Find Your Own "Directive" - the February Weight Loss / Life Style Change Challenge

[SarahDisney]

Hey guys! I'm Sarah, and I've been doing these challenges on and off for a little over a year. I'll also be your host for the March challenge ... so I hope you guys aren't expecting anything too exciting for that one.

A little about me ...
I'm 29 years old and live with my parents (and siblings) in good old NYC. I'm currently unemployed, and I fill most of my time by browsing the DIS and listening to DIS Unplugged podcasts. I've always been a little overweight, but when I was in college I actually managed to make it to within 10 lbs of my goal weight. Then life got in my way, and when I was under a lot of stress and not doing well, and I ended up putting on 25 pounds. I've lost some of that, but not enough of it. I'm currently at the high end of normal on the BMI scale, but my goal is to make it to the middle of the normal range so that I don't have to worry about my weight fluctuating a bit.
I've come to realize that my biggest problem is that I don't know how to build a healthy meal. I try to make a meal that I think is healthy, but then I end up plugging it into MFP and realizing that there was more sugar or more fat than I had thought. And then I'm hungry again an hour later, so it's time for the junk food. Because, y'know, cookies don't have to be washed off, so they're way less effort than fruit! I know I need to work on making better meals and choosing better snacks, and I'm hoping that will help me make great progress.
I'm also a little bit of a runner, and I've done 3 runDisney events in the past year or so (two 5Ks and a 10K). I'm working my way up to half marathon distance (which is my ultimate goal), but I'm not entirely sure when I'll get to do my first half because of some personal stuff. But that's an issue for a different time. When I'm not running, I enjoy walking, and over the past few months I've gotten into Pilates, which I use as cross training for my running.

What is your goal for the month? How will you achieve your goal?
Are there items that could interfere with your goal? How will you rise above this challenge?

Goal: 3 lbs. Since I had a better than expected starting weigh-in this morning (down 2.5 lbs since yesterday AM), this will finally get me down below 140!

Plan:

• Run 40 Miles - I usually run 3 times per week, and with the distances I have planned for this month, 40 miles should be fairly doable
• Track Food Whenever Possible - I know that I won't always be able to track my food, but whenever I have access to my phone or computer, I need to track food as best as I can.
• Journal Everything - I've created something I call my "health & fitness journal" for this month. Basically, I'm using it as a way to remind myself to keep track of my exercising and food tracking. I have a spreadsheet where I track all of my exercise minutes, so I'll be pasting a screenshot of the exercise plan at the beginning of the week, and then another screenshot at the end of the week so that I can compare the two and see how I do. I also have a table where I will write in every time I track my food. (This probably makes no sense, but it's something I hope will work for me)

Obstacles:

• Being Home All Day - I'm home almost all day, and it's sometimes hard for me to avoid the food when it's so easily available.
  • Solution: Try to get out of the house for at least half an hour at least twice a week. Whether it's a walk to the park just to get in some exercise, a trip to Starbucks for a plain coffee with my laptop, or going into the city to participate in some sort of activity or event, any time spent out of the house and away from the food is a good thing.
• Weather - It can be hard for me to get out and run when it's too cold or super rainy/snowy. I tend to just say "I'll do it tomorrow" ... and then when the same weather conditions arrive on the next day, I just get frustrated.
  • Solution: Embrace the treadmill. I don't dislike the treadmill, I just don't enjoy running on it as much as I enjoy running outside. But I need to not postpone runs - if I can't run outside, then I need to just run on the treadmill instead of postponing.
• Food Pushers - My family does not understand that I do not want to always eat everything in sight. After all, it's what they do, so why shouldn't I?
  • Solution: This is one that I don't yet have a solution for. They don't understand no. I need to figure out a solution to this one, because every idea and suggestion I've seen doesn't work in my situation.

So ... that's me. Not having my best day so far, but it's only 1 PM, so there's time to turn it around!

 

[flvy]

What is your goal for the month? How will you achieve your goal?
Are there items that could interfere with your goal? How will you rise above this challenge?​

I typed this up so many times so I'm sorry if it's rambling. It's been kind of a rough day for me. I woke up after having some really horrible dreams to some devastating news about an ex boyfriend of mine passing away, and now the migraine is setting in. I feel so guilty that I'm going to put my long run off till tomorrow.

Anyway.

My weight goal is 5 lbs. I'll achieve this by keeping up with training, and watching my food intake. Sounds simple, but it's really not.

With my weekly mileage going up, and a half marathon at the end of the month I really need to be mindful of my calories so I don't lay myself out. There is a balance between calories in/out and I need to figure out that balance. I need to do more research to balance this. Burning 300 calories on a half hour maintenance run doesn't have to be compensated. 1000 plus on a long run does. It's something I need to master now, because last night I signed up for a monster of a goal at the end of September in Montreal.

I'm going to rise above, by working at this. It's not just going to happen. Some serious work has to get put in, and I have to hold myself accountable for it all.

