Biggest Loser Fall Challenge!

[mskayjay]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I eat some of my old foods but I'm making better choices size-wise with them. I would eat fast food / take out for 2-3 meals before. Gross, right? I was a takeout queen.

Now- I bring my lunch to work, eat breakfast at home. I'm on WW so technically I can eat fast food / take out if I'm watching my point allowance. If I'm stuck and have to get fast food (not usually because I PLAN NOW !)- I know what I can have pretty much everywhere that will satisfy my old cravings (I'm talking about you - Whopper Jr. at BK.) Value size instead of LARGE. Unsweetened Iced Tea. Safer fast food places (Hi there, Subway). I'll have a 6"- NO $5 footlongs for me. I know my limits and I know that I am lying to myself when I say that I will save the rest for later. Lies. All lies.

I used to eat fast food to bring me back to my childhood... but order them in "adult" portions ie unhealthy value meal sizes (2 cheeseburger value meal was my adult version of a Happy Meal). Now if I have to have it, I eat kid size portions for the most part (exception is the Whopper Jr). If I'm going to have nostalgia food- I need to eat the same portion I did back then- when I was a kid! Jr size, Happy Meal etc. I get my fix and I move on.

The key for me has been WW points, having better portion sizes, planning ahead, and greek yogurt Greek yogurt has that protein to keep me full and since I have PCOS- if I'm going to have sugar- I balance protein with it so I don't have any issues.

If you love Greek yogurt and you need to balance with protein, you would absolutely love and hugely benefit from smoothies! I make mine with the Greek yogurt, equal amt skim milk, scoop of protein powder, and frozen fruits that I have prepared myself. I make up the baggies of the asstd fruits ahead of time to have them ready to just drop in the blender in the morning. Super yummy, super filling, and soooo good for you!

I had to stop on a drive to FL due to the weather and the only thing around was a McDs....I got a yogurt parfait and a plain cheeseburger but all I could picture was the "pink slime" info that is out there and I couldn't even eat the burger! lol I'm with you on Subway though! I love that I can load up on the veggies and I usually only eat half of the bread.

 

[mskayjay]

I just found this part of the board and am working so hard (by myself) to lose weight. Is it too late to join in on this? If not, how do I go about it?

Hey LOSER!!!!!!! Welcome to the group!!!!

 

[jillbur]

Now let's get to the good stuff. Who were our superstars of week 1?

#10 - 1.62% - ougrad86 (Carol)
#9 - 1.67% - bigsis1970 (Michelle)
#8 - 1.71% - STLnative
#7 - 1.83% - BethisLucy (Beth)
#6 - 1.95% - glss1/2fll (Linda)
#5 - 2.00% - dvccruiser76 (Sue)
#4 - 2.37% - cookzilla
#3 - 2.40% - jbm02 (Jude)
#2 - 2.41% - slriver (Tracy)

and now

The WISH Biggest Loser Fall Challenge! Week 1 Biggest Loser is:
#1 - 2.42% - D73 (Christopher)

Congratulations!!!

What a great week you had. Keep up the good work. We have a very special clippie reserved for our weekly Biggest Loser. Wear it with pride this week!

Yay congrats to the top 10, especially Christopher, and everyone who is participating

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I will be back later with replies, I promise this time!!

I'm not sure I feel a rebirth or that I'm on my head. I am trying to make better choices with food and exercise and feel better about myself, though.


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

I have a really busy day and don't have much time. I just wanted to check in before I have to run. I'm planning to go to the gym later for circuit training class. It'll probably kick my butt because I haven't been in a couple weeks. And, a co-worker tempted me with a rice krispie treat and I said NO! Whoohoo!

Have a great day and I hope I'll have more time later or tomorrow to check back in.

Jill

 

[Jaina]

Thanks! Will they let me know which team I'm on, or are we all a team right now? Weigh-ins are Fridays?

 

[bellaally]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I am trying to do this total change, the physical aspect of my self as well. Also I am trying to be positive,more outgoing. As corny as it might sound it is true what they say you are what you eat. I find myself feeling better and healthier. The only thing that I need a real help in changing is my laziness, its the reason I gain so much weight and I never did anything. There are times that I just feel like I need a fire lit under me sometimes. Old habits die hard, but this is one habit I want to bury.

