Biggest Loser Fall Challenge!

[princessbride6205]

I ran the 5K at the zoo yesterday and then went back today with my 2 godchildren and their brother (6,6 and 8) ....

A 2 year old was killed right where we took break to have a snack. People were yelling and screaming. At first I thought an animal got out and quickly took the children into the eatery in front of the wild dog exhibit. As I kept distracting the children so that they weren't listening or watching the adults crying, I found out a child fell into the exhibit. We were kept in the eatery, however, everything was happening right outside. I could detail more, but, I really don't want to upset anyone.

Please keep these people in your prayers. I am still so shook up over the incident. I took the children home and they kept asking what happened. They heard that someone fell into the exhibit and I told them that the ambulance was there and would take them to the hospital and make them better. We were evacuated from the zoo and when I came home I found out the child died.

Thanks for reading/listening everyone. I will catch up of the boards tomorrow. And give your loved ones a hug tonight.

What a tragedy! Hope you can find some peace.

Well it has been an interesting week...my DH was diagnosed with diabetes last week and we have been struggling to figure out what to do ever since we have not been provided with education or diet guidelines so we have been trying to research online to try and figure it out....needless to say my diet has went to hell as I have been so stressed that I have been binge eating junk food when he is not around
So need to get a grip....my weight has been up and down the same 3 lbs for the past couple weeks as well so that is not helping my motivation. GGGRRRRRRR

so now to get that grip!! Diabetes fair is at hospital on Wednesday so we will be attending that. we need o get exercising however he will be hitting the gym during the day and I want to try and comity to at least 2 nights after work...
Hate to step on the scale in the morning but am going to see what type of damage I have done over the weekend....

Hope all is well with everyone...and everyone is safe!!!!

Sorry to hear about your DH - and worse that you didn't know what to do from the doctor. Sounds like you are on the right track to getting all the information you need, though.

One last quick note. My Dad is in the hospital today for a procedure (going on right now) to help with a kidney issue that was discovered during his body scan after his cancer diagnosis (although it is unrelated to the cancer). Prayers for him today and this week please! He is really feeling down about all of this and could REALLY use a spirit lifter. Extra prayers and pixie dust would help with that! Thanks...................P

Thinking of you!!

I am really going to start with my pilates DVD's again, and I want to start a thankful journal. That way if I feel upset or frustrated or something, I can just take a glance at my journal and hopefully it will help me realize that if I'm thankful for my health, I don't really want that slice of cake!

....

He also told me yesterday I'm in charge of food...and I may need some help from you guys! He is NOT a veggie eater, and I want to get that changed! Do you guys have any tips to sneak veggies into your diets or your kids diets??

The thankful journal is a good idea. I did that for awhile.
For truly hidden veggies, I'll puree carrots to add to tomato sauce. Canned pumpkin into homemade chili. Pureed apples (or 100% fruit applesauce) into just about anything - muffins, pancakes, oatmeal. And sometimes it's just about finding veggies your family doesn't dislike, or preparing them in a yummy way.
For veggies even picky eaters might like...
* Squash boats - Cut into four, scoop out seeds, roast in oven, put butter and brown sugar in the boat towards the end of cooking. You can make this as healthy as you want by using fake butter, using honey or fake sweetener.
* Camp potatoes - Slice potatoes into rounds, add big chunks of onion (good flavor, can be picked out easily), garlic, big slices of carrots. Place all in foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on the grill or in the oven.
* Oven fries - sweet potatoes cut into wedges. Mix olive oil and whatever spices you like (onion & garlic powder for savory, cinnamon for sweet), lightly brush on with a pastry brush. Bake.
* Homemade vegetable soups - DH made one of Alton Brown's recipes and I recently made a carrot ginger one that he really liked. I will have to find the recipe.
* With a decent light salad dressing, my DH will eat most salads.
* Kale chips - Wash and dry. Tear or chop kale into 2-3 inch pieces. Toss in a very light coating of olive oil (and seasonings if you want). Bake until crispy. Too much oil and these will be soggy.
* Encourage salsa or tomato sauce as a condiment instead of ketchup or BBQ sauce.

QOTD: What POSITIVE changes can you make (other than food changes) in your life to help you and your body and your brain start making better food choices???
Preparing fruit or veg so they are ready for snacking. Yesterday I washed so strawberries with breakfast and ate a bunch throughout the morning. Later, DD wanted some raspberries, I washed them and put them all within her reach and she ate the entire container! It was a good reminder that making healthy things more available is a good idea!
I started taking yoga again last week. I've been doing some poses on my own for awhile and have enjoyed yoga in the past, but hadn't been to class in awhile. I went 4 times last week and plan to go tonight (unlimited classes your first week). The studio is 5 minutes from my house and has more class times than I would have imagined, so I'm glad I finally checked them out.

QOTD Monday:
What are the things that give your healthy eating "structure"?
Good question, but it's taking me a little thinking to come up with an answer. I count calories when I really need to refocus, but not all the time. For general healthy eating, I try to have produce at each meal. I should focus more on snacking on fruit or veg, rather than grabbing crackers or similar.

 

[lisah0711]

QOTD Monday:
What are the things that give your healthy eating "structure"?
Good question, but it's taking me a little thinking to come up with an answer. I count calories when I really need to refocus, but not all the time. For general healthy eating, I try to have produce at each meal. I should focus more on snacking on fruit or veg, rather than grabbing crackers or similar.

Good idea and there is the other person doing the W&D this week that I forgot -- Nicole! Good luck and I will see you soon!

Jen, so sorry about your DH's diagnosis. I would call the doctor's office and get some more help on that one if they didn't give you what you needed. Did they refer him to an endocrinologist? Maybe they are waiting for that?

Fran, I am sending you positive, healing thoughts.

It's a good thing that I don't have a boss because they would not be happy with my productivity today. Disney brain . . . oh I have a bad, bad case!

