"Spring is in the Air" March 2020 W.I.S.H. Challenge

[PollyannaMom]

Welcome to the March 2020 WISH (We're Inspired to Stay Healthy) challenge!!

We're here to support each other with kindness as we each work on becoming or staying healthy. Everyone is invited, and we're looking forward to catching up with regulars and welcoming newcomers! We have weekly volunteer hosts, and typically follow this format:

Motivation Monday,
Topic Tuesday,
WOOHOO Wednesday,
Thankful Thursday, and
Free For All Friday.

So pull up a keyboard, introduce yourself, and tell us about your goals for the month. (And if you don't find us until later in the month, join in anyway!)

This Month's Hosts
Week 1: PollyannaMom
Week 2: Oneanne
Week 3: HappyGrape
Week 4: sjrec

 

[Summer2018]

I’m Summer...Mother of a young lady(22) who is a stand-up comedian, fashion model, actress; Wife of a former athlete and coach; Public School Pre-K Teacher in the inner city. We are all Disney obsessed. DD wants her wedding in the World, just waiting to see who will be her fiancé.

I have been struggling with my weight since college when my mother died of cancer. My grief was the first 20 pounds. It was exacerbated by fertility shots, pregnancy, a hysterectomy, and emotional eating. I have tried WW, South Beach Diet, a nutritionist & personal trainer, MyFitnessPal, and finally Noom which I started on December 1st. I lost 15 pounds since then plus another 5 in the last 28 hours from a stomach virus. I’m not sure if I will maintain that 5 pound loss or not once normal eating resumes.

My goal is to lose another 60 pounds overall. I realize that this will take a long time, but I would love to lose 20 by June when we go to Disney World. My motivation is mostly to improve my health, but I will obviously enjoy looking better.

I really love this group and find each one of you very supportive and inspirational. Thanks for letting me be one of you!

 

[PollyannaMom]

@Summer2018!

I'm Nicole, and I'm also in education. - I started substitute teaching when my DS was in elementary school, and lately I've been taking taking care of my little "niece" and "nephew" for part of the week as well. They're 4, so right around the age of your students.

My own DS is now 19 and in college, and I live with my DH and two spoiled cats in Massachusetts. While I'd like to lose a bit of weight, my main purpose is to stay healthy and active. My goals this month are to complete or exceed 500 minutes in the exercise thread, keep getting out in the sunshine, and try at least three new healthy recipes.

 

[HappyGrape]

I lost total of 11.5lbs/5.3kg since start of the year and most of my regular tracking and progress is really only last 3.5 weeks.

Would love to lose 3kg goal for March

There are a lot of lovely chats here, and I am enjoying them all but I will try to focus my posts on weight loss and management. I had to be honest, that unless I resolve this I am not going to feel content with myself and get on with it.

looking forward chatting to you all again this month

 

[MickeyMom76]

I’m Cristin, 43, wife, mom of 15 yr old boy/girl twins, kindergarten teacher and Disney lover.

February was not a good month in terms of weight. I actually gained about 6 pounds and 3 inches. Exercise is not the problem. Eating is!

Goal #1: Lose 6 pounds.
- Plan & prep healthy meals for the week on Sundays
- Track food on MyFitnessPal
- Walk/Run minimum of 3 miles per day according to Apple Watch (which counts every step)

Goal #2: Read 2 books.
- Read in bed before turning the TV on
- Carry kindle with me to appointments, games, etc (anytime there is waiting)

The first goal is to help me physically. But the past two months, I have used the reading goal to help me mentally. I think it’s been helping me to sleep better. Plus it’s really brought back my love of reading! Something that I enjoy, but haven’t done in years because “I didn’t have time”. So I made the time

 

[sjrec]

I’m Sandy, retired from our local HS library. My husband and I live in south central PA and also spend time at our place in Ocean City, Md. My daughter, son in law and 9 year old grandson are a big part of lives. Staying fit and healthy for myself and them is a big motivator!
I lost 70lbs almost 20 years ago-never lost that baby weight-after trying various programs many times. I truly believe it’s never too late to change and that there’s something that works for everyone. Don’t ever give up!

