Lightspeed ahead to a healthier you! April 2016 WISH challenge... all are welcome!

[pjlla]

I don't know if I have ever posted a picture of myself, but I think I will today. I was looking for a good one at Disney, since this is DIS boards, but our last trip I was at my highest weight ever So, since this is the WISH board, I decided to copy @courtneybeth (sorry for being a copycat) and do a before and not really after, but we'll call it a "before and now". So here I am - last June at Universal Studios and today (literally, today - like 10 minutes ago lol)
.

Thanks for taking the time to take a photo.... and WOW.... big changes!! I hope you were PROUD when you saw those two pictures side by side!

When we had an oven fire last year, we just had all the windows and doors open for a few hours (and it was snowing ... or had snowed earlier that day, the snow may have stopped by then), which helped a lot. Other than that, we just used some air freshener. If the candles don't help, I'm not sure what will.

Thanks..... I ended up taking the toaster oven out to the garage yesterday and I think that was the main problem because it smells much better here today!

What a difference! You have made some amazing progress!

Hi. A quick introductions I am Dona married for almost 38 years to my college sweetheart. We have two boys who are getting married in the next 14 months (One this Aug and one next April). We also have a nephew getting married in June in Wichita KS and a niece who may be getting married in Sept. I have to start looking for a dress for ds's wedding.

I retired from teaching math last June and am now teaching a couple of college classes in the local private college. I have a couple of days in and a couple of days out. It is great. I was used to having Friday to myself since dh went and stayed with his mom on Fridays but she passed away two months ago so now I have to get used to having dh home on Fridays.

The month of Feb and March were pretty busy with my mil's funeral and then dh is dealing with his sisters and the estate. I am his sounding board and have to give him my attention when he needs to get things off his chest.

The month of March is now done. I spent most of it costuming the local high school's production of Music Man. We had a great time but it feels weird not having to go out 3 or 4 times a week.

Today was a rough day. I started it by driving an hour to my mother's church for a mass for the anniversary of my father's birthday and the 2nd anniversary of his death. I came home and then had to go to a wake for my dh's uncle. It has been a long day. I am still deciding on my goals for the month and will write them down tomorrow.

Have a healthy evening everyone.

Yikes.... after a crazy, busy, stressful February and March, it seems like April is starting on a similar note. Praying that April will settle down for you!

I'm joining back in this month. My goal is 6 lbs. I mostly maintained in a five pound range most of March. But need to press on and get the losing going again. I work at reading the thread this weekend. I've gotta do some car hunting. I got some savings and need to find something used in my range. I hate the thought I haven't bought from a private seller in so long(I was teen the one and only time I did). I'm too used to going through dealerships but I don't want payments so just getting something 2005ish range. A little newer than my Dodge and of course switching to a Ford my brother knows them far better than Dodge.

Good luck with the car hunt.... I hate buying cars!

Hi all, checking after a couple days off-line. I'm midway thru my Texas trip, so far it's been a lot of driving and moving around. overall it's been a good trip, but I've decided I'm tired of traveling alone. The hotel I'm in for the next two nights is pretty divey, fortunately my Brother and SIL will be here later tonight.

I've eaten a lot of food since I've been here, so I'm sure I've put on weight. Overall it's been good food although I did give in to some fudge (really didn't enjoy it, so that's good), and in Austin I was staying right next door to a super cute coffee shop and so had Chai for breakfast both days.

I think during March I posted about the extreme stress I've been under at work, and how we had gone thru a restructure that greatly expanded my job. This added even more stress to the point where I felt trapped and was starting to panic. On the Friday before vacation I stepped down from my leadership position, so this should help get the stress picture straightened out.

I joined WW in January and had lost 28 pounds. My weight goal for April is to re-lose what I've just put back on, and to lose 5 more. I'm also going to start Pilates when I get home, and have a goal of being able to buy regular sized clothing for my May trip to WDW.

Here's to a healthful April for us all!

Enjoy your travels but STAY SAFE!! Sorry that you had to make a tough decision at work, but glad you were able to see that something needed to change and you took a step to help yourself get out of a stressful place. WOOHOO on new goals for April!

OK! I'm Maggie and I'm returning again with intentions of really, truly, honestly participating fully in the challenge this month. Like I used to. Not like I have been the past few months.

I'm 43 and have been struggling with ever creeping weight for about 20 years. A few pounds a year times 20 leads to more than a little extra weight. I got serious about losing it last June and pretty quickly took off 15 pounds before spending the fall piddling around and losing an additional 5. My life since June has sort of resembled Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events - if it could happen, it has - and I've really let stress get the better of me the past few month. I'm twisted up like a pretzel but the bigger problem is that I slipped back out of Onederland. Weighed in this morning at 204.8. Sigh.

