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

[courtneybeth]

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Have you planned or scheduled your healthy meals and exercise/workouts for this week? If so, share a bit about how you do this (i.e. prep meals ahead or make an appointment with your trainer or put your packed gym back in the car).... and if not, why not? Are you just WISHING that the healthy eating and exercise will happen??

I plan my exercise/workouts out at the beginning of the month on a word doc calendar template and then print it out so I can cross it off daily. It allows me to have accountability so that I know what I am doing! I am on a great routine right now so it helps to have consistency in the things that I do.

As for meals - uh, that's all husband's area. I don't cook

PS: I love the "When You Wish Upon a Death Star" pic. I may have laughed a little too loudly in my office this morning.

 

[Zoesmama03]

My starting point is 309.8 Up a little from the last weigh in on my previous month of participation. My goal is 6 lbs for April so hope to be at or under 303.8 by end of the month. Getting off to a rough start. TOM, crazy eating and lack of exercise so far. I put in about 45-60 minutes of dancing Saturday night. I'll get my strength and bike routine going though through this work week part. Working at finding the dedication bone. LOL I should really get in to the YMCA and get applied for scholarship program. I know I could get really cheap membership for my daughter and I if I just get the paperwork started. She's wanting to go with me so I'll have to check the rules on kids(teens) using the same equipment. I know a lot of gyms allow 13+ to workout with parent. I'm happy that even my desire to workout motivates her to want to as well. Imagine what will happen when I finally get it all right and keep consistent with it.

Back to reading I got through the first page. I'll maybe post another with replies in awhile. I only have a couple hours before I leave for work though.

 

[JacknSally]

I don't have a specific plan as far as when I'll do what, or what I'll eat on what day, but I do have some loose plans. I try to get my dedicated walking time in Monday-Friday while DH is at job #1. That way it's out of the way and I don't have to worry about trying to get it done before bed or while he's home (though if he has the night off from job #2, those are the evenings we take our pup for a walk)... I haven't been able to get the hang of meal planning. Not sure why. We're trying to keep a lot of pre-measured stuff on hand, though, so we have all of the components for meals ready to go, and we have a few go-to recipes that we almost always have the ingredients for.

Didn't get a picture of it, but I talked DH into playing hooky from job #1 today (still has to go to job #2 tonight though) so we could get some stuff done around the house and actually see each other for a minute, haha, so we had a larger than normal breakfast this morning. Usually he has a protein shake and I'll grab a couple of pre-measured things out of the fridge. Today we had homemade cinnamon protein pancakes with blueberries, topped with homemade almond butter, scrambled eggs with cheese, onion, and tomato, and a couple of pieces of bacon. So yummy. And enough pancakes left over for my breakfasts for the rest of the week, so yay for that.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Sorry "guys" I keep getting drowsy I only got half way through page two. I'll see if my phone will load it and work on it later but I gotta wake up some more. I had caffeine already. Sometimes that does me worse. Especially when I slip and have very sugary soda. Then the sugar crash happens. Will shower and see if I have time left before I leave for work.

By the way for those on instagram I saw posting screennames I'm shuttermagik on there.

 

[Flossbolna]

I fell totally behind on the thread from being away at the start of the month!!! I see we have some new members - and even turned a lurker into a poster!!! I love it when that happens!

I guess I should introduce myself: My name is Magdalene, I am German and live in Germany, so in case I ever write something that anyone considers rude, offensive or anything like that, please keep in mind that English is a second language to me and I promise you that I never intend to be rude, offensive or worse here on this thread!!

I have a long history of battling my weight ever since childhood. During university I was able to get to what I would now consider my goal weight (even below that, but I never achieved the same skinniness as my three girlfriends from university, they all still have a BMI of 18 after three kids). Starting my first job the pounds came on and since then it has been an ongoing battle, however, over the last 8 years it has been definitely trending lower every year. I am now in my mid forties and have developed an under performing thyroid. This is still being adjusted, so hopefully when I am finally at the right amount of medication, this will help me lose weight better again.

Compared to many of you, it should be easier for me to get my act together as I don't have kids and my boyfriend and I have a long distance relationship, so I am solely responsible for myself most of the time. But sometimes I find it more difficult to motivate myself when I am on my own...

