Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer Challenge

[pjlla]

This is mine!!! I'm usually such a debbie downer and self hater! But for some reason I woke up in a stellar mood today so I'm running with it!
You can do anything!!

You CAN do anything.... including completing a half marathon OR a full marathon.... prepare mentally and physically and you will do it!

Would love that!!!!! See I told you, you rock!

Okay....one YES vote for the recipes!

Quote of the day

you're off to great places
today is your day,
your mountain is waiting
so get on your way.
~Dr. Seuss

Gotta love me some Seuss!! Today's mountain was the treadmill that I really, really, really wanted to ignore (again). But I didn't!

I wanted to post this too. I found it on Pinterest a while ago and had shared before but I think it needs repeating. And while this is focused on girls, I think it's just as important for our boys to know they are awesome too! I bolded the most important part!

Waking Up Full of Awesome:
There was a time when you were five years old, and you woke up full of awesome. You knew you were awesome. You loved yourself. You thought you were beautiful, even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers. You loved your body, and the things it could do. You thought you were strong. You knew you were smart. Do you still have it? The awesome. Did someone take it from you? Did you let them? Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough? Why the hell would you listen to them? Did you consider they might be full of crap? Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model? Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold? Are you freaking kidding me? Look at her. She is full of awesome. You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back. All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.--- How do we keep our daughters full of awesome.

Love this and will be printing it RIGHT NOW for my DD! She has a friend who is really been dragging her down with lots of negative talk. This "friend" always been a negative kid, but lately has seemed to really target DD. When she heard that DD had been invited to awards night (which I believe this girl has been invited to many times in the past, as she is SUPER bright), she stated "oh, that's right.... you're in GYM right now" ..... implying, of course, that the ONLY award that DD might win would be for gym. (Where is the "pissed-off-and-ready-to-whack-someone" smilie that I need right now????) First of all.... NOTHING WRONG with an award for gym!!! Second of all.... who is SHE to imply that DD isn't bright enough or hard working enough to win an academic award!!??? Makes me NUTS!

Sadly, DD isn't able to avoid this girl as much as she might like, as she is involved in Rainbow with her and has many classes with her. But I think that DD is definitely starting to tell this girl exactly what she can do with all of her negative talk!

THat said, I'm going to print it up for DS as well. He definitely needs some propping up of his self esteem.

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

Okay friends! TM time is done, beds are stripped and sheets are in the dryer. Lunch is eaten and cleaned up. Didn't put the chicken in the crockpot because the evening schedule is starting to look a bit more convoluted, as DH went out of town for a meeting and I'm not sure when he is returning.

Off to complete a few scrapping pages before the kids are home and life gets crazy!.................P

 

[tiki23]

Laura, I love this picture!! That's awesome. I have also started telling myself, especially with dessert type foods, that if I don't love it, I'm not going to eat it. It's just not worth it.

I always ask myself "Is this calorie-worthy of a treadmill session?" It helps!

 

[lmhall2000]

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!

I like the one about doing it with friends..I have to do quite a bit of car driving for my children's activities...girls do competitive dance so that means driving 4-5x a year to places hours away and my son is competitive rowing..so many regattas out of state...so this weekend we came up with a song list of upbeat fun songs to play when we do these road trips....it was so much fun coming up with our faves! We now have a list of 45 songs my dh needs to put on my Ipod so we can plug it in when we travel!

On the losing side of things, I've walked 12 miles since Saturday! My ankles are a bit sore, but I think I can plug through...drinking more water than I ever have and have done really well on food choices...no sugar at all in the past 10 days, blueberries/cherries/raspberries and loads of veggies and protein...multigrains...

On the kicking myself side...finally found a measuring tape to take my measurements...while I've lost 53 pounds in a year, measuring just reminded me of how far I still have to go (ideally 60 pounds to be in the 150s)....I feel GREAT having lost the pounds and can exercise much more easily..but I guess in my head I 'feel' like I"m 180...but find it daunting that I still have 13 pounds to get out of the 200s...trying to focus on the positive...

Everyone have a great week! This first week is usually the hardest for me, if I can knock out a good one, it makes the other 12 or so a bit easier!!

 

[myweegirls]

I wanted to post this too. I found it on Pinterest a while ago and had shared before but I think it needs repeating. And while this is focused on girls, I think it's just as important for our boys to know they are awesome too! I bolded the most important part!

