday's dinner plan to take Thursday's roast from the freezer that night). If we are missing any key ingredients I make myself a note to stick in the car to remember to grab it when I drive by the market on my way to whatever activities we have that week. We live out in the boondocks of NH, so no special trips to the store for one or two items. I only go to the grocery when I can combine it with other trips.

I utilize the crockpot(s) as much as I can in the fall and winter, but even that doesn't help when we don't have enough time to even sit at the table to eat (hard to eat a pot roast on the run!!) And this winter will be worse than usual with DD swimming for both her YMCA club team AND her high school team!! We may have to start eating dinner at 4pm and then having a heavy snack at 8 or 9 when activities are finally done. Not ideal, but not sure what else we can do. I see lots of sandwich nights in our future this fall!!
(We live over 30 minutes from both places she will be practicing this fall/winter and it just doesn't make sense for me to go home during practice, so I usually exercise at the Y or run errands while she practices, but it makes for a very long day!).

Well... that was a long ramble!! I'll go PM yesterday morning's weight to Shannon and I will be officially in on this BL8 challenge! I'm excited to have a new motivator!.........................P

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

We plan our menu Friday night or Saturday, and try to shop then as well. We have eggs, oatmeal, cereal and fruit available for breakfast, but don't plan what we'll eat each day in advance. We do the same thing with lunches, and pack them the night before. We plan dinners Sun. - Thurs., and expect to eat takeout Fri. and Sat. We usually do very well with sticking with our plans, but sometimes life will throw us a wrench, and we'll end up with an extra night of takeout during the week. When we do, I try to be responsible and get a Greek salad or order pasta which I can portion. It is very common for us to make something in the crock pot during football season and have that again during the week. We actually have a few meals like that -- chic/penne/broccoli, lasagna, beef stew, meatballs, etc...we are a small family of three, so leftovers are pretty common!

Maria

 

[DizzyFORDisney]

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

Well, B and L are pretty simple and the always the same choices - cereal or bagels for B, PB&J Tuna or Lunchmeat for L. Dinner varies and is rarely planned earlier than the morning of - when I take something out of the freezer to defrost. I usually shop for meats once a week and make sure I have enough for the week. Just add sides and veggie and we're all set. Every 3 weeks or so I make a huge pot of gravy and meatballs and sausage - then portion it into about 5 or 6 meals worth and freeze them. That way, we always have a good 'quick' dinner. Some days, we have not so good quick dinners....cereal or soup. Thankfully, hubby is not picky and the four boys know that if you don't eat what's put in front of you then you don't eat - period!

Oh - I now realize that I must spend the majority of my life in a dehydrated state...I had a hard time drinking that much water yesterday...but I did it! Had to make many trips to the little girls room, but I did it! I'm going to start earlier in the day today...

Have a wonderful day guys!

Kath

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

I've seen pictures of the Segway tour; it looks like a fun thing to do in the future when the kids are old enough.



What happens when you become a lifetime member of WW? do you get reduced fees?

After you maintain your goal weight for 6 weeks (+/- 2 pounds), you may attend WW meetings free, and you weigh-in only once month. Needless to say, life got busy, and I stopped going to the meetings. Now, I am 8 pounds over my goal weight so I would have to pay the regular meeting fee.

I need to do something that is why I joined this group. My clothes are getting tight.

 

[Desiree]

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

Good morning everyone!

Dh and I just started planning out our meals a week in advance. We buy just what we need at the grocery store for the meals and of course, all the things we need during the week but using this method has really helped me see all the unneccesary things that we'd normally grab unconsiously during our grocery trips. And it's helping us save money too! Before we would buy $200 or so worth of groceries and somehow we'd not have anything to eat by Wednesday!

 

[Desiree]

Oh - I now realize that I must spend the majority of my life in a dehydrated state...I had a hard time drinking that much water yesterday...but I did it! Had to make many trips to the little girls room, but I did it! I'm going to start earlier in the day today...

Have a wonderful day guys!

Kath

OMG haha I had the same problem! I must have woke up 3 times during the night!

 

[Northern_Julie]

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

I tend to have a plan for the week that is interchangable. I made it out last night and am leaving for the store in a a bit. This is more for budget reasons. I make the plan out before I go shopping so I don't overspend. Breakfast and lunches tend to be standard....dinner I need variety.

Then I plan for the day in the morning. This is more important when the snow comes because I no longer walk home for lunch. This year I plan to bring breakfast and lunch with me to work. So I can go from the gym to the office and avoiding the unlayering then layering up again.

Off to shop and then it is weight and measure day at Curves!!!

Water is no problem during the week but it is a challenge on weekend.

 

[IceSk8ersMom]

I plan my lunch (Monday-Friday). I am an assistant principal at a middle school, so it needs to be "pick-up and go" food: PB and J's, carrots, grapes, yogurt, etc. At times I eat a frozen WW dinner, but I try to keep frozen foods to a minimum because of the preservatives. Breakfast is the same: coffee, Slim Fast and a banana, and dinner is whatever. So I guess more than half my meals are planned.

But on the weekend, I try to just use portion control. On Sunday, I treat myself not cheat myself.

