WISH Away the Pounds January Challenge -- Jumpstart the New Year -- Everyone Welcome!

[pjlla]

Good morning, everyone! Today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day, National Hot Pastrami Day, and National Organize Your Home Day! So, keep your pets nice and warm and protected from the rain today, while you eat your hot pastrami sandwich on a break from organizing your house! Whew!

Fun stuff! Every day needs to be "organize your home" day here!

Personally, I'm not a fan of hot pastrami, so I'm choosing to have a turkey sandwich instead

Good choice!

Fitful sleep again, even though I went to bed an hour earlier. I'm hoping this isn't diet related!! Here's hoping for tonight!

Watch the caffeine during the day maybe??


My biggest mistake is always eating a lot on days I work out. For instance, when I was a runner, I would finish a run and then eat a HUGE meal because I was so hungry. It would essentially cancel out everything I just did! Now, I know to wait at least 15 minutes after I finish working out to eat something, so I can really listen to my body and figure out how hungry I really am!

Thanks for the article, Lisa! Really informative stuff!

That's what this is all about....helping each other and learning from each other!

Good Morning everyone I have a Weight Watchers question - can the new program be used for people who want to do Atkins? it's similar to the old core or simply filling program where you just ate foods off a list till you felt full.. I do soo much better at keeping track/journaling ect and love the weekly meetings, but I know my body does much better at Atkins.. Thanks for any advise..BBL Michelle

Of course... just follow the new Simple Start plan, but watch/eliminate the carbs. The biggest drawback would be the fact that so many Atkins "standard" foods like nuts and full-fat dairy, are NOT on Simple Start. You would have to use your daily 7 PPV for those and 7 PPV wouldn't go far with that stuff.

Essentially you would be following SS but eating just the lean proteins, veggies, fat-free dairy, healthy oils, and fruit. You could also incorporate some of the "low carb" bread products that are out there because they also count for Simple Start "reduced calorie" breads (we use the Josephs Flax, Oat bran, and Whole Wheat THIN sandwich rolls). It would be a pretty limited diet though.... but essentially healthy. HTH.

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY. DH and I finished all four races, including the full - my first and my last - and even though I'm tired (but surprisingly not too achy!) I am on cloud 9. I went into this knowing that this full marathon would be my one and only, and I am so proud to have crossed it off the bucket list. No-one can ever take that accomplishment away from me, and I'm so happy. To have managed Dopey on top of that (the 5K, 10K, half, and full) is wild. I told DH that after our children, this feels like the biggest thing I've ever done.

AMAZING!! Congratulations on achieving something so great! Be proud!

But now it's back to business. Marathon training is hard on weight loss/maintenance (see Lisa's notes above about the numerous pitfalls!). Add to that the holidays and two big trips with lots of good food, and I am up, up, up. So today I put myself back on the WW Monthly Pass (I'm the client contact for our at work meeting so I go all the time anyway, but I only weigh in once a month). I'm doubling down and getting serious about losing what I've put on over the past 3-4 months. I want it gone by spring break, when our family will be back at WDW! I need my clothes to fit right, and I don't want to dread taking out my bathing suits.

Good for you for recommitting yourself!

Exercise-wise, I am signing up for more races (half marathons - no more fulls!), but I'm also going to work on getting back in sync with cross-training. I have a stationary bike at home, and I can knock out 45-60 minutes on that while watching a DVR'd show after dinner. I have had great success with Jillian Michaels (30DS and Ripped in 30), but I'm feeling a little bored with them, having done them so many times. I'm thinking about Power 90...anyone have recommendations?

So glad to be back, and so glad to have done this thing and to have finished in the upright position.

XO
Liz

No recommendations as far as DVDs go, but if you have a gym membership, how about a cross-training/trail mix type class?

So sorry, Buffy! You have a lot of balls to keep up in the air and it's okay to let them all fall and look at them on the ground for a bit while you regroup. Did you have a long run on the schedule this week-end for the Princess? It is very common to have a gain after a long run because you body will retain some water while it is repairing itself and getting stronger. I will be looking forward to hearing about your tomorrow.

Have a great day all!

Good advise!!

Yep, it is always fun to add new songs to the playlist. I don't remember if the song Let It Go from Frozen is on the list but that one was just added to my playlist.

My new Disney favorite!!

BRB getting in trouble with the smilie police again.

QOTD Tuesday January 14, 2014: Are you making any of these weight loss mistakes? Or is there another weight loss mistake that you know of that we should try to avoid?

BRB with replies.

I am consistently guilty of eating a VERY low fat diet... I admit I have become "fat phobic". I am also guilty of "running on empty." I am not a breakfast skipper, but I don't always eat before a morning workout. I have tried to change that but usually stick to just two PPV before a morning run/workout (usually a lowfat cheese stick and a Vitamuffin or piece of fruit).

Pity, party of one your table is now available.
Omg it's 7:30 in the morning and I've already had a craptastic day. Didn't sleep well, ds17 missed the bus, I'm in a grumpy mood, my legs are sore and the scale went up 4 pounds in 2 days. Wth?!?!
I'm going to the gym today in hopes that it gets me out of my funk, but damn I am ready to throw in the towel and give up.

Not much to say besides HANG IN THERE!! The scale has not been kind to me either lately, but I'm trying DESPERATELY to not let it psych me out!! I managed to keep my Christmas holiday gain to just 2.8 pounds (from 12/24 thru 1/3) and I thought that was an achievement, considering how much dessert I indulged in..... so then I got right back on track on 1/3 and had a good week (food-wise) and then got on the scale 1/10 and saw another nearly 3 pound GAIN!! and How can I gain as much on a GOOD eating week (on plan, plenty of veggies, water, green tea, etc) as I gained over a week and a half holiday of goodies, booze, etc???????

But I am PRAYING that it was a fluke on the scale and that another decent week will make things look better! And I will be praying the same for you. And with your training right now, a maintain is what you should probably be working for.

Anyhow, hope the rest of your day/week improve!!

Why is it the when you decide to not eat something because it's bad for you, all of a sudden it's the one thing you crave?!?

Because you are SUDDENLY putting it on the "forbidden" list and it makes you think about it ALL THE TIME! Unless it is truly BAD for you (like soda or diet soda), think about a way to work in just a BIT of it to get it off your mind!

Oh and I had one woohoo moment yesterday but I'll save that for woohoo Wednesday.

Sorry, rambling. I'm tired and I hurt.

Can't wait to hear about your WOOHOO!

Good morning. I got a good report from my ultrasound yesterday (over the phone) so all that's left is to go in and get my couple of stitches removed and ask her the six or so questions that I have about somewhat early menopause. Thanks for all your good thoughts!

So happy to hear that you had good news!!

I had a killer workout yesterday (41 minutes on the AMT and 34 min on the indoor track) and between that, the on plan eating, and no grown up drinks for a few days I am within half a pound of my weigh in on Friday, so at least I didn't do too much damage this weekend. Hoping to still pull off a loss this week.

WOOHOO!


QOTD--I have been listening to a lot of country music over the last six months or so, but one of my songs made the list--Cruise (Florida Georgia Line). Lately my go to songs--Sunny and 75 (Joe Nichols), Country Girl Shake It For Me (Luke Bryan), Aw Naw (Chris Young), and anything else by Florida Georgia Line.

I must be really old..... I don't recognize any of that.

QOTD Sunday: I've always enjoyed Walt Disney's "Its kind of fun to do the impossible."


Love that one!

QOTD Monday: I've got several of those songs on my running playlist. I usually pick a "power" song for each half I do. I have it play about halfway through my race to let me know that its time to kick it in gear and finish strong! This year DD helped me choose "Let It Go" from Frozen for the Tinker Bell Half.

As I said above.... that is my new Disney favorite!!

Sorry I have been MIA, I do try to read along almost every day. In the next couple of days I will be switching over from weight loss mode to maintain as I get ready to run Tink on Sunday. I need to not go to bed hungry or I will crash during the race! I am going to have OP meals and make every calorie count. But not on Sunday.

