No One Loses Weight Like Gaston - November 2015 W.I.S.H Challenge

[ThistleMae]

What I'm doing now is logging my food in Loseit, working hard to get in my fitbit step goal or more every day (except a weekend rest day usually), and trying to post here often and check in to make sure I actually stick to this. Right now the biggest struggle is snacking - I have a really short work day on Thursday thanks to my adjunct teaching job. It's great because I get to go home and do work instead of being stuck on campus, but there are way more random snacks available at home, and I'm honestly not very good about logging when I grab a handful of candy corn or whatever. I know that I still totally ate those calories, but for some reason if I don't log it, I don't feel like it "really happened." I'm working on trying to pre-plan food, and we just got some new baby carrots to eat with hummus for a healthier snack when cravings hit.

I also need to learn that being hungry is ok sometimes. I'm obviously not starving, and I need to learn to deal with the uncomfortable feeling if I'm going to be successful. And remember to drink water when I think I'm hungry in case it's a hydration issue!

You got it girl! Now....the hard part....just do it! I hear your struggle....sitting with the hunger is sometimes very difficult. But you are on the right path.

 

[pjlla]

Hey friends! SURPRISE, SURPRISE.... I have the day OFF! WOOT, WOOT! I'm going to make the most of it with laundry, cooking, cleaning.... and catching up with you all!! BB in a minute with some replies!..............P

 

[pjlla]

My "I miss Disney" has reached a new level of pathetic today had coffee this morning out of my Starbucks/Hollywood Studios "You Are Here" mug, and I've got sweet fire chicken going in the crockpot for dinner tonight. Going to have it with jasmine rice and recreate the dish we had at Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT! First time trying out this dish, so hopefully it's good. Also, I am not a coffee drinker, but want to be! So what are some recommendations I should try? I was so overwhelmed at Kroger by all the different choices, haha. I really only like coffee that doesn't taste like coffee my go-to drinks at Starbucks are chai tea lattes and white mocha frappuccinos. I ended up just getting classic Folgers and doctoring it with white chocolate mocha creamer.

Off to get ready for day 1 of work... Working 12-8 today it's been a long time since I've had to work so late, and I really haven't gotten tired of sleeping late and hanging out at home with my dog all day, haha. I'm also not 100% convinced this is the job for me. Well. I actually know this isn't the job for me, but I'm hoping it will be a more positive "in the meantime" job than my last one. Hopefully it will go well!

I love having "Disney dinners"! Hope it was great!!

Why pick up the coffee habit? Stick with chia tea (light, skim milk, etc) or green tea. Giving up the "franken-food creamer" habit was one of the toughest things I changed when I started this journey in 2008. I always drank my coffee without sugar, but that little bit of sweetness and flavor from the creamers was nice. I ended up giving up coffee all together for a few years (stuck with tea and the occasional light cocoa type drink) and then re-introducing it with just skim milk.

Have you tried any of the "gourmet" teas from Teavana? They are pricey but OH SO tasty! They often have multiple flavors brewed for free tastings and I try it every time I am in the mall! If you can find a really tasty tea you could probably enjoy it with minimal sweetness and no cream/milk.

Does anyone experience hunger level differences when the weather changes? I've noticed now that it's colder here (if you can count 68 as cold!) that I'm not as hungry as I usually am. This is proving to be a problem because I am not hungry enough to eat all of my points. I had to snack on some Bug Bites from the Mickey Halloween Party as empty calories to get the minimum needed.

What do you guys do in this instance? I am short 8 points tonight IF i eat the 6" Subway sammich in our fridge for dinner. I was going to grab a Starbucks Hot Chocolate before class and try to drink the calories.

I agree with the other person who said that cold weather makes me HUNGRIER (or at least that is my perception!)..... and I want to eat COMFORT foods.... soups, stews, etc.

When I have a day when I'm not hitting my goal (and it happens quite often unfortunately), I try to have a HEALTHY calorie-dense protein to use up the calories/Points.... I'll even lick peanut butter right out of the measuring spoon.... MMMMM! Cheese works well too, as do nuts. A little goes a LONG way in using up those extra calories at the end of the day, but the portion isn't so big as to leave me feeling bloated.

