Dieting for Disney

[AlaskaMOM]

Hi everyone-
Just checking in before the mad rush of school takes me away from Dis.
I've been keeping to my Aug challenges, I have had 2 flubs though, last night I forgot to take my vitamin, and I cut back a little on the water for our drive to Anchorage (and back) I really didn't want to stop at one of those holes in the ground type of facility, so I purposely didn't drink quite as much! As for exercising I have been doing so good (I feel like I'm tooting my own horn )
I think I have a goal for next month already forming: stay off the scale.
Can you believe this, while at the hotel I weighed myself!!! I just got finished swimming 40 min. and stopped in the weight room for a drink, and lo and behold there was a scale right next to the water! And I of course had to see....... And guess what the scale was 6-8 pounds different than my old clunker at home! in my favor tho Then of course I had to check my weight once we got home to see if I really lost 6 lbs in one day (YEAH RIGHT!!) And then this morning right on up there. Always living for the loss, and today I did have one of 3 lbs. But when I don't y'all know you beat yourself up about it! So I now state my Sept challenge for myself is to weigh in only one day (and only once on that day) per week!

CJK congrats on the halfway mark for Aug challenge!

Bubba- as for "rewarding" all of us.... I think you do, you are always so helpful and encouraging, and that's what some of us need so much more, we can always go and get ourselves rewards (and I do) for reaching goals, and making challenges. Actually I have now lost 20 pounds since starting so I am rewarding myself with a trip to the hair salon, and get me a new 'do.

Have a great week everyone, enjoy the last little bits of summer left

 

[bubba73]

Hey all! I hope this week has started off well for everyone. Just remember that this is the beginning of a new week which means that we all have a fresh start to what we can achieve. It also gives a new week to fall into temptation . Yes, anything is possible and everything is probable. We have to stay strong in our quest to not only live healthy but to also loose weight. I know I am going to do everything physically possible to get up in the morning and get to the gym before I go to work. Work has been very taxing and stressful on me lately but I feel as bad as I do because I haven't been able to workout like I am used to. It is looking like I will be getting some new employees very soon so I will be able to get back on my routine.

CJK - I know you are looking forward to going on your hiking trip. That can be a great workout and very inspirational at the same time. The natural beauty of the landscape can make it where you don't even realize how far you go. That gives you the opportunity for even a greater workout. I hope you have a great time.

AlaskaMom - Honestly, I would probably go with the weight that you saw on the scale at the pool. They are typically of a higher quality than what we buy for home. So way to go!! The fact that you have lost 20 pounds is a testiment to your resolve. You are doing wonderful. And no. You are not saying anything that is not deserved. It seems as you have been sticking with your challenge and even exceeding your goals. How long have you been doing the same exercise routine? What have you been doing on a daily basis? You might find out that if you change up and do something totally different, you might get better results. If you want, I would be happy to help with some ideas. As far as the idea of rewarding each of you, I do thank you for what you said. Yes, it is easier for you to reward yourselves than it is for someone 1000's of miles away to do so but I think I have an idea. I am trying to devise a plan and if it comes about, I will need all of your input and help. I am not going to let the surprise out yet but I do want to do something. If anyone has any ideas on how to make this happen, please feel free to share. I am open to new ideas.

Thought for the day - As a trainer, you have to have a lot of knowledge but you also have to have a lot of vision. Being a trainer is something like being an artist, even a sculptor. We as trainers must be able to help anyone that is willing and wanting to be able to sculpt their own perfect body. Now we have a lot of success here where people have lost 20, 30, 40 pounds or more. We are sculpting our NEW figures and physiques. The good news is that we are not sculpting a new person. We are the same person that we have always been. We are just happier and healthier. We are more energetic and look at life with vigor. This is why we are doing what we are doing. Keep it up and make yourself a "MASTERPIECE".

