Team Donald – Biggest Loser “No Excuses” 2012 Challenge

[dvccruiser76]

Hello everyone,
It's your friendly weight-keeper here

Weigh-ins have been coming in like crazy, so I don't have much time to post and read replies, but I will respond to a PM if you need me.

My goal is to post on here, so it's easier for some to just click the send a private message link in my name to send your weigh-ins.

People have been doing great and we're off to a wonderful start. Some people have inspired me to kick my butt even more next week, so it's great for me as well.

Right now, Team Donald is in the lead, but not by much. I am still missing weigh-ins from 33 Team Mickey participants and 30 Team Donald participants, so please keep them coming

You have until Monday night at 7 PM EST to send them to me before I post the week's results.

Have a great Sunday everyone

 

[donaldandpirates]

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

This is AWESOME!!! I can't wait to get to that point!

 

[ougrad86]

Okay, today was not an "all in" sort of day but there were some successes. I am going to not type about things that went wrong because tonight I am just going to think about what was positive....
1 It was DS's birthday today. I took him to his favorite bakery this morning for donuts and did not have even a bit. We also went out to eat and I ate what I planned for and did not share in the big birthday ice cream treat the brought out.
2. I kept a positive attitude all day long and refused to be resentful of the work that has to be done. It helped to think about my anchor and look at all the medals I have earned....I have an amazing 14 of them! That is 14 successful races in 2 years. Then I thought about the races that did not have medals (like my 2 mud runs and some other similar races). I have to think about how positive this is and know that I can feel that strong again with a bit of work.
3. Despite each mistake I have made this whole week, I have written it all down. I have marked how it made me feel and I have noted what might be worth it and what is no longer important at all.
Jen

I like this - instead of dwelling on the negative, celebrate the positive! Great way to keep the motivation going as well!

Friday's QOTD: What plans do you have in place to be sure you have a successful weekend?

Weekends I tend not to plan unless I know there is an event or something that might cause problems. On weekends, I tend to eat a light breakfast, sometimes forget lunch and so can splurge a little on dinner. We are having a very quiet weekend since DH is under the weather. I ran some errands and picked up a few things I could not find at the grocery store the other day, and doing some laundry today (so I can have alot of computer time!). As normal, forgot to eat lunch, just had a snack, so had spaghetti tonight! One of my favorite foods!

What do you do to keep from getting discouraged when you seem to have reached a plateau? I realize I lost this week, but I was thinking this is usually what causes me to quit trying. I want to try and put an action plan in place for when these weeks occur to avoid the all or nothing frame of mind.

I have hit a few plateaus, most recently this last fall. I was losing pretty good, and then it stopped. I was not excercising much at the time, and I was in no frame of mind to start up, although I did continue to monitor my weight and stay OP as much as possible. After about 6 weeks (probably made longer by the stress I was under), I finally broke loose and it dropped again.
I have a weird theory that every once in awhile my body is "adjusting" to the new weight. I have heard of places where your body is most comfortable, and as you are losing, I am wondering if your body is just trying to adjust to the change.
But in cases like this, I just keep on keeping on. You eat well, exercise and believe that you will start losing again. And muscles getting toned, it might be reflected in inches and the way your body is looking.

I've gotten behind in reading this thread. I joined Weight Watchers on Tuesday night; I purchased the monthly pass. So, there is another meeting (different leader) on Saturday morning, so I am going to that. I also want to go online and see what their program there is and how it works

WW is a great program. Journaling really helped me, along with the water they had me drink. I used to go to the meetings, now I do it online. I love the fact that I can journal online, on my computer and home or work or on my phone when on the go. I enter everything I eat, and any exercise I do. I think you might have the same online tools when you attend meetings. And lots of people on this thread do WW, so you can always ask questions!

I accidentally deleted the rest of your quote, but you can be successful. Small changes can add up. Slowly build up to it and then keep with it. As mentioned above, there are times when the scale does not move. Don't look at it as just losing weight - you are getting healthier, you may notice you have more energy, I always start feeling better when I eat right; you can lose inches through exercise, and tone your body, and clothes will start fitting better.

Losing weight is a long process - it took me awhile to get there, it takes even longer to get back to where I want to be. But look at the positives, and keep on with it, and you will begin to see results. And you can do it .

I did get out for my run and am looking for some insight from my other running friends....DH and I ran all the time this summer and I was loving my 20 mile runs (yes....I know this is crazy but it was true). When school started, my workouts were a little off and for some reason my long runs were causing pain in my knee, hip and shins. I tried to be careful and made it to the marathon in October. We did run the first 13 miles in record time for us (2:05) and then the pain kicked in. DH and I ran/walked the last 13 miles and when I crossed the finish line everything hurt and I knew I had done something wrong. Instead of dealing with the injury, taking care of things and getting back out on the road....I basically quit running. DH and I did not run until mid-December. Just as we were starting, I got bronchial pneumonia and quit again. The last week of December I finally felt better and we started up again. We have been running 3-5 miles (5-6 days a week) since that point (it has been 2 1/2 weeks now).
Here is the issue....I am struggling so bad with my breathing still. Am I expecting too much too fast? Is it just a matter of doing other cardio work? Is it because I just got over pneumonia? Is it probably just a combination of everything?
Tonight when we went out to run, I made it 1.5 miles before I had to walk a few moments (it was all a gradual downhill and we were running at a 9:45 pace). I then ran (gradual uphill home) 1 mile and had to stop as we reached the top of one of the hills (just for a moment or two) and then ran the last bit home. It was a horrible struggle. I know it is going to take time but it just seems like I should be able to run longer and faster.
Any advice from my fellow runners?