 

[JacknSally]

Good morning, and good new month friends! I am so happy to be back here with some old and NEW faces! I have a really good feeling about February.

First, a little about me. I've basically been copying & pasting the same little blurb into the introduction post every month since last May, so I think it's time for something new! Sorry if this gets long - I get carried away sometimes!

My name is Megan, and I turned 27 at the end of January. I am the DogMom of a crazy adorable 3.5-year-old puppy, and my DH and I were just married at the end of October 2015. That same week, I left a job that was full of negativity and making me pretty miserable, and have been "unemployed" since then. At first, it was pretty awesome. Sleep as late as I want, hang out with my dog, and not really have to do anything - I had just gotten out of my bad job-situation and just put an end to a 2-year-period of constant stress with wedding planning, so I had earned this "vacation" of sorts! It didn't help that I have also been really battling some legitimate stress and depression over the last few months. Well, the "awesome" of that wore off, and left me with a horrible sleep schedule, even worse eating habits, and 20 of the 30lbs that I had lost leading up to the wedding. Ugh.

I decided at the end of 2015 that this year was going to be so, so different, and I am trying to hold true to that. I have always wanted to work from home and "get paid to craft", so at the beginning of the year I opened up an Etsy shop, and over the past month I've learned that I need to create some sort of boundaries between my work-at-home life and my home-at-home life, including finding a way to work in some "me" time during my days. We spent this weekend rearranging the two extra rooms in our house so that we now (well, not right this second as it is about halfway done currently, but hopefully soon!) will have a dedicated office/studio for me so we can have our living room back, and a dedicated exercise room for both me and DH.

As for my weight-loss journey, I have been overweight since I was a kid, and pretty well aware of it since middle school, and I'm tired of it. It's not healthy, it's not fun, and it's not for me. Not anymore. I have had a series of excuses over the past few years to try to make me feel better about my lack of dedication, motivation, and self-control, but I have to stop myself from doing that.

2016 is kind of a transition year for us - life has been non-stop since 2012 between graduating, moving home, moving out of my parents' house, moving into different houses a few times, changing jobs a couple of times, planning a wedding, and actually getting married, so this year is relatively uneventful. No planned moves, no big life-events like graduations or weddings or vacations, etc. 2017 will be different, though - my MOH is getting married in May 2017, and I will probably be a bridesmaid in her wedding (I say probably just because of the cost of being a bridesmaid and the current employment situation), we are hopefully going to Disney World with my family in October 2017, and - you're the first to know this, so feel special! - after that trip, DH and I want to start to try to have baby. If that goes according to plan, we'll reveal it to my family on the Disney-trip-we-hope-to-take-in-March-2018. I don't want my weight or health to be an issue for any of those things! So 2016 is all about getting rid of this hurdle in my life.

I want to be down 60-lbs by December 31, 2015. From January 1, that meant a steady loss of 5-lbs per month. Unfortunately, January did not go as planned AT ALL, so I am starting February at the same weight I started January - 214lbs. I was at 199lbs on wedding day, so being back at 214 is REALLY depressing. Plus, now I'm looking at a steady loss of roughly 5.5-lbs per month to reach my goal. I believe I can do it, but I also need to get out of my way and actually DO IT.

Question of the Day - February 1

Every Journey Begins With a Single Step
Today begins the first step towards your new self. Each month brings new opportunity - and so we climb out of our
proverbial floaty chairs and embrace what is ahead of us with both feet firmly planted on the ground. ​

What is your goal for the month? How will you achieve your goal?
Are there items that could interfere with your goal? How will you rise above this challenge?​

FEBRUARY 2016 GOAL

• LOSE 5.5 POUNDS

This is the goal I will be tracking and reporting on this month. A loss of 5.5lbs this month will put me on track for my 60-lbs in 2016 goal. If we're being honest and ambitious, I'd love to lose 15lbs this month and get myself back to my wedding weight, but I don't want to set myself up for that kind of disappointment! So 5.5lbs it is.
​

HOW I WILL ACHIEVE MY GOAL

• MYFITNESSPAL

So, I learned that MyFitnessPal can be kind of misleading. Mine currently shows 1) I lost 7 lbs in January - I didn't, I lost 4 (and gained it back at the end) but for some reason it added a 3lb. loss to every single one of my updates in January? I don't know how to fix that... and 2) that I use MFP every day in January. Technically I logged IN to the app, but that's all it needs - you literally just have to open the app. You don't have to log or interact or anything. So I haven't actually TRACKED since the beginning of January... OOPS. But my MFP shows differently. Sigh.

Either way, I'm going to try so, so hard to really be dedicated and track what I'm eating this month, and try to spend every day within the nutrient ranges MFP has set for me. ​

• EXERCISE

Easy. Exercise at least 30-minutes a day, 5 days a week. Our guest-bedroom-turned-home-gym contains a treadmill, weight bench, and rowing machine, so I literally have no excuse for not doing this. None. I just have to do it. ​

OBSTACLES

• ME.