Could it be your gallbladder? I know that sounds odd but my SIL was having what she thought was back problems but it was gallstones!

I don't really know, I mean the pain is now only when I am sitting straight up and go to stand. I have a feeling it isn't a pinch nerve but a herniated disc. I have to wait all the way to October 16th. I went to the ER but they didn't even do a X-ray just gave me pain meds.... Thinking of going back in a week to see if I can at least get an X-ray.


Also I wanted to congratulate everyone on there weight lost, am gonna be so happy to be in the negative on Friday, I have been very good with my meals whole grains and at least half of the plate loaded with fresh veggies.

 

[STLnative]

Just realized it's been a few days since I checked in here. I read through the past couple of days but now feel goofy replying to stuff from Friday. So here's a general congrats on promotions and races, and a get well soon for sore throats and pulled muscles, etc.

Now, I'm off on (what I hope is) a quick run to the supermarket before class. Does anyone else find that they are at the store more often thanks to buying more produce? I really dislike shopping, even for food, so my old eating habits relied a lot on frozen and canned veggies. Hitting the store more than once every 2 weeks was too often. But the freezer doesn't really work for salad ingredients or toppings for veg-heavy sandwiches! Oh, well. It will be worth it to stop being rounder than I am tall, right?

Anyway, congrats to Christopher, the rest of my fellow top 10-ers, and really everyone who's sticking with the challenge! Persistence is the key.

Mike

 

[princessbride6205]

WI day today and I hit 30.8 I've been chasing that 30 for what seems like forever!

Congratulations on over 30 pounds!

Good morning all!!!
Well I am home from my week at Disneyland.....I mean my week in Anaheim at a conference was a great week but am pretty frustrated as I really watched my daily intake and we walked EVERYWHERE and I gained 1.5 lbs soooooo disappointed. I didn't have a single Mickey treat

And now my feet are so tender on the bottom that I can't even walk without being in pain so I can't continue that for exercise!!!

Hope everyone else had a much better weight journey week than I did!
Good news..... I was promoted to manager of our informatics department at work. Been a long time coming and a lot of bumps along the way but am anxiously excited for the opportunity. I start in my new role on Monday.

Will try and catch up later today...we have the Grand Opening of our new GiGi Playhouse today and I am so excited as Zach is going to be featured on one of the walls in the center!!!!!

Talk to you all soon!!!

I'm sorry you still gained weight on your trip. I know how frustrating it is to have the willpower not to splurge and still gain weight. When I first started my weight loss in 2009, I was having business trips about once a month - and I could not control much of the meals. All I could control was my portions and finding time to exercise. Some trips that was successful, and others I gained a little. Sorry about your feet - try icing and elevating them. See if you can get in some yoga or strength training to stay active.

Good Saturday morning everyone.

This has been one of the most stressful starting of a school I have ever had. Getting used to longer classes (48 to 80) and not being able to go to the bathroom after 2 or 3 classes I thought for a couple of days this week I was getting a bladder infection. I am feeling okay but I still have to figure out my water intake situation. I can't drink much in the morning because I go almost 3 hours without a break (unless I want to make a run between my 2 classes). I can have some at lunch and then on my prep period at the end of the day but by 4 if I keep drinking I am up 3 or 4 times during the night.

I promise I will be back on here by Monday at the latest. I have some things I need to do for a dear ffriend who is in the hospital and lost part of his leg due to circulation and infection problems. He doesn't want any visitors so I am thinking about making a quilt this weekend for him.

Eating has been awful due to stress but I am getting it under control this weekend.

Have a happy and healthy day.

Dona - I'm sorry to hear about the awful start to the school year. Wishing you some peace and calm!

Finished my first 5K this morning. Walked it in 50:33!!! I am sooo proud. I passed people and even jogged some of it. What a great day!!!

Congratulations! That is awesome!!

I love this questions and think about it all the time!

