Last Chance for a Summer Vacation Experience- August 2016 Weight Loss and Lifestyle Change Challenge

[4Mickeys]

I am boohooing - I am sick and we have gotten our burst of cold windy weather that always comes in August. I have only done incidental walking so far this month and have not hit my 40 minutes yet.

@Flossbolna thanks for the advice I am not a huge oat person - I just can't do porridge. To be honest most of the time we resort to toast/cereal lately is due to running late or when the cupboard is bare!

 

[Zim]

Martin sounds like an amazing friend. Isn't it great when you have a little buddy?

Yes indeed! He made this first year of empty nest syndrome much more tolerable!! I was still a wreck for a few months, but it could have been worse!!

I would have been upset if dh suddenly had to take a detour too. My son and his fiance are doing the Star Wars dessert party in a couple of weeks on their honeymoon.

Our first cat was a black cat. We got him 2 weeks after we got married.

Your son and his fiancee will love it!! It's not cheap, but you definitely get a big dose of the Disney pixie dust with what they serve! I read a lot of reviews before we went to ensure we had the most enjoyable experience. I almost canceled for all the people complaining about the pop music blaring from the nearby kid's dance party mix. But even that was fun and not ridiculously loud as I was led to believe - and the characters wandered through the crowd dancing. We got in early and got a table as far to the other side and on the left - best part is that just beyond the dessert party rope separation is a monitored walkway so you won't have a bunch of people meandering the other side of the rope blocking your view. Also, each table has a light on it in a glass. It's actually the light they serve in drinks - it's waterproof and has a switch to turn it different colors - keep it! We considered it a souvenir from the experience - it was so tempting to want to grab all the ones off the other tables, but that would've been tacky We're doing the Villains Club this October, can't WAIT!

Morning Routine - I want to start working out before coffee and get back to my eggs for breakfast (I have been consuming way too many carbs)

I love eggs for breakfast! I have one egg and one egg white with an english muffin - keep me satisfied until lunch, whereas sometimes cereal causes my sugar levels to get wonky around 10am

How are you getting two more kitties? I have three. Martin and Calcifer, the two boys get along great. But then I had to take in my ex's cat - as when our DD18 went to college he decided he didn't need to take care of the cat he originally insisted our daughter keep at his house. So we got Aurora because she's a sweet cat and not deserving of the pound, but she's a calico and while she looks awfully sweet here, she's an Only Cat and terrorizes Calcifer... Ugh. We've tried the calming diffusers, she's wearing a purple calming collar now, taking calming treats - nothing is working, next stop is prozac. I would find her a new home if I thought I could find one that would take on a single cat, but most people want at least two.

My woohoo is I had a great run today! I was bummed because a bad storm came through and I thought I wasn't going to get my run in but it cleared up just in time. I even saw a rainbow

I love getting out after a storm! Rainbows and sometimes that cool weather that a storm can bring with it!

 

[donac]

Your son and his fiancee will love it!! It's not cheap, but you definitely get a big dose of the Disney pixie dust with what they serve! I read a lot of reviews before we went to ensure we had the most enjoyable experience. I almost canceled for all the people complaining about the pop music blaring from the nearby kid's dance party mix. But even that was fun and not ridiculously loud as I was led to believe - and the characters wandered through the crowd dancing. We got in early and got a table as far to the other side and on the left - best part is that just beyond the dessert party rope separation is a monitored walkway so you won't have a bunch of people meandering the other side of the rope blocking your view. Also, each table has a light on it in a glass. It's actually the light they serve in drinks - it's waterproof and has a switch to turn it different colors - keep it! We considered it a souvenir from the experience - it was so tempting to want to grab all the ones off the other tables, but that would've been tacky We're doing the Villains Club this October, can't WAIT!

They were given the dessert party as a gift from my sister. She is a DVC member and would have given them a night at a deluxe if she had known they were going to Disney for their honeymoon. But she also knows that ds is a huge Star Wars fan she gave them this instead.

 

[donac]

Good Thursday morning. Disney is always trying to reinvent themselves. Several years ago Fantasyland was open an hour early. Characters were there to play with the children but they were not allowed to give out autographs. My sister and I were there, without kids, and it was a lot of fun to watch the characters just having fun.

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?


Just one last picture from a trip I did take with my family. Even though I have sons they will still take some character pictures for me.



