Team Mickey - Biggest Loser "No Excuses" 2012 Challenge

[BernardandMissBianca]

Great run, Buffy! You might want to experiment with some shorter running intervals as well as the longer ones. I did the Tinker Bell using a 15 second/35 second interval. I have a tendency to really slow down as I go along if I don't use the shorter intervals but I can go for hours with those short intervals. Even Galloway uses 30 seconds/30 seconds, which is the same as 1 minute/1 minute in alot of his races.

Oh and another great calorie burn with the roller skating!

Yep, I do different intervals. C25K, the bluefin one, updated their app and a typical week 2 run is run 45, walk 60, run 60, walk 90, run 90, walk 2 x 3. I did that twice, then threw in a few other run/walks but mixed it up. I just wanted to see how far I could run and I topped out at 4 minutes.

 

[tigger813]

Yup, Lisa! It's back. Didn't do as much today as I wanted but was out all evening. I will get back to it tomorrow morning.

Kids and I had a great time tubing. The girls are going again tomorrow with one of Izzie's friends and his dad. I'm going to watch the younger son so they can go. Not sure the conditions will be as good as tonight but it will be the best of the days the rest of the week. May have to take the little one over to watch if he gets too crazy or weepy. He knows me but not well. His mom has a class tomorrow. I want the kids to be able to go tubing again since it was so much fun today. It's literally around the corner from our house. The sky was perfectly clear withe a full moon and stars! The temp was not too cold and there was no wind. I would definitely get this groupon deal again but would not pay full price. The girls were sad that Brian couldn't join us. I treated them to a fried dough when we left. I came home and had some more calzone.

Going to get together with a friend for a while tomorrow and also workout and clean. Maybe I can get a walk in. I plan on doing my 40 minutes on the elliptical in the morning at 5am. Great way to start my day! I also need to do the 30 Day Shred again tomorrow. Didn't have time to squeeze that in today.

Brian and I are watching BL but it feels more like Survivor with a discussion some of the contestants just had. I hate when it gets like that.

Going to put some chicken in the crock pot in the morning for teriyaki chicken again. Ash loved it and it was so easy! Gotta find my cookbook so I can make it!

TTFN

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

DQOTD: My favorite show is a toss up between Fantasmic and Celebrate the Season. Fantasmic because I hope one day to be trained in that show. That is sort of the holy grail for entertainment. Celebrate the Season because I was a friend of Minnie for that show. It was a huge deal.

According to WW I gained this week. My WI is on Monday, but I do my WI for this on Sunday. I was only up .8 on WW but it could have been only water weight.

My goal for this wee to stay vegan and to track 100%. So far so good. (although it's only one day.) With my bodymedia band (similar to bodybugg) I can set a goal of how much I want to lose and at what rate. At this point I will be at my goal weight be November by losing 1 pt per week.

 

[myweegirls]

I'm loving these chicken ideas...fitgirl36, we're definitely going to be trying your recipe! DD5 loves spaghetti and grape tomatoes, and she might even eat chicken with the other stuff in there.

I didn't get to exercise today, but today was my commuting day - up at 5am and home a little before 9:30pm, so I'm not beating myself up over missing today. Back at it tomorrow!

My big news today, though, is that at my WW WI....

I made my goal!!!!!

I am so excited - I only had 0.8 to go to get there, and I somehow lost 1.6 this week! I haven't been at this weight since DH and I got married. It's amazing to think I could wear my wedding dress today if I wanted to.

Even though I'm WW lifetime, I haven't been a maintainer in over 8 years, so I'm going back through the 6-week maintenance program. I sent in my WI for this week, and I guess this is my last week losing - I'll become a maintainer next week!

I honestly could not have done this without this amazing group...I was losing and gaining the same ten pounds over and over again, and something about this group just kept me focused where I hadn't been before. I came into this challenge with those ten and a few more to lose, and I was just so ready to finally get rid of them. Now they're gone, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure they don't come back!! Thank you guys so much for the support and community - I'm looking forward to staying a part of this crew for the long haul.

XOXO
Liz

 

[lovetoscrap]

WAY TO GO LTS on the meal planning and getting things ready the night before. After I read your post and was getting ready to take the kids to school, etc I was thinking about the meal planning you do. I seriously need to get on board with that! Do you have a method to that madness? To me it seems so hard to just figure out what we are eating for the next meal that imagining trying to plan for a solid month just freaks me out a little. I am a good planner (when it comes to Disney trips, etc) but meal planning has never been part of my daily stuff. Can you shed a little light, please, on how you make it seem so easy?
!

