WISH Away the Pounds July Challenge - Everyone Welcome!!

[lisah0711]

I'd take some wet weather. We had some but it wasn't enough. I'm ready for fall so sick of summer already and we had a mild start for once, May was surprisingly not as hot as usual. I'd say the walking is great too some will say walking is better(less jarring to joints). Guess it depends if you are increasing fitness or need changes.

It is hard to exercise in your neck of the woods this time of year if it isn't in the pool or somewhere with air conditioning for sure! I haven't lived in Mesa for 25 years but I still know how dang hot it is. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good doctor's visit, Melissa, I bet they will be pleased at how well you are doing!

 

[jillbur]

Oh, and thanks for all the snack suggestions! I would respond to more posts directly, but I don't know how to quote over more than one page. Any tips?

In case you need more info, After you click the button with the + sign at the bottom of the posts, you just click to the next page. At the end, just hit the reply button at the bottom left of the thread. It will multi-quote everything. Hope that's not too confusing!

The ability to duplicate myself. There is never enough of just one of me. My boss tells me all the time that he wants some of my DNA to clone me because I'm such a hard worker. I told him I get first dibs because I need more of me at home.

Yes, this would be wonderful! And, what a nice compliment to know you are so valued at work

Frozen grapes....just like candy without the consequences.

Yum! And, refreshing in the hot summer!

All your weights are already in my spreadsheet at home, but then I decided to watch Germany become World Champions and did not get around to to update this thread... Sorry!! But that chance only comes around every 24 years or so...

Here everyone is in such a celebratory mood right now:

What a great game that was!

In other news, my scale is finally slowly moving downwards! I am back to where I started at the beginning of the month... I do think the fitbit is good for me as it motivates me to be more active. And because I feel that I have a better measurement of how many calories I burn by exercise, I do treat myself to some additional points every day. I have had the feeling for quite some time that 26 points are too little for me if I am moving around. I guess having a long history of weight issues ever since I was a teenager now has my metabolism in a place where it quickly shuts up if it gets too little, but also loves to hang on to anything it gets if it gets a little too much. Therefore one of my reasons for getting the fitbit was to have a better understanding of how many calories I do use up per day. I do think the fitbit overestimates my WW acitivity points though. So last week I have been eating about half of the points I supposedly earned and that seems to work.

Lisa, how does your active link work? Does it give you activity points directly into your account? And would you mind sharing how many you get for a day with about 10000 steps? I think that would be a good comparison for me to have!

Glad the scale is on the move in the right direction

Haven't been on much this weekend. My kids have been on vacation/with their dad for the past 3 weeks and I got them back Friday and we had a lot of catching up to do.

I didn't eat very good this weekend. Friday, we had popeyes. I ate the chicken but not the crust. Saturday we had boiled crabs which isn't bad but is high in sodium. Yesterday DH worked on a friends car and when he works on her car, she always pays for food. I had a burger, which wasn't too bad but I also had onion rings and fries which was really not good. Then, last night, we went grocery shopping but stopped for supper first because we all know it's not good to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant. I had egg drop soup and boneless chicken. I honestly didn't eat much of the chicken as I was mostly full with the soup.

I am paying for the bad eating today. Woke up with a headache and feeling really nauseous and exhausted. I need to come up with a better plan for eating on the weekend. I do great all week and the weekend comes and life happens.

Getting back on track today.

Weekends are definitely hard since there's often no schedule. Maybe try planning meals ahead of time that are quick and easy so if you're on the go, you can still make a quick, healthy meal. Hope you're feeling better!

Here is a link to a list of 55 healthy snacks that just popped up in my email
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1792

Happy Monday all!

Thanks for sharing some more healthy snacks!

I'll be back in a little bit but wanted to post the QOTD before I run to the store.


QOTD Monday, July 14

Monday's can be hard! What do you have to look forward to this week?

Hmm...I am looking forward to cooler weather with less humidity! I should have a good run tomorrow morning. We also are going to a cookout and a family carnival this week, so I am looking forward to some family fun.

Not really sure if I am looking forward to it but Gabe is having tubes put in his ears on Friday. Hopefully this will be the end of constant ear infections and he can get back to himself. Just ready to get it over with. This is (thankfully) one of the shortest/smallest/least risky surgeries he has had to have in his short life and hopefully the last for a while/forever.

I hope the tubes help his poor ears. It's no fun having a sick kiddo.

This week my SIL and nephew from New Mexico and my niece and her family from TX will be in Massachusetts visiting!! I haven't seen my SIL in two years and my niece and her family for a year. Technically this is DH's family (his sister and his niece) but I love all of my in-laws like they were blood! I married into a great group and I know that I am blessed.

Have a great time with the family!

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I am participating in a "clean eating" challenge on FB. Not sure that I will really keep up with posting and all for a week. When they sent out the shopping list, there really wasn't anything on it that was unusual for my family (other than the seafood, which I will be skipping). In fact, when I double checked the shopping list against my meal plan, I didn't have to change anything. I guess I was hoping it would be more of a challenge. But day one, meal one is photographed and posted, so at least I've started. I was also assuming it was a small local group/challenge, since it originally showed up on a NH yard sale page, but once I got onto the group I realized it was HUGE and international.... not exactly what I was looking for.

Well... I said I could take a 15 minutes break to get a snack and get hydrated and time's up!! TTYL...............P

I don't think you'll have a problem with this challenge at all

QOTD: Nothing too exciting this week. Glad to have DS2 home from camp. His final performance was spectacular. Over 120 singers and about a 60 piece orchestra. This weekend starts an art fair in our town. It's always been huge, but it has lost its local feel. Our church is across the street and we have a food booth, plus we run a couple parking lots. That will keep our entire family busy all 3 days. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out this year. Last year they let commercial food vendors into the fair, and our business was down. As was everybody else's. Of course, we're in a heat wave and that will diminish crowds. It's funny how weather dependent the fair is!

Need to figure out meals for the week, and now that DS2 is home will need to buy more milk, so off to the grocery store for me!

That's a bummer that they allowed food vendors that took away from the local people. We have an awesome festival that try to bring people and arts into our town. It's really focused on the local community and small businesses which is awesome. Then at night they light fires all along the river through downtown. The fires are actually on the river and it's so much fun and focused on family. They have 3 of them and the 1st is Saturday. I hope you have fun at your fair.

Nope.... I've never really rewarded myself.... being slim is reward in itself! But I do occasionally splurge on a new article of clothing that I might not have bought otherwise! And I definitely REWARD myself with lots of healthy produce.... despite the expense!


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NEW STOVE IS COMING TODAY!!!!!!!!!! And it can't come soon enough. My old stove owes me nothing.... 20 years old this past May and used virtually daily. I will miss some of its better features (delayed start, a timer that continues to beep until you stop it or open the oven), but I am looking forward to a new double oven! I didn't want a flat top, but we don't have gas here, so there wasn't really any other choice. I suppose I'll learn to love it. Next up I need to shop for my new range hood.

WW meeting tonight, so today will be time spent prepping for that and some cleaning.... too damp and rainy to work outside this morning for my taste! TTYL................P

So jealous of the double oven! Enjoy

QOTD: No. I don't usually reward myself. I say I'm going to, but then I don't!

I think that happens to a lot of us

Yesterday I tried to figure out how to get my Jawbone Up band to work again. Thought I had it, and it did show my sleep last night, but only 47 steps when I walked 40 minutes! Back to the drawing board, I guess.

Off to scrub the kitchen sink.