I think that the rumors around Brazil being added at some point are a GREAT idea--they should definitely have a South American country in there!! Carnival would be easily adapted into a themed area, and I'm sure that the food would be very interesting to a lot of people.

That having been said, I'd also really love to see India added. It seems kind of like a no-brainer--it's quickly becoming a world power, and people already have some basic familiarity with it. The food would be distinct and familiar to a lot of people (naan bread is a universal people pleaser), the saris and ornate jewelry and clothing would be big sellers and a lot of fun to shop for (I live in an Indian neighborhood and gosh, the clothing is INCREDIBLE), and you could add so much incredible architecture (e.g. something like the Taj Mahal) and statues of Hindu gods etc.. The stories of Hindu gods would be very interesting to kids, I think, especially because there is so much culture around animals there it would be very popular and interesting... Also, Bollywood is a LOT of fun and they could definitely do a Bollywood show that would be very popular with kids... they could learn to dance like they do in Bollywood shows!! (not the same as belly dancing in Morocco!) It could be a fun, flash mob style kind of show, since a lot of Bollywood dancing involves huge ginormous groups of people dancing in the streets.

Anyway, love this question!

What a great idea! Hope Disney sees this comment!

Hey everybody, its 11pm here and i'm exhausted so this is not gonna be a long post.

I was away this week in Ireland visiting my Granny who is ill and just got back. It was not a great week as she had to go to hospital and is just getting worse. Her personality is completely different, she would be horrified if she knew the things she was doing... You know it's bad when you are praying for her release. This woman has been an outstanding person, never a raised voice, had 7 children, adopted 3 more and still found time to visit the hospital patients every sunday. Sometimes life is just cruel.

1 week makes a heck of a difference to a thread, lol, i will go back and read it all...tomorrow

I'm gonna weigh in the morning, but i'm not expecting good things as we've been back and forth all the time, eating crap..but who knows. Tomorrow i will be able to really get my teeth into this challenge as things will be more stable and i'm really excited about that.

Also wanted to say...woohoo for Liberty Square!!!! I've sent my 3 team-mates friend requests xx

I'm sorry to hear about your Granny. I'm glad you have this challenge to be excited about - sounds like you are in a great frame of mind to start strong.

Good Sunday Morning everyone! Sorry I'm late with replies and posting the QOTD. I caught a bug last week and it is really starting to wear me down Now I think it's taking away my voice! I may have to call it the Ursula germ, lol. Thankfully I can still type! So onto the QOTD!

Today we're on to...
What is your favorite way to prepare your fish? Do you even like fish? Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it!

I'll be back later tonight with replies and maybe even my own recipe!

I like the "Ursula germ"!
QOTD - I don't prepare fish often, but enjoy it! I really should purchase it more often - will work on that!

DS9 and I ran our 5k today. He was cruising until about mile 2. Then he was tired & wanted to quit. We walked most of the last mile & I tried to make him laugh & have fun. Plus, our good friend who is a cop & was working traffic control at an intersection toward the end chased us, so it was great. Anyhow, he finished in 39:14 which is 2 minutes faster than last year. And, he got 3rd in his age group so he was so excited. And, he won a door prize after ($5 subway gift card & a free 12" pizza from Pizza Joe's). I'm such a proud mom I have to tell you, one age group was 65 and older. The 3 men who won that age group all finished in 26 minutes & under. And the one guy was 78! I hope I'm still running when I'm that age!

Anyhow, now that I've bragged about DS, I have to go check on DS6. He stayed with my mom today while we were at the 5k & he wasn't feeling well. I brought him home & temp was 100.7. He's resting now, but he'll have to miss school tomorrow. This will be his second absence this school year lol. And we didn't start until aug 29! Poor thing. Luckily DH is off from school & work this week so I don't have to call off.

Have a great Sunday & week!

Jill

Congrats on the 5k to both you and DS! Sorry your other DS is sick. We started school the same day! Luckily my DD's gross back-to-school illness was over Labor Day weekend, so she hasn't had to miss class yet.