Waking Up Full of Awesome:
There was a time when you were five years old, and you woke up full of awesome. You knew you were awesome. You loved yourself. You thought you were beautiful, even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers. You loved your body, and the things it could do. You thought you were strong. You knew you were smart. Do you still have it? The awesome. Did someone take it from you? Did you let them? Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough? Why the hell would you listen to them? Did you consider they might be full of crap? Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model? Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold? Are you freaking kidding me? Look at her. She is full of awesome. You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back. All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.--- How do we keep our daughters full of awesome.

Oh, Buffy, I love this! I reposted it on FB back when it went viral, and I follow her blog/FB page (Pigtail Pals and Ballcap Buddies). After I read this, I bought each DD a Full of Awesome t-shirt from her site. And I started asking each of them, separately everyday, "Did you know that you are awesome?" And what broke my heart was that, the first couple of times, they said no. So we talked about all the things that make them awesome, and I started taking more opportunities to tell them how great they are, just randomly. Now they say "yes" when I ask. I like to think it's more than getting Mommy to shut up about it already.

In that spirit, my QOTD response is that I am also full of awesome. I'm smart, nice, organized (to a fault...) and determined. I got back to my wedding weight this spring, and I'm in better physical shape than I was even back then. I'm setting goals and reaching them - and then setting more. So if that's not full of awesome, I don't know what is. Repeating that to myself also keeps me focused on *why* I want to be full of awesome.

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment today to finish checking out an active lymph node. Everything is great with that, thankfully - no cause for concern. The best part, though, was when the doc was leaving the room, he turned and said, hey, by the way, have you lost weight since I saw you last? I confirmed - 20 pounds since the last time I was in his office - and then had to assure him that it was on purpose and not related to any illness symptoms!

I did a C25K workout last night, and another one this morning. Might not have been the best idea, even though I feel pretty good! Tomorrow is an off day, as it's my commuting day and we have a staff event at my boss' house after work. So I guess pushing it a little today isn't the end of the world.

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

XO
Liz

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Quote of the day

you're off to great places
today is your day,
your mountain is waiting
so get on your way.
~Dr. Seuss

I love it!

---------------------

Afternoon!

Dr apt is scheduled for Thursday. I'm going for a PT/INR draw and talking to her about some issues/concerns. I'm hoping I can get some answers and we can get some things resolved.

Going to jump on the treadmill later and get some mileage in. Also going to fold some laundry, strip our bed, among a few other things. Oh, and I still need to figure out dinner, OYE!

Toodles!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Btw..... if you are ever having a BRAINLESS Monday morning and trying to get DisRadio on your computer, do NOT.... I repeat DO NOT type in Disradio.com!!!!!! May I just say..... How is that legal?? Scary to think that my kids could stumble upon something like that! Now to go figure out how to get rid of my cookies on the computer!................P

I never typed in disradio.com before, but whitehouse.com is BAD NEWS! Come on, kids type that in for school reports all the time. They really need to fix that. And I was having one of those days a few years back. I wanted to look up some sporting good thing (dont remember now) at Dick's Sporting Goods. I typed in the first word and dot com only not thinking about it. Yeah, it was on a work computer! Thought for sure I was going to lose my job!



As for my day so far, not good. I was going to run this morning, but my knee is even more painful today, so I decided to skip the run and the long dog walk as well and see if 24 hours without much movement helps it a bit. And then of course my co-workers decided we were all going out to lunch. I was one of the last people to arrive and they had already ordered pizza for the group. I had two small slices of cheese, but without any exercise I am worried about being over on calories again today now!

 

[penguin1102]

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!
Everything can be a game. Why slog through the same workout routines in boredom, when you can add a little fun? Make up rules, shoot for personal records, regain your competitive spirit.[/QUOTE]

I think this is great for motivational monday. For me this is important because I find that sometimes I take myself to seriously. I think that making up rules makes things fun and interesting.

 

[camnhan]

OK, had been OOT for baseball tourny all weekend so trying to catch up....let's see

Introduce self : DONE
Goals:

• SHORT TERM: drop 15 lbs during challenge
• return to regular exercise
• look SMASHING for my Cali trip in Sept
• LONG TERM: drop 40 lbs
• run a 5K/1/2 marathon
• PLAN: track my WW pts
• stop at gym 2 nights week on way home
• cook more meals at home
• only have "good foods" in house (I am sooooo weak)
• EXERCISE: Zumba
• Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD (its ONLY 20 minutes a day for criminy sakes!)
• Yoga DVD

Quote: "Its always more fun with friends around!"
I never missed a workout when we had a group of us meeting up! We all kind of fell off the wagon when the spring hit and kids had so many after school practices/events. Now that school is out hoping to get the gang back together!!