This was taken about 13 years ago. The one on the right is getting married next week. The one on the left is getting married this coming April.

Have a happy and healthy day.​

 

[kirstie101]

I guess the start of my journey began when I started running in 2012. I started doing couch to 5k because I wanted to be able to run at least a mile. As I started running I started eating better to make my runs easier. I now work out at least 5 days a week, 6 on good weeks. A typical week is 3 running days, a yoga day, and 2 cross training days (bike, or exercise dvd). More recently I've started focusing on my protein intake. Not a low carb diet but just focusing on making higher protein choices as I think its something my body needs more of.

 

[mamattorney]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?​

My diet and exercise plan has not changed tremendously since I started a year ago (but it did change tremendously from before I started). When I started I just wanted to get 10,000 steps a day. In February (started with Lent), I upped it to 15,000. Then in June, I switched from a step count to an "active minute" count (140 min a day) - that got me up and moving purposefully for longer periods of time. My fitbit now buzzes when I reach 140 active minutes, which is usually around 15-16,000 steps, sometimes upwards of 19-20K depending upon the day. So, basically all variations on walking.

This month I'm adding some bodyweight exercises to the mix. Crunches and Squats. I found a 30 day challenge and today is day 4, so I have to do 60 squats and 50 crunches. There's a different amount every day and it seems to go up and down, hitting a peak of a very high number of each (175 squats and 150 crunches) I hope I can do it!

 

[piglet1979]

Good Thursday morning. Disney is always trying to reinvent themselves. Several years ago Fantasyland was open an hour early. Characters were there to play with the children but they were not allowed to give out autographs. My sister and I were there, without kids, and it was a lot of fun to watch the characters just having fun.

View attachment 186017

View attachment 186018

View attachment 186019

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?


Just one last picture from a trip I did take with my family. Even though I have sons they will still take some character pictures for me.

View attachment 186020

This was taken about 13 years ago. The one on the right is getting married next week. The one on the left is getting married this coming April.

Have a happy and healthy day.​

I really don'y know food wise what has changed. Lately we are both trying to eat more salads. Workout wise it goes up and down for me. Some months I can get in good work outs others just getting 10,000 is rough. Starting last month I made sure I got 10,000 steps a day with at least 2 days stepping on the Wii board. This month I am doing the same but trying to get 11,000 but not stressing if I don't but will continue to get 10,000. I am still stepping on the Wii board a few times a week too. I did add doing squats each day. I am up to 25 a day and I am adding 5 more each day. Next month I am going to do everything I do this month but add in push ups and kind of like sit ups on the exercise ball (these were giving to me to in PT for my back but really help flattening your stomach). I am figuring if I add just a little bit each month it will become more of a routine. I am not adding much time each month so it feels like I am not really adding new exercises.

At some point I am going to give up pop too. I have done it before and that is when I really start to lose weight. I have gotten really bad at drinking pop all the time again. It is still no more then 16 oz a day and most of the time less then that. But it is still bad to drink it all the time.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I touched on this a little bit (I think) last month but when I started my journey it was about losing weight. Not to be healthy but to fit in the clothes that I wanted and to look good. I bounced around to many different diets, from low carb to low calorie I have done them all. Now I am at the point where I want to be healthy. Running has been a big factor in that. I want to fuel my body to be the best runner I can be. Losing weight now is just a wonderful side effect of eating healthy and exercising. I also dreaded exercise. I would struggle to workout 3 nights a week to the same boring videos. Now I can't wait to get out and run (5 days a week)! I love to check off my running days on the calendar and see how I am improving. I even started to incorporate strength training in my weeks. I had no idea when I first started running that there is so much more to it than running.

 

[courtneybeth]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?

My journey began simply to lose the weight via Weight Watchers and just walk Disneyland to get the steps in. I was still in my MBA program, so really it was just survival at that point. Now that I'm out of the program, my entire routine has changed. I decided on New Years Eve to start running half marathons without training (side note: don't do this, it's bad. I am not an example to follow! Just because you can run a 5K doesn't mean you can just do a half marathon). Now I've completed 9 this year and have another 8 more to go before the conclusion of 2016.

My diet is mostly just counting calories and being able to be realistic about what I can and can't do.

 

[ski_mom]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?