You must be getting excited!!

I did have one moment today. A while ago I ordered two pairs of jeans online and one of them was a bit too small. I have been avoiding them as they taunted me in the closet. Today I was looking around thinking about what I wanted to pack and I decided to try them on. And they fit! So now I will be rocking those jeans at the Princess next month.

LTS, I enjoy those bands too, but I believe this list is confined to new releases.

WOWZA! WTG on the new jeans!!

And with this I think I officially feel older than dirt. I haven't even heard of most of the people/songs on that list! Where is the Duran Duran, Foreigner, Huey Lewis, Tears for Fears and Aerosmith? Not to mention that I don't think I saw ONE Disney song on that list! Obviously their list is seriously flawed!
(and yes, the last time I worked out I was probably wearing a brightly colored spandex leotard and leg warmers!)

Well... then I am older-than-dirt with you!!!


Well, I just had a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday all rolled up into just a Monday. We had a lockdown drill AND a fire drill today, copier needed a part and I had to figure out how to replace it, several large deliveries, and a few crises that required pulling administrators from the crisis they were dealing with to deal with a higher priority crisis. I am exhausted and hope I can stay awake through dinner. I think I am too tired to chew. The rest of this week had better be calm and serene.

YIKES! Here's to a TOTALLY CALM TUESDAY!!

Have stayed completely on plan. Heck, I barely had time to eat the stuff I have to, much less any extras. Early bedtime tonight.

Need to go see if I can find a good price on a minivan rental for our trip. Everyone have a great ON PLAN evening and a calm and serene Tuesday, just like I will (right???)

Good luck with the rental car prices. They can be all over the board. If you belong to Costco, they usually can offer a decent price.

Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA. Had a 5 day stretch at work that I finished up this weekend with 2 13 hour shifts. I've been too busy to think but I have been measuring and packing my lunchs. I slipped up and had some Oreos on Saturday night but, after the day I had, I deserved them!

I did weigh in on the 10th and I'm down to 202.8!

PM'd my weight in today and I'm going to go back through and try to catch up with everything I've missed.

Glad you are down!!

H
"QOTD Monday, January 13, 2014: Did your favorite workout song of 2013 make the list? Do you have another favorite workout song that gets you going every time? Your favorite motivational song doesn't have to be a workout song -- just one that inspires you!"

I still listen to "What Are You Waiting For?" (Gwen Stefani) BIG motivator, good beat!

Have a great day everybody!

Not familiar with that one, but I do love a good motivator.... I'll have to look it up.

One store I shop at does has e-coupons. Even so, I still don't buy a lot of stuff that there are coupons for. Don't get me wrong, I love a good bargain and try to save as much as I can. But, I wish there was a way to save on fresh produce and meats. I watched an extreme couponing show and a woman bought 97 boxes of hamburger helper. Why? Yuck!!

DOUBLE YUCK!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone

I went to the gym this morning and ran 5 miles on the treadmill since it was pouring out. Did I ever mention how much I dislike running on the treadmill?? I cannot seem to run my pace at all. I feel like I will fly off or something. So, it took me longer than I hoped, but I did it. Now as I am sitting here, I am wondering why I ever thought running a half marathon would be fun! I'm not so sure running 13 miles would be fun at all. Hmmm...I may have to rethink this plan of doing 2 this year Maybe I'll just try for a race a month and keep it smaller, like 5k and 10k. Although, I could still do a Disney race and walk instead of run. Boy, I'm all over the place with this one now!

When you have made the right choice, you will know it!


Guess I better get going and take down the Christmas tree. It's the only thing left that we haven't put away yet because the kids wanted to keep it up. But, I would like my entry room back to normal! Have a great weekend!

Jill

Is the tree gone yet?

I'm so excited, I lost an entire pound this week! I actually tracked and stayed in my points.

My week restarts on Thursday and I have admittedly not tracked during the current week. Thursday my blood sugar dropped. It's been a long time since that has happened and I didn't have my glucose tabs with me, so I ended up eating some not okay stuff. Yesterday I went to a Nepalese restaurant with my family and had no clue how to track it. I think I am okay points wise and will be tracking the rest of the week. I did manage to do my week 1 day 3 of my couch to 5k.

I am proud that I have stuck with eating vegetarian. I have been trying lots of new foods and doing a lot of cooking, which has the benefit of much fewer processed foods.

WONDERFUL! Please feel free to share any new recipes! How was the Nepalese restaurant? I've always been interested in those relatively "unknown" foods.

There goes Motivational Monday. No worries.

Sorry.... I should have thought ahead a bit.... but I was panicked because I hadn't been able to get on the previous day! But you managed to make it a good Monday anyhow! Thanks!

Haha no! I used to work for a company in Boston that gave chocolate walking tours around town haha LOTS of chocolate info in my head!

Didn't realize that Boston had such a great chocolate history! What parts of Boston were you in??

I like quotes that remind me how lazy I used to be. Like - no matter how fast you run, you are still lapping everybody on the couch. Things like that.

But, I think "If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." is my favorite.

Love that one!

Darn, I missed it! I would have loved to go out and splash my kids! When they were little I would take them outside in the rain to play in the puddles. Neighbors (and husband!) thought I was crazy but it was so much fun!

I did things like that too.... and it made for great memories. Kids always remember when you allow them to do something a little "forbidden" like ice cream for supper or playing in the rain!


So not feeling motivated today so the only thing that came to mind is "It is hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys!" Okay, so I think that is a Demotivational quote actually.

The only other thing that came to mind was something said by Dr. Phil, way back when his show started and he was doing a weight loss show. He said something to the effect of: look at where you are now, and think about where you will be a year from now. A year from now you will weigh more or less than you do now. You are the only one that can decide which it will be. I don't know why, but when he said that to the woman he was talking to it really struck me and has stayed with me.

AMEN!! I am taking that one to my meeting tonight!!


I had a pre-Disney mani/pedi yesterday and considered seeing if she could do some Mickey Heads. Ultimately decided against it but thought of a great product-- OPI did a Minnie Mouse collection a few years ago and I want to see a Mickey Mouse collection with a Mickey red and then a clear with black Mickey head confetti in it-- that would be SO cool! Or confetti of the Mickey Body parts pattern that is so prevalent at Disney with the white glove, yellow shoes, red shorts and black ears. That would be sooooo cool!

Sounds neat!!


Not a great on plan weekend. Not horrible, just not great. I weighed on Friday and was pretty surprised and happy at the number I got. But then it was up .3 on Saturday and up another .5 this morning (my official personal weigh in day is Sunday). I did a bunch of cooking today to prepare for next week and I am going to try to have a VERY 100% OP week. That will require cutting back on a few of the extras I have let creep in but I think that is why my loss has really slowed down. One extra doesn't hurt so I will have 2, which leads to 3 and 4 and the next thing I know I am sitting on the pantry floor with a serving spoon,the peanut butter jar and a bag of chocolate chips. You know how when you start a new diet plan you are always so careful the first few weeks to follow ALL of the rules exactly as they are and do not experiment or deviate at all? That is what I need to do. There are a lot of ways that I can deviate and while one a day might not be too bad I have been relaxing the rules way to often. Time to kick my own butt and get a few more pounds off before we leave for Disney in 12 days.

Gotta run and figure out what we are having for dinners this week. Last week I kept forgetting to take meat out of the freezer and that was a disaster.

Everyone have a great week!

Glad you are ready to recommittment yourself SOLIDLY for the next 12 days!!

Good morning everyone! I hope you have a great start into the new week!

For me the start was pretty good as I already "lost" 4 pounds of those 10 pounds that I gained over Christmas. I guess, I did not gain as much as I feared! ;-) Very happy about that!

Of course, then I wake up hungry and could be eating all day today... Already had a too large breakfast. Will try to be good at lunch to make up for it!

Knew that would happen!! Work hard, eat right, and plenty of water and the other 6 will be gone in no time!

Pamela, thank you so much for coaching last week and taking on some additional time! You had some great questions and sparked a lot of good discussions.