Am I prepared to meet my goal? Tough one. I think I have all the tools in place...not it is just getting up and doing it!

Tracking food important? IT IS THE ONLY WAY!
I lost 25 lbs tracking with WW over the past year...as soon as I stopped tracking the weight has creeped back on....

Weekend was worse than I thought...at least as the scale tells it. It is kind of frustrating when I think of the things that I really wanted to eat that I didn't and to still have such a HUGE gain (2 lbs in 2 day )...it is these days that it is sooooo hard to get back on track...but I am doing it!!

Will try and catch up with the multitude of pages that have been posted over the weekend!

 

[JacksLilWench]

Hee hee ha ha hee hee hoo hoo.
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting a laughing place. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk.
Oh, everybody's got a laughing place, a laughing place to go-o-o.
Take a frown, turn it upside down and you'll find yours we know-ow-ow.

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!

Definitely "Adventures are outside, not inside." It reminds me of the quote from "Up", "Adventure Is Out There!!" Whenever I say that, my inner missing-toothed six-year-old comes out and wants to play...so you can imagine I say it a lot

If you reach for the stars
All you get are the stars
But we've found a whole new spin
If you reach for the heavens
You get the stars thrown in

Anything can happen if you let it
Life is out there waiting so go and get it
Grab it by the collar, seize it by the scruff
Once you've started living life you just can't get enough

Anything can happen, it's official
You can choose the super or the superficial
Sally forth the way we're steering
Obstacles start disappearing
So thanks my BL Challenge friends for being my inspiration and motivation.


Christopher

This is beautiful, Christopher! Definitely mirror fodder for me. Once a week, I take a dry erase marker and put new quotes on my vanity mirrors to motivate myself, and these are great. Thanks for sharing

Umm...... you are absolutely ADORABLE!! Good for you with the 5k.


How would you all feel about me posting a weekly recipe here (and of course, posting it on the recipe thread as well)? I wouldn't always be able to post calories and/or Points (or PP) for them. But I have several recipes I've been thinking about sharing and I've seen several people mention needing to change up their routines with maybe some newer things. So I thought a weekly recipe here on the main thread might be helpful. Just wondering.

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

Thanks! I try to look cute when I workout and match all my stuff up...otherwise I just don't feel like running. Because it's already funny enough to watch me run, who wants to watch me run in mismatched sweats?

And I think the recipe idea is great! I can't wait to post one of my own if we do get started

Btw..... if you are ever having a BRAINLESS Monday morning and trying to get DisRadio on your computer, do NOT.... I repeat DO NOT type in Disradio.com!!!!!! May I just say..... How is that legal?? Scary to think that my kids could stumble upon something like that! Now to go figure out how to get rid of my cookies on the computer!................P

Been there!

Quote of the day

you're off to great places
today is your day,
your mountain is waiting
so get on your way.
~Dr. Seuss

I love it!!

I wanted to post this too. I found it on Pinterest a while ago and had shared before but I think it needs repeating. And while this is focused on girls, I think it's just as important for our boys to know they are awesome too! I bolded the most important part!

Waking Up Full of Awesome:
There was a time when you were five years old, and you woke up full of awesome. You knew you were awesome. You loved yourself. You thought you were beautiful, even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers. You loved your body, and the things it could do. You thought you were strong. You knew you were smart. Do you still have it? The awesome. Did someone take it from you? Did you let them? Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough? Why the hell would you listen to them? Did you consider they might be full of crap? Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model? Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold? Are you freaking kidding me? Look at her. She is full of awesome. You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back. All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.--- How do we keep our daughters full of awesome.

This reminds me of the quote from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland by the Mad Hatter: "You're not the same as you were before. You were much more..."muchier". You've lost your "muchness"." I've been saying this to myself lately when I don't feel like getting a run in or going to the gym, because I don't want to lose my new "muchness". I like it quite a bit

 

[6ofus2]

QOTD Friday, June 1, 2012: So do you have a plan for how you are going to make your goals for the challenge? Share your plan and your goals big and small for this challenge.

My weight goal for this challenge is to lose 24.6 lbs. That would bring me to my half way point for my total goal. To get there I will continue WW, zumba 2-3 times per week, walk/jog once a week, no eating after 7 p.m., and my healthy checks for ww complete.

These are my tools for my weight loss journey & I see this challenge as another "push" or "lift" in the process.

QOTD Saturday, June 2: Are you prepared to reach your goals?

I am prepared and excited to get there!

QOTD Sunday, June 3: Is tracking important?

For me, tracking is very important. I am doing WW and that way I can see how many pts I've spent & how many I have left. I also look at items & decide if they're worth spending the pts on.