I am not a runner, my DS is but he is just starting out. But it has been wicked cold out (we were in Wisconsin end of December), and that combined with pneumonia can do a real number on you. As you mentioned in a later post, talk to your doctor and once he gives you the all clear I would ease into running, build yourself back up. If you can run inside until the worst of the cold is over that might help your lungs as well. Pneumonia weakens the lungs, and makes you more prone to getting it again because of that weakness. So best if you start slowly.

I found this on Dottie's site.

Only One Pound

Hello, do you know me? If you don't you should. I'm a pound of fat, and I'm the happiest pound of fat that you would ever want to meet. Want to know why? It's because no one ever wants to lose me; I'm Only One Pound, just a pound. Everyone wants to lose three pounds, five pounds or fifteen pounds, but never only one, so I just stick around and happily keep you fat. Then I add to myself ever so slyly so that you never seem to notice it, that is until I've grown to ten, twenty or even more pounds in weight. Yes, it's fun being Only One Pound of fat, left to do as I please. So, when you weigh in, keep right on saying "Oh, I only lost one pound." ( as if that were such a terrible thing!) For you see, if you do this you'll encourage others to keep me around because they will think I'm not worth losing. And I love being around you - your arms, your legs, your chin, your hips and every part of you. Happy Days!! After all, I'm Only One Pound of fat!!!

Janis

I go to Dottie's site soemtimes, but mostly for the restaurant info. I guess I should dig a little deeper!

Saturday's QOTD: Do you have a playlist of music that you use to help motivate you? If you do, share some of your favorite songs to work out to.

I don't have a playlist because I mostly use the Wii, but I have picked up a resistance band and dumbells to start strength-training with, so I will probably listen to my iPhone then, so I should probably put on together. I love country, and the good old 70's stuff...I saw some of the music and songs listed - I'm too old to know alot of them!!!

On a side note, my DS4 woke up this morning talking about some "orange bowl that changes food" and he needed to find it. I have no idea what he's talking about, but he goes to the kitchen gets his step stool and starts trying to search the cupboards for it... He comes out all upset cuz he can't reach all of them so I take him in there and let him stand on the counter to look in each and EVERY cupboard. All the while I'm asking him if he's sure we have it, because I don't think we do and finally he tells me "I saw it in my dreams and its REAL!" So I explained to him that not everything in our dreams is real, and we don't have an "orange bowl that changes food," but if he sees it at the store to let me know and we'll look at getting it.

That is so cute; sounds like a great dream. Let me know if you find it in the stores .

(I'm Gonna Be) 500 miles ALWAYS gets me motivated and moving!!!
I also listen to Shania Twain. I only like country music when I'm excersing, though (and even then I'm picky about the artist).

Love, love, love Shania Twain. She has some real upbeat songs.

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

Well, my first week was a gain, but I expected that. We were on our trip, and then returning with all the junk food in the house and the craziness at work catching up, so I decided to start with this week. I did weigh myself when we returned, and then I gained a huge amount - missed some days with water, wasn't eating oatmeal for breakfast, still snacking on the wrong things. So based on my high weight right after my first weigh in (I think the trip kicked in), and what I weighed in, I actually had lost 2.5 pounds, so I'll take it! I'm back on track, gained some during the holidays, but I expected that so I'm ready to hit the ground running. Got all my healthy food in the house and am good to go. DH even offered to take me out to eat at our favorite steakhouse last night, as a last fling, but I was on my first day so turned it down (just as well, he is pretty sick today). I will take it some weekend as my splurge, since WW gives me some splurge points.

Got some stuff done today, the laundry continues but should be caught up by the end of the weekend. I normally don't have time to do it but on weekends, but was trying to take care of all of it from the trip, so I feel like I have been washing non-stop! And then we kept on wearing clothes and using towels this week, so has not quite ended yet! Can see the light at the end of the tunnel though...

Even got some exercise in, doing some walking. The weather is beautiful here right now, and my allergies aren't as bad since it is technically winter. I will probably start my non-walking exercise Monday. Although since a coworker was interested in walking during our breaks, may do both!

Last I checked we were doing really well in terms of posts, although Team Mickey was commenting on it (I check out that thread as well for ideas and motivation). Sorry I wasn't able to help with the losses, but I think I will be able to produce one next Friday .

Carol

 

[ougrad86]

Hello everyone,
It's your friendly weight-keeper here

Weigh-ins have been coming in like crazy, so I don't have much time to post and read replies, but I will respond to a PM if you need me.

My goal is to post on here, so it's easier for some to just click the send a private message link in my name to send your weigh-ins.

People have been doing great and we're off to a wonderful start. Some people have inspired me to kick my butt even more next week, so it's great for me as well.

Right now, Team Donald is in the lead, but not by much. I am still missing weigh-ins from 33 Team Mickey participants and 30 Team Donald participants, so please keep them coming

You have until Monday night at 7 PM EST to send them to me before I post the week's results.

Have a great Sunday everyone

OK, I give up ...where do we go on the post to PM you?

I am going to send my info now, my usual way, but did not know I could also do it from your posts ?

 

[#1hoosierfan]

OK, I give up ...where do we go on the post to PM you?

I am going to send my info now, my usual way, but did not know I could also do it from your posts ?

Click on the screen name on the left side. It will bring up a drop-down menu. Select- send a private message.

 

[ougrad86]

Click on the screen name on the left side. It will bring up a drop-down menu. Select- send a private message.

OK - now I know I've seen that before, but could not figure that out

Thanks!