Just have about 2 minutes because I have to get bed but wanted to respond to this. It isn't necessarily easy but a few hours of work can really make a difference in how the next few weeks go. Just tonight I was so happy to pull out my meal list and go to the freezer to take out what is for tomorrow because I am too tired to think!

Check out the BL Healthy Meal Planning Thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2676892 Pjlla and I have some posts there on the different ways we plan our meals, some organizational systems you can use and examples of our plans. She just came up with a really cool binder she is using. I know I had a post with some sort of step by step instructions on getting started, I think it was on our Mickey thread here. I don't have time tonight but I will see if I can go back and find it and post the link later this week.

Good On Plan day-- crazy busy so I will see everyone tomorrow. Have a great ON PLAN day!

 

[MelindaRuns]

Thanks, Melinda! I find that if I get up early and work out I feel ready to go for the rest of the day. If I skip my morning workout I find it hard to squeeze it in later as I make excuses the rest of the day. I hope to do another elliptical workout after I pick up Izzie and before we go to dancing and tubing tonight. Gotta eat before we go since we won't be home until the girls bedtime. Very excited to go tonight and will probably be satisfied if I only get to go down the hill once or twice.

Gotta do a few things before heading out this afternoon.

TTFN

Awesome! I love working out in the morning too! It just sets the tone for the whole day, and I have way more energy!

Woohoo!! I ran/walked 6.22 miles in 110 minutes. I hurt like all get out the first 2 miles and really really wanted to quit. My calves were wicked tight, but I really wanted to do 4 miles. So I talked myself into just 3, started to feel better so I went for 4, felt great and wanted to see if I could do a 10K. Once my legs loosened up and I got into a rhythm it went pretty well.
I'm by no means fast, my walk was 3.0 mph and my run was 4.0 mph, but it seems that my endurance is getting better. Hopefully some day I can maintain my runs for longer but I did get in 1-4min run and 3 or 4-3min runs.

That is amazing! I agree with Lisa that maybe you should try some shorter intervals and see how that works for you. The first time I ran more than 7 minutes was a complete accident! I had wiped out all my music on my iPhone because I didn't know what I was doing when I tried to update it so I had no music and was going on a run! I have an XM account, so I downloaded their app, and just tuned into the Cosmo Radio station, and I don't know what they were talking about but it had my interest, and I was very conscious of my intervals (I think i was doing prob 3 running, 2 walking, but the most I had EVER run before was 7 minutes at about a 4.0 pace). Once I got warmed up and my legs felt loosened up, I just got so into this talk show on the radio I was listening to I kind of went into auto pilot. A friend was with me and she said (when I finally stopped to walk): "YOU JUST RAN 14 MINUTES". I could have died! I could not believe it! For me it is so much a mental thing. Mind over matter! Still is! But--I'm with you-- sometimes the first couple of miles just KILL me! My legs feel like they are so tight, but then once everything gets loosened up I feel ok. Sometimes I even feel GREAT! Good luck and keep going out there! That is the key!! Congrats!!

Hello TEAM MICKEY!

A big, BL congratulations to all our superstars, and especially to our Biggest Loser this week, Nancy!

Tracey, I think you have your exercise mojo back!

Jeff Galloway just posted an article from the NY Times this week about the importance of getting some activity every single day. Here is a link http://networkedblogs.com/uM1CO




Roasting brussel sprouts seems to make them fairly tasty although I have to confess I am not a big fan. DH loves them though and calls them "Barbie doll cabbages."

Lara, actually we are neck and neck with Team Donald. One team wins one week and the other the next week. They've lost more pounds but I think our percentage is higher. In true BL fashion we will be merging the teams in a bit more than two weeks. We really only do teams at the beginning of the spring challenge because it is too much with a mega-thread. I for one am looking forward to the merge.

Melinda, way to get a run in today and save some gas, too.



Chicken, especially chicken breasts, are really easy and good for you, too. You can buy them in bulk on sale and freeze individual servings and take one out when you need it.

My favorite chicken breast recipe is tossed with a little olive oil, kosher salt and fines herbes and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes with some roasted veggies. Just be sure and start your veggies first and put the chicken in for the second half because they can get dried out.

