Simba's Summer (July) 2015 W.I.S.H. Weight Loss Challenge!! Any and All welcome to join!!

[pjlla]

Morning all! Happy Sunday! I know I promised to be around this week to chat, but honest to goodness.... I have been right out straight! Please forgive me! I think this is the LEAST active I've been in a monthly challenge in forever! In fact, I was praying for RAIN today so I would have an excuse to stay indoors and catch up with you! But the day dawns bright and sunny and warm and yard work, laundry, etc must get done.

It has been 20 years since I worked in the summer (since the summer my DD was born) and I FORGOT how much I do around the yard in the summer..... so adding a 7-8 hour work day into the mix has made me a little nutty! And with DS graduating next summer so the threat/thought of a big graduation party next June looming LARGE in my mind, I KNOW I cannot slack off or I will be regretting it next spring.

I'm going to take ONE MINUTE right now and scan the last few pages to see what I have missed while I eat a bowl of yogurt and then the shovel, wheelbarrow, and rake beckon! ................P

 

[pjlla]

Hey all, I hope it's not too late to join.
I've been on my weight loss journey for quite a while now and haven't yet found the right community for me, and then I remembered seeing this on the DIS years ago when I was still pregnant.
My goal for the rest of this month is to make sure I get my workouts in 5x a week.
I'm rewarding myself per pound lost with $$ saved towards my next trip!

Welcome aboard!! Things have been kind of quiet this summer with folks so busy (including myself!), but feel free to join the chatter and post your percentage achieved toward goal every week so you can be added to the list of participants!!

Discovered a new snack....well it's not new but have incorporated into my diet this week. Celery with almond butter and raisins....otherwise known as Ants on a Log! It's so yummy! And you can pack it for a snack on a picnic. I put the stalks into a plastic container with a lid, a small size that fits the stocks nicely, so they can't slide around. I'm planning on preparing them for my river tubing on Thursday. I'm feeling strong this week. To everyone in here.....dig deep....it's worth it when you get on that scale.

SHARE that strong feeling...... I think some of us need it right now! I love "ants on a log"..... especially when I am going low carb. Just a few raisins add the right touch of sweetness!

I am feeling guilt that I signed up for coaching and now end up having such a busy month. I really don't know what happened!

NO WORRIES! It happens to the best of us! I feel badly I haven't been here to keep up with the chatter..... guess July is getting the best of BOTH of us!


But here is your QOTD for Tuesday - thanks for the inspiration @Connie96!

Halfway point: How has your month gone so far, are you happy with your success so far? What has worked, what didn't? What are you doing to make sure that you reach your monthly goal?

Well..... I'm happy with my progress on the SCALE, but because I am working 7-8 hours a day at school (washing walls and painting classrooms) and then coming home and doing 2-4 hours of yard work/housework (or going to my WW meeting), I have absolutely FAILED in regard to my exercise goal. In fact, sitting here chatting with you all is the first time I've done more than just check emails in about a week! I figured I deserved to sit in my butt for a few minutes with my coffee!

This month is not going well over here AT ALL! But I really managed to pull it out in the last half of June, so hopefully I'll be able to rally over the next 2 weeks. I haven't gotten any walking in this week - my MOH is hosting a bridal shower at my house Saturday, and because we just moved in a couple of months ago, we've been scrambling to make the house look like we don't still have half our stuff in boxes lol. Lots of late nights spent working on the house and yard = little sleep, no free time to walk, and lots of "grabbing something" for dinner. Really disappointed in myself, and of course lots of guilt because I know I really don't have time to slack off like I have been the last 2 weeks. UGH.