 

[pjlla]

Have just a minute between students. After this group I will head out, pick up the kids, and head to the Y.

Guess what it was doing at recess today? I'll give you one hint.... it is WHITE and flies from the sky! Yup... SNOW! ICK!

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

 

[elleherself]

I have been very MIA around here the last few weeks, sorry! No good excuses either.

Many compassionate thoughts go out to those who were and continue to be affected by Hurricane Sandy. I hope that the inconveniences are just that, and that everyone is getting whatever help and support they need to get through the aftermath. Truly the WORST part of any hurricane.

My weight has been pretty stable. I have been good and bad with my eating habits by turns. Halloween week was TERRIBLE! The weekend before was packed with events, and then the night itself involved some candy snacking. I don't eat sugar normally so it was tricky getting my diet back in order. Not to mention I missed a boot camp class on Halloween, I was bummed about that, and we only got three groups of Tricker Treaters. At least I got to show off my pumpkin carvings.

And I may or may not have eaten indian food takeout that appeared after my run this past weekend. Saboteurs!

A few days ago to try and kick things into gear I decided to run every day now. I am soooo close to goal at this point, but these last 8 pounds are proving tricky to budge. Daylight savings (earlier sunset) combined with cooler weather has made running easier than ever, so laziness is my only excuse NOT to do it. I ran 7.5 miles last night, I am following a program as if I am training for the Princess 1/2. Not signed up though.

I really wanted to be at my goal weight at the end of my boot camp classes, to take some really great "after" photos, but I don't think I have enough time now (December 2). I am noticing a lot of great changes in my body with the toning I am getting, so I know my obsession with the scale is ridiculous-- but I just want to see the number!

Another boot camp tonight, and I still have to send in this week's weight too. I'm going to read back in the thread and hopefully ignite some motivation somewhere to get through that and a run tonight.

 

[JacksLilWench]

The thankful journal is a good idea. I did that for awhile.
For truly hidden veggies, I'll puree carrots to add to tomato sauce. Canned pumpkin into homemade chili. Pureed apples (or 100% fruit applesauce) into just about anything - muffins, pancakes, oatmeal. And sometimes it's just about finding veggies your family doesn't dislike, or preparing them in a yummy way.
For veggies even picky eaters might like...
* Squash boats - Cut into four, scoop out seeds, roast in oven, put butter and brown sugar in the boat towards the end of cooking. You can make this as healthy as you want by using fake butter, using honey or fake sweetener.
* Camp potatoes - Slice potatoes into rounds, add big chunks of onion (good flavor, can be picked out easily), garlic, big slices of carrots. Place all in foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on the grill or in the oven.
* Oven fries - sweet potatoes cut into wedges. Mix olive oil and whatever spices you like (onion & garlic powder for savory, cinnamon for sweet), lightly brush on with a pastry brush. Bake.
* Homemade vegetable soups - DH made one of Alton Brown's recipes and I recently made a carrot ginger one that he really liked. I will have to find the recipe.
* With a decent light salad dressing, my DH will eat most salads.
* Kale chips - Wash and dry. Tear or chop kale into 2-3 inch pieces. Toss in a very light coating of olive oil (and seasonings if you want). Bake until crispy. Too much oil and these will be soggy.
* Encourage salsa or tomato sauce as a condiment instead of ketchup or BBQ sauce.

You. Are. Awesome!! These are incredible, thank you so much!! These will help a lot, I can't wait to make them...especially the camp potatoes and oven fries I may have to find a good homemade chili recipe to put some pumpkin in. Thanks again, these are wonderful!

 

[Mary•Poppins]

QOTD for Monday, November 5, 2012:

Commandment #4:

Structure Gives Control "What all diets have in common is structure. They all achieve weight loss because they give you a blueprint for eating." "..... yet they fail to teach you the right strategies to keep you from returning to out-of-school eating. They don't help you see the critical connection between structure and weight control." "Your eating structure is either a bridge to control or it promotes failure in weight loss."

What are the things that give your healthy eating "structure"?

My lunch over the last 5 weeks has consisted of grilled salmon and a cup of broccoli. I love it and it has hardly any calories. It is my "stable" meal and allows a bit more flexibility during the rest of the day. If I could control my evenings, I could get back on track quicker. However, I think I am resigned to just maintaining until the holidays are over.

Hit a mini-goal this morning I'm now out of the "clinically obese" category and into the "obese" category. Never thought being obese would be a nice thing. 3/4 lb more to hit 30% gone and 2.75 lb more to hit the century mark

This is a BIG step and congrats to you. YOU are on your way to a healthy life. Soon you will post that you are in the overweight category. Keep on doing what you are doing!

Has anyone heard from Dona??? I probably should go back and read a couple of pages, but just wanted to see if she was ok. I know she is in New Jersey, though not sure how close to the most effected areas? Thanks!

I know Pam replied to you ... but I am kind of worried about her too. Hoping she is only out of power.

Well it has been an interesting week...my DH was diagnosed with diabetes last week and we have been struggling to figure out what to do ever since we have not been provided with education or diet guidelines so we have been trying to research online to try and figure it out....needless to say my diet has went to hell as I have been so stressed that I have been binge eating junk food when he is not around
So need to get a grip....my weight has been up and down the same 3 lbs for the past couple weeks as well so that is not helping my motivation. GGGRRRRRRR

so now to get that grip!! Diabetes fair is at hospital on Wednesday so we will be attending that. we need o get exercising however he will be hitting the gym during the day and I want to try and comity to at least 2 nights after work...
Hate to step on the scale in the morning but am going to see what type of damage I have done over the weekend....

Hope all is well with everyone...and everyone is safe!!!!

What s horrible tragedy at the zoo I can't even imagine...
Sounds like everyone is having a great time at Disney (jealous) and have had some amazing races...I had hoped to find one around thanksgiving but may have to wait till the jingle bell run...

