TEAM DONALD--Biggest Loser 11 Spring Team Challenge

[SettinSail]

Good morning Team Donald!

I got a late start to the day thanks to a sheet of ice on the roads.

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

I will be on a little later this morning to reply to some posts from yesterday!

I plan ahead every 3 days. We have to recycle lots of meals here, there are not as many food options as in the US. We still have the same meats, produce, dairy, and sort of similar breads but you can't find things like green chiles, bottled salad dressings, manwich, graham crackers, cream of _____ soup, etc, etc, etc. I am always looking for more recipes to try that just have basic ingredients so we can make it here. We NEVER go out to eat because we do not like most of the food and it's very expensive! Well, we do eat out at Subway on base once a week. Our fridge is so tiny you can't fit much into it hence the every 3 days strategy. Things spoil quicker here too because they do not use as much preservatives as in the US. Alot of things you see at the store looks like its on the verge of spoiling already. It's a constant battle to get the food, cook the food, keep the food fresh, etc, etc. When I'm back at the US, I just marvel at how easy everything is! You don't have to pay for parking, bag your own groceries or pay for your own bags and you can drive everything home in a giant SUV!!!

I always have a frozen pizza in the freezer and some frozen breaded chicken patties for a quick meal if I didn't make it to the store or something else went wrong with a planned meal...

Last night we had a popular meal here - soup and "salad bar".

Shawn

 

[tigger813]

Sorry if your name is missing from the goal list. Some of my columns aren't working. I hope to have the figured out by next week.

Pixie Flip- I do have your goal, it's just not calculating and also could be fom you joining late!

TTFN

 

[lovetoscrap]

Forgot to post this yesterday but Blue Man Group was AMAZING! The words "visual spectacle" don't even begin to describe it. If you ever have a chance to go please take it. So many funny things that were completely unexpected. You know, you are going on and it seems like it is just lights and music and then they do something totally unexpected and absolutely hilarious. And they came out after the show for photos. I think we really made a great memory with my kids.

Okay, I usually wait until waaaaaaaaay past diet week 2 to start dealing with eating out challenges but man, the last few days have been crazy. We went out for Mexican on Saturday night as I posted about. Then after Blue Man on Sunday we went refrigerator shopping and were out so late we were all starving and way too exhausted to cook so we went to our favorite BBQ place that has Prime Rib on Sundays. We were both good, had our steaks with all fat cut off and I had grilled veggies. I told DH that of all the side options there he would be best to get Onion Rings -- I became his hero at that moment! While they weren't an ideal side they were better than french fries or their sugary baked beans and he wouldn't have eaten the veggies. And they made him very, very happy!

Then yesterday I was out shopping so long with DD that we had to grab lunch at Subway. I got a footlong on their flatbread and completely remade my sandwich at the table, piling a little over half of the meat and as much lettuce and tomato I could on to an open faced sandwich with only about 2 inches of the bread.

And now my in-laws are coming to our town today for something (they live about 2 hours away) and invited DH and I out to lunch. We have to meet up near where they will be and there are not many choices there. We have settled on one of our favorite Italian places. DH and I are each going to get a salad and one small cheese pizza to share (and bring some home). We are really trying to change habits and make this a way of life. Acutally taking the time to look at the menus and evaluate what options work best instead of just automatically ordering 'the usual" is a great way to see that even places that have been gut busters in the past do have ways you can enjoy your favorites without it showing on your hips!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"If you can dream it, you can do it" Walt Disney
"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"" (pjilla maybe?)
"food is fuel"
"If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution" (Cam, I think?)
"Do or do not, there is no try".
"don't throw out all the dishes because you broke the plate"
"In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired".
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you have always got"
"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up." Vince Lombardi
"Never, never, never, never give up." Winston Churchill
"You may delay, but time will not" Benjamin Franklin
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt
"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance"Lee Iaccoc
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there!"
Have a great day everyone!

What great quotes! I want to make an inspirational page to put on the refrigerator with all of these. I am also really loving the one that Rose&Mike has repeated from (woofiedoodles?)??? "Hunger is NOT an emergency". I keep repeating that one! I do actually reach a point where it is an emergency-- lightheaded, nauseous, dizzy, shakes and have been known to faint. But unless I reach that point (which is bad and I am stupid for not having eaten!) I go back and look at my journal to see if I have had a good balance of things during the day to see if there is anything I may need -- If I don't get the right balance of carbs/protein then I will feel hungry when I shouldn't. If I have eaten and should be okay I try to get busy and see if the feeling passes.

Good morning friends! Another snow day here in the Poconos. Sleet,ice, snow....the whole enchilada! Congrats to all the losers this week. Keep up the good work. Can anyone explain to me how to do the weight loss ticker and clippie on their signature?? I am TI....technologically impaired.