Question of the Day - November 10
What are some favorite songs on your workout playlist?

I love 80s music to motivate me - Billy Idol, Ramones, The Clash, Phil Collins, Billy Squire, " Blister on the Sun" -- The Violent Femmes, " Take on Me"--Aha, "Everyone's Working for the Weekend" -- LoverBoy. Music is the best motivator! Great question!

Love all of those!

I'm the opposite! The hotter it is out, the less I want to eat... The colder? Bring on the potato soup and mashed potatoes and casseroles and rice and other hearty carby dishes! Haha

Actually, it has little to do with caffeine, and more with wanting a warm wake-up drink to drink in the mornings now that it's so cold. The reason I don't like coffee is only partially because of the taste - which is probably because I've been trying the wrong kind of coffee, but I find it very bitter - and majorly because of the texture. Same reason I hate tea. It's TOO watery. If something is going to be that thin, it needs to be water - not flavored, just water. Even juice is a little more substantial. Coffee and tea are just toooooo thin and I can't do it. If I ever make hot chocolate, I have to make it with milk, not water. I will not drink hot chocolate made from water, haha. So I just need

Tea, tea, tea (keep trying to find one you like)!! Or how about warm milk (dairy or almond milk)?? Warm it in the microwave with a splash of vanilla and a touch of sweetener (honey is good for this)....MMMM, MMMM, good!

In anticipation of Whoohoo Wednesday....My MRI came back good. No injury to spine...but I do have arthritis, which is causing the back pain. So, I have a referral to Physical Therapy, which is good, because they can assist me is developing a workout at the gym that will help and not strain my back. I'm grateful that I don't need surgery! I'm doing good this week with food, but not tracking...so I'm maintaining. But....this is good practice for when I'm able to maintain my weight. I think what it will look like is this....eat a little extra....cut back a couple days. Otherwise, the smallest amounts over my caloric intake....bam....the weight goes right back on. The book I'm listening to the writer got down to 84 pounds and in three months, doubled that weight! So easy for it to go up....not so easy for it to come down. Dentist today....everyone have a happy Wednesday!

Book title please! I love to read things like that.... love to learn from others who have "been there, done that" in regards to weight loss.

Glad the back issue isn't any more serious.... but arthritis SUCKS! I've got it in my shoulders and neck and hands and now my elbows seem to be getting in on the game!

My woohoo Wednesday for today is that I got up at 6:30 am for my scheduled 30 minute run! Quite proud of myself, I am getting closer to my goal of making this month the one with the most distance run of the year!

The scale is still being crazy. But at least I am down 0.2 pounds from yesterday. I am sure that a lot of it is water as my wrist watch was really uncomfortable this morning. That is always a sign that I am retaining water.

@pjlla Have a great day with your son - make the best out of the hours you have!!

Interesting side note: While you are all celebrating Veterans Day in the US, we are celebrating the first day of Carneval (or Mardi Gras or whatever you might want to call it). It officially starts on 11/11 at 11:11 am.

Does Carneval come with food???

Question of the Day - November 11


It's WOOHOO Wednesday!

Share your woohoo for today - no celebration is too big or too small.
​

Well.... I sort of already did! I talked about my Mother/Son day, so that was definitely my WOO HOO for Wednesday!

I agree, I adore the themeing of B&B as Belle is my fav princess and the songs from that movie are dynamite! @courtneybeth many many for all the effort and time you've put in!

Pamela -- hope you had a great day with your son!

lots of inspiring woohoo's going down I'm not sure I can think of one...I've been down for the count with sinus cold turned infection. Apparently I hadn't adjusted my meds enough b/c today about mid-morning I was fine, then I wasn't. It hit me fast and I was crashing into adrenal insufficiency...but blessing in disguise is that I was at work (I work contingent just a couple days a month usually) and it's at my PCP office..so let me tell you they all were on it and took the most excellent care of me. my NP sent me home and there was an x-ray patient in the office, I felt terrible but looking back I wasn't in any shape to take on the responsibility of doing an exam

whew. woo hoo, I didn't go into adrenal crisis no...that is no fun!!

tomorrow I leave for a church retreat...really hoping I remember to WI when I wake up!