Basically I'm my own worst enemy. My will-power is LOW and as a result, I pretty much always succumb to cravings and impulses. Result? Lots of wasted groceries (and money!) because we end up eating out, lots of empty calories due to candy, fast food, and soda, and lots of physical and emotional discomfort due to basically eating like crap.​

• THE COLD.

The cold makes me want to curl up on the couch under a blanket and do NOTHING. And that's what basically what I've done. We have made it this far without turning on the heat in our house in an attempt to save money on utilities, so it's been cold inside, it's been cold outside, and I have been getting in lots of cuddle time with my dog.​

• WORK.

PRO: I have Etsy orders!
PRO: I get to be home to work on those Etsy orders!
PRO: I am a really dedicated, hard-worker! Also, a perfectionist.
CON: All of the above.

BELIEVE ME, I have ZERO complaints about having orders. Don't get me wrong. I love crafting, love Disney, love creating things for other people, love, love, love. But the nice thing about the job I left was that I had to get up by a certain time, had to have X task done at a certain time, had to get up and move around, had to stop working for an hour to have lunch, and at the end of a very-long-8-hour-shift, had to leave work on my desk and go home.

Now the lines are a little blurry - I roll out of bed, come into my living room, work all day until I literally can't keep my eyes open anymore, and go back to bed. I forget to eat, forget to drink water, don't really notice the time passing, don't get up and move around. So I have to figure out how to implement some boundaries and some tricks to break that cycle. I need to keep some easy, healthy snacks nearby, and remember to eat them, so that I'm not working for 8 hours and then giving in and getting fast food at 10pm because I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE and have to eat something, ANYTHING. I also have to get more activity in my days, because this is very sit-at-the-computer heavy. I am toying with the idea of setting an alarm on my phone to go off every hour, and once every hour, I get up and get on the treadmill for 15 minutes, or do some other activity for 15 minutes... My only concern is breaking that "streak" when I'm working on a project. We shall see!​

Um. I just scrolled back up to the top of this reply, and I AM SORRY it's so lengthy!! I told you I get carried away. Wow. Digital hugs and cupcakes to anyone who actually makes it through my novella!

 

[JacknSally]

I typed this up so many times so I'm sorry if it's rambling. It's been kind of a rough day for me. I woke up after having some really horrible dreams to some devastating news about an ex boyfriend of mine passing away, and now the migraine is setting in. I feel so guilty that I'm going to put my long run off till tomorrow.

Anyway.

My weight goal is 5 lbs. I'll achieve this by keeping up with training, and watching my food intake. Sounds simple, but it's really not.

With my weekly mileage going up, and a half marathon at the end of the month I really need to be mindful of my calories so I don't lay myself out. There is a balance between calories in/out and I need to figure out that balance. I need to do more research to balance this. Burning 300 calories on a half hour maintenance run doesn't have to be compensated. 1000 plus on a long run does. It's something I need to master now, because last night I signed up for a monster of a goal at the end of September in Montreal.

I'm going to rise above, by working at this. It's not just going to happen. Some serious work has to get put in, and I have to hold myself accountable for it all.

SO, so sorry you are having such a rough day today, and so sorry for your loss... Definitely take today for you - days off are just as important as days on, and mental & emotional health are just as important as physical health. Sending so much love your way!

 

[JacknSally]

What a wonderful wonderful theme! I'm so sad that I won't be able to participate this month but I know I just won't have time. I'll try to pop in to say hi or to at least read up on how everyone is doing occasionally but this month is All About the Bar Exam. I wish everyone the best of luck with their goals. I'll be back with a vengeance in March!!

You will be missed, friend! GOOD LUCK and PIXIE DUST to you for your exam - I know you will blow it out of the water!!

Hi everyone! I'm 23 and live in Kansas City (Missouri side, very important distinction)

My bridesmaids are from/live in Eureka, Missouri, and they are also very distinctive about where they live! It's Eureka, NOT St. Louis. Haha. Missourians are very territorial!!

I've never done one of these before - so an introduction: I'm a 43 year old mother of three. I'm mostly a stay at home parent and my youngest is in kindergarten (half day). I have been overweight most of my life, and have put myself and my health aside for the sake of caring for my kids for years. Finally, I have no more babies and it's time to focus on me. I changed my focus in July and am 60lbs down from my highest weight, but still have a long way to go.

My goal this month is to lose 7 pounds. It's aggressive, but I've been in a holding pattern over the holidays and I need to bust through my plateau.

I will achieve my goal by (6 days a week) keeping my carbs under 100 for the day, by making sure I get in my 10,000 steps every day and by eating breakfast every day. I wear a fitbit and use myfitnesspal to track my food. I will do my best to do more exercise, but that is the minimum I have to do.

This month, I shouldn't have too many obstacles except for Valentines Day, my mom's birthday and the Superbowl. All will involve meals that are not completely within my control. I will rise above these challenges by being smart with what I choose to eat - allow myself the celebratory treats (birthday cake, chocolates), but be smarter about the rest of the food that meal.