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi everyone - newbie on this thread... Leaving for Disney in 6 weeks and meeting up with someone and would love to be in better shape when that happens so I started eating less and walking on Monday.. I hope to keep up with this thread and learn some great tips from you all!! Michelle

 

[bubba73]

Welcome Bigsis!! We are very happy to have you join our family. I know you and I have already met and I hope you found my suggestions helpful. We are one big family here. We have shared everything from personal success stories to family hardships so feel free to share anything that you need to. We are all here to make sure you succeed. It has been a little slow here lately with school starting back but I would like to tell you about some of our regulars. Thelionqueen is an amazing woman that has had tremendous success. She went to Las Vegas last week and before she left, she has had a total weight loss of 48 pounds. AlaskaMom is one of the newer members and she has lost a little more than 20 pounds. She has been doing a fantastic job with her training and dieting. CJK is one of our neighbors to the North from Canada. She has been one of the motivational and inspirational leaders ever since she has joined us. And one more that has been absent recently is Momrek. She is from Massachusettes (?) and has an amazing way with words. I am sure that if you look back over some these pages, you will see what I mean. The Summer time is one of her busier times with work so she hasn't been able to post as often as she would like too. Plus, I believe her husband is visiting there son in Greece right now so I am sure that has added to her hinderance. We have several others that post their successes and their failures and I am sure you will be able to meet them very soon as well.

Quick note - I was able to get back to the gym today and it was awesome!! All I did was concentrate on my arms, biceps and triceps. When I left the gym, I had a great pump. It really made me feel good when I had a hard time putting my work shirt back on because my arms were too swollen to fit through the sleeves. That doesn't happen too often so that was a real good feeling. I am going back tomorrow to try to do my back and then do chest on Friday.

We are in the middle of the month. How are you doing with your personal challenges? After 16 full days, I still have not had any sweets. Amazingly, I am not even missing them either so I may stay on this trend.

I hope all is well. I miss all of you when you don't post. These days when you don't come in and share, it is like a day without my family. I just like knowing how you are doing through these trying times. Stay Healthy!!

 

[bigsis1970]

thanks for the warm welcome! I appreciate all the support and I do find it very Helpful when I have tried to lose weight in the past so I am sure I will checking in here often.

 

[AlaskaMOM]

Well, it's been a busy week for me with school starting for me on Tue, getting ready for the kids that come this tue. I also had a catering job. Now I know it's a difficult thing to do with trying to have a healthy lifestyle and then do catering, but I made that commitment before I made the commitment to myself. Bad news again, I also have a wedding cake to make next month, but that shouldn't be as hard (I'm not real interested in cake or traditional icing -but if it's whipped cream, well you know it's my major temptation) So with all the extras it's been hard to meet my challenges [remember: exercise every day, drink 3-4 liters of water daily, and take a vitamin daily] I have to say the challenge that I seem to have oops'd is the vitamin I forget to take it after a meal, and then it's too late (no empty stomach and vitamin for me) but I did manage to do some exercise every day even on those 2 extremely busy-hectic days I squeezed in some crunches and push-ups.
Welcome to the family bigsis1970 I'm sure that you'll love coming here to share your triumphs and your worries, and as you've probably already seen , Bubba is awesome, one of the best coaches/cheerleaders of us all.

Bubba way to go on the workout, it's great that you're finding the time! You asked about my exercise routine; well I don't really have a routine. I have 3 really good videos, 1) The Firm 2) Kathy Smith abs & bottoms 3) is a low impact "easy" aerobic. I also have a treadmill that I probable use 3-5 days per week doing intervals, start out slow to warm up, then do a speed walk, then slow down a bit and add 5.5 incline, slow down a bit more and add more incline 10.5, then back to 5.5, then do a couple min slow and easy, then increase to a quick pace for 5-10 min, finally a gradual slow down over 15 min. (boy that was a LOT of "then"s) I also have a set of weights that I use while on the TM (mostly bicep curls) I also work on the triceps and delts with the weight off the tm, or I'd probably fall off! and EVERY DAY I do 4 sets of 12 crunches, 1 set regular, 2 sets to the side (1 each side), and 1 set where I hold position for 3 seconds every 3rd crunch. I really don't think I am growing tired of any just yet, I really love the TM I get my mp3 player and listen to my music, it almost makes me feel like I'm dancin' instead of working out

Everyone have an awesome week, I don't know how much time I'll have for dis'in or W.I.S.H.'in during the week, so I'm sending out all my good/positive vibes to you all!

