BL Summer Challenge 2009

[LuvBaloo]

Hi everybody

Dona, sorry your sons upset you. And 31 years is awesome! I hope you enjoy your celebration in DL when it happens

Welcome back Lisa! I hope you feel better soon

 

[sahbushka]

Hi all, sorry for posting so late this morning. I had a great time with my 3 friends last night at our sleepover! I ate over points but I tracked it and am still within the points for the week! We didn't go to bed till after 3am and I had to get up at 6:15...ugh! Oh well, I am here at work and will be ok.

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

As for me, the main thing is schedule...if I had scheduled one thing and something else comes up that we have to do and that changes my scheduled plans it can really throw me eating wise. So far on plan this time I have done well with this. Instead of using Weekly Points randomly and whenever I feel like it, I save them in case something unexpected comes up. It has helped me out lots of times!

Have a great op day and don't forget to drink your water....I need to do that!

Sarah

 

[FLAngie]

Hello All,

I am back from vacation now, and it feels good to be home.

Dona, Happy Anniversary! I have to admit that I am not good at remembering anniversaries. I know that I have missed a few of my parents and have to write it down on the calendar just to remember. That being said...I have to write down my own or I would probably forget that as well. And that is after 16 years of marriage

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Eating out is my big downfall. We do not make any fried foods at home, so when we go out it is a huge temptation for me. I try to make up for it the next day by eating really healthy.

On another note. How many people are counting points or not. I tried once and decided that it was just not going to work for me. I try to make healthy choices instead of counting calories even. Maybe that is why I am here

 

[sahbushka]

Hello All,

I am back from vacation now, and it feels good to be home.

Dona, Happy Anniversary! I have to admit that I am not good at remembering anniversaries. I know that I have missed a few of my parents and have to write it down on the calendar just to remember. That being said...I have to write down my own or I would probably forget that as well. And that is after 16 years of marriage

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Eating out is my big downfall. We do not make any fried foods at home, so when we go out it is a huge temptation for me. I try to make up for it the next day by eating really healthy.

On another note. How many people are counting points or not. I tried once and decided that it was just not going to work for me. I try to make healthy choices instead of counting calories even. Maybe that is why I am here

Hi Angie!

I count points but it works for me because I like stuff like that. I like the figuring and the writing it down and the formula.

Good luck with everything,
Sarah

 

[pjlla]

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Unplanned meals away from home. If we end up running errands on a Saturday and the family decides to eat out, if I haven't planned it and/or saved points, it can be very tough.... especially if I don't get to pick the restaurants. One of the HARDEST places to eat is the mall food court. My family likes to stop there because everyone can get what they like... pizza for DH, McDonalds for DS, and chinese for DD.... but our local mall has a fairly small food court and healthy choices are tough to come by. Sometimes I just have a small side salad or a small portion of something and then eat my main meal alone when I get home.


How is everyone today? Sarah, I'm envious of your evening with girlfriends. I don't really have any close friends and I really miss that kind of "connection".


Dona.... you need to forgive your sons for their oversight.... honestly, I am 45 and I am not sure I will even remember my parents anniversary this year (I should go mark the calendar RIGHT NOW!). It is just not an important date to teenage kids.... even if it is important to their parents. But celebrating together with your DH lets the kids know that it is important to you and they will honor their own anniversaries better for it in the future.

Lisa... sorry about the bronchitis, but great job on the weight maintenance.

I hope everyone continues to have a fine summer and a great day... gotta run...............P

 

[LuvBaloo]

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Being tired and having a messy kitchen can throw me off. Then I don't put the time into eating properly and start eating what's quick and easy.

On another note. How many people are counting points or not. I tried once and decided that it was just not going to work for me. I try to make healthy choices instead of counting calories even. Maybe that is why I am here

Welcome back! I do count points usually. I started WW online at the end of March and had never counted calories or anything like that before. At first it was time consuming to figure everything out, but now, most foods that I eat regularly I know. Last weekend, when I was camping I didn't journal or properly count anything, I just called everyday 30points, which may make tomorrow's weigh in ugly.
Before that I was trying to make healthy choices the majority of the time, but once I started counting points, I realized some of my "healthy" choices really weren't. DH & I would get Quizno's sometimes thinking it was better than McDonalds, but now I know the sub I liked was 40points the nuggets and fries from McDonalds were only 15.

 

[donac]

Thanks guys for giving me a different look at yesterday. It really helped.

After physical therapy I am starting to doubt our decision to go to DW. I know that there is a lot of walking and I still really can't do too much but it is 2 1/1 weeks away.


Lisa I am glad you are starting to feel better. Bronchitis is hard to get over so I hope it is not too hot and humid at your house. Get well soon.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning, losers!