Rats.... sorry things have been SO NUTTY! This is the time in your life you should be able to RELAX a bit and ENJOY LIFE as you look forward to this exciting event! I agree with Connie..... people want to see you..... and if they JUDGE YOU for a few (or many) boxes, so be it..... that is THEIR problem, not yours. That being said, I TOTALLY understand the craziness that overtakes when you are trying to make the house look "just so" for company! I suggest you pick a room or closet as the "dumping zone" for now..... some place with a door that shuts firmly! And utilize it completely. Give yourself a "backwards list"...... starting from an hour before your guests arrive list everything that MUST get done. For example..... if the shower is at noon, I would start my list with "10 am shower/make up/dress"...... "9 am make bed" ............"8 am eat breakfast"........" 7 am vacuum/dust living room"......... And make sure that the list only has the HIGHEST priority items on it. Reorganizing the pantry or building shelves for the basement are NOT a priority. Recruit help if possible. My parents are absolute ANGELS when I am feeling the way you are..... they will come 3-4 days before a big event and work like crazy..... Dad does yard work like a BEAST (and he turns 79 this year!!) and Mom is great at making sure the daily stuff (laundry, dishes) doesn't fall by the wayside.....and when the kiddos were little she would always keep them occupied so I could work hard! How about paying a local teen for a few hours of yard work, floor scrubbing, or the like? It would be hard for a stranger to unpack boxes, but if someone else were to come do some basic cleaning, that would free you up for more unpacking and organizing.

Regardless, remember....."If hunger isn't the question, FOOD isn't the answer!!" Spend an hour or two today or tomorrow planning/prepping some healthy dinners (crockpot is great for this) so you don't have to worry about what to eat after a long day of working around the house! I usually do, but I didn't last night and hated myself when I had to come inside at 6:40 and grill meat and dice veggies.... Tonight is a salad night! And I'm making DS doing the prep!

Still here and plugging away. The scale isn't budging but I think a huge portion of that is because I'm downing so much water. It is just so hot and muggy right now. Trying to run when I can but it's hard getting out there with the weather.
But I did see a friend that I hadn't seen since school got out and she said my face looks thinner, so I guess something is going right.

I'll be glad when rummage sale is over so I can get back to normal life for the month of August.

Hey friend!!! Hope all is well with you!!

Haven't caught up on reading yet.

Walked 60 miles this month so far. 60% of my goal.

I have lost 3lbs so only 2 more pounds to lose to reach my goa for this month

Nice progress!!

I have an awesome Friday check-in today!

My scale reading this morning was down to 210.8 (checked three times I was so surprised) so I am down 5.4 for the month or 135% of my 4 pound goal.


Now I need to maintain that and maybe nudge it down it a bit more for our final two weeks.

I've also completed three upper body workouts or 33% of that goal. Need to step that up to get six more done in two weeks.

So total progress towards my goals for July: 84%

WOOHOOO!!

am I doing something wrong? I've sent 2 pm's (and no responses) and still not listed in the roster. I know this is hard to manage and totally get that just wondering if I was missing something. Appreciate all the efforts from all that manage these sorts of things!!


Dang missed my weigh in today and already have eaten breakfast and snack so I;m goin to wait until tomorrow. I had a plumber come at 8:30 this morning - I woke up at 8:16! I took some prescription allergy meds last night a little later than I wanted and they knocked me out! I never sleep that late.

I think I've done well except the Oreos mentioned ealier. Kept portions on track and only a couple little cheats. My workouts have been lacking to what I'd prefer. Missed this morning so I'll have to hopefully get that in tonight.

We have several birthdays coming up in the family and I'm already stressing about the food things. I want to do good but all the temptations!! We are going to a Cake Bar and having cake but at least its just 1 slice and I won't have a whole leftover cake in my house.

3 more weeks til our trip so I need to focus!!!

Who have you been PMing? Anyhooo.... I know Flossbolna has had a crazy month so perhaps she hasn't had a chance to come check her PMs. No worries..... just stick with us, keep chatting, and I'm sure she will see them eventually!

Quick check-in. I've had the best week in terms of consistent eating and exercise since I've started my journey and the scale gods have blessed me with a 3 pound loss! Finally! That's 60% of my July goal. Happy weekend!!!

WONDERFUL! Share the motivation please!!