Have a great day WISHers!

Sorry about the issues with the Jawbone. Have you tried contacting them to see if the company can help?

I start my 10k running group this week -- tonight in fact. I'm very glad I missed the orientation meeting last week and signed up before I knew what I was getting myself into. I'm sure it will be fine but it is intimidating looking at the big picture. One run at a time!

Fun! How was it?


No worries! Bummer about the internet.

Our internet provider is Frontier. We say their motto is "it isn't easy being worse than Verizon but we do our best."

That's a hilarious "motto"

I don't do rewards for mini-goals. I am pretty nice to myself most of the time anyway.

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

Whew...I am all caught up but I think at least one of the posts I tried to quote didn't. So, I apologize if I missed commenting on something.

We got half of DS's room painted after dealing with Verizon and getting the internet working again. So, we will be painting the other half tomorrow.

I hope cooler weather comes soon Pamela . Today we cooled off after the humidity was crazy. Today was 71 and so nice. It's supposed to be like that the next day or two because of the polar vortex in July I'll take it. I cannot wait to run tomorrow and be able to breathe good and hopefully not sweat so terribly!

Time to get DSs to bed and watch 2 dvr's shows with DH.

Jill

 

[Zoesmama03]

It is hard to exercise in your neck of the woods this time of year if it isn't in the pool or somewhere with air conditioning for sure! I haven't lived in Mesa for 25 years but I still know how dang hot it is. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good doctor's visit, Melissa, I bet they will be pleased at how well you are doing!

Yes for sure. We have a pool(well community pool we can use) but dd hasn't wanted to really go swimming lately. She says its boring she used to be a little fishy that I could hardly get OUT of the pool. I think she has the summer time blues and too much screen time. Thanks for the crossed fingers. Its funny to call it a doctor's visit as I've never seen a single doctor in that office. Only NPs. HEHE The only Dr. I have seen in years is the one I've seen a couple times at Urgent Care.

 

[DisFam95]

Omg! Starting 4 th of July I had some unexpected minor medical issue that I don't want to get into but it put me in full stop mode and missed work for a week! Couldn't do anything and had some depression / poor me bad eating. Then I had a scheduled basal cell carcinoma removed on my forehead and couldn't do anything after that either.

Stitches come out Friday and the instructions said no activity or even housework until stitches come out! I can't handle it anymore!!! I feel absolutely horrible as I think I gained 5lbs with my extreme inactivity for almost 2 weeks.

I think I might ride the stationary bike today to get some cardio in. My darn foot is still not good after nearly 4mo. I miss the treadmill and I can't do much of the jumping around in my shred DVD (I do alternate stuff and just March my legs but it's no where as intense as the way you're supposed too).

Sorry for the complaints but it's just frustrating when you have set backs.

My goal for weigh in is to be where I started on July 1

 

[pjlla]

Morning all! I am Pamela and will be your coach for the next few days!! My coaching gig will (again) be inspired by the "Made to Crave" books/Bible study.... but I promise to keep the religion out of it to stick with DISboard rules.

Here is today's QOTD!

Accountability is crucial in this weight loss journey.

"Consider these statistics about goals and accountability from the American Society of Training and Development.

The probability of achieving a goal is.....

10% when you hear an idea

40% when you decide you will do it

50% when you plan how you will do it

65% when you commit to someone else you will do it

95% when you have an accountability appointment with the person you've committed to......

What is the biggest challenge you face in making accountability part of your healthy eating [and exercise] plan?"

What could you GAIN if you added some/more accountability??

 

[pjlla]

QOTD from Monday: Not much to look forward to for this week since there isn't much going on so I guess I'd say the fact that I get a fairly relaxed week. I gotta see if I can get into my Dr tomorrow I need bp med refill and last time I tried to have pharmacy call in for the metformin the office faxed it to my prior pharmacy which isn't covered under my insurance anymore. Plus since I was increased to twice a day it was then screwed up and reverted to my prior dosage. I haven't found it helps. the 500mg a day didn't improve my A1C back to normal which was why she increased to 1000mg a day(morning and evening). I figured it would be easier to go in and talk to her and get them straightened out. The big issue with it was for some reason, even though the Walgreens I go to now has been around at this location(they previously were across the street but its been YEARS since they built their new location), its not listed in her system. So maybe to make a long story short I'm looking forward to seeing what the office scale shows its always more there. Just because I don't believe my scale. 2nd part I'm looking forward to is weighing in on Friday because so far been pretty good and I can't wait to see if I'll be down.

WOOHOO for a good weigh-in at the doctor's office!!



I don't know why I get in these moods of avoiding exercise(well to a point I don't always do it on purpose but out of habits already built in my day). Not really avoiding I just haven't made it a priority commitment. I keep thinking this working out at home is so tough when my energy is already drained and from doing nothing to boot. So much other things that are more desirable to do and its strange because I know if I do a workout I feel so much better after. But why the mental block on "starting" exercise. I may have to suck it up and commit to the $10 a month gym membership first I should see about the Y programs and what I'd have for payment there its closer than the more affordable gym anyway. Its a month to month thing but not sure they set up on auto pay or what. I'm on a super tight and small budget though, but I deserve it. My health deserves it. I don't know why I've always had an easier time setting and following gym going schedules and then once there you kinda have one goal in mind, to get done and out. This isn't to make excuses its me trying to clear this mental block regarding getting active. I'm losing and that is good. I just want to be sure I'm doing this healthfully and with a finality. I don't want the weight coming back. I know this doesn't sound like positive thinking but I'm trying to get it out and let it pass so the building of new good thinking habits of exercise can flow in better.

I agree that somehow going to the gym and getting it done is easier.... just wish I didn't live 30+ minutes from the nearest gym.

Oh and Zoe and I were browsing Disneyland rides last night and she expressed her wish for me to get down weight so I'm not afraid to ride with her. Its not fear of the ride its fear of fitting the ride. I know at least one ride when we went to Pleasure Pier in Galveston Tx in March that I didn't ride with her because I wouldn't fit. Surprisingly other than kiddie rides it was only one. I made it on the rollercoaster the first time but the second time it must have been a different car because the strong guy that got it pressed down enough the first time couldn't get it to approve and she wouldn't go without me. It wasn't the first time a ride didn't fit. So today I calculated the distance from our home to Disney World(since I really want to do all 4 parks with her one of these years before she decides its no fun) even though we may make it to Disneyland before back there. This way we can walk the distance while waiting for our chance to go. But knowing my brother wants to get out there too I want to get weight off. I know Disney has less size issues on their rides which I like. I just want to be more fit for the walking and such.

What a GREAT opportunity to be an even MORE wonderful example to your DD!! Show her how hard you are willing to work to be healthier and more active and of COURSE, all of that work will be rewarded when you can easily strap into every single ride at Disneyland (and DCA, of course!! )!

I start my 10k running group this week -- tonight in fact. I'm very glad I missed the orientation meeting last week and signed up before I knew what I was getting myself into. I'm sure it will be fine but it is intimidating looking at the big picture. One run at a time!

I"m sure you will keep up and possibly even LEAD this group!! I can't imagine you being intimidated!! I have confidence in you!!

Yes, it is amazing how stuff will grow where you don't want it to but is tough where you do!

Isn't that the truth!!?? We can't get grass to grow worth a darn in the backyard any more (since we had the septic replaced in 2008), but every errand grass seed that flies away take root in a flower bed and flourishes until I PLUCK IT OUT!

Hope you are feeling better today, Pamela!