QOTD Monday 9/17: Do you believe that peace and tranquility are a big part of your journey? Do you have a way to get ahold of that peace and use it to your advantage? Maybe you wake up 15 minutes before everyone else and get centered for the day. It may be that you find your tranquility by sleeping those extra 15 minutes

I'll be back after work tomorrow with your replies. I can't wait to hear all about where you find your balance!

Going for a walk or run without a time goal is really refreshing for me. I'm trying to incorporate more stretching/yoga/relaxation into my routine as well. I don't have a daily ritual though. In mom-and-me yoga we learned something called the "take 5" breath. You inhale while putting up your fingers on one hand, then exhale, putting each finger down one-at-a-time. There is something about adding the physical finger counting that is more helpful than just counting and breathing.
If I'm being completely open and honest, I have also found peace in a low dose of generic Zoloft (anti-depressant). I have a history of depression/anxiety but haven't taken meds in several years. But for at least a year now, I've been irritable, stressed out, short-tempered and kinda sad more than half the time - none of the non-med tactics I use have helped much. So a few weeks ago, I saw my [awesome] doctor and made the decision to try meds again. So far even the low dose is helping, and it takes a few more weeks to see full results.

My running/walking and eating are going well. DH, DD and I like to go out to eat, but the past 2 weeks we have decreased that a lot. It started for monetary reasons - we spend way too much on dining out - but is great for healthier eating as well. My manager at work has also been giving me her leftovers from the CSA she does (community supported agriculture). So we are getting organic, local veggies free! Well, for a few more weeks anyway - it's a summer only thing up here in the North!

IDEAS FOR BELL PEPPERS OR MILD SPICY PEPPERS (any color)
Homemade salsa - I like to add bell peppers as well as spicy peppers to increase the veggie factor.
Taste test - At our local farmers market, they sell assorted peppers by the basket. So I ended up with a few unusual colors, including purplish red and a light spring green color. We cut them all up and did a comparison of the tastes at dinner. Even if DD didn't like them, she at least had a bite of each! Her favorite was the purplish red one - she ate most of that one.
Dessert! Remove the ribs and seeds of a poblano or jalapeno (or leave them if you love the heat!). Cover in dark chocolate (I just melted dark chocolate chips in the microwave). 2 servings of chips is 140 calories - not too shabby for the antioxidants in the dark chocolate, the feeling of a total treat, and eating a vegetable.

 

[princessbride6205]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?
Hmm...I'm not sure. I've always been relatively health conscious, so it's not been a drastic change in my eating or exercise. It was really only after getting married that I started gaining weight, just as I realized I should get back on track health wise, I was pregnant with DD. I did well with exercise in the months after she was born, but then completely fell of the wagon. So there were only a few years there when I wasn't concerned about fitness and healthy food. I've never been a person that eats giant portions or tons of unhealthy foods. So in that sense, my life isn't changed so much. And I haven't cut out every bite of unhealthy food from my life now. It's truly about moderation, especially being in maintenance. When I'm in weight loss mode, I have to focus on very small portions and no splurges. On maintenance, as long as I'm exercising multiple times a week, I have room for treats and slightly larger portions.

 

[disneymom2one]

QOTD:

Yes and no. I'm a completely different person than I was 104 pounds ago in that I eat a primarily vegetarian diet and I work out every day for at least 90 minutes. I do things I never thought I would. On Saturday, for fun and no real reason, I walked ten miles - all the way to the next town over. The 257 pound me would never have challenged herself like that. It took me two hours and 37 minutes but I really enjoyed it - even ran the last half mile just because I wanted to finish strong.

But some days, I still struggle with craving the foods I used to eat. Chocolate filled doughnuts. Brownies. PB cupcakes. I don't give in to those cravings because I know I just can't eat that stuff anymore. One bite would never be enough for me. I *know* that. But I still want to. I literally visit those cupcakes at Fresh Market every time we go there. The bakery people actually know me and just smile. Then I go get some veggie burgers and move on.

Anyway, congratulations to everyone who had a great week. It's been insane around here so I haven't posted much but I really appreciate all the posts - and read every single one of them.

 

[indygirl99]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

Sometimes I do feel a part of a rebirth and others just like I have been turned on my head.