After a week of totally pushing myself I have lost 2 pounds and totally exceeded my steps for the week , not sure if I can do that going forward again as it took so much willpower and determination . In 5 pounds I will reach a milestone , I'm just trying to keep that in my head !!

But when you think back on the week, doesn't it feel WORTH the willpower and determination, knowing the outcome??? GREAT JOB!

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

Kind of caught up..... one more quick scan backwards and I MUST dash!...............P

 

[pjlla]

4th Pilates workout done, that puts me at 28%.

Great job!!

Sorry I am late. As of yesterday I have walked 40 for this month. That makes 40% of my goal!!

I am also down 2 pounds for this month. I am hoping that when the kids go back to school it will be easier.

WOOHOO on 40% !

Update . I'm down a 1lb. Woohoo. I'm 20% of my goal.

That's great!

I'm late but I'm in! I had good success in June with the thread and somehow fell off the wagon huge the 1st 10 days of July and need to get back moving in the right direction.

I'd like to lose 6 pounds by July 31st

Glad you found your way back!!

Checking in - late again!! Lost 3.4 pounds so far this month (68% of monthly goal!!) - only 1.6 pounds to go to meet my monthly goal! And only about 20 to go to my goal weight!

As an added motivation, I've put in some bets on DietBet - money is a real motivator for me and I am SUPER competitive. Like, crazy town level competitive. So I think that will keep me from eating more when even the WW points can't keep me in check. I've put in 3 competitions to lose 4% of my body weight in the next month (only about 6 lbs, avg. 1.5 lbs/week - so still a healthy loss rate and completely doable) and 1 competition to lose 10% of my body weight in 6 months (about 16 pounds total - puts me very close to my goal weight and will force me to pick up my exercise routine to meet the goal). And I've decided any money I win from the losing pot plus what I win back of my own will go toward new clothes after I get to goal weight! Double win!!

I won about $300 in weight loss challenge at school several years ago. It was super exciting!!

A little late, but here it is:

QOTD for Monday:

Something fun to start the week: If you could be transported to a Disney Park of your choice right now for one ride only - which ride would you choose?

I'm going to say Disneyland (love to see the 60th decorations!) and I'd love to see the new CARSLAND !! Not even sure what the ride is there..... but I want to see it!!

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

I'm off! Hope to pop on in the next 24 hours again!....................P

 

[JacknSally]

Good morning, everyone!!! I'll be our host for this week!

Forgive my short post this morning - I'm running behind for work. I'll be back later today (though maybe not until this evening) to catch up on the posts here, but in the meantime, here's your QOTD for Monday, July 20!

QOTD 7/18/15:
Only 12 days left in July (including TODAY!) - can you believe it?! For many of us, these two weeks are really the last little bit of summer before all the back-to-school craziness starts. So, tell me. What are your plans to keep you on track for these last 12 days? It may not sound like much, but it's really plenty of time to rally and finish strong, even if you're short on your goals to this point. Just think - if you tell yourself that between TODAY and the END OF JULY - just 12 days! - you are going to make sure you walk 30 minutes a day, that's 360 minutes of walking. That's 6 hours of just dedicated WALKING in the next two weeks. So what are you going to do for the next 12 days to either stay on track, or catch up on, your goal for this month? Are you going to make any changes to the way you've approached your goals so far? OR, are you pleased with where you are and the work you've accomplished, and you are just going to focus on making sure you stay on track for the next 12 days? TELL ME YOUR PLANS!

​

 

[SarahDisney]

Good morning, everyone!!! I'll be our host for this week!

Thanks for stepping up and hosting!

TELL ME YOUR PLANS!

My plan is to get in at least 10 minutes of exercise every day (well ... almost - there's one day that I know it will be very hard, so I won't beat myself up if I can't fit it in). I was pretty good about daily exercise early in the month, but I slacked off a bit, and I want to get back to it! I know I have more success when I'm active, so I really need to make it a habit.

 

[alrushton]

I have decided to add in some aerobics with my walking. I am hoping to be able to stop the late night munching. DD has to close all week and I am watching DGD and once it is past my normal bedtime I seem to eat to keep myself awake.

