Biggest Loser--Fall 2011 Challenge for Losers & Maintainers!!

[pjlla]

QOTD: We don't do cold weather outdoor events (DH tends to turn green and pass out when he gets cold!). When I was a kid we ice skated on frozen ponds and went cross-country skiing a lot. Now my favorite winter activity is reading, but it is also my favorite spring, summer and fall activity!

Maybe he is allergic to the cold. I actually know two people are are LEGIT allergic to the cold.... they get hives and all!

Ran yesterday and I must say 39 degrees is cold! But nothing like the 27 my girlfriend and I just walked in! Even bundled up and going fast we were cold. But now I can cross that off my list! Plus, dinner is in the crockpot and I know I'm not working today so that's good. Working tomorrow has been a fiasco/stressful situation. But it is all straightened out now I hear, so as long as the computer thinks I'm working I'll be happy. Way too many text messages this weekend. I don't like being taken out of my comfort zone and if people would do what they are supposed to do I wouldn't be! But I digress.

I may do some holiday baking today. Bought a giant bag of M&Ms at Costco and plan to make cookies with some of them--then right back in the freezer where I can easily ignore them. Harder to ignore is the giant bag of peanut M&Ms right next to it! But I will.

I agree.... M&Ms are hard to resist!

Yesterday was gray and dismal, today is blue skies and sunshine. Love it. I'm about to start laundry and am toying with hanging the clothes out. I think it's supposed to get to 45 so they may get mostly dry! Better go be Molly Domestic since tomorrow will be crazy busy.

Pamela--good job on robotics top ten in state is wonderful!

Thanks! I think that overall the kids are pleased with their performance and that is most important.

Bedroom calendar

Um.... they make calendars specifically for the bedroom??? Or you just want another calendar for your bedroom?

Vera Bradley – Tune –In in Mocha Rouge; Weekender in “Safari Sunset”; Manicure set in Mocha Rouge

I looked at the VB sale at my local Hallmark... didn't see anything that I wanted to buy DD..... any suggestions??

Rose gold colored watch

..... this sound PRETTY! Do you have something specific picked out??

L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

Godiva dark chocolates – caramels if I’m really lucky!

Earrings – I asked DH to surprise me!

Jimmy Buffet cd – songs not encores -- which I received last year when I asked for a JB cd

Logan’s Run Blu-Ray

Star Wars Blu-Rays

Lush – Gingerbread House Tin (contains bubble bars and bath bombs); Melting Snowman Bath Melt, Abominaball bath bomb, Golden Wonder bath melt, Phoenix Rising bath bomb

Umm, I actually don't think any of these will help me stay fit, but the Lush items will be nice to relax with...the Weekender is to take to WDW for the Princess , so maybe that counts? I also ordered a couple of WDW books which will be under the tree. I didn't even open the box, I just handed it to dh to wrap Well, I don't want the paged-through ones in the bookstore, and he would never figure out the right versions etc., online...

Maria

Yup.... those paged-through ones at the bookstore have already had all of the goodness read out of them!!!

Working on catching up --

Pamela -- Congratulations on the fantastic finish!

THanks!!

Maria

hope everyone's having a good day! things are going pretty swimmingly here. a little tired (alot tired) but that comes with the territory.

Glad you are still doing well. Is the BF going along okay?

we've had a few visitors which has been great. the only problem is that everyone keeps bringing cakes and cookies and bad-for-you things and GOD FORBID i not inhale it all. i feel like with bf'ing i'm starving all the time and grabbing cookies is just so darn easy. i'm going to have to get on the ball with this eating asap!

I suppose you could ask people NOT to bring sugary treats if they are coming. But folks don't want to show up emptied handed either. Maybe you could store some of these treats in the freezer for Christmas and/or Valentine's Day and/or Easter.

Afternoon everyone!

I am in a great mood and feel like I could conquer the world today . I got all of my meals tracked for the day and talked with one of my good friends for about an hour. I'm getting ready to put on my pedometer, shoes, and go walk around our neighborhood. I haven't done that yet and we've lived here 3 months on December 12th.

Then when I get back from my walk I need to figure out what I'm packing for IL and get some laundry done if its needed. We're having tacos for dinner and shake and bake chicken for dinner tomorrow. I took chicken out and completely forgot there is hamburger in the fridge that needs to get cooked up.

I'll report back after my walk!

TOODLES!

Three months already? My, time is flying!!

Well, I'm back from my walk and a few observations I made:


1. Our street makes one big loop and its half a mile
2. Walking in beautiful 70 degree FL weather is AWESOME!
3. I would of walked further had my calves not started to burn, LOL
4. My pedometer says I burned 73 calories in the 16 minutes it took me to complete that half mile.
5. I'm glad I know have a visual idea of how long a half mile is and I know with a little simple math how many laps I need to do to complete a 5K.

Nice job with the walk.... and I agree... 70 degrees IS awesome! It was in the low 60's here today.... very unusual and MUCH appreciated!! Wish it hadn't rained though.

I am very excited to announce that I am NOT allergic to cashews or hazelnuts! I ate one yesterday and the other today and nothing happened. I know I'm allergic to oats and I feel so much better avoiding wheat, leaving me with only oysters to check. However, I really have no interest in ever eating them, so I'm not planning to try them. If I can find oyster sauce, I might add that to a stir fry as a way of checking, but that's the closest I'm getting to one.

Today was OP with the exception of too many carbs. That's the nature of the gluten-filled diet though. I am still under my calories for the day, so I may have some frozen yogurt. I know, more carbs, but I need to eat wheat and the kind I bought today has wheat in it.

Kathy: DS looks so happy with your new dog!

