WISH Away the Pounds July Challenge - Everyone Welcome!!

[FireflyFi]

Hey, looking to join in for the first time. I don't want to seem like a sad sack, but I've realised I have pretty much no support network when it comes to my weightloss goals. There is maybe one person in my life who takes an active interest, and I don't see her that often. So it's very easy for me to slip or lose faith that sticking with this is worth it or even working (I can't be the only one who gets four days into a lifestyle change and thinks 'eh, this will never work! Back to the old habits...'...right? Lol) so I need some people to keep me motivated and focused. I had a quick read through a little of the June thread and it seems like you've got a good community here, so I look forward to participating

Oh, and as for prepared, I'm really not. I've always been a bit vague on any plans. I'm more of a 'if I do xyz, that should lead me to better things' and hope that works.

 

[Rose&Mike]

I am in.
Still thinking about my goal.
The fun continues at our house. We have a home inspection today on the house we are buying....maybe buying....there are serious rumors circulating that DH's company may be sold. The rumors hit the news media yesterday. We went through this in 2008, but because of the recession it didn't happen.
So do I push myself hard to stay 100% on plan and hope it helps deal with the stress. Or do I just throw in the towel and try to maintain.

Or do we chuck it all, quit our jobs, move to Orlando and get jobs at WDW? That idea is sounding better and better all the time.

I could handle the supposed company sale if we weren't in the process of buying a house. Oh and we received notice yesterday that if we stay in the apartment our rent goes up $200 a month in September. Not a good day yesterday!

So we need lots of QOTD's about how to deal with stress!

 

[Rose&Mike]

I will coach the 6-10th if it is still available.

 

[desiree71081]

Hey, looking to join in for the first time. I don't want to seem like a sad sack, but I've realised I have pretty much no support network when it comes to my weightloss goals. There is maybe one person in my life who takes an active interest, and I don't see her that often. So it's very easy for me to slip or lose faith that sticking with this is worth it or even working (I can't be the only one who gets four days into a lifestyle change and thinks 'eh, this will never work! Back to the old habits...'...right? Lol) so I need some people to keep me motivated and focused. I had a quick read through a little of the June thread and it seems like you've got a good community here, so I look forward to participating

Oh, and as for prepared, I'm really not. I've always been a bit vague on any plans. I'm more of a 'if I do xyz, that should lead me to better things' and hope that works.

You sound a lot like me. My weight has gone up and down and up and down over the years. I tend to give up after the first couple of weeks or when I don't see weight drop. This time I decided to make it stick. Instead of setting a huge goal (even though I know how much I want to lose) I set small goals each month. I set a goal of 5 lbs last month and actually lost 9. Don't be too hard on yourself if you fall off the wagon sometimes. Climb back on and keep going.

Good luck. You can do it!!!!

 

[Rose&Mike]

QOTD Tuesday, July 1, 2014: Are you prepared to reach your goals? If you don't want to take the quiz, you can just answer the question or share your thoughts on what it takes to be prepared to reach your goals.

I will be back tomorrow with my own answer and replies.

I did not take the quiz this time--I know I have done it in the past--but I think I would get a no. I think I am self sabotaging and holding onto this weight this time on purpose. Using way too many excuses. And just not taking care of myself. I need to give myself a good kick in the pants and get my act together! I liked being skinny. I am not enjoying these 20+ extra pounds. Time for some tough love.

I'm in! I think I am going to challenge myself and go big for my first goal!

Welcome!

First time contestant here. Needing to lose 70 over the next 78 weeks.

Welcome!

I'm in, I've got 15 lbs to lose before our trip in October.

I think 15 is doable by October!

QOTD: Wahoo! It says I'm prepared. I feel like I am, so we're gonna go with that!

scrammalot--sorry you're having health issues, thanks for the encouragement, and I think you should lurk. It's nice to read along, even if you don't post. I should know. I am the queen of lurkdom!

Good to see you Linda!

Hey, looking to join in for the first time. I don't want to seem like a sad sack, but I've realised I have pretty much no support network when it comes to my weightloss goals. There is maybe one person in my life who takes an active interest, and I don't see her that often. So it's very easy for me to slip or lose faith that sticking with this is worth it or even working (I can't be the only one who gets four days into a lifestyle change and thinks 'eh, this will never work! Back to the old habits...'...right? Lol) so I need some people to keep me motivated and focused. I had a quick read through a little of the June thread and it seems like you've got a good community here, so I look forward to participating

Oh, and as for prepared, I'm really not. I've always been a bit vague on any plans. I'm more of a 'if I do xyz, that should lead me to better things' and hope that works.