 

[cjdj4]

So birthday dinner for my mom was a huge success! I made salmon, salad, and roasted veggies. It was so good. The decadent chocolate cake for desert was probably not a good choice Or the Baileys Irish Cream. Hopefully I can recover!

e:

Sexy and I know it~LMFAO
Party rock anthem~ LMFAO
Eye of the Tiger~ Rocky soundtrack
We will rock you~ dont kill me but I dont know who sings this

Then as I was leaving the gym there were bball games going on and our community center team was playing a team from where I grew up. (30min away). Well I was walking out and I ran into a guy I dated in highschool. Does anyone else hate when this happens. I was a bit embarressed because 1. I was all sweaty, hair a mess, and red in the face from zumba but 2. I am probably 65lbs heavier. The guy never meant much to me but I have not been able to shrug the feeling of being ashamed of myself.

1st - We Will Rock You is a sing by Queen. 2nd - You were so busy beating yourself up that you did not mention this ex of yours was now bald, 50+ lbs. overweight, and he was still sporting a mullet and acid wash jeans

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

AWESOME!!!!!!

As we are walking to our car I notice the drunk couple getting in a car. I couldnt believe that I saw this visibly drunk lady behind the wheel. I almost went over to tell her to give me her keys but I guess I just couldnt get up the nerve. So we tried to wait until they left. We started backing out as they did so we backed way up the street. This lady backed out fairly slowly and than slammed on the gas probably not know she didnt switch it to drive and slammed into a truck. She then drove off. We got her plate numbers. Went into the bar and they found the owner of the truck. We called 911. Waited for like 25min because the cops I guess tried to find this car. They finally showed up and unfortunately hadnt. Apparently a bunch of people knew this couple but it was like no one really could stand them and only knew them from coming to the bars. They said the couple was planning on bar hopping all night and were headed to the next bar. So they told the cop where to look for them. Now if/when they find her my husband will most likely have to testify that it was the women that he had seen visibly intoxicated and smash into the car. Uggh. Apparently the people who knew of them said the man no longer could drive because he has had dui's and has been sentenced for vehicular homicide while driving drunk before. They think she had dui's as well. I mean how stupid are you. I know we did the right thing by calling the police but yet I hate to get ourselves involved in these things.

Scary! I am glad you and your family were aware and stayed clear.

 

[belledreamer]

Saturday's QOTD: Do you have a playlist of music that you use to help motivate you? If you do, share some of your favorite songs to work out to.

What DON'T I have?! I've got everything from pop to country, from BeeGees to Queen; if it has a good beat, it's probably on my playlist. I also listen to my collection of Disney World theme park music to keep me focused on doing the Princess 5k.

On Just Dance 3, I dance to:

Everybody Dance Now -Sweat Invaders
Take On Me - a-ha
Price Tag - Jessie J feat. B.O.B.
What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters

But what I have the most of and gets me moving is, (I'm so embarrassed to admit this...) a soundtrack from a kids show I used to watch all the time called 'Lazytown'. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the show, but it was all about healthy habits, eating 'Sports Candy' (a.k.a. fruits and veggies) and getting active. And the girl who starred in the show was a dancer and gymnast so she always did a lot of cool dances that I liked to learn the steps to and the songs were really catchy.

It just always puts a smile on my face.

 

[GoofyPredsFan]

But what I have the most of and gets me moving is, (I'm so embarrassed to admit this...) a soundtrack from a kids show I used to watch all the time called 'Lazytown'. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the show, but it was all about healthy habits, eating 'Sports Candy' (a.k.a. fruits and veggies) and getting active. And the girl who starred in the show was a dancer and gymnast so she always did a lot of cool dances that I liked to learn the steps to and the songs were really catchy.

It just always puts a smile on my face.

I remember that show!! It was so cute and I can see how that music would be peppy. That's awesome

 

[Mary•Poppins]

Saturday's QOTD: Do you have a playlist of music that you use to help motivate you? If you do, share some of your favorite songs to work out to.

I actually don't have a playlist. I have found that I am very successful when I have a book on my ipod or a MP3 "book on tape" from my library.

I have a really funny story about this ... my son works at the library and picked up my reserved copy of Steven King's newest book called 11/22/63 ... which was on Cds that are made to transfer digitally to your ipod through your computer. Anyway, this was the first time I tried to do this. I had been walking/running for about 5 days (an hour each day) and listening to the book.

My son asked me ... "How is that book? There is a long reserve list for it and I'm interested to know what it is about." I told him I was having a lot of trouble following it. I know the character traveled in time and I was hearing parts of the story ... but I wasn't putting it together. I also daydream sometimes and lose track of the story when walking ... but usually, I can figure it out. But I was just having one heck of a time getting into this story.

Then the next night I looked at my ipod ... I had it on SHUFFLE! I told my son and he almost wet his pants laughing so hard. Now that I am listening to it in the correct order ... the story is great! And I look forward to hearing the next part of the story when I am exercising.

 

[GoofyPredsFan]

I actually don't have a playlist. I have found that I am very successful when I have a book on my ipod or a MP3 "book on tape" from my library.

I have a really funny story about this ... my son works at the library and picked up my reserved copy of Steven King's newest book called 11/22/63 ... which was on Cds that are made to transfer digitally to your ipod through your computer. Anyway, this was the first time I tried to do this. I had been walking/running for about 5 days (an hour each day) and listening to the book.

My son asked me ... "How is that book? There is a long reserve list for it and I'm interested to know what it is about." I told him I was having a lot of trouble following it. I know the character traveled in time and I was hearing parts of the story ... but I wasn't putting it together. I also daydream sometimes and lose track of the story when walking ... but usually, I can figure it out. But I was just having one heck of a time getting into this story.