 

[blestmom]

Hi all! It's been quite awhile since I've checked in. Everything here is going great. Weight-wise, I'm still working on the last 10, but I'm not stressing about it. My goal is to have it gone by my January 2007 trip. Regarding my own personal challenge (stop eating when 'satisfied') has gone great. Even with meals I just love (like spaghetti) I would often take a second helping just because it tasted so good, even though I wasn't hungry anymore. I've learned to say to myself, "I'm not hungry anymore...I enjoyed what I had, and I'm leaving it at that." I haven't had a regular exercise schedule, and won't for another couple of weeks when our schedule changes and we get back to the club routine. But I've been doing things like parking the furthest away in the parking lot, and taking only one bag of groceries in at a time (up two flights of stairs from the driveway to the front door) and stuff like that. I figure that a little exercise is better than none. My next personal challenge is to work on healthy breakfasts. Last month I admit I didn't eat the best breakfasts (due to my son's early morning football practice schedule) so that is my new goal...while keeping up with my old ones. I'm thinking more protein...that is always a challenge for me. Hope all of you are doing well!

 

[bubba73]

Hey everyone! Well, it has been another challenging week for a lot of us. This is one of the tests that life will throw at us in order to see how dedicated we are to ourselves. We all have very busy lives with family, jobs and everyday "chores" that sometimes we feel like that we have to put ourselves on hold until the next day. AlaskaMom is actually being a huge inspiration to me right now being able to do some form of exercise everyday. I, too, have succumbed to the ordeals and stress of everyday life and let it take away from my enthusiasm and my energy to get to the gym and train so I can feel better and (hopefully) look better. I am still meeting my goal of no sweets but it has been getting harder. There is a place that makes a wonderful milkshake and I have been wanting one for the last week. Just to make sure that I do not falter, I am not even going to that restaurant right now.

AlaskaMom What fantastic news that you have been able to stick with your challenge. You are doing so well and I am serious when I say that you are motivating me to do better. If it is alright with you, I would like to read over your exercise routine for a day or two and then give you a couple of suggestions that might be able to "amp" up your success rate. It sounds like you are doing great on the treadmill so keep it up.

Blestmom We've missed you! Way to go on your challenge! Changing your eating habits and telling yourself that you have had enough even when you want more is tough but it is a huge step in the right direction. I can remember talking to some of the prettiest, most fit girls that I have ever known back in high school. Being the "fat kid", I always wanted to know what they did to stay in such great shape. Amazingly enough, they didn't do a lot of exercise for 5 hours a day or starve themselves. They did about 30 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of strength training and stopped eating when they were satisfied. I believe I have mentioned that on average, we eat 75% of what is on our plates. So if this is the case, let's get a smaller plate. You are on the right track. I hope life slows down a little for you so you can get back into your routine. Be Happy and Healthy!!

BigSis I hope you are doing well. As you can see, we are just one big, happy family here that really tries to encourage and motivate each other. We all want you to succeed. Especially when you first get started back into a healthy lifestyle and you feel like you have to give up so much to reach your goals, we want to let you know that you are not giving up anything really. Think about how happy you are going to be once you have obtained your goals and reached those milestones. Yes, there may be a sacrifice for a little while but mainly what we want you to know is you can still enjoy your favorites. But do so in moderation. When you do that and add in the exercise and cardio that you are doing, your body will have to respond. I don't care what anyone says. You can't loose weight just because you take some pill in a bottle or drink some SlimFast. Anything and everything that you see says the same thing. This will aid you with weight loss with "proper diet and exercise". But to us here at Dieting for Disney, we have actually started to look at the word diet as a four letter word. Diet is such a negative word and that is why so many people fail when they attempt one. What we are about is a healthy lifestyle change. Diets are temporary which means once the diet is over, the weight always comes back and it usually brings more with it. But a lifestyle change is not temporary. It is just that. LIFE! We are making this change so we can have a better, more productive life. For ourselves, for our families and our friends.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Let us take Sunday and spend time with our family and come back Monday and focus back on ourselves a little. Don't look at it as taking time away from your family. We are actually adding time for our family by adding years to our life. Keep up the great work!

 

[momrek06]

HEY EVERYONE: Sorry I have not been good about posting at all. DH and I were so incredibly busy wrapping up all his work so he could travel overseas to meet up with DS#2 in Athens. They are traveling throughout Europe and will end up at the University of Glasgow, Scotland where DS will attend college this semester. We worked like dogs to get all our clients work done. I suffered for a few days with horrible migraines. I was just so stressed out making sure we would get the work load caught up. We would NEVER EVER take vacation this time of year but we had to get DS moved into Glasgow. DH is my traveler so he went to assist DS with his move and first few days of school. DS#1 and I are holding the fort down. Taking and returning calls. People just think I can pull out DH's equipment and do a complete survey of their property and set the iron pins...NOPE I am not licensed, DH is....oooo, when does he get back...UGH!!!! So I am trying desperately to make people happy.
My dad turns 80 yo this weekend and my mom is stressing out with the party details. UGH....migraine approaching....

