Team Donald – Biggest Loser “No Excuses” 2012 Challenge

[mikamah]

Good morning everyone and Happy Weekend!! Hope you all have a 3 day weekend like I do!! All the teachers must. I thought of you teachers last weekend when I was doing my continuing ed hours to renew my nursing licence. We only need 15 hours every 2 years, yet I still have to rush do get them before I renew, but they can all be online courses, so it's not that bad. I know teachers have so many more requirements, it's crazy.

"If we write our dreams and goals down, we dramatically increase our odds of realization. If we share them with others, they become potent and alive."

~Kristin Armstrong, Full Cup, Mile Markers blog, Runner's World.com

Love this. This was so true for me with the princess half. At first, I felt awkward telling people my goal, having doubts, but as the training got going, I was amazed at all the positive reactions, encouragement and support from people, some very surprising.

Good Morning Team Donald!

This week I have been using articles on the internet to inspire me for our QOTD. Last night I read an interesting article about how to be healthier in a minute or less! Their point was that it only takes 60 seconds to prolong your life.
Wednesday's QOTD: What is something you can do in 60 seconds today to prolong your life?

This was wed, and I dropped my car off for new tires. The front ones were pretty bald, so I know they really need to be replaced.
Love all the other ideas out here.

Dentist was supposed to be 15 min, was an hour. They were prepping him for the next phase. He now needs to wear a face mask when at home. They said 16 hours a day...OK, he is at school from 8:30 to 6:30! No way we can meet that, but she understood. Extra time on the weekends. I am just glad that he does not need to wear it to school. But he needs to sleep on his back, and he is a side-sleeper...

Ouch, does not sound like fun for poor ds/ I hope he tolerates the mask ok.

QOTD- I try to remember to take a minute every now and then to do those kegels. I already have issues now with holding my urine and I would prefer not to wear a diaper when I am in my 50's therefore I am doing my best to prevent that..

:thumbsupLove this!! thanks for the reminder!

[

Just caught up. I haven't had a chance to get on the DIS at all today. I went to get a tattoo (my 2nd) with a friend from work. It is Disney-ish, and I love it! I will post a picture tomorrow, and the story behind it. Just had a minute to say hello after reading all of the posts from today.
Hope everyone has a good rest of the night!

Love the tattoo and the story behind it. So cool.

I missed that whole part of the BL. My local station kept cutting in for NH Primary results. But I did read an article about certain types of sushi not being good for you - I can't remember what kind - I'm sure it's the type I like though. I believe the article was in Prevention magazine.

That was a little irritating. I'm so not interested in politics, but should try to be a little more. I was like, yeah, yeah, Mitt won, get on with it.

QOTD: What can you celebrate this week besides a number on the scale?

I have tracked every bite for the entire week.

Well....I would say I can celebrate that I will sign up for my first 5k this week. I'm going to do it today because I finally got a replacement check card in the mail, haha! My goal is to complete one in February and one in March. At that point I want to sign up for a longer race for April, working my way up to ten miles by September so I can participate in the Tower of Terror 10-mi race!

Whoo hoo!! Awesome goal!! Races are so fun too.

Good morning Team Donald! I never got a chance to get back on the DIS I am celebrating drinking my 64 oz of water everyday and actually loving it. It is making me feel so much better. And now, I am actually wanting that much water. I also am celebrating the fact that I only had 1 soda last week and one soda this week! I used to have 1 diet coke everyday. So, this is HUGE for me. I am celebrating the fact that my sister said my thighs look slimmer, too lol!

I'll hopefully get the chance to check in later. We have an appointment at the orthodontist. The doctor got DSs molds back and she is going to go over everything they want to do. I also get to see the payment plan. Unlike others, our dental insurance (from the hospital where DH works) covers 0% of orthodontics. Yes, they cover absolutely nothing for braces, so this is all out of pocket for us. I already know the total cost, I just have to see how they have a monthly payment plan set up for us.

On a more positive note, I called Disney yesterday hehe I just wanted to get ideas of room only costs for next Jan/Feb and you can't do it online. We would probably stay at POP since the boys love it and the park hours are shorter so we aren't in the room much. When I got the price for POP, I compared to a similar price time this year, but made it into a package to see what the total cost would be. Now I'm in Disney mode and we haven't even booked flights to Austin for our vacation this summer lol. DH thinks I'm crazy, but when I was discussing where I want to eat and which parks I want to do (probably only 3.5 days in parks since I only have a couple personal days), he started getting all into it.I have him hooked! And, DSs overheard us talking so now they are all excited! So, that's my big excitement for the week!

Nice job on the soda. It's a hard habit to kick. Bummer on the ortho insurance, but it sounds like most orthodontists are very helpful with payment plans and using flex money too. my Ds is still in the waiting for baby teeth to fall out stage, so every time we go, I've left happy we don't have to pay yet. Whoo hoo for a disney trip!!!

Healthy Habits Results Week 1: Fantasyland

[Congratulations to belledreamer, buzz5985, and mommyof2pirates for earning all 22/22 points!

For Week 1: Fantasyland, I have a mini-prize to Team Donald Participant GoofyPredsFan. Please PM me your address and I will mail out your prize as soon as possible.

Whoo hoo to all our HH participants!! Thank you so much CC for all your hard work.

Hope your week is going well. It appears you are busy, cause I haven't seen much of you on here. Hope you are well and healthy. Saw a boy in ToyRUs last night that reminded me of Michael.... same glasses and all. Made me do a quick double-take looking for you!

That's so funny. Hey, I saw your post earlier that you'd come down here if you ever needed a procedure done, and I wanted to change that to when. Everyone should have a screening colonoscopy at age 50, and now that I know your 50th birthday is the same year as mine, I'll be on you about it. I have always planned to take a cruise for my 50th, and where my brother does taxes and we want to go with them, we would do that april vacation. So in my dreams, I want to go to wdw for marathon weekend, and would love to go just me, a quick, cheap trip, and do the half and cheer for the full. As my birthday present to myself. So we will see, but I would love for you to go too. That would be awesome. But if not in disney, we will definitely celebrate together.

Thanks for the note about Hagrid! It is amazing the impact our pets have on us. We all knew how important this cat was to us but didn't REALLY get it until this week. Now, after $700+ in vet bills, we said that he owes us several more years before scaring us like that again!

It is amazing how our pets become such a big part of our families. I was surprised ZI grew to love our guinea pig as much as I do, and now having the dog, it is just amazing. Yes that little Hagrid better hang around for a long time now.

Hi to all the Donalds. I'll be seeing you all when we merge. Which is to me in some ways. Since I can't even keep up with the split.

