Team Donald – Biggest Loser “No Excuses” 2012 Challenge

[jenanderson]

I don't know if anyone saw the following. I saw it on Twitter. (who knew twitter could be so informative??) It is written by a past contestant from the BL - Shay Sorrell. She was, if I remember correctly, one of the biggest contestants. Subway offered her money to continue on her journey $1000/pound. She lost 52 pounds, and they renewed the offer. But we never saw her again. It's a very informative read - especially for those struggling.

http://shaysorrells.tumblr.com/post/15124727656/the-seven-biggest-mistakes-i-made-after-loser

Janis

Thanks for the link. I read it and shared it with a girlfriend of mine who is kind of struggling to get going again as well.

Thanks to all you ladies for the warm welcomes!!! I'm excited about the weigh in tomorrow, however I'm already celebrating that I styed under my calorie goal all week and drank all of my water each day!!! Good luck to all you ladies for weigh in, I'm sure Team Donald has this week in the bag!

Great job staying under your calorie goal and drinking your water! I bet you will have a positive weigh in!

Haven't gone through every post (and if it has been mentioned I apologize but it could do with repeating).

I LOVE My Fitness Pal! It is a website and an app. It makes graphs of your progress, you can put in all of what you've eaten for the day to see your full nutrition intake for the day. You can also add exercise. What a great tool!

I have now downloaded Fitness Pal and WW Mobile and Lose it! I have to see what one really does what I am looking for. I wish that there was one where I could journal thoughts in it as well.

Just thought I'd let everyone over here know that I am going to be working at the Epcot main entrance turnstiles, so come say "Hi"!

Hi Gretchen! I am having fun following you on FB and on your blog!

Its so weird how one little thing can ruin your whole day. I will be starting part time at work next week, because i'm going back to school full time. When you are part time you are not garunteed any amount of hours each week, but i had talked to my boss and i thought she would be giving me at least 25 a week, after all i have put in 3 years at the place and im a hard worker and bend over backwards for them. I thought we had aggreed that i would work 4 days a week. well i caught a glimpse of next weeks schedule and im only on for 3 days. i mean, its starting already im really nervous as to whats going to happen now that i cant garuntee hours.

i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress, because my parents are helping me out so i can go back to school full time but my parents are not very well off with money and my mom wants me to work at least 25 hours and ive explained to her that i cant force them to give me hours once im full time. theres also the expectation of taking 5 classes, needing to get A's in everything plus still working 4 days a week. I'm just feeling pressure on both sides and its so stressful

I had plans to come home tonight and get some stuff done, plans to get up a go to yoga tomorrow and go running and now i just feel so blah. also all of a sudden its 11 o clock which is mind boggling to me. tomorrow i'm going to make some meal plans for the week even if it kills me

I am so sorry to read about the all the pressure you are under with your job and with college. It is never fun to deal with stress like that. I had the same thing when I went back to college and it was so hard. All you can do is your best and then just go from there. I hope you are able to get some of your exercising done today because I know that my running is what helps me deal with stress like that. I don't always want to get started but once I do, it really does help.

Along with our healthy habits I am going to make it a goal of mine to keep up eith this thread better. I hope everyone is doing well with their weight loss this week.

Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the thread. Even I am struggling with it today.

Please send some PD for my dh. He has been having some problems and went to his gastro dr yesterday. Dh thought the scoping would take place in a couple of weeks but the dr scheduled it for Monday. That is okay with me since we both have the day off anyway but we are both worried that he wanted to schedule it so soon. I hope he is okay because I just can't take any more bad news.

Pixie Dust coming your way! I hope that it is just that the doctor had some time and that is why he is going in quickly. The positive thing about it is that he will get it done and then not have so spend some weeks worrying about it. Positive thoughts your way!

I am posting my weight publicly because I am at the airport headed to DISNEYLAND!!!

Have fun at Disneyland! You will have to share all about it! I will be going at the end of June and have never been there so I am totally excited to learn more!

Good Morning all you Losers! Happy Friday the 13th!!!

My name is Rose and I am your coach for this week.

Morning Rose! Thanks for coaching this week!

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

The most challenging part for me has been to jump totally into the plan. What I mean is that I started by just making one little change and saying that I didn't want to do too much to start with. The thing is...it really isn't working. I have to actually jump all the way in and quit making excuses. It just has been hard to realize that.

Yep - superstitious...just a bit.

I'm off to brave the snow and ice to get to class, but I'm just popping in with my weigh-in. I lost another pound this week. I'm happy with that since my schedule has been wacky with little time for exercise due to the 1st week of classes plus my monthly visitor showed up on Wednesday. Showing a loss on CD2 is exciting for me!

Great job on your loss this week!

I also finished up week 1 of c25k yesterday. And am actually looking forward to week 2! Thinking of trying out a spin class on Tuesday, but really worried about being able to walk afterwards and being able to sit down I've heard the seats do a real number on your behind till you get used to it

That is so cool that you are looking forward to week 2 of the C25K! I thought week 2 was pretty easy after week 1. Have a fun time going out!

The most challenging part for me is the eating. I only had one diet Coke last week and one diet Coke this week. And, I am trying really, really hard to not pig out on chocolate. Baby steps, right?

The thing that makes me fall of the wagon is one bad meal. After I get off track, I just tell myself that I ruined it and give up. Then I pig out. Not this time! I ate Little Caesar's last night, so today I brough healthy cereal and yogurt for breakfast (I eat at work) and a salad for lunch. Back on track!

Sounds like you are doing a good job working through your the challenge of eating right. WAY TO GO with getting right back at it today after the pizza last night.

I lost again. I'm down 2.7 this week. So far since I started I'm down 6 pounds!!

2.7 pounds is super! Keep it up!

The most challenging part of the first two weeks has to be keeping away from the sugar and junk I used to eat. At this point it doesn't phase me at all, but that first week was so hard.

I am still struggling with the sugar and junk. It is really a hard battle.

QOTD: Most challenging this past 2 weeks has been drinking all the water! My body still isn't used to it, so if we're out I'm always running to the bathroom or making the DH stop to find one!

I usually quit after losing weight, even though I ate junk. I think to myself "Wow, I still lost weight even though I ate such n such. That means I can eat this and this and be good." Then I gain it back and give up!

Great job keeping up on the water. I struggled yesterday but got it in. I think it is great that you are recognizing why you give up...this will help you keep on going this time!

 

[jenanderson]

I've had a good week and am happy to see the scale down 1.4 pounds and down to 209.2. I swear that that I am saying goodbye to the 210s for the very last time. I'm am feeling in a pretty good place emotionally right now, and know that is a huge part of my success or failure with weight loss, so I'm determined to keep up with this healthy living.

YEAH for saying good-bye to the 210s! I am so happy for you. Before you know it you will be saying good-bye to the 200s!

I think the most challenging part is no junk food. I've been working really hard to avoid it and replace it with fruits. So far so good but I do admit that I gave myself pizza and a candy bar last Friday I figure if I know that I'll give myself a little something one day a week that it makes it easier to give it up all the other days. At least I'm trying!!

