Welcome to the CAROUSEL of PROGRESS challenge for December 2015!!

[courtneybeth]

I'll add a woohoo for Wednesday! Every article of clothing I had on today was from the regular women's department!! No more plus size for me! Size 14 pants, a size L blouse, and a too big sweater that was clearly mis-sized since it was labeled XS but could fit my entire household and then some.

YEAH! You go girl. Enjoy the small victory of smaller clothes!

OK it's a day past my birthday and so did not accomplish what I wanted to this year so trying to make this next year better. First step find more areas where I can think about healthy lifestyle. W.I.S.H. has always been good at that so I am back here once more after a long hiatus. Is it too late to join in?

It's never too late to join. We'll motivate and support you to success through this new year. Don't give up!

Sounds like a fantastic event: family and a race!

I really cannot complain. Super excited about this

We have been working on a HUGE project at work that needed to be done by tomorrow when we leave for Disney,

I didn't realize you were going back so soon to Disney. So clearly you'll have the Croque Glace this trip, right?

 

[courtneybeth]

How ODD for us here in the U.S. to think of a Disney park with SNOW!!?? Can you imagine??

Disneyland Paris is an unbelievably beautiful park in the summertime - I was blown away at just how beautiful the castle and grounds were. (Could have done without the smokers everywhere!) I can definitely imagine it with snow and I bet it's peaceful and beautiful. Imagine staying at the Disneyland Paris hotel with a theme park view and then you look out your window and see that gorgeous castle all covered in white snow. LOVE IT.

While it might be hard to imagine snow in Anaheim or Orlando, it shouldn't be so hard to imagine yourself at your healthy goal weight. Think about it.... your body at the weight you've been dreaming about.... strong and healthy. No knee pain, no threat of diabetes.... your clothes fit without having to pretend that the dryer shrunk them. Picture in your head, a day spent at your goal weight. What are some of the BENEFITS of being at that healthy weight and having that strong body? Does this spur you on to stay MOTIVATED during this tough holiday eating season?

I'm about 3 pounds from goal and I can already start to feel these happening. Confidence, happiness, and having more energy. I've shaved about a minute off my run time by just losing 15 pounds and my stamina has increased. Seeing the size '4' or '27' tag in my jeans makes me smile because I started at a size 14 and it's been a long and crazy 18 months to get to where I am. But keeping it off will be even harder.

 

[Lady Marie]

I didn't realize you were going back so soon to Disney. So clearly you'll have the Croque Glace this trip, right?

Not this trip. We are taking my mom for the weekend (she hasn't been since the 80's so talk about a whole new [Disney] world...!) and her priority was HS (hold the tomatoes! LOL!) and MK. She loves Hollywood and wants to see all the shows and stuff so maybe in January when we go for my birthday I can finally try it!

 

[JacknSally]

Dec 10, 2010:

Disneyland Paris receives more than four inches of snow, marking their highest snowfall in 25 years! The heaviest single-day snow in Paris, France since 1987, the weather disrupts traffic and forces the closure of the Eiffel Tower. Disneyland Paris remains open but all outdoor entertainment and parades are cancelled with some ride operation disrupted.

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That is GORGEOUS! Wow.

How ODD for us here in the U.S. to think of a Disney park with SNOW!!?? Can you imagine??

It snows regularly every November and December at the Christmas Parties and the Osborne Lights!

While it might be hard to imagine snow in Anaheim or Orlando, it shouldn't be so hard to imagine yourself at your healthy goal weight. Think about it.... your body at the weight you've been dreaming about.... strong and healthy. No knee pain, no threat of diabetes.... your clothes fit without having to pretend that the dryer shrunk them. Picture in your head, a day spent at your goal weight. What are some of the BENEFITS of being at that healthy weight and having that strong body? Does this spur you on to stay MOTIVATED during this tough holiday eating season?

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

Just apologizing here for my lack of chatter and replies. Working two jobs and trying to visit with DD and keep up some sort of semblance of a clean home is kicking my butt! I promise time for you all tonight! Gotta dash..............P

No worries! Life is busy for everyone, especially near the holidays!

For me, I'm trying to get back to a weight/size that I haven't been in years and didn't appreciate when I had it. I'm definitely ready to be back there - ready to wear the clothes I want to wear and feel comfortable in them, ready to not stress so much over being in photos, ready for that to be just one less factor in my life. There are too many things to see/do/enjoy to have so much time and energy consumed with "I have to lose this weight".

I'm about 3 pounds from goal and I can already start to feel these happening. Confidence, happiness, and having more energy. I've shaved about a minute off my run time by just losing 15 pounds and my stamina has increased. Seeing the size '4' or '27' tag in my jeans makes me smile because I started at a size 14 and it's been a long and crazy 18 months to get to where I am. But keeping it off will be even harder.

SO excited for you - but I selfishly don't want you to hit your goal because I want you to keep doing these challenges with us every month! LOL. But seriously, I'm so proud of you. Your before/after photos were incredible! I'm so excited for 2016 for you - a new body, no more school... LOOK OUT, WORLD!

Not this trip. We are taking my mom for the weekend (she hasn't been since the 80's so talk about a whole new [Disney] world...!) and her priority was HS (hold the tomatoes! LOL!) and MK. She loves Hollywood and wants to see all the shows and stuff so maybe in January when we go for my birthday I can finally try it!

As @courtneybeth will attest, I am DHS's #1 fan, so a big YAY from me for this! You'll get to see the Osborne Lights before they go away forever! I'm glad, too, that your mom will get to see the park before even more of it goes away in all this construction and massive Star Wars takeover. Have SO MUCH FUN this weekend!!


----------------

Hey, guys! Sorry I've been quiet. I'm not doing WW currently so I can't contribute to a lot of the conversation here lately, but it's been awesome reading along and getting different impressions of it, so thanks for that!

to our new faces! It's been so cool to see these threads evolve and grow over the last few months. I'm loving getting to know everyone!


Taking a little break from font-hunting and the like to pop in over here and say "HI!" Slowly but surely things are coming together here. A shop name has been picked (and I'm pleased with its definite Disney influence that doesn't SCREAM Disney, allowing for both Disney and non-Disney related listings! SUCCESS!), Instagram and Facebook pages set up, and I'm throwing together designs as quickly as I can think of them! My Silhouette should be delivered tomorrow and then I can really get to business... once I figure out exactly how to do everything I want to do, of course. LOL The goal this weekend is to tackle the craft room that has been overrun with wedding decorations that got dumped all over in our mad dash to get the car unloaded so we could pack for Disney, lol, and then I can set up a photo backdrop which I am SUPER excited about.