Oh well.

Kathy. Just caught the TR. So sweet. Thank you. And want to let you know that I pretty well fell off the couch when I looked down and saw a 10 beside Michael's name. Holy cow Batman.

Hey LIsa! It's so great to see you again. Amazing how these kids grow, and you can't stop it. Believe me I've tried. He's upto my nose now and I'm sure he'll be taller than me before I know it.

Thanks for all the interview wishes!! You guys just rock! I'm doing a drive by since I just got into the office at noon and have a million things to do before my presentation tonight!

The interview went very well and it looks like they want me back in a few weeks to meet with the parents and students. They also want me to submit a writing sample....not my strength so I will have an English teacher friend check them over So, I may have a new job by the second week in March! (granted I wouldn't begin until July 1st!) Fingers crossed!!

And yes, THAT is what I am celebrating this week....that I took the risk and put myself out there as a professional. As much as I would like to celebrate with a nice ice creak sundae....I will just go and refill my water bottle

I'll check in later!!!

Fingers crossed you have a new job soon.

ohI am celebrating 2wks off of fast food and diet soda. I was drinking at least 3 sodas a day and had fast food such as mcdonalds at least once a day but more often it was 2-3 meals. It was disgusting and now looking back I have no idea even why?????

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Whooo hoo Lindsay!! This is a huge accomplishment, and it's great to look at how much weight you have lost already with these changes.

Hey guys! I have officially joined your team today and I'm so excited! I have a lot of catching up to do here but I wanted to introduce myself...
I'm Sharon and I just turned 39. I am a single mom of the most handsome little 3 year old named Joshua. He has already been to WDW 3 times...I've lost count of how many times I've been.
I'm turning 40 in November and I'm spending that week at WDW. Sooo...my goal really is to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday (40 BY 40...LOL).
I also just returned to weight watchers, today actually, so I'm hoping that this in combination with that will keep me on track!
Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Welcome aboard. Love that your ds has been to disney already so many times. It is somuch fun. 40 by 40 is a fabulous goal, and spending your birthday is disney world will be so amazing.

Hello everyone! What a crazy day. I am in MO and we had our first snow today. All the schools around were closed except ours So my poor daughter (12) went in the crazy cold blowing snow to the bus...which didn't come! Apparently it slid off the road before it got to her. So she called me 15 minutes after she should have been gone and was almost in tears wanting to come home! I felt terrible for her and said heck ya, get home! She was frozen solid! So my husband took her and son (10) in.
Anyhoo...to the QOTD, I probably am not losing any this week either, but I'm working just as hard as I did last week, so I am super proud that I'm not quitting. I'm chalking it up to the second week curse!! I feel great. I had a kidney stone right before christmas and today had my follow up. The doc said the best thing I can do is drink tons of water. I was happy to hear that cause I am doing just that!!

Your poor little dd.

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. !

I know you will do the right thing if you need to go back, but i'm thinking this is all a great coincidence, and you will be just fine from here on out.

I will celebrate having a great life! I love my life. I love my family. I love my job. I will celebrate being lucky enough to have my life

Love this. I feel the same way, though I don't always appreciate how much I really do have.

OMG, I must have typed that wrong. I am only 12 days into it. My foot was so messed up last fall, my doctor and physical therapist would have killed me if I even attempted it. I question whether I should even be doing it now, but in some ways it is good for me. Cause some days the 30 minutes consist of a very slow walk. I don't know if I will make the whole 100 days, but it is an interesting challenge.

Oh darn, I was getting excited thinking the 100 days is over already, it just flew by.

FIgured I'd slowly catch up today. I'm off to walk the dog, and then doggy school, so will be back later to finish.

Have a fabulous saturday everyone!!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Hello, sorry to be MIA. Colby ended up with his incision becoming infected. We had him seen Wednesday night and got some antibiotics started. This morning it looked much better, but worse again tonight. I've kept him home the last 2 days as his socks and shoes are irritating the area on top of the infection. We've told him to keep it elevated as much as possible, but I don't think he's doing such a good job of it. If it doesn't look even better tomorrow I will probably need to have him seen again. Frustrating.

I'm sorry Deb. I hope it is better today.

Whew! So much catching up to do!

Slightly disappointed that I didn't lose any this week, but then again, I didn't gain any weight either. Beside, I can tell a difference in my clothes and this is the best I've felt in a long time.

So I decided to go walking in the strip mall, put on a cute form-fitting shirt and opened the door ready to take on the world!!

Then I realized how cold it really was and put on a sweatshirt...

But I still went walking today for about an hour so I'm happy.

I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare and I've been adding to my library. I already have 'Romeo and Juliet' (my favorite), 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' (my other favorite) and today I bought 'Much Ado About Nothing.' So I think much of my weekend will be spent reading. When I'm not exercising.



The hardest things have been cutting down massively on the junk (I used to have junk twice a day), eating more fruit (I've had more in the past two weeks than I've had in the past two years) and exercising (Exercise before this was non-existent) But I've done good keeping up with it this time. My parents are proud of me and I'm proud of myself.

My previous attempts didn't involve exercise; just eating NO junk food. And I would do good for a week and even lose 5 lbs. But then I'd binge out, ruin the diet and wonder why I even bothered...

But not this time! I've got too many awesome people behind me to give up now!

Bonus QOTD: No. I'm not superstitious. Actually, it was pretty good today.

sounds like you are off to a great start!

I haven't weighed in yet (I do it on Saturday although I think I am going to change it to Friday) so I'm not sure yet how I did this week but I think I did pretty well.

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 just lose stamina. I get tired of working out and when I stop working out then I feel like there is no point in eating healthily so I just end up back where I started or worse.

bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!
I didn't think I was but I am a teacher and the kids were CRAZY today so maybe that was why.

P.S. Belledreamer I'm glad to see another Doctor Who fan on here. Did you enjoy the christmas special?

Make sure you are putting in planned exercise rest days. Gives you a mental and physical break.

I'm checking in...

I haven't had a chance to keep up with the thread too much.. I had to travel to NJ this week and that always throws me off...

I gained .5 lbs.. but it's that time of the month, so I think with the two (the travel, etc...) I think I did pretty good

This week I'm going to try to get to the mall and do some walking (it's cold here) and do it 3 times this week!

Have fun a the mall!

Just wanted to say well done to everyone. Regardless of whether you lost. maintained or gained you are still moving forward towards a healthier life and we will get there together
Have a great weekend. I may not be on much as my mums sister is very ill and so I will be looking after her and helping where I'm needed but I will strive to keep OP and do the best I can

I hope she is feeling better!

Good Saturday morning everyone.