This is what I am struggling with...giving up some things. I am going to make a list of things that I think that I can't give up and see if I can plan my week so that I can have one or two things each week that fit in the plan. I know that if this is to continue to be a long term plan, I have to have things that I really want WHEN I have planned for them. On the other hand, there are some things that I can give up. I think prioritizing and planning really helps!

I'm very happy I had a 2 lb loss this week!

Nice job Shanon! 2 pounds is a GREAT loss!

Just popping in to post my weigh in and I'm so excited, I lost 4.2lbs this week, I lost nothing last week so this was great for me! Congrats to all u "losers" posting today! We can totally do this!

WOW! 4.2 pounds is AMAZING!

Down 3.4 lbs this week

Another great loss! WAY TO GO!

Well, last night I posted that I was a little nervous about getting on the scale today. I worked EXTRA hard all day yesterday. I tried to stay active most of the day, ate lots of fruits and veggies, and was well above 64oz of water. Well, my hard work paid off!! I am down 2.0 lbs since Sunday! (Before I joined the group, Sunday was my weigh in day.) So I am down a total of 5.2 lbs since January 1st! I am happy with that!

Sounds like all your hard work is paying off! Great job on your loss this week!

I will join in - I weigh 161 - goal is 140 or less.
5' 3" female, age 53

Good luck to all !

Welcome to the group!

QOTD: The most challenging part has been to not get discouraged. It's hard seeing just a tiny amount of weight lost when I have sooo much to lose. Cutting back on the sugar has been difficult as well.

Slow and steady wins the race.

It has been difficult to get back into the "normal" routine of advanced meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. And of course, we all know.... "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I need to make it a PRIORITY to get my meal planning done for at least the remainder of January!!

The thing that always made me fail in the past was the same as many of you have mentioned.... that "one bad decision" makes it a slippery slope to fall down to making more bad decisions. One unexpected splurge on pizza or sweets induces that mentality of "well, I've failed again.... might as well give up." And even now, after 4 years, it still seems like I take three steps forward and then one (or two) step(s) back. But as long as the majority of my progress is in the right direction, I am doing okay!

And I will NEVER give up!!!!!!!!!

I really needed to read all of this today. Always good words of wisdom!

QOTD
Fitting in the exercise has been my stumbling block this week! It seems to be the first thing to give when life gets busy. I did put it on the calender for this last week but then my mum needed me to take her places and that took precedence! Having this team though helped me to stick with it and do the best I can and I was so happy when I stood on the scales and discovered I'd lost 2lbs Just goes to show it doesnt have to be perfect. So glad I listened to you guys and didnt give up

Congrats on the 2 pounds gone....AND...starting the C25K program! You CAN do this!

 

[melmar136]

Thanks to Jen for coaching last week, and to Rose for this week!

Qotd: most challenging is staying away from the junk (sweets are my downfall) but I am trying very hard to substitute...if DD is having Oreos for instance, I will have a cup of diet hot chocolate. I am still having something chocolate, and getting my fix, and it's much better for me!

I tend to fall off the wagon when I am stressed. I lost about 25-30 pounds last year from Jan-early July. Then, last Aug, my company went on strike. The weeks leading up to it were very stressful, wondering if it would happen, and then when it did, I just craved sweets, and comfort foods. Thankfully, it was only 2 weeks, but by then, we were on our way to Disney for vacation, and I don't want to have to watch what I am eating on vacation!
And after that, it was so hard to get back into eating healthy, and exercise, and get motivation.

And no, not superstitious. 13 is usually my lucky number, as it's also my birthday date!

 

[Rose&Mike]

My biggest challenge is not going out to eat! We would go out for dinner 7 days a week if it wasn't for me being on a diet. Which is part of the reason I am the size I am. So when I am on a diet it is quite a life style change for us. So it is hard to fall into a routine where I have to cook everyday. But I am doing GREAT so far and I love how much more energetic I am feeling, and I just feel better about myself for doing it!!

We used to be big into going out to eat. Then we had to cut way back in 2009 and I remembered that I like to cook when I plan for it. Then in 2011 I went g-f and we cut back even more--in that we very rarely go out now unless we are at WDW. (We do have a couple of places we occasionally get take out from). For me, eating at home makes a huge difference in my weight--I just eat better at home! And I have found that once I got some good stand bys under my belt, that I really do enjoy cooking. Switching to g-f has been a little challenging but it is getting easier. I think you have a great attitude about it!

Wow, I can't believe we're into week three already! Happy to say that I'm still feeling positive about this journey I think the most challenging part is no junk food. I've been working really hard to avoid it and replace it with fruits. So far so good but I do admit that I gave myself pizza and a candy bar last Friday. I figure if I know that I'll give myself a little something one day a week that it makes it easier to give it up all the other days. At least I'm trying!!

Oh I think part of me is a little superstitious. I try not to walk under ladders and other little things when I hear of them!!

--Lynda

One of the things I did this time around was to incorporate some of my favorite foods into my week, even if they weren't the best choice. For me it's french fries. I just love french fries. I am trying to see them as a treat and not a staple. I think having treats is a good thing.

Exercising! and cooking meals instead of grabbing take out on the busiest days. unfortunately all that has made it so I'm not very active on the thread, but I have to accept that I can only do so much, and this week exercise was first priority.



Thanks for coaching Jen!

Thanks for coaching this week Rose!

I'm very happy I had a 2 lb loss this week!

Glad the exercise and cooking is going well!

Just popping in to post my weigh in and I'm so excited, I lost 4.2lbs this week, I lost nothing last week so this was great for me! Congrats to all u "losers" posting today! We can totally do this!

Congrats!

Love it too!

Down 3.4 lbs this week

Congrats to you too!

Well, last night I posted that I was a little nervous about getting on the scale today. I worked EXTRA hard all day yesterday. I tried to stay active most of the day, ate lots of fruits and veggies, and was well above 64oz of water. Well, my hard work paid off!! I am down 2.0 lbs since Sunday! (Before I joined the group, Sunday was my weigh in day.) So I am down a total of 5.2 lbs since January 1st! I am happy with that!

And you too!

QOTD: The most challenging part has been to not get discouraged. It's hard seeing just a tiny amount of weight lost when I have sooo much to lose. Cutting back on the sugar has been difficult as well.

Just one pound at a time, that's all you can do. Have you set any intermediate goals to reward yourself along the way?

I disagree that someone is either built to be a runner or they're not. Sure, some people find it comes more naturally and such, but short of physical impairments, EVERYONE can be a runner to one degree or another!

That kind of bothered me too.


The thing that always made me fail in the past was the same as many of you have mentioned.... that "one bad decision" makes it a slippery slope to fall down to making more bad decisions. One unexpected splurge on pizza or sweets induces that mentality of "well, I've failed again.... might as well give up." And even now, after 4 years, it still seems like I take three steps forward and then one (or two) step(s) back. But as long as the majority of my progress is in the right direction, I am doing okay!