Thanks sahbushka for being our coach last week!

I will be your coach this week. Remember that our challenge has been extended until Friday, September 4th. That means there are five more weigh-ins -- including today's -- which is plenty of time to do some serious losing before the next challenge starts. Go! Go! Go!

donac, does your PT have any suggestions for walking around on your DW trip? They usually have some good ideas or maybe some temporary orthotics to help you. At the very least maybe you will get an extra foot massage or two out of it. Or is there a school holiday in the fall so you could switch dates to when your foot is stronger? You deserve an extra DW trip sometime soon to make up for your summer surgery!

Welcome back from vacation, Angie. I've tried making healthy choices, counting calories and am now on WW. I like WW because the point system seems to help me figure out what to eat that is good for me and low points. Sometimes, I thought I was eating something good and it turned out to be 18 points! I also like www.sparkpeople.com. They seem to do a good job of showing you how you can eat within lower calories but still get a lot of food in a balanced diet. I think that it is just a matter of figuring out what works for you, whatever that may be. I would definitely journal my food and exercise because otherwise I tend to underestimate my intake and really overestimate my activity.

Thursday QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Stress will always throw me off track. I am gradually learning other ways to deal with stress that don't involve mindless eating, like taking a walk, listening to soothing music, taking a bath. But it is a struggle, especially on bad work days. Then I think of pjlla saying we can't control what happens but we can control what goes in our bodies or think of sahbushka who always has a plan ready when she gets stuck working an extra shift and say "well, I can do that too!"

Thanks for all the well wishes about my bronchitis. I am feeling better every day.

Well, I am sorry to say I gained 2 pounds on vacation but it's mine, I own it and will chase it away quickly! I'll be back with today's QOTD.

 

[lisah0711]

Friday's QOTD -- What other goals do you have in your life that aren't health related?

One of my nonhealth related goals is building up better reserves for our business and home finances to weather any other financial bumps in the road that may come along. Another nonhealth related goal is getting my house organized so I can actually find things when I need them -- it's much, much improved. A fun goal is visiting all the Disney parks and getting a poster of each castle to hang in my office. I've been to all the U.S. parks and have two posters so far with a trip to London/Paris in 2011 is in the discussion stages. And, of course, I want to be healthy when I do all that jet setting!

Have a great OP day, losers, and don't forget to PM your weigh in info to LuvBaloo. donac, are we still giving the COW a rest?

 

[princessbride6205]

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?
Stress at work used to throw me off track, but during this challenge I think I've overcome that. Dining out definitely gets me off track because I don't like the healthy options at most places. Why do I want to spend money to go out and not like the food? I have gotten better at eating smaller portions (no appetizer, only eating half the fries, etc.). For both health and budget reasons, I've been trying to eat out less. I'm succeeding on work lunches, but on weekends, DH practically begs to go out or order pizza.

QOTD: Other goals?
I've been trying to be a lot more budget conscious the past few months. Clipping coupons, selling items we don't need/use, tracking spending. A few months ago I added up our expenses and a reasonable amount of extras, and figured we could be putting several hundred more a month in savings. Who knows where that money was going before?! We have almost enough money put away for financial security, so mostly our increased savings is for vacations.
Like Lisa, I'm also trying to keep the house more organized. It stresses me out to have clutter, but I'm terrible at making time to clean the house. I'm trying to do just a little bit each evening and enlist DH's help more.

FLAngie - I was always resistant to counting cals or joining a weight loss plan. Then earlier this year, I was exercising 6 days a week for 3 months and I lost only 2 pounds. In addition to exercising, I was trying to make healthy choices and get on the scale once every few weeks. Well, obviously this wasn't working for me. I started counting calories and it was eye-opening how much I was eating! I liked livestrong.com to track my calorie intake and cal burn for activity. It really helped me get started. Now, I feel like I know what I need to do without counting every day. But charting your food and activity for a few weeks at least may help you identify what you need to change.

Donac - Belated Happy Anniversary!

Weigh-in: Onto my big news for the day - I'm down 3.2 pounds! That's my biggest drop ever in this challenge, probably ever in life, too! I stepped it up a bit this week, but wasn't expecting more than 2 or 2.5 lb loss. My goal was to lose the weight I gained last week plus a pound and I more than achieved that. Hoping I can at least maintain for next week, if not lose a little more. I'm always nervous after a great weigh-in, but I've got my healthy strategy down as far as food and exercise, so hopefully another good week.

 

[LuvBaloo]

I weighed in with a 1.3gain which is a combination of the camping weekend combined with really bad choices yesterday including a king-sized snickers bar from the vending machine at work. I will do better this week!


Thanks to last week's coach Sahbushka!
Thanks to this week's coach Lisah0711!