The goal for the month is to make that go away. I want to close the month at 198.8. So I just have to lose 5 pounds. Easy peasey, right? Yes, except for the fact that I leave for a little place called Disney World on the 25th and won't be back until late on the 30th.

The plan is to go full tilt until I leave and try to overshoot my goal by a bit. I've never gained weight at WDW before and I'll just keep my fingers crossed that I'll keep my streak intact!

Specific steps:

1. I'm counting SmartPoints again and also tracking on MFP to make it easier for me to aim for my 50/30/20 macro split.
2. I'm increasing my step goal to 12,000+ per day.
3. Im taking @Flossbolna 's advice and looking for a restorative yoga class.

Obstacles:

1. I'm still stressed out and I believe that potato chips are the answer to all of life's problems.
2. I was given a great sourdough starter a month or so ago and I'm sort of obsessed with making bread.
3. Dole whips, California style corn dogs finally making an appearance at Disneyland East, those pressed ice cream panini things @courtneybeth keeps raving about at Epcot....

Photos:

I need to dig deep and see if I can find a progress photo that meets the household rules for Internet photos (no faces). In the interim, I'll leave you with another picture of my cat because cats rule the Internet and it makes me happy. I took this on her 17th birthday so pre-illness but she was already an old lady!

View attachment 159741

Pretty kitty! She's lovely! Sounds like some great goals, but I agree... those dang Dole Whips are definitely going to be a bump in the road!!

Some amazing weight losses - great inspiration!

I am super happy with myself! Had night out planned last night and was so tempted to cancel to avoid temptation. I went out and without studying the menu for 20 minutes I just went straight away to salads and choose the superfood salad. No dressing at all, little plain but fair size and well prepared veggies with some chicken. 2 glasses of prosecco for the whole night - I didn't do too badly. If this will work for me I need to be going out and making good choices and yesterday worked great.

GREAT job!!! Eating out can be such a mine field!!

checked my home computer email (a separate personal email usually devoted to spam or stuff I like to check once in a while) and surprise, apparently I forgot I registered for the Cap10K that's next Sunday! Well, better to find that out than to register twice or something, I guess...

That sounds like fun!!

Hi everyone, I am back again Hoping April is a bit calmer than March and I can participate more. Mid month is our kids spring break though, and that week I likely won't be around much. Gotta keep them busy I popped into the last challenge in mid-march and said I was abandoning my weight goal. Not only did a bunch of stuff interfere with my normal exercise routines, but a conversation with my physical therapist led me to think I need to stop focussing so much on the number on the scale. I am at a healthy weight by BMI. I just have never hit my goal weight, which is lower in the healthy range. My physical therapist did a running clinic I attended and she explained to everyone that when in a strengthening phase of training plan (which I am), her weight always goes higher than she likes, but she ignores it. She said starting to cut too many calories trying to move the scale in the other direction can lead to trouble as well. I have been feeling fatigued all the time lately, so I am going to follow her advice for a month and see how it goes. I am going to focus on getting all my workouts in and eating right to fuel myself this month. So instead of a weight goal, I am going to focus on 6 hours a week of exercise and staying below my MFP calorie goal for the week. I am not going to say daily because I do long runs on weekends and usually go slightly over then and honestly need to. But, I am usually a little under other days, so it should even out over the week. So I will consider the two goals as 12.5% each, and if I hit them for a week I'll add them to my progress, if I don't, I won't. With 4 weeks to report progress, that would get me to 100% at the end of the month if I am successful.

With my goals out of the way, I will briefly introduce myself to newcomers. I am a SAHM of two kids, 8 and almost 10. I first started my weight loss journey in 2009, when my now 8 year old was 1.5. I felt frustrated with not only my appearance, but my lack of energy and ability to chase my kids around. I was about 50 pounds above the weight I wanted to be and 30 pounds truly overweight. I started with just exercise, because I am a big fan of food and did not want to give anything up I had success with just exercise at first, then started cleaning up my diet and tracking my food. In about 4 months I got within 5 pounds of my goal weight, 122, but never made it. But honestly I felt great at 127-130 and was happy with how I looked, so I decided to just stay there for a while, figuring I'd find renewed focus down the line. I never did, but was okay with it. Last April I had to have a minor surgery, but it had a major set of post op restrictions and I could not run, bike, swim or do any exercise with impact greater than a slow walk for 6 weeks. I gained 10 pounds and have been fighting to get it off ever since. I've lost as much as 8 but always put it back on.