You are SO VERY WELCOME!!

Continuing in the Motivational Monday theme that Pamela started yesterday -- and feel free to post your favorite motivational quote if you haven't already or have another one.

Here is a link to a list put together by sparkpeople.com (of course ) called The 100 Best Workout Songs of 2013 http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=the_100_best_workout_songs_of_2013 Did your favorite workout song make the list?

QOTD Monday, January 13, 2014: Did your favorite workout song of 2013 make the list? Do you have another favorite workout song that gets you going every time? Your favorite motivational song doesn't have to be a workout song -- just one that inspires you!

I'm old and no one would know my songs!!

Quick fly by post.

Was not an on plan weekend, but planning to rein (sp?) things in a bit today.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Quotes:

Have a wonderful Monday!

Love those quotes and glad you were able to get things back on track!

Oh I like the link today Lisa, thank you! Might give me some new additions. I would pick Blurred Lines as my fav of that list that made it to my workout playlist. I don't listen to actual radio much so it's not as overplayed to me as it is on the radio.

Today I have to take my DD to get her cast off, after seven weeks! Good day indeed!! I must must stick with my commitment to work out this afternoon or evening when I'm home now, tomorrow is busy day

A great day OP everyone )

WOOHOO on the cast coming off!


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

Okay.... I'm relatively caught up and it is time to hit the shower and prepare for tonight's meeting! I can't believe how behind schedule I'm getting here today! YIKES!

TTYL...................P

 

[bigsis1970]

^^^^ Thanks P! I was just looking at the simply filling list of foods.. I'll have to go home and study my carb counter book side by side with it and see what I can do.. I can't eat what I want and I am finding it hard to commit back to full Atkins so I need to figure out an in-betweener but I really love going to WW meetings.. I might just join anyway.. I love my leader on Sat am's, I just checked to see if she was still the same girl from almost 2 years ago and it is!

 

[ohMom]

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I cannot imagine!!!!


just home from one appointment and off to another soon, but I made myself come home and eat zero point WW veg soup and not run through wendys , so score one ohMom

I'm sure it has something to do with I will have to step on the scale at the doc this afternoon but oh well..i did it

QOTD -- I'm guilty of overdoing it and then it knocks me out of commission for 1,2 or even 3 days. I have to remember to pace myself to keep the momentum up, that's more productive then too much, crash and burn

 

[pjlla]

^^^^ Thanks P! I was just looking at the simply filling list of foods.. I'll have to go home and study my carb counter book side by side with it and see what I can do.. I can't eat what I want and I am finding it hard to commit back to full Atkins so I need to figure out an in-betweener but I really love going to WW meetings.. I might just join anyway.. I love my leader on Sat am's, I just checked to see if she was still the same girl from almost 2 years ago and it is!

If you can find a leader you like, that is a big step in the right direction. And you can totally follow Simple Start AND watch your carbs.... people who have diabetes do it all the time! Let me know if you want to talk about recipes!!

just home from one appointment and off to another soon, but I made myself come home and eat zero point WW veg soup and not run through wendys , so score one ohMom

I'm sure it has something to do with I will have to step on the scale at the doc this afternoon but oh well..i did it

QOTD -- I'm guilty of overdoing it and then it knocks me out of commission for 1,2 or even 3 days. I have to remember to pace myself to keep the momentum up, that's more productive then too much, crash and burn

Good for you for sticking with the soup!

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

Back from the Post office to get DS's passport expedited (yes, I procrastinated), I'm dressed/made-up for work and I've taken a quick study of tonight's subject. I just need to grab some of my WW supplies and throw them in the car, grab a snack and a drink, and make sure that the men have some supper handy!

TTYL...............P

 

[50sjayne]

Good morning all! Sorry to be getting on here late again! Had some things to get done this morning after I dropped DS at school.

QOTD for Tuesday, January 7, 2014:

As you are making (or continuing to make) these new healthy changes in your life (eating better, exercise, drinking more water, getting more sleep, etc), what are some things that you can do/are doing to make these new habits STICK??

Do you pack your gym bag the night before? Are you bringing an extra large water bottle to work? Did you pack a week's worth of healthy brown-bag lunches?


If you are VERY NEW to this way of life, what types of things do you think will help you make this new way of life habit?

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

BB in a minute to chat..........P

Well, the one thing that's cool about eating a little less consistently is your stomach adjusts and you're full with that amount. The not cool thing is feeling deprived so I guess I will make more effort to indulge in other things that aren't food. I guess I should start making plans for rewarding myself for a loss--stuff that won't blow my budget or take too much time. An idea-- glow bowling. It's fun and because I'm stronger now maybe I won't have to use the star ball...

Morning all! Fly-by post with the QOTD and I'll be back later after some errands to chat more!

QOTD for Wednesday January 8, 2014:

What are the top 5 tools in your weight loss/healthy lifestyle tool kit??These can be both tangible and other. If you are just starting and don't have 5, just list what you have.

My gym, our awesome Oregon water, this board, my vanity, the internet.

Morning all!

QOTD for Thursday, January 9, 2014:

What is the most UNHEALTHY thing that you do? Do you plan to change that and if so, how?

BB in a bit to chat................P

Drink. I'm starting to cut back and go for more natural methods of relaxation lol.

Morning all! I'm here with the QOTD, but I'm at work and my schedule doesn't have any breaks, so I probably won't be on to chat until I get home later.


FUN FRIDAY QOTD for Friday, January 10, 2014:

Flip-flops or sandals: flip flops--croc flip flops of course.

play or musical: Play

blue or green: green

contemporary or traditional: contemporary.

pretzels or tortilla chips: Both

procrastinator or done early: procrastinate

paperback or e-book/Kindle: hardback

organized or hot mess: organized at work- at home no.

early bird or night owl: Night

leader or follower: Follower

soup or salad: salad

comedy or drama: drame

clutter bug or minimalist: clutter

Weekend QOTD for January 11/12, 2014:

Share your favorite motivational quote (or two).

There's a bit Dr. Wayne Dyer does on one of his tapes-he says to look at yourself in the mirror every day and tell yourself you will not let anyone upset you. He does this whole bit about it, how people will try really hard to do it but you won't allow it and I do that about every day.

Pamela, thank you so much for coaching last week and taking on some additional time! You had some great questions and sparked a lot of good discussions.

Continuing in the Motivational Monday theme that Pamela started yesterday -- and feel free to post your favorite motivational quote if you haven't already or have another one.

Here is a link to a list put together by sparkpeople.com (of course ) called The 100 Best Workout Songs of 2013 http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=the_100_best_workout_songs_of_2013 Did your favorite workout song make the list?

QOTD Monday, January 13, 2014: Did your favorite workout song of 2013 make the list? Do you have another favorite workout song that gets you going every time? Your favorite motivational song doesn't have to be a workout song -- just one that inspires you!

On the elliptical nothing gets me going more than Black eyed peas rock that body. Living Dead Girl, (Rob Zombie) Pitbull, Back in Time, all good. Tone Loc wild thing, funky cold medina.
Right now... lifting weights--Tell me something good, (Rufus) Black Eyed Peas My Humps, NIN Closer and pretty hate machine-- the whole album--all good.

My music is so important to me for workouts. I need to start checking my old downloading site for when it's search engine isn't crippled--it's rare but it does happen, they also have a new beta version out now I need to try.

It's actually been fun going to the gym lately because there are so many rubes and I'm a big show off. There's always the big January rush you know...Schedule is back to normal this week but I'm still feeling just whammered. ALL of the 8 cats I needed to get fixed are finally done though as of yesterday. We've had them since the end of November so I'm pretty proud of that really. Well one was one we had that had a litter ( she was pregnant when we got her) and we kept thinking she was pregnant but it turns out she just didn't go into heat for about 6 months after she had the first and was just getting fat lol. I still need to get 3 of them their second shots so just need to make appointments and keep appointments already made. Think I'm going to go read a little of the new Steven King before I hit the gym today--I need a pleasure that's now food, plus I'm already down 2 pounds this week.
I am so glad to be finally caught up!
P.S. Sundays are the days Goodwill changes the color tag. For fellow goodwill junkies.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Congrats Liz!