DH and I kept up our walks at the local high school track...and despite the horrid heat we were there right up until he left! We did our walk and jog routine and we really got ourselves into truly liking this w/o program for ourselves. DH has emailed me a bit and says he and DS are doing a TON of walking in Europe. (good boy, DH, all our talks are working!!!!!!)

I miss all my company. DS used to walk with me and then when he left in JUNE, DH joined in and now he is gone. Oh well, I have my faithful IPOD who has replaced the family on the walking track.

HEY WELCOME TO SO MANY NEWBIES ON THE THREAD!!!

Bubba: MANY MANY MANY thanks for the PM. You are just so awesome!!!

I will be around this week and then off to Maine for 4 days celebrating Dad's big day!!!

I read this Thread all the time. This THREAD NEEDS TO BE PUBLISHED. This is the most motivating and inspiring group of people. All posting such fabulous advice for all of us. I have had my share of "funks" which so many of you have talked me through!!! It is a "best seller" for sure.

I am priviledged to have the chance to be a member of Dieting for Disney.

OKAY everyone: Have a wonderful, healthy and happy week!!!

 

[CJK]

Hi everyone!!! It's nice to see so many people posting again! I just got back from my camping trip and you know what? I really missed you guys!! When I was hiking through the forest, climbing bluff after bluff, I could hear your gentle words of encouragement. I was tired - boy was I tired! But, through the words of encouragement on this thread and the promise of a breathtaking view at the top of the cliff, I made it through!!!! Oh what a glorious feeling it is to reach the top and breathe it all in. Yes, I was one with nature! I finally know what that means! LOL

Welcome to the newbies!!! I hope you stick around. The more people, the merrier! You've likely already discovered the wonderful people here. It's amazing how we've never actually physically met, but I feel like I really know everyone.

Thank you to everyone for posting you exercise programs, your regimes, your ups and downs and for posting about your day to day lives. Hearing all of this really humanizes everyone, making us feel more like a family. It may sound corny........but I sort of feel like your successes are my successes too. Any difficulties you all go through, I want to be your cheerleader and help you through it. We can do this............together!!

I'm not sure if I posted yet that I've weighed myself!!!!!!!! I weighed myself last Tuesday I think. The boogie man didn't even jump out and get me! Yes, the number staring up at me was worse than I thought, but on that same day 3 different people commented on how much weight I've lost. So, I've gotta take the good with the bad I guess! I weighed myself again today (after my camping trip with lots of exercise), and there was no change. I was disappointed, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much. I was expecting a loss, but no such luck. I can zip up my size 10 shorts without fainting though! I'm getting more hopeful that I'll be in these shorts for our trip next month! Woohoo!

Well, the treadmill is calling my name. I just wanted to quickly check in and say hello to everyone. Here's to a wonderful week of exercise, healthy choices and even healthier attitudes!!!!!

 

[bubba73]

Just a quick post as I am getting ready to head to the gym before I go to work. It is great to see some of the regulars coming back when they can. Momrek, I feel for you doing everything on your on while DH and DS is probably having the time of their lives in Greece. I know you have temporarily lost your physical training partners but you still have all of us. We will do everything in our power to help you through these lonely times.
CJK, I am so glad you had such a wonderful time on your camping trip. I had actually forgotten that that was where you were last week. Isn't it a rewarding feeling when you do reach that summit? As far as the weight goes, being in a size 10 is great. I remember that was what my DW was in when we got married. Her goal is to get back down to that but she still has having trouble staying motivated to do the exercise that is needed. She still has the idea that she has the same metabolism that she did as a teenager. But she was also much more active as a teenager. (Funny how she forgot that part. ) But we are trying. Let me suggest changing your routine on the treadmill. Do more interval training. What I mean is for you to spend 5 minutes at a slow pace just warming up the body, then spend 1 minute going as hard as you can go, then spend another 5 minutes catching your breath at a slower pace and then 1 minute as hard as you can go. Do that routine for a 20 to 30 minute cardio blast and that will halp supercharge your metabolism. Also, if you have stairs available, one thing you can do is to go down the stairs as fast as you can (while still being safe, of course) and then go back up them with a side step. You will find that this is a great cardio and leg workout at the same time. It will also hit your backside so be forewarned.