Good Luck Everyone!

I would like to join! I just finished a January winter warrior challenge of walking outdoors every day for a month and loved it! For this challenge, my goal is to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Thanks!

Welcome, welcome to both of you! We LOVE newbies here! You will love our community - everyone here is so positive and supportive!

@mamattorney several of us are MFP users, so if you would like to be friends on MFP for added encouragment, feel free to share your MFP name!


Off to knock out some orders and respond to some emails (@courtneybeth you have NOT been forgotten!) but I will be checking in periodically! The thread looks AMAZING as expected, Courtney, and I am so excited to take this journey with all of you this month!!

For anyone who participated in January, those results are getting posted TODAY so if you have not reported your final progress report, you still have a chance!!

 

[flvy]

SO, so sorry you are having such a rough day today, and so sorry for your loss... Definitely take today for you - days off are just as important as days on, and mental & emotional health are just as important as physical health. Sending so much love your way!

Thank you. And I read your whole novella, and your pros and one con under work made me laugh.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning, and good new month friends! I am so happy to be back here with some old and NEW faces! I have a really good feeling about February.

First, a little about me. I've basically been copying & pasting the same little blurb into the introduction post every month since last May, so I think it's time for something new! Sorry if this gets long - I get carried away sometimes!

My name is Megan, and I turned 27 at the end of January. I am the DogMom of a crazy adorable 3.5-year-old puppy, and my DH and I were just married at the end of October 2015. That same week, I left a job that was full of negativity and making me pretty miserable, and have been "unemployed" since then. At first, it was pretty awesome. Sleep as late as I want, hang out with my dog, and not really have to do anything - I had just gotten out of my bad job-situation and just put an end to a 2-year-period of constant stress with wedding planning, so I had earned this "vacation" of sorts! It didn't help that I have also been really battling some legitimate stress and depression over the last few months. Well, the "awesome" of that wore off, and left me with a horrible sleep schedule, even worse eating habits, and 20 of the 30lbs that I had lost leading up to the wedding. Ugh.

I decided at the end of 2015 that this year was going to be so, so different, and I am trying to hold true to that. I have always wanted to work from home and "get paid to craft", so at the beginning of the year I opened up an Etsy shop, and over the past month I've learned that I need to create some sort of boundaries between my work-at-home life and my home-at-home life, including finding a way to work in some "me" time during my days. We spent this weekend rearranging the two extra rooms in our house so that we now (well, not right this second as it is about halfway done currently, but hopefully soon!) will have a dedicated office/studio for me so we can have our living room back, and a dedicated exercise room for both me and DH.

As for my weight-loss journey, I have been overweight since I was a kid, and pretty well aware of it since middle school, and I'm tired of it. It's not healthy, it's not fun, and it's not for me. Not anymore. I have had a series of excuses over the past few years to try to make me feel better about my lack of dedication, motivation, and self-control, but I have to stop myself from doing that.

2016 is kind of a transition year for us - life has been non-stop since 2012 between graduating, moving home, moving out of my parents' house, moving into different houses a few times, changing jobs a couple of times, planning a wedding, and actually getting married, so this year is relatively uneventful. No planned moves, no big life-events like graduations or weddings or vacations, etc. 2017 will be different, though - my MOH is getting married in May 2017, and I will probably be a bridesmaid in her wedding (I say probably just because of the cost of being a bridesmaid and the current employment situation), we are hopefully going to Disney World with my family in October 2017, and - you're the first to know this, so feel special! - after that trip, DH and I want to start to try to have baby. If that goes according to plan, we'll reveal it to my family on the Disney-trip-we-hope-to-take-in-March-2018. I don't want my weight or health to be an issue for any of those things! So 2016 is all about getting rid of this hurdle in my life.

I want to be down 60-lbs by December 31, 2015. From January 1, that meant a steady loss of 5-lbs per month. Unfortunately, January did not go as planned AT ALL, so I am starting February at the same weight I started January - 214lbs. I was at 199lbs on wedding day, so being back at 214 is REALLY depressing. Plus, now I'm looking at a steady loss of roughly 5.5-lbs per month to reach my goal. I believe I can do it, but I also need to get out of my way and actually DO IT.



FEBRUARY 2016 GOAL

• LOSE 5.5 POUNDS

This is the goal I will be tracking and reporting on this month. A loss of 5.5lbs this month will put me on track for my 60-lbs in 2016 goal. If we're being honest and ambitious, I'd love to lose 15lbs this month and get myself back to my wedding weight, but I don't want to set myself up for that kind of disappointment! So 5.5lbs it is.
​

HOW I WILL ACHIEVE MY GOAL

• MYFITNESSPAL

So, I learned that MyFitnessPal can be kind of misleading. Mine currently shows 1) I lost 7 lbs in January - I didn't, I lost 4 (and gained it back at the end) but for some reason it added a 3lb. loss to every single one of my updates in January? I don't know how to fix that... and 2) that I use MFP every day in January. Technically I logged IN to the app, but that's all it needs - you literally just have to open the app. You don't have to log or interact or anything. So I haven't actually TRACKED since the beginning of January... OOPS. But my MFP shows differently. Sigh.