How is everyone's holiday-ing coming along? Houses decorated and gifts wrapped and cards sent? Anyone planning to make or eat any yummy holiday treats?

 

[courtneybeth]

SO excited for you - but I selfishly don't want you to hit your goal because I want you to keep doing these challenges with us every month! LOL. But seriously, I'm so proud of you. Your before/after photos were incredible! I'm so excited for 2016 for you - a new body, no more school... LOOK OUT, WORLD!

I'm maintaining soon, so I'll definitely still be here. Don't worry - I may even volunteer to run a future one too Trust me, after Disney World I'll probably need to lose about 3 pounds to get to goal. So I'm not going anywhere.

As @courtneybeth will attest, I am DHS's #1 fan, so a big YAY from me for this! You'll get to see the Osborne Lights before they go away forever! I'm glad, too, that your mom will get to see the park before even more of it goes away in all this construction and massive Star Wars takeover. Have SO MUCH FUN this weekend!!

@Lady Marie ... I'll be going to HS, much to my dismay, to see the lights too!

@JacknSally ... don't read this as a small victory. It's more of a thing where they're leaving and we have friends going with us so they wanted to see them. (Or at least that's what i'm telling myself... shhh)

 

[pjlla]

Dec 11


2009:

The Princess and the Frog, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios is generally released. This is the 49th animated feature theatrically released 2D animated movie by Disney.


I don't know about you, but I LOVE Princess Tiana's NEVER-GIVE-UP attitude! She knows what she wants and she is willing to work VERY HARD to get it! She refuses to let others kill her dreams!

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?


BTW, it is FRIDAY again, so I am ready to take results! Remember, you can post about it here and/or send me a PM with your PROGRESS TOWARD GOAL (as a percentage please)! I will try to have the results post updated by Monday night......................P

 

[Flossbolna]

Good morning everyone!! Somehow the year is winding down nicely here. Work ist not too crazy, my boyfriend will arrive soon and I am very organized with most of the Christmas stuff!

And this morning I was shocked by my scale - in a positive way!! I got a new low number of the year and it puts my result for this week to 101%!!! I never expected that!! I normally don't lose my weight that quickly, but it seems that my bad numbers at the beginning of the months were artificially inflated. So, I am very happy. I am also at a BMI of 25.01 now!! Yes, I did the calculations to see how far away from under 25 I still was. Now I just need to keep doing what I am doing and hopefully I will be able to get down a little more, to have a bit of a cushion for the holidays. Ultimately, in order to reach my goal for the month I just need to maintain from now on. But I won't complain if I finish the month with a result of over 100%!!

I have to say that I am really happy with where I am at the moment. I just did some calculations and on average I managed to lose 0.9 pounds per week since my start on September 9. I lost nearly 12 pounds so far. I have never been someone to lose weight quickly. But I am impressed with myself as to how consistently I have been doing this!

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

This is an interesting question. I think picking up from what I wrote above, the hardest thing for me is consistency. I tend to do very well for some time and then just fall of the bandwaggon and have such a hard time getting back into it. Two things have helped me in this regard: First, with experience it gets easier. I can look back at previous failures and see how bad I felt because I was not doing the right things and how just getting back into a routine of healthy eating and exercise will actually make me feel much better. And then, these threads. Having a group to talk to, to motivate me, a place to vent - this is all really important for me. I like how the DIS is always here when I need it, I don't have to make an effort to go here, and there are so many friendly people who totally understand my struggle.

 

[pjlla]

Hey all! Surprise, surprise..... I'm NOT the gym teacher today..... I am in the office (I love being here!)..... and since I got NO warning, I am sitting in the office in my yoga pants and activewear top! Double win!

And when things slow down later I'll have time to catch up here!........P

 

[dsnyfn1022]

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

The hardest thing for me is my own brain. Not only do I have the internal struggles daily of choosing between healthy foods vs unhealthy foods but I have a problem with will power and eating unhealthy food on an impulse and then regretting it later. I also have days where I want to give up because I gained a pound and I look in the mirror and feel like I see all 30 right back on.

One thing that has helped has been to take pictures along the way. That way when I feel like I haven't made any progress I can look back at those pictures and know for certain that I don't look like that anymore and that helps me a lot. I still struggle with the will power though. I'd gladly take any tips on that!

 

[acbshada]

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

Getting physically sick or dealing with a cold really tears me down because I just don't have the energy to do much of, well, anything. Plus the hardest thing about staying on the healthy lifestyle journey is not letting my brain talk me down. I have a history with being hard on myself and battling with depression and other fun things, so during the stressful times, it can be a constant struggle just to see the good side of things. In that time, I just have to fall back, regroup, journal a little, reach out to the people I trust to tell me the truth about things/situations, and then get back to it when I feel stronger mentally and physically.

Been trying to keep up in this thread, and there's so many things I want to respond to. Some people are sharing some really great successes! I've been cheering for you over here everytime I read your posts.

Unfortunately, things have been pretty busy and not quite great so far this month. Very far behind on the holidays, and I'm trying to resist the urge to let it all fall by the wayside. lol I would hate to do that, but I just need to get out of this tired slump.

as for my goal, I was more ontrack this week, but still not where I want to be. But that's okay. 13% of goal as of today.

 

[Lady Marie]

It snows regularly every November and December at the Christmas Parties and the Osborne Lights!

True-- love it!

Dec 11


2009:

The Princess and the Frog, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios is generally released. This is the 49th animated feature theatrically released 2D animated movie by Disney.


I don't know about you, but I LOVE Princess Tiana's NEVER-GIVE-UP attitude! She knows what she wants and she is willing to work VERY HARD to get it! She refuses to let others kill her dreams!

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?


BTW, it is FRIDAY again, so I am ready to take results! Remember, you can post about it here and/or send me a PM with your PROGRESS TOWARD GOAL (as a percentage please)! I will try to have the results post updated by Monday night......................P

Happy to report that this week was better than last and I'm at 20% of my goal! I'm surprised because I haven't been having energy at night to get moving and eating take out every day for lunch, but I have been modifying dinners to compensate and I think that's a big part of all of this for me-- Finding the BALANCE! Take out for lunch? The I gotta have healthy salad for dinner. I guess that just boils down to being able to enjoy in moderation. There's a learning curve to all this for sure!