It's Monday!! The beginning of a new week. This week has all kinds of possibilities. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to be successful and make this your best week to date? Or are you going to give more excuses on why you "can't" exercise? We all have very busy lives but as I have said before, we have to make time for ourselves as well. Have a fantastic day!!

 

[thelionqueen]

I have yet to read the pages of posts Ive missed, but plan on doing that this week.

An update on me, I have not been to the gym in nearly 3 weeks now, but have been watching my diet OK. My oldest son is in 4th grade and my youngest starts Kindergarten tomorrow (NOOOOOOOOO).

I have been UNBELIEVABLY busy this last month and now FINALLY can concentrate on me.

I will be heading back to the gym on Thursday and will not weigh myself until Sept. I am still going to keep up with my weight loss, and look forward to hearing all of your success stories once I get a chance to catch up.

Keep up the good work yall..I'm back!!

BUBBA...Thank YOU for the WONDERFUL PM, it was so GREAT to hear from you and still encouraging as always. THANKS AGAIN, I appreciate your words and not giving up on me..I'm here, and will continue until it is all gone!!

Will post later after I've read everyones posts!! Great to be back!!
TLQ

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi again and thanks for all the encouragement from you - I am glad to be in the fold of this family!! so I have been at it for a week and lost 2.5 lbs.. I walked 2.25 miles last Mon, Tues, Thurs and on Sat 2.75 miles. Then on Sunday it rained so I dug out my 45 min latin dance tape WOW that was some workout - I was sweating bullets by the end and man do my leg feel it today!! I do have some issues coming up this week but am commited to keeping at it.. (my DD has Travel soccer M, W, F 6 -7:30pm Sat & Sun games) Hope everyone else is doing great !! Michelle

 

[teacher31]

Hello everyone!! As you can tell from my signature, I'm a teacher. I've read a few posts here and there, but haven't had time to create one here. It's rough starting school. We've been able to eat lunch out for a couple days and that's it until school is over. Diet hasn't been going that well. Everyone at school thought I've lost a lot more than the 10 I did this summer. That made me feel good. Feel guilty about onion rings twice in one week, however. They were so goooood though! I'm going to get back on the bandwagon next week after open houses are over for my school and the schools where my children go. I know there are a lot of us busy right now and it's almost impossible to do the right thing, isn't it? I could have gotten up at 5:30 to work out (NOT an option) or skipped today. I'm skipping. If you are wondering, I don't have enough time from my workout to clean up before the first open house tonight!

Challenges have not worked for me recently. I'm thinking of a Thanksgiving challenge (Bubba! Pay attention here!!): How about losing the weight of your typical turkey from Sept. 1 to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving? Just a thought.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who posts! Love reading them, and they continue to encourage me even when I'm slacking.

Hope everyone has had a successful back to school time and I'll post more regularly very soon!!

Karen

 

[bubba73]

Yeahhhhhhh!!! Lionqueen and Teacher31 are back. We have missed you around here. Even though it is always understandable when someone is not able to post as often as they would like, I know I too look forward to reading how everyone is progressing. Teacher, after reading what you put, I feel like I need to just say, "Yes Maam!" and move on. (LOL) I like the idea of a challenge to lose 10 pounds from September 1 to November 22. Of course, I think as long as it is something that will keep you motivated, that's all that matters. On a side note, I hope that you have a wonderful school year. Think about how good it felt when all of your co-workers told you how good you looked. Those words of encouragement from your friends and your peers is what always has been motivating to me. I want to send you a and .
Lionqueen It is so wonderful to have you back from your trip. How was Vegas? My Mom and Dad went earlier this summer. It really wasn't their cup of tea. They did enjoy going to the Hoover Dam but they are not Casino people. So they were ready to leave pretty quickly. I noticed that you have 5 weeks before your next trip to WDW. How jealous of you I am!! I don't even have a trip planned right now to go anywhere as I can never get away from work. I am hoping for an outside chance to be able to go back to California in October. If that happens, I will go back to DL one more time. Anything to get my Mouse fix. But I am waiting to see if I will be able to go. If not, I am looking at doing a weekend trip to Gatlinburg or even Chattanooga. Anyway, back to what I was going to ask you. What goal are you going to set for yourself for this trip? It seems like you have met all of your goals so far so I will be interested to see how you are going to "push" yourself this time. Good luck with it and know that we will be here with you all of the way.
BigSis 2.5 pounds in your first week. That's great!! That is the healthy way to do it. Nice and slow. the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to put it back on. I know you said that you are going to have issues this week with DD and Soccer. I also remember you saying that you are a night owl and don't like to get up early to do your exercise. I would like to challenge you to try to exercise while DD is in school, before her practices or games. This is what I have started doing since my schedule has changed at work. I get up and get my exercise done right after the kids get on the bus. Why not? I am already up. It doesn't make sense for me to go back to bed right away. It has been working, too. My waist is staying down but my chest and arms are getting bigger and fuller. My clothes are starting to get tight, in a good way. So I am excited. Just a friendly little challenge. I know you can do it!!

