Morning friends! I read and tried to reply on my Ipad earlier this morning, but I can't do replies well, so I gave up. Then it was time to get the kids out the door (another two hour delay day due to ice/snow). So here I am.... better late than never!
Before I sign off this thread for the night I had a couple of quick messages...
First - I have really enjoyed coaching this week and thank all of you for joining in.
Next - No matter what happens tomorrow, you all have done great this week simply by being here. Everyone here inspires me to keep going every day.
Remember to send your weight to Sue (Dvccruiser76) tomorrow and let her know that you are on Team Donald.
If you took part in the HH challenge, remember to send your numbers to (cclovesdis). If you haven't taken part in the HH challenge...consider giving it a try!
Thanks to Rose for volunteering to be our coach this next week. Rose - You always have so much good advice and I look forward to following along with you in the lead!
That's it from me for tonight! Thanks again everyone!
Jen
BIG thanks to you for being our coach and being so encouraging!
I don't know if anyone saw the following. I saw it on Twitter. (who knew twitter could be so informative??) It is written by a past contestant from the BL - Shay Sorrell. She was, if I remember correctly, one of the biggest contestants. Subway offered her money to continue on her journey $1000/pound. She lost 52 pounds, and they renewed the offer. But we never saw her again. It's a very informative read - especially for those struggling.
http://shaysorrells.tumblr.com/post/15124727656/the-seven-biggest-mistakes-i-made-after-loser
Janis
I took a moment earlier this morning to read the link. I agree with most everything she said. Most of losing weight is kind of a "no brainer".... eat less and move more is the most basic instruction. But of course, the "eating less" includes measuring/weighing your portions and journaling your foods, both of which she mentioned.
I disagree that someone is either built to be a runner or they're not. Sure, some people find it comes more naturally and such, but short of physical impairments, EVERYONE can be a runner to one degree or another!
It was nice of her to put herself out there like that to try to help others. I am so sorry that she has continued to struggle with her weight loss journey. Makes me want to reach out and give her a hug. I mean, let's face it. IF she couldn't/wouldn't do it for the BL and she couldn't/wouldn't do it for the cash that Subway offered, obviously she has more than the average struggle with it. Heck, for the right amount of cash I could end up looking like SKELETOR!!
Healthy Habits Week 3: Kilimanjaro Safaris®
Believe it or not, I am old enough to remember WDW not having Animal Kingdom. I don’t remember much about my first trip, but somehow, I never forget a safari. I think it’s the surprise element. I may know the story of saving an elephant, but you never know which animals you will see. Will the elephant be laying down or eating upright? What will the lion be doing? Will I even see her? This week, our Healthy Habits help us prepare for surprises.
This week’s 4 Habits are:
1. No matter what, it seems that water is essential. It comes in handy to be hydrated when something involving alcohol takes you off guard. Your “habit” is to drink a total of 64 oz. of water during the day. You can count up to 8 oz. of tea or coffee toward your total for the day.
2. A lion just showed up at your house! Well, he or she isn’t a lion, but you do have to feed the person and you suddenly have a 4th meal on your plate. A quick check of your journal will help you know how many calories, points, etc. you can safely eat for the day. Recording what one eats and portion control are huge in weight loss and valuable habits to have. This week, write down everything you eat as well as the portion size AND one nutritional aspect. (Example: I had ½ cup of plain uncooked oatmeal, cooked in ½ cup of nonfat milk, with 1 tablespoon of walnuts and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and that totals 350 calories.)
3. People have found that protein keeps you feeling full. To keep the munchies at bay during an unexpected event, this week, your “habit” is to have 2 servings of protein each day. Use your plan to determine what counts as a serving.
4. After some twists in your schedule, you deserve a break. Spend some time relaxing each day.
Mini-Challenges
1. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight:” For at least 2 nights, get 8 hours of sleep.
2. Run! Run! Poachers to Catch! This mini-challenge is exercising. Exercise for at least 30 minutes total on at least 3 days this week..
Please feel free to PM me with any questions or ask on the thread!
Ooooh..... I can't wait to make sure that I accomplish the "sleep 8 hours" habit! That has been a real problem for me lately.... mostly because of DD's schedule and some issues with night sweats waking me up. I'm going to aim for a definite 8 hours at least ONCE over the weekend. Won't be tonight though.... DD's swim meet will probably keep me out until 11pm and I have to have her at the pool by 5:45 am tomorrow morning.
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"!
WOOHOO! DD and I had a great time this morning imagining you doing that job!! What a great chance to start peoples' day at Disney just right..... With a big smile and a greeting of "Have a magical day!" Can't wait to hear all about it!