Either way, I'm going to try so, so hard to really be dedicated and track what I'm eating this month, and try to spend every day within the nutrient ranges MFP has set for me. ​

• EXERCISE

Easy. Exercise at least 30-minutes a day, 5 days a week. Our guest-bedroom-turned-home-gym contains a treadmill, weight bench, and rowing machine, so I literally have no excuse for not doing this. None. I just have to do it. ​

OBSTACLES

• ME.

Basically I'm my own worst enemy. My will-power is LOW and as a result, I pretty much always succumb to cravings and impulses. Result? Lots of wasted groceries (and money!) because we end up eating out, lots of empty calories due to candy, fast food, and soda, and lots of physical and emotional discomfort due to basically eating like crap.​

• THE COLD.

The cold makes me want to curl up on the couch under a blanket and do NOTHING. And that's what basically what I've done. We have made it this far without turning on the heat in our house in an attempt to save money on utilities, so it's been cold inside, it's been cold outside, and I have been getting in lots of cuddle time with my dog.​

• WORK.

PRO: I have Etsy orders!
PRO: I get to be home to work on those Etsy orders!
PRO: I am a really dedicated, hard-worker! Also, a perfectionist.
CON: All of the above.

BELIEVE ME, I have ZERO complaints about having orders. Don't get me wrong. I love crafting, love Disney, love creating things for other people, love, love, love. But the nice thing about the job I left was that I had to get up by a certain time, had to have X task done at a certain time, had to get up and move around, had to stop working for an hour to have lunch, and at the end of a very-long-8-hour-shift, had to leave work on my desk and go home.

Now the lines are a little blurry - I roll out of bed, come into my living room, work all day until I literally can't keep my eyes open anymore, and go back to bed. I forget to eat, forget to drink water, don't really notice the time passing, don't get up and move around. So I have to figure out how to implement some boundaries and some tricks to break that cycle. I need to keep some easy, healthy snacks nearby, and remember to eat them, so that I'm not working for 8 hours and then giving in and getting fast food at 10pm because I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE and have to eat something, ANYTHING. I also have to get more activity in my days, because this is very sit-at-the-computer heavy. I am toying with the idea of setting an alarm on my phone to go off every hour, and once every hour, I get up and get on the treadmill for 15 minutes, or do some other activity for 15 minutes... My only concern is breaking that "streak" when I'm working on a project. We shall see!​

Um. I just scrolled back up to the top of this reply, and I AM SORRY it's so lengthy!! I told you I get carried away. Wow. Digital hugs and cupcakes to anyone who actually makes it through my novella!

Okay..... I took the time to read the majority of this and WOOHOO on the (sshhh ) future "family" news! This is a PERFECT incentive to get to a healthy weight!!

You DEFINITELY need to work on setting an alarm for EVERY HOUR.... get up and move and stretch, pee and get a drink.... and set yourself a LUNCH BREAK! Even when I work at home (I've done some sort of work-at-home job pretty much every year since DD was born), I absolutely take a lunch break.... even if it is just 20 minutes to eat something warm and move the laundry around!

I wish I could give some perfect advise about your "will power" issue..... but sometimes it is more about the "what-do-I-want-long-term" power. "Is what I'm doing today getting me what I want tomorrow?" One of my favorite quotes and so true.

Perhaps you could set a money saving goal to help you eat at home more, if the eating out is becoming an issue (if I understood what you were saying)...... and of COURSE you would have to have a plan to do something totally FUN with the money! And remember, every meal does NOT have to be Julia Child worthy! A quick soup and sandwich night with a side of fruit is warm, easy, cheap, and can be perfectly on plan! But trying to do it at the end of a long day of crafting when you are starving and exhausted won't work well, will it? How about utilizing your crockpot? Or trying to make double/triple batches on the weekends to have something quick to grab and warm up on weeknights? Think about what DOES work for you.... are you meat-and-potatoes kind of people? If so, a soup and sandwich night won't be very appealing, so you will want to think about that. But honestly, a pot roast in the crock pot is SO very easy! Toss in the meat (browned in a skillet if you so choose, but not necessary), carrots (even pre-peeled baby carrots are fine if you don't want to take the time to peel/chop), peeled/quartered onions, washed/quartered potatoes.... and whatever else you like with pot roast... parsnips, celery... pour over a bit of beef broth/stock or even some tomato juice.... put the lid on and turn it on! I'll bet if you used prepeeled carrots you could do this in 15 minutes! Then at the end of the day, when you are STARVING and tired, you will smell the marvelous aroma of a dinner that feels like someone else made it!!

How about a southwest creamy shredded chicken with black beans over brown rice or over veggie noodles? Another easy crockpot recipe! Lentil soup?.... make a triple batch in about 15 minutes of hands-on time over the weekend and have enough for 2-3 really filling meals during the week!