I need to catch up on the other QOTD, but now I think I will go for a little walk. The weather is beautiful outside and I know the exercise will be good for me to clear my head! Eating has been very good today so far, so I am hoping for a great start of the week... And maybe I even will get energized enough to do some meal planning for the rest of the week!

 

[SarahDisney]

Okay, I'm going to try to make some time to actually do some individual replies today, because a lot of people are saying a lot of important and/or awesome things.

Trying to make a few changes to my regular eating plan this week in an effort to shake things up...... lower carbs (bye-bye evening popcorn treat), higher protein (specifically meat... less cheese and beans), and more fat (yummm.... whole eggs and avocado!). I may try the coconut oil coffee again, but I swear the oil gave me an allergic reaction in my throat every time. I'm also going to take some time today to preplan my breakfasts for the week. I always eat breakfast and it is always on-plan, but sometimes I struggle with eating ENOUGH and getting enough protein at breakfast. So I am preplanning some breakfasts that will be at least 7 SP and (hopefully) filling enough to keep me going without the belly grumbles I usually get mid-morning.

I love your ideas for changing up your meal plans - keep us updated on how it goes. And of course, feel free to share any good recipes you find on pinterest (or anywhere else)!

Carlsbad 5000 went amazing today -- finished in... 39:49!


Course had a little bit of inclines that were tough on the knee, but I powered through it to my best time to date. Words cannot express how much better I feel after having a great race weekend. Ready to hit Raleigh next weekend and conquer.

Awesome job!! That's an amazing time, and I'm glad your knee did okay despite the inclines.

So my goal for this month is going to be about increasing my activity - the Doctor said Australia's current guidelines are for at least 30 minutes a day 5 times a week. so I will set a timed activity goal. So with 4 weeks left of April I will say 20 days @ 30 minutes is 600 minutes of exercise this month.

Sounds like an awesome goal! 30 minutes 5 times a week sounds easy, but it can be really hard when you're busy. Make sure to treat your exercise as a priority and I think you can do it!

QOTD for Monday, April 4, 2016:

Have you planned or scheduled your healthy meals and exercise/workouts for this week? If so, share a bit about how you do this (i.e. prep meals ahead or make an appointment with your trainer or put your packed gym back in the car).... and if not, why not? Are you just WISHING that the healthy eating and exercise will happen??

I see the words "plan" and "schedule" ... those are basically my only life skills.

I plan in 2 ways:
1 - Weekly Calendar - this goes from Sunday through Saturday, and I usually update it late Saturday night or early in the day on Sunday. It has my to-do list for the day (I "erased" that from this picture for privacy reasons), my meal plan for the day (breakfast, AM snack, lunch, and PM snack ... I don't really control my own dinners), and my planned exercise for the day. This is something I keep in Microsoft Word, and I redo it (and get rid of the old one) every week.


2 - Exercise Tracking Spreadsheet - this is something I started a few months ago. I plan out which days I will be doing what exercise, and then when I do my exercise, I enter the information into the spreadsheet. I keep this in Google Sheets so that I can access it from anywhere, and I start a new spreadsheet every month (each month's spreadsheet will have 4-5 charts - one for each week).


I don't always stick exactly to the plan (for example, today's lunch is scheduled to be pasta but will actually be leftover pizza ... although I did just discover that the vegetable slice I'm eating right now is whole wheat), but having all this is really good to give myself a guideline for the week.

I am feeling really anxious about tomorrow and drained from it. I am on my lunch break, and feel like sitting and feeling sorry for myself but I know my only hope to feel little better is to get out for walk and motivated by the quote - I won't wish I feel better. I will make a plan how to make it happen

great quote - off I go for my lunch time walk

Awesome job going out and taking action - I hope you had a great walk!

Which brings us to now. I'd finally had enough about mid January and got my crap together. My grandma passed towards the end of the month and when I went for a walk instead of eating, ate before the get together at my cousin's house and refused all the crap food I knew I was firmly back on track. I am down 14.8 lbs and well on my way. The pic on the left was beginning of January and the one on the right was yesterday. I will be back with goals and plan later, have to get my kids up for school!

You're making great progress! Keep working hard and I know you will reach your goal!

As an aside, venting, I really hate my city's administration and mother nature right now. We are getting our second snowstorm in 48 hours, and it is a mess. Kids are in school, which was a horrible call in my opinion. I transport my kids myself, so I know I can keep them safe, were have an easy and short (under a mile) ride. But my city is crazy hilly and the city has done NOTHING to clean it up. Dismissal time is going to be a nightmare for the buses. Going to keep snowing through the afternoon. UGH! Vent over

Snow in April. Insane.
And ugh for school not being cancelled. If you can't clear the roads, you can't expect kids to get to and from school. That's ridiculous.