I use the iPhone application, "Lose It." It tracks my calorie count and my exercise calories burned. I also use Restaurants and Good Food applications to be my guide when I go out to eat.

Lisa

 

[philbenjc]

We usually plan out a week at a glance and then narrow it down by day on the day of.

Our schedules are so crazy right now with kids activities every night of the week except for Monday. Makes it really really hard to stick with a plan.

Juanita

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning, all!

Don't forget to PM your starting weight to LuvBaloo, if you haven't already.

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:
Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?

I laughed as I read your QOTD as I had just finished doing the menu planning for the week! We try and do at least a few days at a time because otherwise we have lots of food and "nothing to eat." Or run out of staples, which happened to us earlier this week. I love to use the crockpot, especially as the weather gets cooler.

So I am off to the grocery store early so I can get that out of the way and come home and work around the house. Going to be walking a lot of steps today! My MIL is coming in about 3 weeks so I need to be be sure that the house looks nice. Not that she would ever say anything to me but I still like things to be nice.

I got all of my glasses of water in yesterday and took a nap for my "me time." It was great!

Welcome back, pjlla!

Have a great OP day all!

 

[mikamah]

We stayed at POP last trip and really enjoyed it. I thought it was an excellent value. We bought DVC this summer, so when we go in November we're staying at Bay Lake Tower. It's our first DVC trip, so I'm very excited about that, too.

Yesterday I made reservations for the Segway tour one of the mornings we're there...I'm saving it as a surprise for my boyfriend and I'm so excited and DYING to tell him. We've done it once before and it was so much fun, but I know he isn't expecting to do it this trip....

congratulations on buying DVC!! That is so awesome. We pretty much stay value, and it makes us be able to go more frequently. I think about maybe doing a split stay one trip, and staying at the contemporary or wilderness lodge, but then I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to value. The segway tours look like lots of fun.

I'm just going to post one QOTD for Sat/Sun:

Do you plan your menu daily, weekly or just make it up as you go?
:

I try to plan by the week, and go grocery shopping one morning before work. I like to make a big meal one night that lasts us several nights through the week. I made chicken broc ziti wed, and we'll finish it today. Chili is another favorite, though my son won't eat it, but it will last me a week, and I'll make him spaghetti and meatballs or something like that. I'm trying to get more protein and having egg beaters every morning. I find that fills me up and last longer. Lunch usually leftovers, or sandwiches. My son just started school so he's having a treat of 2 weeks of buying lunch, because after making lunch every day all summer, I wanted a break and he loves to buy.

Which brings me to my point. I do not want to take any more days for granted. I have some physical issues as well, but I will save that for another post someday, but I really want to appreciate all the things that life has to offer. I can't do that hauling extra weight around. Thanks for the support, I need to be accountable to someone else. I have not been able to make me accountable for me. I am a mom, but not just a mom. I am finally remembering that.

Again, whew. That feels better!

Love this attitude. Glad your dh is doing ok. It is so true that life is unpredictable, and we need to live it to the fullest.

. My Father suffered a stroke at the beginning of August -- he's now doing very well overall -- but it really made me appreciate my parents so much more. Because they're still relatively young - mid 60s - I guess I didn't contemplate them not being around for a long time still. Then Dad's stroke happened and now I find myself calling them almost everyday - just to check in and I take my boys by to see them a couple of times a week. I just want to make sure that we get to spend as much time with him as possible. So, definitely a life's lesson I learned was not to take for granted the people in my life.

Sorry about your dad, but glad to hear he is doing well. We spent a lot of time with my mom, and my son who is 7 was very close to her, and though we lost her this year, I am so grateful that we were so close and have so many wonderful and funny memories of our time together. Creating memories that will last forever is priceless.

Many people here seem to put an "i" in it and think that my name is Jill. I don't usually stop to correct them, but if you PM me I will respond with my proper first name (I think it is the polite thing to do).

I have, of course, bought many new clothes as I have lost this weight. (For those of you who don't know me... briefly.... I lost 40 lb. on WW in 2003.... kept most if it off for 2004, gained about 20 back in 2005/2006/2007. Started up WW again in 01/2008 and have been steadily working on getting to goal since then. I am currently 75 pounds lower than my original starting weight in 2003.) I'm not buying a lot of expensive clothes, since I am not at goal yet, but I am finding lots of nicer stuff at the Goodwill (brand new LL Bean pants with tags still attached... $4.99!, Coldwater Creek pants, fully lined wool trousers, etc.) So that is sort of my reward I guess.

Funny, when I read your name I think of you as Pill-ja. Don't know why. little dyslexia I guess.
Congrats on 75 pounds lost!! That is awesome!

It's so nice to meet everyone, and to see us all so motivated to be successful!

 

[steelpens]

I plan my meals a few days at a time. I have to have some sort of plan, or it gets ugly! I'm reading Jillian Michaels book, Maximizing Your Metabolism, and I'm trying to follow her advice on only eating things that have a mother or come from the ground. It's going ok so far, but it's a goal.

Also, LuvBaloo, I don't have enough posts to pm you my weight, so I'll send it later today when I reach 10 posts.

Thanks!