I am coming on to vent because I know most of you will understand.

Ds2 came home from Gambia yesterday. In Dec he had an interview for a job. He was told that the second interviews could be while he was in Gambia. While he was there he got an email about an interview. He wrote back and was told to call when he got back. He called when he got back and was told that there is no more spaces for interviews so he has no chance at the job because they are making their decisions on Tuesday. He is so disappointed and angry. He even told my dh that he was sorry he even went. He wasn't that upset when I got home but is still disappointed. He knows his professor will be upset because he thought he had a good chance at one of the positions. We know that the interview did not guarantee the job but it would have been nice if the person took into account that he was away. They did know that he was working with Engineers Without Borders and not sunning on some island. He told them. The person also said she would call him back and he never got that call last night.

He will get a job but this has soured him for a while. He is talking about grad school and maybe being a grad assistant. It will work out for him.

Vent over. Thanks for listening.

WIll be back later

Have a happy and healthy day.

i'm sorry Dona. That is pretty frustrating. I know I still take DS's disappointments so hard.

Just a quick fly-by here to say Good Morning! DD is at the Y already and I"m home getting the men ready for an early b.ball game.

Last night's swim meet went well. DD qualified for States in two of her events. The times weren't amazing, but enough to qualify, so she was satisfied. She has "technically" qualified in another event, but the night she swam it the hosting team didn't provide any officials... so it doesn't count. But she is sure she will have the chance to do it again in the next few weeks.

The drive home from up north was nasty last night.... we passed no less than 4 accidents/spin-outs, but we made it home without incident. Hate that particular highway and we have to travel it again this morning!

It maybe tough to stay on points when I've already splurged on a two point skim latte this morning!

Off to make breakfast for the guys! I'll be back after lunch to read and reply!............P

Congrats to DD! And be careful today!

Good morning Team Donald!

QOTD -

The biggest challenge for me has been finding the 60 -75 minutes a day to do p90x.

I weighed yesterday, and I am down exactly 2 pounds.

Yesterday, I e-mailed dh and told him that we should run away to Gatlinburg for the weekend..... fully expecting him to say, "no." Well he said we should go for it. Neither one of us are spontaneous people AT ALL, so this fun. We are leaving in a little bit, and will be back Monday evening. My goal is to "maintain" over the next 2 days...... I know that I will eat pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

Have a great weekend, and congrats to all of the losers!!!!!!!

Oh how cool! Have a great time! We were there in September, but I bet it's gorgeous with snow.

Oh darn, I was getting excited thinking the 100 days is over already, it just flew by.



Have a fabulous saturday everyone!!

Seriously. 100 days, what was I thinking????

****
Sorry the replies are so short. I am drinking my kefir smoothie. I still have to get a shower, pack my running clothes and pack a lunch and be at work by 10:00. They will have food, but nothing g-f, and I know I need to eat something before running this afternoon.

Send me lots of p-d. I am a little nervous about this run. I know my cardio will be fine, but hopefully the foot will too!

 

[Rose&Mike]

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I hope she is feeling better!
Thanks for the well wishes. I didnt word it very well- my aunt isnt expected to get better so I've been looking after my mum at this sad time.

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

My emergency dinner tends to be a stir-fry of whatever ingredients are in the fridge or soup and a sandwich (which is less healthy but not too bad). For healthier take-out we have switched to boiled rice (instead of fried) and dishes not in batter of any kind from our local chinese. Its still quite calorific but we dont do it often and at least its better than it used to be

Epcot is my favorite park because I love eating my way round the world lol

 

[VirataMama4]

Good Morning Team Donald!

Today has started off pretty rough, since I didn't sleep more then a few hours last night. Now, I'm dragging and just can't seem to get moving. Since I didn't sleep much I was starving most of the night and did eat a slice of left over pizza. But I quickly recorded it and will just have to keep it in mind later today.

I went and saw Breaking Dawn with a friend last night and I really liked it. It was nice to just go out with a friend and no kids or DHs. I was really proud that I bought 20oz diet soda and didn't even open it. I didn't even really want it, I really wanted water , but thought I'd want it later. I also got some of those peach rings, and only ate about 7 of them! So all in all, I did really well and stayed op with my calories for the day.

 

[VirataMama4]

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

We usually have a ton of leftovers in the freezer because that is what DH takes to work. Or I'll make a quick stir fry, if I have all the stuff and sandwiches if I don't.


My favorite park is Magic Kingdom, because it "is" Disney to me. I grew up on the west coast, so Disneyland/Magic Kingdom was the only Disney park to go to. So it is still my happiest place. It also helps that there is truly tons for everyone every age there.

 

[Jujubee727]

I earned a "regular" badge on the lose it app today, because I have recorded my food everyday for 2 weeks! Yay! It's a start to a new habit!!

So I am going to try to post pics today. I may embarrass myself but I think it will help me. I will post a pic of what I looked like just a few years ago (the REAL me) and what I look like now (the temporary me).

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.

Congrats on the 2.2!!! That is great that you are SOOO close to "one"derland!! I weigh 6 pounds more then you, so hopefully I will be following you there!!

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!!!



Great loss!!!

Janis

Thank you for the advice!! It is hard to not fall back into the habit of just going out, but there are so many benefits to eating at home! We haven't been out to eat at all since my diet started so we are off to a good start!! I like the idea of just going out for special occasions. I was never fond of fast food, my fiance could probably eat McDonalds every day of the week if you let him, and of course he never gains an ounce!

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

Awesome job!!!

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

What a great start!! Keep up the good work!!!!

I weighed yesterday, and I am down exactly 2 pounds.

Yesterday, I e-mailed dh and told him that we should run away to Gatlinburg for the weekend..... fully expecting him to say, "no." Well he said we should go for it. Neither one of us are spontaneous people AT ALL, so this fun. We are leaving in a little bit, and will be back Monday evening. My goal is to "maintain" over the next 2 days...... I know that I will eat pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

Have a great weekend, and congrats to all of the losers!!!!!!!

Congrats on the 2 lbs!! And good for you for being able to get away this weekend!!! I hope you have a GREAT time!!!

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

Hmmm...Since we are just getting out of the habit of going out for dinner, I don't really have an answer for this.

Definitely something I need to work on. Hopefully I can get some good Ideas from the answers today.

Bonus: Definitely MK! It really is such a magical place!!

I went and saw Breaking Dawn with a friend last night and I really liked it. It was nice to just go out with a friend and no kids or DHs. I was really proud that I bought 20oz diet soda and didn't even open it. I didn't even really want it, I really wanted water , but thought I'd want it later. I also got some of those peach rings, and only ate about 7 of them! So all in all, I did really well and stayed op with my calories for the day.