I haven't been able to get the hang of meal planning. Not sure why.

Honestly? I think meal planning just doesn't work for some people.
I also struggle with it, but I keep trying because I can stick to it sometimes. Some people just can't stick to it, and if it doesn't work for you ... you just have to try something else.

Compared to many of you, it should be easier for me to get my act together as I don't have kids and my boyfriend and I have a long distance relationship, so I am solely responsible for myself most of the time. But sometimes I find it more difficult to motivate myself when I am on my own...

Ugh. I hate this.
People think that just because someone doesn't have a spouse or kids they automatically have all the time in the world to do everything they need to do and never have any distractions and can always get everything done. But people who don't have kids can still have responsibilities, and sometimes it's harder to be motivated to take care of yourself when the only person you have to think about it you - it's not like you're doing this so that you can take better care of your kids - your motivation has to come from within yourself, and that can be really hard.
Sorry, that was my mini-rant of the day (I used to have to deal with attitudes like that at a previous job, so I tend to rant about it a lot).

 

[mamattorney]

Huge NSV today everyone and I just had to make a second post (could have saved it for Wednesday, but I was too excited). I was in Dicks Sporting Goods today to buy a couple things for the Spring soccer season and I stopped to look at the rain jackets. Aside from shoes, I haven't bought anything for myself there, well, ever I don't think. I've been wearing plus sized clothes for the past 7- 8 years so for sure not since before then. Today I took a size XL off the rack, tried it on and it fit - comfortably! I know that some of you would be horrified to wear an XL but to me, it was the greatest feeling ever. I bought my favorite and am all set for the next rain!

 

[SarahDisney]

Huge NSV today everyone and I just had to make a second post (could have saved it for Wednesday, but I was too excited). I was in Dicks Sporting Goods today to buy a couple things for the Spring soccer season and I stopped to look at the rain jackets. Aside from shoes, I haven't bought anything for myself there, well, ever I don't think. I've been wearing plus sized clothes for the past 7- 8 years so for sure not since before then. Today I took a size XL off the rack, tried it on and it fit - comfortably! I know that some of you would be horrified to wear an XL but to me, it was the greatest feeling ever. I bought my favorite and am all set for the next rain!

View attachment 160274

That is awesome!! Congratulations!
(And I love the color of that jacket!)

 

[mamattorney]

@SarahDisney - your meal and exercise plans are AMAZING! I envy your skills - good work!

 

[Flossbolna]

Heh,heh, I'm a bit of a Lone Wolf when it comes to weight loss and fitness. I've found *for me* in the past groups or a buddy tends to lead to enabling. This group seems to shoot straight though which is why I religiously follow.

I think one of the reasons this group works so well is that we are strangers (of course, some have become online friends over time) and we are connected by a common interest: Disney. I sometimes find it easier to be honest with people who are not in my daily life, because I can "hide" in anonymity. If things go wrong with the people here, I can always walk away and don't have to deal with broken friendships on a daily basis (not that I am planning for this to happen!!). That's why being strangers kind of sets us free from normal social conventions, like not making your best friend feel awful that she has lost less than you and instead tell her that if that cupcake makes her happy, she should eat it. And then on the other side, the common interest helps us to bond and still create a friendly atmosphere. At least I hope that this is what we are doing!

However, I understand that everyone needs to find their own way of dealing with weight loss. It sounds like you very much have a system that works for you. And if that includes lurking instead of posting that is great for you, too! However, I always love to hear new perspectives and I feel that you have a lot to share with all your experience!

But people who don't have kids can still have responsibilities, and sometimes it's harder to be motivated to take care of yourself when the only person you have to think about it you - it's not like you're doing this so that you can take better care of your kids - your motivation has to come from within yourself, and that can be really hard.

Yes, that's what I meant! It was so much easier to do healthy meal planning when my boyfriend was around as I knew that we both needed to eat. It is far easier to just wing it for yourself, but if you suddenly are responsible for making sure someone else is getting dinner (and no, he is all around wonderful, but not a cook, it is my choice to be responsible for dinner!), then there is a whole other level of motivation.