Glad you were able to eliminate those nuts from your allergy list. Nuts are a nice treat once in a while. I agree... oysters....ewww.

th
Sorry it didnt go as planned but im glad they got a trophy for something.

Actually, when we went over the judging rubrics at our meeting yesterday, we discovered we were actually nominated for 4 awards in total.... but no team can win more than one Judge's Award, so we ended up with the Community Service award. We were also nominated for the robot design award, technical/programming award, and Core Values (teamwork and gracious professionalism) award. We were all pretty thrilled to hear so much good news from the rubrics.

I would submit that in the suggestion box at work Kathy. but I totally agree you could easily use a whole month to get aquainted.

Ok I will be back later with some more replies. Now I am off to the Gym!!!!

I loved ice skating too when I was a kid. Now Im afraid I will break a hip. We havent taken the kids yet because I have no idea how I will help them and not fall myself.

Actually, I was kind of worried about that too, but the kids skate so slowly to start that it was easy to stay on my feet, even skating backwards to pull them along. If they need more help, if they are really small have them support themselves with a milk crate in front of them.... if they are a bit taller, try a folding lawn chair. They are light weight and can be pushed along on the ice and give some support for the shaky beginner.

We got the disney trivial prusuit game years ago and I was disappointed too. It asks such ridiculous questions. It was totally not what I thought it would be.

I agree.... right back to the thrift store today!



**********************************************************
Alright so I am back from the gym. 20 min running on the indoor track and 10min on the stationary bike. Im glad I did it but I am having a bit of a time trying not to eat. I think TOM must be approaching because I am having such bad cravings today. I really think I need to got straight to my bedroom and bypass the kitchen. I am out of calories to eat today so anything I may stick in my mouth would be overage. I think I can, I think I can, etc.

How about a cup of decaf tea when you have no more calories left? I keep several varieties of herbal tea and decaf green tea in the house for such occasions. Sweeten them with Splenda or stevia and it makes a nice treat. DH really like the Bengal Spice from Celestial Seasonings.... I like the vanilla caramel from Bigelows (although it is not decaf).

Ok tomorrow most likely will be another crazy insanely busy day so I will go with my routine and post the next QOTD it just takes some stress off when i do it this way.

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

I have learned that I give myself up way to easy to other things that require my attention. I am a helper and when there is a need I will give up my own time for others whether it be my family, my house, my job, etc. I often forget that I am important too and more important is keeping myself healthy. There is no room for excuses and if I plan it out there is always time to do some form of exercise. I really have learned that I am important too and its ok to sometimes think about yourself especially when it comes to your health.

That is an important thing to learn!!

Good morning all!

Pamela, top 10 in the state is fabulous for your robotics guys!

Thanks!!

I've learned that if I really knuckle down and do what I should consistently I have great results. What a concept!

Can't wait to watch the Biggest Loser Marathon tonight!

Have a great day all!

Yup.... imagine that... eating less and exercise more really DOES work!!

Is tonight the finale on BL? I had forgotten about that.

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

I have learned that even when the scale isn't giving me results, when I'm above my maintenance weight and struggling, and I'm frustrated that what I've been doing for almost 4 years is suddenly NOT working, I do NOT give up and throw in the towel!! I keep on eating right and exercising (although admittedly probably not enough). I HAVE made this a lifestyle and I will NEVER go back to the old ways that got me over 200 pounds.

GREAT question, btw.

*********

Evening friends!!

Bible study this morning followed by some Christmas shopping, and errands. Then pick up kids, head home, make dinners, check emails, do some paperwork stuff for school/swim, and check emails again.

I've got two loads of laundry to fold while I watch BL tonight, plus I want to do a short free weight workout, since my bible study walk got rained out this morning.

I won't be working again tomorrow, as DD has an orthodontist appointment at 10:30 am and the kids have an early release day. So I will have to get right on my workout in the morning and be showered and ready to head out by 9:45 am.... that is, after my 5 am drop-off of DD to swim practice carpool, then bringing DS to bus stop at 6:50 and heading out from there to pick up DD at the Y and bring her to school.... I'm usually home by about 8:15. If I hit the TM immediately I can probably get in 45 minutes before I have to hit the shower and head out..... sorry, just thinking out loud here!!

I signed up to "adopt a table" at our Bible study brunch next Tuesday.... it basically means I am in charge of the table setting and decorations. I want to go with a blue and white snowflake motif with some silver accents. I used my good cream colored china when I did this in the spring, but obviously I can't use that if I am going for white. I don't particularly mind using paper plates, but was hoping to find an inexpensive set of white china somewhere like Target.... and maybe grab some silver chargers to use. I bought some cute brushed metal candle "lanterns" from Target last week to use on my dining room table.... I'll bring those for part of the centerpiece. Any other ideas? I checked Hobby Lobby today for some sort of inexpensive ornaments that I could use for napkin rings, but didn't come up with anything.

Anyhow.... I'm off to get some stuff done before BL is on. TTYL.................P

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

When I put my mind to something I can do it
I'm going to have a bad day here and there and there is nothing wrong with that. I don't need to beat myself up over it. I can just move on the next day

___________________________________

Well, yesterday was awesome but today was a nightmare!

We went to a local pizza place and long story short I did something I'm not proud of, I flipped out on the waitress. We came in and ordered and an hour later after being told repeatedly "Oh your food is in the oven" and everyone after us getting served I lost my cool. I told her it was unacceptable that we had been there an hour and she had served alan but not me. Its not that difficult to make a cheese pizza. We had asked her twice in that time frame when my food was going to be done. She kept telling me 'Oh its in the oven." Then after I flipped out she asked the cook and he said "You told me they only ordered one pizza. I never put a cheese pizza in." That's when I said screw it and walked out. Alan got up to pay the bill (we had her take my pizza off) and he told her "Next time you tell a customer that their food is in the oven you need to check and make sure. We won't be coming back here."