I decided to give up the diet soda to get rid of the carbonization and the artificial sweetners. Mostly drink water now with some Almond milk and orange juice for my morning smoothies. It has made a big change in how I feel and I really noticed it when I indulged in the soda on vacation. It made me feel sluggish.

I am not doing the same things but am certainly trying different foods. And really enjoying most of them. As someone has already said it does mean more trips to the store, farmers market to buy fresh but I am lucky that DH works in a grocery store so I only have to tell him what I want and it amazingly appears at home the same time he does. Today red roses also appered at the door with him. He said it was for doing so well in my weekend race (8K at the race for the cure).

This has invaded my life (in a good way) as I have added training for the tinkerbell half marathon and a few people I work with have gotten on board and one of our doctors is actually running with me.

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

d decentek this week. I lost 1 lb and wasn't very on track, so I was excited to lose that. I am doing better about eating gluten free breakfast and lunch, dinner though is my hard one. I'm out of thse house a lot due to classes and work, and sometimes by the end of the day the fast food or Panera just sound a lot better than my gf frozen meal. Baby steps.

 

[mskayjay]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

Sometimes I do feel a part of a rebirth and others just like I have been turned on my head.

I decided to give up the diet soda to get rid of the carbonization and the artificial sweetners. Mostly drink water now with some Almond milk and orange juice for my morning smoothies. It has made a big change in how I feel and I really noticed it when I indulged in the soda on vacation. It made me feel sluggish.

I am not doing the same things but am certainly trying different foods. And really enjoying most of them. As someone has already said it does mean more trips to the store, farmers market to buy fresh but I am lucky that DH works in a grocery store so I only have to tell him what I want and it amazingly appears at home the same time he does. Today red roses also appered at the door with him. He said it was for doing so well in my weekend race (8K at the race for the cure).

This has invaded my life (in a good way) as I have added training for the tinkerbell half marathon and a few people I work with have gotten on board and one of our doctors is actually running with me.

More trips to the store=more walking=more exercise! lol Congrats on your new attitude and having a wonderful hubs! The race is a huge accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself!

Losing the soda is such a huge step if that is something that is normally in your diet. I gave it up a long time and only have it now if I'm having a mixed drink. Even then I usually go with club or soda water. I've gotten to where I drink a lot of green tea, iced peach or chai tea and I use Stevia to sweeten it. It's funny that I like my hot tea plain but my iced tea needs to be sweetened.

So happy for you in how well you're doing.

 

[pjlla]

Evening all! Just popping in to say hello and let you know that I haven't fallen off the planet! Just been super busy! My folks visited over the weekend and I am still plugging along with house projects. Just seems like the days fly by and then suddenly I am ready to crash and I realize I haven't made the time to visit here!

No excuses...just sayin'! And now I have an hour to kill but I'm on my IPad and typing is kind of slow. I'll try to at least catch up on the QOTD and then be back tomorrow to read and reply!...............P

 

[pjlla]

I just found this part of the board and am working so hard (by myself) to lose weight. Is it too late to join in on this? If not, how do I go about it?

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Tell us a bit about yourself!

Before I get to the QOTD, major congrats go out to Christopher for being Biggest Loser this week!!! Way to go Christopher, you are such an inspiration!!

Today, our journey around the "world" takes us to...
Italy!!

Italy is one of my favorite countries in the WS. The history and the architecture is absolutely beautiful. Italy itself is so chock-full of history, it's almost crazy. It was the Birthplace of the Renaissance! Renaissance is a term meaning rebirth, and that description is perfect to describe the period after the "Dark Ages". It was a period of absolute growth, and it never seemed to stop! It was a part of every aspect of culture.

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I will be back later with replies, I promise this time!!

I have completely changed the parts of my life that NEEDED changing, like my eating habits and exercise habits. I am more confident and sure of myself (although still shy), more outgoing, more energetic. However, I am still "me". Still a dedicated Christian Mom with a love of scrapping and all things Disney! I definitely eat to live rather than live to eat now! I am MUCH better about giving my body what it needs rather than just what I crave. But I still enjoy occasional treats! No sense in feeling deprived.