Friday's QOTD -- What other goals do you have in your life that aren't health related?

I have many goals and they are constantly changing.
Some major one are to find a new job and switch careers, which is going very slowly, but will eventually happen.
And one day to take dance lessons with my husband (he's not too keen on it, but he'll eventually do it). Aim to do this before my 45th birthday! Still got 8 years to fit it in

 

[sahbushka]

Non Health Goals:

Savings

Travel

Sarah

 

[sahbushka]

Sorry everyone....having a really horrible day here. Trying hard not to give into food for comfort...so far I am succeeding. If you believe in it, please send prayers for patience and understanding.

Sarah

Oh I did have a great loss though

 

[LuvBaloo]

Sarah - hang in there! You are doing so well!

 

[FLAngie]

Sarah, hope your day is getting better.


Friday's QOTD -- What other goals do you have in your life that aren't health related?

Savings, catching up with my scrapbooks, trying to find time to do a date night with DH once in a while.


Well, I am back down to my weight that I started the challenge with. Which I am really happy about. I have been away from home for a little over a month and have been making some really bad food choices. School starts on Monday for the kids so I am looking into an exercise class at the community center.

Thanks for the advice about journaling/keeping points. I guess I will at least start with the journal. I have been playing with the idea of keeping track of at least what I ate to see if I can figure out if foods triggers my RA. When you guys keep track do you measure out your portions so that you know exactly how many calories your getting?

How is everyone deciding how much to lose? I know what I would like to be at, but I am not really sure if that is a realistic weight. My BMI says that I am at a healthy weight, but it is not a weight that I like

 

[sahbushka]

Sarah, hope your day is getting better.


Friday's QOTD -- What other goals do you have in your life that aren't health related?

Savings, catching up with my scrapbooks, trying to find time to do a date night with DH once in a while.


Well, I am back down to my weight that I started the challenge with. Which I am really happy about. I have been away from home for a little over a month and have been making some really bad food choices. School starts on Monday for the kids so I am looking into an exercise class at the community center.

Thanks for the advice about journaling/keeping points. I guess I will at least start with the journal. I have been playing with the idea of keeping track of at least what I ate to see if I can figure out if foods triggers my RA. When you guys keep track do you measure out your portions so that you know exactly how many calories your getting?

How is everyone deciding how much to lose? I know what I would like to be at, but I am not really sure if that is a realistic weight. My BMI says that I am at a healthy weight, but it is not a weight that I like

I do measure my portions because otherwise they seem to get bigger and bigger. I am not deciding on how much to lose yet because I am still so large and I think looking at that big a number would be daunting, so I do mini goals...5%, 10%, to be under a certain number, etc. I am .2 from my next mini goal of 35lbs and then I will do a mini goal to lose another 15 so that I can get my 50 pound clippie....that is as far as I am looking right now. One day at a time.

Thanks for the good thoughts, it seems to have worked. My dh got the issue taken care of in a satisfactory manner and we had a talk about stressers and what can be done to make sure we are both on the same page and that things are getting accomplished. He is going to make a calendar and we are both going to go over it daily or everyother day and make sure it is accurate. Then if he needs to schedule something he knows what else is going on. Simple enough but getting how important it is into his head has not been simple at all. Hopefully this will work and nothing important will get missed again!

Sarah

Oh, and I did NOT eat anything I hadn't planned just because I was stressed...yeah me!

 

[corinnak]

QOTD: What is something that can throw you off track and how do you combat it?

Just about anything can throw me off track!

Seriously, though, the worst are the more protracted things like travel, visiting relatives, change in schedule. For those things, I try to think about what I want, how I can make the best choices in the situation, never eating past the point of comfort AND planning to resume journaling the minute life returns to normal, if I slack off journaling what I eat while on a trip. Also, it's important to find a way to stick with my training plan - it may not be the exact plan as written, though!

The thing that seriously derailed me in the past year was an injury - you can't really plan ahead for that, and because it was a brain injury, it was hard for me to focus and count. And I had to stop running for a while so the lack of activity did not help! It would be nice if things like this never happened, but sometimes the best we can do is to just get back to work when we're able to.

Ahh the ubiquitous Messy Kitchen! - SUCH a good point. My kitchen was drowning in paper for a long time. When we finally cleared it out, it made room for cooking healthy things! A liveable kitchen is a vital foundation for success.



QOTD: Other goals? A decluttered house is on the list, for sure. I also had recently thought of going back to school to become a high school English teacher.


Regarding counting/points, I also am on WW and have been on-plan since January - when I am on WW, following the plan, I lose. When I "try to eat less and move more" without some structure, I don't do so well. I do tend to measure portions - so I know I'm getting what I'm owed! I've been on the program 7+ months now and do estimate some things sometimes. Mostly, I have measuring spoons and cups and a handy food scale ready in heavy use when I'm at home, though.