 

[Connie96]

TELL ME YOUR PLANS!

My plan is to just keep on keepin' on. I'm feeling good about where I am and how far I've come. And, with our anniversary trip to Vegas coming up at the end of August, I have that as motivation to continue reaching for my goals each day.


For the past two years (at least!) I have been stuck in a perpetual state of defeat when it comes to my weight/health/fitness. I have lost this weight before. More than a few times. I have been really pretty darn fit as recently as 5 years ago. But, my mind turned on me. I completely bought into the lie that "I'll just gain it back again so why bother?". I was defeated before I took a single step. I can not even tell you why I feel differently right now. I started South Beach (AGAIN!) on 6/28. At one point in the middle of phase 1 (the first two weeks), we went to Sam's Club to look at outdoor furniture but we wandered thru the whole place. Including the bakery. My mind kept going back and forth between mourning (I can never eat this stuff again) and hope (perhaps I can occasionally make my own SB-friendly stuff once I get to phase 2 and beyond). And then, my DH bought a big ol' tub of mini cinnamon rolls. For two days, I really went back and forth between throwing in the towel on SB and just diving head-first into the cinnamon rolls and the other option which was NOT quitting and NOT having to start over. And, by some miracle, I continued to choose "I do NOT want to start over, AGAIN!" (And, eventually, the cinnamon rolls disappeared without my help and I was really glad to see them go.)

I know that losing this weight and getting fit is going to just keep getting harder as I keep getting older. Looking in the mirror these days, I'm seeing my age as well as my (over-) weight. In other words, I look exactly like my mother. (I love my mother. But do I really have to BE her???) I feel the need to make permanent changes. NOW. Because they aren't going to get any easier by putting them off.

I haven't stepped on the scale in at least a couple months but, I have a check-up appointment this Wednesday. So, my doc will be able to tell me how my current weight compares to my last check-up (which was April 2014, I think). I know that I've lost some since then. Actually, I know that I lost the same 5 or 10 pounds a few times since then. But, I know I've lost at least a few NEW pounds in the past month or so. So, I expect an encouraging report.

 

[ThistleMae]

My plan is to just keep on keepin' on. I'm feeling good about where I am and how far I've come. And, with our anniversary trip to Vegas coming up at the end of August, I have that as motivation to continue reaching for my goals each day.


For the past two years (at least!) I have been stuck in a perpetual state of defeat when it comes to my weight/health/fitness. I have lost this weight before. More than a few times. I have been really pretty darn fit as recently as 5 years ago. But, my mind turned on me. I completely bought into the lie that "I'll just gain it back again so why bother?". I was defeated before I took a single step. I can not even tell you why I feel differently right now. I started South Beach (AGAIN!) on 6/28. At one point in the middle of phase 1 (the first two weeks), we went to Sam's Club to look at outdoor furniture but we wandered thru the whole place. Including the bakery. My mind kept going back and forth between mourning (I can never eat this stuff again) and hope (perhaps I can occasionally make my own SB-friendly stuff once I get to phase 2 and beyond). And then, my DH bought a big ol' tub of mini cinnamon rolls. For two days, I really went back and forth between throwing in the towel on SB and just diving head-first into the cinnamon rolls and the other option which was NOT quitting and NOT having to start over. And, by some miracle, I continued to choose "I do NOT want to start over, AGAIN!" (And, eventually, the cinnamon rolls disappeared without my help and I was really glad to see them go.)

I know that losing this weight and getting fit is going to just keep getting harder as I keep getting older. Looking in the mirror these days, I'm seeing my age as well as my (over-) weight. In other words, I look exactly like my mother. (I love my mother. But do I really have to BE her???) I feel the need to make permanent changes. NOW. Because they aren't going to get any easier by putting them off.