Will try to get more focused and check in more often....j

I am thinking of signing up for the jingle bell run too. They appear to be all over the country. I have to look into it more.

Good luck with your DH. Diabetes is a tough disease. I agree with Pam ... see if there is somewhere you can get more information. There might be a diabetes association somewhere near you that holds regular meetings. Wishing you good thoughts.

Hi all-- it's been a crazy week and a half for us in NYC. I've been very lucky that everyone is safe, our stuff is OK, our car is OK, and we did have our power restored relatively quickly. My PC power cord shorted out (and/or my cat ate it out of stress--it's hard to tell what really happened)... My sisters and dad just happened to be here visiting--it was very odd to play host when we couldn't leave the apartment! The big plus was that Matt and I got the week off of work because there was no power at our office and our servers were down. The week of true rest was much appreciated--there was no where we could go and nothing we could do! It was very nice to spend a lot of time with my loved ones.

So we just got back from Best Buy tonight with a replaced cable so I can access my files and the DIS again. We are getting ready to face what awaits us in lower Manhattan tomorrow when we go back to work. I will do the numbers as best as I can tomorrow night and send out as many messages back as I can.

Thanks everyone for your patience--I'm sorry to have been MIA but I'm sure you can all understand that this has been a pretty crazy week. I'm still in in shock over all of the people who have lost their homes and their lives in my backyard, in neighborhoods that Matt and I visit to go to the beach and to volunteer. Planting trees on Far Rockaway was actually our first date the weekend we got together three years ago, the last week in October. Breezy Point--the place where the fire was--is on the Rockaways. I'm hearing that the situation out there is just unbelievable--people who have gone back to be at home are have no good access to food with empty grocery stores, no good public transportation, no cars (because they lost them in the water), or, if they did get their car out ahead of time, no good access to gas to get back and forth. And this is actually, generally, a really poor area of NYC.

There are people lined up with gas canisters on my block in lines that seem to be taking hours. A lot of cab drivers live in our neighborhood so they have to drive to work and need access to gas to make a living. That's kind of surreal to me--I've never experienced a gas shortage like that before. We even passed someone in our apartment building who was coming up the stairs with a water cooler jug (like the office cooler kind) full of gas--as you can imagine, we called the building super and the police over that one once we realized what we saw and that got shut down very quickly. I can't imagine what I'm going to see when I go back to work tomorrow.

Lots of love and positive thoughts to everyone out here--I've missed you guys and I will be back on top of things tomorrow.

Samantha, just glad that you are okay. Good luck at work. I hope your commute and overall day goes well. Please be safe and know my prayers are with you over the next few weeks.

... and we missed you too!

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

Pam .... as to your question about resumes, my oldest and my senior this year have created one that looks somewhat like a job resume. The focus is to illustrate their strengths ... whether it is academics or extra curricular activities and/or both. My oldest sent this with his reach schools when he applied ... along with scholarships. My middle son is sending this with a scholarship application. I hope this helps.

Sending some prayers your way for your dad. Let us know how the operation goes.


And thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers about the zoo. It is a horrific accident. It is still all over our news and I am a little shell-shocked over it. I went to work today and told some co-workers about it and just started crying. I keep playing the scene over and over. I am better this evening after I went for a run.

Take care my DIS friends and talk to your tomorrow.

 

[jillbur]

Well Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all have a relaxing weekend on the agenda. If not and things are crazy, I hope you at least get a bit of time for yourself.

The kids went out with the play cast and crew last night and didn't get home until 1:05 am! 5 minutes past driving curfew! Honestly... I wasn't at all worried. In fact, I was asleep until just seconds before they pulled into the driveway. I knew DD wouldn't drive past the curfew. I'm sure she was paranoid those whole last 5 minutes! It seems like they had fun and my DD rarely goes out with friends like this... in fact, I cannot remember her EVER doing this.... so I was glad they went. She's senior in HS.... she needs to have fun with her friends....especially after all that has been going on with swim.

Last night's soup was good and yielded enough leftovers for another night if I add cheese sandwiches or something along with it. Plus the veggies weren't overdone, so they won't get mushy on reheating.

I should do some cooking this weekend to get me ahead, but I don't have a lot of ingredients in the house. I could probably make a batch of curried carrot soup... and maybe some tuna cheddar chowder... they both freeze okay. And I've got some chicken thighs to use up, so I'll pull those out to defrost today and work them into the menu sometime in the next few days. Need to find a recipe for them... something new would be nice. I've been perusing the crockpot recipe thread over on the Budget Board lately. I've gotten a few great recipes there in the past and need to find a few more.

Off to hang a load of clothes on the line. I'll be back to answer my own QOTD later!................P

Check out the Camping board also. I found a thread there about crockpot meals to make while camping at the Fort.

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

by Leanne Vogel
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients (2 servings)
Bake
2/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup quinoa red or white would work
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
Topping
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1.5 tbsp finely ground almond flour
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a 4 cup casserole dish.
In a small bowl combine all ingredients, minus the topping. Stir until fully mixed, then pour into prepared casserole dish.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all topping ingredients. After the 30 minutes are up, remove casserole from oven and sprinkle topping over top of the casserole.
Return to the oven and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden. [Mine was ready in 12 minutes]

Here is a link to the website where I found the recipe. She had some other interesting ones you might want to check out!

http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6005618

I made a slightly different crumb topping. I substituted quick cook oats for the 1/4 C of pecans. I also used just 1/2 Tb of maple syrup in the topping and only 1 tsp. of the coconut oil. That said, when I was eating it for dessert I felt it wasn't quite sweet enough so I topped my serving with another Tb. of the syrup. It would probably be sweet enough for breakfast though. I tried it both room temp and warm and WARM was definitely better.

ENJOY!..................P

Sounds yummy! Where would I find coconut oil?

I ran the 5K at the zoo yesterday and then went back today with my 2 godchildren and their brother (6,6 and 8) ....