I LOVED Breaking Dawn, we went to the midnight premiere!! But I LOVE all the Twilight movies! hehehe. I cannot wait for Breaking Dawn on DVD to see it again!!!

 

[GoofyPredsFan]

Good morning Team Donald!

QOTD -

The biggest challenge for me has been finding the 60 -75 minutes a day to do p90x.

I weighed yesterday, and I am down exactly 2 pounds.

Yesterday, I e-mailed dh and told him that we should run away to Gatlinburg for the weekend..... fully expecting him to say, "no." Well he said we should go for it. Neither one of us are spontaneous people AT ALL, so this fun. We are leaving in a little bit, and will be back Monday evening. My goal is to "maintain" over the next 2 days...... I know that I will eat pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

Have a great weekend, and congrats to all of the losers!!!!!!!

OOH you are so lucky! I'm beyond jealous. I am from TN and went to Gatlinburg on my honeymoon 16 years ago and have been back tons of times since, I call Gatlinburg my "happy place!!" My husband is in the Army and at one point he was gone for training for a few months but he'd get off some weekends but couldn't come home. Well, Gatlinburg was our halfway point so we had 2 or 3 spontaneous trips there to meet up for the weekends he was free and those were some of the best trips. Even our kids have the best memories from them. We're stationed in Missouri now so we haven't been in like two years I hope you have a WONDERFUL time!!

 

[VirataMama4]

Set up for this morning: 3 hrs sleep, sick DS4, and I actually weighed 1.5lbs less then yesterday morning, I'm supposed to do day 1 week 2 of c25k, but I'm tired, cranky and just didn't want to... But I DID IT!
Normally I would have just put it off and might have done it the next day, but more then likely I would have just stopped... Now, I am still tired but I am not cranky anymore. I'm so happy and I owe it all to this team and challenge! Today was a big turning point for me and I'm so excited.

 

[Jujubee727]

Set up for this morning: 3 hrs sleep, sick DS4, and I actually weighed 1.5lbs less then yesterday morning, I'm supposed to do day 1 week 2 of c25k, but I'm tired, cranky and just didn't want to... But I DID IT!
Normally I would have just put it off and might have done it the next day, but more then likely I would have just stopped... Now, I am still tired but I am not cranky anymore. I'm so happy and I owe it all to this team and challenge! Today was a big turning point for me and I'm so excited.

So proud of you for pushing through and completing your work out today!!! AWESOME AWESOME JOB!!!! Congrats on the extra 1.5lb loss too!!! Keep up the great work!!!! I really hope your son feels better soon!!!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

Sometimes I feel like everyday is like this at my house. On nights that we have something right after school or work I have been planning easy meals like sandwiches and soup. Or I will have a healthy snack like a banana and then just eat dinner a little later. Definitely giving myself the no fast food option helps to not just say oh well tonight we have no other choice to eat mcdonalds. Because we all know we really do have a choice. If we do eat somewhere quick it has been subway or getting a salad at pita pit or cosi.

I dont really have a favorite park because I love them all for different reasons but If I had to pick one park I couldnt not go without visiting it would be MK. I agree with whoever else said. That is disney!!!! Plus for now its the park my kids love the most too.

So I am going to try to post pics today. I may embarrass myself but I think it will help me. I will post a pic of what I looked like just a few years ago (the REAL me) and what I look like now (the temporary me).

This is how I feel about myself too. I am trying to get back the old me and the temporary me has just been hanging around for way to long. Sometimes putting it out there and posting a pic can be very motivating.

Set up for this morning: 3 hrs sleep, sick DS4, and I actually weighed 1.5lbs less then yesterday morning, I'm supposed to do day 1 week 2 of c25k, but I'm tired, cranky and just didn't want to... But I DID IT!
Normally I would have just put it off and might have done it the next day, but more then likely I would have just stopped... Now, I am still tired but I am not cranky anymore. I'm so happy and I owe it all to this team and challenge! Today was a big turning point for me and I'm so excited.

Glad you were able to turn your day around. Its not easy to do that and I am so proud of you for getting out there and working out and eating right despite all the challenges today has thrown at you. I hope your able to get some rest today.

Yesterday, I e-mailed dh and told him that we should run away to Gatlinburg for the weekend..... fully expecting him to say, "no." Well he said we should go for it. Neither one of us are spontaneous people AT ALL, so this fun. We are leaving in a little bit, and will be back Monday evening. My goal is to "maintain" over the next 2 days...... I know that I will eat pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

Have a great weekend, and congrats to all of the losers!!!!!!!

We vacationed in gatlinburg for 10 days during the 4th of july of 2010. It was a lovely area and with so much to do around there we were never bored. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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

My zumba class was awesome today. The original saturday teacher was back so this was the first time I was doing her class. I love that all the instructors there are awesome and all bring a different style and flavor to their class so no matter what day or time you take it is always a great workout.

I went out to breakfast with the kids and my parents today but I kept it sensible and within a decent calorie amount. Lunch was subway. I need to get to the grocery store because the other night when I was suppose to go alone Nick threw a tantrum and wanted to stay home with me. I went to the store for a couple things and now we are out of just about everything.

Tonight we have Ryans football banquet. Its a family style meal of chicken, ham, turkey, stuffing, gravy, rolls I banked a bunch of calories so I am feeling confident that I wont over do it.

Now I am off to research and plan our disney vacation. Im not sure that I mentioned it on here yesterday but my parents recently got a large inheritence and want to take our family to disney in october to celebrate their 35 wedding anniversary. I am so excited to start the planning. We have not told the kids yet so I am working on a power point to play for them that tells them all about it. It took me awhile but I figured out how to add music to it and all. They will be so excited. We will show it to them once we have all the plans set in stone. I cant wait.

Have a great afternoon.

 

[mikamah]

I'm back, and determined to catch up here. Of course yesterday I said the christmas decorations would go away first, but I changed the order of my priorities. Dis, walk dog again, christmas decorations. We have nothing on the agenda for today, so I figure a little relaxing time is good for me.

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"!

Whoo hoo!! I wish I would be coming to say hello to you. When we went one january, my sil's dad was working the turnstiles at DHS, and it was so fun to know him and see our town on his badge. I love meeting cm's and chatting. You will have such an amazing time.

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.

It is hard to keep up with sometimes, but even to spend a little time reading is so helpful.

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.

I hope everything is ok with dh. It is always something. I would try not to worry so much about them having an opening on monday. We see lots of cancellations on the smaller holidays, people book procedures and then realize later their kids are home and need to cancel, so hopefully the doc just had an opening for monday. In january we also see more cancellations because people have new insurance, and new copays, and might not be prepared to pay. Thinking of you both, and hope all goes smooothly.