I haven't stepped on the scale in at least a couple months but, I have a check-up appointment this Wednesday. So, my doc will be able to tell me how my current weight compares to my last check-up (which was April 2014, I think). I know that I've lost some since then. Actually, I know that I lost the same 5 or 10 pounds a few times since then. But, I know I've lost at least a few NEW pounds in the past month or so. So, I expect an encouraging report.

You are so right! It doesn't get any easier with age. It's so easy to quit....but so difficult to stick with your commitment. Great job with the cinnamon roles! One day at a time. One less cinnamon roll is one less cinnamon role! Dig deep....you can do it!

 

[ThistleMae]

Happy Monday Everyone! It is super hot and humid here today after thundering most of yesterday. We had a perpetual downpour last night and one of my skylights starting leaking! I've been up on the roof taping plastic over it for now....until the adjuster can come look at it. This is the kind of stressful thing that typically pushes me over the edge and into the food! The stress of living alone with no one to help me when stuff like this happens leads me to the cake or cookies or whatever sweet I can find! But....I went and got 32 ounces of water instead. I've got to hold off till my lunch! I had company all week. I gained and lost this week but am still down one pound. This is good. I had company all week and knew I would have to deal with eating out and serving snacks. I did pretty good during a lunch out....got blackened tuna and substituted a vege for the potato. But the tuna size serving was very large. For dinner.....another night.....I ate something I should not have eaten. It was baked stuffed haddock, with ritz crackers, butter and hollandaise topping. And...I ate onion rings too. I adjusted by not eating an evening snack, while my company and my sister ate chocolate from the Lindt store. The next day we had a cook out. I marinated chicken and we had home made baked beans and veges on skewers. I ate two chicken wings, a small serving of beans and plenty of veges. So at one point I was up two pounds but was down by one pound for the week. I'm back on track this week. I'm going on vacation the end of July, and eating out will happen. I have to be mindful and make good choices. I have 3.6 pounds to loose to get to my goal this month. Not sure I will make this goal but will stay on plan for the next two weeks and see how I do. I did not ride my bike while my company was here. We did do quite a bit of walking. We had a great visit and I got to talk to my cousin and help her plan her weight loss plan. I'm so glad I have all of you in here to support me through the struggles! Thank you all....I am so grateful!

 

[IHeartDale]

I would love to join in for the August challenge!

 

[JacknSally]

I would love to join in for the August challenge!

Awesome! I'm not sure if we have an August challenge in the works yet (I'm sure there will be one, just not sure if there is an active thread or anything going yet). Do we have a coach/host for August? @pjlla do you know? I'm happy to do it if there's not anyone else wanting to.

 

[DisPup75]

QOTD 7/18/15:
Only 12 days left in July (including TODAY!) - can you believe it?! For many of us, these two weeks are really the last little bit of summer before all the back-to-school craziness starts. So, tell me. What are your plans to keep you on track for these last 12 days? It may not sound like much, but it's really plenty of time to rally and finish strong, even if you're short on your goals to this point. Just think - if you tell yourself that between TODAY and the END OF JULY - just 12 days! - you are going to make sure you walk 30 minutes a day, that's 360 minutes of walking. That's 6 hours of just dedicated WALKING in the next two weeks. So what are you going to do for the next 12 days to either stay on track, or catch up on, your goal for this month? Are you going to make any changes to the way you've approached your goals so far? OR, are you pleased with where you are and the work you've accomplished, and you are just going to focus on making sure you stay on track for the next 12 days? TELL ME YOUR PLANS!

​

Summer is just flying by! Which makes me happy because it is my least favorite season.

My plans! I started out strong and have been to fair to middling the past few days. But I was mostly on track yesterday and have been solid as a rock today. So I plan to finish strong!!! Going back to basics - planning my meals, packing my lunch, all that fun stuff that keeps me going where I want to be.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

This weather is really hampering my running. The basement is worse than outside. But outside is 93 degrees. So yesterday, today and tomorrow will solely focused on nutrition

 

[Keithsmomma]

So I have not posted in a while. I didn't fall off the wagon. Just been a crazy 2 weeks. First the very painful cyst in the most annoying place on my torso. Thankfully after antibiotic it is going away. Then my son's knee becamed inflamed. Thankfully after a week and some pain med to help ease inflammation and pain that too healed. So I didn't gain anything.