What a wonderful way to get a new week started? We have had a lot of "MIA's" come back with what seems to be intensity and vigor. It really does seem like the Dieting for Disney thread is going to have the best week we have had in a long time!! I am very proud of every single one of you and I know down in my heart, we are all going to reach and even surpass all of our goals. You are a winner and you deserve to be as healthy and as happy as you want to be. Have a great day tomorrow!!

 

[CJK]

Hi everyone, and welcome back!!

Bubba: Thanks for the interval training suggestion. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the subject. Here's what I've been doing for the last 3 weeks (minus my camping trip). I've been doing 60min. on the treadmill, 3 times a week. That 60min. consists of 45 seconds of walking followed by 75 seconds of jogging (plus warm up and cool down). Should I change that up? Two days a week, I do an hour of advanced Taebo which heavily emphasizes strength training and ab work. On Saturday's I do a 45min. yoga class and Sunday's dh and I do a 5km walk. I like Sunday's being a bit more low-key.

Bubba: What a wonderful feeling it must be to be maintaining that trim waist and feeling your clothes get tighter around your chest/arms!!! Way to go! You mentioned your wife. Do you find you're able to go on family walks together? I know your work schedule is difficult. I found that for me, going on walks with dh really helped. He has always been into fitness and I know it bothered him when I wasn't. Walking with him and therefore, talking with him about fitness/well being really helped me get back on track. I realized how good it felt being active.

Teacher31 Welcome back! I LOVE your challenge idea for Thanksgiving!!!! Of course, the Canadian Thanksgiving is in October so I couldn't lose the weight for our Thanksgiving, but if you'll all permit me, I'll pretend that I'm going to the US for the American Thanksgiving and follow the challenge with all of you!! I hope you get back into routine with the school year with ease. All the best as you get going on your challenge!!!!

bigsis Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're doing amazingly well in your weightloss and exercising!!!! I think we found yet another star on this thread!!!!!! Thanks for the motivation!

thelionqueen Welcome back!! How was your trip? Sounds like you've been amazingly busy, but as usual, you're still so upbeat! I just know that as the school year routine sets in, you'll be back up and running (so to speak!)

momrek06 Wow - your family is full of world travellers! Good for you for keeping up with that walking while your exercise partners are away! I hope you have a great time in Maine. I went there many years ago and just loved it. Oh how I wish I could travel every week!! Thanks for your upbeat posts. I agree that this thread is so uplifting and motivating.

Alaskamom I guess school starts for you today! Hope it goes great. I don't think I could make wedding cakes without eating them! You're amazing to me to be able to do it! Congrats on sticking with the healthy lifestyle. Your struggle with taking the vitamin is the same as my problem of drinking enough water! I just never seem to do it, despite my daily good intentions. Keep up the amazing exercise routines!!!

Thanks to ALL of you for your motivational stories, encouragement and for just being you! It helps tremendously. My week is going well so far. I'm having dinner at a pub-type place tonight with friends which is a little unnerving. I did see that there are salads on the menu so at least there's something I can have! I'm going a way to visit family for a couple days this week so my best defense will be portion control. I hope to get my mother to walk with me too. I worry about her weight a lot. But she absolutely despises exercise and struggles with eating healthily. My dad is big into exercise so hopefully we can get my mom out walking this week.