The Wonderful World of Color at DCA or the DL Fantasmic are my favorite shows. I do love Wishes at WDW or as it is sometimes known at DL, Remember Dreams Come True. But truly the fireworks at Disneyland have a special place in my heart because I always had to come home when they were over at 9 p.m. during the summer when I was growing up.

Liz, great recipe!

fitgirl36, I loved your recipe, too.



Great run, Buffy! You might want to experiment with some shorter running intervals as well as the longer ones. I did the Tinker Bell using a 15 second/35 second interval. I have a tendency to really slow down as I go along if I don't use the shorter intervals but I can go for hours with those short intervals. Even Galloway uses 30 seconds/30 seconds, which is the same as 1 minute/1 minute in alot of his races.

Oh and another great calorie burn with the roller skating!

I'm cleared for more activity now so I'm hoping to break into ONE-derland this week or the next at the latest. I'm so happy to be able to run now, even if it is only 5 second/55 second intervals.

Have a great day all!

Cool on the Jeff Galloway article!! And congrats on being able to incorporate any amount of running again!! That is awesome! Take it slow so you don't reinjure your self. I'm so happy for you!! And congrats about being so close to ONE-derland! You can totally do it!! How exciting!

hi everyone! just wanted to pop in and take an e-bow for my first place win this week i'm really proud of myself so far this challenge. i still have a way to go but making top 10 for the last couple of weeks has kept me motivated.

gretchen i'm really enjoying your blog. i could really go for another update! hint hint! it's a good thing you're still hanging out here because if you're anything like me, it would be hard to say no to all the fabulous desserts at disney!

as far as chicken recipes, i'm pretty plain jane... on a baking sheet spread out drumsticks, cut up sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots that you coated in some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. bake for an hour or so at 400ish. so good.

Congrats to you!!!

Yup, Lisa! It's back. Didn't do as much today as I wanted but was out all evening. I will get back to it tomorrow morning.

Kids and I had a great time tubing. The girls are going again tomorrow with one of Izzie's friends and his dad. I'm going to watch the younger son so they can go. Not sure the conditions will be as good as tonight but it will be the best of the days the rest of the week. May have to take the little one over to watch if he gets too crazy or weepy. He knows me but not well. His mom has a class tomorrow. I want the kids to be able to go tubing again since it was so much fun today. It's literally around the corner from our house. The sky was perfectly clear withe a full moon and stars! The temp was not too cold and there was no wind. I would definitely get this groupon deal again but would not pay full price. The girls were sad that Brian couldn't join us. I treated them to a fried dough when we left. I came home and had some more calzone.

Going to get together with a friend for a while tomorrow and also workout and clean. Maybe I can get a walk in. I plan on doing my 40 minutes on the elliptical in the morning at 5am. Great way to start my day! I also need to do the 30 Day Shred again tomorrow. Didn't have time to squeeze that in today.

Brian and I are watching BL but it feels more like Survivor with a discussion some of the contestants just had. I hate when it gets like that.

Going to put some chicken in the crock pot in the morning for teriyaki chicken again. Ash loved it and it was so easy! Gotta find my cookbook so I can make it!

TTFN

Glad you had fun tubing!!

I'm loving these chicken ideas...fitgirl36, we're definitely going to be trying your recipe! DD5 loves spaghetti and grape tomatoes, and she might even eat chicken with the other stuff in there.

I didn't get to exercise today, but today was my commuting day - up at 5am and home a little before 9:30pm, so I'm not beating myself up over missing today. Back at it tomorrow!

My big news today, though, is that at my WW WI....

I made my goal!!!!!

I am so excited - I only had 0.8 to go to get there, and I somehow lost 1.6 this week! I haven't been at this weight since DH and I got married. It's amazing to think I could wear my wedding dress today if I wanted to.

Even though I'm WW lifetime, I haven't been a maintainer in over 8 years, so I'm going back through the 6-week maintenance program. I sent in my WI for this week, and I guess this is my last week losing - I'll become a maintainer next week!

I honestly could not have done this without this amazing group...I was losing and gaining the same ten pounds over and over again, and something about this group just kept me focused where I hadn't been before. I came into this challenge with those ten and a few more to lose, and I was just so ready to finally get rid of them. Now they're gone, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure they don't come back!! Thank you guys so much for the support and community - I'm looking forward to staying a part of this crew for the long haul.