Thanks for posting this Pamela. I think this is one of the keys to success. We all need to remove the word fail from our vocabulary when talking about weight loss. We are still here, and breathing so we have an opportunity to make good choices. Not every choice is going to be perfect, nor in my opinion should it be (remember I love french fries), we just have to try to make good choices most of the time and keep moving forward.

Fitting in the exercise has been my stumbling block this week! It seems to be the first thing to give when life gets busy. I did put it on the calender for this last week but then my mum needed me to take her places and that took precedence! Having this team though helped me to stick with it and do the best I can and I was so happy when I stood on the scales and discovered I'd lost 2lbs Just goes to show it doesnt have to be perfect. So glad I listened to you guys and didnt give up

congrats on the loss!

Hi Rose!

I would say the biggest thing that would cause me to fall off the wagon would be stress from work. I started a new job about six months ago, and have had a lot to learn. Plus my co-worker can be less than perfect...we have a communication problem that she refuses to acknowledge and it causes MAJOR headaches for me But I am fortunately finding my spot and patterns finally and I am getting to learn so much!

*********************
I lost again this week! Not too much, but a loss is a loss I made a big discovery this week, too. One day I forgot my water cup I keep with me at work, so I didn't keep up with my water like I should have...and I ate WAAAAY over my calories that day AND didn't work out. The next day I made doubly sure I had my water cup: I stayed under my calories, worked out, and felt ten times better than I did the day before!

I am excited about tonight too. I'm going ice skating with some friends of mine for a couple hours...I wonder how many calories I'll burn doing that!

So water really does work, huh? Have fun skating!

I would love to make it a permanent lifestyle. Not only because it is healthier for me (and my family), but it is not something that I want my kids to grow up doing. It is healthier and much cheaper to make meals at home! Thank you for the tips about the routine! I definitely have to get better at meal planning. Do you have any suggestions for where I can go online for healthy recipes??

I use vegetarian times and all recipes. Remember, that lots of recipes can be adapted to be healthier. I made this casserole last night that called for a 1/2 cup of butter. I DID NOT put a half cup of butter in it! That is horrifying! I just cut it back to just over a tablespoon and it was great. I am the queen of turning what looks like an unhealthy recipe into something edible.

For all the 40x40 ladies....I'm with you! I also just made my list of the 40 things I want to do before I turn 40! Some of them are small (learn to drive a stick shift car) and some are big (visit a country I have never been to.) I would love to share lists with other soon-to-be-40 ladies!


You can do it Rose!!! Even 12 days is an amazing start! 30 minutes is 30 minutes no matter how slow you feel you are going This is also a really great idea...I may steal it!

The exercise thing is a facebook challenge. I think John Bingham started it. Too cool about wanting to drive a stickshift. I have driven once since I was 20 (a couple years off here and there for bad car choices) and I love it. I currently have a 2007 volvo s40 5 speed. It is my favorite car of any car I have ever had and I will keep it until parts fall off of it on the highway behind me.

The most challenging part for me has been to jump totally into the plan. What I mean is that I started by just making one little change and saying that I didn't want to do too much to start with. The thing is...it really isn't working. I have to actually jump all the way in and quit making excuses. It just has been hard to realize that.

You can do it Jen.

I tend to fall off the wagon when I am stressed. I lost about 25-30 pounds last year from Jan-early July. Then, last Aug, my company went on strike. The weeks leading up to it were very stressful, wondering if it would happen, and then when it did, I just craved sweets, and comfort foods. Thankfully, it was only 2 weeks, but by then, we were on our way to Disney for vacation, and I don't want to have to watch what I am eating on vacation!
And after that, it was so hard to get back into eating healthy, and exercise, and get motivation.

And no, not superstitious. 13 is usually my lucky number, as it's also my birthday date!

Stress is a big thing for me too. And usually my downfall in the past. 2011 was honestly one of the most stressful years of my life, and I kept it off and maintained--so it's doable. Challenging, but doable. You just have to have a plan in place and a really good support system. (Thank you all by BL peeps.) Remember, nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

 

[GoofyPredsFan]

One of the things I did this time around was to incorporate some of my favorite foods into my week, even if they weren't the best choice. For me it's french fries. I just love french fries. I am trying to see them as a treat and not a staple. I think having treats is a good thing.

Yes! Great idea. Like Jen said earlier, some things are easier to give up than others. I feel like if I am going to make this a lifestyle change, I know that realistically I am NOT going to give up pizza and chocolate. Those are my two favorite things ever. What I need to do is severely limit them. I really enjoy food in general, when I'm eating one meal I am dreaming of the next. But, I am making much better choices, trading chips for vegie sticks, white pasta for wheat, stuff like that. Over time I hope this becomes second nature and my cravings for the bad stuff goes down.

 

[Ruthie5671]

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

I think that all of my previous failures have just been related to getting discouraged. You know that little voice in your head that says "it's okay to eat all the cookies, you have always been fat, you'll always be fat, eat the cookies". I hate that voice. So my new voices (no I'm not crazy ) are all the supportive folks on Team Donald!

And because of the support, I'm down 3.3 pounds this week!

 

[jenanderson]

I lost again this week! Not too much, but a loss is a loss I made a big discovery this week, too. One day I forgot my water cup I keep with me at work, so I didn't keep up with my water like I should have...and I ate WAAAAY over my calories that day AND didn't work out. The next day I made doubly sure I had my water cup: I stayed under my calories, worked out, and felt ten times better than I did the day before!

I am excited about tonight too. I'm going ice skating with some friends of mine for a couple hours...I wonder how many calories I'll burn doing that!

Great job losing again this week! Sounds like you made a discovery that will help you with this challenge. I KNOW that water is a huge key for me and yet I still struggle to get it in. Have fun skating tonight! BTW...I just plugged 30 minutes of general ice skating into My Fitness Pal app and it said that for 30 minutes, you would burn 273 calories! Skate on!

Qotd: most challenging is staying away from the junk (sweets are my downfall) but I am trying very hard to substitute...if DD is having Oreos for instance, I will have a cup of diet hot chocolate. I am still having something chocolate, and getting my fix, and it's much better for me!

The sugar free hot cocoa mix is a huge help for me as well. I will even sometimes top it off with a little whipped lite cream spray topping for a real treat!

----------------------------------
Well, I want to chime in and say...no weight loss here this week. It is sad in some ways because at one point (for several days even), I was down 2 pounds. This means that I gained it back. I don't even really have to think about how it happened. I know how it happened. I did not eat what I should have. I did complete the real exercising that I needed and planned for. I just basically went at the week with a "I will try" sort of attitude.

Since I am big on quotes, here is the one that I am going to use every day this next week....

"Do. Or don't do. There is no 'try'". ~Yoda

I cannot pick what parts I want to try out. I have to actually do what needs to be done. I know that easing into it works for many people but it does not for me. It is kind of what is getting me with my running as well. I am trying to run here and there when I really feel like I want to (which is not that often at this point). I have a 1/2 marathon coming up in March so I either have to do the running or not do it.