I am COMPLETELY "into" weight loss and healthy eating and my kids say iti is a bit like I found a new religion! I love to talk about healthy food choices, healthy recipes (although I still hate to cook), and making smart choices. I always ate a reasonable diet....veggies with dinner, not a ton of fried foods...but I've come so far!

Enough rambling!...............P

 

[pjlla]

So technically, I'm posting this early. But I have to be up way early to be at work early (gotta make that extra spending money for my trip in just 11 Days!!!!) so I'm gonna cheat just a smidge and post the QOTD already

Today, our journey takes us to...
China!

One of the biggest aspects in Chinese culture is peace, tranquility, and balance. The yin and the yang. The Chinese are believers in feng shui, the idea that the objects in your life and home can be balanced to create positive energy. I'm not sure I entirely buy into the belief, but balance and peace are very important to me and my journey to wellness and goal.

QOTD Monday 9/17: Do you believe that peace and tranquility are a big part of your journey? Do you have a way to get ahold of that peace and use it to your advantage? Maybe you wake up 15 minutes before everyone else and get centered for the day. It may be that you find your tranquility by sleeping those extra 15 minutes

I'll be back after work tomorrow with your replies. I can't wait to hear all about where you find your balance!

I would love MORE peace and tranquility in my life! I don't have a lot but some of that is my own fault. I keep myself calm and happy by following some of my own "brain rules". Like make the bed every day, never leave the house or go to bed with dishes in the sink, keep the living room picked up at all times, discard junk mail before it hits the counter, plan meals ahead...things like that. They keep my slightly OCD brain from going . If I have to get up 2 hours early to do laundry, so be it! I'll be more relaxed know it is done! Great question!...............P

 

[Jaina]

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I'm jumping in late, but I've been on a(nother) weight loss journey since December, so I can probably answer this anyway. I have been successful some weeks and not-so-successful others, which is why I've only lost 15 lbs this year. But 15 lbs down is so much better than not losing any, right? The main thing that's changed about my weight loss journey this time is that I've been counting calories (also keeping track of fiber and fat) instead of using weight watchers points. (I lost 40 lbs on WW about 10 years ago in college, so always used points when I was trying to get down) Also, I realized that for me, I do better getting several long (like 1.5 hours) exercise sessions in rather than trying to get some in every day. Every day would be more ideal, but with 3 kids under 6 it is HARD to make something like that happen every day, so I would feel like I had failed a lot. Now I plan on getting 3 long sessions in (mostly at night after the kids are in bed) and anything else active I manage to do is a bonus! And I succeed in my concrete goals more often this way. I have lost 4 lbs in the last month (net, I've been yo-yo-ing a lot) and I am mostly trying to stay away from sugary stuff (because the more I eat the more I want) and things like chips (because I just keep going back). Lots of protein and some whole grains, and trying hard to get my fruits & veggies in. (I just don't enjoy most of them!) Lots of water!! One thing I've noticed is that I have to be careful when I'm not having success (or it seems that way) because I can easily backslide at those points instead of pressing forward and trusting the process. Sorry, that was all kind of jumbled.

 

[EDuke98080]

d decentek this week. I lost 1 lb and wasn't very on track, so I was excited to lose that. I am doing better about eating gluten free breakfast and lunch, dinner though is my hard one. I'm out of thse house a lot due to classes and work, and sometimes by the end of the day the fast food or Panera just sound a lot better than my gf frozen meal. Baby steps.

It is very difficult to be gluten free all the time. I tend to do takeout at night if we are in a rush. Not sure where you are but a couple of the places that have gf takeout are UNO's and 99 Restaurant.