Its so weird how one little thing can ruin your whole day. I will be starting part time at work next week, because i'm going back to school full time. When you are part time you are not garunteed any amount of hours each week, but i had talked to my boss and i thought she would be giving me at least 25 a week, after all i have put in 3 years at the place and im a hard worker and bend over backwards for them. I thought we had aggreed that i would work 4 days a week. well i caught a glimpse of next weeks schedule and im only on for 3 days. i mean, its starting already im really nervous as to whats going to happen now that i cant garuntee hours.
i feel like im under a lot of pressure and stress, because my parents are helping me out so i can go back to school full time but my parents are not very well off with money and my mom wants me to work at least 25 hours and ive explained to her that i cant force them to give me hours once im full time. theres also the expectation of taking 5 classes, needing to get A's in everything plus still working 4 days a week. I'm just feeling pressure on both sides and its so stressful
I had plans to come home tonight and get some stuff done, plans to get up a go to yoga tomorrow and go running and now i just feel so blah. also all of a sudden its 11 o clock which is mind boggling to me. tomorrow i'm going to make some meal plans for the week even if it kills me
Sorry about this. And I'm sure in the current economy and job market there isn't any chance of finding something else?? Or even putting the pressure on them to give you more hours. Good luck.
Good Friday morning everyone. We made it through the week. I will weigh in later. I had a big drop last week and don't expect too much this week. That is the way my body works.
Me too.
I am hoping the weather today is okay for no delays for ds2. He is flying in and should be back in jersey around noon. His brother is picking him up.
Hoping and praying that you are getting rain and not this sleet/ice/snow stuff we are experiencing right now. Prayers for safe travels continue.
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.
Off to get ready for school.
Have a happy and healthy day.
Dona... sorry about DH's issues. I will definitely say some prayers for him over the weekend. Keep us informed.
I am posting my weight publicly because I am at the airport headed to DISNEYLAND!!!
(249 lbs)
Good Luck everyone!!!
Wow.... SUPER JEALOUS about DL! Enjoy your trip!
Good Morning all you Losers!
Happy Friday the 13th!!!
My name is Rose
and I am your coach for this week. I have been doing the challenges since January of 2010 and have lost and kept off ~50 pounds. I am attempting again to see if I can get down to my high school/college weight. I have about 7 pounds to go. I even wore Janis' hat for a while and hosted 2 or 3 challenges--I can't remember how many! A little about me, I have never followed a formal plan, but work very hard at portion control and exercise. I do count calories on occasion (I go through phases where I'll do it for a couple weeks and then back off for a while) and love myfitnesspal. I am 44 and can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life, so for all you over 40s, yes you can lose weight and build muscle after 40.
I have been gluten free since February of 2011. It was pretty emotional for me, but we'll talk about that later this week. I have been a vegetarian since 2009, but since going gluten free occasionally cheat a tiny bit with of all things hot dogs--it's a sickness, I know.
I also don't get as hung up on some things like gelatin or making sure the cheese is vegetarian, though I do make the effort. The reality is that being gluten free is challenging and being a vegetarian can be a little challenging when traveling, so combine the two and it makes for fun sometimes!
Ok, enough about me!
Thanks for the mini-bio! Nice reminder that us ladies over 40 can totally ROCK IT!!
Here's the QOTD! Someone please tell me if I repeat a QOTD--I did not see an archive, and I swear I still have brain fog sometimes!
I tend to ask multi-part questions that are all related. Please feel free to pick and choose what you want to answer.
Kind of my fault about the QOTD archive. I had totally anticipated having time during the holidays to get it caught up and never got to it. So sorry.
QOTD, Friday January 13th!--Congratulations you have made it two weeks!! What has been the most challenging part of these two weeks? Think about previous attempts at getting healthy. What has been the thing that made you quit or fall of the wagon?
bonus QOTD: Are you superstitious? It is Friday the 13th afterall!
BBL with replies!
Well.... these past two weeks have been challenging because of so much chaos in the house, what with the post-holiday clean up, swim season craziness, snowboarding lessons starting up, mid-terms approaching, and the new carpet installation and of course all of the disruption that it caused. It has been difficult to get back into the "normal" routine of advanced meal planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. And of course, we all know.... "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I need to make it a PRIORITY to get my meal planning done for at least the remainder of January!!
The thing that always made me fail in the past was the same as many of you have mentioned.... that "one bad decision" makes it a slippery slope to fall down to making more bad decisions. One unexpected splurge on pizza or sweets induces that mentality of "well, I've failed again.... might as well give up." And even now, after 4 years, it still seems like I take three steps forward and then one (or two) step(s) back. But as long as the majority of my progress is in the right direction, I am doing okay!
And I will NEVER give up!!!!!!!!!
Not particularly superstitious, but it is fun to talk about. DD has a swim meet tonight and is hoping to make several State finals times.... if she does then I think that Friday the 13th will probably be a lucky day for her going forward!