Check out the FAQ and Video Tutorial links in my siggy. If you can't see them then they are stickied to the top of the Welcome Board-- the first board on the Main Forum page.

Everyone stay safe. Sounds like a whole lot of ice out there.

 

[mom2knk]

So I went and bought my "reward" scale today...

Did not think there would be a 9 lb difference between new scale and old scale...

Not sure I want the new scale

That would be very discouraging...thanks for the warning - no new scale for me!!

Hi Team Donald!
I bought the 30 day shred. I did level 1 tonight.
How does it work? Do you keep doing level 1 until you can add level 2?
Or do you do just level 2 tomorrow?
thanks
Bernie

Get comfortable with level one, then you can switch. If level one didn't challenge you, make the change right away.

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

I don't plan ahead on the weekend. I'm more of a day to day kind of person...

Congrats to all the losers this week! Have a safe day Everyone.

 

[charming23]

Need to play catch up a little

QOTD - Saturday 1/15/2011 - What is your favorite vegetable? Please share your favorite ways of preparing/cooking/eating it! ​

I love zucchini. I used to hat it but now I love it any which way. My favorite though is sliced, marinated in a little italian dressing and grilled on the grill, yum. I also enjoy green peppers and eggplant done this way.

G

QOTD Sunday 1/16/2011 - How do you avoid eating for reasons other than your body being truly hungary?

I try and distract myself with other activities. When I was working full time I always had my iPod with me to listen to music when I felt the urge to nibble. Now I go for a walk or pop in a movie or clean.

QOTD - Monday January 17
What is your favorite way to get yourself back on track?​

I tell myself that everyone has a down day and that I need to suck it up and get back on track. I will also choose an exercise I love, like dance, to get me going again.

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

I plan out menus for the week over the weekend. I plan about 6 meals leaving one night for leftovers. I try not to repeat anything in a 2 week period and have been trying to do one new meal a week.


This weekend was okay. We had lots of company over the weekend and lots of food. I probably could have done better but I am not beating myself up over it. I also did not exercise very much but am ready to get back in today.

Good luck to all for the new week and let's keep up the good work.

 

[Pixieflip]

Pixie Flip- I do have your goal, it's just not calculating and also could be fom you joining late!

TTFN

Awesome! Thanks again for checking!

QOTD: not really good at planning ahead more than a few days. I really need help in this area as I have lost interest in grocery shopping altogether. It used to be so fun, but now it seems like such a chore -nothing to do with our healthier lifestyle changes, just a chore.

I think in general we recycle the same few meals in a week or two. I also keep frozen chicken breasts for last minute needs.

So now you've got me thinking I need to work on this more. Today's goal: plan meals for the next week and shop! Need to shop anyway, so let's make it purposeful. Right? Besides, more snow tomorrow and then I won't be caught short with only bad choices available.

 

[pudge the fish]

Yesterday I was "stuck" going out with work and everyone wanted Wendy's. I know their salads are so high in calories ( except side salads and I know I can't eat most of their lo cal dressings.) So I looked up online my best choices and was able to get a plain baked potato (and eat half) and a small chili.
this weekend we are going to eat out for DS 18th B-day and I already have my meal picked out.

The internet is a good thing when it comes to meal planning!
This week will be rough for me. I have already turned down goodies from the ladies group this morning, Tomorrow is a men's breakfast and they try and bring me leftovers and Thursday is a community meeting and there will be BBQ ribs, slaw, baked beans and everything else bad for a person and tons of desserts. I have to make a dessert- so I think I will make one I don't like or can't eat! Thank goodness I will not have to be back there during lunch time! but the smells will get to me.

 

[jimmduck]

Hi I am a new member.

Just PMed the starting weight - I am, or hope to be, a loser.

I just got back from Disney last week - did the 5k but not very well.

Ran out of gas there big time - nothing can show you how out of shape you are like three days in the parks after a 5k and running around an airport!

Anyway, I am on a two year quest to do a "mini Goofy" (the 5k and half) at Disney in 2013, so this is an appropriate team for me.

Looking forward to sharing and hearing from you all, just give me a couple of days to catch up.

Linda
tinker:

 

[jimmduck]

Also need to get that clippie on...

Linda

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

I usually plan the family meals for a week or 2 at at time. Since doing the no eating out challenge for January I've had to re-access our meals.
I do cycle some through but now that the kids are picking meals 4 days a week they are trying to change it up. We do get into a food slump so it's been nice having them pick stuff. Last week DS14 picked lamb, this week he picked breakfast for dinner.

I have just about come to the conclusion I need to cook something different for myself though. Either a WW frozen dinner or find some kind of meal plan. I hate the idea of cooking something different but at this point I think it will just be easier to get me where I want to be.