A 2 year old was killed right where we took break to have a snack. People were yelling and screaming. At first I thought an animal got out and quickly took the children into the eatery in front of the wild dog exhibit. As I kept distracting the children so that they weren't listening or watching the adults crying, I found out a child fell into the exhibit. We were kept in the eatery, however, everything was happening right outside. I could detail more, but, I really don't want to upset anyone.

Please keep these people in your prayers. I am still so shook up over the incident. I took the children home and they kept asking what happened. They heard that someone fell into the exhibit and I told them that the ambulance was there and would take them to the hospital and make them better. We were evacuated from the zoo and when I came home I found out the child died.

Thanks for reading/listening everyone. I will catch up of the boards tomorrow. And give your loved ones a hug tonight.

Fran! I've been thinking of you all weekend! I'm glad you enjoyed the race, but how tragic you were there when this took place! I can't imagine how you are feeling! When I first heard, I was in such shock. The African Painted Dogs are one of our favorite exhibits! We love those dogs & I'm so saddened by this. As a mother, I just can't imagine the pain of this accident. I hope the mother comes to peace with this.


I'm so sorry that this is just a drive by. I'm all caught up reading, but now I have to do my checkbook (fun!) and finish watching the 3rd video for my online class. I wanted to check in and say that we had a blast in Hershey. I do have to say, we now have waaaay too many kinds of Hershey Kisses in this house! Yikes!

My nephew's school's teams did so well in the race! The girls team came in 2nd and the boys were 6th. It was so much fun to watch. Those kids are amazing! And the course is very hard-lots of hills & they run past a sewage plant Dnephew said it was bad! In fact, right after that is a big hill before the finish & they call it "poop out hill" because of the smell & the height. Someone asked my nephew if Hershey smells like chocolate and he replied, "Nope. It smells like sewage." lol. Anyhow, now it's back to reality. I'll check in tomorrow & pick up the QOTD from there.

Hugs to everyone who needs it. Stay positive and focused.

Jill

 

[camnhan]

So I bit the bullet and got on the scale this morning... Up 1.5 lbs . That seems to happen every weekend so I have decided that we should just skip weekends from now on!!!
Ok since that is not an option...I signed up for the turkey trot this weekend. I am only going to do the 2 mile walk but it is better than nothing..
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement for DH...the toughest thing is that we have never been good about planning out meals with the crazy schedules but that has got to change...I did find that spark people had a sparkD that has a meal planning component that shows you as you plan the calorie/carb/protein and fat counts and help you balance out all the meals and snacks!! Once you set your meals it eat you print out a shopping list and menus as well...really cool tool now we just need to use it!!!!

I think our jingle bell run is the first weekend in December..can't remember for sure...then our winterfest race is right away in January...I really want to try and get to the running phase of the races and not just all them...time will tell

I was sooooo excited because the Hallmark channel started Xmas movies this past weekend...but they only are doing them on the weekend guess I will have to watch football tonight!

Say safe and on plan everyone!!!

 

[pjlla]

I am really going to start with my pilates DVD's again, and I want to start a thankful journal. That way if I feel upset or frustrated or something, I can just take a glance at my journal and hopefully it will help me realize that if I'm thankful for my health, I don't really want that slice of cake!

WHat a wonderful idea (the journal)! That is definitely something I should do! Especially this time of year!


I try to stay on plan as much as possible during the weekends, that's where I tend to lose structure. Also, I try to cook for myself and my DBF- that helps a lot! That way I don't only cook for one, and I'm much less inclined to want to go to just pick something up on the way home from a fast food place.

He also told me yesterday I'm in charge of food...and I may need some help from you guys! He is NOT a veggie eater, and I want to get that changed! Do you guys have any tips to sneak veggies into your diets or your kids diets??

I know you got some ideas that were good. I think in addition to sneaking some veggies in, you need to introduce him to veggies and veggie recipes that he might actually enjoy. Sometimes it is hard because people are just veggie adverse and won't even TRY things. I know that my DS can be like that.... but I just keep trying.

How about a carrot soup? My DS doesn't like carrots, cooked or raw, but loves curried carrot soup (recipe is on the BL recipe thread, but not under my name). I'm also thinking of looking for a carrot ginger soup recipe. And my Tuna Cheddar Chowder is yummy....like a tuna melt in a bowl... but it has carrots in it as well.

How about some stews that might involve veggies? Again, my recipe for curried chicken has carrots, celery, onions,and apples... and my carrot hating kids love it! And my Sweet Autumn chicken recipe is oven roasted with root veggies.... great for this time of year.

WOW! I sound like a commercial for my own cookbook! Sorry about that... I'm just thinking of what I know.

Try prepping veggies in new ways.... roasting and grilling tends to bring out the sweetness in many veggies. Is there a veggie or two that he DOES tolerate or like? If so, try mixing it with other things.... if he likes green beans, try roasting them with red onion and mushrooms.... they are a good combo. If he likes broccoli, try mixing it 50/50 with cauliflower. Roasted with some spices is good. Or steam it and throw some light cheese sauce on top.... who can resist cheese sauce??

How about starting with sweeter, starchier veggies, like sweet potato and butternut squash? YUM!

Good luck!

Good idea and there is the other person doing the W&D this week that I forgot -- Nicole! Good luck and I will see you soon!

So excited for you and SO envious! Enjoy a WISH board group hug for us!!

It's a good thing that I don't have a boss because they would not be happy with my productivity today. Disney brain . . . oh I have a bad, bad case!

We understand! Sometimes I just need to POUR myself into my work those last few days.... it makes it go by quickly!!

I have been very MIA around here the last few weeks, sorry! No good excuses either.

Many compassionate thoughts go out to those who were and continue to be affected by Hurricane Sandy. I hope that the inconveniences are just that, and that everyone is getting whatever help and support they need to get through the aftermath. Truly the WORST part of any hurricane.