Hang in there Buffy.

***
I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. I went to the grocery across the street from our apartment because they had a gf mac and cheese that doesn't give me a stomach ache as a treat for lunch today at work. Well they aren't carrying it anymore. It was one of the few gf frozen meals that I could eat where I didn't have to worry about cross contamination, etc. The next closest store is really inconvenient for a last minute work lunch. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch. Still didn't eat perfectly today, but being less frustrated and not letting a silly situation get the best of me was a big victory of sorts.

Hope everyone has a great night!

 

[mainemooncat]

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY. DH and I finished all four races, including the full - my first and my last - and even though I'm tired (but surprisingly not too achy!) I am on cloud 9. I went into this knowing that this full marathon would be my one and only, and I am so proud to have crossed it off the bucket list. No-one can ever take that accomplishment away from me, and I'm so happy. To have managed Dopey on top of that (the 5K, 10K, half, and full) is wild. I told DH that after our children, this feels like the biggest thing I've ever done.

Just wanted to say how inspiring this is and that you should be so very, very proud of yourself! This is truly an incredibly accomplishment! Congrats on an unbelievable achievement!

Elizabeth

 

[lovetoscrap]

Sorry I have been MIA, I do try to read along almost every day. In the next couple of days I will be switching over from weight loss mode to maintain as I get ready to run Tink on Sunday. I need to not go to bed hungry or I will crash during the race! I am going to have OP meals and make every calorie count. But not on Sunday.

I did have one moment today. A while ago I ordered two pairs of jeans online and one of them was a bit too small. I have been avoiding them as they taunted me in the closet. Today I was looking around thinking about what I wanted to pack and I decided to try them on. And they fit! So now I will be rocking those jeans at the Princess next month.

for a great run!

Great NSV! Isn't it awesome to have those very tangible reminders that our efforts are paying off?

Good morning. I got a good report from my ultrasound yesterday (over the phone) so all that's left is to go in and get my couple of stitches removed and ask her the six or so questions that I have about somewhat early menopause. Thanks for all your good thoughts!

So glad to hear that all the test results were good.

Pity, party of one your table is now available.
Omg it's 7:30 in the morning and I've already had a craptastic day. Didn't sleep well, ds17 missed the bus, I'm in a grumpy mood, my legs are sore and the scale went up 4 pounds in 2 days. Wth?!?!
I'm going to the gym today in hopes that it gets me out of my funk, but damn I am ready to throw in the towel and give up.

Sorry, rambling. I'm tired and I hurt.

Sorry your day started craptastically.

QOTD Tuesday January 14, 2014: Are you making any of these weight loss mistakes? Or is there another weight loss mistake that you know of that we should try to avoid?

BRB with replies.

I know that I tend to want faster results than I should.

Another thing that I do is forget to look at the big picture. This isn't about the choices I make for one meal or on one day. And for me that means that I have to stop pushing the limits. One little piece of chocolate eaten at lunch on Tuesday probably won't have much affect. But if I decide to have one again on Wednesday, and Thursday, and maybe 2 on Saturday because so far it doesn't seem to have hurt anything, then I slide down a very slippery slope that leads to on the scale.

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY. DH and I finished all four races, including the full - my first and my last - and even though I'm tired (but surprisingly not too achy!) I am on cloud 9. I went into this knowing that this full marathon would be my one and only, and I am so proud to have crossed it off the bucket list. No-one can ever take that accomplishment away from me, and I'm so happy. To have managed Dopey on top of that (the 5K, 10K, half, and full) is wild. I told DH that after our children, this feels like the biggest thing I've ever done.


So glad to be back, and so glad to have done this thing and to have finished in the upright position.

XO
Liz

What an AWESOME accomplishment!

Good morning, everyone! Today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day, National Hot Pastrami Day, and National Organize Your Home Day! So, keep your pets nice and warm and protected from the rain today, while you eat your hot pastrami sandwich on a break from organizing your house! Whew! =P

I think I will skip Dressing up my Pet-- I don't have a death wish! 2 cats at home and while one is probably almost laid back enough to let us put a something small on her I think an entire outfit would send us both to the hospital. The other cat

I wish I could organize my home in one day! I would start and after about 15 mins. decide that I needed to find someway to organize whatever I started . So I would go on Pinterest to find some good ideas and . . hours later I would have LOTS of great organizing ideas pinned on neatly organized boards. . And that would be the end of my organization!

Good luck with the rental car prices. They can be all over the board. If you belong to Costco, they usually can offer a decent price.

Funny you mention that because that is exactly where I found a great deal! I was ready to give up because I couldn't find anything under about $400 which is more than we wanted to spend. Last ditch effort I went to Costco and got one for $330. Our van is 13 years old and DH prefers that we rent one to drive down and back. Just easier to now worry about what to do if something happens to our van. We started looking at new vans in the fall and were considering buying one but neither of us really want to have a car payment with college right around the corner. And Medifast is not cheap so that is my car payment! Maybe I can convince him that new car should be my Goal reward!

just home from one appointment and off to another soon, but I made myself come home and eat zero point WW veg soup and not run through wendys , so score one ohMom

Way to Go!!

***
I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. I went to the grocery across the street from our apartment because they had a gf mac and cheese that doesn't give me a stomach ache as a treat for lunch today at work. Well they aren't carrying it anymore. It was one of the few gf frozen meals that I could eat where I didn't have to worry about cross contamination, etc. The next closest store is really inconvenient for a last minute work lunch. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch. Still didn't eat perfectly today, but being less frustrated and not letting a silly situation get the best of me was a big victory of sorts.

That is great! I think it is those little things that throw us off plan that can be the worst. You did a great job staying on track and powering through the setback!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Much calmer day today. I don't think I could have handled another day like yesterday! God Bless our administrators that have to deal with everything full force. When the "stuff" hits the fan I only have to go in ankle deep, they are often in up to their necks!! I don't know how they do it.

Day 2 of staying completely On Plan.

Want to chat more but I think I have a migraine coming on and the computer screen is not helping. Need to get some meds and probably another early bedtime.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

I know you know what day it is and you have been looking forward to it . . .

QOTD Wednesday January 15, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday -- give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did today week to help you with your goals.

 

[bryana]

Good morning all.

I've been very "strict" with my tracking this week as well as running and it showed on the scale this morning. I hope it sticks around until WI on friday!! Was able to get in 5 miles outside (!) and another 2 on the treadmill yesterday. My best friend and I decided to really make good of an idea we had thrown around about going to her gym together (she gets a free guest once a day!) while the boys have band practice. It felt good to get in the gym with her again, it has been a while. The boys are practicing with their other band tonight so we are going to go again. Feel good about this week.

 

[pjlla]

Happy Wednesday all! I'm working at school today, so I won't be around to pop off and on as much as I would like.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL woohoo Wednesday and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's responses to today's QOTD.

My answer to the QOTD is........(gotta think for a minute)....I have been really cutting back on my evening popcorn portions/frequency. I think that might be one reason why my weight has been creeping up instead of down. And I am saving my Lindt chocolates (salted milk chocolate.... their newest flavor... DD bought me) from Christmas for weekends instead of having one (or two) a day. I was counting them, but I think they were still going to be a problem for me... so I will reserve them for the occasional Friday or Saturday evening treat.

TTYL.....................P

 

[lisah0711]

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY. DH and I finished all four races, including the full - my first and my last - and even though I'm tired (but surprisingly not too achy!) I am on cloud 9. I went into this knowing that this full marathon would be my one and only, and I am so proud to have crossed it off the bucket list. No-one can ever take that accomplishment away from me, and I'm so happy. To have managed Dopey on top of that (the 5K, 10K, half, and full) is wild. I told DH that after our children, this feels like the biggest thing I've ever done.