XOXO
Liz

Congratulations Liz on making your goal at WW! That is so amazing!! What an accomplishment! I am super proud of you!

Just have about 2 minutes because I have to get bed but wanted to respond to this. It isn't necessarily easy but a few hours of work can really make a difference in how the next few weeks go. Just tonight I was so happy to pull out my meal list and go to the freezer to take out what is for tomorrow because I am too tired to think!

Check out the BL Healthy Meal Planning Thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2676892 Pjlla and I have some posts there on the different ways we plan our meals, some organizational systems you can use and examples of our plans. She just came up with a really cool binder she is using. I know I had a post with some sort of step by step instructions on getting started, I think it was on our Mickey thread here. I don't have time tonight but I will see if I can go back and find it and post the link later this week.

Good On Plan day-- crazy busy so I will see everyone tomorrow. Have a great ON PLAN day!

Thank you LTS! I will certainly check it out!!

Please share your favorite chicken recipe.

I don't have one. At all. Hopefully I can try some that you all have posted. I am not a meat eater at all, but my family is, so I will definitely try some of these out.

DQOTD: What is your favorite Disney World/Disneyland show?

My favorite show is Beauty and the Beast.

I know the threads are merging soon, and the end of this challenge is sometime in May (correct?). When will the next Challenge start?

 

[bellebookworm9]

Loving all the chicken recipes, definitely going to give some of them a try!

I love the Finding Nemo musical! I'm also completely biased - the show was written by a friend of mine from college and his wife. He's also the guy behind Avenue Q and Book of Mormon (along with the South Park guys), and he and his wife also did the music for the new Winnie the Pooh movie. Super talented! So yes, I have a bias.

Wow, super cool! I wanted to see Nemo today, but once again the times just didn't work for me. I've been here almost two months and haven't seen it yet (I have seen it before, just not since I've been here)!

Woohoo!! I ran/walked 6.22 miles in 110 minutes.

Great job Buffy!

The Wonderful World of Color at DCA or the DL Fantasmic are my favorite shows. I do love Wishes at WDW or as it is sometimes known at DL, Remember Dreams Come True. But truly the fireworks at Disneyland have a special place in my heart because I always had to come home when they were over at 9 p.m. during the summer when I was growing up.

All excellent shows. I love the soundtrack for Remember Dreams Come True. It's got my favorite parts of Wishes and it's narrated by Julie Andrews, who I just adore.

hi everyone! just wanted to pop in and take an e-bow for my first place win this week i'm really proud of myself so far this challenge. i still have a way to go but making top 10 for the last couple of weeks has kept me motivated.

gretchen i'm really enjoying your blog. i could really go for another update! hint hint! it's a good thing you're still hanging out here because if you're anything like me, it would be hard to say no to all the fabulous desserts at disney!

Way to go Nancy! Haha, since I've been working for the last week straight I don't really have much to update. Did some fun stuff today and am planning more for tomorrow though.

DQOTD: My favorite show is a toss up between Fantasmic and Celebrate the Season. Fantasmic because I hope one day to be trained in that show. That is sort of the holy grail for entertainment. Celebrate the Season because I was a friend of Minnie for that show. It was a huge deal.

My roommates and I all agree that being friends with "conductor" Mickey or Sorcerer Mickey during Fantasmic is pretty much the best job at Disney. I really want to stay through December so I can see all the Christmas shows!

My big news today, though, is that at my WW WI....

I made my goal!!!!!

Woohoo and congratulations!

***************
Spent some time at Animal Kingdom, but it was way more crowded than predicted, even by Disney's estimate. Like, 80 minute wait for the Safari crowded. This evening I saw Wishes from the Poly beach with a friend, then we traveled to MK, which was surprisingly empty. I can now say that I have done everything in the Magic Kingdom at least once, even if I was too little to remember it (Dumbo and the Country Bears).

Tomorrow we are planning to go to rope drop at the Studios so my friend can ride Toy Story Mania, then going to breakfast at the Wave before returning to the Studios for the rest of the day and Fantasmic!

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?