Then the next night I looked at my ipod ... I had it on SHUFFLE! I told my son and he almost wet his pants laughing so hard. Now that I am listening to it in the correct order ... the story is great! And I look forward to hearing the next part of the story when I am exercising.

OH!! haha! That is so funny! But I swear I can see myself doing the same thing.

 

[trinaweena]

Hey guys! i forgot to check in for a few days! Can't do that because then I have far too much to catch up on!

Things are going well. I'm still off the dairy but i didn't eat that much dairy to begin with so I don't know if i'm seeing a difference. I've still had a few stomach aches, one today right before we were supposed to go to the movies, which sucks because then I didn't feel like going. I felt kind of bad for cancelling plans literally as we were leaving but, what are you going to do? We returned some bottles instead (15 dollars worth, I had been stock piling) and then watched sherlock. A good night, if not the one we had planned.

We also went for a walk because it was gorgeous out and we estimated we walked about 5 miles. It was nice and we got the dogs out which we really nedded to do.

I really want to answer todays question of the day, I always say I'm going to post my playlist cause im quite proud of it, but its really long. Im going to do it this time I think, just not right this second since its past midnight and i have work tomorrow. This is the first sunday i've worked in like three weeks so it will be interesting.

hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

 

[buzz5985]

This is awesome. Thanks Janis!!

I lost one pound this week, and am very happy with that. I need another vacation to keep up with everyone here properly. It's awesome to see such an active challenge, and I know it does usually quiet down, so I can keep up, but I'd love to see everyone stick around and never give up!!

We are off to walk the dog, then start doggie training classes at 10, and I hope to be back later.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!

Congrats on the loss, I am exhausted trying to keep up with this thread.

Let us know how doggie training goes. Mine still has all the bad habits that he went in with - barks at birds, dogs, rabbits, planes, cars, people, the furnace starting, full moon, north star. Good thing he only weighs 10 pounds.

Good Morning Team Donald!

I see we have a bunch of early risers on this team that I had better get posting my QOTD earlier!

I know that when I am training and working out, if I really want to push past a difficult point I turn to music. Last night I was trying to find ideas for a new playlist on my iPod because I am bored of the one I have been using. I came across this information:

Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue and boredom.

“People exercise longer and more vigorously to music!”

Working with a trainer who pushes you is ideal, but when exercising without a partner music can do that too.

Consider creating an exercises playlist on your iPod or MP3 player especially for your program.

Make a playlist filled with music that you reserve listening to and look forward to hearing when you workout next.

Saturday's QOTD: Do you have a playlist of music that you use to help motivate you? If you do, share some of your favorite songs to work out to.

I listen to Pandora Radio a lot when walking - the exercise stations. or the Adult contemporary stations.

On my iPod I have, this will age me - a lot of Disco It's Raining Men, I Will Survive, Hot, Hot, Hot, Donna Summer, Billy Idol, U2, the Pogues, the Cranberries, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Sprintstein.

This thread is overwhelming! And I haven't even started classes back yet, just the kids are back in school.

I actually just use Pandora on my phone if I'm out or on the Roku if I'm home. I almost always listen to the 80s pop channel or the Glee channel. Among my fitness related purchases this year will be the premium upgrade to get rid of the ads, but they're really not that frequent or annoying.

I love Pandora. I'm a decade behind you!!! Listen to the 70's or Adult contemporary.

Good Morning! I love to workout to any upbeat songs. A few of my favorites are Single Ladies by Beyonce and California Girls by Katy Perry. I used to go to Zumba classes and we would dance to So What by Pink, that's fun! Also in Zumba I learned who Pitbull was! His music always gets me going too. The only problem is that I tend to want to stop and dance! hahaha!! I'm actually a country music gal, but I love dancey pop music to work out too. I look forward to other suggestions

I should add some Latin music. I have Satellite radio and love the latin channel.

I dont have a playlist as yet but I am starting to make one for use at the gym
I was thinking of some Rocky music-"eye of the tiger type thing" but at the minute maybe Gloria Gaynor "I will survive!" would be more appropriate

I love that song!!!

Hello Team Donald!!

My name is Karen and I am from New Jersey! This is my third BL challenge (I took a hiatus last summer/fall and have returned!!) and I have really missed you guys!! So hello to my new and old friends

To give you all some background...I have struggled with my weight all my life and about seven months ago was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I have been gluten free (GF) for about 6 months. I'm excited to also begin weight watchers (for the third time) at the end of the month. I know with your support I will make my GOAL....I want to make my goal weight by the time I turn 40 (1 1/2 years from now.)

So, I look forward to learning more about all of you and thank you in advance for all of your support on my journey to being healthy!

Happy Weekend!

Welcome back.

Had a minor panic today as I took my son to a party and while I kept track of what I ate (not much) I was worried that it would add up to too much to allow me a decent dinner tonight
Thankfully it wasnt as bad calorie-wise as I thought
Have to say I kept thinking of you guys and asking myself what you'd do and it really helped discourage me from tucking into all the sweets and cakes
So thanks everyone

Don't panic!!! Just count it and move on. How's it feel to have Team Doanld sitting on your shoulder??

Janis

 

[bellebookworm9]

Every little bit counts, Jen - those 30 minutes are more than some people did! And tomorrow is a new day - your slate is clean.

At one point over the summer I went out for a really, really slow jog. I was only able to do about 1.25 miles before I couldn't breathe. But I came on here and said that, and someone reminded me that at least I got out there and how many other people do I know that jogged for over a mile that day?

Actually, DH and I are considering FL. Where are you located/which county? DH finishes school for respiratory therapy in Jan 2013, so my aunt who lives in Lady Lake, FL says that all those retirees need health care lol.