I think instead I'll claim my WOOHOO is that I've been journaling on MFP much more than the past 6 months. OH! I got it!!! I ordered a Fitbit Surge a few days ago! really looking forward to getting it! upgrading from the One

OH no! Glad you got taken care of properly! Enjoy your retreat weekend!

Today's woohoo is that I went to the doctor and was up 0.1 pound from what I weighed on Saturday. Not bad considering that it was mid-day and I was at the doctor. Is it just me or do you always weigh more at the doctor?? So I'm hoping that because the weight is so close that it means I should have good numbers this Saturday!

Doctor scales = evilness!

I'm the exact opposite - not hungry at all when it is hot and starving when it is cold. That said, the short on points thing is hard. It doesn't happen to me often but when it does I'm more inclined to just let it go. Eating when I wasn't hungry is one of the things that got me to my high weight and I worry that consuming extra calories to meet the target will just set me up to eat even more later that same night If it were a daily or frequent problem, I would look to build a few more points into my meals. Probably in the form of extra cheese or avocados because a world without cheese and guacamole (although not usually together) makes me sad.

My woohoo is that I am out of bed and fully showered. I even washed my hair! The bad news is that the flu has settled in to my lungs and I've got bronchitis. But I feel so much better that I don't even care that I sound like someone whose smoked five packs a day for 90 years.

I've also gained 6.2 pounds in the past week. I still don't understand it since I haven't really been eating (although my attempts at tracking definitely prove that juice has a lot of points, I'm pretty certain I've been under every day). But the doctor says it is totally normal and a good thing - a sign that my body is working hard to maintain itself and its hydration levels while I hack and cough. All I know is that I'm retaining so much water right now that I had to take off my rings.

I need to revise my goal for the month but I'm not sure what I want to aim for - possibly just losing the flu weight and maybe one or two more pounds for good measure.

Glad you are on the mend.... do NOT stress about the gain!!

Wow, very quiet day today!!! Was hoping to read some posts to keep me from snacking delicious cookies that a friend gave me today. I guess posting about the cookies is helpful, too. Keeps me from eating them!!

Sorry I wasn't here for you!! Toss those evil cookies!!

Question of the Day - November 12

Let's talk about... Accountability.
​

No matter how long you've been a part of these challenges, by now you've learned the secret to success: accountability. Making plans and getting fit will not work unless you make the effort to hold yourself accountable for all actions taken during this journey - no matter if they're positive or not. In order to get fit like Gaston, we'll need to really reflect on our methods and adjust if we're not meeting expectations.

What do you do to hold yourself accountable in reaching your goals?
Share your methods - food logging? Step counters? Working out with a friend? Divine intervention?​

Well.... talking with you all here is paramount to my accountability! And of course, talking with the members at my meeting every week helps too! I am a dedicated, hardcore FOOD TRACKER! I attribute 85% of my success to that habit alone!!

Yesterday was a work holiday, which meant that I wasn't in front of a computer for eight hours - so no playtime on the DIS! That said, my big WOOHOO is that I put up my Christmas tree yesterday and made great strides on my MBA projects. It was just very random to have days off in the middle of the week.... so, yeah.

I wanted to highlight this topic because I think this is where many people start to falter on their weight-loss journey. I'm doing WW with a few friends and they've fallen 'off the wagon' because they stopped logging their food, weight, and really being a part of the program. Full accountability and making sure that I stay within the program's parameters has been key to my success. Anything that goes into my mouth is logged for record, no matter how large or small the portion. I also wear a fitbit to make sure that I'm taking enough steps per day. These items combined have really made sure that I'm keeping to my plan and not jeopardizing my success.

Oh! And having a support system helps too. My husband joined WW so that's made it easier to have the success.