My latest start on this journey, my diet plan changed by logging everything that I ate and trying to stay under the calorie number that MFP tells me I need to eat under to lose 2 pounds a week. I did relatively well with that for a few months, but it's more hit and miss now. I realize how much that helps me, so I really need to get back at it.

I still haven't done as much with the exercise as I should. I swore to myself that I would get out each night and walk with DD when she got back from college, but that really hasn't happened and she's getting ready to go back in just a couple of weeks. But, as school starts back up soon, I'm hoping that I will get back into the walking routing better. DS will be playing soccer this fall, so it kind of leaves a lull of time between when I get off work and have to pick him up, so I'm hoping to fit walking into that time period on most evenings.

Always before when I've dieted, I've done Weight Watchers and this time, I'm just tracking through MFP. Even though money isn't a huge concern any longer in our family, I'm still very frugal and I learned that I put a lot of pressure on myself when I was paying for WW. So much so that if I wouldn't lose any for a week (or have a little gain), I'd throw in the towel thinking I was just throwing all that money down the drain. I also used to feel the need for the accountability of someone else weighing me in which was a great advantage of WW. Now though, I'm not necessarily feeling that need for some reason, so for now, I'm going to continue on the MFP. It just hit me when typing that out that I should use the money I'm saving on WW to get myself a treat when I reach certain goals! Might have to think that one through lol!

 

[Lady Marie]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?

I started this journey with WW trying to change how I ate. I fell off the WW Wagon and then tried tracking on MFP. I am not good at tracking, BUT from tracking (and doing Blue Apron), I have learned what a general safe healthy eating routine looks like. I have more or less stuck to that (with the exception of cocktails, which I KNOW I can do better on) without tracking. When I was following that and sleeping well, I was loosing weight.

I kinda got stuck in a rut though once we got back from Japan. Our Blue Apron has been off, we were eating out a lot, and it was a mess. Last month, we got back on track with the eating and now I have been incorporating exercise. It's crazy-- It's just been a month and a week and I already can feel my body wanting to exercise. Yesterday was my rest day, and my body is like "ok, we are going to do something today right?!" Sounds crazy, but I think I am finally getting used to being active -- which is huge considering how much I usually hate exercise! haha! I guess you could say now I am less driven for a specific number of pounds each month, and more lifestyle driven and hoping the pounds come off as a result. I can't focus on all three-- I get too discouraged when the scale doesn't move!

 

[4Mickeys]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?

I don't think I have made any huge changes since starting .... but there have certainly been changes since before I joined this group at the start of the year. I am becoming more active ..... @Lady Marie I get what you are saying about your body/mind starting to want to be active .... I have had that feeling but I still have a way to go as it is not everyday yet lol!

 

[courtneybeth]

In relevance to today's awesome question -- I saw a memory on Facebook pop up from a year ago. It's hard to believe that last year I just was celebrating my 5% of starting weight loss star -- and now here I am down about 75 pounds.

Eating habits may have changed, but the methods used to log foods have NOT. I log everything that goes into my mouth, no matter if it is healthy or not.

 

[jlnten17]

New method for my healthy lifestyle has actually been working out with a trainer and incorporating weight lifting (as well as a lot of other exercises but weights are something I really didn't do on my own).
Tomorrow we are going to get our 2 new kitties (cats really). A friend of ours is a veterinarian and saved a litter and needed to find homes. They will be barn cats - don't feel too bad for them it is pretty nice out there in the equine barn. And they will be out there for that exact reason - our inside cat is a one cat kind of cat! She would not allow newbies into her castle.
On a side note, I was just able to score BOG PPO reservations for our September trip. I think you can probably get ALMOST any reservation or FP for a decent length trip if you just keep checking and checking and checking.

 

[courtneybeth]

On a side note, I was just able to score BOG PPO reservations for our September trip. I think you can probably get ALMOST any reservation or FP for a decent length trip if you just keep checking and checking and checking.

That's something to celebrate

 

[rascooby]

That sounds like an interesting school. ON the days they are home studying do they have access to their teacher. I would think it might be hard for a math class for some students. We went to block schedule a few years before I left so the kids had classes every other day. For the high level students it was not a problem. For the middle of the road and the lower level it was a bit of a problem.