Congratulations, Liz, on your wonderful accomplishment of being Dopey. You and your DH should be proud of your hardwork and dedication! And I could tell from your FB posts that you had a great time, too.

Good morning, everyone! Today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day, National Hot Pastrami Day, and National Organize Your Home Day! So, keep your pets nice and warm and protected from the rain today, while you eat your hot pastrami sandwich on a break from organizing your house! Whew! =P

Personally, I'm not a fan of hot pastrami, so I'm choosing to have a turkey sandwich instead

Fitful sleep again, even though I went to bed an hour earlier. I'm hoping this isn't diet related!! Here's hoping for tonight!

It is a full moon this week and that does affect your sleep quality. Hopefully you will be able to get caught up on your rest soon.

That's what this is all about....helping each other and learning from each other!

Yep, that's what we do!

^^^^ Thanks P! I was just looking at the simply filling list of foods.. I'll have to go home and study my carb counter book side by side with it and see what I can do.. I can't eat what I want and I am finding it hard to commit back to full Atkins so I need to figure out an in-betweener but I really love going to WW meetings.. I might just join anyway.. I love my leader on Sat am's, I just checked to see if she was still the same girl from almost 2 years ago and it is!

One of the best things about WW is that you can eat anything that you want and still follow the plan. I think it is good to switch things up as you body adapts or your enthusiasm wanes a bit -- change is good.

QOTD -- I'm guilty of overdoing it and then it knocks me out of commission for 1,2 or even 3 days. I have to remember to pace myself to keep the momentum up, that's more productive then too much, crash and burn

You can do it, Molli!

It's actually been fun going to the gym lately because there are so many rubes and I'm a big show off. There's always the big January rush you know...Schedule is back to normal this week but I'm still feeling just whammered.

All those extra folks at the gym will be long gone in a few weeks.

I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about.

Congrats on a great NSV, Rose!

Great NSV! Isn't it awesome to have those very tangible reminders that our efforts are paying off?

Yes, thank goodness we don't have to rely solely on the scale for victories!

Good morning all!

I know you know what day it is and you have been looking forward to it . . .

QOTD Wednesday January 15, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday -- give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did today week to help you with your goals.

My for the week was my 11 mile run on the indoor track for Princess training on Saturday.

Good morning all.

I've been very "strict" with my tracking this week as well as running and it showed on the scale this morning. I hope it sticks around until WI on friday!! Was able to get in 5 miles outside (!) and another 2 on the treadmill yesterday. My best friend and I decided to really make good of an idea we had thrown around about going to her gym together (she gets a free guest once a day!) while the boys have band practice. It felt good to get in the gym with her again, it has been a while. The boys are practicing with their other band tonight so we are going to go again. Feel good about this week.

for some extra gym and visiting with a friend time!

My answer to the QOTD is........(gotta think for a minute)....I have been really cutting back on my evening popcorn portions/frequency. I think that might be one reason why my weight has been creeping up instead of down. And I am saving my Lindt chocolates (salted milk chocolate.... their newest flavor... DD bought me) from Christmas for weekends instead of having one (or two) a day. I was counting them, but I think they were still going to be a problem for me... so I will reserve them for the occasional Friday or Saturday evening treat.

for continuing to fine tune things so you can stay where you need to be!

Have a great Woo Hoo Wednesday all!

 

[ohMom]

I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. I went to the grocery across the street from our apartment because they had a gf mac and cheese that doesn't give me a stomach ache as a treat for lunch today at work. Well they aren't carrying it anymore. It was one of the few gf frozen meals that I could eat where I didn't have to worry about cross contamination, etc. The next closest store is really inconvenient for a last minute work lunch. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch. Still didn't eat perfectly today, but being less frustrated and not letting a silly situation get the best of me was a big victory of sorts.

are you GF for celiac or intolerance? you've probably said, I'm sorry my memory is awful. I believe I'm gluten intolerant, I just found out I'm not truly allergic yesterday. anyhow..it's hard to be GF!! I keep saying I'm 'gluten lite' so I give you a for how you handled that!

QOTD Wednesday January 15, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday -- give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did today week to help you with your goals.

this week I took my dog out on a walk two different days despite the chill and the fact that I really didn't want too. I know it's good for her, she's only 2 so being cooped up so much brings out her orneriness. and the extra mile or so sure makes my fitbit numbers improve!! oh that wasn't today...it was this week. today I'm going to workout! and then go to GW later this afternoon to look for capri's from my FL trip in a few weeks

 

[pjlla]

Well, the one thing that's cool about eating a little less consistently is your stomach adjusts and you're full with that amount. The not cool thing is feeling deprived so I guess I will make more effort to indulge in other things that aren't food. I guess I should start making plans for rewarding myself for a loss--stuff that won't blow my budget or take too much time. An idea-- glow bowling. It's fun and because I'm stronger now maybe I won't have to use the star ball...

What a fun idea for a reward!!


Drink. I'm starting to cut back and go for more natural methods of relaxation lol.

Have you looked into magnesium at all?? Supposed to be very calming.

There's a bit Dr. Wayne Dyer does on one of his tapes-he says to look at yourself in the mirror every day and tell yourself you will not let anyone upset you. He does this whole bit about it, how people will try really hard to do it but you won't allow it and I do that about every day.

Good for you!


On the elliptical nothing gets me going more than Black eyed peas rock that body. Living Dead Girl, (Rob Zombie) Pitbull, Back in Time, all good. Tone Loc wild thing, funky cold medina.
Right now... lifting weights--Tell me something good, (Rufus) Black Eyed Peas My Humps, NIN Closer and pretty hate machine-- the whole album--all good.

My music is so important to me for workouts. I need to start checking my old downloading site for when it's search engine isn't crippled--it's rare but it does happen, they also have a new beta version out now I need to try.

It's actually been fun going to the gym lately because there are so many rubes and I'm a big show off. There's always the big January rush you know...Schedule is back to normal this week but I'm still feeling just whammered. ALL of the 8 cats I needed to get fixed are finally done though as of yesterday. We've had them since the end of November so I'm pretty proud of that really. Well one was one we had that had a litter ( she was pregnant when we got her) and we kept thinking she was pregnant but it turns out she just didn't go into heat for about 6 months after she had the first and was just getting fat lol. I still need to get 3 of them their second shots so just need to make appointments and keep appointments already made. Think I'm going to go read a little of the new Steven King before I hit the gym today--I need a pleasure that's now food, plus I'm already down 2 pounds this week.
I am so glad to be finally caught up!
P.S. Sundays are the days Goodwill changes the color tag. For fellow goodwill junkies.

From one cat lover to another.... thank you for being such a great foster mom!! And woo hoo on the two pounds!

***
I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. I went to the grocery across the street from our apartment because they had a gf mac and cheese that doesn't give me a stomach ache as a treat for lunch today at work. Well they aren't carrying it anymore. It was one of the few gf frozen meals that I could eat where I didn't have to worry about cross contamination, etc. The next closest store is really inconvenient for a last minute work lunch. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch. Still didn't eat perfectly today, but being less frustrated and not letting a silly situation get the best of me was a big victory of sorts.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Good job! That is a HUGE victory!! Glad you didn't let it get you down. BTW, have you thought about finding that particular food item elsewhere? You may be able to order it by the case through Amazon.

I know that I tend to want faster results than I should.

Don't we all!!??

Another thing that I do is forget to look at the big picture. This isn't about the choices I make for one meal or on one day. And for me that means that I have to stop pushing the limits. One little piece of chocolate eaten at lunch on Tuesday probably won't have much affect. But if I decide to have one again on Wednesday, and Thursday, and maybe 2 on Saturday because so far it doesn't seem to have hurt anything, then I slide down a very slippery slope that leads to on the scale.

Very good insight. One little slip = NBD...... but one little slip EVERY DAY =


I wish I could organize my home in one day! I would start and after about 15 mins. decide that I needed to find someway to organize whatever I started . So I would go on Pinterest to find some good ideas and . . hours later I would have LOTS of great organizing ideas pinned on neatly organized boards. . And that would be the end of my organization!