QOTD Monday, June 4: Motivational quotes.

One quote I saw & rely on when beginning my fitness routine and I felt like I was S L O W. "No matter how slow you are going, you are still lapping everyone on the couch." I would envision myself on the couch, and now, myself getting into shape, feeling better, etc.

 

[leeandstacismom]

I love Dr. Seuss

 

[lisah0711]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2936354

I started a new BL run/walker thread if anyone would like to join us.

Thanks for starting the new thread, Rose! We are continuing with the separate thread so we don't drive you all crazy with our race talk -- although you still might hear a bit about it.

Hi everyone! I'm a long-time DIS lurker who just started a WISH Journal two weeks ago. I didn't manage to sit down and read this thread through -- and now we're 20 pages in! Wow!

Sunny! Glad you could join us!

Hey Lisa, what is Lolo? Is it like the Apple store? I would be very interested in finding music that I can find a beat too ... and I would love someone to "coach" me as I am running. This sounds great.

Fran, Lolo is the maker of the app. You should be able to find it on iTunes through the regular apps. There is a 5K and a 10K app. Also, one called Treadmill but the coach is not Galloway.

Intro QOTD (Question of the Day) 5/30/12: Please introduce yourself.
I'm Alice - I live in the suburbs of Seattle. Married with 3 older kids (22, 20 & 19) who live at home and we are all Disney Dorks! I love traveling, camping, reading and my silly cats. I am lucky to have a somewhat flexible work schedule. ...

Hi Alice! Nice to see you! I think we prefer the term "Disneyphiles" around here . . .

He has final exams this week, and will be trying to catch the transit of Venus Tuesday afternoon...luckily the exams for the next day are his two easy classes, since he will be watching it from about 6 to sunset. I need to drive him since there is no clear view of the western horizon nearby. Hauled my old telescope out, but could not get it working properly. Will need to work on that so he can use it during summer break.

Had to read this one a couple of time to figure out what was going on. Hope the cloud cover stays away!

Actually, you should praise your dog - I work long and hard getting my dogs to respect me enough to take second chair!

It's great to have someone here who knows about this!

Kristina, hope Alan is feeling better today!

Tracey, hope Izzie is doing great!

Thanks Lisa I just need to make sure I don't let the next number I see on the scale upset me if it's moved in the direction I don't want it to!

Yep, no worries on those day to day fluctuations! It's the trend that counts.

It is a crazy Monday around here. Phone problems, computer problems, people dropping by to see the new office. I just realized that I am the pants I am wearing are blue, not black like I thought -- but my shoes are black so I am a bit gauche.

I'll be back later for more replies.

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Lisah - He's feeling a little better. He doesn't seem to be coughing his lungs out every 5 minutes s that's a good sign.

Well, the sheets are dry and lying on the bed, 1 load in the washer, 1 load in the dryer, and 2 more loads to go. Dinner is in the oven and should be ready any second now. We're having shake and bake chicken, mac & cheese (made with campbells cheddar soup), and broccoli. My 64 ounces of water is drank (drunk?) for the day. Now, only thing left is to get my TM time in after dinner. I'm shooting for 2 miles and maybe a little strength training afterwards depending on how I feel.

There's the oven!!

Toodles

 

[cclovesdis]

Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, chores and a host of "have-to's" that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing and regrouping make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits. Most of all, it will help you stay consistent and motivated.

You will be seeing some of this with the Healthy Habits mini-challenges! I love to add in "me time" to HH!

The world should be full of color—especially on your dinner plate! Splash it with as many colors as possible, paint it like a rainbow with food. It’s more fun to look at and chances are you’ll be eating a healthy, balanced meal.

Love this one! It is so important to eat the rainbow. The different colors of fruits and veggies offer different nutrients that your body needs.

Quick question to everyone..........

How would you all feel about me posting a weekly recipe here (and of course, posting it on the recipe thread as well)? I wouldn't always be able to post calories and/or Points (or PP) for them. But I have several recipes I've been thinking about sharing and I've seen several people mention needing to change up their routines with maybe some newer things. So I thought a weekly recipe here on the main thread might be helpful. Just wondering

YES!!!!! Please do! I am much better at knowing swaps to make meals GF and would love some new recipes!

I wanted to post this too. I found it on Pinterest a while ago and had shared before but I think it needs repeating. And while this is focused on girls, I think it's just as important for our boys to know they are awesome too! I bolded the most important part!