YOU CAN DO THIS! I'm sure of it! Let me know what I can do to help you! ..................P

 

[pjlla]

What a wonderful wonderful theme! I'm so sad that I won't be able to participate this month but I know I just won't have time. I'll try to pop in to say hi or to at least read up on how everyone is doing occasionally but this month is All About the Bar Exam. I wish everyone the best of luck with their goals. I'll be back with a vengeance in March!!

So sorry you can't take the time to be with us in February, but we totally understand and you are going to KILL those bar exams!! ........P

 

[Lady Marie]

2016 is kind of a transition year for us - life has been non-stop since 2012 between graduating, moving home, moving out of my parents' house, moving into different houses a few times, changing jobs a couple of times, planning a wedding, and actually getting married, so this year is relatively uneventful. No planned moves, no big life-events like graduations or weddings or vacations, etc. 2017 will be different, though - my MOH is getting married in May 2017, and I will probably be a bridesmaid in her wedding (I say probably just because of the cost of being a bridesmaid and the current employment situation), we are hopefully going to Disney World with my family in October 2017, and - you're the first to know this, so feel special! - after that trip, DH and I want to start to try to have baby. If that goes according to plan, we'll reveal it to my family on the Disney-trip-we-hope-to-take-in-March-2018. I don't want my weight or health to be an issue for any of those things! So 2016 is all about getting rid of this hurdle in my life.

That's a wonderful, secret reason to want to improve your health!!! (And one in the way way back of my mind too-- maybe 2019?)

I completely understand how the turbulence of your early/mid 20's can leave you no time for yourself....Graduating, finding jobs you like and ones you don't, marriage, moving-- its like whoa! slow down! Even though DH and I have been married for over a year and a half now and been comfortable in our jobs for even longer, it is just now starting to feel like we are "adulting" now and out of our transition period.

"Is what I'm doing today getting me what I want tomorrow?" One of my favorite quotes and so true.

Love this!

 

[courtneybeth]

I typed this up so many times so I'm sorry if it's rambling. It's been kind of a rough day for me. I woke up after having some really horrible dreams to some devastating news about an ex boyfriend of mine passing away, and now the migraine is setting in. I feel so guilty that I'm going to put my long run off till tomorrow.

Sending you all of the hugs in the world. You need a personal day for sure.

Off to knock out some orders and respond to some emails (@courtneybeth you have NOT been forgotten!) but I will be checking in periodically! The thread looks AMAZING as expected, Courtney, and I am so excited to take this journey with all of you this month!!

Ha - no worries about my custom order. I am starting early on my planning for a reason.

 

[knkmom]

I'm joining in, I joined in January but was very late to the party and started mid month! I'm here for all of February!!

I'm also in So Cal, about 30 minutes for DL (of course that always depends on the freeway traffic!!) I'm in a different "season" of life, an almost empty nester, just have our youngest (he's 22) at home. Dh and I are ready to do all the things we put on hold while raising our kids and so now is the time to get in shape and take this weight off for good! I'm good at losing it, I'm bad at continuing to do the things I know are right to keep it off. I guess that makes me a big time YO YO dieter which is not a good thing! I also have bad knees, degenerative fraying in both along with significant arthritis so I spent 7 plus years trying to find an orthopedic doctor who took me serious when I said my knees hurt. I've had surgery on both knees and we do know I'll need knee replacement in both but I'm hoping that losing the weight and getting into shape will put that off for as long as possible (I'm in my early 50's and they typically do this surgery on people several years older).

My goals.....I'm not doing any fad diets this time. I am "mindfully" eating, making good choices and eating as clean as I can. I track every single day at My Fitness Pal which by the way has made this process even easier for me! I'd like to lose 2lbs a week so atleast 8 lbs off for the month, more would be awesome but I want to do this the right way!

Exercise......With bad knees comes a host of excuses, for me anyway. I think my fear of hurting is taking up too much room in my mind and I need to get over it and work through it. I have started using my stationary bike, doing 10 to 15 minutes at a time on it and trying to do that 3 times a day. I'm also walking, it's a start. My goal is to do atleast 30 minutes of exercise each day!

 

[DVCFan1994]

Question of the Day - February 1

Every Journey Begins With a Single Step
Today begins the first step towards your new self. Each month brings new opportunity - and so we climb out of our
proverbial floaty chairs and embrace what is ahead of us with both feet firmly planted on the ground. ​

What is your goal for the month? How will you achieve your goal?
Are there items that could interfere with your goal? How will you rise above this challenge?​

I am back again and really struggling what to plan for this month. I have the Glass Slipper Challenge and 5k in WDW plus the final training runs to prepare for it. I need to be careful to fuel properly for my training, but not use it as an excuse to overeat. I had a very frustrating weigh in this morning too. I think it was last nights dinner. DH has been wanting Thai food for a while and I finally agreed. But I think I ate more than I usually do (I was exhausted) and it was very salty causing me to retain a lot of water, because I was up 5 pounds from yesterdays weigh in for January's challenge. Sooo not counting that weight. I will reweigh myself tomorrow morning and use that as my starting weight.