This month, my diet portion will be different. My DH's doctor is worried about his borderline blood pressure, and wants to put him on a very low dose of BP meds. DH does not want to be on meds, so he is opting to try diet and exercise as a remedy first, then add the meds if that does not work. He is following the DASH diet, and I am doing it with him to support him. It is not a huge change for me, but it is for him. Its focus is on tons of fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats and low sodium.

Looking forward to a productive month with everyone!

Glad you are taking some advise from others and finding a new plan... and good job supporting DH's as he strives to find better health!

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

Feeling lazy so I borrowed DS's laptop so I could relax in the living room (instead of sitting at my desk) while doing replies.... but battery is low so I'll finish my replies and then get on the desktop (or go find the cord) and get our weekend QOTD posted this morning!!..............P

 

[JacknSally]

OK! I'm Maggie and I'm returning again with intentions of really, truly, honestly participating fully in the challenge this month. Like I used to. Not like I have been the past few months.

I'm 43 and have been struggling with ever creeping weight for about 20 years. A few pounds a year times 20 leads to more than a little extra weight. I got serious about losing it last June and pretty quickly took off 15 pounds before spending the fall piddling around and losing an additional 5. My life since June has sort of resembled Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events - if it could happen, it has - and I've really let stress get the better of me the past few month. I'm twisted up like a pretzel but the bigger problem is that I slipped back out of Onederland. Weighed in this morning at 204.8. Sigh.

The goal for the month is to make that go away. I want to close the month at 198.8. So I just have to lose 5 pounds. Easy peasey, right? Yes, except for the fact that I leave for a little place called Disney World on the 25th and won't be back until late on the 30th.

The plan is to go full tilt until I leave and try to overshoot my goal by a bit. I've never gained weight at WDW before and I'll just keep my fingers crossed that I'll keep my streak intact!

Specific steps:

1. I'm counting SmartPoints again and also tracking on MFP to make it easier for me to aim for my 50/30/20 macro split.
2. I'm increasing my step goal to 12,000+ per day.
3. Im taking @Flossbolna 's advice and looking for a restorative yoga class.

Obstacles:

1. I'm still stressed out and I believe that potato chips are the answer to all of life's problems.
2. I was given a great sourdough starter a month or so ago and I'm sort of obsessed with making bread.
3. Dole whips, California style corn dogs finally making an appearance at Disneyland East, those pressed ice cream panini things @courtneybeth keeps raving about at Epcot....

Photos:

I need to dig deep and see if I can find a progress photo that meets the household rules for Internet photos (no faces). In the interim, I'll leave you with another picture of my cat because cats rule the Internet and it makes me happy. I took this on her 17th birthday so pre-illness but she was already an old lady!

View attachment 159741

CROQUE GLACEEEEEEE omnomnomnom

 

[dsnyfn1022]

I'm in!

I'm so excited for a new month! Last month I lost weight but I pretty much stalled for the month. I had so much going on personally and at work that my eating and exercising wasn't at the forefront of my mind.

My name is Paige and I'm 23 years old. I have a DH of 1.5 years and a cat child. My weight has yo-yo'd throughout my life but this time something new clicked mentally and I'm in it for good! I'm not sweating the small gains and the trip ups and the indulgences because that's what life is about!

GOAL: lose 6 pounds. I didn't quite make my goal last month for the first time in quite a while. So I'm going to step it up this month. I weighed in at 185.5 and I want to be under 180 by May. So 6 pounds it is!

PLAN: I'm an active WW member so I'll keep tracking everything! I also will continue my workout schedule.

OBSTACLES: Right now, my biggest obstacles are the weekends. In my mind weekends have always sort of been a free for all of food. Then I spend most of the week just losing the weight that I gained over the weekend! So this month I plan to stay within plan on Saturdays and have one "cheat meal" on Sunday's. That's when we go to my parents house and eat delicious home cooked meals. I'd rather splurge on that than fast food.

Here's a before/during picture. On the left was the day that I decided enough was enough. You can tell just how unhappy I was in that picture. The right was just the other day! (BTW that tattoo is definitely the Lion King!)

 

[pjlla]

“This is a new day, a new beginning.” – Ahsoka Tano



Well, here we are.... day #2! So beyond just a new DAY, it is a new MONTH.... a new chance to change! If you were still processing the fact that yesterday started a new month, perhaps you didn't get a chance to really think about all you want to accomplish n April and how you are going to do that. So take some time today to THINK about it... even if you don't want to share it.