That's all for now. I've got to get to Taebo. Have a GREAT week everyone!

 

[momrek06]

HELLO EVERYONE:
CJK: What kind words. You are a doll. Yes, eating out is always so scary for me...ahhh...I always TRY to go with the BEST intentions and I have this little birdie that sits on my shoulder who just constantly reminds me to try to do the best I can when it comes time to ordering. Last week I went out with all the girls and had a salad with grilled chicken and the dressing on the side. That was it. It was a rather large salad and with all the talking it was plenty of eating for me. I love the bonelss grilled chicken they throw on top. There is my protein and then my salad is my roughage and then I would ever so gently dip a fork-full (DIP) it into the dressing. Large diet soda and wedge of lemon. One of my friends, who is quite large, ordered a bowl of chowder and an order of mozzaralla sticks. LORDY, the chowder was like in a TUB and the mozz sticks (which she thought would be 4) was NINE. I glanced over and was glad of my ordering decision. I try to remember that when my meal is done, I do not want to feel HORRIBLY FULL. I have done that for too long and I am DONE with feeling like that anymore.

Ran more at the track than ever. Had my IPOD going. Love that little thing and was off for a 55 minute w/o. Managed over 7100 steps!!!

Bubba: I heard in recent Dieting News that to MAINTAIN your weight you must do 60 minutes daily (to just maintain) and to LOSE weight you must be doing 60-90 minutes daily. YIKES !!!! I read it in the Boston Sunday Globe in the PARADE section. I was reading out loud to my DS. He and I were both pretty shocked....BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE 90 MINUTES A DAY to exercise.
Your opinion on that.

Also read now that despite all the dieting one does UNLESS you are exercising and working out YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR ABDOMINAL FAT (which is my biggest issue)...and yes, I know I try to get my w/o's in daily BUT on days I cannot I always try to be more than usual on top of what I eat. I have a good friend that REFUSED to w/o...she is quite heavy and has told me recently she has dieted for years and cannot seem to lose any weight so she is DONE WITH DIETING as well...but I told her to try to combine it with exercise and she said NO, not happening. Are they telling us now IF we cannot get to the gym/walking-track etc...and cannot get our w/o's IN...dieting is NOT enough....!!!!

Well the gang is PRAQUE tonight and I am waiting for a call and then hitting the track with my IPOD. 7100 steps and counting. I have this obsessive/complusion that I cannot leave the track until I have done 7100+!!!


OKAY everyone!!! Keep up all the good work. Love reading everyone's Posts!!!

 

[o2bacelt]

Hi everyone! I keep hoping to have a few minutes to sit down and write and then something happens and my "free" time disappears. Had a sick 2 yo this past weekend and latter part of last week. Not fun, poor thing is so clingy when she's sick and it lasts for at least a week after she feels better. My poor DH just gets yelled at because he's not the mama.

Momrek06 - Wow, I'm going to have to see if that article is online at the Boston Globe website. I'd be interested in reading it. I seem to be dropping weight and I usually work out between 50 and 65 minutes a day and I'm not always that cautious about what I'm eating.

CJK - Interval training is great. My usual Wednesday workout is an interval workout and boy do I feel it. I love it though, it's my favorite day of the week. I like the instructor.

LTQ - How was Vegas?! I've always wanted to go there, one of these days we'll get there, it sounds like so much fun. I just read back and wow, your total weight loss is inspiring!

Bubba - I'm really thinking about getting certified, I think I would really enjoy it and having a job that would keep me active seems like such a great idea. I feel so much better when I'm working out. If you ever get a chance, I can't say enough great things about the deep water exercise class I take. I've even started to deep water jog when I've got to make up time I've lost during the week. I'm really starting to notice a difference in my legs and other parts. When I measured last I was down 3" in my hips and one on my waist.

I'm down 15 pounds over all now. I did get a little bad news yesterday, I had gone back in for my cholesterol check and my Ldl actually went up a couple of points so I've got three more months of positive changes to make and we'll see where we are. My blood pressure is great though now, so he's happy with that, I got him to agree to give me a little more time on the cholesterol since I'm working hard at trying to get a lot of changes implemented at one time.