Feeling okay this morning. It seems to be a "come and go/no rhyme or reason" kind of feeling. I definitely felt the BLOAT part of it last night during my meeting but not the pain (thank heavens). This morning I feel great, but I've only had coffee with skim so far. Thank for the good thoughts.

I am still above where I started for the month but I weighed less at the beginning of the week after the birthday activities so I am heading in the right direction.


WOOHOO for the right direction! That's pretty much all I am hoping for myself this week!

Are you putting anything new in your Vitamix concoctions that might be disagreeing with your tummy? Or maybe some probiotics if things got out of whack? I am like Linda and take a Priolesec every day. Could even be another fun thing about perimenopause. Hope it is better very soon. That is so not fun.

Nope, I don't think this is related to my smoothies, since it started a few weeks ago and I only opened my Vitamix last week. It isn't an UPSET tummy.... more like just gut pain.... kind of like I got punched, but on the inside. It isn't coming as frequently now as it was about two weeks ago, so fingers crossed it will go away on its own.

Our internet provider is Frontier. We say their motto is "it isn't easy being worse than Verizon but we do our best."

I actually laughed out loud! Thanks for the morning chuckle!!


I don't do rewards for mini-goals. I am pretty nice to myself most of the time anyway.

Good!! We ALL should be nice to ourselves more often!

Have fun at WW breaking the code.

My group was pretty quiet again, but I think we "broke the code"!

Cleaning trumps Pinterest. Sounds like a lot going into his room make-over. Sounds exciting for him. I want to paint dds room. My brother and I had promised her a paint if she started sleeping in there but it still hasn't happened. It is so wrong I have my 10 year old in bed with me but it doesn't bother me only some people. I figure she'll soon not want much to do with dear old mom.

We actually painted his room a few years ago (three walls of lime green and one of pumpkin orange .... his choice!), but didn't change any of the furniture or positioning. But he recently bought himself a second monitor for his computer/gaming system and wanted a new corner unit desk so use instead of the tiny work station I bought him a long time ago. We found a good used corner unit desk for a great price, but in order to work it into his tiny room, we had to re-arrange.... which is "mom speak" for "clean out EVERYTHING!" I don't really like the way he has the room arranged now, but he really likes it and it functions, so I'm going to let it go for now.

And DO NOT worry about DD coming in to sleep with you. She WILL outgrow it on her own and you will miss her!! DS started coming in to sleep with us right after we took him out of his crib. We figured it was a phase he would outgrown, but it didn't .... for a long time! But we tried not to let it bother us (thank goodness our bed is a king!) and now he only comes in to snuggle a bit if he has had a bad dream. I would ONLY say it is a problem if she CANNOT sleep on her own or cannot fall asleep without you being there.



I waste too much time on there but have been going through to find projects to actually start. Some I can't for financial reasons. So many yarn needed for others. My current colors aren't what I'm looking for. Hope the belly is resolving. Mine flares up sorta IBS type things but I never really mention to Dr because I'm sure a) its side effects from meds or b)will lead to MORE meds that I don't want.

I spend more time on Pinterest FINDING new projects to do and new recipes to try, rather than actually doing most of the projects.... but it is still a fun diversion.


I try to eat clean its tough at times. I love "clean" stuff it just gets super expensive. I've tightened up my couponing because so much of it is stuff we don't really need. And even if the item is say 49cents after coupons its eating out of money we could use on fresh produce. I need a rhythm of buying though because I tend to buy so much that doesn't get ate. So even more waste leads to less food for the money spent. Not to mention the spices/seasonings and such when making stuff from scratch to have flavor. I've gone through sooooo much seasonings lately. It seems like I'm always needing pepper, garlic and onion powder and the montreal my brother loves so much but is really the only added salt we put to food that is actually salt. Nevermind our addiction to worcestershire sauce. Neither of us add salt at the table. Never have.

No one ever said clean healthy eating would be easy or cheap, right??



Okay sorta caught up on reading. So I'm being extra active today, as far as checking in. It totally helps motivate me to keep active with actual exercise and the obsession to track the food which is all helpful in this time. I figure if I make it obsessive it becomes habit. I replaced my morning Mt. Dew and Internet with just water and Internet habit. LOL It helped a lot in the what little I've been losing, I'm sure the dropping of liquid calories is always a help.

Good for you for dropping the morning soda habit! You've eliminated HFCS, caffeine, artificial colorings and flavorings and preservatives!! If your adorable DD wanted to drink Mt. Dew with breakfast, I'm guessing you would never let her.... so why do it to yourself.... and why set that example for her??!! Learn to like green tea! Or start the day with a refreshing glass of lemon water!! That is a habit I'm trying to learn.... to start my day with refreshing hydration, rather than depleting acidic caffeine.

I don't think you'll have a problem with this challenge at all

Actually, I think they are going to kick me out for questioning so many of the choices that are being suggested! I mean, really, since when is Campbell's condensed soup or Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough considered "clean eating"?? And those are two things that were suggested in recipe idea that were posted by the "coach" that invited me. I kind of suggested that he take another look at his suggestions, but I didn't get any response. They are probably ready to "vote me off the island" so to speak!

So jealous of the double oven! Enjoy

I can't wait to use it!! I think that the smaller upper oven will be my "go to"
most days.... it will perfectly fit a tray of vegetables for roasting (or in DS's case, a frozen pizza ).


Sorry about the issues with the Jawbone. Have you tried contacting them to see if the company can help?

Great suggestion!

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

Whew...I am all caught up but I think at least one of the posts I tried to quote didn't. So, I apologize if I missed commenting on something.

We got half of DS's room painted after dealing with Verizon and getting the internet working again. So, we will be painting the other half tomorrow.

I hope cooler weather comes soon Pamela . Today we cooled off after the humidity was crazy. Today was 71 and so nice. It's supposed to be like that the next day or two because of the polar vortex in July I'll take it. I cannot wait to run tomorrow and be able to breathe good and hopefully not sweat so terribly!

Time to get DSs to bed and watch 2 dvr's shows with DH.

Jill

Hope that the room painting goes well!! What color did he/you choose?

Yes for sure. We have a pool(well community pool we can use) but dd hasn't wanted to really go swimming lately. She says its boring she used to be a little fishy that I could hardly get OUT of the pool. I think she has the summer time blues and too much screen time. Thanks for the crossed fingers. Its funny to call it a doctor's visit as I've never seen a single doctor in that office. Only NPs. HEHE The only Dr. I have seen in years is the one I've seen a couple times at Urgent Care.

How about a pool challenge? How long can she tread water? How long can she hold her breath? How many laps can she swim without stopping? You could call it your "summer Olympic challenge" or something like that? And maybe plan a fun (non-food) reward for the end.... like a new bottle of nail polish?

Sometimes my DS liked to play "power outtage"! I know it seems silly, but he liked to spend the day playing board games and card games and pretending that we had no power (except, of course, for the a/c !!). No screen time at all!

Omg! Starting 4 th of July I had some unexpected minor medical issue that I don't want to get into but it put me in full stop mode and missed work for a week! Couldn't do anything and had some depression / poor me bad eating. Then I had a scheduled basal cell carcinoma removed on my forehead and couldn't do anything after that either.

Stitches come out Friday and the instructions said no activity or even housework until stitches come out! I can't handle it anymore!!! I feel absolutely horrible as I think I gained 5lbs with my extreme inactivity for almost 2 weeks.