Welcome! Lots of people come here specifically for support.

 

[desiree71081]

Or do we chuck it all, quit our jobs, move to Orlando and get jobs at WDW? That idea is sounding better and better all the time.

This sounds like the best idea I've heard in a long time!!! Told DH a couple weeks ago that we should just sell the house and move to DW.

61 days till I am there again!!!! Can't wait.

 

[Flossbolna]

First of all thank you to all the coaching volunteers!! The schedule looks great already:

Coaches for June
July 1-5 lisah0711
June 6-10 Rose
June 11-15 Jill
June 16-20 Pam
June 21-25 YOUR NAME HERE
June 26-30 YOUR NAME HERE

We still have some open spots though!!

Hey, looking to join in for the first time. I don't want to seem like a sad sack, but I've realised I have pretty much no support network when it comes to my weightloss goals. There is maybe one person in my life who takes an active interest, and I don't see her that often. So it's very easy for me to slip or lose faith that sticking with this is worth it or even working (I can't be the only one who gets four days into a lifestyle change and thinks 'eh, this will never work! Back to the old habits...'...right? Lol) so I need some people to keep me motivated and focused. I had a quick read through a little of the June thread and it seems like you've got a good community here, so I look forward to participating

Oh, and as for prepared, I'm really not. I've always been a bit vague on any plans. I'm more of a 'if I do xyz, that should lead me to better things' and hope that works.

I think for many of us this group here is their support network. While my friends and family are nice enough about me wanting to lose weight, I don't want to constantly talk about the challenges I face with them. I also find that they often don't really understand my problems as they are not problems for them. So it is great to have the group here who is on the same path as me!

I also see that you have a TR for Japan, I really need to check that out! I so much want to go there!!!

I am in.
Still thinking about my goal.
The fun continues at our house. We have a home inspection today on the house we are buying....maybe buying....there are serious rumors circulating that DH's company may be sold. The rumors hit the news media yesterday. We went through this in 2008, but because of the recession it didn't happen.
So do I push myself hard to stay 100% on plan and hope it helps deal with the stress. Or do I just throw in the towel and try to maintain.

Or do we chuck it all, quit our jobs, move to Orlando and get jobs at WDW? That idea is sounding better and better all the time.

I could handle the supposed company sale if we weren't in the process of buying a house. Oh and we received notice yesterday that if we stay in the apartment our rent goes up $200 a month in September. Not a good day yesterday!

So we need lots of QOTD's about how to deal with stress!

Welcome back Rose and thanks for taking on coaching! I am sorry about all the stress you are having about the future!

 

[desiree71081]

QOTD Tuesday, July 1, 2014: Are you prepared to reach your goals? If you don't want to take the quiz, you can just answer the question or share your thoughts on what it takes to be prepared to reach your goals.

It says I'm prepared. I feel prepared. Let's hope it stays that way. Still have a problem with staying stocked up with healthy food and DH doesn't help when he says "hey, let's get a pizza". Still not strong enough to say no when I am exhausted after a long day at work and can't imagine standing at the stove or waiting for food to defrost. Going to have to have a "no pizza mentioning" discussion with him.

Setting my goal for 5 lbs again this month. Worried if I set it higher (even though I THINK I can achieve it) and I don't reach it, my motivation will be gone.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all! So nice to see a thread full of chatter!

Call for Coaches and Future Hosts!!!!​

Coaching only takes 5 days, most coaches chose to post a question of the day to spark some discussion (and there is a wonderful archive of old questions in case you feel uninspired) and it is nice to help keeping the chat going! But it is really up to the individual coach as to what they want to do. Give it a try, even if you are new to this! Most of us find that coaching really helps us be good during that time with regard to eating and exercise as it gives us additional motivation!!

We also need future hosts, we only have Lisa signed up for the October! I personally can recommend to be a host after a vacation as the commitment to the thread really helps to get refocused! It is also not difficult at all, we do have a spreadsheet that does all the calculation for you! If you are interested in hosting and are unsure about it, ask about it on the thread or by PM!

So, I am hoping for plenty of offers for coaching and hosting now!!!

Thanks to all the folks who volunteered for coaching this month so far! It's a lot more fun when we have a variety of coaches for sure.

Also, please consider hosting a month. It takes a village to run these challenges, hosts and coaches. If you enjoy these challenges and find them helpful please consider hosting for a month. It is a lot of fun and very inspiring!

I'm here

Thanks again for hostessing this month! I will coach July 11-15 if it's available. I'll be back tomorrow to weigh in & jump into the QOTD.