I thought long and hard about this last night. I even plotted out what my training would need to be if I am going to actually DO the training. I wrote in all the runs, all the cross training and all the days of rest. I even looked at how to transition to another full marathon at that point.

Turns out, the more I planned, the more I realized that I need to do this...maybe even that I want to do this. So this week I am going to focus on the "Do".

 

[JacksLilWench]

Great job losing again this week! Sounds like you made a discovery that will help you with this challenge. I KNOW that water is a huge key for me and yet I still struggle to get it in. Have fun skating tonight! BTW...I just plugged 30 minutes of general ice skating into My Fitness Pal app and it said that for 30 minutes, you would burn 273 calories! Skate on!

I know, its crazy! We'll be at the rink from 7:30 to 10, so I estimated an hour and a half...and it gave me 792 calories!! This might have to become a habit of mine!!

 

[clhcpaca]

QOTD: Trying to drink all that water. Getting frustrated with myself because I'm not doing what I want to do (sabatoging myself).

I plan to do drink more water and get better at recording (not doing too well with WW, either) Got to get some exercise in there too. All those things on the Healthy Habits List

 

[buzz5985]

Its so weird how one little thing can ruin your whole day. I will be starting part time at work next week, because i'm going back to school full time. When you are part time you are not garunteed any amount of hours each week, but i had talked to my boss and i thought she would be giving me at least 25 a week, after all i have put in 3 years at the place and im a hard worker and bend over backwards for them. I thought we had aggreed that i would work 4 days a week. well i caught a glimpse of next weeks schedule and im only on for 3 days. i mean, its starting already im really nervous as to whats going to happen now that i cant garuntee hours.

i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress, because my parents are helping me out so i can go back to school full time but my parents are not very well off with money and my mom wants me to work at least 25 hours and ive explained to her that i cant force them to give me hours once im full time. theres also the expectation of taking 5 classes, needing to get A's in everything plus still working 4 days a week. I'm just feeling pressure on both sides and its so stressful

I had plans to come home tonight and get some stuff done, plans to get up a go to yoga tomorrow and go running and now i just feel so blah. also all of a sudden its 11 o clock which is mind boggling to me. tomorrow i'm going to make some meal plans for the week even if it kills me

Maybe it was just a misunderstanding with your boss.

Along with our healthy habits I am going to make it a goal of mine to keep up eith this thread better. I hope everyone is doing well with their weight loss this week.

Good luck with that one!!! My DH was asking me if I had a new part time job I didn't tell him about. While I drag my notebooks, and thumb drive around with me.

Good Morning all you Losers! Happy Friday the 13th!!!

My name is Rose and I am your coach for this week. I have been doing the challenges since January of 2010 and have lost and kept off ~50 pounds. I am attempting again to see if I can get down to my high school/college weight. I have about 7 pounds to go. I even wore Janis' hat for a while and hosted 2 or 3 challenges--I can't remember how many! A little about me, I have never followed a formal plan, but work very hard at portion control and exercise. I do count calories on occasion (I go through phases where I'll do it for a couple weeks and then back off for a while) and love myfitnesspal. I am 44 and can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life, so for all you over 40s, yes you can lose weight and build muscle after 40. I have been gluten free since February of 2011. It was pretty emotional for me, but we'll talk about that later this week. I have been a vegetarian since 2009, but since going gluten free occasionally cheat a tiny bit with of all things hot dogs--it's a sickness, I know. I also don't get as hung up on some things like gelatin or making sure the cheese is vegetarian, though I do make the effort. The reality is that being gluten free is challenging and being a vegetarian can be a little challenging when traveling, so combine the two and it makes for fun sometimes!

Ok, enough about me!

Here's the QOTD! Someone please tell me if I repeat a QOTD--I did not see an archive, and I swear I still have brain fog sometimes! I tend to ask multi-part questions that are all related. Please feel free to pick and choose what you want to answer.

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

BBL with replies!

The most challenging part for me is trying to keep everything in balance. Keep up with work obligations, take time to exercise, keep up with family obligations, etc. The rat race. DS and his friends are grumbling that there is nothing good to eat in the house anymore. I tell them to go home if they are hungry.

First off Thank you Jen for being our coach this past week!

Good Morning!
I sent in my HH last night to CC and just sent in my weigh in to Sue. Down 2lbs this week!

I also finished up week 1 of c25k yesterday. And am actually looking forward to week 2! Thinking of trying out a spin class on Tuesday, but really worried about being able to walk afterwards and being able to sit down I've heard the seats do a real number on your behind till you get used to it

Today is starting off great and I can't wait till this evening when I get to go to the movies just me and a girl friend, which I haven't done in almost 3 years (ever since we moved here and I lost free grandparent babysitting)!

Great job on the running. Have fun at the movies - sounds like you earned it!!!

Janis

 

[trinaweena]

Well i didn't see any change on the scale this week, but it was such a crazy week, I guess i wasn't expecting to. We went to try on bridesmaids dresses today, and I wasn't disgusted by my reflection so i guess that's a step in the right direction. The lady at the place was really surprised when i said i wanted to loose 18lbs and said that i look great and i really don't need to. Maybe. Maybe it really is toning that i need to be working on. I'm not that dissatisfied with my weight, its really my stomach. I do need to figure out some toning workouts that i can start doing but im having some trouble figuring out whats best for me. A co worker is going to let me borrow her work out dvd that Bob from the biggest loser has out, she said it has some good stuff for toning. All in all thought, I really need to step up my game. I've tracked everything today. I do around 1200 calories a day, and right now its 4pm and i still have 900 left over. for breakfast i have 1 slice of bread with 1 tsp of all natural peanut butter and half a grapefruit with 1tsp of splenda/sugar mix. lunch was soup. that's all iv'e eaten today.

i'm having my mom buy some more grapefruit, cause its a fruit i REALLY enjoy, and i have trouble getting in all my fruits and veggies. I think a half would qualify as a good snack after classes and such and prevent me from pigging out. I need to plan my meals for the week, and i need to do it today, but its like i've forgotten how to meal plan. I always have trouble with ideas for lunch and dinner. I'm thinking of making steel cut oats on monday and having those for breakfast next week. I might look into pita pockets and some sort of chicken salad for lunches (I need something i can take to school) and then there is just dinners. This will be a big change with school and everything so i want to make sure i'm not having to worry about my eating as well. I'm not sure if they make like a whole grain pita pocket though, so i will have to look at the store.

I went running today, I'm restarting couch 25k which i think is the best thing for me to do. It was COLD! I have under armor so i wasnt dying, but its very windy out today. my plan is to actually stick with the every other day. I know running helps take off the inches as well, so im hoping to see a difference in my waist. i'm a bit sore, and still cold, i'm about to go make some hot chocolate actually. i'm going to try the dark chocolate k cup.

mom and i are going school shopping tonight so i better go put some laundry away and see about those meal plans.