My weight has been pretty stable. I have been good and bad with my eating habits by turns. Halloween week was TERRIBLE! The weekend before was packed with events, and then the night itself involved some candy snacking. I don't eat sugar normally so it was tricky getting my diet back in order. Not to mention I missed a boot camp class on Halloween, I was bummed about that, and we only got three groups of Tricker Treaters. At least I got to show off my pumpkin carvings.

And I may or may not have eaten indian food takeout that appeared after my run this past weekend. Saboteurs!

A few days ago to try and kick things into gear I decided to run every day now. I am soooo close to goal at this point, but these last 8 pounds are proving tricky to budge. Daylight savings (earlier sunset) combined with cooler weather has made running easier than ever, so laziness is my only excuse NOT to do it. I ran 7.5 miles last night, I am following a program as if I am training for the Princess 1/2. Not signed up though.

I really wanted to be at my goal weight at the end of my boot camp classes, to take some really great "after" photos, but I don't think I have enough time now (December 2). I am noticing a lot of great changes in my body with the toning I am getting, so I know my obsession with the scale is ridiculous-- but I just want to see the number!

Another boot camp tonight, and I still have to send in this week's weight too. I'm going to read back in the thread and hopefully ignite some motivation somewhere to get through that and a run tonight.

I am with you on those last few pounds! They seem to cling like they are stuck on with Superglue! I was SO DESPERATE last year to finally say good-bye to those last few pounds and finally hit my ultimate goal. I changed up my diet and exercise and it started to happen. Well... I was just ONE POUND away when I left for a Disney trip... where I of course gained a few pounds.... and haven't gotten to that number again since! I finally realized that my body was not MEANT to weigh 128 pounds and that even if I HIT the "magic number" that it was going to be nearly impossible to STAY there. So I made the decision that I needed to give up that goal. I am still healthy and looking pretty good in the low 130's.

Maybe it is time to take another look at your goal number?? If it is this hard to achieve, will you be able to maintain it? Or will it just be a frustration?

I'm not saying don't try for it.... but maybe a little more thinking and reflecting on it is in order.

My lunch over the last 5 weeks has consisted of grilled salmon and a cup of broccoli. I love it and it has hardly any calories. It is my "stable" meal and allows a bit more flexibility during the rest of the day. If I could control my evenings, I could get back on track quicker. However, I think I am resigned to just maintaining until the holidays are over.

I think you've mentioned that before (your salmon and broccoli lunches). I think that is a great idea. Wish I could get more into the habit of it. I'm afraid I would just get too bored. Plus I like being able to use up leftovers for my lunch.

I think at this point, maintaining through the holidays is a GREAT plan for most of us!

I know Pam replied to you ... but I am kind of worried about her too. Hoping she is only out of power.

Definitely getting worried about Dona. Prayers for her continuing. I'm going to ask around and see if anyone has her cell phone number.

Pam .... as to your question about resumes, my oldest and my senior this year have created one that looks somewhat like a job resume. The focus is to illustrate their strengths ... whether it is academics or extra curricular activities and/or both. My oldest sent this with his reach schools when he applied ... along with scholarships. My middle son is sending this with a scholarship application. I hope this helps.

This is a great idea! I'll have to suggest it to DD.

Sending some prayers your way for your dad. Let us know how the operation goes.

Thanks SO MUCH for the prayers. It went well. It was just a day procedure to put in a temporary stent to help his kidney drain. He was home by noon. Not feeling great, but at least that is over. He still had to drag himself to radiation before the procedure yesterday and this morning. I think physically he is handling all of this well... he is a strong and (relatively) healthy 76 year old.... but mentally this is starting to get him down.


And thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers about the zoo. It is a horrific accident. It is still all over our news and I am a little shell-shocked over it. I went to work today and told some co-workers about it and just started crying. I keep playing the scene over and over. I am better this evening after I went for a run.

Take care my DIS friends and talk to your tomorrow.

Oh my again. I can IMAGINE the shock. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to think about. DH was trying to tell me what he heard about it on the news last night and I had to stop him. I reminded him that there is a REASON that I don't usually watch the news (other than the weather report).

I will continue to pray for YOU and YOUR family as you process this shock. And of course, prayers for the family of the child.

Check out the Camping board also. I found a thread there about crockpot meals to make while camping at the Fort.

I will do that! I printed 14 new recipes from the recipe thread and gave them all to my family to review and asked them to initial any that sounded good to them. Out of all 14 recipes, only ONE got an initial from all three of them! No WONDER I hate cooking!!

Sounds yummy! Where would I find coconut oil?

Costco, the grocery store (probably in the health food/organics aisle), the health food store. It is solid at room temperature, so it is sold in a plastic canister rather than a bottle. It is the newest "healthy fat". DH uses it for everything. But I don't use it on stuff for the family, as DS is allergic to coconut.

Fran! I've been thinking of you all weekend! I'm glad you enjoyed the race, but how tragic you were there when this took place! I can't imagine how you are feeling! When I first heard, I was in such shock. The African Painted Dogs are one of our favorite exhibits! We love those dogs & I'm so saddened by this. As a mother, I just can't imagine the pain of this accident. I hope the mother comes to peace with this.

I'm so sorry that this is just a drive by. I'm all caught up reading, but now I have to do my checkbook (fun!) and finish watching the 3rd video for my online class. I wanted to check in and say that we had a blast in Hershey. I do have to say, we now have waaaay too many kinds of Hershey Kisses in this house! Yikes!

My nephew's school's teams did so well in the race! The girls team came in 2nd and the boys were 6th. It was so much fun to watch. Those kids are amazing! And the course is very hard-lots of hills & they run past a sewage plant Dnephew said it was bad! In fact, right after that is a big hill before the finish & they call it "poop out hill" because of the smell & the height. Someone asked my nephew if Hershey smells like chocolate and he replied, "Nope. It smells like sewage." lol. Anyhow, now it's back to reality. I'll check in tomorrow & pick up the QOTD from there.