 

[yanni2]

Been a little lazy about posting. Plus once I got behind on the questions I didn't want to try and catch up on them...so I am starting new today...LOL

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

*The only thing I really plan ahead is dinner. With the girls gymnastics schedules (4-8 M-F, 3-9 with driving time) I have to typically have dinner set up to go before I leave if I am driving or at least know what I am doing.
*Plus I shop every 2 weeks on payday with a pretty tight budget, so I can only buy what we need right now. Once we get caught up on all the bills we got behind on while DH was on disability, I will be able to do a little more stocking up and expand our choices.
*I eat typically the same variety of things for breakfast and lunch so I just keep those item on hand and choose each day. Plus I'm home so I don't have to pack food

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?

*That is a hard choice. I like all those choices. I guess if I had to choose one I would choose the Disney Caribbean cruise, just because I have never been on a Disney cruise....but WDW for 2 weeks would be a close second because I would love to spend 2 weeks there.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

I made my goal!!!!!

Liz

LIZ THAT IS AMAZING!!!!! you are an inspiration to us all! how does it feel? now don't do what i do and celebrate with cake!! (i used to do WW and if i lost i'd go over to the burger king next door after the meeting. i know, i'm gross)

i think we ALL wish we could still fit into our wedding dress! congrats to you for being able to!

 

[Sunshineminnie]

My big news today, though, is that at my WW WI....

I made my goal!!!!!

Liz

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! : : arty:

Congratulations!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

That is amazing! I agree with Lisa that maybe you should try some shorter intervals and see how that works for you. The first time I ran more than 7 minutes was a complete accident! I had wiped out all my music on my iPhone because I didn't know what I was doing when I tried to update it so I had no music and was going on a run! I have an XM account, so I downloaded their app, and just tuned into the Cosmo Radio station, and I don't know what they were talking about but it had my interest, and I was very conscious of my intervals (I think i was doing prob 3 running, 2 walking, but the most I had EVER run before was 7 minutes at about a 4.0 pace). Once I got warmed up and my legs felt loosened up, I just got so into this talk show on the radio I was listening to I kind of went into auto pilot. A friend was with me and she said (when I finally stopped to walk): "YOU JUST RAN 14 MINUTES". I could have died! I could not believe it! For me it is so much a mental thing. Mind over matter! Still is! But--I'm with you-- sometimes the first couple of miles just KILL me! My legs feel like they are so tight, but then once everything gets loosened up I feel ok. Sometimes I even feel GREAT! Good luck and keep going out there! That is the key!! Congrats!!

Love Cosmo radio!! Taylor in the morning is sooooo funny!! I need to get my sirius back up and running again, thanks for the reminder.
I feel pretty good today. My legs and back are a little sore but not to bad. I think the leg cramping is from roller skating, they were fine before we started skating again. When I used to skate all the time, my calves were like bricks.

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?[/FONT]

I plan dinners a week or 2 in advance, which really helps stay on plan and out of pocket money wise. It is helpful because we don't spend money, we sit as a family, and I limit how much we eat. Like say I make 7- 8 pork chops, 2 for DH and DS15, 1 for the rest of us. 2 boxes of rice, stuffing etc for all of us and i can more easily keep the portions under control.
I don't however plan breakfast and lunch. I need to change that. I do plan lunch if the kids are home for holidays and summer but a lot of the time it's grab and go.


Disney - I would love all 3!! I've never done a cruise so that would be fun. I really really want to do Disneyland after Carsland is open. We usually go to WDW for 10 days when we visit, so I wouldn't have to pick that one.

I guess if I had to choose one it would be Disneyland. I haven't been since I was about 6. It was for the 25th anniversary.

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

OK today is DD's birthday!!!!! So I am off to get a gift from the boys, DH and I already picked out hers. Then we are having salmon and barley salad for dinner (her choice). Then cake!

 

[MelindaRuns]

Love Cosmo radio!! Taylor in the morning is sooooo funny!! I need to get my sirius back up and running again, thanks for the reminder.
I feel pretty good today. My legs and back are a little sore but not to bad. I think the leg cramping is from roller skating, they were fine before we started skating again. When I used to skate all the time, my calves were like bricks.



I plan dinners a week or 2 in advance, which really helps stay on plan and out of pocket money wise. It is helpful because we don't spend money, we sit as a family, and I limit how much we eat. Like say I make 7- 8 pork chops, 2 for DH and DS15, 1 for the rest of us. 2 boxes of rice, stuffing etc for all of us and i can more easily keep the portions under control.
I don't however plan breakfast and lunch. I need to change that. I do plan lunch if the kids are home for holidays and summer but a lot of the time it's grab and go.