Although I think I want to focus in peds Audiology, geriatric audiology might not be a bad idea especially if I stay in Florida!

u
1)I have yet to take the "before Photos". Too scarey to even contemplate getting someone to take them and havent figured out hoe to do it myself without the flash going off in the mirror

If your camera has a self-portrait timer option of some sort on it, use that. In July when I put on my new bikini, I set the camera to 10 second timer, then placed it on top of our entertainment center (a dresser would work well too).

PS, if anyone needs a little extra motivation today (or at any point, really!) go to YouTube and search for a video called Jessica's Daily Affirmation. It's totally safe for work (no curse words, violence, etc) and always gives me a little boost when I watch it. Plus it's cute and funny!

This video is always so awesome!

Hi Nicole! Welcome to the BL challenge! You are here with a great group of ladies. And I'm sure with all of the Disney marathon experiences you have, you will have plenty in common with several of them. One of "our" girls is starting the college program this month (Gretchen) so I'm sure she will have plenty of advise to give. She has a blog about her experiences through the interview process, etc. that you should check out!

Thanks for advertising my blog! Hi Nicole, if you have any questions feel free to PM me and check out the blog-it's pretty detailed and will have even more details soon-I leave in two days!

I live and work in Hillsborough County where Tampa is located. We are the 8th largest school district in the nation. I think we always have openings because we are so big. Only 1 - 1.25 hours from WDW. I have lived here for 17 years. I love it.

I think I was looking at that county when I was still majoring in speech path. I believe it has one of the best Speech Path mentor programs in the country or something.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I've heard this quote before with no memory of where, but I love it!

Now that I am pretty well at maintenance, my ANCHOR is my new self.... my new body.... my new confidence!! I wake up nearly EVERY DAY amazed that I can pull a pair of size 4 or 6 pants from the closet or a size small top and pull it on without any problem. I can wear my DD's clothes.... I can fit in an airplane seat and a movie theater seat or a tight restaurant booth without even sucking in my stomach. I can run (when I choose to ), I can lift weights, I can dance and jump and take the stairs instead of the elevator. I can meet new people without fearing what they are thinking about this fat lady that they are meeting! I can walk into a classroom to teach and not worry that the kids are snickering about me behind my back. I can meet my kids' friends and my DH's coworkers and not worry that I am an embarrassment.

Pamela, these are some very inspiring things that I myself am looking forward to but didn't even realize it.

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

That's great!

Then the next night I looked at my ipod ... I had it on SHUFFLE!

Oh gosh, I did this with the Harry Potter audio books over the summer. I had already read them many times before, but this is certainly a more portable option. But I was listening to the Sorcerer's Stone and couldn't figure out why it was so out of order...der, it was on shuffle!

Lindsay, I love the team song!

And now that I've helped increase your post count, I'm going back to my own thread.

 

[buzz5985]

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

Thank You for this challenge!


Good luck everyone. Celebrate the small victories because they can turn in to large ones!

Now that's an accomplishment!!!! Great job. I bought a pair of pants that are a "smidge" too tight to wear to work. Your post gives me hope!!!

We Will Rock You = Queen!!! That's definately a good one

Awesome song!!! DS 15's favorite.

Good Evening Team Donald! First I have to say that I feel like I was a bad coach today. We went to DD's dance competition and I thought I would have internet access to keep up with things today but for some reason I could not connect. So, I am sorry I was out of touch today. I will be catching up here and doing some other computer work for a while. I think tonight DH and I are going to try to watch a movie together.

No such thing as a bad coach!!! Did you watch a good movie?? We watched Rocky Horror Picture Show. We were telling DS15 about going into Cambridge in the late 70's early 80's when the people dressed in the parts etc. He was horrified. Mom and Dad out being wild??? Come on now -say it's not true. If he only knew.

I fixed this for dinner tonight. It was very good!

http://skinnytaste.ziplist.com/reci...ntent=skinnytaste&raw_body=&theme=skinnytaste

Just printed it out. I had a recipe that called for grape tomatoes in it. I couldn't believe how much extra flavor the tomatoes have after they are heated. Wow!!!

Hello everyone,
It's your friendly weight-keeper here

Weigh-ins have been coming in like crazy, so I don't have much time to post and read replies, but I will respond to a PM if you need me.

My goal is to post on here, so it's easier for some to just click the send a private message link in my name to send your weigh-ins.

People have been doing great and we're off to a wonderful start. Some people have inspired me to kick my butt even more next week, so it's great for me as well.

Right now, Team Donald is in the lead, but not by much. I am still missing weigh-ins from 33 Team Mickey participants and 30 Team Donald participants, so please keep them coming

You have until Monday night at 7 PM EST to send them to me before I post the week's results.

Have a great Sunday everyone

I hope we win!!! I hope we win!!!

Last I checked we were doing really well in terms of posts, although Team Mickey was commenting on it (I check out that thread as well for ideas and motivation). Sorry I wasn't able to help with the losses, but I think I will be able to produce one next Friday .

Carol

I noticed some of the comments also. Especially the ones claiming we have more posts due to snarkiness. I was actually a little insulted by that remark, but I understand that it's hard to understand intentions in posts due to the fact you can't read body language, etc. so I got over that very quickly by remembering my Action Plan, remembering there are obstacles to overcome, my anchor - oh my anchor - my compass - please show me the way to victory.

Team
Donald
You
ROCK!!!


Janis

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

You did great and going into a place with food when you just cant plan ahead is very unsettling. Glad we were able to help you through it.