Waking Up Full of Awesome:
There was a time when you were five years old, and you woke up full of awesome. You knew you were awesome. You loved yourself. You thought you were beautiful, even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers. You loved your body, and the things it could do. You thought you were strong. You knew you were smart. Do you still have it? The awesome. Did someone take it from you? Did you let them? Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough? Why the hell would you listen to them? Did you consider they might be full of crap? Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model? Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold? Are you freaking kidding me? Look at her. She is full of awesome. You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back. All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.--- How do we keep our daughters full of awesome.

All I can think about is how academics make school hard enough.

It is a crazy Monday around here. Phone problems, computer problems, people dropping by to see the new office. I just realized that I am the pants I am wearing are blue, not black like I thought -- but my shoes are black so I am a bit gauche.

Hope you got some mellow Monday too!

 

[lisah0711]

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!

Never give up has always been a favorite motivational phrase and a long time BL favorite but I have to admit that the don't eat it if you don't like it is a new favorite.

QOTD--I needed this one today:
Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They’re right.

That is one of the nice things about all the chatter at the beginning of a challenge, someone always manages to say exactly what you need to hear that day!

This one is easy for me to answer: If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.

Love the graphic, Laura!

Hope you can get the answers that you need at the doctor's office, Kristina.

Alice, hope your DS gets to see Venus in Transit -- I just read it is a once in a lifetime deal.

Well I am officially signed up for the Wounded Warrior Project 8K in September!

Good luck with your fundraising efforts!

Dona, good thinking buying your tickets ahead of the price increase!

Everything can be a game.

I think I will use that one. Actually this challenge is sort of like a game, who gets to be biggest loser. So I will also try to find fun ways to lose. Swimming is fun, I had forgotten that. I haven't swam in years, was too embarrassed. Since I lost the 30 lbs I go swimming. OK it isn't in broad daylight, around tons of people, but I do go out to pool with my lil princess and we splash around. Maybe, hopefully, by end of challenge I will be up to daylight swimming LOL. ooooh maybe even bold enough to go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon

That would be fun!

Hey friends I have been MIA while on vacation. Today is our last day at Disney and tomorrow is universal before heading home! I have been indulging but definitely ready to get back on track! Talk to you all soon!!

Kayla, hope that you are having a fabulous time!

I just put on the finale song from the stage musical Mary Poppins. It is called Anything Can Happen. I recommend you have a listen on youtube if you are not familiar with it. Inspirational reminder to chase your dreams because they are right there ready to be caught, just waiting. And that is the way I need to look at my day today and push past the superficial. These lyrics really ring true to me:
If you reach for the stars
All you get are the stars
But we've found a whole new spin
If you reach for the heavens
You get the stars thrown in

Anything can happen if you let it
Life is out there waiting so go and get it
Grab it by the collar, seize it by the scruff
Once you've started living life you just can't get enough

Anything can happen, it's official
You can choose the super or the superficial
Sally forth the way we're steering
Obstacles start disappearing

So thanks my BL Challenge friends for being my inspiration and motivation.

Thank you for inspiring us!

Another SUPER DUPER QOTD! And another adorable graphic!

Thanks! I'd never heard of Satisfactional Fun before!

Btw..... if you are ever having a BRAINLESS Monday morning and trying to get DisRadio on your computer, do NOT.... I repeat DO NOT type in Disradio.com!!!!!! May I just say..... How is that legal?? Scary to think that my kids could stumble upon something like that! Now to go figure out how to get rid of my cookies on the computer!................P

Yikes! I like d-cot.com, too, because you can pick what you want to play when you want to hear it. You can listen to Soarin' 10 times in a row if you want to.

Another yes on the recipes, too.

Quote of the day

you're off to great places
today is your day,
your mountain is waiting
so get on your way.
~Dr. Seuss

Another great quote, Buffy! And if anyone is full of awesome, it is you!

My motivation for today is ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Yes it is!

Laura, I love this picture!! That's awesome. I have also started telling myself, especially with dessert type foods, that if I don't love it, I'm not going to eat it. It's just not worth it.

Very good point, even with desserts!

I always ask myself "Is this calorie-worthy of a treadmill session?" It helps!

ITA!

On the losing side of things, I've walked 12 miles since Saturday! My ankles are a bit sore, but I think I can plug through...drinking more water than I ever have and have done really well on food choices...no sugar at all in the past 10 days, blueberries/cherries/raspberries and loads of veggies and protein...multigrains...

Sounds like you are off to a great start and a big BL congratulations for your progress so far!