QOTD: The hardest thing so far has been working out. I am pretty decent with monitoring food, and I am really good at feeling guilty about it when I mess up. But I just don't like to exercise. Which is funny, because there was a time in my life when I would actually go to the gym just to listen to music and run around the track for fun. That woman sounds like an alien to me now! Granted, I had a goal back then (I was in pageants and needed to look good for the stage-- vanity has been a great motivator in the past apparently...). But for some reason right now, the vanity of not liking how I look in pictures now has not been motivating enough. Maybe it's because as an adult who is not in college any more, my life is not nearly as public on social media as it used to be. That sounds so shallow :-/ .... I used to think that the goal picture or the "fat" picture on the fridge wasn't a good idea, but maybe I am that vain and need some vanity perspective LOL So far in that department, I haven't found a way to keep myself on track. I am all over the place with exercising and not even close to being consistent. This is something I need to work on. Anyone else hate exercising? What do you do to motivate yourself?

 

[dsnyfn1022]

Anyone else hate exercising? What do you do to motivate yourself?

I am definitely not fitness person by choice lol. I would much rather be on the couch. As far as motivation, I've decided that running races has been a really great motivator for me. I usually only run like 3 times a week and then at home weight training movies 2 times a week. Have the goal of running races keeps me going back to the gym because I know that if I don't go consistently I won't have a good race or will be miserable and unprepared.

The other thing that has really helped me has been to bring my gym clothes with me to work and go directly to the gym after work. I just change there. I feel guilty if I try to drive pass the gym and blow the workout off because I literally pass it on the way to work. If I go home first then I will find myself in sweats...on the couch...probably with a snack I don't need.

 

[courtneybeth]

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

There are so many days where I just want to say "eff this" and eat my feelings in anything sweet I can find. But then I realize that type of thinking got me to where I was 18 months ago! Stress eating is so hard and some days I just want to eat my feelings because it's the easy thing to do. Changing lifestyles and eating habits are a part of this process and I feel that with the support of this group and my in-person support team that I am actually making positive life changes.



It looks like this race thing is getting ambitious. So now I think i'm apparently signing up to run 10 races through Rock N Roll and three through RunDisney? Perhaps this is what keeps me healthy and entertained through the next year. 2016 is "Racecation" it seems. Heading to: Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, San Jose, Vancouver, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.

 

[pjlla]

i'm not sure if I told you all that I let my cousin talk me into her fitness blog's 15 workouts between thanksgiving and Christmas challenge? she gave the participants 10 HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts that are 20 mins and wow they are kick butt! I did one on Saturday and today is first day my thighs and gluts aren't screaming at me! it's a great reminder to me that I can squeeze in a short workout but it's still very effective. so i'm doing well on the WO department. still not food tracking like a champ. sigh

Good job! I need a good butt kicking work out!

QOTD on the new fantasyland..i don't remember seeing clowns! I must've bypassed that part. I like the new fantasyland b/c I also, love B&TB and Belle. Gaston's area is awesome I bought two wine glasses there that I just love!

Clowns in the Storybook Circus area (not my favorite place in the new area)..... just happened upon them as we were wandering through. They were super friendly and HAPPY and FUN and I got a fabulous picture of DD with them.... but I am still an "anti-clown" type of person.

I can't believe I forgot to WI on Friday. I need a better plan. I really don't think I've had any changes, the clothes fit the same. we shall see this Friday! I cannot forget!

Fridays seem to keep coming faster and faster..... there have been a few mornings where I nearly forgot myself! Fortunately I don't usually eat or drink for over an hour, so I usually have time to strip down and hop on the scale if I forget at first! And there is always Saturday for a "do-over"!

I also tend to be a chocolate chip cookie person - unless there is some dark chocolate around, which there usually isn't I tend to enjoy my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream as a dessert, at a pretty reasonable calorie count if you actually measure out a serving. I'm learning that I don't need to have a huge bowl of ice cream to enjoy my dessert - a 1/2 cup serving is plenty, fits in my day pretty easily most of the time, and is just as delicious.

Good for you for being able to enjoy ice cream in REASONABLE portions!!

In terms of Fantasyland, I adore it! I honestly never really went to Toontown when I was older and went to Disney, so I like all the additions that make that whole area full of activity and fun. I can't wait to ride the Mine Train again and eat at Be Our Guest - we loved having the Beast's castle and Gaston's tavern as additions

DD forced me to wait in lunch for lunch our last day at WDW in 2013 and I am so grateful she did (and the predicted 90 minute wait was actually only about 30). Food was YUMMY (her pork roast was waaaayy yummier than my turkey sandwich though) and the atmosphere was beautiful!! So glad to check that off the bucket list!! But I'd love to do it again for dinner!

Got in a workout today - was feeling kind of lazy so I did a Leslie Sansone video on youtube. And man, it was a workout! I didn't want to walk to the gym, but I definitely got more of a workout than I expected I think my fitbit counts my steps weirdly when I do those though - I feel like I should have been at a much higher step count afterward, but who knows.

Hope everyone is having a good day! I'm enjoying not having to teach and am working on being efficient in grading my last student essays for the semester. Disney is my reward - we leave in 6 days!

What I love about the WATP workouts is that you can definitely increase or decrease the intensity to suit your day and your fitness level! It can kick your butt or be just enough to get your heart pumping! Good for you for doing it!

Grumble grumble grumble. I'm really not happy with Weight Watchers right now. I don't so much mind the new program (although my points totals for the day make it clear that I need to rethink some of my regularly scheduled previously low point foods). HOWEVER. The app still doesn't work right and the desktop site isn't much better. The meeting I went to this evening was seriously the worst WW I've ever been too. It wasn't my normal meeting but it was the only one that fit in the schedule this week. I won't go back. The leader was completely unenthusiastic about the new program, was downright rude to several members, and responded to basically all questions by telling people to read the materials for answers. I've tried to schedule calls with three different coaches this week and NONE of them has called at the scheduled time or even followed up to explain that the system was down or provide some other excuse. I e-mailed customer service and got a response that was in no way responded to the questions I asked and so then spent about 3 hours on hold with phone line only to be told that they were very sorry for all the inconveniences and that normally they would extend my membership by a week or more for each missed coaching phone call but they couldn't in this case because I got a free month when I signed up. So now I'm sort of livid and I have no idea what to do.


I am so sorry to hear this and I will definitely be letting the "powers that be" at WW know the problems that my member and my "friends" are having with the new program and the updated/enhanced app!! Don't give up yet! The new plan is great!

I am also SUPER sorry you had an unenthusiastic leader.... boo to that. Find another meeting/another leader in your area that you can really connect with and it will make all the difference in the world!!