Huge NSV today everyone and I just had to make a second post (could have saved it for Wednesday, but I was too excited). I was in Dicks Sporting Goods today to buy a couple things for the Spring soccer season and I stopped to look at the rain jackets. Aside from shoes, I haven't bought anything for myself there, well, ever I don't think. I've been wearing plus sized clothes for the past 7- 8 years so for sure not since before then. Today I took a size XL off the rack, tried it on and it fit - comfortably! I know that some of you would be horrified to wear an XL but to me, it was the greatest feeling ever. I bought my favorite and am all set for the next rain!

View attachment 160274

Hey, we are never complaining about people making multiple posts during the day!!! The jacket looks really good!! And I think XL is a totally decent size!

 

[donac]

I try to plan out my dinners at the beginning of the week before I go grocery shopping. Unfortunately this week has been shot to hell. Dh is not going to be home for dinner on Tues or Thurs and Wed he is coming home late.

 

[pjlla]

Heh,heh, I'm a bit of a Lone Wolf when it comes to weight loss and fitness. I've found *for me* in the past groups or a buddy tends to lead to enabling. This group seems to shoot straight though which is why I religiously follow.

I am Wen(dy), 48 and have been married 24 (together 27) years come the 18th. I am a SAHM, Disney nerd, hobbyist photographer and digital scrapbooker. I have an 19 year old DD who is a professional baker and culinary college student and 10 year old boy/girl twins. My kids are IVF babies which is why they are so far apart in age and the main source of my weight gain. All those hormones pack on the pounds!

Over the years I've managed to keep a rather steady weight range within 20 lbs depending on my fitness level. I've lost major weight twice in my life. About 35lbs after oldest DD that I kept off more or less until I decided to have another. With my littles I developed gestational diabetes. Being high risk and an older mom I adhered to the diet I was given, lost 5lbs and never gained another ounce during the rest of the pregnancy. I was well on my way to taking the rest off when a series of events threw me into a two and half year long depression. My highest weight (that I know of, could have been more at one point) was 221lbs. DH and I made some decisions that seemed devastating at the time but seemed to remove the weight of the world off my shoulders and some switch was thrown in my head. Things just started clicking and I started losing. I learned it was okay to put myself first and to put my kids on "pause" for 30mins while I got in a workout. I lost 69lbs (my littles combined weight at the time) and maintained that for over four and a half years. Then about two years ago my Dad got extremely ill. His health has always been poor but this was a year in and out of ICU and me sleeping with my phone on my pillow waiting for "the call." Between long days at the hospital, helping my stepmother out and being a mom I begin eating my feelings. I knew I was doing it but kept doing it anyway. Even after he stabilized and is doing okay now, I continued and put on about 27lbs over the course of two years.

Which brings us to now. I'd finally had enough about mid January and got my crap together. My grandma passed towards the end of the month and when I went for a walk instead of eating, ate before the get together at my cousin's house and refused all the crap food I knew I was firmly back on track. I am down 14.8 lbs and well on my way. The pic on the left was beginning of January and the one on the right was yesterday. I will be back with goals and plan later, have to get my kids up for school!
View attachment 160148

That is quite the story! And you aren't a total stranger.... I think I've seen you around here before! But anyhow, I'll send a formal WELCOME to you and thanks for jumping into the group. And I had a similar experience with NOT letting a highly stressful situation send me to the cookie cupboard and I realized after that that I definitely had a handle on this!

So I have not been on. My son's birthday party was Saturday and then Sunday we were watching movies all day. It was too cold and snowy so we just stayed in. I have not planned any workouts yet this week. I try to have them planned ahead of time but this week is a mess. Tonight my daughter has gymnastics and I the 4th grade Farewell meeting, Tomorrow I have a PTA meeting, Wednesday my kids have PSR (I should be able to get a work out in but not a great one), Thursday is my son's 10th birthday and we always let the kids pick where they want to eat for their birthday and Friday is gymnastics again but should be able to get something in that day. I am ready for the school year to over so i have some more time.

I am not in charge of dinner during the week at our house. My husband gets off a lot earlier then I do so he does dinner. We try to plan meals for the week but if he has issues at work (he is in IT) then sometimes it is just a quick not so healthy dinner.

I am really wishing for things to work out this week and get to workout or at least get 10,000 steps a day. I am also really trying to pack a lunch everyday so I do not buy junk food for lunch. I have 3 meals already prepped with a back up as well.