Hugs to everyone who needs it. Stay positive and focused.

Jill

Got a GREAT chuckle out of "poop out hill"! Glad you had a nice visit and that the teams did well. Glad to have you back with us!

So I bit the bullet and got on the scale this morning... Up 1.5 lbs . That seems to happen every weekend so I have decided that we should just skip weekends from now on!!!

I know the feeling! I participated in a BL challenge at school a few years ago. It came down to the last Friday weigh-in and after that weigh-in I was tied with one other woman to win. So we opted to give ourselves the weekend and have one more weigh-in on Monday to determine the winner. My motivation to win this was HUGE and I really put my nose to the grindstone over the weekend (including a visit to my MIL.... widely known for her incredible cookies!), and lost enough to pull out a WIN that Monday! It made me realize that my life was NOT always destined to be a "gain it Saturday/Sunday and lose it Mon-Fri" pattern! I usually give myself about a half a day or just a big meal at some point over the weekend to have a splurge.... usually Friday night pizza or something like that. And that is it. I try hard to remember how I will feel on Monday morning if the entire weekend turns into a splurge. You can change this pattern. You have it in you.


Ok since that is not an option...I signed up for the turkey trot this weekend. I am only going to do the 2 mile walk but it is better than nothing..
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement for DH...the toughest thing is that we have never been good about planning out meals with the crazy schedules but that has got to change...I did find that spark people had a sparkD that has a meal planning component that shows you as you plan the calorie/carb/protein and fat counts and help you balance out all the meals and snacks!! Once you set your meals it eat you print out a shopping list and menus as well...really cool tool now we just need to use it!!!!

What a great idea to do the turkey trot! And that Sparkpeople menu planning sound really neat. I'll have to look at it.

I think our jingle bell run is the first weekend in December..can't remember for sure...then our winterfest race is right away in January...I really want to try and get to the running phase of the races and not just all them...time will tell

I was sooooo excited because the Hallmark channel started Xmas movies this past weekend...but they only are doing them on the weekend guess I will have to watch football tonight!

Say safe and on plan everyone!!!

(Fingers in ears)....LA, LA, LA... I"m not listening to you talk about CHRISTMAS already!

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

Morning friends! I am not interested in politics, but I will tell you that I am SO HAPPY that today is voting day! I can finally start answering my phone again! And the mail box will NOT be overflowing! WOOHOO! On Saturday we got 6 political phone calls in 90 minutes at one point! I am SO OVER IT! The joys of living in NH!

The sun is shining here today, but DARN it is COLD! The Nor'Easter that is heading here for Wed/Thursday is going to be an icy/snowy MESS if temps don't come up a bit.

Kids (and I) are off of school today for voting. But of course, we still have swim tonight and DD and I have chiropractic appointments before that. So my evening is still insane.

Hit Costco last night so I have lots of yummy fruits and veggies in the house for this week... raspberries, strawberries, green beans, brussel sprouts, spinach, tomatoes... YUM!

Gotta figure out what we are having for lunch today. Since DD and I will be heading out by 4pm for our evening stuff, we will have lunch together as our big meal today. But I wasn't thinking of that when I planned a crockpot meal. I'll check out the recipe and see if it looks like it could be done on high in 4 hours and if so, I'll pop it in soon.

Off to post the QOTD!....................P

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

Samantha, glad that you are safe! Can't imagine entertaining during the hurricane!

Pamela, that looks like a yummy recipe that you posted. I will try it when I am back and cooking again. I can't believe that white stuff was falling out of the sky in your neck of the woods.

I am really going to start with my pilates DVD's again, and I want to start a thankful journal. That way if I feel upset or frustrated or something, I can just take a glance at my journal and hopefully it will help me realize that if I'm thankful for my health, I don't really want that slice of cake!

Excellent idea! I know we all have a lot to be thankful for.

I have been very MIA around here the last few weeks, sorry! No good excuses either.

Hi Elle! Nice to see you!

My lunch over the last 5 weeks has consisted of grilled salmon and a cup of broccoli. I love it and it has hardly any calories. It is my "stable" meal and allows a bit more flexibility during the rest of the day. If I could control my evenings, I could get back on track quicker. However, I think I am resigned to just maintaining until the holidays are over.

Your lunch sounds yummy, Fran. A maintain is always a win in my book!

My nephew's school's teams did so well in the race! The girls team came in 2nd and the boys were 6th. It was so much fun to watch. Those kids are amazing! And the course is very hard-lots of hills & they run past a sewage plant Dnephew said it was bad! In fact, right after that is a big hill before the finish & they call it "poop out hill" because of the smell & the height. Someone asked my nephew if Hershey smells like chocolate and he replied, "Nope. It smells like sewage." lol. Anyhow, now it's back to reality. I'll check in tomorrow & pick up the QOTD from there.

Hugs to everyone who needs it. Stay positive and focused.

Jill

Glad that you had a good time, Jill. What is it with putting running trails by sewage treatment facilities? That seems to be a common feature in a lot of places.

So I bit the bullet and got on the scale this morning... Up 1.5 lbs . That seems to happen every weekend so I have decided that we should just skip weekends from now on!!!
Ok since that is not an option...I signed up for the turkey trot this weekend. I am only going to do the 2 mile walk but it is better than nothing..
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement for DH...the toughest thing is that we have never been good about planning out meals with the crazy schedules but that has got to change...I did find that spark people had a sparkD that has a meal planning component that shows you as you plan the calorie/carb/protein and fat counts and help you balance out all the meals and snacks!! Once you set your meals it eat you print out a shopping list and menus as well...really cool tool now we just need to use it!!!!

I think our jingle bell run is the first weekend in December..can't remember for sure...then our winterfest race is right away in January...I really want to try and get to the running phase of the races and not just all them...time will tell

I was sooooo excited because the Hallmark channel started Xmas movies this past weekend...but they only are doing them on the weekend guess I will have to watch football tonight!