 

[Dreamer24]

Rose – thanks for sharing your top list. I actually have a list of reasons written on a piece of paper that I carry with me in my purse. I look at it at least once a day. Maybe it’s time to add to it!

Congratulations to JVK1018 and all of the other losers!

Flipflopmom – thanks for sharing the quotes!

Pudgethe fish – great job turning down the goodies, maybe we should call them baddies!

Welcome Jimtheduck!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

QOTD: I generally only "cook" once a week (on my days off) due to my work location and 95% of the time eating free at work. Which I've found to be good and bad now as I love all the fresh fruit and veggies its hard to choose when I don't know calorie counts I have been going through the menu and choosing what I will eat before its "dinner time" which I found has limited the munchies...


and on a "Go me" moment- I've been feeling very under the weather this week but since it was a "run" day decided to get my 3 miles even if it took all day... I was able to get 5 miles in under 60 min (!) and dont feel worse than I did before

-em

 

[lindseyry]

NOPE! We didn't have a bit of it. We left feeling victorious! We had a great meal and were able to stick to healthy choices.
DH doesn't so he thinks I am crazy but I have read that "asparagus pee" is a very real thing.

Congrats on making great choices! And at a Mexican restaurant, none the less! We did Mexican with friends on Sat night. Our table held four adults and three kids. The waitress brought FOUR baskets of chips. I asked her if she was trying to feed an army. She said they are told to bring a basket of chips for every two people. What is America coming to? I just think its crazy how huge portion sizes have become and how culturally its ok to eat an entire basket of chips before your meal.
My goal was to eat zero chips but I ended up with three. I was happy with that.

Oh, and asparagus pee is a very real thing. For what Ive read it doesn't effect everyone the same. DS4 and I are very effected by it.

QOTD Sunday 1/16/2011 - How do you avoid eating for reasons other than your body being truly hungry?

I try to stay busy. That helps but doesn't solve the problem always.

QOTD - Monday January 17
What is your favorite way to get yourself back on track?​

I look at things a little differently, I guess. For the most part, I think of myself always on track. If I have one meal a week that's healthy, I'm doing my body justice. If I'm going through a stressful time and I need the comfort of food - I don't down myself for it. I just wait until I'm in a better place mentally and eat better. I think it all goes hand in hand.
However, when I go through a long period of not eating as healthy as I would like - the first thing I do is trash everything in the kitchen that isn't part of my goals. The follow up is a trip to the grocery store to replace the food trashed.

I am really into sweet potatoes right now. I bake them, spray some butter spray on them and a drizzle of honey. Very filling and full of antioxidents!

I love sweet potatoes. DP was mistakenly given sweet potato fries a couple of nights ago when we were out. They were so yummy! Id love to try to make them. They cant be that hard.

Thank you Tracey for being our weightkeeper!

I second! Im plesently surprised at all the data and info you give on the team and personal goals! Thanks so much!!

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

Can I say yes and no to this? I plan overall meals but don't plan what days we'll have the meals. That way each meal can be adapted to the days cravings. And we do recycle meals quite often. That's something Im struggling with now. I have tons of cookbooks and bookmarked websites. However, not many of them have recipes I need right now. Most are full of heavy creams, sauces, bread and pasta.
So, Im on the search for new meal plans and recipes.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Hi everyone. I'm going to be playing catch up today. I had a good Saturday tracking this week. Enjoyed my rest day. Then we had company so i didn't get in any cardio really Sunday or Monday that darn school holiday. I'm all for MLK day and what it means and stands for but ugg it messed up my week so bad.

Hi Team Donald!
I bought the 30 day shred. I did level 1 tonight.
How does it work? Do you keep doing level 1 until you can add level 2?
Or do you do just level 2 tomorrow?
thanks
Bernie

You do Level 1 for 10 days 2 for 10 3 for 10. They do not all have to be straight in a row. Jillian recommends taking at least one day off a week. I don't believe there is a wrong way to do it. Just get a feel for it. If you need to alternate days at first go for it. Its quite the challenge for many.

Me I alternate it with other longer cardio workouts. I may try to do the challenge the way it was designed eventually but for now its just giving me a good strength workout.

 

[lindseyry]

Good morning!!

No check in yesterday leaves tons of posts to catch up on.

This past weekend, our plan was to only eat out once. Yea, that didnt happen. We ended up eating out twice. Not only is it easier to make good choices at home but it saves tons of money. We spent $60 on dinner Saturday night. That money could have gone into the "mickey fund". Im more upset about that than I am about what I actually ate. (Which wasnt bad - I chose salmon and veggies at Abuelo's - it was very tasty.)