I should probably have my head examined but I've committed to doing a sprint triathlon this time next year with a girlfriend of mine. She's doing it this year as part of a team, she just had a baby 5 weeks ago, she's going to do great. She's got the 5K run/walk portion of it. It should be fun. So this morning I swam the prescribed 150M of swimming. I'm going to try to get on the treadmill tonight here at the apartment. I'm thinking about running/jogging/walking a 5K the end of October or the middle/end of November. I'll have to see how the training goes for that one and make my decision the middle of October.

That's about it for me right now. I'm going to try to take advantage of the sleeping toddler and get some stuff done around the house while she's asleep.

 

[teacher31]

CJK - Love your comment about Thanksgiving! I'd aim for November, too. I'm hoping to be 100% back by then. Although Bubba said something about losing 10 pounds. My turkey is always around 15. Could be why I have to lose more. Well, that and the sweet potatoes...

Thanks for the kind welcoming back words. You guys are the greatest.

Anyone else having issues with 'Diet' snacks? I'm realizing that I'm eating them more than I should be. I tend to hit the 100 calorie packs of Wheat Thins or Jello Instant Pudding sugar free/fat free. The size is correct - meaning I weigh what the portion is. Calorie wise it fits into my day. Protein, fats, carbs numbers all jive. I guess I'm bothered by the fact that I'm taking advantage of the 'Diet' snack to get my sweet in. Don't do it every day, but those SlimABear bars are pretty darn good. Anyone else feel this way?

TLQ - Hope your son got off to Kinder. well. Do they have a Boo-Hoo Breakfast at your school for the moms?

 

[bubba73]

Momrek I love all of the questions that you ask. There are so many different things to cover that there is no way to remember what you have talked about and what you haven't. So let me try to talk about what you asked. May I go on record and say what the Boston Globe said (and I will try to be polite) is honestly crap. It is incorrect. To say that you have to do an hour of exercise everyday just to maintain your weight is ludercris. I have seen so many people lose a lot of weight by doing 20-30 minutes a day for 3-4 days a week. It is important to remember one very important catch phrase. "It is not quantity. It's quality!" What is the one inargueable fact about loosing weight? You have to burn more calories than you take in. There are many ways to do this and it doesn't have to be done in 90 minutes a day. I hope this isn't a rude way to answer your question. Besides, you know how much I value our friendship.

O2bacelt It is great to here from you again. I am also very excited about the fact that you are considering getting certified. That is very exciting. Just be prepared. There is a lot more stuff that you have to know than most people realize. I have seen one of the manuals from one course and it was very thick. It was somewhat intimidating. I don't say that to scare you away. I just thought you might want to be knowledgable about it. Have you considered what organization you will use to become certified? I would recommend picking a reputable company. Good luck and have fun with it. As far as the water aerobics, that is just not possible right now. I don't have a pool available to me at all. I'm sure something else will present itself. Thanks for the tip though.

Teacher31 How's school going for you so far? My kids have been back for 2 weeks and I have a meeting already with my son's teacher tomorrow morning. I have had a lot of concerns about his preparedness for middle school and I wanted to see what his new teachers thought. I know some of his problems are his ADHD but there is more to it than just that. We're trying to make sure he can succeed! Otherwise, I said a 10 pound turkey because when I worked for Chick-fil-A, my boss gave us 10 pound hams or turkeys every year as part of a Christmas bonus. But to make matters worse, I learned about a little thing called a deep fried turkey. It is the best way I have ever prepared or eaten a turkey but of course that adds tons of calories and fat. As far as the sweet potato, I can't say that I like them. Does that mean I am not a true Southerner? My cross to bear was mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and dessert. Now, I try my best to lay off of all of that and concentrate on the meats and vegetables. My tip on the "diet" snacks is simple. Regulate it to no more than 2 per day because honestly, they are empty (yet satisfying) calories. Also, make it part of a reward for being good. Example would be to partake after you exercise. Enjoy them when you have been really good on your diet for a few days. You will appreciate them more when you do that. Hope that helps!

How are you all doing on your challenges? I can honestly say that I have not had any sweets for this whole month. No chocolate, milkshakes, ice cream or anything. I am extremely happy to be able to report that. I can also say it hasn't been easy. It seems like everytime I look on TV or see a customer at work, they always have something sweet to entice me. How cruel can you be? LOL! Nevertheless, we press on. I hope you are all having a great week and I look forward to hearing about all of your progress!!