Now, I could understand if they were busy but it was only Alan and I and 3 other small groups of people. I'm sorry but its not hard to give people menus, drinks, and wipe tables down and she couldn't even do any of that. I've never been in a restaurant where you actually had ask the waitress "Can you bring me a menu so I can order?"

Then we got home and Alan got the kinect hooked up for the XBOX360. It irritated the crap out of me how touchy it was and I'm sure its just going to take some time to get used to it. I was just grumpy and had no patience.

I had him order me a medium pizza from Pizza Hut because I was still craving pizza and I had my heart set on it. I haven't exercised, haven't tracked food, haven't wore my pedometer, and haven't drank any water, I just don't care today. I've pretty much just locked myself away in my room so I don't snap at Alan again. I'm just overall in a bad mood today.

 

[my3princes]

QOTD: I've learned that life throws a lot of curves and sometimes losing weight gets put on the back burner, but I have faith that things will turn around soon

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

The WISH Biggest Loser Fall Challenge Week 12 Superstars!!
#10- 0.62% - lovehoney
#9- 0.84% - mvlimmex
#8- 0.92% - Worfiedoodle
#7- 0.97% - dvccriser76
#6 - 1.00% - ougrad86
#5- 1.00% - mommyof2pirates
#4- 1.25% - ClassicPooh2
#3- 1.57% - lisah0711
#2- 1.59% - aamomma
and now
The WISH Biggest Loser Fall Challenge
Week 12 Biggest Loser is:
#1- 2.15% - MickeyMagic

Great job everyone!!!!!!!

Back to work today, so adding a good long dog walk this morning is messing with my computer time. Have a great day everyone!!!

I hope your day back went well and that poko had a good day too.

I've learned that if I really knuckle down and do what I should consistently I have great results. What a concept!

Its amazing isnt it...how easily we can forget such a simple thing.

I signed up to "adopt a table" at our Bible study brunch next Tuesday.... it basically means I am in charge of the table setting and decorations.

That sounds like a fun project. I dont really have any suggestions but I know target has some great stuff out now and I think I saw most of it on sale when I was there on Saturday. Good luck finding some great items for your table.

Well, yesterday was awesome but today was a nightmare!
.

Wow that is quite a day. I hope tomorrow is a better one.

QOTD: I've learned that life throws a lot of curves and sometimes losing weight gets put on the back burner, but I have faith that things will turn around soon

Yes this indeed is so true! I have faith too.

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

Well tomorrow is Hump day already. So for that I am grateful. I am i quite a mood today and I know TOM is to blame. It must be just around the corner because this is what I looked like most of the day. My dh went to bed after we put the boys to bed and I think that means he is just done with dealing with me. Ya well thats life.

I did manage to get to Zumba tonight. We did a few dances to christmas songs. That was fun. I am hoping to see the scale start to go down again. I have been hanging at the same weight since friday's weigh in. I was really hoping for at least a 1.6lb loss this week to stay on target for my goal.

well it seemed a little quiet on here today so I hope that means you all were out working your booties off.

Tomorrows QOTD:

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

If I am in the car alone sometimes I will find a good song and blast it and sing at the top of my lungs....that usually makes me feel good.
I will take a bubble bath, or read a gossip magazine.
and of course I always feel so much better after coming on here and reading and typing back to all of you.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Congrats to all the Losers and Maintainers and to everyone who got on the scale and sent their weight in!

Congratulations to Pamela, DS and your robotics team!

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

I have learned that I give myself up way to easy to other things that require my attention. I am a helper and when there is a need I will give up my own time for others whether it be my family, my house, my job, etc. I often forget that I am important too and more important is keeping myself healthy. There is no room for excuses and if I plan it out there is always time to do some form of exercise. I really have learned that I am important too and its ok to sometimes think about yourself especially when it comes to your health.

That's a pretty important thing to learn Lindsay!

I've learned that it's never too late to reinvent yourself. You might think you are one thing or define yourself one way, but really you can be lots of things. That might not make sense, but it makes perfect sense to me.

QOTD: I've learned that life throws a lot of curves and sometimes losing weight gets put on the back burner, but I have faith that things will turn around soon

Tomorrows QOTD:

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

I try to keep my environment un-cluttered. I try to have a plan for food. I track, track, track on myfitnesspal, and for some reason that makes me feel more in control and less stressed. And I exercise regularly, even it's not running.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

I started off the challenge strong, then went to Disney. Although I actually managed to lose while I was there, when I came back I just fell off the wagon. However, that was also when I realized my anti-depressant was no longer doing it's job, and I had to wait a month before I could get that taken care of. During that time, I just didn't care about anything. Now I'm very slowly getting back on the wagon.

So I guess my lesson was that as long as my brain is in order I can stick with this lifestyle change!

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

Amazingly enough, I work better under stress. I will purposely procrastinate because I know I'll be more efficient and successful if I don't have much time for something. It's finals time here: child development exam on Thursday, sociolingustics paper on dialects due Monday (8 pages and I've barely started researching), basic musicianship written exam next Thursday, and sociolinguistics take home final due next Friday (speak with someone who does not speak your language, get a three generation family tree, and find out the terms for each relative-I'll be using my housemate who speaks Vietnamese). Then I'm officially done with undergraduate classes!