I'm thinking I might just let WW rest for a few weeks and go back to MFP. Maybe keep trying to track in the WW app for a while but I'm just not sure. I'm paid up through February and I already feel like I'm being cheated. I certainly don't want to leave the rest of the weeks I've paid for on the table. I'm also debating writing a letter about tonight's fiasco, the coaching mishaps, and the refusal of customer service to help with the fact that I'm not getting the services I paid for. The really sad part is that I was totally looking forward to the new program and now it just feels icky. Not an A+ rollout.

I'm so sorry.

Ugh. The good news is that I walked 17,875 steps today and totally rocked my MFP calorie and macro goals even if I did unknowingly eat through a big chunk of my WW weekly points!

Yeah! Great job on the steps!

Hmm. This sounds really interesting. DH loves brownies made from a mix with black beans instead of eggs/oil. I wonder if he would like these as well. Love that they are gluten free!

Honestly, they are pretty darn yummy! Not quite the same texture as a regular brownie, but really chocolately! Easy to make so you could give them a try without losing much time if they aren't universally loved.

Hello, friends. Just checking in really quickly! Spent my day cooking, and my freezer is currently stocked with a 9x13 pan of taco casserole with black beans and ground turkey, 3 gallon bags of cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole, a gallon bag of potato soup, a gallon bag of cheeseburger soup, and a gallon bag of broccoli cheese soup. I'm hoping that the more practice I get with freezer meals, the less time consuming it gets.

MMMMMM!! Your future self will LOVE your past self for getting all that done!! I feel so accomplished and "on my game" when my freezer is full of yummy healthy stuff!

I have a great potato soup recipe I haven't made in YEARS (because DH is low carb), but the kids and I love it and it is pretty healthy/low fat.... I think I'll plan to make it again during the holidays!

I'm behind! My kids are in a "don't take my picture stage" as well as rarely getting along. I am struggling to find a single picture from this year of the two of them that I like. Ugh. I hope to get it done by the end of the week.

My DD has been at that stage for 19 years! And DS will "allow" me to take his picture but he hates it and never smiles with his teeth.... Errrggghhh.

Why are lunches so difficult recently???? I guess I need to go back to bringing my own lunch. Today it was PIZZA!!! Yes, very good pizza. That's why I ate too much of it. I should have stopped earlier.

Exactly why I brown bag it..... EVERY DAY! Some days I would starve (80% of the time) and the other days I would over-indulge (like today....).... tortilla chips, cake, cupcakes, lots of JUNK leftover from yesterday's teacher meeting.

At least I managed to go out for an early run today. Well, until it started to rain pretty heavily and I was starting to get drenched. Rain on glasses and then with the head light was not very good either. I ran for only 15 minutes. But I went out in the dark morning, so I am proud about that!

This afternoon a new friend invited me to come along to a guided tour to a local church tower. It should be nice as there ought to be a wonderful view from up there of the Nuremberg Christmas market. If possible, I will try to get some pictures to post!

FUN!!

Oh, and in other news: my weight inched down a little bit this morning! Hopefully my pizza lunch is not making it all come back on immediately.

and as pjlla said, no need to wait for January. There is still so much left of December. Just set your own goal for the rest of the month and jump in!



I am sending Christmas cards every year. I usually buy a bunch of charity cards. I have numerous friends who live further away and I try to write a personal letter with every card I send to get them up to date as to what has happened in my life. It is quite a lot of work and my plan is to set next weekend aside for card writing. I am always late with my Christmas cards, but I also prefer my cards to arrive just before the holidays, not two weeks early. Unfortunately I am more diligent with card writing than a lot of my friends, so I regularly end up receiving far fewer cards than I send out...

Cards are a lot of work..... but take it from those of us who are more "receivers" than "senders"..... we love them!!

I usually do my best to get cards out to a few of our friends and family, but I've been behind on a bunch of things regarding Christmas this year. I just started my shopping yesterday, really. I had so many grand ideas on things I wanted to do and make, and now I'm just looking at my house going, "If I can just clean up this pile of stuff, I'm good." So we'll see if it happens this year. :\

You are not alone! I cannot even begin to tell you how far behind I am this year! It is actually starting to scare me!!

Yay! I agree with this! Join in with us now! Why not? The cruise you have planned for next year sounds like fun. I stand by the idea of "if you did it before, you can do it again". So if you can, try not to get discouraged. We all slip back into old patterns and old routines because that's what our brains are wired to do. You'll create those new patterns and the brain will learn 'em, and then you'll be up and running where you want to be in no time!

Hi I can't attend my WW meeting till 12/13 can you PM me the changes coming? I am dying to know what it's all about .. Please tell me fruits and veggies are still zero!

Yes they are still ZERO!! WOOHOO for that!! Changes are mostly regarding HOW Points are calculated (now called SmartPoints) and an overall more HOLISTIC approach.... addressing mind, body, spirit AND food!

I am not doing the challenge this month - mostly because I am super busy at work and won't be here often but not even sure if I can attend my WW meeting because we have a large family to fit in all our Christmas's with that hog up my weekends and being super busy at work means longer hours and a pooped out girl at the end of the day.. my eating has been mostly on track and according my scale at home I am holding steady and that is ok with me for the month of DEC.. I am glad your girl is home!

DEC 9 QotD - Christmas cards all mailed out with the USPS on Dec 1st .. this year I did our first ever photo card! Shutterfly kept offering 10 free card codes in Oct and Nov so I kept printing them .. they are snowflake ornament ones

View attachment 139207

LOve the cards! Wish I had seen those codes! I've got a code for a free calendar and I offered it to DD to either make herself a calendar or to make one as a gift, but if she doesn't use it soon, I'm going to use it!

It looks like Weight Watchers has completely changed its program?? I haven't been flipped over to the new system yet because my weigh-in day is Saturday. My husband has and he's freaking out over it. He is upset that his point values severely changed. He can only eat 38 now per day and all the points for things he liked to eat went up 1-2 points per item. I have no comment on it as of yet, as I am not on it, but was curious if anyone here noticed the change and how they feel about it? I'm excited for the new changes - but like anything new, i am also apprehensive


Yesterday's presentation went great! My group really pulled together a solid presentation and now it's just 6 days until I'm done. Two final exams to go

DOn't be apprehensive! Think of it as EXCITING CHANGES, rather than something to worry about!

Double WOOHOO on just 6 days left!