Crazy week!! Yikes! Sounds like it will be a busy one.... but remember, turn that WISH into a plan and the workout will definitely happen!

Like some other people, I plan meals for the week when I grocery shop. This week we are having burgers (lettuce wrap/bun for me; reg buns for all who want them), turkey chili, salmon, and pasta (have this once a week for the kids - I eat something else). Thursday, the boys in the family are headed to the hockey game (Blackhawks vs Blues, so should be fun!), so it will likely be Panera (You Choose Two - here I come!) for my daughter and I.

We have a regular rotation of foods that I can cook in my sleep that everyone in the family eats, so I generally pick things that I can prepare/fit around the various after school activities of the kids.

Exercise I don't plan as often or well. Should definitely work on that!

Yum, yum, and YUM! Great meal plan!

My vain self thinks so-- Haha! I love wearing them or tennis/golf skorts to the parks because they are so cute in pictures, but comfy and don't chafe! I have one athletic pair that are super comfy and stays mainly in place that I got at TJ Maxx-- sad and happy to report it's getting a little too loose.

Luckily Blue Apron has planned out 3 dinners per week for us that I don't worry about (*sidenote: they just gave DH some free weeks to give out to people to try-- if anybody wants to try, PM me your email and I can send you the free week. There is no perk to this for me -- just offering it out there!). As for the other dinner throughout the week, I have been making something big that we can eat on through out the week so I don't have to cook every night. Breakfasts are all planned out (oatmeal or smoothies that are grab and go). But lunch is the downfall. I should plan out lunches better-- otherwise, we just magically end up in the Chick-fil-a drive through..... Thank goodness for their new superfood side!

I would love one of the Blue Apron trials if you have any left! I'll PM you my email address!

I've never had a Chick-Fil-A... probably a good thing because it sounds delicious and addicting!

I just wanted to say I will keep you and your family in my thoughts. My dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer 6 years ago. He has had it return twice in other locations (brain and adrenal gland) but has been cancer free for 4 years now. Stage 3 was a scary diagnosis, but there is so much more they are able to do these days it is far more treatable than 10 years ago. Taking some time for yourself is important, but I think adjusting your goals so they still feel attainable despite your increased demands this month is a smart choice. Focus on making healthy choices and go easy on yourself if you falter! I hope everything goes well for him!


SO glad your Dad is doing well.... and that is what I LOVE about this group... we can support each other in SO MANY WAYS other than just weight loss!

I do a meal plan every Sunday night, so my dinners get planned then. Lunches and breakfast are almost always the same, unless I have leftovers to make use of. Breakfast is always one egg and one egg white, a piece of ezekiel bread and half a grapefruit. Lunch is usually salad with 3-4 servings of veggies, beans, lean protein and homemade vinaigrettes. Or I have a half a sandwich or whole wheat wrap and fruit. I like that these two meals are sort of automatic, and I can count on the consistency of them. As bored as I get with dinners, for some reason I do not get bored with lunches and breakfasts. Snacks are greek yogurt (plain) with fruit on the side, a few cheese slices with triscuits, cheese sticks, or hummus and veggies.

Mondays, I start the new week strong by doing a strength class where I go to physical therapy, then I immediately (yes sweaty and gross) do my food shopping. After that I prep fruits and veggies to make sure they are easy to use the rest of the week. My workouts are based on my training plan for whatever races are on my calendar. Right now I am only sure of one race, and it is not until October, so I am just following a basic base building plan. I run 3-4 days a week and cross train 2-3. I strength train with heavy weights at least twice a week. And I have some PT exercises I am supposed to do daily, but I'll be honest and say I do them only some of the time. At the end of this month, I will begin a new training cycle which will be different in that I am going to have a local running coach construct a specific training plan for me, as I will be training for a new distance. I am going to be doing my first full marathon in the fall. Super excited, but also terrified!

When I was most successful with weight loss in the past, it was always about an automaticity to my plan. So, I am trying to return to that mode.

As for a daily challenge, I am going to focus on water. It used to be something easy and automatic for me. Now I realize I no longer drink enough water. I don't drink soda, only water and a few cups of coffee each day (+ wine on weekends) but I have not been drinking enough water lately. So I am going to focus on getting back to 64 ounces a day. I've had about 20 ounces so far today

I was super busy and did not get on here this weekend, so I missed the food challenge. It is a bummer too because I made my favorite weekend breakfast of a healthy frittata. Its heavy on veggies, light on cheese and I use a mix of whole eggs and egg white to keep it lighter. I'll try and post it next weekend. Never enough time during the week.