*********
I'd say that today was overall a success. Between the fact that I'm trying to use up all my food and eating so much junk lately, I was actually craving healthy food. For dinner I had tilapia, frozen mixed veggies, and sugar free applesauce. My housemates and I made 8 sheets of Christmas cookies between last night and tonight, and I only had a few today. Two of them also made a bunch of mint chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip and I had about 2 of those. But looking at all the cookies in the kitchen right now is actually making me nauseous, so I'm not too worried about them being a temptation!

 

[glss1/2fll]

Today was a crummy day. Just munch, munch, munch. I wish TOM would just get here already!!!! I did drink my water, so that's positive. No exercise. I knew today would be crazy and my only chance would be my 5:45 AM class at the Y. Guess who either didn't turn on the alarm, or turned it off when awake at 4, or turned it off when it went rang and doesn't remember? So frustrating. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day and so far I'm not working so will go to the Y and run on a treadmill since I doubt it'll reach 40 degrees! Today's high was 33. brrrrrrr

Pamela--what about a ribbon with silver jingle bells as a napkin ring? Easy peasy.

Both boys lost their basketball games tonight. I had to miss the end of DS2's and the beginning of DS1's since the school was sponsoring a FAFSA/college financing presentation. It was good. I wish my son would stop procrastinating!

Past bedtime here. Have a super day tomorrow!

 

[pjlla]

Well friends.....I popped on the computer early to read and respond, but got SUCKED INTO an Amazon sale and ended up buying 9 Christmas gifts! Now it is time to wake up DS and get moving, so I'll be back later.............P

 

[ougrad86]

Happy Monday everyone!

Saturday's competition went well, but not as well as we hoped. Due to an unexpected "glitch" we scored lower during our best robot round than originally thought, which put us in the top 10 rather than the top 8, which is what is needed to advance on to the elimination rounds... (had our score been as it SHOULD have been, it would have put us in the top 5)..... just one of those strange things that never should have happened.... no one really to blame, although we did question the scoring/ruling.

Anyhow, it is GREAT to say that our team is among the top 10 FLL robotics teams in the entire state!!

And we won a trophy for our garden project.... we won the Judges Award for community service!! It was nice to leave with something to show for the day.

Congrats! Top 10 is great. Is this something you are thinking about doing again? DS is doing rocket club, although he has to drop out now to do the running club to get ready for track. But he would have loved a robotics club!

Carol -- Your April trip sounds wonderful -- We love US and had a great time at WWOHP -- just disappointing it wasn't bigger!

Just read an article yesterday that besides also putting WHoHP in the California studios, they are also planning to expand the one in Orlando. So I guess we will be coming back to see it again in a few years - or maybe sooner. Looking forward to US even though we are doing much Disney time. But with it being Spring Break, I think we will do better at US instead of Disney, since we are staying at Hard Rock and will have FoTL privleges. So just a couple of quick mornings at Disney - glad I have some left over tickets!

glad you are feeling better. What is your trip all about in April????

See above . Mainly Universal, with a couple of quick mornings in Disney. Have to get a little bit of Disney . We are stayng onsite at US, so will tackle Spring Break with FoTL, which I heard is the only way to do it that time of year.

I worried about missing Disney - we are only hitting a few select things, but I figure that two new parks will keep us busy, since we have never even seen Universal before.

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

I am with you - singing out loud at the top of my lungs is a great stress reliver. Hard house cleaning helps as well, and at least it is constructive. And sometimes pop in a movie that allows me to have a good cry. DS would get all worried if he saw me crying for no reason, but to be expected when a sad movie is on. I've heard crying can sometimes help ease stress, and it seems to work, but don't want to make a habit of it! I cry easily enough as it is!

Well, I was hoping to rush through this, but the server at DIS had other ideas, took forever to change pages! Early morning, DH off to work early, trying to decide if I should stay home to take DS to school and then go to work - raining outside, but he normally walks; however, it looks like it might be really heavy when it is his normal walking time...will wake him up now and have him get ready, then decide just before my normal leaving time.

I think I lost one of my QOTD - what did I learn about myself this challenge. It is actually a relearning of something I found out when I first did my successful diet - I can do it! I can summon the willpower, I can stand strong. We had some sort of party at work yesterday, people were walking around with plates full of chocolate and other good looking stuff. Did not have a thing! Of course, wasn't feeling great either, which helps! But I know I would have stood strong regardless.

"Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels" (which I heard early on in this challenge) has become my mantra.

Time to get going!

Carol

 

[jillbur]

Monday Dec 5, 2011 QOTD:

What is your favorite winter activity?

I am not a big fan of cold weather. I feel so bad because I don't even like going outside to play with my kids. That's DHs job! But, we do go sled riding occasionally. This year we may try to go tubing at a ski resort nearby. Other than that, I love to stay warm and cook. And watch lots of movies!

Good luck in your search and your decision. Be careful of the home prices wherever you go. We have a good job market here in Northern Virginia, but the traffic and the home prices are horrific. It does snow in VA however. I had some friends who moved to North Carolina to escape the rat race here. The weather is way milder, and house prices are reasonable.

I hear you about wanting to be close to family. We spend a good chunk of our vacations traveling to be with family instead of going somewhere else. We practically have memorized the route to DM and DMIL's houses in the midwest. We do a big 4 day loop (need to stop one of the nights). Too expensive to fly, and my DS is a very good traveler, thank goodness. Trying to plan a trip to Germany and have always wanted to go to Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone (as well as keep up the trips to WDW), but just don't have enough time.


Carol

My college roommate teaches in Prince William County but lives just south of Fredericksburg. I tell her she's crazy to drive that far on 95 everyday, but she makes a lot more in PWCS then she would where she lives. I am thinking of looking by Fredericksburg and Culpepper. We'll see.