The thing that makes me fall of the wagon is one bad meal. After I get off track, I just tell myself that I ruined it and give up. Then I pig out. Not this time! I ate Little Caesar's last night, so today I brough healthy cereal and yogurt for breakfast (I eat at work) and a salad for lunch. Back on track!
GREAT!!
I guess I am a little superstitious, but not too extreme. I didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th lol. I was preoocupied with this horrible wind we are having. Wind chill has us in the negatives and the snow is still coming. I don't think we'll get much, but it's blowing like crazy. No school delays around western PA or eastern OH.
YIKES! I hate negative wind chill!!
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I have to go PM CC and Sue, so I'll be back later to check in. Have a great Friday everyone!
Jill
Thank you, Jen for coaching this past week. You did an amazing job keeping up with all the posts this very busy week, especially with all you have going on too. Loved your questions, and I do plan to catch up properly this weekend.
You've been missed, but we understand!
3 day weekend!! First priority, putting christmas stuff away, second, catch up here.
Glad you've got your priorities straight!!
Welcome coach
Rose!! Thank you for coaching the week ahead!!
I've had a good week and am happy to see the scale down 1.4 pounds and down to 209.2. I swear that that I am saying goodbye to the 210s for the very last time. I'm am feeling in a pretty good place emotionally right now, and know that is a huge part of my success or failure with weight loss, so I'm determined to keep up with this healthy living.
WOOHOOO and GOOD-BYE to the 210's!!!!!!!
I know there's been talk of running, and I picked up new runnign shoes this week, my others were over a year old, which is way too old, and this morning I ran/walked and it felt great. I haven't done any running to speak of since the fall, so I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I ran a min/'walk a min for most of our walk, and then did a couple of 5 min running intervals, and it felt great. I'm looking forward to getting out there again, and my long term goal is to do another disney half in 2014 for my 50th bday.
Hey.... that is the same year I turn 50!! Not planning on running a half or anything, but I could come cheer you on!!
So if you need new shoes, go on out and get them. You deserve it, and it makes a huge difference.
Good luck to everyone on the scale this morning. Hope you see good numbers, and if not, remember it is just a number, and the healthy changes we've made are really what matters and what makes the difference.
Have a fantastic friday the 13th!!!!!!!! I'm selectively superstitious. I only believe in the good ones.
Thanks for the good wishes and good words!
My biggest challenge is not going out to eat! We would go out for dinner 7 days a week if it wasn't for me being on a diet. Which is part of the reason I am the size I am. So when I am on a diet it is quite a life style change for us. So it is hard to fall into a routine where I have to cook everyday. But I am doing GREAT so far and I love how much more energetic I am feeling, and I just feel better about myself for doing it!!
I'm curious. Are you content to make this "no eating out" a lifestyle change or are you thinking of it as a temporary change? If you are thinking of it as temporary, then perhaps you should continue to try to eat out and LEARN what you can eat and how to order things to fit your healthy eating plan.
I personally don't want to encourage you to eat out frequently.... I think it does make losing weight difficult (too many temptations and too many unknown factors in the food prep, plus the expense), but if it is a lifestyle that your family is happy with, then you need to learn to work with it.
If you want to start eating at home more regularly on a PERMANENT basis, then you need to start getting into a routine.... meal planning, meal prep, healthy recipes that everyone likes, etc.
I'm SO pleased you are able to see the positive changes in your energy already!!
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!
Shannon.... your priorities were in the right place!! We missed you but we understand.
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Well.... happy snowy/rainy/icy Friday. As I mentioned, the kids had another 2 hour delay. The roads were icky at 9:15 when I took them to school, but not unbearable (mostly bad out on the far back roads where I live). Hopefully the weather will clear by mid-afternoon, as DD's swim meet tonight is about 90 minutes north of here.
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!!
I have some phone calls to make, appointments to change, bills to pay, and of course laundry to do (does it EVER end???). Plus I am making up a batch of brown rice for the weekend, so I can make my own BoLoco burrito wraps and bowls this weekend (one of our favorite restaurants!).
Tonight's dinner for us will be sandwiches and leftovers. DD needs to get home, pack up her swim bag and pack a dinner/snacks and be back to the school within 30 minutes!! So I will be pre-packing her food for her. Then I will pack up a picnic dinner for myself to eat on the road on the way to Lebanon, plus some snacks for the evening. Fortunately I hit the grocery earlier this week, so we have some apples, oranges, and other healthy stuff available to pack!
Congratulations to EVERYONE who posted a loss this week! And to those who didn't (including myself).... just keep swimming! It will come eventually!!
I'm off to get some stuff accomplished around here! I'll pop on again after lunch....................P
I can't believe JCPS released 2 hours early!!!!
I ordered a new pair (same brand, just a new pair) and I can pick them up this weekend. Too exciting!
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!!
But I am fortunately finding my spot and patterns finally and I am getting to learn so much!
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. 