As an aside, venting, I really hate my city's administration and mother nature right now. We are getting our second snowstorm in 48 hours, and it is a mess. Kids are in school, which was a horrible call in my opinion. I transport my kids myself, so I know I can keep them safe, were have an easy and short (under a mile) ride. But my city is crazy hilly and the city has done NOTHING to clean it up. Dismissal time is going to be a nightmare for the buses. Going to keep snowing through the afternoon. UGH! Vent over

Feel free to post a food picture any time you'd like!! We also have a storm going on right now.... all evening activities were cancelled and the ride home was a slippery mess.

I plan my exercise/workouts out at the beginning of the month on a word doc calendar template and then print it out so I can cross it off daily. It allows me to have accountability so that I know what I am doing! I am on a great routine right now so it helps to have consistency in the things that I do.

As for meals - uh, that's all husband's area. I don't cook

PS: I love the "When You Wish Upon a Death Star" pic. I may have laughed a little too loudly in my office this morning.

I really should plan things into a google doc or something... I LOVE being able to cross off a list!

My starting point is 309.8 Up a little from the last weigh in on my previous month of participation. My goal is 6 lbs for April so hope to be at or under 303.8 by end of the month. Getting off to a rough start. TOM, crazy eating and lack of exercise so far. I put in about 45-60 minutes of dancing Saturday night. I'll get my strength and bike routine going though through this work week part. Working at finding the dedication bone. LOL I should really get in to the YMCA and get applied for scholarship program. I know I could get really cheap membership for my daughter and I if I just get the paperwork started. She's wanting to go with me so I'll have to check the rules on kids(teens) using the same equipment. I know a lot of gyms allow 13+ to workout with parent. I'm happy that even my desire to workout motivates her to want to as well. Imagine what will happen when I finally get it all right and keep consistent with it.

Back to reading I got through the first page. I'll maybe post another with replies in awhile. I only have a couple hours before I leave for work though.

So happy you are joining us again!! Welcome back!!

I don't have a specific plan as far as when I'll do what, or what I'll eat on what day, but I do have some loose plans. I try to get my dedicated walking time in Monday-Friday while DH is at job #1. That way it's out of the way and I don't have to worry about trying to get it done before bed or while he's home (though if he has the night off from job #2, those are the evenings we take our pup for a walk)... I haven't been able to get the hang of meal planning. Not sure why. We're trying to keep a lot of pre-measured stuff on hand, though, so we have all of the components for meals ready to go, and we have a few go-to recipes that we almost always have the ingredients for.

Didn't get a picture of it, but I talked DH into playing hooky from job #1 today (still has to go to job #2 tonight though) so we could get some stuff done around the house and actually see each other for a minute, haha, so we had a larger than normal breakfast this morning. Usually he has a protein shake and I'll grab a couple of pre-measured things out of the fridge. Today we had homemade cinnamon protein pancakes with blueberries, topped with homemade almond butter, scrambled eggs with cheese, onion, and tomato, and a couple of pieces of bacon. So yummy. And enough pancakes left over for my breakfasts for the rest of the week, so yay for that.

Yeah for leftover breakfasts for the week! And I'm glad you and your DH got to "steal" some time together.... you are still newlyweds!

Sorry "guys" I keep getting drowsy I only got half way through page two. I'll see if my phone will load it and work on it later but I gotta wake up some more. I had caffeine already. Sometimes that does me worse. Especially when I slip and have very sugary soda. Then the sugar crash happens. Will shower and see if I have time left before I leave for work.

By the way for those on instagram I saw posting screennames I'm shuttermagik on there.

OOhhh.... thanks for the reminder to update the Instagram list!

Huge NSV today everyone and I just had to make a second post (could have saved it for Wednesday, but I was too excited). I was in Dicks Sporting Goods today to buy a couple things for the Spring soccer season and I stopped to look at the rain jackets. Aside from shoes, I haven't bought anything for myself there, well, ever I don't think. I've been wearing plus sized clothes for the past 7- 8 years so for sure not since before then. Today I took a size XL off the rack, tried it on and it fit - comfortably! I know that some of you would be horrified to wear an XL but to me, it was the greatest feeling ever. I bought my favorite and am all set for the next rain!