And, I do not want to spend my vacations driving home every time. I know we'd have to come home to visit, but I need my vacations and spending it with DHs parents isn't it! We are about 3.5 hours from Niagara Falls and I have been plenty of times. It's really awesome to see. Just try to aviod all the commercialism (unless you like all that stuff). Both the American and Canadian sides are fun. Try to get there!

Glad the kids are better!!


TTYL.........................P

Thanks and congrats on the robotics team!

I agree as much as I thought I was dreading it I ended up really enjoying running during the winter. everything was so quiet and it was just me and the road....and sometimes ice and snow too but that was just added fun.

Tuesday December 6, 2011 QOTD:
What is one thing you have learned about yourself this challenge?

I am going to try to keep up the winter running as long as I can see road and the temps are warm enough to breath good!

I have learned to not let a little setback trigger a full blown slide! If I gain a pound, just get right back on track and try harder. Before if I gained a pound, I would just eat whatever instead of getting back on track. I also am setting goals and trying to achieve them. It feels so good to reach a goal! I feel so much healthier since I started this challege. I can't believe I may run a 5 miler in January in PA! That is something I would have never considered before.

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

I just try to find some time for myself. I usually go to the gym or shopping with my sister. I also need to be very organized and I make lists. Lots of lists!


Well, I need to find some time to hop over to the holiday alumni thread and possibly sign up to coach a day! I have to get all my mid-term grades and progress reports for IEPs done today. Then, I'll go to the gym tonight. I'm glad to say I got all my Christmas cards in the mail this morning, so i can scratch that off my list! I also need to get my house cleaned up a bit today, since we were barely home yesterday and laundry is piling up

Hope you all have a great day!

Jill

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

OK, who got hungry and ate my posts????

I know I posted Congrats to Nancy. Best wishes to the Robotics team and my random ramblings about life in Blinkville, CT.

I won't go back and respond now. But best wishes to everyone as we wrap up this season of the Biggest Loser. I am ready to go for next time. I have 6 months until we head to Disney. I am determined to lose something before then besides my mind. LOL

Today has not been a good day so far. I got word of a dear DIS friends passing and it has shaken me harder then I thought it would. Live life to it's fullest everyone, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. To my imaginary friend Robin (DELSWIFE), I will miss you. Love ya, Mean it.

Food has been good this week, we haven't eaten out since Saturday, which is a record for us. We also sat down at dinner Sunday and hashed out a menu for 10 days. We have had no fast food since Thanksgiving and surprisingly no one has asked for it. They have however been trying to down soda every chance they can get. Which thankfully has not been often! I've also scaled way back on the snacking. Trying to eat a better meal for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DH has accrued 200 hours of vacation so he's taking the month of December off. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet. I'll let you know! LOL But he did finally fix the drawer in the kitchen I've been pestering him about for 6 months. Stupid thing fell off in his hand so he fixes it. OY!
We have 1/2 the living room deep cleaned.
Rose you will be thrilled to know I organized all of our DVD's and CD's into little tiny boxes. I will grab the camera in a sec and upload pics. It's amazing!!!! We are very slowly sorting through the house and getting our lives in order for the New Year. DH has decided he wants to start 2012 off right, and not wait until 2012 to get started.

DH is also starting a new job the first of the year which is a good thing but also scary. He is taking a huge pay cut to be employee #6. It is a potential financial windfall if they do well but the potential payout doesn't pay the bills week to week. I'm hoping that in getting the house in order it will help cut down on the outgoing expenses. Clutter leads to chaos and Chaos leads to excessive spending.

I have just about finished christmas shopping, I need to finish buying for 2 kids and DH then I am done. This years theme is practicality. I read the other day on pinterest:
Buy one thing the want and one thing they need
Buy one thing to wear and one thing to read.

I've been trying to adhere to that mantra and while it's been hard not purchasing everything they want, I feel like I've made smarter choices. And deal of the day - A green Army wool jacket from Target. $65 - 20% coupon from target.com and 5% by using my target card = Total cost $48.75
Jacket will be paid off when the next bill comes.

OK, I've been on here to much this morning, I need to get started on my day. DH was up at 3, woke me up by accident at 5, he took a nap and is now back up so we are going to finish the living room.

I will TTYL!!! I hope everyone has an excellent day. Love ya, Mean it!!

 

[pjlla]

That sounds like a fun project. I dont really have any suggestions but I know target has some great stuff out now and I think I saw most of it on sale when I was there on Saturday. Good luck finding some great items for your table.

Thanks..... I may find my way to Target tonight.

Well tomorrow is Hump day already. So for that I am grateful. I am i quite a mood today and I know TOM is to blame. It must be just around the corner because this is what I looked like most of the day. My dh went to bed after we put the boys to bed and I think that means he is just done with dealing with me. Ya well thats life.

Wish my DH was smart enough just to avoid me when I am like that.... instead he usually decides it's time to debate something!

I did manage to get to Zumba tonight. We did a few dances to christmas songs. That was fun. I am hoping to see the scale start to go down again. I have been hanging at the same weight since friday's weigh in. I was really hoping for at least a 1.6lb loss this week to stay on target for my goal.

well it seemed a little quiet on here today so I hope that means you all were out working your booties off.

Tomorrows QOTD:

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

If I am in the car alone sometimes I will find a good song and blast it and sing at the top of my lungs....that usually makes me feel good.
I will take a bubble bath, or read a gossip magazine.
and of course I always feel so much better after coming on here and reading and typing back to all of you.

Amen to that!!

Congrats to all the Losers and Maintainers and to everyone who got on the scale and sent their weight in!

Congratulations to Pamela, DS and your robotics team!

Thanks!!