My goals this month are:

to continue my exercise goals-I walk 2 miles 5x a week.
Although I am at what’s considered a healthy weight, I think I would feel better if I lost 8-10lbs. I went into WW loss mode last Monday, and will continue with this.
Looking forward to a good month and chatting with all of you!

 

[Summer2018]

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, tomorrow, March 2nd:

 

[sjrec]

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, tomorrow, March 2nd:

View attachment 477978

I used to bring my daughter’s old Dr. Seuss books into the library and display them the week of his birthday (I also purchased and gave out Dr. Seuss bookmarks!). I loved how my HS kids would grab the books and sit down and start reading them with big smiles! “I remember this!” And “Oh, my dad (or mom, grandma, grandpa) used to read this to me!”
Retirement is wonderful, but I do miss those days!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Motivation Monday ~

 

[MickeyMom76]

My motivation is to start the month strong! I want to really focus on my eating. Just yesterday, I thought I was doing well. But then I started snacking again at night. At least it was on popcorn and not ice cream or cookies. But still. I need to come up with something to satisfy my snacking need in the evenings. Pineapple is a special fruit to me. I find it a pain to cut up, but expensive to buy it already cut up. But I love it! So maybe if I buy a pineapple and the first night I really want a snack, I’ll make myself spend the time to cut it up. Then I can enjoy just a cup of it.

 

[Oneanne]

Hello all, Happy Monday and Happy March!

I'm Lizanne, a single lady living in Seattle WA. I've been struggling with my weight since girlhood, and at this point I am quite a bit over weight. I have food allergies/sensitivities and a sugar addiction that I'm learning to manage... did quite well for a period of time last fall and my overall goal for March is to get back to that place again. I have a trip planned to go to WDW later this month (22 days!), so I'm using that as motivation.

My other goals for March:
... lose 5 pounds (I'll just keep putting it out there until I do!)
... take 10 points off my blood sugar reading
... walk 100 miles (another one that'll just keep getting repeated until I do it)

Argggg. Instagram just posted a 'memory' video of a hike I did with my Brother and his family back in September of 2018... way to punch a gal in the gut IG. It was the last time I did something like that with them. Over the weekend I told my SIL that when the weather gets better I'd like to get together to do some walks/hikes and she said yes, so have that to look forward to.

 

[HappyGrape]

Everyone seem to be motivated. I feel soo moody today!

I did great food plan ahead so feeling positive!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am here...
My name is Magdalene, I am from Germany and while I might be the ‘oldest’ participant in these threads, I am not at good point in my weight loss journey. I am officially the heaviest I ever was and gained a kilo in February. Ugh! I absolutely need to turn this around!!

The good news is that I was able to keep up my gym routine in February. I also decided to give up sugar for lent. I will still eat food that has sugar in it, but all sweets and candy are off the table!

So, I hope to get back into healthy eating and that that will help me change track. Work is still crazy and life otherwise is stressful, too. So, I often feel overwhelmed and lagging energy. I am considering asking my doctor about getting some counseling as I feel like I need someone to help me get my head in a better place. First step however is to make the appointment with the doctor. Haven’t managed that all February long.

Glad to be here again. You people are such a great group for support!!

 

[sjrec]

My motivation is to start the month strong! I want to really focus on my eating. Just yesterday, I thought I was doing well. But then I started snacking again at night. At least it was on popcorn and not ice cream or cookies. But still. I need to come up with something to satisfy my snacking need in the evenings. Pineapple is a special fruit to me. I find it a pain to cut up, but expensive to buy it already cut up. But I love it! So maybe if I buy a pineapple and the first night I really want a snack, I’ll make myself spend the time to cut it up. Then I can enjoy just a cup of it.

Or-be kind to yourself and while you’re still getting in a routine, buy the cut up pineapple! Once you’re in a good place you can buy one and cut it up.

I’m in my second week of weight loss mode and feeling pretty motivated after getting on the scale and seeing I am on the high end of a healthy weight for me. Off to the grocery store to re supply-and putting pineapple on my list! Then off for a walk-it’s a beautiful day today! Spring is finally coming.