Oh! and i spoke to my boss about the hours, and she said it was temporary, that corporate cut the hours and it should be back to normal soon. still..it makes me nervous. im going to open up my availability as much as i can in the hopes that maybe i'll get some more.

thanks everyone who wished me luck on that

 

[buzz5985]

I've had a good week and am happy to see the scale down 1.4 pounds and down to 209.2. I swear that that I am saying goodbye to the 210s for the very last time. I'm am feeling in a pretty good place emotionally right now, and know that is a huge part of my success or failure with weight loss, so I'm determined to keep up with this healthy living.

I know there's been talk of running, and I picked up new runnign shoes this week, my others were over a year old, which is way too old, and this morning I ran/walked and it felt great. I haven't done any running to speak of since the fall, so I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I ran a min/'walk a min for most of our walk, and then did a couple of 5 min running intervals, and it felt great. I'm looking forward to getting out there again, and my long term goal is to do another disney half in 2014 for my 50th bday.

So if you need new shoes, go on out and get them. You deserve it, and it makes a huge difference.

Good luck to everyone on the scale this morning. Hope you see good numbers, and if not, remember it is just a number, and the healthy changes we've made are really what matters and what makes the difference.

Have a fantastic friday the 13th!!!!!!!! I'm selectively superstitious. I only believe in the good ones.

You had a nice day for your run - minus the wind of course!!!

Don't forget to include your team name when you pm Sue and CC!


We couldn't believe they released early yesterday! Holy cow it got cold! I am ready for spring!


That was an interesting article and I highly recommend it to everyone. I do question the part about her not having a runners body. (I think that's what it said.) That used to be what was thrown around if you weren't teeny tiny with a small frame and no body fat. But as a runner, I have seen all forms and sizes of folks at races. It sounds like maybe she was just overtraining a bunch......

I took a moment earlier this morning to read the link. I agree with most everything she said. Most of losing weight is kind of a "no brainer".... eat less and move more is the most basic instruction. But of course, the "eating less" includes measuring/weighing your portions and journaling your foods, both of which she mentioned.

I disagree that someone is either built to be a runner or they're not. Sure, some people find it comes more naturally and such, but short of physical impairments, EVERYONE can be a runner to one degree or another!

It was nice of her to put herself out there like that to try to help others. I am so sorry that she has continued to struggle with her weight loss journey. Makes me want to reach out and give her a hug. I mean, let's face it. IF she couldn't/wouldn't do it for the BL and she couldn't/wouldn't do it for the cash that Subway offered, obviously she has more than the average struggle with it. Heck, for the right amount of cash I could end up looking like SKELETOR!!

She started on the BL as the largest contestant ever. 5 foot 8 inches and weighed 476 pounds. At the time of the race I think she still weighed close to 300 pounds. I'm sure her knees were damaged just from all the weight she had carried before.

Just popping in to post my weigh in and I'm so excited, I lost 4.2lbs this week, I lost nothing last week so this was great for me! Congrats to all u "losers" posting today! We can totally do this!

Love it too!

Down 3.4 lbs this week

Great Job!!!

Well, last night I posted that I was a little nervous about getting on the scale today. I worked EXTRA hard all day yesterday. I tried to stay active most of the day, ate lots of fruits and veggies, and was well above 64oz of water. Well, my hard work paid off!! I am down 2.0 lbs since Sunday! (Before I joined the group, Sunday was my weigh in day.) So I am down a total of 5.2 lbs since January 1st! I am happy with that!

Great!!!

 

[Disneyluvr]

Jen- Thank you for being such a wonderful coach this week!
Rose- I'm excited to have you for a coach this week!

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

The most challenging things for me are exercising, finding the time to actaully do it to be more specific, and not giving in to junk food temptation, I just really love junk food, even though I know it's not good for me.

I usually fall off the wagon because I start thinking it's hopeless, I'll never loose the weight anyway so why keep trying. So after a few weeks I just say oh forget it and go back to my old, unhealthy, bad habits!

I am hoping that my mind is finally ready to accept the change and keep up with the healthy habits and loose the bad habits for good!


bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall
I like to think that I'm not, but there are some things I do just in case but more out of fun or habit

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I've really had a bad day today, TOM for me too and it's parent/teacher conference night. I have several more hours to be here and cramps from h*#%, I swear I feel about 9 cm dialated and about ready to push! Labor has nothing on these cramps MUST...... STAY........AWAY.......FROM........THE........CHOCOLATE!

I was in the same boat this week and those darn hershey kisses kept calling my name. I did stay away but it wasnt easy.

So to make a long story short, I cancelled my 8am pt appointment for tomorrow. The highway I have to take is notorious for being icy, and we are getting blowing snow tonight and I just didn't want to deal with it. When I called to cancel and tried to reschedule, I found out the physical therapist is going on maternity leave early, so I am done with physical therapy for now! I am so happy! She wanted me to see someone else for a few visits, but I was headed towards being done anyway, and honestly I don't want to see anyone else right now. I promised if I start having problems to get in to see someone sooner rather than later.

woohoo on no more appointments and hopefully not having to return.

here is the tattoo I promised to show you that I got last night (finally! I got the chance to get on the computer!)


tattoo2 by mlm313, on Flickr

The picture looks a little blurry, but you get the idea. A Disney-ish one. I really like it!

It's a symbol of DD...my (now ex) husband and I went on the Disney Magic in Aug of 1998, and I had really been hoping to get pregnant. While we were up on deck late one night, I saw a shooting star and made a wish for a little girl. 3 weeks later I found out I was pregnant! And now, almost 13 years later, I have my (not so little anymore!) girl. So, that's the story behind the tattoo, and also a reminder...When you wish upon a star, Your dreams come true!

love love love it and the story behind it.

Keep your snow...I will admit that I like shoveling as a workout but I am happy that MN is having a limited amount of snow this winter.

oh yes I agree. we had a huge storm over halloween and none since and I am hoping we have a snowless winter. Never happened in our neck of the woods but one could hope.

First - I have really enjoyed coaching this week and thank all of you for joining in.

Jen wonderful job this week and thank you so much for keeping us all motivated.

Just thought I'd let everyone over here know that I am going to be working at the Epcot main entrance turnstiles, so come say "Hi"!

How exciting. I will be right there to say hello.

i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress,

you are under alot of pressure trina. working and going to school is very rough and having to worry about your job and money makes it that much harder. These are lifes lessons that will make you a much stronger person. Hang in there. Maybe talk to your manager about it before you get to worked up too. Maybe she forgot your discussion or didnt realize she didnt give you the right hours.

I am posting my weight publicly because I am at the airport headed to DISNEYLAND!!!

(249 lbs)

Good Luck everyone!!!

Lucky Duck! Have a great time.

Good Morning all you Losers! Happy Friday the 13th!!!

My name is Rose and I am your coach for this week.

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

BBL with replies!

Hi Rose and thanks for coaching this week. I look forward to your questions and your great information that you always have to share.