My CHALLENGE to you today is to think of something that you want to do EVERY DAY in April (forget the fact that it is 4/2... it is NEVER to late to make a healthy change). Maybe you want to make sure you wear your Fitbit every day.... or you want to try to hit 100 ounces of water every day...... or maybe a 1 minute plank every day..... or... who knows! My ONLY rule is forgiveness if you miss a day (or two). Do not set yourself up for failure with an "all-or-nothing" mentality.

FUN weekend challenge: Post a picture (or two) here of a healthy meal that you eat over the weekend (don't we all LOVE food porn?). Whether it is a fast-food salad, a homemade sandwich, or a fancy meal in a restaurant.... shoot a picture and share it here! Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.... whatever you want!

 

[Oneanne]

“This is a new day, a new beginning.” – Ahsoka Tano

View attachment 159766

Well, here we are.... day #2! So beyond just a new DAY, it is a new MONTH.... a new chance to change! If you were still processing the fact that yesterday started a new month, perhaps you didn't get a chance to really think about all you want to accomplish n April and how you are going to do that. So take some time today to THINK about it... even if you don't want to share it.

My CHALLENGE to you today is to think of something that you want to do EVERY DAY in April (forget the fact that it is 4/2... it is NEVER to late to make a healthy change). Maybe you want to make sure you wear your Fitbit every day.... or you want to try to hit 100 ounces of water every day...... or maybe a 1 minute plank every day..... or... who knows! My ONLY rule is forgiveness if you miss a day (or two). Do not set yourself up for failure with an "all-or-nothing" mentality.

FUN weekend challenge: Post a picture (or two) here of a healthy meal that you eat over the weekend (don't we all LOVE food porn?). Whether it is a fast-food salad, a homemade sandwich, or a fancy meal in a restaurant.... shoot a picture and share it here! Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.... whatever you want!

For my everyday chalkenge I'll walk at least 12,000 steps. I can get to 10,000 following my established routine, but maintaining 12,000 will take some effort. On this trip I've done a lot of walking in place in hotel rooms but I've gotten in my steps!

 

[mamattorney]

Love this! For my everyday challenge, I will eat a vegetable (preferably) or a whole fruit (I'm looking at you - yogurt with fruit added - you don't count!) with every lunch!

 

[JacknSally]

My every day goal is to drink at least 64oz of water. I've been so bad about my water intake since I started staying home.


Super frustrated this morning. Woke up with a migraine which isn't helping things, but I've been following our eating plan all week and I hit my 6.2 mile a day goal every day this week (except maybe one? I'd have to look) and walked 3 hours (7 miles) straight yesterday and drank a ton of water and not only did the scale not go down - it went UP. UGH.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

Just got back from a couple days at the University of Illinois - had a good time, but was hoping for more weight loss than the scale showed. Oh well, maybe it needs another day or two to show up. I was pretty proud of myself, had many opportunities to eat bad (including a 2:30am trip to the diner), but I hung tough and didn't eat anything.

My name is Josh, and I'm 41 years old. I'm married with two children and I'm a special education teacher.

I started my weight loss in January as a new year's resolution. We did a Christmas trip to Disney World and when I hit the scale New Year's Day I was at an all time high of 320 lbs.

After these first three months, I'm down 46 and I am currently at 274 lbs. My goal this month will be to lose over 14 lbs and be in the 250's by May.

To keep with the theme of the month, here's a pic of me and my son getting accused of some wrongdoing back in December:


And here's the family from Easter Sunday (I was down 44lbs total in this pic):

 

[Dr Gunnie]

View attachment 159531

Hello everyone!

I'm Derek, 43, and as you can see, I can rock the slave Leia bikini!
I ran the Dopey Challenge at WDW this January as Stormtrooper (5K) Vader (10K) Boba Fett (13.1) and Leia (26.2)!
First ever marathon and did it as part of the challenge. Yes I am that stubbornly crazy.

Current weight 230.5, need to get under 200. Obviously not all at once, hope to slice 10 off this month.

Testosterone!

Nice to have another guy on board - welcome!

 

[tortilla24]

My everyday challenge will be to drink water every day. Surprisingly enough, I really don't drink water every single day.

 

[HappyGrape]

My dinner

the sauce turned out amazing

• 1 clove garlic, minces
• 5ml fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• red chilli
• 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro (coriander)
• ginger, minced

all ingredients for few seconds in the food processor

dinner made with leftover veggies, 50g rice noodles, 200g zucchini noodles(courgettes), shrimp (prawns)
It made huge bowl for less then 500 calories and packed with flavour

 

[Flossbolna]

Okay, let's try this:

This is a picture from my IPhone (first time trying to post a picture from phone...) of my lunch today.