@courtneybeth

The new program is called Beyond the Scale and seems really focused on the whole you. Points are now SmartPoints and FitPoints replace Activity Points. Both daily points and weekly points now change. Mine both went down a little and the points for a lot of my foods went up by one or two or more.

The new food calculations encourage fruits, vegetables, and really lean protein. Sugar and saturated fat are severely penalized. Good health guidelines are gone. FitPoints rack up crazy fast and you are now encouraged not to swap them. There also doesn't seem to be a mechanism for adjusting your points up/down so you can lose at a rate that is right for you.

It all seems good in theory (tech and customer service issues aside) but I'm kind of reserving judgment for now. I had a really great day yesterday calorically and nutritionally but just blew through my points. I'm specifically trying to moderate my eating to keep my psyche happy and some of the calculations might be a little extreme for me (or I just might be a little too dairy happy). I know soda isn't great and I drink very little of it but I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that one can of Coke is 1/3 of your daily points. I was really looking forward to learning about the new program because it sounded so nutrition/whole foods focused while still allowing for limited treats. Now I'm just kind of worried about how to make it work without triggering some sort of eating frenzy.

I'm also really struggling with the app and its lack of totals. Plus the whole FitPoint thing. I always are some of my activity points because I walk so much (and lost successfully when I actually followed the plan) but the 24 FitPoints I earned yesterday just seems crazy even for almost 18,000 steps. And the choice is swap or don't swap at all. I suppose I just want the power to say you can eat x FitPoints/day if you earn more than y without having to keep track of it in my head.

I suppose all there is to do is give it some time!

Glad you are willing to give it some time! I know that the transition isn't going as smoothly as hoped, but it will be worth it!

Sorry that you are so frustrated with the new program! I am sure you will soon feel more at home. And if the whole reassessment of points shakes up some of your routines, this might be a good thing. Gives you a new perspective!

But I remember when WW went from the original points to the ProPoints (or was it PlusPoints - I mean the change when they first introduced the weekly extra) I was all excited about it, but then in the beginning it did not work at all for me and I was very frustrated. I took a break from WW and came back 2 years later. By then they had fixed some of the issues I used to have with the then new, now old programm and was really successful. If you are still doing ok according to MFP, you know at least that you are not doing something that damages your weight loss.

Thanks for the wise words of advise!

I think that this was a reply to me moaning about my poor lunch choices. One of my problems with lunch is that I love the social aspect of it. I have many colleagues who I go out for lunch with. Since I live on my own most of the time (one of the advantages or disadvantages of having a long distance relationship), the lunch chat is an important form of human contact for me. But I should try better to make plans with colleagues for some days and then also plan a few lunch paket days. You are absolutely right, it is so much easier to eat healthy when you bring something from home!

Maybe find another "brown-bagger" to have a lunchtime picnic with??

We are actually going to DLP this winter and I would LOVE to see something like that! maybe only 2 inches... DLP was really built for bad weather and is lovely to tour in winter. I have been there more often during cooler times of year and it really is quite pleasant!

I'll bet!!

One of the things I picture for myself at goal weight is fitting more comfortable in an air plane seat. With 170cm (according to my calculations that should be 5 feet 7 inches??) I am always feeling a bit tight lengthwise when I am on an airplane (and I am not really that tall). I noticed that it does make a huge difference when I am thiner as then my fat is not in competition for the space with the rest of my body. And since my boyfriend lives in the US, transatlantic flights happen regularly, so there is a real incentive to be smaller!

Airplane seats are MUCH more comfortable when you have some wiggle room!!

I also hope to gain a little speed with losing more weight and find it easier to run longer distances. I would love to be able to run a 10k under one hour and I am far from that at the moment (even though my last 6k was at a pace that would have been under 1hour for a 10k). Getting rid of the additional weight should really help in that regard.

YUP!!

Don't worry! You are still posting some amazing questions! And you should enjoy the time with DD! Is she going back to Bermuda next semester? Did she enjoy her time there?

She goes back to her University in January.... Bermuda is done (for now!). She would love to do a research semester there in the future! She did enjoy it.... it was beautiful and warm and the people were super friendly.... and it was SO NICE that it wasn't a crazy distance from home!

Hey all! Sorry I have been totally MIA recently. We have been working on a HUGE project at work that needed to be done by tomorrow when we leave for Disney, so I haven't been using any work time to catch up on the Dis... and late nights here at work haven't been helping my eating habits either.... But good news is that we are almost finished (hence my break right now on here!). So work has been nuts, BUT I got to squee with delight this week when I had to quote Disney World for some of our products. No one around here except DH gets why I'm excited, but it would be fun to be looking around the park and be like, Oh so that paint and faux finish totally came from our store

That's okay! We are ALL having a busy month! I am SO GLAD that I wrote up all of the QOTD ahead of time.... otherwise I'd be SCRAMBLING now! As it is some mornings I hardly have time to cut and paste my questions!

I think my weekly report got lost last week in my chatter. I was at 0% -- happy I am maintaining and not gaining at least! And despite my awful eating with this work project (take out and all), I am still maintaining for this week. Will have official report this weekend though. Could be less as I haven't weighed in the past two days and have been having a small dinner with a big veggie juice rather than a large dinner and a cocktail!

Ok I'm off to catch up on like a week of chatter on here Glad to be back and will definitely be more on target with my habits and more active on thread next week when things go back to normal around here!

I'll add you to the list!! Love the idea of a veggie juice instead of a cocktail.... perhaps you could pretend it is a Bloody Mary??

Disneyland Paris is an unbelievably beautiful park in the summertime - I was blown away at just how beautiful the castle and grounds were. (Could have done without the smokers everywhere!) I can definitely imagine it with snow and I bet it's peaceful and beautiful. Imagine staying at the Disneyland Paris hotel with a theme park view and then you look out your window and see that gorgeous castle all covered in white snow. LOVE IT.

Sounds absolutely DREAMY!!!!

I'm about 3 pounds from goal and I can already start to feel these happening. Confidence, happiness, and having more energy. I've shaved about a minute off my run time by just losing 15 pounds and my stamina has increased. Seeing the size '4' or '27' tag in my jeans makes me smile because I started at a size 14 and it's been a long and crazy 18 months to get to where I am. But keeping it off will be even harder.

Insane progress!! WOWZA!!

That is GORGEOUS! Wow.


It snows regularly every November and December at the Christmas Parties and the Osborne Lights!

Okay... you're right.... guess I was thinking of "cold" snow and not "Disney" snow!!

No worries! Life is busy for everyone, especially near the holidays!