I think I might ride the stationary bike today to get some cardio in. My darn foot is still not good after nearly 4mo. I miss the treadmill and I can't do much of the jumping around in my shred DVD (I do alternate stuff and just March my legs but it's no where as intense as the way you're supposed too).

Sorry for the complaints but it's just frustrating when you have set backs.

My goal for weigh in is to be where I started on July 1

I'm SO SORRY that you are going through all of this.... but good for you for trying to moderate the exercises to the point where you can do SOMETHING....and SOMETHING is better than NOTHING! Prayers for your quick healing and recovery and it sounds like you are ready to leave the pity party and make some positive changes!! You CAN be successful without being able to exercise.... but it sure makes it harder.

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Morning all! Well, the QOTD has been posted and it is definitely a "thinker". But I promise they won't be this intense every day.

I've spent all of my computer time on replies, so I must dash and make some breakfast on my new stove for DH and myself! I don't want him to be the first one to get to use it!

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

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

So I'm in for all 3 princess Races again.

I think this will be my last destination race for a while though. I want to see the rest of the world, not just disneyworld.

So time to get back on track weight wise!! the first 1/2 of July is a wash so I'm not even going to bother registering my weight here. I'll just do it on MFP.
But y'all need to help me kick the carb/sugar habit!!! It has gotten bad bad bad.

 

[pjlla]

So I'm in for all 3 princess Races again.

I think this will be my last destination race for a while though. I want to see the rest of the world, not just disneyworld.

So time to get back on track weight wise!! the first 1/2 of July is a wash so I'm not even going to bother registering my weight here. I'll just do it on MFP.
But y'all need to help me kick the carb/sugar habit!!! It has gotten bad bad bad.

WOohoo for being a triple Princess!! I'm just a little jealous!

I agree with seeing the rest of the world.... in fact, I'm working on a secret plan to get myself to South Dakota within the next 6 months.... wish me luck!

Those damn sugar gremlins.... all I need is just ONE DAY of off plan eating and I am craving sugar like mad! You can battle them though....you are stronger!

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Happy afternoon all! I'vespent/wasted gargantuan amounts of time on the internet today, so time to fly!! Off to the supermarket for much needed fruits and veggies and to get the ingredients for TWO new recipes! One for tonight and one for later this week (probably Friday night). I'll share them if they get thumbs up from my menfolk.

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

 

[lisah0711]

Today we cooled off after the humidity was crazy. Today was 71 and so nice. It's supposed to be like that the next day or two because of the polar vortex in July I'll take it. I cannot wait to run tomorrow and be able to breathe good and hopefully not sweat so terribly!

Thanks so much for coaching this week, Jill!

How nice to have some cool weather for running this week you lucky girl!

Omg! Starting 4 th of July I had some unexpected minor medical issue that I don't want to get into but it put me in full stop mode and missed work for a week! Couldn't do anything and had some depression / poor me bad eating. Then I had a scheduled basal cell carcinoma removed on my forehead and couldn't do anything after that either.

Stitches come out Friday and the instructions said no activity or even housework until stitches come out! I can't handle it anymore!!! I feel absolutely horrible as I think I gained 5lbs with my extreme inactivity for almost 2 weeks.

I think I might ride the stationary bike today to get some cardio in. My darn foot is still not good after nearly 4mo. I miss the treadmill and I can't do much of the jumping around in my shred DVD (I do alternate stuff and just March my legs but it's no where as intense as the way you're supposed too).

Sorry for the complaints but it's just frustrating when you have set backs.

My goal for weigh in is to be where I started on July 1

So sorry to hear of your troubles. Hope it is all behind you now and you are feeling better. I know it is frustrating when you are injured but do take good care of yourself and take all the time that you need to be fully healed.

Morning all! I am Pamela and will be your coach for the next few days!! My coaching gig will (again) be inspired by the "Made to Crave" books/Bible study.... but I promise to keep the religion out of it to stick with DISboard rules.

Here is today's QOTD!

Accountability is crucial in this weight loss journey.

"Consider these statistics about goals and accountability from the American Society of Training and Development.

The probability of achieving a goal is.....

10% when you hear an idea

40% when you decide you will do it

50% when you plan how you will do it

65% when you commit to someone else you will do it

95% when you have an accountability appointment with the person you've committed to......

What is the biggest challenge you face in making accountability part of your healthy eating [and exercise] plan?"

What could you GAIN if you added some/more accountability??

I did get much more accountability and success when I started with WW last year. You can step on the scale four or five times until you get a number that you like there. The new running group will help with the accountability on the exercise front -- it really does make a difference being accountable to someone besides yourself. Even being accountable here helps!

Hope you are enjoying your new stove, Pamela! And thanks for coaching for the next few days.

Running group was fun. There are quite a few more people so it makes it a bit more interesting. I am still the slowest in the group but that is fine with me. Yesterday I learned I can run for 5 minutes at a time and in temperatures above 90 degrees. In the spring when we started running it was 8 degrees for the first run . . . that sounds pretty good now!

 

[lisah0711]

So I'm in for all 3 princess Races again.

I think this will be my last destination race for a while though. I want to see the rest of the world, not just disneyworld.

So time to get back on track weight wise!! the first 1/2 of July is a wash so I'm not even going to bother registering my weight here. I'll just do it on MFP.
But y'all need to help me kick the carb/sugar habit!!! It has gotten bad bad bad.

for doing the Princess again, Buffy!

I know you can get back into the healthy eating wagon and get ready to rock your races!

 

[jillbur]

Ugh. My silly, silly dog thought she would befriend a skunk at 1:00 am. Needless to say, the skunk didn't want to be friends & poor Charley learned the hard way what a skunk is capable of...right in the face! So, we tried to wash the dog in the pitch black outside until 2:00. We were too tired to even care at that point so now my house smells a little lol. She got another bathing today, but still is a little stinky. Mental note: lock the doggy door at night for the next few nights

I was too tired to run this morning, but just went out for 30 minutes. Going to shower & do some darn laundry. I swear laundry multiplies while I'm sleeping! I hope to make it back here tonight but we are pretty busy. If not, I'll be back tomorrow.

Jill

 

[glss1/2fll]

QOTD: I thought being more active here would make me more accountable, but I'm not sure if it's working. I was tracking food in MFP but it got to be such a pain if I ate a food that wasn't in there or trying to figure out exactly how much I did eat (was that an ounce or 2 teaspoons?). I've pretty much stopped doing it. I should try again though because I really did get a kick out of seeing different types of nutrients and looking at the pie chart. Exercise is easy as long as I do it first thing in the morning. I've got my class and friends I work out with so definitely accountable there. We joke at the Y class that if you don't come or send your excuse people will talk about you!

 

[Zoesmama03]

What a GREAT opportunity to be an even MORE wonderful example to your DD!! Show her how hard you are willing to work to be healthier and more active and of COURSE, all of that work will be rewarded when you can easily strap into every single ride at Disneyland (and DCA, of course!! )!

Good for you for dropping the morning soda habit! You've eliminated HFCS, caffeine, artificial colorings and flavorings and preservatives!! If your adorable DD wanted to drink Mt. Dew with breakfast, I'm guessing you would never let her.... so why do it to yourself.... and why set that example for her??!! Learn to like green tea! Or start the day with a refreshing glass of lemon water!! That is a habit I'm trying to learn.... to start my day with refreshing hydration, rather than depleting acidic caffeine.

How about a pool challenge? How long can she tread water? How long can she hold her breath? How many laps can she swim without stopping? You could call it your "summer Olympic challenge" or something like that? And maybe plan a fun (non-food) reward for the end.... like a new bottle of nail polish?