The hardest part for me the past 2 weeks was "quick eating" normally I drive thru places but this 2 weeks when I needed something quick I made sure to grab a subway sandwich (low calorie of course) or I planned a meal out to have at work or at home before I needed to travel.

I am a little superstitious as far as I get a bit nervous about friday the 13th but so far so good today.

I'm off to brave the snow and ice to get to class, but I'm just popping in with my weigh-in. I lost another pound this week. I'm happy with that since my schedule has been wacky with little time for exercise due to the 1st week of classes plus my monthly visitor showed up on Wednesday. Showing a loss on CD2 is exciting for me!

I'll be back this evening to try to catch up on replies.

eewww snow and ice are not fun. Hope you stayed safe. Great job on your weight loss this week.

Today is starting off great and I can't wait till this evening when I get to go to the movies just me and a girl friend, which I haven't done in almost 3 years (ever since we moved here and I lost free grandparent babysitting)!

Have fun at the movies!!!!! what are you going to see?

I lost again. I'm down 2.7 this week. So far since I started I'm down 6 pounds!!

Good job!!!!!!


bbl with more replies and personals but had a great day today. I am down 3.8lbs this week for a total of 8.4 so far. I am heading home now from work and after dinner I am going to run at the gym. I was going to hold off until I got new shoes but I just dont want to miss it. Sorry I am not taking your advice rose but I think you know how it is. My foot only was sore during my last run but has not bothered me at all since.

I will catch up with you all later.

 

[6Smiles]

Good Afternoon Team Donald -

Congratulations to all our losers this week!

I weigh 2.2 less than last week so that means I have less than 4 pounds until I see ONEhundred Zone. I kind of feel bad that I have not been on here this week, but i started nursing school. Talk about a different world. I have always been a good student, but now i feel as if I am on another planet. I feel like I am walking a tight rope and one wrong move I will fall. Which brings me to the QOTD.

QOTD: What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

Finding the time in my schedule to exercise is challenging. I have made changes such as parking farther away from the door of the building, during breaks I roll up and down on my toes or go for a walk, tighten and release my gluts during lecture (I sit in the back ) and make a conscious effort to sit up straight and on the edge of my chair. I am also struggling with eating breakfast. I know it is extremely important to jump start my metabolism for the day.

In the past I put too much pressure on myself to lose weight and was disappointed when i hit a plateau. This time I am focus on developing the habits that will get me to where I eventually wish to be.

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

Friday the 13th is a lucky day in my house, So I love it .

BBL with replies![/QUOTE]

This weekend is my come up with a plan weekend to see how i can fit everything in and not overwhelm or stress myself out.

 

[buzz5985]

I would love to make it a permanent lifestyle. Not only because it is healthier for me (and my family), but it is not something that I want my kids to grow up doing. It is healthier and much cheaper to make meals at home! Thank you for the tips about the routine! I definitely have to get better at meal planning. Do you have any suggestions for where I can go online for healthy recipes??

I enjoy cooking light recipes. And I use google a lot for recipes. I will search Weight Watchers chicken - and you should see all that pops up. Half of them are on WW website too. To help me plan my meals for the week, I use a meal planner template I found on microsoft office and I have a shopping list that I have on excel. I get the sale paper from my grocery store, and plan that way. I only shop/do errands once a week.

We only eat out while on vacation, birthdays, anniversaries. Very rarely stop for fast food - maybe 6 times a year, and that's just when DS15 needs something. DH and I will get something off the $1 menu. Wish my weight reflected these habits!!!! I'll get there!!!

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

I think that all of my previous failures have just been related to getting discouraged. You know that little voice in your head that says "it's okay to eat all the cookies, you have always been fat, you'll always be fat, eat the cookies". I hate that voice. So my new voices (no I'm not crazy ) are all the supportive folks on Team Donald!

And because of the support, I'm down 3.3 pounds this week!

Great loss!!!

Janis

 

[amykathleen2005]

I now weigh 176 lbs. for a loss of 2.5lbs this week! Yay!

 

[Rose&Mike]

I know that realistically I am NOT going to give up pizza and chocolate. Those are my two favorite things ever. What I need to do is severely limit them. I really enjoy food in general, when I'm eating one meal I am dreaming of the next. But, I am making much better choices, trading chips for vegie sticks, white pasta for wheat, stuff like that. Over time I hope this becomes second nature and my cravings for the bad stuff goes down.

I would not give up pizza and chocolate either! I love pizza! (Ok, mostly I love my memory of really good pizza, cause I am still struggling to find a gluten free crust I really like.) BUT there are lots of relatively healthy ways to eat pizza and chocolate. The key is to to learn to incorporate them into your diet. I used to be a pizza hut pan pizza meat lovers extra cheese kind of girl. And I looked like a huge overstuffed pizza! Now I love, love, love thin crust veggie pizza. Yum! You will get there, just keep trying new things! Your cravings might not completely go away, but I found I started craving healthier food too. Like brussel sprouts---yum, yum yum! I do love brussel sprouts!

I think that all of my previous failures have just been related to getting discouraged. You know that little voice in your head that says "it's okay to eat all the cookies, you have always been fat, you'll always be fat, eat the cookies". I hate that voice. So my new voices (no I'm not crazy ) are all the supportive folks on Team Donald!

And because of the support, I'm down 3.3 pounds this week!

Oh, I hate those little voices--the negative ones I mean! I think it's great you are replacing them with supportive voices! I mentioned that last year was a little tough, and at the end of the year I was so tired of being tired and sad. So I started repeating to myself--I choose to be happy. It really, really helped. So keep listening to those new voices!

Turns out, the more I planned, the more I realized that I need to do this...maybe even that I want to do this. So this week I am going to focus on the "Do".

Good plan Jen! We love that Yoda quote at our house.

QOTD: Trying to drink all that water. Getting frustrated with myself because I'm not doing what I want to do (sabatoging myself).

I plan to do drink more water and get better at recording (not doing too well with WW, either) Got to get some exercise in there too. All those things on the Healthy Habits List

Hang in there! You can do it and it does get easier!

DS and his friends are grumbling that there is nothing good to eat in the house anymore. I tell them to go home if they are hungry.

i'm having my mom buy some more grapefruit, cause its a fruit i REALLY enjoy, and i have trouble getting in all my fruits and veggies. I think a half would qualify as a good snack after classes and such and prevent me from pigging out. I need to plan my meals for the week, and i need to do it today, but its like i've forgotten how to meal plan. I always have trouble with ideas for lunch and dinner. I'm thinking of making steel cut oats on monday and having those for breakfast next week. I might look into pita pockets and some sort of chicken salad for lunches (I need something i can take to school) and then there is just dinners. This will be a big change with school and everything so i want to make sure i'm not having to worry about my eating as well. I'm not sure if they make like a whole grain pita pocket though, so i will have to look at the store.

Hey Trina! ARe you taking any meds? Cause if I remember correctly, grapefruit might be one of those things that interferes with some meds effectiveness. Maybe someone else (one of our nurses) knows what I am thinking here? Might be worth looking into.