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

Whoo hoo!! Have an amazing time!! My brother/sil and niece flew to orlando today, so I sent a text "welcome to orlando, have a magical day" I'm sooooo 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?
!

For me it is by far the junk food. Thankfully we have the dog who makes me get my exercise, but junk is my down fall. I did better the second week, and did not buy any chips/cookies/crackers last weekend. So the snacking/mindless eating especially at night has been a big downfall for me. I'm trying to have an evening snack planned for, last night I had a cup of cocoa. But when I went to get it, I found half of a big white chocolate bar that I quickly threw down the garbage disposal so I didnt' eat the whole thing another night.

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

Nice work on c25k, and looking forward to the next week!! That is awesome!!

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".

I like the do or don't quote. I try to remember that when I think I'm going to try and lose this weight, I just need to do what needs to be done and get on with it. Do not be too hard on yourself this week. Maintaining is way under rated, and heaven knows stress can so affect our weight loss. You can DO this Jen!! I know 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!!

I definitely think I do better when I plan for a little splurge now and then, rather than totally swear off something like chocolate. You are doing great!!

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!

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have just an extra couple of hours each day to keep up with everything. Congrats on the loss!!

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.

It is hard sometimes to look at the big picture, but sometimes trying to look at smaller increments at a time makes it seem less daunting, say 5 pounds, or someone else, I think Shawn looks at each pound lost. We should be celebrating all the small losses the .2s and .4 too because they all will add up to pounds gone. You can do it!! Never give up!!!

I posted a small gain this morning, but I'm not terribly discouraged. The double whammy of TOM-munchies last weekend, and the actual arrival of Aunt Flo yesterday, and of course the lack of enough exercise this week doesn't make the gain surprising. Not too worried about it. Hopefully I will be a better teammate next week! Please don't vote me off!!
P

You will never be voted off!! Love the positive attitude with the small gain. Gains happen, and I know you'll see it gone next week.

I've just started C25K-only done day 1- but its a start

Whoo hoo!! Congrats!! You will be amazed at how much endurance and strength you will build up through the program.

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.

Whoo hoo!! I have less than 10 pounds to Onderland! I think we're going to see lots of onderland celebrations this challenge. Good luck with nursing school. I'm a nurse too, and it's a tough program for sure, but you can do it!!

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.

I bought Poko a little coat too because she's still so skinny and she just chewed it the first time, but last night it was so cold, she actually kept it on for our walk, and the same this morning but she keep trying to shake it off. lol. They are so cute. But I thought poor Poko when we heard other dogs barking, "are they making fun of your stupid coat?"

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". !

Love them too. Ds wants no part of them, but that's ok by me. The girls at work will be like, "brussel sprouts again" when the come into the break room after I've heated my lunch up.

I just finished the QOTD Archive.

Thank you Janis for keeping that up, and for all you do as hostess.

I have one of those little guys too. I picked him up as a puppy he weighed 2.5 pounds. He tops out at 10.2 pounds now. I bought him shoes for the snow. I know, what was I thinking. I put the back pair on, and he starting walking on just his front legs, with the back legs in the air. Now we just put them on to see him walk on the front legs. We always said he should have been a circus dog!!!

Janis

That's Hilarious.

I When I worked with my trainer, here is what we focused on (and my goal was to get rid of my belly fat):
1. Planks = Start with as many seconds as you can do and then add time each day. Do planks on your elbow, plank on the left side and plank on the right side. Then repeat 3 times.
2. Lunges, squats and sit-ups = Again, start with as many as you can. Do lunges while moving forward. Do squats (use a yoga ball to roll down a wall if needed). Do sit-ups. Then, repeat 3 times.
3. Push Ups = Do as many as you can. Rest for 60 seconds. Do 3 more then you did the first time. Rest for 60 seconds. Do 3 more then you did the 2nd time.
4. Crunches = Do as many as you can. Use the internet to find 3 variations. Do each one and then repeat them all in rotation 3 times.

hmmmm, I read this and thought, aw, my stomach rolls aren't that bad are they? I know, I know, if you want it, you have to work for it.

Tonight when we got back from running, I registered for Grandma's Marathon. I am still going to register for one more race tonight. So our schedule will be:

March 16th = Get Lucky Half Marathon (Minneapolis, MN)
June 3rd = Minneapolis Half Marathon (Minneapolis, MN)
June 16th = Grandma's Marathon (Duluth, MN)

Since we registered for the full marathon in June, I know that I will have to follow my running plan. I also will follow my strength training and conditioning plans because I want to do better at this marathon then I did when I ran my first one in October.

There you have it. I typed it all out and shared it with you and so now I know it will happen!

Whoo hoo!! Go Jen!!!!

Hello, sorry to be MIA. Colby ended up with his incision becoming infected. We had him seen Wednesday night and got some antibiotics started. This morning it looked much better, but worse again tonight. I've kept him home the last 2 days as his socks and shoes are irritating the area on top of the infection. We've told him to keep it elevated as much as possible, but I don't think he's doing such a good job of it. If it doesn't look even better tomorrow I will probably need to have him seen again. Frustrating.

So sorry to hear this. I hope he is doing better this morning.

Slightly disappointed that I didn't lose any this week, but then again, I didn't gain any weight either. Beside, I can tell a difference in my clothes and this is the best I've felt in a long time.

Great non scale victory for sure. Remember, maintaining is a good thing, and sometimes our bodies just need to even out for a bit.

Just wanted to say well done to everyone. Regardless of whether you lost. maintained or gained you are still moving forward towards a healthier life and we will get there together
Have a great weekend. I may not be on much as my mums sister is very ill and so I will be looking after her and helping where I'm needed but I will strive to keep OP and do the best I can

We will all get there for sure. Sorry about your aunt. I'm sure you mum and family really appreciates having you there to help.

Last night's swim meet went well. DD qualified for States in two of her events. The times weren't amazing, but enough to qualify, so she was satisfied. She has "technically" qualified in another event, but the night she swam it the hosting team didn't provide any officials... so it doesn't count. But she is sure she will have the chance to do it again in the next few weeks.

P

Congrats to dd!! Very exciting!!

Sorry the replies are so short. I am drinking my kefir smoothie. I still have to get a shower, pack my running clothes and pack a lunch and be at work by 10:00. They will have food, but nothing g-f, and I know I need to eat something before running this afternoon.

Send me lots of p-d. I am a little nervous about this run. I know my cardio will be fine, but hopefully the foot will to

Sending good thoughts for you and your foot!! Good luck!!