Yep I now start my day with water except a few days I had Dark Chocolate almond milk. Some days I make green tea. I need to get some more. I'm down to a few. I know they don't really expired but some are past date and I think they are a tad stale tasting.

I try to make games at the pool she's just been bored with it. Yesterday she was ready to go for a bit. Maybe I can get her outside for longer than our post office errand a little bit ago. We try to swim around 4pm to avoid sunblock and sun burn. I worry about chemicals in it and cost. I found that I really can tan finally. I was always under the assumption I would only burn. But I found 4-5 days at the pool between 4 to 4:30 and 6 gets me a nice tan going. DD isn't quite as tan as usual. But she is all about getting our exercise as she has put on weight in her puberty development and is about 5-10 over the max side of healthy range and some rude inconsiderate people(my brother and my friends son argh) have started commenting on it. Later she admitted kids at school specifically boys said something about it to his friend. The friend replied well she has ****s at least. Oh boy it starts early, fortunately Zoe and I have a good talking relationship and she has no interesting in "dating" like most of the kids that were in her 5th grade class last year(they've been paring up since 3rd ahhhh). It would be one thing if it was a curve but she was always 25% until 5-6 and finally got up to 50th percentile for weight. Height has always been off the charts.

So I'm in for all 3 princess Races again.

I think this will be my last destination race for a while though. I want to see the rest of the world, not just disneyworld.

So time to get back on track weight wise!! the first 1/2 of July is a wash so I'm not even going to bother registering my weight here. I'll just do it on MFP.
But y'all need to help me kick the carb/sugar habit!!! It has gotten bad bad bad.

Commented on MFP but that is so great you got in. Don't doubt your ability to lose something this month though. Still got a couple Fridays to weigh in can lost at least 1-2 lbs maybe more.

WOohoo for being a triple Princess!! I'm just a little jealous!

I agree with seeing the rest of the world.... in fact, I'm working on a secret plan to get myself to South Dakota within the next 6 months.... wish me luck!

Those damn sugar gremlins.... all I need is just ONE DAY of off plan eating and I am craving sugar like mad! You can battle them though....you are stronger!

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

Happy afternoon all! I'vespent/wasted gargantuan amounts of time on the internet today, so time to fly!! Off to the supermarket for much needed fruits and veggies and to get the ingredients for TWO new recipes! One for tonight and one for later this week (probably Friday night). I'll share them if they get thumbs up from my menfolk.

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

I'm hopefully going to South Dakota next month. My friend is trying to get her son up for his "adopted" half sisters wedding. His bio dad raised her as his own when she was young. The mom had an addiction problem that got them taken away but there was more to story she's learned of their dad since. But anyway her SO said ask Melissa to go with you because she has sleep issues bad insomnia and she gets tired a lot during the day. So we would be going along. I know the other half sister but never met the one getting married but she said it was fine for us to come. We plan to see the black hills and Mount Rushmore for sure. Plus on the way back we want to stop at 4 corners and the Grand Canyon. Her SO is flying up if that works out and hasn't seen the Grand Canyon. Neither has my dd or her younger kids that will be going too. Her son that is related to the girls went up with my brother a while back.

QOTD: I thought being more active here would make me more accountable, but I'm not sure if it's working. I was tracking food in MFP but it got to be such a pain if I ate a food that wasn't in there or trying to figure out exactly how much I did eat (was that an ounce or 2 teaspoons?). I've pretty much stopped doing it. I should try again though because I really did get a kick out of seeing different types of nutrients and looking at the pie chart. Exercise is easy as long as I do it first thing in the morning. I've got my class and friends I work out with so definitely accountable there. We joke at the Y class that if you don't come or send your excuse people will talk about you!

Just keep at it. It starts to pick up. It has for me anyway. You can do it!! I like seeing the nutrients and make a game of trying to get more in good areas(protein, fiber and potassium especially for me).

I struggle with procrastinating exercise so yeah first thing in morning helps me too if I can get my sleep pattern fixed. Even my dd has been staying up so late we sleep way in. Kinda cancels out our ability to try to take a walk while its decent outside.

Ugh. My silly, silly dog thought she would befriend a skunk at 1:00 am. Needless to say, the skunk didn't want to be friends & poor Charley learned the hard way what a skunk is capable of...right in the face! So, we tried to wash the dog in the pitch black outside until 2:00. We were too tired to even care at that point so now my house smells a little lol. She got another bathing today, but still is a little stinky. Mental note: lock the doggy door at night for the next few nights

I was too tired to run this morning, but just went out for 30 minutes. Going to shower & do some darn laundry. I swear laundry multiplies while I'm sleeping! I hope to make it back here tonight but we are pretty busy. If not, I'll be back tomorrow.

Jill

Uh oh. Did you do the tomato bath?? I hear that all the time. Don't see much wildlife here but I know they are surrounding areas. I've seen Coyote and skunks within a few miles but never right by me. I've smelt them too I guess in morning a couple times so I'm sure they come around I just haven't personally seen them close to home.

Morning all! I am Pamela and will be your coach for the next few days!! My coaching gig will (again) be inspired by the "Made to Crave" books/Bible study.... but I promise to keep the religion out of it to stick with DISboard rules.

Here is today's QOTD!

Accountability is crucial in this weight loss journey.

"Consider these statistics about goals and accountability from the American Society of Training and Development.

The probability of achieving a goal is.....

10% when you hear an idea

40% when you decide you will do it

50% when you plan how you will do it

65% when you commit to someone else you will do it

95% when you have an accountability appointment with the person you've committed to......

What is the biggest challenge you face in making accountability part of your healthy eating [and exercise] plan?"

What could you GAIN if you added some/more accountability??

I guess the biggest challenge is sticking to the being accountable. I know I'd gain support, tips and self esteem to carry out the plan for the goals to be reached. Meaning you see your friend/partner doing it and you want to be motivating to them too in return.

Omg! Starting 4 th of July I had some unexpected minor medical issue that I don't want to get into but it put me in full stop mode and missed work for a week! Couldn't do anything and had some depression / poor me bad eating. Then I had a scheduled basal cell carcinoma removed on my forehead and couldn't do anything after that either.

Stitches come out Friday and the instructions said no activity or even housework until stitches come out! I can't handle it anymore!!! I feel absolutely horrible as I think I gained 5lbs with my extreme inactivity for almost 2 weeks.

I think I might ride the stationary bike today to get some cardio in. My darn foot is still not good after nearly 4mo. I miss the treadmill and I can't do much of the jumping around in my shred DVD (I do alternate stuff and just March my legs but it's no where as intense as the way you're supposed too).

Sorry for the complaints but it's just frustrating when you have set backs.

My goal for weigh in is to be where I started on July 1

I've used my exercise bike some, not enough though. I have my shred dvd for when I get some endurance(plus others). But dd and I were walking for a while months ago and really enjoyed our evening walks. We stopped and not even quite sure why or how it happened. Just kinda ended. Set backs happen but you'll get back into it. Hope your foot gets better as you go. Doing something at the higher levels helps. I built up to 30DS before that way. I couldn't do all the jumping jacks because of knee issues but I did as many as I could then stepped out and moved hands to modify. I can't afford an injury so I modify when I feel anything painful or pulling. Not the muscle soreness pain but real pain.