Oh my gosh! I knew we were sister at heart! That sounds so much like me! If I spend half the time on exercise that I spent on Pinterest looking up exercises, I'd be an Olympic-caliber athlete!!


Funny you mention that because that is exactly where I found a great deal! I was ready to give up because I couldn't find anything under about $400 which is more than we wanted to spend. Last ditch effort I went to Costco and got one for $330. Our van is 13 years old and DH prefers that we rent one to drive down and back. Just easier to now worry about what to do if something happens to our van. We started looking at new vans in the fall and were considering buying one but neither of us really want to have a car payment with college right around the corner. And Medifast is not cheap so that is my car payment! Maybe I can convince him that new car should be my Goal reward!

Glad you found an okay deal!!

That is great! I think it is those little things that throw us off plan that can be the worst. You did a great job staying on track and powering through the setback!

Good morning all.

I've been very "strict" with my tracking this week as well as running and it showed on the scale this morning. I hope it sticks around until WI on friday!! Was able to get in 5 miles outside (!) and another 2 on the treadmill yesterday. My best friend and I decided to really make good of an idea we had thrown around about going to her gym together (she gets a free guest once a day!) while the boys have band practice. It felt good to get in the gym with her again, it has been a while. The boys are practicing with their other band tonight so we are going to go again. Feel good about this week.

Sounds like fun! Really wish I had a gym friend. I miss DD

My for the week was my 11 mile run on the indoor track for Princess training on Saturday.

That is a definite WOOHOO!!!

Have a great Woo Hoo Wednesday all!

Not exactly a "woohoo" day for me here at work, but I'll make it the best that I can!

this week I took my dog out on a walk two different days despite the chill and the fact that I really didn't want too. I know it's good for her, she's only 2 so being cooped up so much brings out her orneriness. and the extra mile or so sure makes my fitbit numbers improve!! oh that wasn't today...it was this week. today I'm going to workout! and then go to GW later this afternoon to look for capri's from my FL trip in a few weeks

Good luck finding some capris you like! Hope you find some good bargains!

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

Okay.... the morning was a bit rough, but we made it through. Math lesson was a bit of a disaster, but at least we were running behind and I didn't have to do the whole thing!!

Right now is my "lunch" break, but I'm allowed to eat with the kids while I have lunch duty, so I'll have my yogurt and fruit in a bit. I'd rather not eat this early if I don't have to.

DD is coming home Thursday night! She has a job interview here at my school on Friday. She was hoping to stay home and sub during the Christmas break and she got her application in in October, but they just called her this week for an interview. And then they seemed annoyed that she wasn't available immediately.... well, DUH.... she needed a job so when you didn't call, she took one on campus!! Anyhow, if she gets hired, she can work a bit during spring break and then again in late May/early June for a bit.... and she will be all set to work next year during her breaks. It isn't much, but it will help. I despise the woman she is interviewing with (as do many folks here), but I see no reason why DD won't get hired... they have hired plenty of college freshman in the past.

Off to meet my students in the cafeteria! TTYL..................P

 

[willonlyflytodisney]

Good morning, all! Ready for today's history lesson? (Can you tell I'm training to be a teacher?)

Today is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! It is also National Hat Day - in recognition of the first Top Hat in 1797, where James Heatherington (what a name!) in England left his shop wearing this hat that he created. The story goes that a crowd formed around him, eager to see the hat, and caused such a ruckus that he was fined for starting a shoving match! Of course, then he became a very successful businessman, but there you go.

Today is also MLK Jr.'s birthday and Tu B'Shevat begins tonight! For those who don't have Jewish families, Tu B'Shevat is the New Year for Trees. In Leviticus, it is written that fruit from trees shouldn't be eaten for the first three years. In the fourth year, God gets to eat the fruit, and then any year after that, you can eat the fruit. Essentially, they decided that this day would be the measurement of age for a tree. So, if you planted a tree yesterday, then today would mark the start of its 2nd year of life. But, if you plant it tomorrow, then you'd have to wait until next year for it to be in 2nd year.

The reason I explain all of this to you is not because I'm Jewish (my family is but I'm not religious), but because I think the way Jews celebrate this day relates to this message board! You see, some Jews celebrate by planting a tree, or going around to gather donations to have a tree planted somewhere. But, most Jews celebrate by increasing the amount of fruit you eat - especially grapes, olives, dates, figs and pomegranates. A tradition I find even cooler is to eat a fruit that you have not eaten that entire year - either one you've never tried, or one that you simply forgot to eat since last January.

Anyway, the holiday starts tonight at sunset and lasts until tomorrow, so technically its tomorrow's holiday but I thought it might inspire some people to add some extra fruit into their diet tomorrow!

This week has been a bit of a strugglebus for me, as I've been transitioning from a 3 meal schedule to snacks in between. Not for any particular reason, but in between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner, I am always STARVING! I can last, but that feeling just eats away at me. Since work has been slow lately, its not easy. So, I decided to try it for awhile. Regardless, I'm only adding some cheese and crackers in the afternoon and some greek yogurt in mid-morning. It has definitely improved my energy level - I don't rush home and HAVE to eat as soon as I walk in the door! I'm able to go about my day, not worried about how long it is until lunch.

The problems are two-fold. One is that I have trouble remembering to eat smaller meals for my lunch and dinner. I actually have found myself getting full faster on smaller things than I normally am, so that's good. But, it takes some reminding sometimes. The other problem is that in getting healthy, I was always trained to "ONLY eat when you are HUNGRY," rather than just because. Well, at 10:30, I'm not hungry, but by 11, my stomach is rumbling away. So, I try to eat at 10:30 so I can prepare for that. But, its an inner conflict that I definitely am trying to deal with haha

Oy vey. Of course, just today, I realized I forgot to eat my 10:30 yogurt haha oops!

Hi everyone!

Well, I am back, and I am DOPEY. DH and I finished all four races, including the full - my first and my last - and even though I'm tired (but surprisingly not too achy!)

Congratulations!!!!! Good for you! It is so inspiring to read about someone who actually completed it! I remember in 2010, I was at WDW for Marathon weekend, but not running, and on our way to the parks a couple days before the marathon, it was 35 degrees, and there was this woman running in shorts and a tshirt. I thought she was crazy! But, then I realized that she was truly dedicated to this race and it was incredibly inspiring. You have now taken the place of that woman for my inspiration! We're all so proud of you!

I'm thinking about Power 90...anyone have recommendations?

I'm doing Power 90 now and I love it. But, it can be kind of tedious after awhile. I try and mix it up with my own music and with changing my weights/reps each week. But, the workouts are a good length, and seem to give me a true full body work out. I do know some runners who don't do the cardio, and just run instead, and then just do the Circuit weight training days. I guess running probably burns a lot more than the Cardio videos, so it might be a step down for you. Just something to think about.

I've also heard amazing things about Power 90 Master Series? Apparently it really takes it up a notch, so maybe that's more your level? Definitely something to explore.

Morning all! WOW, this day is really getting away from me! After dropping off DS I went to the transfer station, shoveled/scraped ice from the driveway, threw in some laundry, made a big batch of homemade juice (carrot, celery, apple mostly.... threw in 4 key limes, a clementine, and a bit of blueberry juice from the bottom of a bag of frozen berries), did some paperwork, checked FB, ate breakfast... and now it is nearly 11 am! I still have to prepare for tonight's WW meeting, take a shower, get dressed, make dinner for the men to eat while I'm gone... and I have to pick up DS at school at 1:30 because we have to get to the Passport office before it closes at 2pm!!

You constantly amaze me with how much you can get done in one day!!!

Hope your WW meeting went well!

just home from one appointment and off to another soon, but I made myself come home and eat zero point WW veg soup and not run through wendys , so score one ohMom

WTG!!!

C
I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch.

That's a MAJOR NSV! Those choices are some of the hardest to make. Way to go!!!

Much calmer day today.

Day 2 of staying completely On Plan.

YAY!!!! Look at you go!