WOOHOO on getting hubby on board!!

That's great news - I've heard horror stories about Food & Wine festival doing damage on waistlines. I'm so happy you saw the scale go in the right direction. Crossing fingers for a BIG loss for you this weekend.

THANK YOU so much for your praise. B&TB is my favorite movie and Belle is my favorite princess - so it felt like a nice way to celebrate and lose weight Two years ago hubs and I dressed up as Belle and Gaston for Mickey's Halloween Party - he is such a good sport!!

The doctor's scale is so evil. I think they do it on purpose.
_______________________________________________________________

Tomorrow is the Avengers 5K - heading to Disneyland tonight to pick up the race packet and some of the run merchandise. I'm actually 15 pounds lighter than I was during the Disneyland 5K in September! (YEAH!) So this will be interesting to see if having 15 less pounds will make my time better. I was able to update my run playlist - so thank you to everyone for their playlist suggestions! It'll be a LONG day tomorrow but I'm looking forward to being healthy and having fun.
.

Praying it is/was amazing and awesome and FUN!!!!

This is my week before Disney and we are having a family Thanksgiving this coming Sunday, since we won't be here for Thanksgiving. So I've made several cheese balls, some cranberry salsa and am filling my filo dough cups with pumpkin and jams. My desserts are very light but the cheese balls are not and they are yummy with crackers. My sister is making "the most delicious" brownies I've ever eaten. So there will be lots of temptations and I have to admit, I'm not going in strong. I'll do fine with the meal and the veges. I also love the stuffing, so have to have a small portion. I will want to sample the brownies, so perhaps I can hold myself to have one, very small piece. IDK this could be a very slippery slope. I have been walking everyday, which is good, but not nearly enough exercise yet. I will start my physical therapy when I get back from Disney, so I'm looking to December to be a very solid month, with no slipping. I have also started crocheting to my hands busy, rather than feeling I have to use them to stuff my face! Another strategy I'm trying.

Being aware that the slope is coming into view is more than half of the battle!! YOU GOT THIS ONE!!

I have recently started using an activity tracker, though it is on my phone until Black Friday when I get my FitBit Right now, I'm using it for mostly research purposes to create a baseline and then realistic goals going forward. Also, the people in my life know I'm getting healthier, so they know why I say no to Wednesday dollar burgers or Taco Tuesday.

Maybe you are inspiring your friends to make healthier choices too!!

What I'm doing now is logging my food in Loseit, working hard to get in my fitbit step goal or more every day (except a weekend rest day usually), and trying to post here often and check in to make sure I actually stick to this. Right now the biggest struggle is snacking - I have a really short work day on Thursday thanks to my adjunct teaching job. It's great because I get to go home and do work instead of being stuck on campus, but there are way more random snacks available at home, and I'm honestly not very good about logging when I grab a handful of candy corn or whatever. I know that I still totally ate those calories, but for some reason if I don't log it, I don't feel like it "really happened." I'm working on trying to pre-plan food, and we just got some new baby carrots to eat with hummus for a healthier snack when cravings hit.

I also need to learn that being hungry is ok sometimes. I'm obviously not starving, and I need to learn to deal with the uncomfortable feeling if I'm going to be successful. And remember to drink water when I think I'm hungry in case it's a hydration issue!

All great strategies! Candy corn though.... so hard to resist!!

Thanks! Two pounds were gone this morning and I hope the rest follow by he weekend.

Hope that posting about the cookies helped to keep them put away!

I need divine intervention. LOL.

I started out logging EVERYTHING on MFP and using my Fitbit everyday. I'm still using both. I added WW when I started struggling in September and have been totally consistent about tracking and pretty consistent about meetings. Coaching turned out to be a disaster but all in all I'm really glad I rejoined.

95% of the credit for the 20 pounds I've lost so far go to the tracking. I'll also give tracking most of the credit for the fact that I've managed to keep those pounds off during the (far too many) questionable weeks I've had over the past few months. My strategy of eating what I want if I *really* want it so long as I track it really helped me in the first few months as I needed to be gentle with myself. But I need to start being tougher as I've gotten too complacent when the numbers are in the red.