Disney - I would love all 3!! I've never done a cruise so that would be fun. I really really want to do Disneyland after Carsland is open. We usually go to WDW for 10 days when we visit, so I wouldn't have to pick that one.

I guess if I had to choose one it would be Disneyland. I haven't been since I was about 6. It was for the 25th anniversary.

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

OK today is DD's birthday!!!!! So I am off to get a gift from the boys, DH and I already picked out hers. Then we are having salmon and barley salad for dinner (her choice). Then cake!

Happy birthday to your DD! Yes-- Wake Up With Taylor is probably exactly what I was listening to when I did that total mindless run and proved to myself I CAN do it! I listen to that show most mornings. I check it really quick before the kids get out to the car (the only ones I drive are DD17 and DD15)- unless DD17 drives, but she seems to spend more time grounded from her Jeep than she has access to it . Teenagers! If its appropriate we listen on the way to school, otherwise, I tune in on the way home. She is a fireball, that one! That's where I first heard about the juice cleanse I did. Would I do it again (for $200)---no. But it was interesting.

Have a great OP day everyone. Yesterday wasn't for me. Yuck. I sabotage myself. I have two or three great, awesome OP days, then totally indulge. That is what I am working on right now... getting it to be more of a lifestyle change than a battle of wills... me vs. food! lol.

 

[myweegirls]

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone! I woke up this morning feeling pretty darned good, go figure. And then I went back to my regular workout. I'm almost done with Ripped in 30, so I did that, and then 30 minutes of hill course on the bike (ow, my butt!) while watching part of BL. I'm trying not to rest on the goal laurels but stay the course while figuring out maintenance. Woo!

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?[/FONT]

Meal planning - I do plan our dinners a week at a time. I use a combination of a bunch of different things. Some freezer meals from Let's Dish, some dinners from my subscription to Six O'Clock Scramble, some recipes from magazines (Cooking Light, Wegmans) and cookbooks (the Jessica Seinfeld books, Cooking Light Kid-Friendly, and others). I generally make decisions based on points and then figure out which dinners should go on which days. I try to build in a leftovers day, and there's usually a day a week when I'm not home for dinner, so DH and DDs will eat leftovers or go out. I find the planning helps my shopping budget because I'm usually only buying what I need for that week. It takes me a good 30-40 minutes to do the planning, but going into it I always feel like it'll take so much longer! I think it's worth the effort, definitely.

Vacation - oooooh, yes please! We're going on our first DCL cruise this summer (PCC 3.0), and DH and I went to DL for his 40th last summer. And we loooove WDW, of course. We're talking about taking DDs to DL next summer instead of going to WDW, so I think I'll go for that one if I have to choose - they've never been!

XO
Liz

 

[GaRain]

[QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?[/FONT]

I am so bad at meal planning. For breakfast, I just keep some instant oatmeal (low sugar or high fiber options) in one of my desk drawers. For lunch - I am so bad, I need to start bringing my lunch so that I have more control.
For dinner, I will think about it - if I am going home. I have so much going on lately, I hardly make it home for dinner most nights. I try to make healthy choices when eating out - but that is not easy to do!

Can I have all of those choices? Well, since I have been to WDW a few times (LOL) and Disneyland once, but never on a cruise at all - I will pick the disney Cruise.

 

[GaRain]

Oh, and CONGRATS LIZ on making your goal!!!

 

[lisah0711]

Hello TEAM MICKEY!

Congrats again, Nancy, on being the BL this week! Don't forget to add that fabulous clippie to your signature.

Good for you for doing those longer intervals, too, Buffy! I am hoping that someday I can get up to some longer intervals but it helped me a lot when I realized that I could meet my goals with the shorter ones. Galloway has a 5K and 10K applications, too, I like it because you can use their music or your own but it still have coaching and you can change the beat of the music -- they are by Lolo.

I will have to check out some radio options now that you and Melinda were talking about it.

Tracey, add me to the group of people tired of the drama on the Biggest Loser this season. I just read the highlights or the complaining on FB and get the gist of things.

Jess, glad that your goals are in your sights this year.

My big news today, though, is that at my WW WI....

I made my goal!!!!!

A big woo hoo and congratulations to you, Liz! You are a successful loser and I know you can be a successful maintainer, too!

LTS, sorry for the crazy day but glad that you were OP! That takes a lot of effort the crazier your day is!