 

[smilie]

Hi, I'm Lauren, 41. Mom to an eleven year old DD who is growing too fast and I swear is a teenager already! I recently got engaged to the most amazing man I have ever met. We are getting married at the end of May in Las Vegas.

I have hypothyroidism so weight is always an issue with me. I believe we FINALLY have the right dosage on my meds so hopefully now I can get my weight under control.

Right now my goal is to just get into some sort of routine....eating healthier and getting more active. My sister joined a gym with me (I've been a member for a year and have only gone twice! oops) So hopefully her going with me will help to give me a sense of accountability to keep going.

 

[piglet1979]

Hi I am Stephanie. I have been married for 15 years. I have to wonderful kids that keep me very busy. DS will be 14 next month and we have been talking about his schedule in high school (next year). There have also been some talks about college already. He took the PSAT this year and got like a 990 score. He is one smart cookie. Now if he could get his act together and turn in all of his homework I will let him take a college class or 2.

DD is 12. This one keeps me on my toes. She has so much anxiety this year. Thankfully her therapist is great and we are seeing her about every 2 week right now. She has had some issues with friends this year but looks like that is getting better. We did find out that she is having some more eyes issues. She has 4 different eye conditions that all have something to with focusing. Now she is having a hard time refocusing her eye when going from see far away to close up and vise versa. She is now going to have readers in her glasses to help with this. Just one more thing this poor girl has had to deal with.

For this month I am going to keep things very simple not have a weight loss goal. I would still like to lose weight and going to work on it but I am going to work on my mental state a bit more. I am pretty sure I have anxiety too. Sickness always seems to be a trigger for me as well natural disaster stuff and storms. I almost did not go to my kids conferences because the flu was so bad at their school at that time Right now I am really trying not to panic over the carnivorous. I have been sick a lot this school year so i have already been hand washing and using hand sanitizer but after this weekend that has picked up more. It doesn't help that my husband who can usually keep me level headed decided to get stuff just in case. As soon as I got to my desk in the morning I used clorox wipes to wipe down my desk, desk phone, cell phone and computer. I also used hand sanitizer. I stopped at Dunkin and got a bottle of pop and when I got to my desk I cloroxed it. I am trying to talk myself into going to the gym at the building I work in but I just feel like it is too germy right now with all sorts of stuff. It has warmed up here so i think I might just go for walks at home. So right now I need to work on keeping myself from going over board I feel I might be on the brink of with this thing. Oh and I need to not panic because that will affect DD as well.

 

[Summer2018]

Motivation Monday:

I am most definitely motivated by my need to improve my health. That hasn't changed and won't until I see some real changes.

My fun motivation is that I will be leaving for Disney World in just 114 days! I would love to lose another 15-20 pounds by then. I will be so much more comfortable in my skin. I will look better in everything I wear especially my bathing suit. Thinking about our trip in June is definitely motivating.⛱

 

[JacknSally]

Hi, hi, hi! I'm excited to rejoin this little community, if you'll have me back!

I'm Megan, I'm 31, and I'm in Memphis, TN. If you're into enneagrams, I'm a blend of an enneagram 4 and an enneagram 6. I first started participating in these threads back in 2015, as I prepared for my wedding that fall. What a wild ride the last 5 years have been. I've learned a lot about myself, though. We have no kids but we do have a really amazing dog.

I've fought with my weight since I was in middle school, at least. I was always the bigger girl in school, even in lower school. In high school, as a size 9 in a sea of size 2s, I was convinced I was hideous and obese. I've been a size 16 for years - what I'd give to be that "obese" size 9 again!

I've spent the last 5 years, if not longer, gaining and losing and regaining and relosing the same 20-30lbs. I was around 199lbs when I got married, and that was the last time I saw Onederland. I've come close several times, getting down to 200-202 before eating my way back up to the 220 area and starting over again. I am an emotional eater, a stress eater, a celebratory eater - you name it, it's a reason for me to eat. I've always struggled with anxiety and depression, and my depression reached a really low spot in 2016 that has taken years to work my way out of, but things seem to be trending upward lately (knock on wood).