Thanks I was amazed at how much it helped knowing that I'm not the onlly one facing challenges while trying to lose weight The fact that we have to send in our weights and be held accountable had a bit of influence too because I didnt want to look badl

I was even feeling so good for Zumba that I stood in the front row. I just feel the closer I am to the instructor the better the workout. I was a bit self concious to start but then I was like who cares. It was such an awesome workout today.

You are a brave lady. So glad to hear you are becoming more confident (I'm normally hiding in the back)

Then as I was leaving the gym there were bball games going on and our community center team was playing a team from where I grew up. (30min away). Well I was walking out and I ran into a guy I dated in highschool. Does anyone else hate when this happens. I was a bit embarressed because 1. I was all sweaty, hair a mess, and red in the face from zumba but 2. I am probably 65lbs heavier. The guy never meant much to me but I have not been able to shrug the feeling of being ashamed of myself.

We all feel like this from time to time For me I normally bump into people when I've run to get groceries last minute and have no make-up on, need my hair cut/coloured, and generally look like a dogs dinner At least you were exercising and getting healthier. Think of the shock he'll get when you bump into him a year from now and look fit and slim

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

Thank You for this challenge!


Good luck everyone. Celebrate the small victories because they can turn in to large ones!

LOVE THIS

Don't panic!!! Just count it and move on. How's it feel to have Team Doanld sitting on your shoulder??
Feels pretty good thanks I actually feel much more part of a team than I thought I would if that makes any sense I really want to do well but I really, really want you guys to do well too

Janis

At one point over the summer I went out for a really, really slow jog. I was only able to do about 1.25 miles before I couldn't breathe. But I came on here and said that, and someone reminded me that at least I got out there and how many other people do I know that jogged for over a mile that day?

Well done


If your camera has a self-portrait timer option of some sort on it, use that. In July when I put on my new bikini, I set the camera to 10 second timer, then placed it on top of our entertainment center (a dresser would work well too).

Thanks for this. I will have to check

Now that's an accomplishment!!!! Great job. I bought a pair of pants that are a "smidge" too tight to wear to work. Your post gives me hope!!!

I have a range of clothes in my wardrobe- everything from a size 8 to 16! A girl can dream

I hope we win!!! I hope we win!!!

Me too. Me too!

I noticed some of the comments also. Especially the ones claiming we have more posts due to snarkiness. I was actually a little insulted by that remark, but I understand that it's hard to understand intentions in posts due to the fact you can't read body language, etc. so I got over that very quickly by remembering my Action Plan, remembering there are obstacles to overcome, my anchor - oh my anchor - my compass - please show me the way to victory.

Keep up the positive attitude and dont worry what others say

Team
Donald
You
ROCK!!!

YES WE DO
Janis

 

[donac]

Good Sunday morning everyone.

I had a great relaxing day yesterday. My stomach is still a little off but it is getting better every day.

Today is church and then grocery shopping. Dh will be watching the Giants game at 1. We need to have an early dinner since dh has a Eagle Board of Review at 6 (yes 6) and that will be at least an hour if not two so better to eat early than to wait.

I didn't do too much yesterday. I started to clean out some boxes from my basement. I have a bag full of yarn for the art class at school. I have another box full of things that are ALMOST finished.

Today I need to clean out the frig when I get home and put in all the healthy food I plan to buy. I almost have my breakfast and lunches planned out. Just dinners to plan out before I go.

Off to get ready for church.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[mikamah]

I actually don't have a playlist. I have found that I am very successful when I have a book on my ipod or a MP3 "book on tape" from my library.

I have a really funny story about this ... my son works at the library and picked up my reserved copy of Steven King's newest book called 11/22/63 ... which was on Cds that are made to transfer digitally to your ipod through your computer. Anyway, this was the first time I tried to do this. I had been walking/running for about 5 days (an hour each day) and listening to the book.

My son asked me ... "How is that book? There is a long reserve list for it and I'm interested to know what it is about." I told him I was having a lot of trouble following it. I know the character traveled in time and I was hearing parts of the story ... but I wasn't putting it together. I also daydream sometimes and lose track of the story when walking ... but usually, I can figure it out. But I was just having one heck of a time getting into this story.

Then the next night I looked at my ipod ... I had it on SHUFFLE! I told my son and he almost wet his pants laughing so hard. Now that I am listening to it in the correct order ... the story is great! And I look forward to hearing the next part of the story when I am exercising.

Maybe this is why I don't have a playlist or an Ipod. I'm so not tech savvy.

Congrats on the loss, I am exhausted trying to keep up with this thread.

Let us know how doggie training goes. Mine still has all the bad habits that he went in with - barks at birds, dogs, rabbits, planes, cars, people, the furnace starting, full moon, north star. Good thing he only weighs 10 pounds.

LOL on the thread. It's a busy place here. It went well yesterday. There are 4 dogs, Poko is the youngest, the oldest was 3. Poko was pretty good, and she already knew how to sit, and did well with learning the watch me gesture. They are using clickers/treats to train, and I think it will be good to have ds and I using the same basic commands. One guy there had a spray bottle and sprayed his dog when he barked.

I was a bit annoyed at Ryans basketball game. It is an instructional league for 1st-4th grade. The teams are mixed and up until this point during games the older kids would play against each other for half of the time and then the younger kids would play against each other for the other half. They dont keep score so its non-competitive but for some reason today the coach decided to just sparatically put the kids in here and there. Ryan got about 3min of playing time total. Normally I would just shrug it off, Im not that kind of parent but the coach has irked me from day one. I worked off the stress at Zumba though and felt much more relaxed afterward.

I was even feeling so good for Zumba that I stood in the front row. I just feel the closer I am to the instructor the better the workout. I was a bit self concious to start but then I was like who cares. It was such an awesome workout today.