QOTD
Well since my 2 crazy weeks I'm going to step it up. Going to do sit ups and lift weights to try and tone more. I have been walking a lot more now. I'm going to stay on track and hopefully make this a new habit that's normal.

 

[JacknSally]

Morning, gang! Forgive me for not making it back around yesterday to check in and respond to everyone's posts. It is first on my to-do list when I get home from work this evening! This little guy most accurately describes me this morning. I'm flat-out exhausted!


We're going to keep today's QOTD fun and light-hearted. I know I personally have had a crazy and stressful July, and from the posts I was able to read over yesterday, it looks like I'm not the only one! I think we could use a little silliness today. So your QOTD for Tuesday, July 21 is:

​

Tell me your favorite quote, joke, or story that is guaranteed to make you smile, chuckle, giggle, or full-out laugh every time? It can be something that happened to you or someone you know, a quote from a TV show or movie, or even a silly joke from a Laffy Taffy wrapper (not that any of those are eating those now, right? ). Feel free to post more than one if you've got them!

 

[alrushton]

QOTD-
The first thing that pops in my head is a story from about 20 years ago. I was in my early teens and my DS was newly married. We were swimming at the lake and were getting ready to climb up and come down the side. Well my poor DS had a bathing suit top malfunction and had no idea. I was pointing and trying to tell her but was laughing to hard to get the words out. In her effort to find out what had me in tears laughing she kept turning around and facing the dock which was full of young men. That just made me laugh harder. That story still makes me laugh. She didn't think it was nearly as funny as I did.

 

[Connie96]

Something I saw on facebook yesterday that made me actually laugh out loud...

"I think it is just terrible and disgusting how everyone has treated Lance Armstrong, especially after what he achieved, winning seven Tour de France races while on drugs. When I was on drugs, I couldn't even find my bike." -- Willie Nelson

I don't know if that one will strike everyone as amusing but it cracked me up.

 

[DisPup75]

I'm showing my age but this always makes me laugh....

 

[JacknSally]

Something I saw on facebook yesterday that made me actually laugh out loud...

"I think it is just terrible and disgusting how everyone has treated Lance Armstrong, especially after what he achieved, winning seven Tour de France races while on drugs. When I was on drugs, I couldn't even find my bike." -- Willie Nelson

I don't know if that one will strike everyone as amusing but it cracked me up.

I definitely laughed at this at work this morning!

Sorry for dropping off the face of the planet last week! My check-in was the same as the week before. I got absolutely NO walking in, and my eating was pretty awful, too. We did get 85% of our to-do list done before the shower, though - anything we couldn't get to was either hidden in the spare bedroom or just dropped from the list altogether. But it was a lot of long and exhausting nights to make it that far. We didn't get more than 4 hours of sleep any night last week, and Friday night (shower eve!) DH2B and I didn't go to sleep until 3:30am, up again at 6:30am to keep knocking stuff out. Of course, my MOH and bridesmaid went to bed at 10pm and slept until 9am and then spent an hour getting their nails done while I stayed home and cooked and cleaned but... I'm just glad it's over! I tried to post pictures to shamelessly show off my shower craft projects I got done last week while I wasn't walking or eating anywhere in the neighborhood of healthy but the photo upload keeps giving me errors.

Hopefully we'll be able to get some sleep and get back on track this week. I didn't get in any walking last night, but I did stay pretty strict with my diet yesterday and today (today was really good but yesterday I had to get rid of the leftover chocolate in the house, of course!), and worked in 30 minutes of walking tonight. Hopefully I'll be asleep pretty soon and can get in some treadmill time before work in the morning. I feel like I need a month off from work just to focus on having enough time to eat right and exercise! My goodness. So, to answer yesterday's QOTD for myself, I'm definitely going to try to ramp up my efforts for the rest of the month, so I won't entirely hate myself come August 1st!