They do sometimes have access to the teachers, it just depends if the teacher sees their email in time to answer them. Otherwise they ask their questions at school the next day. We have books and answer keys at home. We also do a lot of collaborating with other students/parents when someone has a question. For the most part the teachers do a good job of making sure they have everything set up well for their home days.

 

[rascooby]

Yesterday I was way under my step goal. I had a friend visiting for several hours in the morning and an hour after she left, my brother and his wife arrived for an overnight visit. I spent most of the day sitting on the couch chatting. We did go on a walk at night, so I think I ended up with 8,500 steps. Luckily, I had done extra steps the first 2 days and today I did 1,500 extra. So, I should be caught back up by tomorrow.

I know how to eat well and to lose weight, but right now, I'm just not eating that well. I was thinking today that I really need to buckle down and make a meal plan and shop decently. Summer has been so chaotic that I feel like I'm at the store every 2 day, but we never have anything good to eat. I do really well when I plan meals and shop for a week at a time. I'm going to work on that.

I don't have a cat, but it was my Great Dane's birthday yesterday.

 

[HappyGrape]

How has your exercise and diet plan changed since you started this journey?

Are you working out more or less?

Have you changed from low calorie to low carb or vice versa?

Are you trying something new, like yoga or meditation?

​

Yes it has. The main change was in my mindset to be honest. Not making it too hard for myself in order to keep it sustainable is the main focus.

I hit the gym early on Tuesday but over did it little and was in pain Wednesday. I generally felt little over tired and ate my maintenance level so far this week. I was stressing out about planning our upcoming trip fastpasses little, things in work got heated and I am in the middle of all punches trying to calm things down and not my best week.

I am feeling little low. Couldn't sleep well last night and plan to head to the gym today before work and enjoy leisurely meal out with friend for meal. I need to figure out how to bring myself back to happy (compared to stress and overtired).

13 years since we are married this weekend! We have nice 7 course tasting meal planned on Sunday and it will be my first set menu with no choice for long time but I hope I will manage to enjoy it. I am looking forward to wear nice dress and have a night out, something I wouldn't have been that keen on 4 months ago

 

[ohMom]

I have a thyroid issue as well and have the same 30 minute delay. My solution for it is to have my pills and a glass of water at my beside table and as soon as the alarm rings, the first thing I do is to take that pill. ..

In in the club too! My endo told me to wait an hour I also have to take a morning dose of hydrocortisone to replace cortisol, so I have no cortisol wakening response without adrenal glands. So the first half hour is basically trying to wake up and move anyhow.

....I ended up eating out twice yesterday and ran all over the place to try and get everything done. ...

That was my Wednesday ....I tried to keep it real but I'm sure I was over calories

... The oldest 2 are getting ready to head off to college ...

This is exactly when we've been doing all week! How could she have so much stuff?! Packing and today making a run to the university with her, and helping her put her IKEA bed together

... saw a memory on Facebook pop up from a year ago. It's hard to believe that last year I just was celebrating my 5% of starting weight loss star -- and now here I am down about 75 pounds.....

WOWZA! Congratulations!

I lost my quote on the question for yesterday - this month I'm participating in a challenge to complete short metabolic conditioning workouts, I think it's 15 for the month. I've been on track for this week, got three done and I'm pleased with the schedule we've had with appointments and moving DD. Next week I'll be leaving for a long weekend away, so this challenge is keeping me on track. I did not do well with steps this week, this heat is not cool for a salt-waster like myself. But I didn't stroll on my treadmill ether. I'm struggling to find a good dose for my electrolyte medicine in this weather and my heart pounded around 100 bpm all day one day this week. It wore me out! I have been doing week with eliminating adult beverages in the evening and I feel like the bloat is finally gone

 

[donac]

Good Friday Morning

Disney World is all about rides but it is also about what happens before the rides.

Some of the best parts of the ride is the line before you get on the ride.

They have been trying to have interactive lines to keep you entertained while you wait.


This is the Dumbo waiting line (very early one morning) before you were outside.


This is drum garden at Winnie the Pooh



This is my dh playing at the entrance to Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion is his favorite ride since his birthday is Halloween.
I also had to include dh since today is our 38th anniversary.

Question of the Day

Since Disney loves to prep you for the ride, what do prep over the weekend to help your week?

Do you prep breakfasts or lunches?
Do you cook extra so at least one meal during the week is easy?

Does prepping for the week help make it easier for you?

Have a happy and healthy day.​