Then as I was leaving the gym there were bball games going on and our community center team was playing a team from where I grew up. (30min away). Well I was walking out and I ran into a guy I dated in highschool. Does anyone else hate when this happens. I was a bit embarressed because 1. I was all sweaty, hair a mess, and red in the face from zumba but 2. I am probably 65lbs heavier. The guy never meant much to me but I have not been able to shrug the feeling of being ashamed of myself.

That is so frustrating about the coaching. It's hard to figure out what to do sometimes in those situations, especially if it's a volunteer coach. I wrote an email to michael's baseball coach last year about some attitude stuff, but never sent it, and I think that was the best decision.
I bet that guy thought you looked hot and is still kicking himself for letting you get away!!!

I just had to come on real quick because I had a Non Scale Victory. I bought a couple of pairs of size 20 jeans & XL shirts w/o trying them on to motivate be to get to the next smaller size. And I came home and tried everything on to see how close I was... AND EVERYTHING FIT!!!!! Just the small weight loss in this first week has already gotten me to a size that I havent been in 10 years!

Thank You for this challenge!


Good luck everyone. Celebrate the small victories because they can turn in to large ones!

Whoo hoo!! Congratulations!!!

Good Evening Team Donald! First I have to say that I feel like I was a bad coach today. We went to DD's dance competition and I thought I would have internet access to keep up with things today but for some reason I could not connect. So, I am sorry I was out of touch today. I will be catching up here and doing some other computer work for a while. I think tonight DH and I are going to try to watch a movie together.

You have been an awesome coach. Hope dd had fun and did well at her competition and you enjoyed some movie time with dh.

So we went to eat with my inlaws who insisted that we go to this place that is a bar/eatery aka. hole in the wall dingy place that apparently serves the best burgers ever. So we did, feeling a bit wierd taking my kids there but it was 4pm. I ate small for breakfast and lunch and did 60 min of zumba so I had a little over 1,000 calories saved for dinner. I ate half of the burger which actually was made with 90/10 beef. (yes I asked and embarressed my dh). It was not greasy at all so I believe them. I had a small handful of fries and 2 mozzerella sticks. It wasnt a healthy dinner but it was within my calories and all I dranks was water. Lots of it. I was kind of rushing us out of there because the bar was getting filled with some odd looking characters and this one couple was really 3 sheets to the wind. So we paid the bill and left.

As we are walking to our car I notice the drunk couple getting in a car. I couldnt believe that I saw this visibly drunk lady behind the wheel. I almost went over to tell her to give me her keys but I guess I just couldnt get up the nerve. So we tried to wait until they left. We started backing out as they did so we backed way up the street. This lady backed out fairly slowly and than slammed on the gas probably not know she didnt switch it to drive and slammed into a truck. She then drove off. We got her plate numbers. Went into the bar and they found the owner of the truck. We called 911. Waited for like 25min because the cops I guess tried to find this car. They finally showed up and unfortunately hadnt. Apparently a bunch of people knew this couple but it was like no one really could stand them and only knew them from coming to the bars. They said the couple was planning on bar hopping all night and were headed to the next bar. So they told the cop where to look for them. Now if/when they find her my husband will most likely have to testify that it was the women that he had seen visibly intoxicated and smash into the car. Uggh. Apparently the people who knew of them said the man no longer could drive because he has had dui's and has been sentenced for vehicular homicide while driving drunk before. They think she had dui's as well. I mean how stupid are you. I know we did the right thing by calling the police but yet I hate to get ourselves involved in these things.

So that was my eventful evening. At least it wasnt our car they crashed into I guess it could have been worse.

I knew there was a reason I wanted to stay home tonight.

Good job on the eating!! and on the drunk people. So frustrating that people are still so stupid sometimes.

Hello everyone,
It's your friendly weight-keeper here

Weigh-ins have been coming in like crazy, so I don't have much time to post and read replies, but I will respond to a PM if you need me.

My goal is to post on here, so it's easier for some to just click the send a private message link in my name to send your weigh-ins.

People have been doing great and we're off to a wonderful start. Some people have inspired me to kick my butt even more next week, so it's great for me as well.

Right now, Team Donald is in the lead, but not by much. I am still missing weigh-ins from 33 Team Mickey participants and 30 Team Donald participants, so please keep them coming

You have until Monday night at 7 PM EST to send them to me before I post the week's results.

Have a great Sunday everyone

Thank you Sue for all your hard work with this busy challenge. Hope you had a good week!!

Hey friends! No time to read and reply this morning, but I at least wanted to say hi! I had a good weigh-in yesterday and was pleased to see so many holiday pounds kicked to the curb! I am hoping and praying that you all had similar (or better) news with the scale yesterday!

Yesterday was a looooooong day of sitting. DD had her civics class competition at the Legislative building in Concord, NH yesterday. It was an all-day event. Sadly, they did not win, so no trip to Washington in April.

Then the evening was a quick grocery stop and some more waiting for DD at swim practice. We didn't really think she would make it, so we threw the bag in the car as an afterthought. I didn't even bother to bring my workout clothes. Then I was wishing I had. Oh well. I walked outside several blocks to find some lunch (rather than move the car) in the afternoon and then killed an hour walking around a museum, so at least I got a bit of movement in!!

Today is DS's basketball game at 10:30 and DD's swim meet at noon. It slated to last 10 hours!! I work the timing system/computer, so I can't just leave, but it is a distance meet and I will have some long breaks during the 500 yard and 1 mile swim heats. So I will at least be able to get up and walk around!

Off to make breakfast for the family. See you tomorrow.................P

Hope it was a great day for ds and dd, and not to painfully long for you, my friend.