 

[Jaina]

Oh, I guess I'm supposed to introduce myself a little more. I found the DIS in 2005 through VMK, (Virtual Magic Kingdom) which I played a lot because there was nothing to do at my job sometimes. I grew up going to Disneyland and have always loved it, but VMK and being on the DIS made me a little obsessive. I've taken big breaks from going on here before partially because it was too painful when there was no Disney trip in our future! ;-) I love animals, but don't have any currently because my three little ones are enough responsibility! I love to read, do anything with music, digital scrapbook, and video edit. We try to be on the "green" side, and avoid extra chemicals. I've done a lot of cloth diapers in the last several years. I'm the oldest of 5, and currently living in my parents' basement, because we just moved across the country, and DH is still on the other side, working for a few more weeks. He's a chiropractor and we're going to be opening a practice in the next few months. :-S We try to eat as healthy as we can on a tight budget, and DH has recently gone gluten-free (it doesn't seem to agree with him anymore) so that's an interesting challenge when I have to start feeding him again. He's been wheat-free for 4-5 months, but we haven't tried to cut out all gluten for him until now.

I have almost always struggled with my weight and hit a personal high/low when I was 19. It was after my first year of college and I was 197 and only 5'3. My mom got me to join weight watchers with her, and over the next 8 months I lost 40 lbs. I went up and down a little in college (depending on stress levels) but stayed fairly healthy. I was 152 when I got married. I was about 160 when I got pregnant with my first, and since then, have not been below 170 (which is about where I am now) but this time I'm going to do it!

 

[Mary•Poppins]

Before I get to the QOTD, major congrats go out to Christopher for being Biggest Loser this week!!! Way to go Christopher, you are such an inspiration!!

Congrats Christopher!!! Way to go

QOTD 9/18- Do you feel as if you've been a part of a rebirth when it comes to your diet, exercise, eating habits, and thinking habits since your weight loss began? Do you do things the same, just with different foods? Have you completely turned your old life on it's head? has it gotten into all the aspects of your life as well?

I will be back later with replies, I promise this time!!

My biggest rebirth is exercise. I really use to dread it .... now, I look forward to it. I just wish I had more time for it. I am still working on eating better. If I am prepared for my meals, I am better. However, I still struggle with cravings.

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

I had a really busy weekend and wow does this thread get long fast!

School is starting to calm down a bit. We have some really needy kiddos this year and it just pulls at my heart strings. And, some of my fellow colleagues are making my school year very challenging.

I just feel like I can't catch up with work or home lately. My middle son is a senior this year and he is a football player. My youngest in the band. Every weekend we are at football games (last week's was and hour away) and/or band festivals. This Friday we are hosting the Sacred Dinner for the football players. We will be feeding them all. Please say a little prayer it is a sunny warm day in Pittsburgh so we can sit them outside.

But .... as for making peace in my life, I am very blessed and truly try to keep this in the forefront of my life.

Have a great day tomorrow all you LOSERS!

 

[pjlla]

Oh, I guess I'm supposed to introduce myself a little more. I found the DIS in 2005 through VMK, (Virtual Magic Kingdom) which I played a lot because there was nothing to do at my job sometimes. I grew up going to Disneyland and have always loved it, but VMK and being on the DIS made me a little obsessive. I've taken big breaks from going on here before partially because it was too painful when there was no Disney trip in our future! ;-) I love animals, but don't have any currently because my three little ones are enough responsibility! I love to read, do anything with music, digital scrapbook, and video edit. We try to be on the "green" side, and avoid extra chemicals. I've done a lot of cloth diapers in the last several years. I'm the oldest of 5, and currently living in my parents' basement, because we just moved across the country, and DH is still on the other side, working for a few more weeks. He's a chiropractor and we're going to be opening a practice in the next few months. :-S We try to eat as healthy as we can on a tight budget, and DH has recently gone gluten-free (it doesn't seem to agree with him anymore) so that's an interesting challenge when I have to start feeding him again. He's been wheat-free for 4-5 months, but we haven't tried to cut out all gluten for him until now.

I have almost always struggled with my weight and hit a personal high/low when I was 19. It was after my first year of college and I was 197 and only 5'3. My mom got me to join weight watchers with her, and over the next 8 months I lost 40 lbs. I went up and down a little in college (depending on stress levels) but stayed fairly healthy. I was 152 when I got married. I was about 160 when I got pregnant with my first, and since then, have not been below 170 (which is about where I am now) but this time I'm going to do it!

Thanks for the intro! I look forward to learning more about you! Sounds like a busy time in your life right now. We have several "GF" folks on here, so you should be able to get some advise and ideas........................P