Say safe and on plan everyone!!!

Wow great tool, Jen, for menu planning. I hope that they will give your DH access to some training and support to help supplement that, too.

Have a great and OP day all! Me, I'll be hanging out here with my Disney brain.

 

[pjlla]

Going off of my plan of using my Thin Commandments book for the questions. Got tired of so much copy-typing!

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?


BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

 

[JacksLilWench]

I know you got some ideas that were good. I think in addition to sneaking some veggies in, you need to introduce him to veggies and veggie recipes that he might actually enjoy. Sometimes it is hard because people are just veggie adverse and won't even TRY things. I know that my DS can be like that.... but I just keep trying.

How about a carrot soup? My DS doesn't like carrots, cooked or raw, but loves curried carrot soup (recipe is on the BL recipe thread, but not under my name). I'm also thinking of looking for a carrot ginger soup recipe. And my Tuna Cheddar Chowder is yummy....like a tuna melt in a bowl... but it has carrots in it as well.

How about some stews that might involve veggies? Again, my recipe for curried chicken has carrots, celery, onions,and apples... and my carrot hating kids love it! And my Sweet Autumn chicken recipe is oven roasted with root veggies.... great for this time of year.

WOW! I sound like a commercial for my own cookbook! Sorry about that... I'm just thinking of what I know.

Try prepping veggies in new ways.... roasting and grilling tends to bring out the sweetness in many veggies. Is there a veggie or two that he DOES tolerate or like? If so, try mixing it with other things.... if he likes green beans, try roasting them with red onion and mushrooms.... they are a good combo. If he likes broccoli, try mixing it 50/50 with cauliflower. Roasted with some spices is good. Or steam it and throw some light cheese sauce on top.... who can resist cheese sauce??

How about starting with sweeter, starchier veggies, like sweet potato and butternut squash? YUM!

Good luck!

Yumm, these recipes sounds great too!! You guys have been incredible helping me out. I think I made progress last night! We went grocery shopping together, and I was able to get butternut squash, broccoli stir fry mix, cucumbers, potatoes, and TOFU!! That will be the big one, if I can get him to eat it. Fortunately he's being a very good sport about all this so I can't complain a lot

When does your cookbook come out?!

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?


BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

I like having a meal with what I call my "framily". My family is rarely all home at the same time to eat together, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to do that with my friends about once a week. We usually get together and have a potluck style meal and play Apples to Apples

 

[bigsis1970]

Going off of my plan of using my Thin Commandments book for the questions. Got tired of so much copy-typing!

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?


BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

Well we dont' sit at the table often - mostly in front of the tube but we all converse while the news is on.. if we do sit at the table it's mainly Sat Am for a big breakfast or Sun afternoon for our main meal..

Yes voting today..

so there was a fire drill at 8am this morning at work.. BRRRRR it was like 23-25 out... Holy chillliness!!!

I still am not doing great but I can say I'm maintaining.. .. I know it's all in my head but I am having such a hard time getting it out.. I am just mad at myself mostly.. I have made some improvements - small side salad and small baked potato w/ zesty cheese and broc for lunch.. oatmeal and a bit of brown sugar for bfast with 2 fruits in my lunch both today and yesterday.. for dinner last night I had a salad plate with once scoop of sheppard's pie and some cut up cold veggies.. then 1 serviing of "scoops" chips because i was craving salt. well time to get back to work..

Hope everyone has a fab day.. and sending along prayers to those still in need due to sandy!

 

[lisah0711]

 

[donac]

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

 

[belledreamer]

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:
DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?

Absolutely. Eating with your family is a time to talk, share what happened over the day and just spend time together.

I wouldn't say we do anything special over dinner together. We try to do it as often as possible, which is maybe 4 or 5 times a week, but I do enjoy the times we can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel slightly guilty for coming home off a Disney high when there are some of us here just getting back electricity after Sandy, but I promise you were all in my thoughts while I was there. Especially when I was eating food that was not-so-good for me... Although I did manage to make it back without gaining any weight!

I'm happy to say that we all had a good time, although DDad has come back with a cold and had to go to work. But DM and I have managed to get everything unpacked and the luggage put away, so now we're just chilling out for a while before starting on dinner. Chicken fajitas tonight!

I've also got the 1st page of my TR report up and am working more on typing it as we speak. Here's the link to the thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46645976&posted=1#post46645976

Hope to see you guys over there!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

 

[princessbride6205]

You. Are. Awesome!! These are incredible, thank you so much!! These will help a lot, I can't wait to make them...especially the camp potatoes and oven fries I may have to find a good homemade chili recipe to put some pumpkin in. Thanks again, these are wonderful!

Aww, thanks. And you're welcome.

I know you got some ideas that were good. I think in addition to sneaking some veggies in, you need to introduce him to veggies and veggie recipes that he might actually enjoy. Sometimes it is hard because people are just veggie adverse and won't even TRY things. I know that my DS can be like that.... but I just keep trying.

How about a carrot soup? My DS doesn't like carrots, cooked or raw, but loves curried carrot soup (recipe is on the BL recipe thread, but not under my name). I'm also thinking of looking for a carrot ginger soup recipe. And my Tuna Cheddar Chowder is yummy....like a tuna melt in a bowl... but it has carrots in it as well.

How about some stews that might involve veggies? Again, my recipe for curried chicken has carrots, celery, onions,and apples... and my carrot hating kids love it! And my Sweet Autumn chicken recipe is oven roasted with root veggies.... great for this time of year.

WOW! I sound like a commercial for my own cookbook! Sorry about that... I'm just thinking of what I know.

Try prepping veggies in new ways.... roasting and grilling tends to bring out the sweetness in many veggies. Is there a veggie or two that he DOES tolerate or like? If so, try mixing it with other things.... if he likes green beans, try roasting them with red onion and mushrooms.... they are a good combo. If he likes broccoli, try mixing it 50/50 with cauliflower. Roasted with some spices is good. Or steam it and throw some light cheese sauce on top.... who can resist cheese sauce??