I ended up eating at McDonalds here in Lisbon. Originally I just went there to be able to tell a friend about the menu, but then noticed that they had some great looking salads. I got a Portuguese Salad that had lettuce, beans, tuna and egg. As a side I had a vegetable soup and for my drink a lemon infused water. It was really tasty and was cheap!

 

[HappyGrape]

Just got back from a couple days at the University of Illinois - had a good time, but was hoping for more weight loss than the scale showed. Oh well, maybe it needs another day or two to show up. I was pretty proud of myself, had many opportunities to eat bad (including a 2:30am trip to the diner), but I hung tough and didn't eat anything.

Well done for staying on track Josh. Keep up the good work and the scale will show it - it's kind of weird like this, it doesn't reflect the good (and bad) behaviour immediately sometimes

It's amazing how McDonalds can adjust their menu to cater for local taste! In many countries in Europe they have good selection of salads, but not so much in Ireland at all

 

[HappyGrape]

I'm in!

I'm so excited for a new month! Last month I lost weight but I pretty much stalled for the month. I had so much going on personally and at work that my eating and exercising wasn't at the forefront of my mind.


Here's a before/during picture. On the left was the day that I decided enough was enough. You can tell just how unhappy I was in that picture. The right was just the other day! (BTW that tattoo is definitely the Lion King!) View attachment 159760View attachment 159761

Love the pictures! You can really see you are fed up on the before picture - and on after you look full of energy and you look great

well done

 

[Flossbolna]

It's amazing how McDonalds can adjust their menu to cater for local taste! In many countries in Europe they have good selection of salads, but not so much in Ireland at all

Isn't it! I meant to comment on your introduction that I am so happy to see another fellow European here on this thread, but now we can bond over McDonalds in Europe. ;-) I am from Germany and while get interesting stuff on the McDonalds menu, the offerings are not comparable at all to what I found today. Germans like their food heavy, so we get a Big Rösti Burger, which has a potatoe Rösti (for Americans: think a round hash browns) and cheese sauce. I guess their is a reason why I have seen very few overweight Portuguese so far...

 

[pjlla]

My every day goal is to drink at least 64oz of water. I've been so bad about my water intake since I started staying home.

Super frustrated this morning. Woke up with a migraine which isn't helping things, but I've been following our eating plan all week and I hit my 6.2 mile a day goal every day this week (except maybe one? I'd have to look) and walked 3 hours (7 miles) straight yesterday and drank a ton of water and not only did the scale not go down - it went UP. UGH.

BELIEVE me when I say NO ONE can understand that frustration better than me! Hang in there... please! It WILL happen, I promise! Do not throw in the towel!! Even if the scale isn't changing, your HEALTH is changing for the better! Be proud of yourself for staying on track for the week, for hitting the mileage every day, and sticking with your water!!

Just got back from a couple days at the University of Illinois - had a good time, but was hoping for more weight loss than the scale showed. Oh well, maybe it needs another day or two to show up. I was pretty proud of myself, had many opportunities to eat bad (including a 2:30am trip to the diner), but I hung tough and didn't eat anything.

My name is Josh, and I'm 41 years old. I'm married with two children and I'm a special education teacher.

I started my weight loss in January as a new year's resolution. We did a Christmas trip to Disney World and when I hit the scale New Year's Day I was at an all time high of 320 lbs.

After these first three months, I'm down 46 and I am currently at 274 lbs. My goal this month will be to lose over 14 lbs and be in the 250's by May.

To keep with the theme of the month, here's a pic of me and my son getting accused of some wrongdoing back in December:
View attachment 159817

And here's the family from Easter Sunday (I was down 44lbs total in this pic):View attachment 159818

Great picture... LOVELY family!! And thanks for sharing the SW related picture! And another for being in Special Ed. I've been given a special ed one-on-one position for the remainder of the school year and here I am, one week in, and I am truly EXHAUSTED!!

My dinner

the sauce turned out amazing

• 1 clove garlic, minces
• 5ml fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• red chilli
• 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro (coriander)
• ginger, minced

all ingredients for few seconds in the food processor

dinner made with leftover veggies, 50g rice noodles, 200g zucchini noodles(courgettes), shrimp (prawns)
It made huge bowl for less then 500 calories and packed with flavour

Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm! THat sounds delish! I love to do things like that here.... throw a whole bunch of veggies together, create a flavorful sauce, and toss on a protein!!