Well I finally set my appt up they were gonna set it for Monday. I said that's fine but my bp pills run out tomorrow so I'd have to have her fill them still. So she found room to squeeze me in at 1pm tomorrow. I might see if she thinks my cyst/abscess on my tooth can be treated with antibiotics. Next month may see about having the dental school pull the probable infected tooth. Its one of the few health issues I still fight with. BP is controlled well with the meds. My anxiety is all by gone and the mildness I get I control easily with coping techniques and I'm med free on that. Just 2 more meds to get rid of in the coming year. Opps I hear our trash truck so much for getting the cat box emptied and taken over before hand. Guess it and the hamster and rat cage bedding will just be sitting in there a week. I try to usually do these things Tuesday night but I've been blah feeling like a cold is coming then it stops then it starts back up


Figured I could share a newer picture of my beautiful dd the profile one is from 2009 when she was just shy of 6 at our last trip to MK. She finally could ride everything. I only stayed part of the day. Doh why did I decide to have my bf and his ex bil come along. His ex bil has some special needs and was starting to get agitate(what teen doesn't find excitement and fun in Disney LOL). Its one of few pics I took that day. It was also super hot and humid that day hence the crazy humid hair. Sooo hopefully this works I haven't shared pictures from flickr on here in awhile.

New 6th grader right after her last day of 5th.


Her first upside down coaster she rode back in March. I was saying her first real coaster but then realized she did ride big thunder which is a rollercoaster enough to me.

Down the pier at Pleasure Pier in Galveston Texas.

That blue and red line is where it goes straight up and straight down. We also went on one that just goes in a loop continuously. She loved them. I think she has opened up to trying most any coasters now that she is tall enough for any of them she would come across. We had planned to just go to the beach but Houston and Galveston weren't that warm that week and it was windy which made the coolness brisk at times. But now I know she will be ready to go to Cedar Point whenever we make it to Ohio so she can visit or dad. May get my brother to go. Him and I can spend extra days at Cedar Point and waterparks up there while she visits. We have never gone so should be interesting but I know I have to be a lot slimmer for those. They aren't as forgiving on Pooh sized people.

 

[mainemooncat]

So I'm in for all 3 princess Races again.

I think this will be my last destination race for a while though. I want to see the rest of the world, not just disneyworld.

So time to get back on track weight wise!! the first 1/2 of July is a wash so I'm not even going to bother registering my weight here. I'll just do it on MFP.
But y'all need to help me kick the carb/sugar habit!!! It has gotten bad bad bad.

No better motivation that the Princess races (and the enormous financial investment they involve)! You don't want all your hard work/money to go to waste. We believe in you! You can make a fresh start any time! Good luck on your races. Wish I was going next year. Maybe W&D 2015 with DH.

 

[mainemooncat]

QOTD: I thought being more active here would make me more accountable, but I'm not sure if it's working. I was tracking food in MFP but it got to be such a pain if I ate a food that wasn't in there or trying to figure out exactly how much I did eat (was that an ounce or 2 teaspoons?). I've pretty much stopped doing it. I should try again though because I really did get a kick out of seeing different types of nutrients and looking at the pie chart. Exercise is easy as long as I do it first thing in the morning. I've got my class and friends I work out with so definitely accountable there. We joke at the Y class that if you don't come or send your excuse people will talk about you!

My SIL also hates tracking. We have both been working on weight loss since the beginning of the year. I track, she refuses. I have lost close to 30 pounds, she is down 0 (actually I think she gained). Yes, it is a pain and annoying to search for each food item. But it works. I estimate it takes me less than 5 minutes per meal to input. Is your weight loss worth that? Maybe others can be successful without food tracking of some kind, but I really think it is so important to know exactly what you are eating in terms of calories if you want to see regular weight loss. There are a bunch of ladies here that are on MFP and are very supportive. Come on over and join us! I am eclemens428.

 

[pjlla]

I did get much more accountability and success when I started with WW last year. You can step on the scale four or five times until you get a number that you like there. The new running group will help with the accountability on the exercise front -- it really does make a difference being accountable to someone besides yourself. Even being accountable here helps!


I do like the accountability of WW as well... especially since I have a (small) income on the line!!

Hope you are enjoying your new stove, Pamela! And thanks for coaching for the next few days.

You are welcome! And the new stove is delightful! It heats up super quick and I FINALLY have a burner large enough for my big stir-fry pan!!

Running group was fun. There are quite a few more people so it makes it a bit more interesting. I am still the slowest in the group but that is fine with me. Yesterday I learned I can run for 5 minutes at a time and in temperatures above 90 degrees. In the spring when we started running it was 8 degrees for the first run . . . that sounds pretty good now!

Well... I agree that running at 90 degrees is a bit extreme.... but so is 8 degrees! How about a happy medium!?

Ugh. My silly, silly dog thought she would befriend a skunk at 1:00 am. Needless to say, the skunk didn't want to be friends & poor Charley learned the hard way what a skunk is capable of...right in the face! So, we tried to wash the dog in the pitch black outside until 2:00. We were too tired to even care at that point so now my house smells a little lol. She got another bathing today, but still is a little stinky. Mental note: lock the doggy door at night for the next few nights

I was too tired to run this morning, but just went out for 30 minutes. Going to shower & do some darn laundry. I swear laundry multiplies while I'm sleeping! I hope to make it back here tonight but we are pretty busy. If not, I'll be back tomorrow.

Jill

OOOOH NOOOO!!! Don't worry... the skunk smell WILL eventually go away. We had a kitty who tangled with a skunk once... and I let him into the house before I realized that it was HIM that smelled! It was late a night and I was tired and had little kiddos to care for, so I tossed the kitty into the basement with an old blanket to lay on and left him there for the night. I bet he had 20 baths... tomato juice, vinegar, baking soda rub-downs... you name it! He crossed the rainbow bridge a few months later and went to his grave STILL smelling faintly like skunk!! But I was able to wash the skunk smell out of the old blanket!

QOTD: I thought being more active here would make me more accountable, but I'm not sure if it's working. I was tracking food in MFP but it got to be such a pain if I ate a food that wasn't in there or trying to figure out exactly how much I did eat (was that an ounce or 2 teaspoons?). I've pretty much stopped doing it. I should try again though because I really did get a kick out of seeing different types of nutrients and looking at the pie chart. Exercise is easy as long as I do it first thing in the morning. I've got my class and friends I work out with so definitely accountable there. We joke at the Y class that if you don't come or send your excuse people will talk about you!

YOu need to find a way to track your food that works for YOU! I honestly use an old fashioned paper and pencil method. My food journal has sat in the same place on the kitchen counter every day for 6 years now. I tried using my laptop when I started, but I hated having to leave the kitchen and power up my computer every time I wanted to track something (this of course was in the days before smart phones). And I know now that I would find it a bit of a PITA to use my phone to track.... but I might give it a try some day. Anyhow.... find a system that works FOR YOU and stick with it.

Yep I now start my day with water except a few days I had Dark Chocolate almond milk. Some days I make green tea. I need to get some more. I'm down to a few. I know they don't really expired but some are past date and I think they are a tad stale tasting.

Hmmmm... dark chocolate almond milk sounds delicious! I only ever buy the unsweetened vanilla or coconut vanilla.