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

I just picked up some frozen chicken breasts that can be heated in the microwave to have on hand. I usually have a frozen palermo pizza too, or sometimes we'll do breakfast for supper, eggs and ham, or an omelette. We might go to panera for dinner also.
I love MK. It's just the epitome of disney, and we have so many great memories there. Though we have so many great memories at the other parks too, but it seems that we can just spend open to close at MK and never want to leave.

Set up for this morning: 3 hrs sleep, sick DS4, and I actually weighed 1.5lbs less then yesterday morning, I'm supposed to do day 1 week 2 of c25k, but I'm tired, cranky and just didn't want to... But I DID IT!
Normally I would have just put it off and might have done it the next day, but more then likely I would have just stopped... Now, I am still tired but I am not cranky anymore. I'm so happy and I owe it all to this team and challenge! Today was a big turning point for me and I'm so excited.

Hope ds is better soon. Nice job getting out there even though you didnt want to.

So I am going to try to post pics today. I may embarrass myself but I think it will help me. I will post a pic of what I looked like just a few years ago (the REAL me) and what I look like now (the temporary me).

I like that temporary me, and it's nice to have a pic to look towards. I took some before pics of me, but wasn't thinking posting til I had some better during pics. I figured I'd take them every other month or so.

Congrats to everyone who has posted losses this week!! We are still seeing some amazing numbers!! So proof positive that if we set our minds to do this, we will succeed.

Ok, puppy's sleeping, so I guess I can't procrastinate putting the decoreations away any longer. I won't be back til the last decoration is safely packed away.

 

[amykathleen2005]

I have a question I wonder if someone can answer. I have been tracking what I have been eating everyday. I am on the 1440 cal plan with recommendations for specific nutrients made by MyFitnessPal. I am always under on the things I need to limit (like cholesterol, fat, sodium, etc.) except for sugar! I always have too much sugar. The goal it set for me is 29 grams per day! That seems really low to me. Any thoughts on what a reasonable goal for that is?

 

[Jujubee727]

ok..here we go...my pics!

The first two are from right before I got preggo with my DD, So close to 4 years ago. I was about 24 at the time. That is what I consider to be the REAL me! That is the girl that I want in my wedding pictures in October! I am about 60 lbs away from being that girl again.

The other two are from our Disney trip this past December (I am 27 now, almost 28, but I feel like I look older then that in these pics). As you can see from the close up picture, I don't even look like the same person! That's why I look in the mirror and don't even recognize the girl looking back at me!! It is time to change that!

(I'm on the right.)

 

[belledreamer]

P.S. Belledreamer I'm glad to see another Doctor Who fan on here. Did you enjoy the christmas special?

Same here!!

I think I actually preferred last year's special to this one, but this year's special was still pretty good.

I still think the two David Tennant specials were the best. But then again, I am partial to David Tennant...

Have you seen David Tennant and Catherine Tate in 'Much Ado About Nothing'? So funny!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

QOTD: Usually my food of choice when that happens is either a turkey sandwich on wheat with strawberries or sushi from a local sushi restaurant that I love.

Bonus--My favorite park is Hollywood Studios cause I love the movies! Plus Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage! is my favorite show and I have to see it at least twice when I go to Disney. It's my dream to play Belle one day at that show.

 

[mikamah]

Shannon-Thanks for sharing your pictures. You look beautiful in all of them, and very happy too, especially with your beautiful little ones. You will get back there!! You are on the right path, and you can do it!! We are all here to cheer you along, and can't wait to hear all about your wedding plans!!

 

[ougrad86]

I have a non-scale victory. As I found out by almost falling on my face while running up the stairs, my pants are too big. They were fresh out of the dryer this morning, and they are falling off.

Awesome! I love it when my clothes start hanging! Time to go get new ones! I knew I had to do something about the weight I was regaining when my clothes become uncomfortably tight...I had given all my "big" clothes away as a deterrent.

I'm home! All your guys good thoughts must have worked for me, cause compared to last time this was a breeze!
I did not sleep at all last night, cause I was afraid to take my sleeping pill in case i still had to go, but when I don't take my sleeping pill, the fibro acts up so I was in pain, hungry, and miserable last night. I did the best I could and we got to the hospital at 9:30 this morning. The nurses were all really nice and could see I was nervous and assured me it would be fine. I had two nurses doing the iv, one doing the iv and the other talking to me and it was over in a minute and of course not that bad, but it doesn't really matter, i know i will be just as nervous next time. And even though they say it doesnt hurt after the first pinch, it always feel very uncomfortable to me.
My nurse for the procedure was actually an old family friend who i didnt know but she knew me kind of thing, which was just nice as she was very understanding. My doctor is awesome and understood that i was nervous and held my hand while they put me under. I woke up feeling very refreshed! It was better than ambien that's for sure! No naseua or anything it was actually quite pleasant.
So for all my worrying and anxiety it was actually a breeze, which i'm glad cause i know this wont be my last one and it was better than last time. I know i will still have anxiety but it made me feel a lot better
The results looked really good. My doctor didn't even see any evidence of the Chron's which was very surprising to me, but he said was really common. Maybe it's the healthy eating thats been helping with that?? The only problem with everything looking great is that we still don't know what's wrong with me! They did some biopsies and those results will be in on monday so we will discuss that then. my doctor promised that we would get to the bottom of it no matter what. he still wants me to stay away from dairy though, so i could still be latose intolerant. they also are doing the celiac test so it will be interesting to see the resilts of that.
so all in all, good news and bad news. good news it went well, bad news we still dont know whats wrong. again, THANK YOU EVERYONE for your thoughts, words, and advice, it was so nice of all if you and i appreciated it more than i can say

Glad it went well, surgery can be so stressful. I hate the IV, mainly because once it starts going I start feeling so cold. I had so many surgeries though, I knew to ask the nurses for the warm blankets they always had.
Glad you don't have Crohn's, but not good that you still are not sure what it is . At least you crossed one thing off the list.

Thank you to everyone for all their support these past 2 days....
Hagrid is home with us. The tests show that he responded to IV treatment but that he either has a severe kidney infection and / or has the start of kidney failure. Since he responded, they will be running more tests but he got to come home. We need to give him medicine 2 times each day for a month as well as start him on a special diet for his kidneys. He will go back in to the vet in 2 weeks to check his blood again to be sure he continues to improve. While we cannot yet say that he is going to be okay again, we do know that he is improving enough to be hopeful!

So glad your kitty is back home with you. Hope he continues to improve. I loved my girl, and can't bring myself to get another. She passed away when DS was a baby. She was on medication (for something else) and a special diet, and I credit it for adding many good, happy years to her life.