I try to keep my environment un-cluttered. I try to have a plan for food. I track, track, track on myfitnesspal, and for some reason that makes me feel more in control and less stressed. And I exercise regularly, even it's not running.

I agree... clutter at home makes me crazy... and right now my house feels like CLUTTER CENTRAL!!

I started off the challenge strong, then went to Disney. Although I actually managed to lose while I was there, when I came back I just fell off the wagon. However, that was also when I realized my anti-depressant was no longer doing it's job, and I had to wait a month before I could get that taken care of. During that time, I just didn't care about anything. Now I'm very slowly getting back on the wagon.

So I guess my lesson was that as long as my brain is in order I can stick with this lifestyle change!

It really makes you (and many of us) realize how closely linked our brains and bodies are in daily life! Gotta work hard to keep them both healthy and working right!

Amazingly enough, I work better under stress. I will purposely procrastinate because I know I'll be more efficient and successful if I don't have much time for something. It's finals time here: child development exam on Thursday, sociolingustics paper on dialects due Monday (8 pages and I've barely started researching), basic musicianship written exam next Thursday, and sociolinguistics take home final due next Friday (speak with someone who does not speak your language, get a three generation family tree, and find out the terms for each relative-I'll be using my housemate who speaks Vietnamese). Then I'm officially done with undergraduate classes!

That sounds like DD.... I SWEAR she procrastinates on purpose..... but she does some amazing work under pressure!

*********
I'd say that today was overall a success. Between the fact that I'm trying to use up all my food and eating so much junk lately, I was actually craving healthy food. For dinner I had tilapia, frozen mixed veggies, and sugar free applesauce. My housemates and I made 8 sheets of Christmas cookies between last night and tonight, and I only had a few today. Two of them also made a bunch of mint chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip and I had about 2 of those. But looking at all the cookies in the kitchen right now is actually making me nauseous, so I'm not too worried about them being a temptation!

Dinner sounds healthy.... glad you are avoiding the cookies!

Today was a crummy day. Just munch, munch, munch. I wish TOM would just get here already!!!! I did drink my water, so that's positive. No exercise. I knew today would be crazy and my only chance would be my 5:45 AM class at the Y. Guess who either didn't turn on the alarm, or turned it off when awake at 4, or turned it off when it went rang and doesn't remember? So frustrating. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day and so far I'm not working so will go to the Y and run on a treadmill since I doubt it'll reach 40 degrees! Today's high was 33. brrrrrrr

Started warm here today (60-ish degrees at 5am), but temp has dropped continually throughout the morning. Supposed to see 5-8" of snow tonight. I did get out for a run even though it was misting out. Possibly my last comfortable outdoor run for the year.

Pamela--what about a ribbon with silver jingle bells as a napkin ring? Easy peasy.

OOoooo love that idea!!

Both boys lost their basketball games tonight. I had to miss the end of DS2's and the beginning of DS1's since the school was sponsoring a FAFSA/college financing presentation. It was good. I wish my son would stop procrastinating!

Past bedtime here. Have a super day tomorrow!

Congrats! Top 10 is great. Is this something you are thinking about doing again? DS is doing rocket club, although he has to drop out now to do the running club to get ready for track. But he would have loved a robotics club!

No more coaching for me. The other dad who coached with us has been doing it for the full 5 years with me (actually, he is the one who started the team).... my DH hopped in about two years ago when his schedule got a little more flexible. DS has aged out of it, so I think we are DONE coaching FLL. But we certainly wouldn't mind helping out a BIT or mentoring another team.


I think I lost one of my QOTD - what did I learn about myself this challenge. It is actually a relearning of something I found out when I first did my successful diet - I can do it! I can summon the willpower, I can stand strong. We had some sort of party at work yesterday, people were walking around with plates full of chocolate and other good looking stuff. Did not have a thing! Of course, wasn't feeling great either, which helps! But I know I would have stood strong regardless.

"Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels" (which I heard early on in this challenge) has become my mantra.

Time to get going!

Carol

I find myself repeating that mantra over and over in my head when I am tempted to slow down or stop on the TM or elliptical. And gosh darn it, it's TRUE!

OK, who got hungry and ate my posts????

I think that the DIS has been a bit wanky for several of us lately. I think that the Tag Fairy ate your posts!!

I know I posted Congrats to Nancy. Best wishes to the Robotics team and my random ramblings about life in Blinkville, CT.

Thanks!

I won't go back and respond now. But best wishes to everyone as we wrap up this season of the Biggest Loser. I am ready to go for next time. I have 6 months until we head to Disney. I am determined to lose something before then besides my mind. LOL

Yup..... lose the weight, keep your mind!!

Today has not been a good day so far. I got word of a dear DIS friends passing and it has shaken me harder then I thought it would. Live life to it's fullest everyone, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. To my imaginary friend Robin (DELSWIFE), I will miss you. Love ya, Mean it.

Oh my! I know Robin (at least in an "imaginary Disboard acquaintance" type of way). How very sad. She wrote GREAT trip reports!!

Food has been good this week, we haven't eaten out since Saturday, which is a record for us. We also sat down at dinner Sunday and hashed out a menu for 10 days. We have had no fast food since Thanksgiving and surprisingly no one has asked for it. They have however been trying to down soda every chance they can get. Which thankfully has not been often! I've also scaled way back on the snacking. Trying to eat a better meal for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DH has accrued 200 hours of vacation so he's taking the month of December off. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet. I'll let you know! LOL But he did finally fix the drawer in the kitchen I've been pestering him about for 6 months. Stupid thing fell off in his hand so he fixes it. OY!
We have 1/2 the living room deep cleaned.
Rose you will be thrilled to know I organized all of our DVD's and CD's into little tiny boxes. I will grab the camera in a sec and upload pics. It's amazing!!!! We are very slowly sorting through the house and getting our lives in order for the New Year. DH has decided he wants to start 2012 off right, and not wait until 2012 to get started.