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment today to finish checking out an active lymph node. Everything is great with that, thankfully - no cause for concern. The best part, though, was when the doc was leaving the room, he turned and said, hey, by the way, have you lost weight since I saw you last? I confirmed - 20 pounds since the last time I was in his office - and then had to assure him that it was on purpose and not related to any illness symptoms!

Way to go!

Carla Rae hope the knee gets better quickly! I love your dog graphic in your signature.

I think this is great for motivational monday. For me this is important because I find that sometimes I take myself to seriously. I think that making up rules makes things fun and interesting.

It's good that you recognize this trait and can make an effort to be a little less serious!

Will try and catch up with the multitude of pages that have been posted over the weekend!

I would just start from here and call it good.

This reminds me of the quote from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland by the Mad Hatter: "You're not the same as you were before. You were much more..."muchier". You've lost your "muchness"." I've been saying this to myself lately when I don't feel like getting a run in or going to the gym, because I don't want to lose my new "muchness". I like it quite a bit

I like that "you've lost your muchness." Kind of like losing your mojo.

One quote I saw & rely on when beginning my fitness routine and I felt like I was S L O W. "No matter how slow you are going, you are still lapping everyone on the couch." I would envision myself on the couch, and now, myself getting into shape, feeling better, etc.

I love this!

I think I'm caught up for now. I will be back later to post tomorrow's QOTD unless the thunderstorms they are predicting show up.

 

[lisah0711]

Hope you got some mellow Monday too!

Thanks, CC, maybe later -- my big goal now is to manage to make my clothes and shoes match tomorrow.

Kristina, glad that Alan is feeling better today!

 

[tigger813]

Evening all,

Izzie did awesome today! She is such a good patient. We came home and slept for awhile and then we watched a few movies and played some Lego HP. She only just started complaining about it hurting a few minutes ago so I gave her some motrin. It was numb most of the day and sometimes itchy but good. The surgery took a little longer than expected but we got there early and they took us in early. The dr described the procedure as interesting and especially the thing they removed. I have to call for a follow-up appt and they will let us know if it was anything. It was longer than he expected. She's been watching tv with Ash the last hour.

Ash isn't feeling all that great tonight but she has final dress rehearsal for the play tomorrow night so she needs to stay healthy. Part of is that she lost her ipod for the rest of the week for not being ready when the car pool arrived and my mom had to drive her to school. She also forgot to bring something. She has spent too much time on the ipod and less on other things so we took it away! She could stay home on Wednesday if she is really feeling lousy but we really hope she can go!

Time to put the kids to bed. I've been cleaning the kitchen and prepping food for tomorrow as Ash's rehearsal is from 5-8:30 tomorrow night so dinner needs to be ready. I'm exhausted so I may go to bed early too. I took a nap with Izzie when we got home but still need a bit more. Work and lunch with Izzie at school and her sharing her favorite things from first grade with me so I will only be at work for 2 hours. Just a crazy week as usual!

TTFN

 

[jillbur]

Introduction: Hello all! I am Jill, 35, and this is my 3rd straight challenge. I live in western PA with DH and Ds9 and Ds6. Sorry I'm already behind. I am a teacher and Friday was my last day of school, so I was plenty busy. Then, we had some family drama Friday night and kids' activities on Saturday. I sat down to catch up yesterday and I was 20 pages behind!! So here I am finally all caught up.

This challenge I am signed up as a maintainer. I've lost around 18 pounds since September and I am hoping to lose some more, but don't know what a realistic weight is. The lowest I've been since high school was 139. I would love to be in the 130s again, but I don't want my whole life to revolve around my obsessing about weight. I know I am not as toned as I could be, so I need to work on that this summer.

That's about all I can think of right now. I do try to check in daily and reply as often as I can. Mental note: the thread flies by in the beginning and slows as the challenge goes on. Read daily!!

Good luck to all and if you don't feel comfortable posting, try it. I was shy at first and now I just jump in and talk everyones ears off

QOTD Friday, June 1, 2012: So do you have a plan for how you are going to make your goals for the challenge? Share your plan and your goals big and small for this challenge.

Let's get this party started!

I would absolutely love to lose any weight this challenge and overall would love to be in the 130s again! I'm about 5 pounds away and really need to get this butt in gear.

I also am going to try hard to keep up with the thread.

I would love to run some 5ks also. I was looking some up last night

QOTD Friday, June 1, 2012: So do you have a plan for how you are going to make your goals for the challenge? Share your plan and your goals big and small for this challenge.