In January of this year, I started grad school, and am currently pursuing my MBA in marketing. I just finished my first class in the program with an A+! My next class starts next week, so I'm doing a whole lot of nothing this week. I'm unemployed right now so I can focus entirely on school. When it comes to jobs, I have a bit of a gypsy soul, and I just haven't found the right path for me yet. We're putting a big focus on paying down debt this year to make things less tight.

A week ago today, we lost my MIL to pancreatic cancer. She fought breast cancer twice in the last 6 or so years, and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2019. It's been an emotional week, to say the least. We gave ourselves Mardi Gras to eat whatever we wanted, and were right back on track the next day - which is not something I would've been able to do before. I've always been bad about "cheat" meals turning into days turning into weeks, so successfully confining it to a day was a real non-scale victory. My body also HATED all of the sugar and junk we ate, which is another solid NSV.

I started the year at 227.2lbs, and as of my most recent weigh-in, I am sitting at 212.4lbs, for a total YTD loss of 14.8lbs. I've set a goal for myself to lose 5lbs every month this year. I only lost 4 in February, but I was stalled for the first 3 weeks between 215 and 218, so I am happy with only being 1lb short of my goal.

My overall goal weight is 160lbs, and my 5lb per month mini-goals will have me there around the beginning of next year. Slow and steady wins the race! At 5'4", 160lbs still puts me technically overweight, but right now I can't imagine being any smaller than that.

I follow a low-carb way of eating. Everyone has their method that works best for them, and cutting out sugar and carbs from my diet has really improved both my mental and physical health. I aim for 90-120 ounces of water a day, and I have been practicing intermittent fasting for the last 2 weeks, which I have loved and which my body seems to respond really well to. I use the Zero app to track my fasting and the LoseIt! app to track my eating.

We're planning to go to Disney this year at the beginning of December, to celebrate our (slightly belated) 5th wedding anniversary (it's in October) and we've booked a session with a photographer while we're there, for our first not-cell-phone photos together since we got married 5 years ago. I theoretically shouldn't be far from 160lbs by then, but I'll be happy just to be below 200lbs in those photos.

If you're on Instagram, my physical/mental health account is @currentlyconquering - there I post progress updates and photos and some of the things I'm eating. Feel free to connect with me if you'd like!

 

[JacknSally]

We did find out that she is having some more eyes issues. She has 4 different eye conditions that all have something to with focusing. Now she is having a hard time refocusing her eye when going from see far away to close up and vise versa. She is now going to have readers in her glasses to help with this. Just one more thing this poor girl has had to deal with.

I had 20/20 vision until my senior year of high school, when I was diagnosed with an astigmatism. In August of 2018, I found out I have a really rare eye condition called keratoconus. Basically my corneas are thinning and losing their shape, becoming less round and more conical. It's not preventable, and it's not repairable. There's no way to tell how much worse my eyes will get, or if they'll get worse at all. My current vision could be as far as the disease progresses. I can have a procedure (surgery) done that essentially freezes my corneas where they are and should prevent them from getting worse. Insurance doesn't cover that procedure, though. They deem it medically unnecessary because without the procedure, I won't go completely blind from the condition - though, it could worsen to the point that I need a cornea transplant, which insurance should cover.

I can't wear glasses anymore and have to wear special scleral contacts. I am *still* getting fitted for the stupid things, since it's a lot of trial and error and there's a lot of little tweaks that can be made that make a world of difference. It's exhausting and frustrating. The contacts do make a huge difference, though - on my own, my vision is 20/200. With glasses, the best I can get is 20/100. With the contacts, I'm around 20/30, 20/25 on a really good day.

I feel for your DD so much, from one poor-seer to another!

 

[Summer2018]

In high school, as a size 9 in a sea of size 2s, I was convinced I was hideous and obese. I've been a size 16 for years - what I'd give to be that "obese" size 9 again!

That was me.

I look back at photos of me in high school, and I looked downright skinny. I was 5'8" tall, size 9, and compared to the petite size 2's and 4's, I felt like an amazon. It was all in my head. My body image was so distorted. I actually looked fantastic, but I couldn't see it.

When trauma hit, and the real weight came on, I ballooned up to a 14 for my wedding. I still looked great.

Now a size 24, what I would give for those size 9 days...to be honest, I would be thrilled to be a size 14 again!