Umm.... I'd go bonky if my DH was home for a month!! HOpefully you have a long "honey-do" list to keep him busy!!

DH is also starting a new job the first of the year which is a good thing but also scary. He is taking a huge pay cut to be employee #6. It is a potential financial windfall if they do well but the potential payout doesn't pay the bills week to week. I'm hoping that in getting the house in order it will help cut down on the outgoing expenses. Clutter leads to chaos and Chaos leads to excessive spending.

I agree!!

I have just about finished christmas shopping, I need to finish buying for 2 kids and DH then I am done. This years theme is practicality. I read the other day on pinterest:
Buy one thing the want and one thing they need
Buy one thing to wear and one thing to read.

I've been trying to adhere to that mantra and while it's been hard not purchasing everything they want, I feel like I've made smarter choices. And deal of the day - A green Army wool jacket from Target. $65 - 20% coupon from target.com and 5% by using my target card = Total cost $48.75
Jacket will be paid off when the next bill comes.

OK, I've been on here to much this morning, I need to get started on my day. DH was up at 3, woke me up by accident at 5, he took a nap and is now back up so we are going to finish the living room.

I will TTYL!!! I hope everyone has an excellent day. Love ya, Mean it!!

Glad you got some Christmas deals! I got some GREAT buys at the mall earlier this week, combining coupons with sales, etc. I'm not usually so organized or so lucky.

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

I don't tend to have a lot of stress, other than self-induced "oh-my-gosh-the-house-is-a-mess, I'm-not-done-shopping" type of stress. But when I am feeling stressed I make a LIST!! A shopping list, cleaning list, to-do list, etc. And I feel MUCH BETTER!

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

Well, as I said much earlier this morning.... Happy Wednesday!

I did manage to get in a run, despite the rain/drizzle. It wasn't as long as I would have liked, but I only had a short window of time to work with.

I need to finish watching the last few minutes of last night's BL episode.... I fell asleep before the end. I will probably fold laundry later while I watch it.

DS brought me the last HP book home from the school library to read, as I finished HP book #6 yesterday. It is going to be hard to resist the temptation of just grabbing the book and a cup of tea and making myself scarce!

Well.... things to do here. I'll TTYL...................P

 

[Rose&Mike]

That sounds like DD.... I SWEAR she procrastinates on purpose..... but she does some amazing work under pressure!

Interestingly, we learned this summer that is a classic symptom of add/adhd (not that everyone who works that way has add/adhd.) I might not explain it right, but basically their brain needs the added stress of last minute deadlines in order to produce the right chemicals so that they can study/work. The reason some kids don't get diagnosed until college or later is because they are highly intelligent or are taking classes that aren't challenging them enough, so they are able to meet the last minute deadlines they are essentially setting for themselves. In some kids it's a case of not knowing how to study, but in some kids their brain really can't focus/concentrate/work right with out the added stress/stimulation of a deadline. It was really interesting. I'm probably not explaining it right, but just thought I'd share.

*****
Today was Wednesday, so that means physical therapy. I am really ready to be done with pt....Hopefully soon. My foot is feeling much better and I am getting good at telling when it's going to flare up and heading it off before it gets bad. I am back on the elliptical--but not every day and I have to watch for pain, but it's so nice to be getting back to normal. For some reasons I stress eat after pt--I just crave junky carbs--and I am cutting myself a little slack, and just kind of going with the flow.

Have a great Wednesday!

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Afternoon everyone..

Its almost 2pm here and I'm just now getting up. We didn't go to bed til almost 4. This week is just not going so great. I didn't exercise or track anything yesterday. I'm going to grab some lunch here in a few and get outside and "attempt" to do a mile around the loop.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Interestingly, we learned this summer that is a classic symptom of add/adhd (not that everyone who works that way has add/adhd.) I might not explain it right, but basically their brain needs the added stress of last minute deadlines in order to produce the right chemicals so that they can study/work. The reason some kids don't get diagnosed until college or later is because they are highly intelligent or are taking classes that aren't challenging them enough, so they are able to meet the last minute deadlines they are essentially setting for themselves. In some kids it's a case of not knowing how to study, but in some kids their brain really can't focus/concentrate/work right with out the added stress/stimulation of a deadline. It was really interesting. I'm probably not explaining it right, but just thought I'd share.

Well that explains it: I was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade. I didn't really have the attention deficit part so much back then, it was mostly just the hyperactive part. Now that I'm older my thought process is something like "But you could be doing (activity x) instead; there will be plenty of time to work on this other thing later." And then when it comes down to it, I can focus for long periods of time and just crank stuff out.

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Well I got off my butt and cranked out three trips around the loop. I made a few more observations:

1. The loop is NOT half a mile. The loop is .33
2. Each lap my times got faster:
Lap 1: 15 minutes
Lap 2: 12 minutes
Lape 3: 10 minutes

My calves are burning and as we were sitting out front I realized really dark clouds were rolling through. I'm glad I got it done now. We're going to do something with chicken for dinner tonight, more then likely shake and bake.

I need to figure out what I'm going to pack after dinner and start that process.