Goal:

• My goal is to lose 4 pounds (1 per week)

Plan:

• Track my food in MFP. I have been good, but not great about this especially on weekends.
• Keep training. I have 2 long runs left, 10.5 and 12 miles, plus 2-3 shorter training runs per week. Then the races February 19-21. The 5k will be run/walk with my daughter (7 almost 8) and my mom. I'll run the 10k and half with my sister. I also do strength training twice a week and at least one spinning or other non running cardio day.
• Think about my food choices. With all the stress of my dads health condition the last 6 weeks, I have been doing more stress eating, getting back into bad habits I had moved past. I need to get back to stopping and thinking about snacks in particular, or even just the meals I plan.

Challenges:

• Me. Like a lot of people have said, I can be my own worst enemy. Having been at this for years (first hit my goal weight 6 years ago) I know the right things to do, and I know my pitfalls. I need to really commit to sticking with what I know works if I want to succeed at getting back to that weight.
• Fueling enough for training, but not too much. I fall into the trap of "I deserve to eat X" because I did my long run. That is not thinking of it correctly. I did my long run so I can get through my races feeling good. Refueling after exercise is a lot more beneficial when its rewarded with healthy real food, not low nutritional value treats.
• Platuea. I think I've really hit a plateau. I am going to have to work hard to move past it.

Having a busy day here. Glad to see so many people back, and welcome to all the newcomers. I will be back later to respond to others posts.

@flvy I am very sorry about your loss. Your long run can definitely wait, take care of yourself.

 

[courtneybeth]

I'm also in So Cal, about 30 minutes for DL

Hi neighbor - it's good see someone else from Southern California near Disneyland.

My goals.....I'm not doing any fad diets this time. I am "mindfully" eating, making good choices and eating as clean as I can. I track every single day at My Fitness Pal which by the way has made this process even easier for me! I'd like to lose 2lbs a week so atleast 8 lbs off for the month, more would be awesome but I want to do this the right way!

You can totally lose 2 pounds per week. You got this -- and if you're a passholder, you can do a loooooooong walk at Disneyland and reward yourself with rides once you reach milestones. That's what we do - we get 1 ride per 5,000 steps walked.

 

[4Mickeys]

What is your goal for the month? How will you achieve your goal?
Are there items that could interfere with your goal? How will you rise above this challenge?

My goal is to start with losing 1.5Kg smallish I know but as I am at the start of this I don't want to lose motivation by not reaching my goal - if I exceed it that's a bonus lol.

I am going to move more and I already started yesterday which was my 1st Feb - I did a 5 minute You-tube Kettlebell beginner workout in the morning before work then got home and I was feeling stressed after work so DD11 and I went for a walk - I wore a pedometer it said I did a bit over 2000 steps and 2.2Km. It is really hot here at the moment so I am pleased with myself for persevering - although we did get a little shower on our walk to cool us down so that was nice.

I am to walk, kettlebell, and am working up to paddling/beach workout in the mornings once I settle into routine again.

Obstacles are me, work and life and general.

I've never done one of these before - so an introduction: I'm a 43 year old mother of three.

Yeah someone my age! I am also a mum of 3 but doing it solo and working full time.

I have skimmed the pages but will go back tonight and have a proper read - good luck with your goals this month everyone.

 

[knkmom]

Hi neighbor - it's good see someone else from Southern California near Disneyland.



You can totally lose 2 pounds per week. You got this -- and if you're a passholder, you can do a loooooooong walk at Disneyland and reward yourself with rides once you reach milestones. That's what we do - we get 1 ride per 5,000 steps walked.

Getting our passports this month, can't wait! When we were in WDW last May we averaged 10 miles a day walking, I was amazed, it didn't feel like that much walking! Great idea for a reward for reaching my walking goals!

 

[courtneybeth]

Getting our passports this month, can't wait!

HAPPY DANCE TIME. Get that annual pass and use it!

 

[courtneybeth]

Question of the Day - February 2

Tools, Tips, Tricks... and Accountability.
Yesterday you set a goal for the month and began your journey. Today marks your first day of follow-through.
Wall-E is ready to hit the gym with his Hula Hoop. Are you ready to join him and continue your progress?​

Share with the group some of your tools, tips, and tricks for accountability.
How do you hold yourself accountable? Is this accomplished through:
Apps? Mobile Devices? Reward/Punishment systems? Something else?​

 

[JacknSally]

Question of the Day - February 2​

Share with the group some of your tools, tips, and tricks for accountability.
How do you hold yourself accountable? Is this accomplished through:
Apps? Mobile Devices? Reward/Punishment systems? Something else?​

Ah, Wall-E is just so dang cute!