I try to make games at the pool she's just been bored with it. Yesterday she was ready to go for a bit. Maybe I can get her outside for longer than our post office errand a little bit ago. We try to swim around 4pm to avoid sunblock and sun burn. I worry about chemicals in it and cost. I found that I really can tan finally. I was always under the assumption I would only burn. But I found 4-5 days at the pool between 4 to 4:30 and 6 gets me a nice tan going. DD isn't quite as tan as usual. But she is all about getting our exercise as she has put on weight in her puberty development and is about 5-10 over the max side of healthy range and some rude inconsiderate people(my brother and my friends son argh) have started commenting on it. Later she admitted kids at school specifically boys said something about it to his friend. The friend replied well she has ****s at least. Oh boy it starts early, fortunately Zoe and I have a good talking relationship and she has no interesting in "dating" like most of the kids that were in her 5th grade class last year(they've been paring up since 3rd ahhhh). It would be one thing if it was a curve but she was always 25% until 5-6 and finally got up to 50th percentile for weight. Height has always been off the charts.


Kids can be SO ROUGH on each other. Hugs and hopefully your DD can let any negative comments roll off her back.


Commented on MFP but that is so great you got in. Don't doubt your ability to lose something this month though. Still got a couple Fridays to weigh in can lost at least 1-2 lbs maybe more.

Agree!!!!!

I'm hopefully going to South Dakota next month. My friend is trying to get her son up for his "adopted" half sisters wedding. His bio dad raised her as his own when she was young. The mom had an addiction problem that got them taken away but there was more to story she's learned of their dad since. But anyway her SO said ask Melissa to go with you because she has sleep issues bad insomnia and she gets tired a lot during the day. So we would be going along. I know the other half sister but never met the one getting married but she said it was fine for us to come. We plan to see the black hills and Mount Rushmore for sure. Plus on the way back we want to stop at 4 corners and the Grand Canyon. Her SO is flying up if that works out and hasn't seen the Grand Canyon. Neither has my dd or her younger kids that will be going too. Her son that is related to the girls went up with my brother a while back.

Enjoy the trip and the sightseeing if you get to go!

Just keep at it. It starts to pick up. It has for me anyway. You can do it!! I like seeing the nutrients and make a game of trying to get more in good areas(protein, fiber and potassium especially for me).

Sounds like something fun!

I guess the biggest challenge is sticking to the being accountable. I know I'd gain support, tips and self esteem to carry out the plan for the goals to be reached. Meaning you see your friend/partner doing it and you want to be motivating to them too in return.

I hope you can find accountability AND support here!


Well I finally set my appt up they were gonna set it for Monday. I said that's fine but my bp pills run out tomorrow so I'd have to have her fill them still. So she found room to squeeze me in at 1pm tomorrow. I might see if she thinks my cyst/abscess on my tooth can be treated with antibiotics. Next month may see about having the dental school pull the probable infected tooth. Its one of the few health issues I still fight with. BP is controlled well with the meds. My anxiety is all by gone and the mildness I get I control easily with coping techniques and I'm med free on that. Just 2 more meds to get rid of in the coming year. Opps I hear our trash truck so much for getting the cat box emptied and taken over before hand. Guess it and the hamster and rat cage bedding will just be sitting in there a week. I try to usually do these things Tuesday night but I've been blah feeling like a cold is coming then it stops then it starts back up.

Feel better!!


Figured I could share a newer picture of my beautiful dd the profile one is from 2009 when she was just shy of 6 at our last trip to MK. She finally could ride everything. I only stayed part of the day. Doh why did I decide to have my bf and his ex bil come along. His ex bil has some special needs and was starting to get agitate(what teen doesn't find excitement and fun in Disney LOL). Its one of few pics I took that day. It was also super hot and humid that day hence the crazy humid hair. Sooo hopefully this works I haven't shared pictures from flickr on here in awhile.

Oh my gosh!! She is absolutely lovely!! She has grown up SO MUCH since your avatar picture!!

Stick with it Mom and you will be riding ALL of the rides with her on your next trip!!

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

Evening all! Just popping on to say g'night! Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. I'll share it tomorrow. It is Ginger beef, mushrooms, and kale stir-fry that I found on Pinterest. We will be gone at dinner time tomorrow night, but I have another new recipe to try Friday night. I may even make Friday's a double batch and stick one in the freezer, since I'm pretty sure we are going to love it! But it seems a little time intensive for a work day.... so it would be great to have one in the freezer to pull out on a busy work day this fall!

Off to grab a cup of tea and head upstairs..............P

 

[Zoesmama03]

The best thing about the MFP app for smart phones is that it has a scanner and you can scan the barcode and it will bring it up. Or at least I had used it a few times. I just don't have an active smartphone but if it still works I may use the tablet and get the app to just scan stuff as I'm cooking. I don't particularly like tracking food either its just not a fun thing to do.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all! Here is your QOTD for Thursday, July 17, 2014:

I know I said I was using my Made to Crave book as inspiration, but I found this online yesterday and knew it was perfect to share with you all........

15 Habits of People Who Have Effectively Lost Over 20 – 30lbs and Kept it Off


1. Do not eliminate foods or deem certain foods as bad or “off limits”

With all the restrictive diets flooding our tv’s and computer screens you would think the only way to lose weight would be to completely eliminate food groups and only live off kale and water. Well that is not the case. Most people who lose weight and sustain their weight loss do not do so by removing certain foods completely from their diet but finding a way to fit them into a healthier lifestyle. For weight loss to be sustainable your lifestyle needs to be sustainable.

2. Develop routines and make it your lifestyle

Losing weight has everything to do with creating healthier habits. To do this you need to switch up your routines. Basically, if you do what you always do then you are going to get what you always get. Once you have created new routines and stick with them those routines will eventually turn into habits and become your new lifestyle. Keep in mind that it takes 21 days to form a new habit so don’t give up on those new routines so quick. Also, don’t try to overhaul your life in one week. Slow and steady friends. Too much to soon will cause you to burn out and get discouraged.

3. Eat clean (er) foods

Basically clean eating means eating foods that are minimally processed, if processed at all, and closest to their natural state. When you eat clean foods your body receives more nutritious foods, which means it will be nourished and statisfied longer.

4. Have an accountability system

Accountability systems are so important with losing weight. They help you measure success, identify issues, and motivate as you move forward. I personally use my scale to hold me accountable. That is what works for me. I also pay attention to the way my clothes fit and how I look in pictures. I know the picture thing might sound weird but for many years I hid behind my kids in pitcures because I hated the way I looked. One reader suggested always looking at yourself in a mirror, front and back. I think the picture and mirror tip comes down to not hiding from yourself. Hold yourself accountable. Now I am not suggesting that you become obsessive with the scale or mirror. Not at all. But having an accoutabitly system is very effective in helping to lose weight and sustain that weight loss.

5. Practice portion control

Once you embrace and learn the concept of portion control is when you realize no food is truly off limits. The saying “everything in moderation” absolutely rings true in the world of sustainable weight loss.

6. Tracking food

Next to portion control, tracking food is one of the most powerful tools with losing weight. In order to make any changes with food you need to know what you are eating and more importantly how much. Some people will say that counting calories or tracking food is tedious and too time consuming. Yes it does take a little time up front however the rewards in my opinion far out weigh any inconvenience. Plus, once you become more aware of the food you are eating you may not need to track as much. However, I have ALWAYS found it helpful to fall back on tracking whenever I have gotten off track.

7. Prioritize exercise

In order to reach your goal weight and sustain that weight loss you have to prioritize exercise. When you combine a healthy diet with exercise you will see results. Not only will your body change and look better but your mood will change and you will have much more energy. Now don’t get scared cause I am not saying you need to run marathons or spend hours in the gym. But you do need to get sweaty a few times a week. Find what works for your lifestyle and make a commitment to exercise 3-4 times a week.