For me, I'm trying to get back to a weight/size that I haven't been in years and didn't appreciate when I had it. I'm definitely ready to be back there - ready to wear the clothes I want to wear and feel comfortable in them, ready to not stress so much over being in photos, ready for that to be just one less factor in my life. There are too many things to see/do/enjoy to have so much time and energy consumed with "I have to lose this weight".

Agreed!!!

SO excited for you - but I selfishly don't want you to hit your goal because I want you to keep doing these challenges with us every month! LOL. But seriously, I'm so proud of you. Your before/after photos were incredible! I'm so excited for 2016 for you - a new body, no more school... LOOK OUT, WORLD!

Hopefully she will stay with us as a MAINTAINER!


Taking a little break from font-hunting and the like to pop in over here and say "HI!" Slowly but surely things are coming together here. A shop name has been picked (and I'm pleased with its definite Disney influence that doesn't SCREAM Disney, allowing for both Disney and non-Disney related listings! SUCCESS!), Instagram and Facebook pages set up, and I'm throwing together designs as quickly as I can think of them! My Silhouette should be delivered tomorrow and then I can really get to business... once I figure out exactly how to do everything I want to do, of course. LOL The goal this weekend is to tackle the craft room that has been overrun with wedding decorations that got dumped all over in our mad dash to get the car unloaded so we could pack for Disney, lol, and then I can set up a photo backdrop which I am SUPER excited about.

How is everyone's holiday-ing coming along? Houses decorated and gifts wrapped and cards sent? Anyone planning to make or eat any yummy holiday treats?

DD and I are both LOVING the name!! You are right.... it gives just enough of a hint of "Disney" to real fans, but doesn't scream "MICKEY"!!

Good morning everyone!! Somehow the year is winding down nicely here. Work ist not too crazy, my boyfriend will arrive soon and I am very organized with most of the Christmas stuff!

And this morning I was shocked by my scale - in a positive way!! I got a new low number of the year and it puts my result for this week to 101%!!! I never expected that!! I normally don't lose my weight that quickly, but it seems that my bad numbers at the beginning of the months were artificially inflated. So, I am very happy. I am also at a BMI of 25.01 now!! Yes, I did the calculations to see how far away from under 25 I still was. Now I just need to keep doing what I am doing and hopefully I will be able to get down a little more, to have a bit of a cushion for the holidays. Ultimately, in order to reach my goal for the month I just need to maintain from now on. But I won't complain if I finish the month with a result of over 100%!!

I have to say that I am really happy with where I am at the moment. I just did some calculations and on average I managed to lose 0.9 pounds per week since my start on September 9. I lost nearly 12 pounds so far. I have never been someone to lose weight quickly. But I am impressed with myself as to how consistently I have been doing this!

AMAZING progress.... you are an INSPIRATION!!! And woohoo on the boyfriend arriving soon!!

This is an interesting question. I think picking up from what I wrote above, the hardest thing for me is consistency. I tend to do very well for some time and then just fall of the bandwaggon and have such a hard time getting back into it. Two things have helped me in this regard: First, with experience it gets easier. I can look back at previous failures and see how bad I felt because I was not doing the right things and how just getting back into a routine of healthy eating and exercise will actually make me feel much better. And then, these threads. Having a group to talk to, to motivate me, a place to vent - this is all really important for me. I like how the DIS is always here when I need it, I don't have to make an effort to go here, and there are so many friendly people who totally understand my struggle.

I'm sure your words reflect how MANY of us feel about our "internet family" here on the DIs (or as my family calls you all.... 'Mom's imaginary friends' !).

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

It has taken me since 9 am to get this far! Going to keep going and get as caught up as I can!

 

[pjlla]

The hardest thing for me is my own brain. Not only do I have the internal struggles daily of choosing between healthy foods vs unhealthy foods but I have a problem with will power and eating unhealthy food on an impulse and then regretting it later. I also have days where I want to give up because I gained a pound and I look in the mirror and feel like I see all 30 right back on.

I have talked to MANY people who have successfully lost weight (in some cases a LOT of weight) and there is definitely some body dysmorphia that happens (similar to what happens with Anorexia) and you just do NOT see your body the way it looks NOW..... we still see our old "fatter" selves. Sad but true. I hit my goal weight in 2009 and have only varied by about 5-8 pounds since then (up and down and up and down and up and down within those 5-8 pounds) and I still pick out clothing that is faaarrr too big most of the time. If someone hands me a pair of jeans to try, I will always say.... "NO WAY.... those are too small"... and most time they fit or are even too big! I look at some of my WW members who are at goal who are my weight or higher and I ALWAYS think I look waaaayyy bigger than them! I occasionally see a picture of myself (especially taken from the back or side) and I often don't even think/believe it is me! When I have a bad day or weekend of eating, I have honestly thought that I gained my whole 80+ pounds back.... in one day! I feel HUGE. And that makes me want to give up..... but I need to shake myself off, hit the scale and see that while maybe I gained a pound or two, I have NOT gained it all back and I need to just get BACK ON TRACK!

(((HUGSS))) that you are feeling like this.... it can be discouraging!

One thing that has helped has been to take pictures along the way. That way when I feel like I haven't made any progress I can look back at those pictures and know for certain that I don't look like that anymore and that helps me a lot. I still struggle with the will power though. I'd gladly take any tips on that!

YUP.....thank goodness for PHOTOGRAPHS.... the good AND the bad!! Make a file on your computer of "before and after" pictures and look at it when you feel like throwing in the towel!

Getting physically sick or dealing with a cold really tears me down because I just don't have the energy to do much of, well, anything. Plus the hardest thing about staying on the healthy lifestyle journey is not letting my brain talk me down. I have a history with being hard on myself and battling with depression and other fun things, so during the stressful times, it can be a constant struggle just to see the good side of things. In that time, I just have to fall back, regroup, journal a little, reach out to the people I trust to tell me the truth about things/situations, and then get back to it when I feel stronger mentally and physically.

Been trying to keep up in this thread, and there's so many things I want to respond to. Some people are sharing some really great successes! I've been cheering for you over here everytime I read your posts.

Unfortunately, things have been pretty busy and not quite great so far this month. Very far behind on the holidays, and I'm trying to resist the urge to let it all fall by the wayside. lol I would hate to do that, but I just need to get out of this tired slump.

as for my goal, I was more ontrack this week, but still not where I want to be. But that's okay. 13% of goal as of today.

Like I mentioned to someone else, we are ALL having a busy month, so no worries! Just pop on when you are able!! Take care of yourself, first and foremost!!!