QOTD: What can you celebrate this week besides a number on the scale?[/SIZE]

I celebrate making it through the week OP, being strong and talking myself down a few times! For taking another step toward health by changing up my diet instead of always having soup (BHT) for lunch - plan to continue doing so. And for making sure I had exercise each day. And for having such a great support group, somewhere to go each day to read about sucess stories and strategies, or to vent if need be!

These challenges have DEFINITELY had a positive impact in keeping me on track over the past 4 years. In fact, just last week I celebrated FOUR YEARS of healthier eating and exercise!!

Congrats on 4 years, that is awesome!

Ummmmm, why don't you just keep that snow in Chicago? We're fine without it here in PA Actually, we are only supposed to get about an inch tonight and another 1-3 tomorrow. Not horrible, but you can have it!

Know it sounds crazy, but we'll take the snow! I was born and raised in Wisconsin, love the snow and my DS is crazy about it! We only got rain here...were in Wisconsin less than two weeks ago, but nothing during Christmas.

The interview went very well and it looks like they want me back in a few weeks to meet with the parents and students. They also want me to submit a writing sample....not my strength so I will have an English teacher friend check them over So, I may have a new job by the second week in March! (granted I wouldn't begin until July 1st!) Fingers crossed!!

Congrats on a successful interview. They are so nerve-wracking. Glad it went well.

Hello everyone! What a crazy day. I am in MO and we had our first snow today. All the schools around were closed except ours So my poor daughter (12) went in the crazy cold blowing snow to the bus...which didn't come! Apparently it slid off the road before it got to her. So she called me 15 minutes after she should have been gone and was almost in tears wanting to come home! I felt terrible for her and said heck ya, get home! She was frozen solid! So my husband took her and son (10) in.

Your poor daughter! It's crazy you were still open when all around you are closed. Ours closes often when there is nothing by us, but the western edge of the county is in the mountains, and will have snow and ice, so it seems that school is out for rain!

Where is MO are you? Our satellite office is in Columbia, thought I had heard it was the northern half of the state that got it.

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!

What a beautiful story! I totally believe in wish upon a star, you dreams come true! It worked for me too (circumstances not quite as beautiful, but it did work!)

Keeping up does seem to be a challenge at the start. I would like to be a bit more active on the Team Mickey thread but it is a lot just to keep up with one thread right now!

I have been reading on my phone, but not had a chance for two days to get on here! It is really moving fast - haven't had a chance to make it to the Team Mickey thread! Might do so later - we have a three day weekend!

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!

It was challenging getting back into the swing of it. I did not pay attention while on vacation, and food was coming at me from all directions...of course I completely forgot I was going to be careful, so gained some. So I had to scale down again. What made me quit before was sheer laziness. After I had lost the 55 pounds, and made our Disney trip, I was more or less, OK, I can maintain this. But did not take what I had learned and made it part of my life...back came the high portions, sweet treats and lack of activity. It was easier to just let it all go...don't plan to do that again. At least I came to my senses before gaining it all back!
I am a little superstitious. I am aware of the day, and joke and laugh about it a little, but probably am a little more alert! But I had a good day on Friday, even though I had a craving for chocolate so went a little off-plan. But not too bad.

Now off to catch up with the rest of the thread.

Carol

 

[Jujubee727]

Shannon-Thanks for sharing your pictures. You look beautiful in all of them, and very happy too, especially with your beautiful little ones. You will get back there!! You are on the right path, and you can do it!! We are all here to cheer you along, and can't wait to hear all about your wedding plans!!

Thank you Kathy! I am so glad that I found this group and have so many wonderful supporters to share the journey with!!

We have been together for 8+ years and our wedding is October 11. The ceremony will be at cocoa beach, followed by a 6 day disneymoon!! I can't wait but it will be even more exciting if I am comfortable in my own skin!!

 

[ougrad86]

Oh my gosh! I totally do this too! Sometimes I eat really good for a week and lose nothing, then I'll eat cookies and all the chocolate I can find and lose weight, so I sort of give up. I think the same thing you do and instead of realizing that this won't work in the long run, I give in to yumminess (is that even a word? )

Sounds like a good word to me! Very descriptive. And this has happened to me before too. I guess my weight gain proved it doesn't work in the long run though.

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.

We actually coaxed 25 years out of our Volvo before we had to say goodbye. It was barely holding together, so we transferred it to the mechanic who had kept it going when it didn't want to anymore. It was a great car.

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.

My cravings don't seem to go down as much as I would like, but I am able to indulge in limited amounts, and keep track of them the same as my other foods. But I am more successful in talking myself into eating a banana or carrots with dip instead of a chocolate bar. Sometimes the cravings get a little too intense, like yesterday where I tried everything and fnally gave in to the chocolate. But I had my splurge points and got right back on track.
It will be a lifestyle change, I can't go back to the days where I have cookies for lunch.

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. 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".

I agree. In order to be successful, you can't try. I have a coworker that needs to lose weight. She is spending time dithering about what plan to use instead of just jumping in. I watched last week as she ate a donut because she would not have time for lunch, then things changed and she ate her lunch. We have parties at work, and she grabs chips and cake and cupcakes, I grab fruit and maybe a small cookie. She talks about losing weight, and I am encouraging her, but she has been talking for awhile but not doing anything...I see a lot of my old self in her. You just have to jump in and do it. It took me a few days to get the junk out of my house to set myself up for sucess, but then I jumped in with both feet.

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.

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 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.

Yeh for the comment ! Always nice when someone else says that.

I've started doing sandwiches with pita pockets. I myself prefer the white (moving to whole grain slowly, since I do not always like the taste), but I think I saw whole grain as well when I was there. I had chicken salad last week, I am going to try tuna and egg as well, I make it with fat free Miracle Whip, and lots of crunchies like celery and stuff if with tomatoe and cucumber as well. I just mix it all up then pack it separately and then build it when it is time to eat so it won't be all soggy.

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!

I love the thin crust veggie. I had a regular crust the other day, it was horrible! I really prefer the thin crust now, and like veggies instead of the greasy meats they like to pile on.

I have one of those little guys too. I picked him up as a puppy he weighed 2.5 pounds. He tops out at 10.2 pounds now. I bought him shoes for the snow. I know, what was I thinking. I put the back pair on, and he starting walking on just his front legs, with the back legs in the air. Now we just put them on to see him walk on the front legs. We always said he should have been a circus dog!!!

Oh my gosh, I just about died laughing at the picture this put in my head.