QOTD Wednesday January 15, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday -- give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did today week to help you with your goals.

This Sunday I was so exhausted from working 8am to 11pm on Saturday, that I slept really late (unintentionally). My whole system was all screwed up, and I had so much to do that I just forgot about my workout that day. Instead of freaking out and waiting a whole nother week to start over, I just did twice the workouts the next day and kept moving! I worked out in the morning and in the evening. It was hard, but I really felt like I needed to do it. It felt really good to just keep going. I missed a day, but I made up the time and I've never done that before.

I've been very "strict" with my tracking this week as well as running and it showed on the scale this morning. I hope it sticks around until WI on friday!! Was able to get in 5 miles outside (!) and another 2 on the treadmill yesterday. My best friend and I decided to really make good of an idea we had thrown around about going to her gym together (she gets a free guest once a day!) while the boys have band practice. It felt good to get in the gym with her again, it has been a while. The boys are practicing with their other band tonight so we are going to go again. Feel good about this week.

It is a full moon this week and that does affect your sleep quality. Hopefully you will be able to get caught up on your rest soon.

Really?! Who knew?

My for the week was my 11 mile run on the indoor track for Princess training on Saturday.

Major to that! I saw someone with a shirt in Central Park the other day that say "Princess in Training" and it said runDisney on the back. I thought it was so clever! If you're training for a Princess, you would definitely be a Princess in Training!

WTG!

 

[Rose&Mike]

are you GF for celiac or intolerance? you've probably said, I'm sorry my memory is awful. I believe I'm gluten intolerant, I just found out I'm not truly allergic yesterday. anyhow..it's hard to be GF!! I keep saying I'm 'gluten lite' so I give you a for how you handled that!

That's a complicated question. I went to the doctor with a page of symptoms including major hair loss, brain fog, chronic constipation (no matter how much whole wheat fiber I ate), yeast issues, nausea after running that would last all day, an irregular heart beat (for which she had sent to a cardiologist earlier in the year), etc. I had also already had shingles twice, and generally felt crappy all the time. She ordered a test for celiac disease (not sure exactly which tests she ran as there are multiple tests) and while waiting for the results Mike was traveling for work so I ate beans and rice for about a week. It was the only thing that tasted good to me and I started feeling better. He came home, I had a piece of thin crust pizza and within an hour had a big swollen stomach, brain fog, etc. So when my results came back negative she was going to send me to more specialists, but I decided to try the g-f thing for a while.

A month or so later I had some tests run by enterolab (alternate testing) which indicated an autoimmune disease and gluten problems, so the enterolab take on it is that it is probably celiac disease. But I guess it could have been a different autoimmune disease. So I behave like I have celiac disease. I have cheated twice in three years. The first time was horrid, the second time was this summer and I had a couple of regular beers and it was just very pleasant for a few days. And honestly, they didn't even taste as good as I remembered.

I have been lectured by experts in c-d that I should have not have gone gluten free until I had a definitive diagnosis through a biopsy, but honestly I was sick of the doctor, sick of being sick, and I FEEL BETTER without gluten. So my doctor says that is the gold standard for giving up any food--feeling better.

I am pretty vigilant about avoiding gluten and cross contamination. The feeling bad stuff sneaks up on me if I am consuming small amounts of gluten (on accident). It usually makes for a couple of unfun days.

I went YEARS with an almost every day stomach ache. I do not want to go back there ever again. Plus lucky for me, all of my hair grew back. I have read that it takes the average person 10 years to be diagnosed with c-d. At this point in my life, no food is worth years of feeling crappy.

Good job! That is a HUGE victory!! Glad you didn't let it get you down. BTW, have you thought about finding that particular food item elsewhere? You may be able to order it by the case through Amazon.

Whole Foods and Earth Fare will both order cases of food at a discount. For me this was more about the feeling that I can't be "spontaneous" any more when it comes to food. That has truly been the issue for three years. I have had to really shift my thinking and stop sabotaging myself when I can't "have what I want when I want it." I sound like a two year old. It has not been an over night shift in thinking, but I am feeling so much more positive about it all.

And by not going crazy yesterday--I am back to my weigh in on Friday, so there is still the possibility of a loss this week!

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!!

 

[pjlla]

Good morning, all! Ready for today's history lesson? (Can you tell I'm training to be a teacher?)

Today is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day! It is also National Hat Day - in recognition of the first Top Hat in 1797, where James Heatherington (what a name!) in England left his shop wearing this hat that he created. The story goes that a crowd formed around him, eager to see the hat, and caused such a ruckus that he was fined for starting a shoving match! Of course, then he became a very successful businessman, but there you go.

Oh my! I didn't even wear a snow hat today.... my bad! And I had strawberries in my greek yogurt.... I guess that will have to count for my "strawberry ice cream"! Thanks for letting us know.... I always find these things so amusing!!

Today is also MLK Jr.'s birthday and Tu B'Shevat begins tonight! For those who don't have Jewish families, Tu B'Shevat is the New Year for Trees. In Leviticus, it is written that fruit from trees shouldn't be eaten for the first three years. In the fourth year, God gets to eat the fruit, and then any year after that, you can eat the fruit. Essentially, they decided that this day would be the measurement of age for a tree. So, if you planted a tree yesterday, then today would mark the start of its 2nd year of life. But, if you plant it tomorrow, then you'd have to wait until next year for it to be in 2nd year.

The reason I explain all of this to you is not because I'm Jewish (my family is but I'm not religious), but because I think the way Jews celebrate this day relates to this message board! You see, some Jews celebrate by planting a tree, or going around to gather donations to have a tree planted somewhere. But, most Jews celebrate by increasing the amount of fruit you eat - especially grapes, olives, dates, figs and pomegranates. A tradition I find even cooler is to eat a fruit that you have not eaten that entire year - either one you've never tried, or one that you simply forgot to eat since last January.

Anyway, the holiday starts tonight at sunset and lasts until tomorrow, so technically its tomorrow's holiday but I thought it might inspire some people to add some extra fruit into their diet tomorrow!

We are not Jewish but we do have Jewish friends.... but I'm not at all familiar with this particular observation/celebration. Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I'll go text my Jewish friends a "Happy Tu B'Shevat" (if that is appropriate). They'd be so impressed!!


This week has been a bit of a strugglebus for me, as I've been transitioning from a 3 meal schedule to snacks in between. Not for any particular reason, but in between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner, I am always STARVING! I can last, but that feeling just eats away at me. Since work has been slow lately, its not easy. So, I decided to try it for awhile. Regardless, I'm only adding some cheese and crackers in the afternoon and some greek yogurt in mid-morning. It has definitely improved my energy level - I don't rush home and HAVE to eat as soon as I walk in the door! I'm able to go about my day, not worried about how long it is until lunch.

The problems are two-fold. One is that I have trouble remembering to eat smaller meals for my lunch and dinner. I actually have found myself getting full faster on smaller things than I normally am, so that's good. But, it takes some reminding sometimes. The other problem is that in getting healthy, I was always trained to "ONLY eat when you are HUNGRY," rather than just because. Well, at 10:30, I'm not hungry, but by 11, my stomach is rumbling away. So, I try to eat at 10:30 so I can prepare for that. But, its an inner conflict that I definitely am trying to deal with haha

Oy vey. Of course, just today, I realized I forgot to eat my 10:30 yogurt haha oops!

Sometimes it needs to be a finer definition.... not just "hungry" or "not hungry". WW teaches us to rate our hunger between 1 and 5 (or maybe its 0 and 5??) anyhow and to try to stay in that 3-4 zone most of the time.... not so starving that you'd want to eat a rock and not so full that you need to loosen your belt! When you let yourself get too hungry, you can easily fall into the trap of making bad food choices.... both with types of food and with quantities. Sounds like you are working on it and it will definitely become more "normal" after some time! I am guilty of letting myself get faaaar too hungry, especially on work evenings and if I don't have a meal planned, I fall into the trap of grazing and eating too much.... not necessarily bad stuff, just too much.