Okay, let's try this:
This is a picture from my IPhone (first time trying to post a picture from phone...) of my lunch today.

I ended up eating at McDonalds here in Lisbon. Originally I just went there to be able to tell a friend about the menu, but then noticed that they had some great looking salads. I got a Portuguese Salad that had lettuce, beans, tuna and egg. As a side I had a vegetable soup and for my drink a lemon infused water. It was really tasty and was cheap!

If I hadn't seen the Golden Arches on the packages, I would have never known that was McD food! Imagine a beautiful fresh salad AND vegetable soup from McD!! Great choices!!

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

Hey friends!! I ended up running out to hit a few thrift stores today.... the behavior plan for my new student involves a sticker chart with rewards and she chose a stuffed animal for her "10 star" reward. Rather than have the school spend a ton of money ordering something, I decided to search for one. I found three really nice ones that I am washing right now.... I'm sure she'll love them all. One big Build-a-Bear dog, one pony, and a Webkinz monkey.... hope she is able to decide between them! And I spent a grand total of $2.40! Plus it gave me a good excuse to indulge in one of my favorite activities on a rainy Saturday. I bought myself one silk blouse, a baking pan (Pampered Chef that looks like new), two Fiestaware plates (white.... a color I only have one piece of), a few small jelly jars, four super soft high quality hotel-overstock white pillowcases, a pair of Clark's (woohoo!) and a medium size glass pitcher (the only thing I really "collect").

Eating has been fine today.... two eggs on low carb pita with a side of broccoli and some mango chunks for breakfast, a seltzer and a hunk of turkey for lunch (I was in a hurry... no time for anything else).... but now I'm hungry. DS and his girlfriend came over after robotics (4pm) and dove into a snack and then DH revealed that he never had lunch so he made himself a sandwich at 4:30pm!! No sense in making dinner for them! I was going to make beef and broccoli, but I guess I'll save it for tomorrow or Monday. I think I'll roast some cabbage for myself for dinner.... or maybe just chop the cabbage and a few other veggies and make a quick stir-fry. I think I'll be inspired by our friend Happy Grape and create a tasty sauce for my stir-fry (since I'm out of my usual garlic black bean sauce).

See you in the morning!......................P

 

[CruisingKate]

Hi, I'm back for April after going MIA mid March. These last few weeks have been a blur of appointments, research, and so many emotions, as my Dad was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. He quit smoking 20 years ago and has been in excellent health, but went to the doctor's with a persistent cough. After being treated with antibiotics, he was sent for an X-ray, then CT scan, bronch/ biopsy, PET scan, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

During the last few weeks, meals have been on the go, or not eaten, then snacking when I got hungry. I put on 2 pounds, basically back to where I was in Jan. I'm now 151lbs. My goal this month is ridiculously low, but I want it to be realistic as I will be working, taking my Dad to chemo, and radiation ( my sister will also be sharing in the rides, so I won't be doing it 5 days a week). My goal is lose 2 pounds. I won't be able to attend my WW meetings, so I appreciate this thread more than ever to keep me accountable.

Here is a pic of my husband and me just a few months ago on our December WDW trip.

 

[mamattorney]

Weekend challenge - here was my dinner tonight courtesy of Chili's. Caribbean salad with shrimp.

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey guys! I don't really have the patience for individual replies, but I've read through everything, and I have to say ... I'm very impressed with all of the before & after/during pictures. A lot of people have made some great progress!

Not the best of days for me. I woke up tired, and even though I had a decent nap (I always nap on Saturday afternoons), I'm still sluggish. I've been snacking a bit too much and I have a hard time tracking my food on Saturdays, but hopefully the damage won't be too much.
9.5 mile run scheduled for tomorrow morning ... but there's also snow/cold/wind in the forecast, so I'll have to make a decision at some point whether to postpone it or not. I hate weather.

 

[DisPup75]

Some amazing weight losses - great inspiration!

I am super happy with myself! Had night out planned last night and was so tempted to cancel to avoid temptation. I went out and without studying the menu for 20 minutes I just went straight away to salads and choose the superfood salad. No dressing at all, little plain but fair size and well prepared veggies with some chicken. 2 glasses of prosecco for the whole night - I didn't do too badly. If this will work for me I need to be going out and making good choices and yesterday worked great.

Great job!!!