I started Weight Watchers about a month ago. I am going to get back to serious on WW. I got a little off track when DH and I went to WDW for our anniversary 2 weeks ago. So, this week is all back OP. I am also going to try not to use my weekly points unless necessary. I want to get into a regular exericise routine again. The kids activities are cutting into my workouts. I am hoping to add walking/running while the kids are at camps this summer and DH is at school/clinicals. I also plan to hit the gym for spinning and circuit training in the afternoons that DH is home.

Good evening everyone! I know a lot of us struggle with sweets, so I wanted to share a great simple recipe I found that is portioned controlled and only about 100-150 calories. Its called 3-2-1 Cake, some of you may of heard of it, but I was just told about it a week ago.

3-2-1 Cake

Ingrediants
1 Box Angel Food cake mix
1 Box Cake mix ANY flavor
2 Tbsp Water

Directions
In a ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have your own instant individual little cake! Keep remaining cake mixture stored in the ziploc bag and use whenever you feel like a treat! You can top each cake with a dollop of fat free whipped topping and/or some fresh fruit.
**I store my mix in a tupperware container with the directions taped to the outside, for my "forgetful" DH

Thanks for this recipe. I'm putting the 2 ingredients on my shopping list for next week. Now, how do I just eat one and not 5

I bought a Groupon to run the Color Me RAD 5K in Pittsburgh in August. My DS who is 12 is running it with me. It should be different.

This looks awesome! It would take me and hour and 15 minutes to drive to Pitts for a 30ish minute race. Hmmm...I'm thinking about it since it's so cool. DS9 would probably love this, too. And, maybe DNephew14.

Btw~I can't remember from the last challenge, did DS pick a college?

QOTD Saturday, June 2, 2012: Are you prepared to reach your goals? If you don't want to take the quiz, you can just answer the question or share your thoughts on what it takes to be prepared to reach your goals.

I haven't taken the quiz yet, but I know I am ready. I love feeling healthier and heck, it's summer. Who doesn't want to look good in a bathing suit?!?!

QOTD Sunday, June 3, 2012: Do you think tracking food is an important part of weight loss?
* Yes, definitely
* Maybe, it depends on the person
* No, I don't think it's necessary

Have a great evening all!

I absolutely think tracking food is important. I don't think people realize how much they are actually eating until they write it all down. I know I didn't.

Everything can be a game. Why slog through the same workout routines in boredom, when you can add a little fun? Make up rules, shoot for personal records, regain your competitive spirit.

Don’t walk when you can run. Every day is full of opportunities to increase your fitness. This rule is closely related to "don’t drive when you can walk."

If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Once you hit your goal weight, chances are your eating habits won’t stick around long if you hated what you were eating. Healthy eating involves balance and moderation.

Laughter feels good. Kids seem to inherently know that laughter can ease blood pressure, help your brain function, give you energy, and help you reach your goals. Smiling and enjoying yourself can be serious help.

Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, chores and a host of "have-to's" that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing and regrouping make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits. Most of all, it will help you stay consistent and motivated.

The world should be full of color—especially on your dinner plate! Splash it with as many colors as possible, paint it like a rainbow with food. It’s more fun to look at and chances are you’ll be eating a healthy, balanced meal.

It’s always more fun with friends around. Children tend to gravitate toward other children. It gives them spirit and makes them want to play all day. Working out with other people is almost like having your own little playgroup.

Adventures are found outside, not inside. Every kid knows that the good stuff is in the great outdoors—fresh air, wide open spaces, limitless possibilities. You can’t find those things cooped up in a tiny, stale gym. Open the door and start a new adventure every day.

It’s important to use your imagination. You can be Captain Fantastic or Stupendous Woman any time you want. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.

Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They’re right.

You have your whole life ahead of you. Here’s your chance to do it right.

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!

This is so appropriate today since I went on my son's kindergarten field trip. Being around a bunch of 6 year olds made me realize how awesome these kids are. So, I'll pick all of them today. I am going to try to especially remember to laugh more and make my day more fun!

Quick question to everyone..........

How would you all feel about me posting a weekly recipe here (and of course, posting it on the recipe thread as well)? I wouldn't always be able to post calories and/or Points (or PP) for them. But I have several recipes I've been thinking about sharing and I've seen several people mention needing to change up their routines with maybe some newer things. So I thought a weekly recipe here on the main thread might be helpful. Just wondering.

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

Ummm...yes please! I love to try new recipes and now that I am off for summer, I am ready for new ideas. Thanks!!