Choosing a goal weight - I looked at the healthy weight range for my height - one of my goals was to get inside that range. Which used to seem very daunting, but I'm there now and am looking at the range itself, deciding where I might want to be within it. Ultimately, I have decided that I want to lose a total of 50 pounds and will evaluate again, once I am there. 14 pounds to go!

 

[corinnak]

Sarah - I just noticed that little line at the end of your post - WTG not eating because of stress! That is a victory!

 

[lisah0711]

Weigh-in: Onto my big news for the day - I'm down 3.2 pounds! That's my biggest drop ever in this challenge, probably ever in life, too!

Congrats, princessbride6205, on the big loss this week! Woo! Hoo!

And one day to take dance lessons with my husband (he's not too keen on it, but he'll eventually do it). Aim to do this before my 45th birthday! Still got 8 years to fit it in

Sounds like a good goal. Maybe if you pick something kind of sexy like tango or salsa DH will be more into it!

How is everyone deciding how much to lose? I know what I would like to be at, but I am not really sure if that is a realistic weight. My BMI says that I am at a healthy weight, but it is not a weight that I like

Well, BMI might be one of those things that are "more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. There are other measures like life insurance ranges for height/weight. Your doctor might be a good source, too. Congrats on being in a healthy BMI range!

I am not deciding on how much to lose yet because I am still so large and I think looking at that big a number would be daunting, so I do mini goals...5%, 10%, to be under a certain number, etc.

Oh, and I did NOT eat anything I hadn't planned just because I was stressed...yeah me!

Yeah you, Sarah! Way to go on keeping the stressor from ruining your plan!

I have a long way to go, too, and like the mini-goal idea. I figure I am still ahead of where I would be if I am doing nothing.

Ultimately, I have decided that I want to lose a total of 50 pounds and will evaluate again, once I am there. 14 pounds to go!

Congrats on being 14 pounds away from goal, corinnak!

 

[mikamah]

Good friday everyone! Congratulations to all the losers and maintainers here, and hugs to those of us who have gained. Maintaining over the summer is cause for celebration too, it is such a challenging time of year.

Thanks Sabushka for coaching last week!! and Welcome back coach lisa, and thank you, too. This has really been a great, active challenge this summer.

Sorry everyone....having a really horrible day here. Trying hard not to give into food for comfort...so far I am succeeding. If you believe in it, please send prayers for patience and understanding.

Sarah

Oh I did have a great loss though

sending some prayers your way, but read your later post. Weigh to go on not giving in and stress eating, and sounds like a nice plan with your husband.

.
How is everyone deciding how much to lose? I know what I would like to be at, but I am not really sure if that is a realistic weight. My BMI says that I am at a healthy weight, but it is not a weight that I like

I also have a lot to lose and try to look at smaller goals. I tend to go by 10 pound increments, and unfortunately went back over 200 again this summer, so my first goal is to be back under 200. I have 27 pound to lose and then according to the bmi charts, i will no longer be obese, just overweight. I don't know if I will ever be in the healthy bmi range for me again, but if I'm a low overweight, and exercising, I think I will be pretty healthy. That is great you are at a healthy weight, and I'm sure as you lose, you will start to figure out how low you want to go.

Friday's QOTD -- What other goals do you have in your life that aren't health related?

One of my nonhealth related goals is building up better reserves for our business and home finances to weather any other financial bumps in the road that may come along. Another nonhealth related goal is getting my house organized so I can actually find things when I need them -- it's much, much improved. A fun goal is visiting all the Disney parks and getting a poster of each castle to hang in my office. I've been to all the U.S. parks and have two posters so far with a trip to London/Paris in 2011 is in the discussion stages. And, of course, I want to be healthy when I do all that jet setting!

Have a great OP day, losers, and don't forget to PM your weigh in info to LuvBaloo. donac, are we still giving the COW a rest?

Great question Lisa. I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. sorry you got sick on vacation. Not too bad to only gain a couple pounds on vacation. You will see that gone in no time.

My non health goal is to clean out my cellar and have a yard sale, and make a little play area down there, nothing big, but just a place for my son to go and hang out. Also, the financial goals are always in my mind, and right now my goal is to work as little as possible, without going into debt, (32 hrs pays the bills now) and when my son is older, I will work more, and then build up more of a savings. Part of me knows I should be saving more now, but I know my son's childhood is going to go by so fast, and I want to be able to enjoy it as much as possible. I also want to organize my pictures, and scrap more.

Well, I stayed the same this week, which is a huge success after multiple gains. I did get the watp dvds out and did that a couple mornings too. Tomorrow is 3 months til disney, more motivation to get some of this weight off.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!