How about starting with sweeter, starchier veggies, like sweet potato and butternut squash? YUM!

Good luck!

Good tips! I have a carrot ginger soup recipe - haven't gotten around to posting it yet. I will have to try some of those recipes you mentioned - they sound fabulous!!

I am with you on those last few pounds! They seem to cling like they are stuck on with Superglue! I was SO DESPERATE last year to finally say good-bye to those last few pounds and finally hit my ultimate goal. I changed up my diet and exercise and it started to happen. Well... I was just ONE POUND away when I left for a Disney trip... where I of course gained a few pounds.... and haven't gotten to that number again since! I finally realized that my body was not MEANT to weigh 128 pounds and that even if I HIT the "magic number" that it was going to be nearly impossible to STAY there. So I made the decision that I needed to give up that goal. I am still healthy and looking pretty good in the low 130's.

Maybe it is time to take another look at your goal number?? If it is this hard to achieve, will you be able to maintain it? Or will it just be a frustration?

I'm not saying don't try for it.... but maybe a little more thinking and reflecting on it is in order.

I've been there. There was a good article I read two years ago when I was deciding what my goal weight would be. It talked about the weight you could maintain through holiday parties, PMS, Halloween candy, etc. A weight you could maintain without weighing every food for the rest of your life (as the article mentioned, "life is too short to weigh broccoli!"). Now for me, I know I may gain a pound or two at my TOM and maybe 3 pounds on a tasty vacation or during the holidays. But if I'm eating relatively well and exercising a moderate amount, I can stay at my goal weight the vast majority of the year. Take into account the number of hours you are required to be sedentary for work, if you have kids, how much time you can long-term commit to exercising each day/week.

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?


BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

I voted first thing this morning with DD in tow. She was very curious about voting and picked out a book about the president at the library the other day.
I feel like it's important to have a family meal, but more for the sense of sharing the same/similar food, rather than the quality family time. To be honest, chatting at dinner is kind of drudgery for all three of us. After a long day at school and work, the introverts don't feel like talking! I usually try to force conversation, and sometimes we do the little table topics questions, but still the chatting doesn't last long. For me, the more important part of a family meal is that we eat better when we do it. We make sure it's balanced, includes 1-2 veggies, etc. DD is a slow eater, so once DH or I finished eating we will read her some of an easy chapter book.

LOVE IT!

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

Glad to hear you are okay! Such a long time without power - it's astounding. My parents in NJ still have no power, cable, internet, or cell service. At least they have a generator.

************
I had a very OP day yesterday. Limited my calories, tried only to eat healthy foods. I needed to refocus since I've been above my maintainer range for 2 weeks. Last week I joined a hot yoga studio near my house. I hate the winter, so I think it might be good for my summer-loving self. My hips also get really stiff in the cold weather (I'm only in my 30s but I get why lots of seniors move south when they retire!) so this should be helpful - both the warmth and the stretching.

 

[jillbur]

Going off of my plan of using my Thin Commandments book for the questions. Got tired of so much copy-typing!

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes?

BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

I do think a family dinner is important. We sit in our dining room with no tv, and discuss our days. However, even with only 9 & 6 year olds, it's getting harder. Sometimes DH & the boys eat while I'm at the gym & sometimes we split dinner if one or the other have activities.

I did vote early this morning. I vote in every election. Our polls are open 7 am-8 pm. I left my house at 7:40 with my kids. I drove a few blocks to the library, voted (I was the only one there), and got back in my car. It was 7:49!!! I am hearing about these hours long lines (someone I know waited 4 hours in SC) and it took me less than 10 minutes. Crazy! Then I had to wait to take the kids to school since it didn't take any time.

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

It's so good to hear from you. I'm glad your safe & sound. I'm also glad you finally got power returned. Keep in touch when you can.


Good evening all. I am having such an off eating week. I'm not beating myself up, I'm still working out, but I'm not focused right now. Tomorrow is another day, so I will be tracking my food starting then. I am hoping to finish this challenge strong.

I am finishing up stuff with the family right now, then I'm off to do laundry. Yay! Do you sense my sarcasm?!?! DS9 needs more uniform pants so I don't need to wash halfway through the week. OR, he can come home with clean clothes. Ummmm...I dream big He always gets something on his pants. It's usually streaks of pencil.

Im going to run for now, but I shall return

Jill

 

[jillbur]

Absolutely. Eating with your family is a time to talk, share what happened over the day and just spend time together.

I wouldn't say we do anything special over dinner together. We try to do it as often as possible, which is maybe 4 or 5 times a week, but I do enjoy the times we can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel slightly guilty for coming home off a Disney high when there are some of us here just getting back electricity after Sandy, but I promise you were all in my thoughts while I was there. Especially when I was eating food that was not-so-good for me... Although I did manage to make it back without gaining any weight!

I'm happy to say that we all had a good time, although DDad has come back with a cold and had to go to work. But DM and I have managed to get everything unpacked and the luggage put away, so now we're just chilling out for a while before starting on dinner. Chicken fajitas tonight!

I've also got the 1st page of my TR report up and am working more on typing it as we speak. Here's the link to the thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46645976&posted=1#post46645976

Hope to see you guys over there!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I'm glad you had a good time at wdw. I am totally going to read your TR. Actually, I already read what you wrote today, but I plan to keep reading along. I love living through other lol. Post lots of pics

Jill

 

[Jaina]

I have been feeling off since Friday (though I got a great workout that morning!) and today finally went in (after 3 days of a very painful throat) to find that I have strep! I haven't had it since I was a teenager! Really hoping my kiddos don't catch it, and hoping the antibiotics will clean it out fast, since it's super painful at this point, even when taking painkillers.
Trying to stay on plan though, eating-wise, and still get good amounts of protein in, and not too much fat or carbs, no matter how good those salty Fritos feel to my throat...