She started on the BL as the largest contestant ever. 5 foot 8 inches and weighed 476 pounds. At the time of the race I think she still weighed close to 300 pounds. I'm sure her knees were damaged just from all the weight she had carried before.

That makes more sense. But I still wish they would have worded it differently....

I usually fall off the wagon because I start thinking it's hopeless, I'll never loose the weight anyway so why keep trying. So after a few weeks I just say oh forget it and go back to my old, unhealthy, bad habits!

I am hoping that my mind is finally ready to accept the change and keep up with the healthy habits and loose the bad habits for good!

It is not ever hopeless. Sometimes it's hard, but never hopeless.

Sorry I am not taking your advice rose but I think you know how it is. My foot only was sore during my last run but has not bothered me at all since.

I will catch up with you all later.

In the words of my FORMER physical therapist--stop if it hurts. But, yeah, I know how it is. Have a good run!

I weigh 2.2 less than last week so that means I have less than 4 pounds until I see ONEhundred Zone.

Woohoo, soon we get to have a Onederland party! Too exciting. I have heard that even 5 minute bursts of exercise are useful. Great job trying to fit it in to your new schedule. Hopefully you will be feeling comfortable with the new school schedule soon.

*****
Mike and I went for a walk this evening. Brrr it is cold! We took our dog who is a jack russell/dachsund mix. We have this coat for him which we rarely put on him, but it is so cold I thought he needed it. It was hysterical. The dog just stood there with the coat on and didn't move. It's like he didn't know what to do. He did good once we got going.

Tomorrow I am working a special event for a couple of hours. (I work for a non-profit.) And in the afternoon I think I am going to the Y to do my 8 miles. This will be the furthest I have run since the W&D half. Fingers crossed the foot cooperates!

Kept meaning to say--someone was talking about spinning and the awful bike seats. Our Y keeps more padded seats in the office that you can check out. You put them over the regular seat. They still aren't great, but better than nothing. Might be worth asking about.

 

[Mary•Poppins]

Just thought I'd let everyone over here know that I am going to be working at the Epcot main entrance turnstiles, so come say "Hi"!

That is great! Wish I was there to say "Hello!". What a great job.

Its so weird how one little thing can ruin your whole day. I will be starting part time at work next week, because i'm going back to school full time. When you are part time you are not garunteed any amount of hours each week, but i had talked to my boss and i thought she would be giving me at least 25 a week, after all i have put in 3 years at the place and im a hard worker and bend over backwards for them. I thought we had aggreed that i would work 4 days a week. well i caught a glimpse of next weeks schedule and im only on for 3 days. i mean, its starting already im really nervous as to whats going to happen now that i cant garuntee hours.

i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress, because my parents are helping me out so i can go back to school full time but my parents are not very well off with money and my mom wants me to work at least 25 hours and ive explained to her that i cant force them to give me hours once im full time. theres also the expectation of taking 5 classes, needing to get A's in everything plus still working 4 days a week. I'm just feeling pressure on both sides and its so stressful

I had plans to come home tonight and get some stuff done, plans to get up a go to yoga tomorrow and go running and now i just feel so blah. also all of a sudden its 11 o clock which is mind boggling to me. tomorrow i'm going to make some meal plans for the week even if it kills me

Hey trinaweena ... you can do this! I read further and saw you quote about getting more hours at work in a few weeks.

It is really difficult to work and go to school. I got my Master's Degree in a year and a half (it was suppose to be 2 years part-time) and worked full time as a teacher (It was only my second year teaching and I was still overwhelmed with my work.) It was a very difficult time. I swear I lived and breathed work and school. However, I kept my mind focused on what I wanted and how my life would be once I was finished. My Master's is in Remedial and Developmental Reading ... and this has enabled me to be in my current job as a reading specialist ... and I LOVE it.

Just wanted to let you know ... you can do it!!

I am posting my weight publicly because I am at the airport headed to DISNEYLAND!!!

(249 lbs)

Good Luck everyone!!!

Gosh I am jealous!

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

Mine is lack of motivation. I lose about 5 pounds and don't want to try anymore, especially if I have "fallen off the wagon". So, I keep telling myself, it is okay to "treat" myself to unhealthy food or not exercise a day ... as long as I don't make THAT my a habit.

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

Nope.

BBL with replies!

Haven't gone through every post (and if it has been mentioned I apologize but it could do with repeating).

I LOVE My Fitness Pal! It is a website and an app. It makes graphs of your progress, you can put in all of what you've eaten for the day to see your full nutrition intake for the day. You can also add exercise. What a great tool!

Oh my gosh ... I love this site too. Thank you everyone for sharing this. It used to take so much time to look everything up for WW. This is such a user-friendly tool!

Hi Rose!

I would say the biggest thing that would cause me to fall off the wagon would be stress from work. I started a new job about six months ago, and have had a lot to learn. Plus my co-worker can be less than perfect...we have a communication problem that she refuses to acknowledge and it causes MAJOR headaches for me But I am fortunately finding my spot and patterns finally and I am getting to learn so much!

*********************
I lost again this week! Not too much, but a loss is a loss I made a big discovery this week, too. One day I forgot my water cup I keep with me at work, so I didn't keep up with my water like I should have...and I ate WAAAAY over my calories that day AND didn't work out. The next day I made doubly sure I had my water cup: I stayed under my calories, worked out, and felt ten times better than I did the day before!

I am excited about tonight too. I'm going ice skating with some friends of mine for a couple hours...I wonder how many calories I'll burn doing that!

Drinking water is really important for me too. It makes me feel full so I don't eat as much. Also, I really dehydrate myself. At school, I start the day with a large cup of coffee and unless I force myself to drink water, I would find I went the whole day at work without anything else to drink. I would feel miserable and cranky.

I really should know this is not good since the last time I was at Disney, I would make my whole family drink a bottle of water on the way to the park. This really helped us stay hydrated and not "lose it" when we got tired.

I would not give up pizza and chocolate either! I love pizza! (Ok, mostly I love my memory of really good pizza, cause I am still struggling to find a gluten free crust I really like.) BUT there are lots of relatively healthy ways to eat pizza and chocolate. The key is to to learn to incorporate them into your diet. I used to be a pizza hut pan pizza meat lovers extra cheese kind of girl. And I looked like a huge overstuffed pizza! Now I love, love, love thin crust veggie pizza. Yum! You will get there, just keep trying new things! Your cravings might not completely go away, but I found I started craving healthier food too. Like brussel sprouts---yum, yum yum! I do love brussel sprouts!

I had to laugh at this. I LOVE brussel sprouts too! I like to put a little olive oil on them with some sea salt and roast them in the oven. (How do you cook them Rose?) My family hates them. They can't even stand the smell when I am cooking them ... but too bad! I always ask them if they would like me to make some for them ... and when they say "no" , I tell them good, "more for me".

Keep up the good work Team Donald!

 

[cjdj4]

Yay I am down 3.4 more for a total of 7.2 since the beginning of the year!!!!!! I am psyched!!!!!