ETA: My MOH and bridesmaid brought their dresses into town with them, so all 3 of us tried them on together. I don't know if it's the small amount of weight loss (I want to say it's not) or just that we laced my dress up differently this time (most likely it was a combination of how it was laced up and the shaper I was wearing ) but I felt a little better about the dress after trying it on this time!

 

[JacknSally]

My plan is to get in at least 10 minutes of exercise every day (well ... almost - there's one day that I know it will be very hard, so I won't beat myself up if I can't fit it in). I was pretty good about daily exercise early in the month, but I slacked off a bit, and I want to get back to it! I know I have more success when I'm active, so I really need to make it a habit.

Great job setting an attainable goal! Knowing that you won't hit it every day and allowing that leniency for yourself is wonderful - that way you won't beat yourself up when it happens, since it seems pretty inevitable for that one day.

I have decided to add in some aerobics with my walking. I am hoping to be able to stop the late night munching. DD has to close all week and I am watching DGD and once it is past my normal bedtime I seem to eat to keep myself awake.

I, too, am a serial late-night muncher! That seems to be when my cravings kick up the most, too - especially CHOCOLATE. Oh my goodness. Going through that right now, actually, as I'm pretty tired, and all I can think about is how much I'd like to send DH2B to the gas station at the corner to pick up a white chocolate Reese's (my latest addiction)

My plan is to just keep on keepin' on. I'm feeling good about where I am and how far I've come. And, with our anniversary trip to Vegas coming up at the end of August, I have that as motivation to continue reaching for my goals each day.

For the past two years (at least!) I have been stuck in a perpetual state of defeat when it comes to my weight/health/fitness. I have lost this weight before. More than a few times. I have been really pretty darn fit as recently as 5 years ago. But, my mind turned on me. I completely bought into the lie that "I'll just gain it back again so why bother?". I was defeated before I took a single step. I can not even tell you why I feel differently right now. I started South Beach (AGAIN!) on 6/28. At one point in the middle of phase 1 (the first two weeks), we went to Sam's Club to look at outdoor furniture but we wandered thru the whole place. Including the bakery. My mind kept going back and forth between mourning (I can never eat this stuff again) and hope (perhaps I can occasionally make my own SB-friendly stuff once I get to phase 2 and beyond). And then, my DH bought a big ol' tub of mini cinnamon rolls. For two days, I really went back and forth between throwing in the towel on SB and just diving head-first into the cinnamon rolls and the other option which was NOT quitting and NOT having to start over. And, by some miracle, I continued to choose "I do NOT want to start over, AGAIN!" (And, eventually, the cinnamon rolls disappeared without my help and I was really glad to see them go.)

I know that losing this weight and getting fit is going to just keep getting harder as I keep getting older. Looking in the mirror these days, I'm seeing my age as well as my (over-) weight. In other words, I look exactly like my mother. (I love my mother. But do I really have to BE her???) I feel the need to make permanent changes. NOW. Because they aren't going to get any easier by putting them off.

I haven't stepped on the scale in at least a couple months but, I have a check-up appointment this Wednesday. So, my doc will be able to tell me how my current weight compares to my last check-up (which was April 2014, I think). I know that I've lost some since then. Actually, I know that I lost the same 5 or 10 pounds a few times since then. But, I know I've lost at least a few NEW pounds in the past month or so. So, I expect an encouraging report.

SO glad to hear that you're making progress this month that you are proud of!!! Congratulations!! And a big congratulations on passing up those cinnamon rolls - I can say 100% that I would NOT have had your will power! Haha. Do you mind sharing some of your tips and meal plans from your first few weeks on SB? I'm only vaguely familiar with that diet and don't know the specifics! It's 0 carb for the first 2 weeks, right? What are you allowed to eat that will result in absolutely no carbs? My doctor brought it up in my last check up, but I haven't looked into it since then. Fingers crossed and pixie dust for an exciting number on the scale at your next check up!!