View attachment 160274

I LOVE the jacket... and you don't look like an XL to me in that photo at all!! WOOWHOO on "the greatest feeling ever"!!

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

Good evening friends! Home with my men for the evening, since Mother Nature decided to dump a spring snowstorm on us.... not a huge storm, but it snowed steadily all day and it is still snowing. SO no evening activities for the students, including robotics.

I have to log on in a few minutes for my evening WW Chat shift, so I'll say good-bye for now! Dinner is cooking and the men will serve and if I am LUCKY and we aren't too busy with calls tonight I can probably sit with them and eat while I work. Gotta love a job like that! I'll say good night for now and be back in the morning with your QOTD!.................P

 

[wenrob]

@Flossbolna, those are very valid points and make a lot of sense. I'm going to give it a go and hang out with you all for awhile I think. I like to encourage people because if I can do it, anyone can. It's why I jumped in, JackandSally seemed so upset and I wanted her to know right then that she was heading in the right direction and not to give up.

@pjlla Thank you for the welcome. Yes, I've been a member of the DIS for several years (I learned to use my camera from the old timers on the photography board many moons ago) so I'm sure we've crossed each other's paths more than a few times.

I will try to answer the question of the day sometime this evening but right now I have to get a walk in so I can afford the McD's I'm treating the littles to tonight.

 

[4Mickeys]

Not yet - to be honest with my husband's scan results coming out tomorrow I am stressed and kept myself busy outside home yesterday

- Prayers for your family - hope all goes well.

Heh,heh, I'm a bit of a Lone Wolf when it comes to weight loss and fitness. I've found *for me* in the past groups or a buddy tends to lead to enabling. This group seems to shoot straight though which is why I religiously follow.

I am Wen(dy), 48 and have been married 24 (together 27) years come the 18th. I am a SAHM, Disney nerd, hobbyist photographer and digital scrapbooker. I have an 19 year old DD who is a professional baker and culinary college student and 10 year old boy/girl twins. My kids are IVF babies which is why they are so far apart in age and the main source of my weight gain. All those hormones pack on the pounds!

Over the years I've managed to keep a rather steady weight range within 20 lbs depending on my fitness level. I've lost major weight twice in my life. About 35lbs after oldest DD that I kept off more or less until I decided to have another. With my littles I developed gestational diabetes. Being high risk and an older mom I adhered to the diet I was given, lost 5lbs and never gained another ounce during the rest of the pregnancy. I was well on my way to taking the rest off when a series of events threw me into a two and half year long depression. My highest weight (that I know of, could have been more at one point) was 221lbs. DH and I made some decisions that seemed devastating at the time but seemed to remove the weight of the world off my shoulders and some switch was thrown in my head. Things just started clicking and I started losing. I learned it was okay to put myself first and to put my kids on "pause" for 30mins while I got in a workout. I lost 69lbs (my littles combined weight at the time) and maintained that for over four and a half years. Then about two years ago my Dad got extremely ill. His health has always been poor but this was a year in and out of ICU and me sleeping with my phone on my pillow waiting for "the call." Between long days at the hospital, helping my stepmother out and being a mom I begin eating my feelings. I knew I was doing it but kept doing it anyway. Even after he stabilized and is doing okay now, I continued and put on about 27lbs over the course of two years.

Which brings us to now. I'd finally had enough about mid January and got my crap together. My grandma passed towards the end of the month and when I went for a walk instead of eating, ate before the get together at my cousin's house and refused all the crap food I knew I was firmly back on track. I am down 14.8 lbs and well on my way. The pic on the left was beginning of January and the one on the right was yesterday. I will be back with goals and plan later, have to get my kids up for school!

Yeah so glad you decided to give it a go joining us - I only joined this group in January and am finding it very helpful in starting my healthy life journey. I agree with @Flossbolna if its not for you its easy to walk away or come and go as you need/can. I am just learning that it is ok and necessary for me to put myself first sometimes as a mum - so its good to hear that others have struggled with this at times also.