Hi everyone, I am back again Hoping April is a bit calmer than March and I can participate more. Mid month is our kids spring break though, and that week I likely won't be around much. Gotta keep them busy I popped into the last challenge in mid-march and said I was abandoning my weight goal. Not only did a bunch of stuff interfere with my normal exercise routines, but a conversation with my physical therapist led me to think I need to stop focussing so much on the number on the scale. I am at a healthy weight by BMI. I just have never hit my goal weight, which is lower in the healthy range. My physical therapist did a running clinic I attended and she explained to everyone that when in a strengthening phase of training plan (which I am), her weight always goes higher than she likes, but she ignores it. She said starting to cut too many calories trying to move the scale in the other direction can lead to trouble as well. I have been feeling fatigued all the time lately, so I am going to follow her advice for a month and see how it goes. I am going to focus on getting all my workouts in and eating right to fuel myself this month. So instead of a weight goal, I am going to focus on 6 hours a week of exercise and staying below my MFP calorie goal for the week. I am not going to say daily because I do long runs on weekends and usually go slightly over then and honestly need to. But, I am usually a little under other days, so it should even out over the week. So I will consider the two goals as 12.5% each, and if I hit them for a week I'll add them to my progress, if I don't, I won't. With 4 weeks to report progress, that would get me to 100% at the end of the month if I am successful.

With my goals out of the way, I will briefly introduce myself to newcomers. I am a SAHM of two kids, 8 and almost 10. I first started my weight loss journey in 2009, when my now 8 year old was 1.5. I felt frustrated with not only my appearance, but my lack of energy and ability to chase my kids around. I was about 50 pounds above the weight I wanted to be and 30 pounds truly overweight. I started with just exercise, because I am a big fan of food and did not want to give anything up I had success with just exercise at first, then started cleaning up my diet and tracking my food. In about 4 months I got within 5 pounds of my goal weight, 122, but never made it. But honestly I felt great at 127-130 and was happy with how I looked, so I decided to just stay there for a while, figuring I'd find renewed focus down the line. I never did, but was okay with it. Last April I had to have a minor surgery, but it had a major set of post op restrictions and I could not run, bike, swim or do any exercise with impact greater than a slow walk for 6 weeks. I gained 10 pounds and have been fighting to get it off ever since. I've lost as much as 8 but always put it back on.

This month, my diet portion will be different. My DH's doctor is worried about his borderline blood pressure, and wants to put him on a very low dose of BP meds. DH does not want to be on meds, so he is opting to try diet and exercise as a remedy first, then add the meds if that does not work. He is following the DASH diet, and I am doing it with him to support him. It is not a huge change for me, but it is for him. Its focus is on tons of fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats and low sodium.

Looking forward to a productive month with everyone!

I like how much healthy living you've got planned!

CROQUE GLACEEEEEEE omnomnomnom

That's it!!! And in looking forward to it!

I'm in!

I'm so excited for a new month! Last month I lost weight but I pretty much stalled for the month. I had so much going on personally and at work that my eating and exercising wasn't at the forefront of my mind.

My name is Paige and I'm 23 years old. I have a DH of 1.5 years and a cat child. My weight has yo-yo'd throughout my life but this time something new clicked mentally and I'm in it for good! I'm not sweating the small gains and the trip ups and the indulgences because that's what life is about!

GOAL: lose 6 pounds. I didn't quite make my goal last month for the first time in quite a while. So I'm going to step it up this month. I weighed in at 185.5 and I want to be under 180 by May. So 6 pounds it is!

PLAN: I'm an active WW member so I'll keep tracking everything! I also will continue my workout schedule.

OBSTACLES: Right now, my biggest obstacles are the weekends. In my mind weekends have always sort of been a free for all of food. Then I spend most of the week just losing the weight that I gained over the weekend! So this month I plan to stay within plan on Saturdays and have one "cheat meal" on Sunday's. That's when we go to my parents house and eat delicious home cooked meals. I'd rather splurge on that than fast food.

Here's a before/during picture. On the left was the day that I decided enough was enough. You can tell just how unhappy I was in that picture. The right was just the other day! (BTW that tattoo is definitely the Lion King!) View attachment 159760View attachment 159761

Love the mood change from before to after! You look great!!

My every day goal is to drink at least 64oz of water. I've been so bad about my water intake since I started staying home.


Super frustrated this morning. Woke up with a migraine which isn't helping things, but I've been following our eating plan all week and I hit my 6.2 mile a day goal every day this week (except maybe one? I'd have to look) and walked 3 hours (7 miles) straight yesterday and drank a ton of water and not only did the scale not go down - it went UP. UGH.

Hope you are feeling better!