Happy Monday Everyone! It is super hot and humid here today after thundering most of yesterday. We had a perpetual downpour last night and one of my skylights starting leaking! I've been up on the roof taping plastic over it for now....until the adjuster can come look at it. This is the kind of stressful thing that typically pushes me over the edge and into the food! The stress of living alone with no one to help me when stuff like this happens leads me to the cake or cookies or whatever sweet I can find! But....I went and got 32 ounces of water instead. I've got to hold off till my lunch! I had company all week. I gained and lost this week but am still down one pound. This is good. I had company all week and knew I would have to deal with eating out and serving snacks. I did pretty good during a lunch out....got blackened tuna and substituted a vege for the potato. But the tuna size serving was very large. For dinner.....another night.....I ate something I should not have eaten. It was baked stuffed haddock, with ritz crackers, butter and hollandaise topping. And...I ate onion rings too. I adjusted by not eating an evening snack, while my company and my sister ate chocolate from the Lindt store. The next day we had a cook out. I marinated chicken and we had home made baked beans and veges on skewers. I ate two chicken wings, a small serving of beans and plenty of veges. So at one point I was up two pounds but was down by one pound for the week. I'm back on track this week. I'm going on vacation the end of July, and eating out will happen. I have to be mindful and make good choices. I have 3.6 pounds to loose to get to my goal this month. Not sure I will make this goal but will stay on plan for the next two weeks and see how I do. I did not ride my bike while my company was here. We did do quite a bit of walking. We had a great visit and I got to talk to my cousin and help her plan her weight loss plan. I'm so glad I have all of you in here to support me through the struggles! Thank you all....I am so grateful!

OH NO!!!! Have you had someone out to look at the skylight yet?? That would've pushed me over the edge for sure! But good for you for being able to adjust your eating to make up for the small treats you had!! That's fantastic that you can recognize that and adjust accordingly. You can totally shave off those 3.6lbs between now and the 30th! Can't wait to hear how you finish!

Summer is just flying by! Which makes me happy because it is my least favorite season.

My plans! I started out strong and have been to fair to middling the past few days. But I was mostly on track yesterday and have been solid as a rock today. So I plan to finish strong!!! Going back to basics - planning my meals, packing my lunch, all that fun stuff that keeps me going where I want to be.

Summer is my least favorite season, too. I am SO OVER the heat and humidity and disgustingness. Bring on autumn! I'm ready for the leaves to change, the air to cool, and the world to get that wonderful autumn scent. But my fall downfall? Chai tea lattes from Starbucks. OH MY GOODNESS. I don't know how on earth I'm going to stay away!! I hope you were able to get back on track yesterday and today! Do you prep all of your meals for the week? What are your favorite go-to make-ahead meals? I'm always looking for anything that I can make easily on Sunday when I have free time so that I am less likely to run into the "But I'm just too tired to cook tonight!" issue later in the week.

This weather is really hampering my running. The basement is worse than outside. But outside is 93 degrees. So yesterday, today and tomorrow will solely focused on nutrition

Hello from the other end of the heat and humidity boat! For the past week, we've hit 100 degrees every day, with a heat index of 112, and no end (or rain!) in sight. It sure makes it hard to want to get up and do anything sweaty!

So I have not posted in a while. I didn't fall off the wagon. Just been a crazy 2 weeks. First the very painful cyst in the most annoying place on my torso. Thankfully after antibiotic it is going away. Then my son's knee becamed inflamed. Thankfully after a week and some pain med to help ease inflammation and pain that too healed. So I didn't gain anything.

QOTD
Well since my 2 crazy weeks I'm going to step it up. Going to do sit ups and lift weights to try and tone more. I have been walking a lot more now. I'm going to stay on track and hopefully make this a new habit that's normal.

So glad to hear you're still with us, but hate to hear that you've had such a rough couple of weeks! Great job on sticking with your walking, plus amping up your exercises a little! Can't wait to see it pay off for you!