Oh for those of you who are interested Walgreens is doing a walking program. I heard about it on Biggest Loser last night. You sign up and for each mile you track they give yu rewards. So far I have gotten 3 coupons for money off of 20 ounce Sprites, Minute Maid to go bottles, and Odom pedometers.

walk.walgreens.com

 

[Rose&Mike]

For anyone who likes kitchen gadgets, I tried a new one today and really liked it. It's a hard-boiled egg maker from Cuisinart. I bought it for traveling. Hard-boiled eggs are one of my favorite gf foods/snacks. When we travel I had been buying already boiled hb eggs, but honestly they weren't very good, just convenient. At home, it's pretty easy to make eggs, but when traveling it's sometimes hard for me to find food, so I was hoping this would help out with that.

We had a gift card to BB&B so we decide to get one of these and give it a try. It made 3 perfectly cooked hardboiled eggs in about 16min. It's a small appliance that will fit in our Owner's Locker at Disney. Basically you add the amount of water based on how you want the eggs cooked and how many eggs you are cooking (it can do up to 7), use the piercer they provide to poke a hole in the egg, put the lid on, and turn it on. I curled my hair while it was cooking. I set the kitchen timer just in case, but when it was done cooking the appliance made a noise telling me it was done. I turned it off and that was it! Really easy and the egg I tried tasted great!

I'm not sure if I will get another one for home/non-Disney trips or not, but I am really excited to have one for our owners locker. It cost about 30 at BB&B and they often have coupons.

Anyhow, just thought I'd share!

 

[my3princes]

Great job everyone!!!!!!!



I hope your day back went well and that poko had a good day too.



Its amazing isnt it...how easily we can forget such a simple thing.



That sounds like a fun project. I dont really have any suggestions but I know target has some great stuff out now and I think I saw most of it on sale when I was there on Saturday. Good luck finding some great items for your table.



Wow that is quite a day. I hope tomorrow is a better one.



Yes this indeed is so true! I have faith too.

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

Well tomorrow is Hump day already. So for that I am grateful. I am i quite a mood today and I know TOM is to blame. It must be just around the corner because this is what I looked like most of the day. My dh went to bed after we put the boys to bed and I think that means he is just done with dealing with me. Ya well thats life.

I did manage to get to Zumba tonight. We did a few dances to christmas songs. That was fun. I am hoping to see the scale start to go down again. I have been hanging at the same weight since friday's weigh in. I was really hoping for at least a 1.6lb loss this week to stay on target for my goal.

well it seemed a little quiet on here today so I hope that means you all were out working your booties off.

Tomorrows QOTD:

Wed. December 7, 2011 QOTD:
It is a stressful time of the year....what do you do to help yourself deal with stress?

If I am in the car alone sometimes I will find a good song and blast it and sing at the top of my lungs....that usually makes me feel good.
I will take a bubble bath, or read a gossip magazine.
and of course I always feel so much better after coming on here and reading and typing back to all of you.

These days my stress has stress. I went to the doctor's several weeks ago, around the time that Chris hurt his thumb. They put me on an antidepressant to help with anxiety and gave me something to help me sleep. Since that time I've been sick a lot. Lots of vomiting. I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to the doctor's again today. They think that the antidepressant isn't working for me and the other med gives me withdrawl during the day causing the tummy problems They decided to change the anxiety meds and gave me something different for sleep. She also gave me a prescription for the vomiting. I came home took the nausea med and fell asleep. I've been in a haze ever since. Not sure how I am supposed to work feeling like crap and the new meds will take time to get into my system

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Well it may be 1130pm but I still made it on today. So sorry for leaving you all hanging but you are all doing such a great job without me. Thanks for all the wonderful QOTD responses.

I am completely and utterly exhausted but wanted to get a few replies out from what I can remember. Sorry to anyone I miss.

Rose- I have a hard boiled egg maker. Used it alot when we were first married because otherwise I had no idea how to hard boil an egg. It works great!

Deb- I really hope you feel better soon and that your meds get straightened out quickly.

Buffy- Sorry about your DisFriend. It is true, live life as if you were dying and dont let any moments pass you by!

Oh and the talk about ADD and waiting til the last minute. Thats what I have been doing for the past 3hrs. I had a ton of stuff from work that all were approaching the deadlines and some things were over the deadlines. Boy when I put my mind to it I can get alot done in a short period of time. I swear I had/have ADD but somehow just figured out a way to get through life with it. I think it could be my charm.

I cant remember who said it about wishing TOM would come already. That is how I have been feeling. I can tell I am bloating up by the minute and despite eating on plan and exercising 3 days in a row I was up 1.6lbs this morning. umm how insane is that. Hopefully by friday I see a decline but if not I am going to just tell myself its ok and hope for a whoosh the following week.

I did Zumba again tonight with a new teacher and loved it. I am so excited that I have 3 different nights to take zumba and 3 awesome teachers. I am also noticing I am looking more coordinated lately to. I guess practice will make perfect.

Ok well here it goes my last QOTD for this coaching episode. It is inspired by all the interviews I have been doing lately for new staff at our office. There are so many people out there that either cant tell me what they like about themselves or they get very awkward and uncomfortable when doing so. So today I am enabling you all to give it your best shot. We are all amazing women and you should be able to say it out loud.

Thursday December 8, 2012 QOTD:

Lets reflect on how great we are! Tell me what are your best personality traits?

I am a great listener (this is how I get behind on work, I listen to everyones problems)
I am very compassionite, I have a great sense of humor, and I can find the good in anyone.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Thursday December 8, 2012 QOTD:

Lets reflect on how great we are! Tell me what are your best personality traits?

Fiercely loyal - sometimes that's good but sometimes it's bad.
Sarcastic and witty - I am such a smart aleck!! LOL


****************************************************************
found something I wanted to share.

A meteorology professor stood before his Meteorology 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty glass mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a jar of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar and of course the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous yes. The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and then proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18. "There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."