Our plan was to get 10 miles in on Saturday. That didnt happen either. Surprisingly, it wasnt cut short because of DP - because of me. My original Vibrams were two sizes too big and caused a pretty good size blister on the back of my right heel, about two and a half inches long and an inch wide. Ive exchanged the shoes for the proper fit. And if I didnt learn anything else, I learned blister care at last years 3 Day. So, I treated it and covered it in moleskin. Unfortunately though, I couldnt get past 3 miles. Just too ouchie. Sunday we did a serious clean out of the garage that took a couple of hours. After that was DS 10's first soccer practice of the year. DS 4 will start in a couple of weeks as well. With practice 3 nights a week and 2 games on Saturdays, meals and snacks are going to have to be really well planned. Im thinking of investing in a new crock pot to help with meal planning.
I took off yesterday and plan to go out tonight. Once again, the goal is 10.

DS4, Jaek, got a new pet this weekend. He's black and white with hair that drags the ground - a Peruvian Guinea pig. SO cute! We adopted him from a store where he had been turned in. He's super sweet and very tame. So far DS is loving him.
The plan for the week is to design and build a house for him, as the one he came in is pretty small. We figured we can make one cheaper and better than one store bought.

Weve also been planning the 3 Day team's first big fund raiser for 2011. Weve decided on a Valentine bake sale. Weve got all kinds of treats and good stuff planned. Luckily, Im not much of a sweet eater or we could have a problem.

 

[alison16]

I try to plan my meals when I am at work. I am not very creative, I usually end up eating the same couple of things for breakfast and lunch. I actually do better watching what I eat this way. I am so bad at planning out dinners for more than a couple days in a row. We have an extra freezer in our basement, so we have lots of meat, fish, Trader Joes foods frozen, so I don't need to shop more than once a week for produce, dairy etc and am good. I just take a look at what is there and cook. Also, sometimes we do breakfast dinners like eggs or pancakes.

 

[CDolacki2003]

Hi Team Donald,

Late starter here. I joined the Y and have started going and walking on the treadmill. My DH wants to lose 20lbs or so where I have much, much, much more to lose than that. It so far has been nice having someone in the house watching also. We are doing WW, not the new one since I have all the info from last time we joined. I have been battling my weight all my life and need to get serious, especially since 40 is around the corner. I am pumped and excited to be part of Team Donald and WISH. Thanks for all the great tips.

Cheryl

 

[RutgersAlum]

@lindseyry Hey, two questions...first, what city are you doing the Komen 3-day in ? I recently completed the Avon Walk in October in NYC, and it was a powerful experience from start to finish, so I always like hearing about others challenging themselves, too!

Also, definitely go Crock Pot! It is my savior in terms of working outside the home and having a prayer of a home cooked meal when I get home from picking up kids and karate and scouts and...you get the picture!
GL!
Michele/RutgersAlum

 

[Dreamer24]

Lindsyry - I made sweet potato wedges this weekend. I cut thhem up to the size/shape I wanted. Spray Pam on a baking sheet, brush olive oil, and sprinkle sea salt and pepper. I baked them on high hear 425-450 for 30 minutes flipping them half way. We thought they were delicious!

Welcome to the group Cheryl!

 

[lovetoscrap]

QOTD - Tuesday January 18, 2011 - Do you plan out your meals for the week over the weekend? If so, how often do you recycle these meals?​

I don't necessarily do it over the weekend but I try to plan for at least 2 weeks ahead. I have actually been doing this for years, diet or not. In fact I have probably all of my old menus saved and it is funny to back through them. I have WW ones I made with point values on them, ones from SB dieting, ones from holiday seasons and ones from times of we just need to eat something every day.

I have tried different systems over the years. A monthly calendar with all of our activities on it with meals written in so I can plan around those. A list of just 30 or so different things to rotate through, weekly plans. For awhile we had a white board we attached velcro to and then made little cards with every meal we ever make-- color coded by meat type (chicken, pork, beef). I could write in our schedule for the month and then just pick meals and stick them up there.

I have found though that having a plan that doesn't have any actual dates attached to it works best for us. That way we can mix things around if necessary. I have it divided into 2 week blocks so I can buy my non perishables every 2 weeks. I need to sit down and tweak the one for the next 2 weeks. I try not to repeat any main dish in a 4 week time period. And I try to keep fall back items always available. Hamburgers are our big fall back thing because they are quick, easy and everyone loves them. I am currently working on an updated list of everything we will/can eat. It helps to have a list to work from. I try to rotate chicken and beef so we aren't eating 2 in a row and throw in pork maybe once a week. We don't eat seafood so those are our 3 staples.

My goal is to have plans for at least 3 months worth of meals that all work for us, and work well together and then just reuse those plans over and over. It sounds easy but somehow it never comes together like it should when I try to put it all down on paper.