Just have about 2 minutes because I have to get bed but wanted to respond to this. It isn't necessarily easy but a few hours of work can really make a difference in how the next few weeks go. Just tonight I was so happy to pull out my meal list and go to the freezer to take out what is for tomorrow because I am too tired to think!

Check out the BL Healthy Meal Planning Thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2676892 Pjlla and I have some posts there on the different ways we plan our meals, some organizational systems you can use and examples of our plans. She just came up with a really cool binder she is using. I know I had a post with some sort of step by step instructions on getting started, I think it was on our Mickey thread here. I don't have time tonight but I will see if I can go back and find it and post the link later this week.

Good On Plan day-- crazy busy so I will see everyone tomorrow. Have a great ON PLAN day!

I know the threads are merging soon, and the end of this challenge is sometime in May (correct?). When will the next Challenge start?

I think this challenge ends in the middle of May. Ususally there is only a week between challenges because everyone likes them to keep going. Summer challenges are a lot of fun. It's a little more relaxed, smaller group and the weather is nice. I imagine Janis will tell us more about that later after the merge.

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?[/FONT]

I plan my meals out for about five days. We don't always have what I have listed for any day and ususally the "good stuff" is cooked first and then the stuff we aren't so excited about is cooked later. We also "graze" at least once a week, which means you eat what you can find. I am like Lara and need to plan some of my other meals better and stop eating at my desk!

I'll go for the cruise since we've never been on one, Disney or otherwise.

Been a little lazy about posting. Plus once I got behind on the questions I didn't want to try and catch up on them...so I am starting new today...LOL

No worries! I've done that several times this challenge.

Have a great evening all!

 

[MelindaRuns]

QOTD 3/7: Inspired by the meal planning talk, do you plan your meals ahead of time? How far in advance? Do you find it helpful, and do you actually stick with what you've planned?


I don't currently plan, except for when I go to the grocery store about once a week I get stuff to make. I'd like to do more actual recipe cooking and not just start with a prepackaged or frozen and add to that.

DQOTD 3/7: Which would you prefer? A week on a Caribbean Disney cruise, five days at Disneyland, or two weeks at Disney World?

Definitely the two weeks at WDW!

LISA - thanks for the info on the challenge dates. I am definitely in for the next one! I really like this.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am going to try to read back and answer QOTD later this week but wanted to say hi and share with you what I found when I came home today.

They say that when you go from being a SAHM to working full time there is a period of adjustment, particularly for the kids. Unfortunately it became obvious today that we have some issues and the kids are acting out . . .

Had a good day. I am doing pretty good staying on plan since I am packing my foods. It really helps since I am not around a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have (as long as I avoid the lounge!). I also had to run around the school a bit today to deliver stuff so I got a little exercise. I even took the stairs a few times. Usually I use the elevator because stairs are hard on my feet and hip. Unfortunately I have misplaced my pedometer. I would love to know what I ended up with for step count today. I actually didn't eat a lot today because it is TOM and I was feeling a little icky. I wanted to eat any and all carbs and sweets I could find but since I didn't have any I just ate some of my soup and some Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Beans I made last weekend. Another reason I was glad to be there, if I had been home I would have had noodles, crackers and cookies and whatever else I could find all day.


Made two new things for dinner. I proved the theory that everything is better with bacon! I tried the recipe for brussel sprouts and not only were they edible they were actually good! http://goodcheapeats.com/2012/02/sa...paign=Feed:+GoodcheapEats+(Good+(Cheap)+Eats) I used onion instead of shallots since that is what I had. Then I also made this: http://goodcheapeats.com/2012/02/sa...paign=Feed:+GoodcheapEats+(Good+(Cheap)+Eats) Quick and easy and made with stuff I usually have in the house. I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.


I have to get to bed early tonight. I need some extra sleep. Definitely harder getting up in the morning this week. Still loving this job but the day after it is over I am going to sleep until at least 10am!!!

 

[lovetoscrap]

MelindaRuns I found the post I made earlier in this thread on meal planning advice http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43821744&postcount=1058

 

[bellebookworm9]

QOTD 3/8: We are now about halfway through our spring challenge. I know from experience that this is a point where we start to lose people, so what is something that helps keep you on track?

What is your favorite Disney extra (Cirque du Soleil, a backstage tour, horseback riding at Ft. Wilderness, etc) that you have done or would like to do?