I'm definitely not going to stop tracking or stop going to meetings but it is becoming increasingly clear to me that I need something more to get the next 20 pounds off. Accountability is a great way to look at it and I'm glad you asked this question. I've had more than a few curve balls thrown at me over the past few months but that is life. And if I want to be thinner and healthier, I've got to learn to deal with stuff in ways that don't involve potato chips and cheese.

All of this is really a long winded way of saying that the tracking and the Fitbit are great tools for my data loving brain but they don't provide me with a lot of accountability. Strangely, weighing in at WW meetings doesn't really either. But total honesty with other people helps a little. I've started telling my DH far more than he wants to hear about my diet because I need more direct support at home. It would actually be nice if he would tell me to stop eating crap when I'm over-indulging but that isn't going to happen. I'm also toying with the idea of being more public about this in my regular life. I'm loathe to talk to my friends and co-workers about weight loss but (1) it is becoming noticeable that I've lost weight so it isn't exactly secret and (2) maybe it would help to stop people from shoving muffins and cupcakes at me. I just can't stand it when people turn into advice giving food police and I've got more than a few people on my life who will do just that.

Chicken barley soup at the bowling alley? Imagine that! I'm glad mother/son day turned out fun and relaxing! You are a great mom!

Good luck with the 5K tomorrow!

Cranberry salsa sounds delicious! And relatively healthy. Share the recipe?

Sounds like you have found many ways to stay accountable and on track.... but BOOOO on the Food Police!

Picked up my race packet and shirt for tomorrow's race. Took a terrible pic with my number to prove I'm actually doing this -- will post race photos tomorrow. The medals look amazing!

PS: The light is so bright that I had to squint... and it's 65 degrees outside and I'm dressed as though I'm hanging out in snow. Southern California problems

WOWZA! Great picture!! Thinking of you and praying RIGHT NOW!!

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

Calling myself CAUGHT UP as of right now!! BBL to chat more!...................P

 

[ThistleMae]

For anyone interested in the Cranberry Salsa. Two Bags Fresh Cranberries. 3 Jalapeno Peppers. Blend the berries and the peppers in a blender, till they are crushed and mixed well. To make it more spicy, be sure you leave the seeds in the peppers. Add sugar substitute to desired taste, should be sweet enough to mask the bitterness of the berries. Plate and serve with cream cheese and crackers. My family asks me to make this every year and it's so simple!.

 

[LindseyJo22]

You got it girl! Now....the hard part....just do it! I hear your struggle....sitting with the hunger is sometimes very difficult. But you are on the right path.

Thanks for the encouragement! After great success the last weeks of October, this month has been exactly the opposite - super struggle! But I'm trying to remember that by ignoring things I don't want to deal with, I'm just hurting my own progress in the end.

All great strategies! Candy corn though.... so hard to resist!!

I know!! I tracked my food today though - and brought my Disney cup with me to work so I can fill up on water when I want to snack some. We're probably eating at Carrabbas tonight with my mom since she's visiting for the weekend, so I need those calories for dinner! I actually planned out what I want to eat and am leaving some extra calories for the bread I am sure to eat - but I'm going to try to keep it to a couple of slices and not half the loaf like usual

 

[LindseyJo22]

For anyone interested in the Cranberry Salsa. Two Bags Fresh Cranberries. 3 Jalapeno Peppers. Blend the berries and the peppers in a blender, till they are crushed and mixed well. To make it more spicy, be sure you leave the seeds in the peppers. Add sugar substitute to desired taste, should be sweet enough to mask the bitterness of the berries. Plate and serve with cream cheese and crackers. My family asks me to make this every year and it's so simple!.

This sound super delicious! Might have to try it sometime soon

 

[ThistleMae]

Thanks for the encouragement! After great success the last weeks of October, this month has been exactly the opposite - super struggle! But I'm trying to remember that by ignoring things I don't want to deal with, I'm just hurting my own progress in the end.