8. Eat every few hours

I hate being hungry. When I am hungry I tend to get headaches, crabby, and become totally fixated on food. It really is not a pretty sight. So I have learned that instead of eating 3 bigger meals with long periods of time in-between I do much better with eating 5 smaller meals a day. This helps keep me satisfied all day and prevents me (most of the time) from making bad food choices.

9. Find healthy substitutions for favorite foods

I think the biggest myth with losing weight is you must give up your favorite foods. This is not true at all. In fact, I have found it to be the exact opposite. If you want to lose weight and sustain that weight lost you need to find a way to continue enjoying the foods you love. Once you start to feel deprived is when your efforts to create healthier habits will crumble. You want to create eating habits you can live with forever.

10. Stay hydrated

I never really concerned myself with hydration. I always thought I drank enough water. However, once I started drinking smoothies in the morning I realized that maybe I was not properly hydrated before. Because when I drink smoothies I feel alert all day, never get headaches, and have a ton of energy that lasts me all the way till night. When I don’t drink them I feel the opposite. Drinking my smoothies not only give me a good dose of fruits and veggies but it also gives me a lot of water and liquid to hydrate my body. For me it is difficult to fully hydrate my body with just drinking water all day. If that works for you great but I have found smoothies to really help with hydration. If you find yourself tired all the time and not having energy try doing more to hydrate yourself because that could be the issue.

11. Meal plan along with preparing meals and snacks ahead of time.

Creating a menu plan and preparing your foods ahead of time helps you become more intentional with the food you are eating. When you are intentional you think before you eat and most likely will make better food choices. Both of these tools – used together – serve as the roadmap and vehicle for a healthy lifestyle. Without either of them I would never know what I am eating and certainly would not have the food available when I am ready to eat. And you know what happens next? Yep, take out or quick unhealthy snacks. Taking the time to menu plan and then preparing the foods that you can ahead of time will make such a big difference with your weight loss efforts.

12. Have a cut off time everyday with eating.

This has been one of my go to weight loss habits. Late night eating has always been an issue for me as I am sure it is for other people too. By giving myself a cut off time I am able to control my night time calories. This habit, as with others I have mentioned, keeps my intentional with my eating. My personal cut off time is 7:00pm so I know if the clock says past 7pm and I am eating more than likely I am eating unnecessary calories. Now your cut off time can be whatever works for you. I know some people work crazy schedules and 7pm does not work for them. The point is to stop eating by a certain time to prevent overeating. It has work wonders for me and I believe it can really help you in meeting your weight loss goals.

13. Have a max weight for the scale

This is not something I have practice but I think I will start. I know some people do not like using the scale but for me it works. I weigh myself every week to keep me in check. I try to post my weekly weigh in on my FB page and blog every week or so. Sometimes I am a slacker and go a few weeks without posting. But I will tell you when I start to see the number go up and up that is enough incentive for me to refocus and get back on track. I love the idea of having a max weight because then it gives you a little flexibility but always you are giving yourself a limit.

14. Cook at home

One OYS reader wrote “weight loss begins and ends in the kitchen”. I absolutely loved this and couldn’t agree more. Early on in my weight loss journey I learned that if I wanted my weight loss to be sustainable I needed to learn to cook real food at home. Trying to lose weight and survive off boxed diets meals was not sustainable. When you cook at home you control the ingredients, portions, and are able to prepare food that you enjoy.

15. Never stop

Even though I did not put the other habits in any kind of order I did want to put this one last. I want you to leave with this. Losing weight and sustaining that healthy lifestyle is a process and journey. It is never over. I have said this many times before but I will say it again – there will be times where you think you got this whole weight loss thing down then there will be other times where you eat a box of thin mints and feel like you lost all control. But no matter how bad you think you “slipped up” never stop trying. Always keep moving forward.

Here is a link to the full page. If you have the time I strongly encourage you to check it out. She definitely has some other suggestions and lots of links if you struggle with one or more of these things. http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.c...fectively-lost-over-20-30lbs-and-kept-it-off/

Anyhow.... the QOTD is..... tell us which one (or more) of these you've really got a handle on and which one of these you really struggle with and why and HOW are you working to get PAST that struggle?

 

[pjlla]

Hey all! Happy Thursday! Just popping on with the QOTD and to say don't be surprised if you don't hear from me again today. Dentist appointments this morning and then we head down to MA to visit family who is up visiting from TX and NM. This is kind of an "unofficial" visit, since there is a family get-together planned for the weekend.... but I guess DH couldn't wait to see them. Plus I will probably squeeze in a bonus visit with DD for a bit!

Coffee is consumed and breakfast is next. Torn between a smoothie and a solid breakfast. But I have some watermelon calling my name so I think I'll be doing a smoothie. Loving my new Vitamix!...................P

 

[lisah0711]

Ugh. My silly, silly dog thought she would befriend a skunk at 1:00 am. Needless to say, the skunk didn't want to be friends & poor Charley learned the hard way what a skunk is capable of...right in the face! So, we tried to wash the dog in the pitch black outside until 2:00. We were too tired to even care at that point so now my house smells a little lol. She got another bathing today, but still is a little stinky. Mental note: lock the doggy door at night for the next few nights

So, so sorry for the skunk incident, Jill! I've heard Dawn dishwashing soap (the kind for doing dishes in the sink) works because that spray is somewhat oil based. That happened to us once with our dog Charlie the night before MIL came to visit. We had a friend who had a skunk follow the cat into the house through the dog door and then spray in the house. Hope things are clearing out now.

QOTD: I thought being more active here would make me more accountable, but I'm not sure if it's working. I was tracking food in MFP but it got to be such a pain if I ate a food that wasn't in there or trying to figure out exactly how much I did eat (was that an ounce or 2 teaspoons?). I've pretty much stopped doing it. I should try again though because I really did get a kick out of seeing different types of nutrients and looking at the pie chart. Exercise is easy as long as I do it first thing in the morning. I've got my class and friends I work out with so definitely accountable there. We joke at the Y class that if you don't come or send your excuse people will talk about you!

You've got the exercise part of the equation down, Linda. Tracking is boring and no one likes to do it but it does make a big difference and you get to see cool pie charts. Hang in there!

Figured I could share a newer picture of my beautiful dd the profile one is from 2009 when she was just shy of 6 at our last trip to MK. She finally could ride everything. I only stayed part of the day. Doh why did I decide to have my bf and his ex bil come along. His ex bil has some special needs and was starting to get agitate(what teen doesn't find excitement and fun in Disney LOL). Its one of few pics I took that day. It was also super hot and humid that day hence the crazy humid hair. Sooo hopefully this works I haven't shared pictures from flickr on here in awhile.

My SIL also hates tracking. We have both been working on weight loss since the beginning of the year. I track, she refuses. I have lost close to 30 pounds, she is down 0 (actually I think she gained). Yes, it is a pain and annoying to search for each food item. But it works. I estimate it takes me less than 5 minutes per meal to input. Is your weight loss worth that? Maybe others can be successful without food tracking of some kind, but I really think it is so important to know exactly what you are eating in terms of calories if you want to see regular weight loss. There are a bunch of ladies here that are on MFP and are very supportive. Come on over and join us! I am eclemens428.

Great example of how tracking really works! Congratulations on your success this year!

Well... I agree that running at 90 degrees is a bit extreme.... but so is 8 degrees! How about a happy medium!?

I hope the weather gods hear you, Pamela!

Out of time to answer the QOTD for now.