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

Well, 28 kindergarteners (just my son's class~and 3 classes went) will wear you out. We went to a farm and to a HUGE playground at a park. They had a blast, but I am so tired! And, 6 year olds say the funniest things. One girl told me they don't go to Wendy's very much anymore because it's getting too expensive. They do go to China Wok (buffet), though. And, I got schooled on Reeboks by a little boy. He told me what kind and color to get, as well as where to buy them. Kids are too cute. I almost wish I could freeze time. 9 and 6 are great ages. I hope I keep thinking that when they are 19 and 16

I'm glad I am finally caught up. Hello to all the losers from the last challenges and to the new losers! I can't wait to share the summer challenge with all of you. And, I love the name!

I just got DSs in bed. Now it's time to clean up around here and get to bed at a decent hour. DSs aren't done with school until Wed, so Dsis and I are walking at 9 am tomorrow. It's supposed to be chilly, so I hope I make it the whole hour without needing hot chocolate lol. I'll be back on after my walk, so have a good night.

Jill

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Another great quote, Buffy! And if anyone is full of awesome, it is you!

Awwww, shucks Lisa! I <3 my peeps!


***********************
Today was a great day!! I swear I became ADHD overnight. I was acting like DS10 when he's not on his meds.
I got a ton of chores done. I ate 100% OP tonight and even had calories left over before any form of exercise. I got over 10,000 steps in today.
The only thing I didn't do was an official workout. DH is dragging his feet on getting the treadmill down off blocks (flood warning a few weeks ago, and the treadmill is in the basement). But just sitting here jiggling my legs, I probably got 5 miles in!! LOL

I hope tomorrow is just as good. I just felt awesome today!

 

[Mary•Poppins]

Here’s what every child knows that you may have forgotten. See if you can apply some of these lessons to your daily program:

Everything can be a game. Why slog through the same workout routines in boredom, when you can add a little fun? Make up rules, shoot for personal records, regain your competitive spirit.

Don’t walk when you can run. Every day is full of opportunities to increase your fitness. This rule is closely related to "don’t drive when you can walk."

If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Once you hit your goal weight, chances are your eating habits won’t stick around long if you hated what you were eating. Healthy eating involves balance and moderation.

Laughter feels good. Kids seem to inherently know that laughter can ease blood pressure, help your brain function, give you energy, and help you reach your goals. Smiling and enjoying yourself can be serious help.

Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, chores and a host of "have-to's" that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing and regrouping make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits. Most of all, it will help you stay consistent and motivated.

The world should be full of color—especially on your dinner plate! Splash it with as many colors as possible, paint it like a rainbow with food. It’s more fun to look at and chances are you’ll be eating a healthy, balanced meal.

It’s always more fun with friends around. Children tend to gravitate toward other children. It gives them spirit and makes them want to play all day. Working out with other people is almost like having your own little playgroup.

Adventures are found outside, not inside. Every kid knows that the good stuff is in the great outdoors—fresh air, wide open spaces, limitless possibilities. You can’t find those things cooped up in a tiny, stale gym. Open the door and start a new adventure every day.

It’s important to use your imagination. You can be Captain Fantastic or Stupendous Woman any time you want. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.

Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They’re right.

You have your whole life ahead of you. Here’s your chance to do it right.

Here is a link to the whole article on sparkpeople if you are interested:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=405

QOTD Monday, June 4, 2012: Which of these motivational ideas can you use on Motivational Monday? Or do you have one of your own? Just make sure it comes from your laughing place!

I will be back in the morning to give you my answer and catch up on replies -- we're off to a great start!

I think I am going to pick all of these too. Tomorrow is my last day of school. We had our graduation dinner tonight for our 5th graders. It is so nice. The teachers serve the students and their parents then we have a slide show. My youngest son is graduating from his school on Wednesday and they do the same thing. I will be crying my eyes out. .... then my oldest graduates on Thursday. He is the valedictorian of his class and will be giving a speech. I am trying to hold myself together here .... It is really happy times ... but hard to see my babies grow up.

Anywhoo .... The children's quotes are perfect for me. This is the way my whole work day revolves. ANYONE can do ANYTHING! I have the best job in the world.

I have to expand on:
Everything can be a game.
When I taught first grade, our room would be a mess at the end of the day and no one wanted to pick up the garbage on the floor. So, I invented the "Garbage Man Game". I would set the timer for 5 minutes and my students were allowed out of your chair to pick up the garbage on the floor .... but, you weren't allowed to talk! The first time I played this I can remember telling a child they had to sit down because they were talking and they were so mad they were out of the game. I always had the cleanest floors in my wing. The problem was this game NEVER worked with my children at home!

This is a bad week for me and I don't think I am going to be able to respond to anyone. I will be reading and lurking .... Keep up all the good work!