 

[iheartdisney44]

It's so funny to me that "planning" is the QOTD, it seems to be a theme for me lately! I have not historically been a great planner. I tend to like to figure things out on the fly, which has led to a lot of convenience eating. Couple that with my intense dislike of cooking and I have a real disaster on my hands! Now that I have started on my healthy eating path, I am having to face some of those demons. If I have learned anything on my Whole 30, it's that planning and preparation is key to success. Unless you prefer to eat raw veggies all the time, which I don't. So this past week, me and a few friends got together and had a meal prep day where we made 7 healthy meals. It took us 3 hours and I am so thankful we did that! We made chili, almond crusted chicken tenders, bacon-egg-chive bites, chicken meatballs, chicken salad, guacamole, and pork marinade. Now I have quick meal options that I know are within my guidelines that I don't have to think about! It also makes me feel like I've got my "stuff" together! Hope you all are having a great start to your week!

 

[piglet1979]

Today was an ok day. I didn't eat horrible but not great either. I am up really late to make my fast pass selections for our trip. Why do they make reservations for everything open up at a crazy time. At least MK closed at 12 and not later tonight. I am hoping for a better day tomorrow and to get at least a small work out in.

 

[4Mickeys]

Huge NSV today everyone and I just had to make a second post (could have saved it for Wednesday, but I was too excited). I was in Dicks Sporting Goods today to buy a couple things for the Spring soccer season and I stopped to look at the rain jackets. Aside from shoes, I haven't bought anything for myself there, well, ever I don't think. I've been wearing plus sized clothes for the past 7- 8 years so for sure not since before then. Today I took a size XL off the rack, tried it on and it fit - comfortably! I know that some of you would be horrified to wear an XL but to me, it was the greatest feeling ever. I bought my favorite and am all set for the next rain!

Super cute jacket - looks great on you

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Tuesday, April 5, 2016:


Green lightsabers................ if you know anything about the Star Wars universe, you know that green lightsabers are carried by GOOD GUYS.... Yoda and Luke, to name two.

Green lightsabers aren't the ONLY good "greens" though! How about spinach, kale, or bok choy.... green grapes, green cabbage, or green apples?

Name two or three of your favorite GREENS (green Skittles and green M&Ms do NOT count!) and how you prepare them! If you struggle with greens (or any vegetables) don't despair ...... keep up with our answers and perhaps you will find a new vegetable or a new way to prepare them that suits you!

 

[pjlla]

Morning all! Running crazy late here today, so I'm just going to say hello and good-bye! And you will have to forgive me, as Tuesdays are my double job days, so I won't be back on probably until tomorrow morning. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and I'll see you tomorrow!....................P

 

[SarahDisney]

Name two or three of your favorite GREENS (green Skittles and green M&Ms do NOT count!) and how you prepare them! If you struggle with greens (or any vegetables) don't despair ...... keep up with our answers and perhaps you will find a new vegetable or a new way to prepare them that suits you!

Awesome question! Greens are the best
I don't really cook my greens, so I don't know if I can give anyone else ideas, but here goes...
1 - Lettuce - my favorite kind is red leaf, but I eat a lot of romaine too because it's usually easier to get. Mostly I just use it for salads (I could probably have salad every day and be perfectly happy with that).
2 - Peas - I take them out of the can or defrost them out of freezer and either eat them as a side dish or add them to a salad.
3 - Zucchini - here's one that I do eat cooked, but mostly it's just cut up and broiled. Although my mom will often mix it with mushrooms to make a dish that we call "mushini" (I don't know how she prepares the vegetables for mushini, so I can't help with that).

I'm really interested to see everyone else's favorite greens!

---

Good morning, friends! Sub-freezing temperatures today made me postpone my long run ... again ... hopefully I can get it in before the rain on Thursday. I was going to do a short run on the treadmill after my brother left for work, but then I remembered that my sister can usually hear the treadmill from her room, and I don't want to wake her up. The joy of living with people...
Current plan is to run in the afternoon, which I don't love doing, but I can survive. Whether the afternoon run is outside or treadmill will depend on the weather.

Breakfast today is toast ... I'm trying to figure out what fruit to add to it, since we're a little limited on what we have in the house (Tuesday is usually grocery day around here). It's way easier to decide what chocolate to have with my toast (I'm a big fan of nut butters on toast, and chocolate chips are excellent with PB on toast)!

Other than that ... nothing exciting going on. I may go to the mall with my sister, but I haven't decided yet. It's always nice to get out of the house, but she tends to be a mall food enabler, and I don't really need that today. So we'll see.

Have a great day, everyone!