I know!! I tracked my food today though - and brought my Disney cup with me to work so I can fill up on water when I want to snack some. We're probably eating at Carrabbas tonight with my mom since she's visiting for the weekend, so I need those calories for dinner! I actually planned out what I want to eat and am leaving some extra calories for the bread I am sure to eat - but I'm going to try to keep it to a couple of slices and not half the loaf like usual

You definitely are on the right track! When I'm off track...I feel so lousy. Here's to feeling good!

 

[ThistleMae]

I'm planning on doing some damage on my Disney Trip and picking up the pieces when I return. I'm not sure this should be allowed. What do you folks think? Is it just contributing to the cycle?

 

[ThistleMae]

For anyone who may be interested, this is an audio book that I found helpful. Bite by Bite. Author: Geneen Roth. She reflects on her personal journey & she lectures as well. Some good tips in here.

 

[charlene130]

Weighed this morning. Down the two pounds I gained last week plus one more! Let's see what Sunday's weigh in will bring!

 

[courtneybeth]

Finished the 5K race - posted my best time to date. I'm at around a 14.5 minute mile with a finish time of 44:47!

I managed to shave 3.5 minutes off my total time. Yeah!

 

[courtneybeth]

Question of the Day - November 13

IT'S TIME FOR FRIDAY FUN!
It's time to change things up a bit. On Fridays we will make the topic about DISNEY since we are all (hopefully) fans of Disney.


Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?

.​

 

[meghammy]

Question of the Day - November 13
Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?
​

​

I love the Magic Bands! I was wary at first, because I thought I would dislike wearing it all day the entire trip, or that I would forget it in the room when we left for the parks in the mornings, but it was really comfortable to wear, and I never forgot it I selected blue because it's my favorite color, I didn't really care to try to match it to anything, and customizing was not even a thought at the time, so I stuck with the plain blue. The only weird things was getting used to someone tapping the scanner to my wrist while paying for meals, and not realizing the Magic Bands were how our server found us at Be Our Guest during lunch. Overall, I loved them and think Disney had a brilliant idea with them!

 

[courtneybeth]

Question of the Day - November 13

IT'S TIME FOR FRIDAY FUN!
It's time to change things up a bit. On Fridays we will make the topic about DISNEY since we are all (hopefully) fans of Disney.


Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?

.​

I'll admit that at first that I was skeptical about the bands. Disneyland has had no problems with the paper fastpass system and we enjoy carrying our pass with us wherever we go. So why does WDW need this crazy contraption??

After using MDE and the magic bands, we are totally in love with them and wish that Disneyland would adopt these too! I love that I can have my form of payment, key, etc all on my wrist and I can customize it. We're super excited about the customization options for our trips during the next 12 months - feels like we can make them as fun as we are. And sticking with the generics aren't so bad because you can just use the bandits and have fun trading with friends and family.


Our magic bands arrive next week for our December trip. CANNOT WAIT. Our Mouse Bus tickets and luggage tags arrived last night and I'm like "okay, can we just go now?"

 

[Lady Marie]

@courtneybeth congrats on the race!

Glad it's finally the weekend-- it's been a tough week at work meaning harder to get away and have a healthy lunch rather than eat on the go. So I'm ready to relax this weekend and prep out our meals and snacks for the coming week so that I can do better

Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?

I have mixed emotions on the bands. We were super excited about them when they first came out (so much so that we stayed on site for one night when they were testing just so we could get one and link it to our AP and be some of the first people to have them -- yeah my DH is *that* guy LOL!). And in the beginning they were AWESOME-- but I do feel like they changed the way we did the parks. I miss being able to be super spontaneous and wake up and decide where we want to go the morning of and still get Fastpasses on the old system. Now we rarely get to ride TSMM if we don't stay on site or do rope drop at HS (and why waste a rope drop morning on HS!). Also for a while we were just focused on the FP+ and didn't absorb the parks like we used to. Now that the newness of them has worn off though, we make it a point to try to explore and relax and not rush to our FP+ and think of them as a safety net-- not an obligation. And now I realize that I just wrote a short story on FP+ rather than Magicbands, but they are kinda one in the same right?!