Happy to report that this week was better than last and I'm at 20% of my goal! I'm surprised because I haven't been having energy at night to get moving and eating take out every day for lunch, but I have been modifying dinners to compensate and I think that's a big part of all of this for me-- Finding the BALANCE! Take out for lunch? The I gotta have healthy salad for dinner. I guess that just boils down to being able to enjoy in moderation. There's a learning curve to all this for sure!

QOTD: The hardest thing so far has been working out. I am pretty decent with monitoring food, and I am really good at feeling guilty about it when I mess up. But I just don't like to exercise. Which is funny, because there was a time in my life when I would actually go to the gym just to listen to music and run around the track for fun. That woman sounds like an alien to me now! Granted, I had a goal back then (I was in pageants and needed to look good for the stage-- vanity has been a great motivator in the past apparently...). But for some reason right now, the vanity of not liking how I look in pictures now has not been motivating enough. Maybe it's because as an adult who is not in college any more, my life is not nearly as public on social media as it used to be. That sounds so shallow :-/ .... I used to think that the goal picture or the "fat" picture on the fridge wasn't a good idea, but maybe I am that vain and need some vanity perspective LOL So far in that department, I haven't found a way to keep myself on track. I am all over the place with exercising and not even close to being consistent. This is something I need to work on. Anyone else hate exercising? What do you do to motivate yourself?

Hate, loathe, despise..... you name it, I do NOT like exercise! No other way to say it. But what I DO LOVE is how I FEEL after I exercise.... how proud I am of myself, how great I feel PHYSICALLY, how alive and POWERFUL I feel, how HEALTHY I feel! That is what keeps me going.... but don't get me wrong.... I still need to do MORE. What helps is finding exercise that you really ENJOY and/or a fitness buddy to work out with!!

I am definitely not fitness person by choice lol. I would much rather be on the couch. As far as motivation, I've decided that running races has been a really great motivator for me. I usually only run like 3 times a week and then at home weight training movies 2 times a week. Have the goal of running races keeps me going back to the gym because I know that if I don't go consistently I won't have a good race or will be miserable and unprepared.

The other thing that has really helped me has been to bring my gym clothes with me to work and go directly to the gym after work. I just change there. I feel guilty if I try to drive pass the gym and blow the workout off because I literally pass it on the way to work. If I go home first then I will find myself in sweats...on the couch...probably with a snack I don't need.

Been there, done that!!

There are so many days where I just want to say "eff this" and eat my feelings in anything sweet I can find. But then I realize that type of thinking got me to where I was 18 months ago! Stress eating is so hard and some days I just want to eat my feelings because it's the easy thing to do. Changing lifestyles and eating habits are a part of this process and I feel that with the support of this group and my in-person support team that I am actually making positive life changes.

WOOHOOO on positive life changes!!

It looks like this race thing is getting ambitious. So now I think i'm apparently signing up to run 10 races through Rock N Roll and three through RunDisney? Perhaps this is what keeps me healthy and entertained through the next year. 2016 is "Racecation" it seems. Heading to: Phoenix, Dallas, San Francisco, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, San Jose, Vancouver, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.

WOW! That sounds like so much fun!!!!

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

Kinda, sorta caught up!! WOOHOO for me!!......................P

 

[dsnyfn1022]

YUP.....thank goodness for PHOTOGRAPHS.... the good AND the bad!! Make a file on your computer of "before and after" pictures and look at it when you feel like throwing in the towel!

Thank you so much for that! That was definitely needed. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Every slip up and I feel like I'm back at square one. And thinking about when I was back at my goal weight I still felt HUGE. Then I look at the clothes that I wore back then and I think "how can that even be the same person?" I didn't feel like I was smaller when I was. The other thing I did though that time around was that I erased or untagged myself from all old pictures of myself where I was larger. I didn't want to see those pictures or be associated with my former, fatter self. I regret that now for a handful of reasons but the biggest being that I didn't keep old pictures of myself around as motivation so I only ever felt fat. So I'm changing that this time around!

 

[ohMom]

quick check-in between a long day shopping yesterday and a busy weekend ahead of family gathering an cookie baking! I'm pleased to say that the holiday workout challenge has helped me lose just a little this past week! so i'm on track for maintaining this month!

have a great weekend everyone!

 

[jaelless]

Thank you for the welcomes I have not gotten into the habit of checking in here often, so I am already behind. This is a very active board, which is great, I will definitely try and get on here this weekend. Weekends are my hardest time. I work nights, and due to boredom and fatigue I tend to eat more than I should. I always seem to gain back what I worked so hard to lose during the week. I definitely am a yo-yo.

So reading through somebody asked me to tell a little about myself. So here goes: I am a single mom of two awesome kids. Ok one is a 20 yr old man LOL the other is my lil princess who is six years old. She helps me with my love of all things Disney. (Translation - she gives me excuse to indulge in my love of all things Disney) I am a nurse hence the night shifts. I just had my 47th birthday and this year I have felt ever year physically. I did not feel old physically until this year. I do not like feeling old. My major motivation is my lil princess. I want to be around to see her grow up. I had a physical this year and the doctor said most labs were good except I was pre-diabetic. It runs in my family and I want it to run right past me. So I am trying to do better with diet. I have not found the formula that works for me yet. I tried my fitness pal and I stay under calorie levels, as well as making sure I get at least 10,000 steps a day. Not sure why I can't get scale to behave. So here I am trying to see if I can type when I am having a hard time mentally/physically in health goals.

Goals for 2016: learn Spanish and move to Orlando in December 2016 LOL right by Disney.
Goal for December 2015: Maybe lose just five pounds and keep it off.

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

Hardest part is the not seeing results. I keep going by thinking of succeeding and how that would feel. I also think of my daughter and riding on the rides at Disney World with her and not having to worry about being too much. Bigger she gets means the less I have to be so we don't go over limit. Yikes I just realized that. oh dear...

 

[JacknSally]

Thank you for the welcomes I have not gotten into the habit of checking in here often, so I am already behind. This is a very active board, which is great, I will definitely try and get on here this weekend. Weekends are my hardest time. I work nights, and due to boredom and fatigue I tend to eat more than I should. I always seem to gain back what I worked so hard to lose during the week. I definitely am a yo-yo.