My dinner

the sauce turned out amazing

• 1 clove garlic, minces
• 5ml fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• red chilli
• 1/4 cup finely minced cilantro (coriander)
• ginger, minced

all ingredients for few seconds in the food processor

dinner made with leftover veggies, 50g rice noodles, 200g zucchini noodles(courgettes), shrimp (prawns)
It made huge bowl for less then 500 calories and packed with flavour

Looks delicious!

Okay, let's try this:

This is a picture from my IPhone (first time trying to post a picture from phone...) of my lunch today.

I ended up eating at McDonalds here in Lisbon. Originally I just went there to be able to tell a friend about the menu, but then noticed that they had some great looking salads. I got a Portuguese Salad that had lettuce, beans, tuna and egg. As a side I had a vegetable soup and for my drink a lemon infused water. It was really tasty and was cheap!

Wow!! Cute little bottle for the dressing and everything!

BELIEVE me when I say NO ONE can understand that frustration better than me! Hang in there... please! It WILL happen, I promise! Do not throw in the towel!! Even if the scale isn't changing, your HEALTH is changing for the better! Be proud of yourself for staying on track for the week, for hitting the mileage every day, and sticking with your water!!



Great picture... LOVELY family!! And thanks for sharing the SW related picture! And another for being in Special Ed. I've been given a special ed one-on-one position for the remainder of the school year and here I am, one week in, and I am truly EXHAUSTED!!



Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm! THat sounds delish! I love to do things like that here.... throw a whole bunch of veggies together, create a flavorful sauce, and toss on a protein!!



If I hadn't seen the Golden Arches on the packages, I would have never known that was McD food! Imagine a beautiful fresh salad AND vegetable soup from McD!! Great choices!!

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

Hey friends!! I ended up running out to hit a few thrift stores today.... the behavior plan for my new student involves a sticker chart with rewards and she chose a stuffed animal for her "10 star" reward. Rather than have the school spend a ton of money ordering something, I decided to search for one. I found three really nice ones that I am washing right now.... I'm sure she'll love them all. One big Build-a-Bear dog, one pony, and a Webkinz monkey.... hope she is able to decide between them! And I spent a grand total of $2.40! Plus it gave me a good excuse to indulge in one of my favorite activities on a rainy Saturday. I bought myself one silk blouse, a baking pan (Pampered Chef that looks like new), two Fiestaware plates (white.... a color I only have one piece of), a few small jelly jars, four super soft high quality hotel-overstock white pillowcases, a pair of Clark's (woohoo!) and a medium size glass pitcher (the only thing I really "collect").

Eating has been fine today.... two eggs on low carb pita with a side of broccoli and some mango chunks for breakfast, a seltzer and a hunk of turkey for lunch (I was in a hurry... no time for anything else).... but now I'm hungry. DS and his girlfriend came over after robotics (4pm) and dove into a snack and then DH revealed that he never had lunch so he maked himself a sandwich at 4:30pm!! No sense in making dinner for them! I was going to make beef and broccoli, but I guess I'll save it for tomorrow or Monday. I think I'll roast some cabbage for myself for dinner.... or maybe just chop the cabbage and a few other veggies and make a quick stir-fry. I think I'll be inspired by our friend Happy Grape and create a tasty sauce for my stir-fry (since I'm out of my usual garlic black bean sauce).

See you in the morning!......................P

I kept reading this in awe that you got all of that stuff for a mere $2.40! And then I realized that was the student part. I was about to hire you to do all my shopping! Your student is so lucky to have you!!

Hi, I'm back for April after going MIA mid March. These last few weeks have been a blur of appointments, research, and so many emotions, as my Dad was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. He quit smoking 20 years ago and has been in excellent health, but went to the doctor's with a persistent cough. After being treated with antibiotics, he was sent for an X-ray, then CT scan, bronch/ biopsy, PET scan, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

During the last few weeks, meals have been on the go, or not eaten, then snacking when I got hungry. I put on 2 pounds, basically back to where I was in Jan. I'm now 151lbs. My goal this month is ridiculously low, but I want it to be realistic as I will be working, taking my Dad to chemo, and radiation ( my sister will also be sharing in the rides, so I won't be doing it 5 days a week). My goal is lose 2 pounds. I won't be able to attend my WW meetings, so I appreciate this thread more than ever to keep me accountable.

Here is a pic of my husband and me just a few months ago on our December WDW trip.View attachment 159871

Sending good wishes to you and your Dad! Your goal seems perfect. *hugs*

Also, I love your Christmas lights necklace!