I picked pink because I LOVE pink! I now have all the colors but still wear my pink one almost all the time. I saw the thread on here of people painting them and I WISH I was that creative, but alas, I went on Etsy and bought some decals for our bands. I have Marie (of course) and DH has Lightening McQueen. I wanted to get a custom band this past trip, but they don't have Marie as an option I do have my eye on the Splash Mountain design, though! Maybe next time!

 

[courtneybeth]

I now have all the colors but still wear my pink one almost all the time.

We are in the same boat - we have completed the set. Between on-site visits and annual passes, we're up to our elbows in bands. Is there a way we can decline the bands on the next trip?

I loved wearing the yellow band last trip. I wanted a band that was so bright that it would be easily seen in the dark.

 

[CruisingKate]

I'm planning on doing some damage on my Disney Trip and picking up the pieces when I return. I'm not sure this should be allowed. What do you folks think? Is it just contributing to the cycle?

I think this is a very personal decision - and I think "decision" is key. I hate when I rack up points with mindless eating. But if I decide and plan for splurges, I feel OK with it. For me, Disney food is "meh". We go in three weeks and I'm really looking forward to Boma. The food there is different and not something I can have anywhere, so I'll plan on a good meal. I also love Epcot and counter service at Norway and Morocco. Those places, I'll split things with my daughter (who has been successful at maintaining her pre-college wt after a 20 pound wt loss via WW) Other Disney food is good, but stuff I can eat at home. Now, I've never been to A&V -- that I would splurge on! Have a magical trip, ThistleMae!

Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?

This trip will be our first trip in December and our first with Magic Bands. Of course, I chose red with my hubby going for green for our holiday theme. Not sure what I think of them yet -- I wasn't crazy about making my FP ressies 60 days out ( and I LOVE to plan) but the bands themselves are fine and I'm sure I'll like the way they work when we get to WDW.

REPORT -- Attended my WW meeting this morning ( and lost 1.2 lbs - but only tracking attendance) 50% of monthly goal.

 

[flvy]

Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?

.​

I love them. They make everything a lot easier I don't like to carry a bunch of stuff so it makes everything wonderful for me. I wanted to grab a rundisney one, but didn't have the cash on me. Next race I'll nab a pink one.

@courtneybeth They do give you the option now to use one of your older bands rather than getting a new one every time.

 

[dsnyfn1022]

So I recently followed @courtneybeth and @JacknSally on instagram. If anyone else has instagram and wants to follow me I'm paigevader. Warning, it's mostly pictures of my adorable cat.

Question of the Day - November 13

IT'S TIME FOR FRIDAY FUN!
It's time to change things up a bit. On Fridays we will make the topic about DISNEY since we are all (hopefully) fans of Disney.


Today's Topic: Magic Bands.
What do you think of them? How do you select your color?
Have you upgraded to a customized/designed magic band? Do you decorate them yourself?
Anything else you want to add about the bands?

.​

I really like magic bands! I like not having to carry around all these cards and paper fast passes and juggle it and a million other things. Plus at the end of the day when I'm exhausted and just want to get in my room I love not having to fish around in my bag or DH's wallet to get the card. The only bad thing is that it makes spending so much easier! I have two now, pink and green. I want to get all the different colors eventually (except maybe the grey because that's not very fun). I would do the customized ones except it just seems like a waste to me. Since I only make it down once a year. I know they have a decent battery life but still, I can't justify it.

 

[Lady Marie]

We are in the same boat - we have completed the set. Between on-site visits and annual passes, we're up to our elbows in bands. Is there a way we can decline the bands on the next trip?

Yes, like @flvy said, you can decline MBs on the customization page for your next reservation.

If anyone else has instagram and wants to follow me I'm paigevader. Warning, it's mostly pictures of my adorable cat.

That's a good idea! And absolutely no shame in the cat pics! I just followed you -- and if you want to see my cute cat, I'm p.ryan55