So reading through somebody asked me to tell a little about myself. So here goes: I am a single mom of two awesome kids. Ok one is a 20 yr old man LOL the other is my lil princess who is six years old. She helps me with my love of all things Disney. (Translation - she gives me excuse to indulge in my love of all things Disney) I am a nurse hence the night shifts. I just had my 47th birthday and this year I have felt ever year physically. I did not feel old physically until this year. I do not like feeling old. My major motivation is my lil princess. I want to be around to see her grow up. I had a physical this year and the doctor said most labs were good except I was pre-diabetic. It runs in my family and I want it to run right past me. So I am trying to do better with diet. I have not found the formula that works for me yet. I tried my fitness pal and I stay under calorie levels, as well as making sure I get at least 10,000 steps a day. Not sure why I can't get scale to behave. So here I am trying to see if I can type when I am having a hard time mentally/physically in health goals.

Goals for 2016: learn Spanish and move to Orlando in December 2016 LOL right by Disney.
Goal for December 2015: Maybe lose just five pounds and keep it off.

What is the HARDEST thing so far about this weight-loss/healthy lifestyle journey? How do you keep going when it gets hard?

Hardest part is the not seeing results. I keep going by thinking of succeeding and how that would feel. I also think of my daughter and riding on the rides at Disney World with her and not having to worry about being too much. Bigger she gets means the less I have to be so we don't go over limit. Yikes I just realized that. oh dear...

again! So glad to have you here! Don't you worry about falling behind or anything - these threads can move REALLY quickly (October and November were whirlwinds!) and no one will think a thing if you don't respond to every single post.

Your 2016 plans sound so exciting, and you are definitely being a rockstar mom for your little girl by taking care of yourself! Are you definitely moving, or is it still just a goal for now? We keep toying with the "we should just move to Disney" idea... but then we remember the HEAT. Haha.

A few things I try to account for when the scale isn't moving like I think it should... Have you been drinking enough water recently? How have you been sleeping - are you getting enough rest? Are you stressed about anything (and, I mean, ANYTHING!) How has your fiber intake been? Are you restricting too many calories, especially if you're exercising (I really struggle with this - I've got that "1200 calorie" diet so ingrained in my head that it's honestly a real mental fight for me to eat MORE than that. It just seems SO counterproductive!)? Do you notice that you feel worse or weigh more in the time/days after eating certain foods - for example, do carbs really stick with you, or does salt make you balloon? Are you building muscle and inflating the scale number even though you're burning fat in the process? Do your clothes fit any differently despite the number on the scale?

Of course, being a nurse, all of that is probably 2nd nature to you, LOL! But those are some of the things I've learned to examine when I see a number I don't like, or worse - don't agree with, because they all have a major impact on me personally.

We had my engagement ring sent in to be resized literally every 2 weeks between July and the first week of November because every time it came back from being sized, it didn't fit, even though I would try on the sizers in the store before sending it out (every. time.) and they would fit perfectly... It was SO frustrating, and there were more than a couple breakdowns in the jewelry store, because we couldn't figure out why this just would not work. We went back and forth constantly with the ring being fall-off-my-hand too big, so we'd take it down a half size, then 2 weeks later we'd get it back and it was painfully small, so back it went to go up a quarter size, but when that came back it was huge, so back it went to go down a half size because that was the sizer that fit that time, but when it came back, it was still too big.... Oh, I was a wreck. And on wedding day, I couldn't actually put on my wedding band because it refused to fit - during the ceremony, I ended up just holding it, LOL. But the entire week before the wedding, it fit fine. I didn't even take it on our honeymoon because I didn't want to chance not being able to wear it one day and having to leave it in the room. And of course, I processed it as "My fingers are too fat to wear my wedding ring", which was incredibly frustrating because I KNEW I had just lost 30lbs, and I KNEW I was trying on the 7.5-7.75 sizers rather than the 9's I was trying on just a year before... It was devastating, and I really stressed about it. Well, I started really paying attention, and it turns out that when I'm not drinking enough water, my fingers are the FIRST things that swell up, and boy do they! I still have days where my rings are uncomfortable, or just don't want to fit at all, but now I know that it's a sign I didn't get enough water the day before so I just need to really hydrate and they will most likely be fine the next day!


But I said all of that to say this - I know that I'm still learning my body and what makes me tick, and it's definitely a constant struggle, so don't get discouraged that you don't have all the answers yet! It's amazing what seemingly tiny factors can impact our weight loss in the biggest ways, and what might completely derail one person's month could be the magic elixir that melts pounds for someone else.


And on the bright side, THANK GOODNESS there are NO weight restrictions on anything at Disney! They'll never ask you what number your scale shows, and if they ever have to strategically load vehicles due to size, they don't let anyone know it. I was really nervous DH and I would have trouble fitting in the car for 7DMT because of all the reports I'd read about how snug they'd made the seats, and there's no example car you can try out before waiting in the queue. All that worrying for nothing! The seats are definitely not the most comfortable place I've ever sat, but we had no issue getting in, riding, or getting out. Honestly, Space Mountain gave us both WAY more trouble than 7DMT! I don't think Mary Poppins herself could get in or out of those dang rockets gracefully.

 

[JacknSally]

I dropped in "just really quickly", and got distracted with the post above my last one, and now 30 minutes later I've rambled and rambled and am only just getting around to the reason I stopped by in the first place! I'm definitely having one of those days today. I thought you guys would appreciate these random thoughts...

1 - eBay really makes me chuckle sometimes. Or, I guess, eBay sellers do. Sometimes I really wish you could comment on auction listings. I definitely would've left a note on the listing for the pack of "authentic vintage attraction posters" that someone listed for $70, telling everyone that they're only vintage themed and I bought the exact same pack in the park in October for $19.99. LOL. I had to laugh, though, at the listing for the soaps/shampoos/conditioners from back when the hotels used the complimentary toiletries with the black and white Mickey labels and the red tops... Does anyone remember those? I'm pretty sure that's 20 year old shampoo you're selling for $30. Or the pack of quick service napkins with the 25th anniversary logo printed on them! $25 for 23 year old napkins. I remember all the threads about people hoarding napkins and the outrage when Disney switched to plain napkins because of it, but today was the first time I've come across the old ones on eBay haha. It's a little like the M&M commercial with Santa... "They DO exist!"

2 - Has anyone else seen the Carousel of Progress Mickey & Minnie shirts on the Disney Store site? They're limited edition tees and only available until Sunday the 13th, if anyone is interested! Either way they made me think of you all and our awesome December theme. I think they're actually pretty cute, and I love when they do things for the classic attractions... Though, I think I would've given them both normal ears and worked the gears in somewhere else! Every time I look at Mickey, I process him as earless for the first few seconds. Here's the link for Minnie and for Mickey if anyone wants to look at them.