I used to be able to eat whatever whenever, so I get this. It is frustrating, but I'm trying to see it as my body is forcing me to eat healthier so that it is stronger and able to take me further in my life. The point being, our older bodies might gain weight easier, but they are wiser bodies, and they know what we need or don't need to be healthy if we just listen to them. And I think you can still eat what you want on occasion--you just can't eat tons and tons of it every day. Hang in there!

This is a good way to look at it, since our body is telling us to eat healthier. I was like you, could eat anything and not gain weight, but adulthood changed all that, and desk jobs only made it worse. I want to be healthy and stick around for awhile, so I need to make these changes.

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????[/B]

Subway is our take-out choice. Both DH and DS like the sandwiches, and I can get my 6" turkey with lots of veggies on it. At home, we have soup and sandwiches, or spaghetti with sauce. Usually we don't run into this, I pick DS up from school after practice, so we have pretty uneventful evenings. Where I work understand and would not keep me late. Traffic can be unpredictable, I pick up DS because it is dark, but if necessary he could probably get home and make something for himself. So far we have been lucky. I've only had to have him wait at the school once or twice when it has been bad.

Favorite park is hard. I am torn between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. In our next trip, we have limited time at WDW since we are staying at Universal. Hitting the studios so the kids can ride ToT and RnR for the first time and try out the new Star Wars. And MK because it is quintessencially Disney (and my friend loves Space Mountain, which we enjoy as well). BTMRR is my favorite, but it will be closed. Soarin' is one I love, but reasoned out that I will hit it next time, not this time.

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

Well finally caught up, at least with Donald!

Been a good week, OP and lost weight! So feeling good about that. Haven't eaten much today, DS wants spaghetti, tomorrow planning a crock pot meal.

Poor DS is studying for mid-terms, not much of a fun weekend for him. He is a very good student, although has some trouble with German. The mask is not as invasive as I thought it would be, but it is constantly pulling on his teeth, which is very uncomfortable. I think it is normal, but will call the dentist Monday to make sure. He is taking a lot of Advil, but wears it almost full time this weekend to make up for the time during the week when he is at school and practice. We have a few errands we are running tomorrow as well, as he will not be wearing it outside of the house (I wouldn't do that to the poor kid). Hope this whole braces process will only take a year like the dentist said, but he will probably need a retainer for awhile after that to make sure it all stays where is is supposed to.

DH is feeling better, his cough seems to be clearing up. So far I haven't caught it, have tried to be careful and feel healthier! Doing a few things this weekend, but keeping it easy so DH can recuperate and DS study for exams. I don't mind a quiet weekend!

Great reading about the weight losses! Go Team !

Carol

 

[cjdj4]

Hi Everyone! Congrats to everyone who lost!

Someone asked if us teachers have a three day weekend, and yes, I do have one. Actually, my district has 4 day no school Tues., but I worked today. I helped grade HS magnet school application essays. I do it every year. I love doing it because I love reading kids' essays. MS kids write the funniest things.
Since I worked today at a school site I was well prepared with my food. I even passed on the specialty donuts homemade donut holes, and believe me that was not easy. they lookd good.
DH is finally getting better, but I am working on making him homemade chicken soup. I feel guilty now because I did not make it for DD on Monday or Tues when she was sick. I opened her a can of Campels chicken soup Guess I get the bad mommy of the day award. DH is way sicker than she was and her cold was bad. I love my chicken soup so I am excited.

Congrats!
I used to be able to eat whatever whenever, so I get this. It is frustrating, but I'm trying to see it as my body is forcing me to eat healthier so that it is stronger and able to take me further in my life. One of the biggest problems I had last year before I went g-f was my hair falling out. It was coming out in hunks. The girl who has cut my hair for years was very concerned. She told me last spring that I was going bald. Well, I was getting enough calories, but the nutrition wasn't getting where it needed to because of the gluten. So one of the symptoms, my hair was falling out. The point being, our older bodies might gain weight easier, but they are wiser bodies, and they know what we need or don't need to be healthy if we just listen to them. And I think you can still eat what you want on occasion--you just can't eat tons and tons of it every day. Hang in there!

Thanks for the words of understanding and wisdom.

Hello, sorry to be MIA. Colby ended up with his incision becoming infected. We had him seen Wednesday night and got some antibiotics started. This morning it looked much better, but worse again tonight. I've kept him home the last 2 days as his socks and shoes are irritating the area on top of the infection. We've told him to keep it elevated as much as possible, but I don't think he's doing such a good job of it. If it doesn't look even better tomorrow I will probably need to have him seen again. Frustrating.

Poor kid. It is hard for a kid to sit still with his feet up. That really is a lot to ask of an active boy. I hope it doesn't turn into an infection.

I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare and I've been adding to my library. I already have 'Romeo and Juliet' (my favorite), 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' (my other favorite) and today I bought 'Much Ado About Nothing.' So I think much of my weekend will be spent reading. When I'm not exercising.

Me too! My undergrad is Eng. Lit. I love Shakespeare!

Yesterday, I e-mailed dh and told him that we should run away to Gatlinburg for the weekend..... fully expecting him to say, "no." Well he said we should go for it. Neither one of us are spontaneous people AT ALL, so this fun. We are leaving in a little bit, and will be back Monday evening. My goal is to "maintain" over the next 2 days...... I know that I will eat pancakes at the Pancake Pantry

That is so romantic Have fun!

Set up for this morning: 3 hrs sleep, sick DS4, and I actually weighed 1.5lbs less then yesterday morning, I'm supposed to do day 1 week 2 of c25k, but I'm tired, cranky and just didn't want to... But I DID IT!
Normally I would have just put it off and might have done it the next day, but more then likely I would have just stopped... Now, I am still tired but I am not cranky anymore. I'm so happy and I owe it all to this team and challenge! Today was a big turning point for me and I'm so excited.

Great job of getting out there for the C25K today eveb though you didn't want to.

ok..here we go...my pics!

You are so pretty and your family is beautiful!

QOTD Saturday, January 14
UGGGH! Momma said there'd be days like this.....You had to work late, got stuck in traffic and the kids have to be at practice in 20 minutes. What's for dinner???? Do you have an emergency dinner planned for days like this? And there will be days like this. Do you have a healthy place to get take out from? Do you have something in the freezer? Do you have something quick and easy you can throw together on days you just don't want to cook?

Bonus--What is your favorite park at WDW and why????

Have a super, healthy Saturday! Do something fun today!

Our go to is usually Tijuana Flats and they have a great low fat menu called power lite. That is my back up plan. Or we have frozen pizza night - they have California Pizza Kitchen and I have a lean cuisine pizza.

Epcot is my favorite park cause I love to eat and drink my way around the world.