On a side note, my DS4 woke up this morning talking about some "orange bowl that changes food" and he needed to find it. I have no idea what he's talking about, but he goes to the kitchen gets his step stool and starts trying to search the cupboards for it... He comes out all upset cuz he can't reach all of them so I take him in there and let him stand on the counter to look in each and EVERY cupboard. All the while I'm asking him if he's sure we have it, because I don't think we do and finally he tells me "I saw it in my dreams and its REAL!" So I explained to him that not everything in our dreams is real, and we don't have an "orange bowl that changes food," but if he sees it at the store to let me know and we'll look at getting it.

Love it.

Good Morning! I love to workout to any upbeat songs. A few of my favorites are Single Ladies by Beyonce and California Girls by Katy Perry. I used to go to Zumba classes and we would dance to So What by Pink, that's fun! Also in Zumba I learned who Pitbull was! His music always gets me going too. The only problem is that I tend to want to stop and dance! hahaha!! I'm actually a country music gal, but I love dancey pop music to work out too. I look forward to other suggestions

My son has changed the words to single ladies when we walk the dog to "all the single puppies, all the single puppies, if you like it you better put a leash on it, if you like it you better put a leash on it" and ruff, ruff, thrown in there too.

Jumping in to say I did my weigh in today and am happy it is the same as before Christmas. I didn't join in time for last week's starting weight, so this is the first time I've stepped on a scale since November.

Unfortunately the weigh in may have been helped by the nasty flu bug which hit my house on Wed night. My 10 yo DD started her puking marathon at 6pm, my 6yoDD joined in at 11pm and I started at 3am, which meant a really crappy time for the whole house. Luckily DH didn't get it, and we are all over it now.

Going to try a "belly fit" class today.
Have a busy weekend, with both girls indoor soccer, 2 birthday parties and taking down the Christmas decorations.

Whoo!! Great job gettin grid of the holiday weight even if you had a little flu help. Glad you are all better.

Hello Team Donald!!

My name is Karen and I am from New Jersey! This is my third BL challenge (I took a hiatus last summer/fall and have returned!!) and I have really missed you guys!! So hello to my new and old friends

To give you all some background...I have struggled with my weight all my life and about seven months ago was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. I have been gluten free (GF) for about 6 months. I'm excited to also begin weight watchers (for the third time) at the end of the month. I know with your support I will make my GOAL....I want to make my goal weight by the time I turn 40 (1 1/2 years from now.)

So, I look forward to learning more about all of you and thank you in advance for all of your support on my journey to being healthy!

Happy Weekend!

Hi Karen! I've missed you. Hope you are doing well, and looking forward to sitting on our porches this spring while we dis in the warm sunshine. Though yesterday we could have been out there, it was beautiful here.

Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue and boredom.

“People exercise longer and more vigorously to music!”

Working with a trainer who pushes you is ideal, but when exercising without a partner music can do that too.

Consider creating an exercises playlist on your iPod or MP3 player especially for your program.

Make a playlist filled with music that you reserve listening to and look forward to hearing when you workout next.

Saturday's QOTD: Do you have a playlist of music that you use to help motivate you? If you do, share some of your favorite songs to work out to.

I don't use music when I walk/run or have an ipod. I'm so behind the times. I just got a phone that can text. lol. Often I walk with ds on his bike, and now we have the dog, so we're walking her. Even when I'm alone, I enjoy the quiet and watching the scenery.

Biggest challenge at the moment is that my beloved dog Molly is very sick. She is currently undergoing blood transfusions for anemia. It just came on so fast, she was fine at Christmas and New Year's Day and now she is not well at all.

When I get stressed and upset I eat crap to make me feel better. Part of the reason I gained weight in the first place when my dad was ill and died when I started college.

Not a good way to start the year.

I hope she does ok.

Good morning everyone!!

I had a successful shopping trip yesterday, and truly did not bring home any junk. I almost bought chips, salt and vinegar for ds, because I don't like that flavor, but remember the words of wisdom from Pamela in the past, and he doesn't need them either, so I didn't. I did pick up half a rollup of buffalo chicken salad, and that was my splurge. I made a big salad for my dinner, and ds had leftover steak/potato puff and carrots. I put avocado, grapes, strawberries in the salad. I try to add different things to make salads more interesting and it defintely helps.

I got to get the dog out for her walk now. She's getting a little frisky.

Have a great sunday!!

 

[jenanderson]

Good Morning Team Donald!

On Friday, I asked you about your plans for having a successful weekend because we all know that when we plan ahead, we are more likely to stay with those plans.

Sunday's QOTD: Now that it is Sunday, what are you doing to plan for the week? Do you have everything you need to make good meals for the week? Will you be cooking things today to make it easier during the week?

 

[jenanderson]

Sunday's QOTD: Now that it is Sunday, what are you doing to plan for the week? Do you have everything you need to make good meals for the week? Will you be cooking things today to make it easier during the week?

I see that my usual group of early rise and shine sort of people were up well before me again! Hopefully during the week I will be ale to get the QOTD posted earlier!

My plan for today is to take and finish planning out my meals for the week. I had started it but didn't finish it. Then, I will need to get to the grocery store. One of the things I am doing for this week is to make the one of the WW zero point soups so that I have a good lunch all week long. It will help me because I want to try to add some exercising in before school (that means at 5 AM ) and I won't have to worry about taking the time to do it if I know my lunch is already made. I have also looked at the calendar and realize that our dinner on Tuesday night needs to be fast and easy. I think I will cut up some chicken today so that it is all ready to be made into a low fat chicken strip recipe that I have. Anything I can do today with food make the week easier will help keep me on plan and that is one of the most important steps for me.