I don't really have an answer for this question as I just flat out haven't been holding myself accountable lately. I'm trying to be diligent about using MFP, but more often than not it doesn't keep me accountable as much as I forget it exists. I'm interested in reading others' methods, though!


Today wasn't too bad. I definitely didn't get any activity in, but the food wasn't awful. It wasn't eating out at least. For lunch, I made two turkey wraps, with a leaf of romaine lettuce in place of the bread/tortilla, 2 slices of deli turkey per wrap, some tomato, and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. It was my first time making it, but it was SO GOOD. It will definitely be a go-to in the future. Also had some hummus and pretzels, which I had forgotten how much I love. Dinner is going to be an issue, though... Or anything DH cooks really. For some reason he JUST. CAN'T. REMEMBER. that I'm trying to track foods, so I need them measured out. We had homemade chicken nachos for dinner, but I can guarantee he gave me at least double what I should've eaten. On the bright side, I probably left 1/2 - 1/3 of it on the plate in the end, but I don't like having the temptation there in the first place. I tracked the full plate despite leaving some behind, because even the full plate's numbers were guesses. I did finish off a pack of Sour Patch Watermelons earlier, because I like to munch when I work, so between that, a banana, and the chips in the nachos, I was WAY over on my carbs allotment... and WAY under on my protein. I've got a protein shake made up for tomorrow, though, and made up some sugar-free pudding with almond milk, pudding mix, protein powder, bananas, and a few oranges, so that way there's something already made for when my sweet cravings hit. Which they DEFINITELY will.

 

[4Mickeys]

Walk Disneyland once per week

Ok super jealous over here that you can do that

typed this up so many times so I'm sorry if it's rambling. It's been kind of a rough day for me. I woke up after having some really horrible dreams to some devastating news about an ex boyfriend of mine passing away, and now the migraine is setting in. I feel so guilty that I'm going to put my long run off till tomorrow.

I am very sorry to hear about your loss - look after yourself

after that trip, DH and I want to start to try to have baby.

How exciting and definitely a good motivator for getting as healthy as you can

It didn't help that I have also been really battling some legitimate stress and depression over the last few months.

Basically I'm my own worst enemy. My will-power is LOW and as a result, I pretty much always succumb to cravings and impulses.

I have also struggled with depression and anxiety on and off for several years. It so doesn't help with will-power and I know I end up giving into cravings in an attempt to feel better - hence the weight gain. Also depression and stress release hormones that can make it harder to lose the weight. So its such a vicious circle sometimes.

Perhaps you could set a money saving goal to help you eat at home more,

Yes and I think I know a great goal to spend that money on given your secret plans for next year ..... saving to have an absolutely fabulous DISNEY baby nursery whoops got carried away .... the idea of babies and the fun decorating does that to me hahaha.

Tools, Tips, Tricks... and Accountability.
Yesterday you set a goal for the month and began your journey. Today marks your first day of follow-through.
Wall-E is ready to hit the gym with his Hula Hoop. Are you ready to join him and continue your progress?
Share with the group some of your tools, tips, and tricks for accountability.
How do you hold yourself accountable? Is this accomplished through:
Apps? Mobile Devices? Reward/Punishment systems? Something else?​

Ok feeling pretty good about follow through day today - I wore my pedometer all day today and I tracked 8434 steps (not quite the recommended 10,000) but that was pretty much just general walking at home and at work which includes up and down stairs several times. It was another super hot day here and at several times due to walking and work activities I was literally dripping sweat with a wet shirt - so I picked up the kids from my parents and treated us to a swim at the local pool. Apart from relaxing and cooling down I did do some laps of the pool (with the help of a flotation noodle as my fitness just isn't there to literally swim laps).

Only down side to this is that my muscles everywhere in my body are screaming at me .... they are being awoken after a long time being dormant lol.

I also don't have a lot of tools or accountability - I guess my newest is the cheap little pedometer I have started wearing, I was planning on doing a spread sheet tracking my exercise and weight and of course chatting you all on here.

 

[flvy]

Question of the Day - February 2​

Share with the group some of your tools, tips, and tricks for accountability.
How do you hold yourself accountable? Is this accomplished through:
Apps? Mobile Devices? Reward/Punishment systems? Something else?​

First thank you guys for the support. It really means a lot to me. I'm now freaking out about being behind a day and hoping I'm not too drained later so I can do my run and not get even more behind. It should be an interesting day.


Holding myself accountable has always been an issue for me. I procrastinate by default. Last year I avoided talking about running to bypass the fact that I was putting it off so I didn't disappoint people. Spoiler alert I disappointed myself. December and January were about learning how to hold myself fully accountable for my actions. I'm finally there. Believe me I'd love to not mention that I didn't do my long run yet, but what's the point? Part of that accountability has been making friends here to talk to about running, and starting my wish journal.

For running accountability I use my Garmin. The dates logged don't lie, and it's great to show the work I've put in.

For food I used My Fitness Pal off and on. One of my goals this month is to use it more often to really get an idea of where I'm at calorie wise because that balance act is going to be huge this month.