Good day today! Except that I made DH go to the doctor. He sounds terrible He got some meds so hopefully he's on the mend. DD and I went to my favorite sushi place. All the talk about sushi this week made me crave it! It was delicious. I was really proud of DD because she ate Tempura Chicken for the first time and she liked it! She also did very well on a reading test today. Finally, I was the parent reader for DD's class today, which was fun. I work there so you would think I'd be in there all the time. But, I rarely get down there.

I don't know if anyone saw the following. I saw it on Twitter. (who knew twitter could be so informative??) It is written by a past contestant from the BL - Shay Sorrell. She was, if I remember correctly, one of the biggest contestants. Subway offered her money to continue on her journey $1000/pound. She lost 52 pounds, and they renewed the offer. But we never saw her again. It's a very informative read - especially for those struggling.

http://shaysorrells.tumblr.com/post/15124727656/the-seven-biggest-mistakes-i-made-after-loser

Thanks for the link Janis. I wondered what happened to her.

Just thought I'd let everyone over here know that I am going to be working at the Epcot main entrance turnstiles, so come say "Hi"!

Congrats!

Its so weird how one little thing can ruin your whole day. I will be starting part time at work next week, because i'm going back to school full time. When you are part time you are not garunteed any amount of hours each week, but i had talked to my boss and i thought she would be giving me at least 25 a week, after all i have put in 3 years at the place and im a hard worker and bend over backwards for them. I thought we had aggreed that i would work 4 days a week. well i caught a glimpse of next weeks schedule and im only on for 3 days. i mean, its starting already im really nervous as to whats going to happen now that i cant garuntee hours.

i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress, because my parents are helping me out so i can go back to school full time but my parents are not very well off with money and my mom wants me to work at least 25 hours and ive explained to her that i cant force them to give me hours once im full time. theres also the expectation of taking 5 classes, needing to get A's in everything plus still working 4 days a week. I'm just feeling pressure on both sides and its so stressful

I had plans to come home tonight and get some stuff done, plans to get up a go to yoga tomorrow and go running and now i just feel so blah. also all of a sudden its 11 o clock which is mind boggling to me. tomorrow i'm going to make some meal plans for the week even if it kills me

You are dependable and reliable. They might start you out with less than 25, but after a while they will begin to depend and rely again and you will have your 25 hours. I am sorry this was a crappy day You can do school don't stress! It will all work out. You are doing the right thing. Keep your chin up.

I usually quit after losing weight, even though I ate junk. I think to myself "Wow, I still lost weight even though I ate such n such. That means I can eat this and this and be good." Then I gain it back and give up!

This is exactly what I do (did twice). See my answer to the QOTD below for more about this

I've had a good week and am happy to see the scale down 1.4 pounds and

Great job. And you are right about good running shoes. That is not the place to scrimp.

Just popping in to post my weigh in and I'm so excited, I lost 4.2lbs this week, I lost nothing last week so this was great for me! Congrats to all u "losers" posting today! We can totally do this!

4.2 is fabulous!

For all the 40x40 ladies....I'm with you! I also just made my list of the 40 things I want to do before I turn 40! Some of them are small (learn to drive a stick shift car) and some are big (visit a country I have never been to.) I would love to share lists with other soon-to-be-40 ladies!

You have a great list going Mine is limited to being in the 140s by 40. But, you have my wheels turning now.

Well, I want to chime in and say...no weight loss here this week. It is sad in some ways because at one point (for several days even), I was down 2 pounds. This means that I gained it back. I don't even really have to think about how it happened. I know how it happened. I did not eat what I should have. I did complete the real exercising that I needed and planned for. I just basically went at the week with a "I will try" sort of attitude.

Since I am big on quotes, here is the one that I am going to use every day this next week....

"Do. Or don't do. There is no 'try'". ~Yoda

I cannot pick what parts I want to try out. I have to actually do what needs to be done. I know that easing into it works for many people but it does not for me. It is kind of what is getting me with my running as well. I am trying to run here and there when I really feel like I want to (which is not that often at this point). I have a 1/2 marathon coming up in March so I either have to do the running or not do it.

I thought long and hard about this last night. I even plotted out what my training would need to be if I am going to actually DO the training. I wrote in all the runs, all the cross training and all the days of rest. I even looked at how to transition to another full marathon at that point.

Turns out, the more I planned, the more I realized that I need to do this...maybe even that I want to do this. So this week I am going to focus on the "Do".

Jen, you had a lot going on this week. Between work, kids, being our coach and poor Hagrid you need to cut yourself a bit of slack.

I love how you turned around and made a plan. That is the way!

Well i didn't see any change on the scale this week, but it was such a crazy week, I guess i wasn't expecting to. We went to try on bridesmaids dresses today, and I wasn't disgusted by my reflection so i guess that's a step in the right direction. The lady at the place was really surprised when i said i wanted to loose 18lbs and said that i look great and i really don't need to. Maybe. Maybe it really is toning that i need to be working on. I'm not that dissatisfied with my weight, its really my stomach. I do need to figure out some toning workouts that i can start doing but im having some trouble figuring out whats best for me. A co worker is going to let me borrow her work out dvd that Bob from the biggest loser has out, she said it has some good stuff for toning. All in all thought, I really need to step up my game. I've tracked everything today. I do around 1200 calories a day, and right now its 4pm and i still have 900 left over. for breakfast i have 1 slice of bread with 1 tsp of all natural peanut butter and half a grapefruit with 1tsp of splenda/sugar mix. lunch was soup. that's all iv'e eaten today.

Oh! and i spoke to my boss about the hours, and she said it was temporary, that corporate cut the hours and it should be back to normal soon. still..it makes me nervous. im going to open up my availability as much as i can in the hopes that maybe i'll get some more.

That is great about the lady in store thinking your looked great the way you are. I knew when I wrote to you above that today was better, but I still had to reply to both. I am happy to hear you will be getting more hours after all.

I weigh 2.2 less than last week so that means I have less than 4 pounds until I see ONEhundred Zone.

Congrats!

My name is Rose and I am your coach for this week.

QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!

BBL with replies!

The most challenging part of the last two weeks is the realization that I can never ever eat whatever I want however I want. I was always thin until I had dd when I was 30-31. Ladies you know you are never the same after a baby. I have been to WW. I have been Lifetime 2 times. My pattern is after I meet my weight goal and then I eat more than I had been eating, but I don't gain. I can go for a whole year w/o gaining more than 5 pounds and eat anything I want. Then all of the sudden the pounds just catch up with me and in 6 more months I am up 30 lbs. Then I am defeated and eat even more. Throw in some work stress and then I am up 40+ pounds. And here I am in that place again! Well, I am leaving this up and down crazy weight loss and gain and this time I am not coming back. I cannot eat whatever I want. EVER.

Bonus - I am not really superstitious. The fact that today is Friday the 13th is meaningless to me. I do believe in the superstitions that are safety related - like carrying an open umbrella inside or walking under a ladder - but more because they are really about safety. KWIM?