I'm doing Power 90 now and I love it. But, it can be kind of tedious after awhile. I try and mix it up with my own music and with changing my weights/reps each week. But, the workouts are a good length, and seem to give me a true full body work out. I do know some runners who don't do the cardio, and just run instead, and then just do the Circuit weight training days. I guess running probably burns a lot more than the Cardio videos, so it might be a step down for you. Just something to think about.

I've also heard amazing things about Power 90 Master Series? Apparently it really takes it up a notch, so maybe that's more your level? Definitely something to explore.

Some great ideas there!!

You constantly amaze me with how much you can get done in one day!!!

Hope your WW meeting went well!

Don't be too impressed.... I do a lot, but I don't always do all of it well!!

This Sunday I was so exhausted from working 8am to 11pm on Saturday, that I slept really late (unintentionally). My whole system was all screwed up, and I had so much to do that I just forgot about my workout that day. Instead of freaking out and waiting a whole nother week to start over, I just did twice the workouts the next day and kept moving! I worked out in the morning and in the evening. It was hard, but I really felt like I needed to do it. It felt really good to just keep going. I missed a day, but I made up the time and I've never done that before.

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

Major to that! I saw someone with a shirt in Central Park the other day that say "Princess in Training" and it said runDisney on the back. I thought it was so clever! If you're training for a Princess, you would definitely be a Princess in Training!

WTG!

That's a complicated question. I went to the doctor with a page of symptoms including major hair loss, brain fog, chronic constipation (no matter how much whole wheat fiber I ate), yeast issues, nausea after running that would last all day, an irregular heart beat (for which she had sent to a cardiologist earlier in the year), etc. I had also already had shingles twice, and generally felt crappy all the time. She ordered a test for celiac disease (not sure exactly which tests she ran as there are multiple tests) and while waiting for the results Mike was traveling for work so I ate beans and rice for about a week. It was the only thing that tasted good to me and I started feeling better. He came home, I had a piece of thin crust pizza and within an hour had a big swollen stomach, brain fog, etc. So when my results came back negative she was going to send me to more specialists, but I decided to try the g-f thing for a while.

A month or so later I had some tests run by enterolab (alternate testing) which indicated an autoimmune disease and gluten problems, so the enterolab take on it is that it is probably celiac disease. But I guess it could have been a different autoimmune disease. So I behave like I have celiac disease. I have cheated twice in three years. The first time was horrid, the second time was this summer and I had a couple of regular beers and it was just very pleasant for a few days. And honestly, they didn't even taste as good as I remembered.

I have been lectured by experts in c-d that I should have not have gone gluten free until I had a definitive diagnosis through a biopsy, but honestly I was sick of the doctor, sick of being sick, and I FEEL BETTER without gluten. So my doctor says that is the gold standard for giving up any food--feeling better.

I am pretty vigilant about avoiding gluten and cross contamination. The feeling bad stuff sneaks up on me if I am consuming small amounts of gluten (on accident). It usually makes for a couple of unfun days.

I went YEARS with an almost every day stomach ache. I do not want to go back there ever again. Plus lucky for me, all of my hair grew back. I have read that it takes the average person 10 years to be diagnosed with c-d. At this point in my life, no food is worth years of feeling crappy.

So much feeling lousy. Glad you took matter into your own hands. And I'm glad you are so much healthier!

Whole Foods and Earth Fare will both order cases of food at a discount. For me this was more about the feeling that I can't be "spontaneous" any more when it comes to food. That has truly been the issue for three years. I have had to really shift my thinking and stop sabotaging myself when I can't "have what I want when I want it." I sound like a two year old. It has not been an over night shift in thinking, but I am feeling so much more positive about it all.

And by not going crazy yesterday--I am back to my weigh in on Friday, so there is still the possibility of a loss this week!

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!!

I can understand that frustration with lack of spontaneity. I really NEVER just "stop and grab a bite" most of the time any more.....just too hard to make good choices. I have to think and plan and really KNOW what/where I 'm going to eat most of the time. That said, at least if I eat something I shouldn't it isn't going to make me terribly sick.... just fat! I do have a few "fall back" plans (one or two fastfood choices that I know I will be okay with, plus I have some "emergency" food ideas for when I am presented with a true lack of choices). Maybe keeping these frozen foods in the back of the freezer and only grabbing them on days when you don't have time to make a lunch... or keep them as the occasional "easy dinner" treat.

Well.... a fire drill ate up most of my chatting time here, so I'll say good-bye for now. Thank heavens it wasn't a freezing day! TTYL..................P

 

[Eliza32]

Hi Guys

I'm back. Not had chance to catch up yet, but I've been working away for a few days where I only had very sporadic wifi in the hotel (couldn't open DIS or FB!!) and now I am in University full time for the rest of the week studying my law cases for my environmental course....should be doing homework right now but it's so long since I've looked in here I decided a few minutes won't hurt!!

Eating wise, I have been quite good whilst away...breakfasts and lunches were easy as I took a lot of stuff like energy bars with me, and just bought bagged salad and cold meats from the supermarket for lunches. Evenings were harder as the hotel meals were facny and calorie laden......even the salads had bed stuff added...sadly UK restaurants are not as accommodating to special requests as you guys are.

University is fine, they have healthy choices available all over the place, salad bar, subs, baked potatoes etc......in fact I could easily eat there every day! I had a little sneak on the scale this morning and saw a figure I haven't seen for a looong time......not putting it out there yet, will wait to see what it says on Friday morning!!

Hope you re all doing well and are feeling positive, best get back to my homework now, but will try to look in on you all again tomorrow........hoping to be let out of class early tomorrow as we stayed late tonight to get in front a bit.

Take care y'all

 

[50sjayne]

Congrats Liz!

Hang in there Buffy.

***
I had a nonscale victory today, that I am pretty happy about. I went to the grocery across the street from our apartment because they had a gf mac and cheese that doesn't give me a stomach ache as a treat for lunch today at work. Well they aren't carrying it anymore. It was one of the few gf frozen meals that I could eat where I didn't have to worry about cross contamination, etc. The next closest store is really inconvenient for a last minute work lunch. So my initial impulse--frustration with the whole gluten free thing, frustration with the lack of choices, etc. And I was ready to just buy a bunch of junk food for lunch. But then I decided--no not going down this path (which I seem to be on since I went gf in 2011). I am really ok with being gf. No big deal 95% of the time now. I let someone at the store know how awesome it would be if they got that brand back and then went and got some healthy snacks to make up a last minute lunch. Still didn't eat perfectly today, but being less frustrated and not letting a silly situation get the best of me was a big victory of sorts.

Hope everyone has a great night!

From someone who works at a major grocery store I'd say it's pretty stupid of them to get rid of any gluten free products right now as it is the trendy food thing right now. I'd keep bugging them to get it back. It must be really hard for you to have to diet and also be gluten free.....

Good morning all!

I know you know what day it is and you have been looking forward to it . . .

QOTD Wednesday January 15, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday -- give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did today week to help you with your goals.

Something kind of fun. I ordered a pair of wind chime earrings off amazon for me and for my mom for christmas because I have noticed in the last few years when I wore my bell earrings to work during the holidays I was always in a much better mood. Well I only got one. Normally I'd probably have avoided hassle and just ordered another pair and kept the one as spare, but this time I looked up the process of sending the item back and contacting the seller. I always have a lot of anxiety something like this will happen but so far it hasn't. Contacted the seller and she said she'd just send me another pair and I could keep the one for spare... So long story short I know what to do now if I get something I'm not happy with which will help with the anxiety and I'll wear my wind chime earrings to work on days I know will be hard for me.

Well I think I'll go and clean the kitchen today the fridge needs a good going through plus I need to figure out dinner with what I have around as my husbands car is in the shop to the tune of $1,200 and I'm stuck here at home today with no vehicle. I will reward myself after doing that though with reading my book, and go work out after dinner. I know it's sadistic but I really enjoy seeing all the strangers huffing and puffing and not happy while I just sail through my workout lol. Plus there's more cute guys around.