Jill

Hi Jill! Thanks for volunteering another coaching stint and thanks for coaching last week on the June thread!

I'm in! I think I am going to challenge myself and go big for my first goal!

and good luck!

I'm in. I thought that I posted earlier, but I guess that I forgot to hit submit.

Hi Jenn! That poof fairy is so annoying!

First time contestant here. Needing to lose 70 over the next 78 weeks.

Looks like a very doable goal. Good luck!

I'm having health issues so I can't participate (well, it'd be pointless since I've been 242.4 for the past 2 months....) but I'm wishing you guys the best of luck!

So sorry to hear of your health issues. Please consider joining the maintainer part of our challenge where you can tread water and still get some support for your healthy lifestyle goals.

I'm in, I've got 15 lbs to lose before our trip in October.

You can do it! 5 pounds in July, August and September and you're there!

QOTD: Wahoo! It says I'm prepared. I feel like I am, so we're gonna go with that!

scrammalot--sorry you're having health issues, thanks for the encouragement, and I think you should lurk. It's nice to read along, even if you don't post. I should know. I am the queen of lurkdom!

Hi Linda! Lurking is perfectly acceptable but it's a lot more fun when you pipe up every once in awhile.

Thanks for hostessing the exercise challenge thread this month! I came out of lurkdom myself for that one.

I need to break up these replies to avoid problems with the poof fairy. I'm going for a run and will be back with more replies!

 

[pjlla]

QOTD Tuesday, July 1, 2014: Are you prepared to reach your goals? If you don't want to take the quiz, you can just answer the question or share your thoughts on what it takes to be prepared to reach your goals.

I will be back tomorrow with my own answer and replies.

I am MENTALLY prepared to reach/maintain my goal.... but my body doesn't want to seem to follow! And my motivation to exercise has dried up in this summer sun! While I would love to lose another 5-7 pounds, I know from experience that it will NOT happen without faithful regular exercise.... and that is the part of the equation that I struggle with constantly. So I need to come up with an exercise PLAN.... something solid and unbreakable.

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

Morning all! SO DELIGHTED to see so many new faces here!!! It will be exciting to hear from some new folks. And of COURSE, I am thrilled that we have so many friends continuing the journey with us!

Up for today..... well, since it is a WW work day for me, I will definitely spend time preparing for my meeting, picking out a pretty but COOL outfit, since it is scheduled to be in the 90's today and the church building we meet in does not have a/c, and of course the usual line-up for laundry, dishes, bed making, weed pulling, etc.

Breakfast is my newest favorite overnight oats recipe (I think I shared it on the recipe thread). I made crockpot applesauce yesterday JUST SO that I could have this for breakfast today! I ended up with enough applesauce for 6 breakfasts plus a little serving leftover for DS. I put most of it in the freezer in the appropriate serving sizes, ready for another day. I love it when I am organized like that! And I made my crockpot rosemary roasted chicken yesterday, cooled it, and packed it up into dinner size portions and put it in the freezer and will bring it to DD next weekend. It should give her about 6 dinners (or more). I'm sure she'll appreciate it.

I have Tuesday night dinners planned for my men for the next 3 weeks, since they eat without me (it is my meeting night). So that is something good off my shoulders too! And I cooked up 5 pounds of ground beef and stuck that in the freezer yesterday as well, so I have taco meat and sloppy joe meat ready for a few dinners as well.

WOW.... in hindsight I was waaaay more productive yesterday than I thought I had been! Go me!

Off to grab my breakfast from the fridge and warm it up! YUMMMM.... can't wait!.................P

 

[desiree71081]

And my motivation to exercise has dried up in this summer sun! While I would love to lose another 5-7 pounds, I know from experience that it will NOT happen without faithful regular exercise.... and that is the part of the equation that I struggle with constantly. So I need to come up with an exercise PLAN.... something solid and unbreakable.

I am having this problem also. It was 99 degrees yesterday when I left work to go home. I couldn't imagine putting the baby in his stroller and walking in that heat. We also have a swimming pool but the sun doesn't go down until 8ish and I'm worried about him getting a sunburn even though I cover him in sunscreen so if we get in the pool it's not until late and by that time, I pretty much don't want to because it's Gabe's bathtime and then bedtime. Still trying to find an exercise plan that works.

I have an Airwalk exercise thing in my living room and for about 3 weeks I was doing good with that. I would get up at 4:00 every morning and exercise for 20 minutes, then shower and get ready for work. With the baby being sick lately, and neither one of us getting much sleep, I can't imagine getting up any earlier than absolutely necessary. Excuses excuses...I know.

 

[FireflyFi]

You sound a lot like me. My weight has gone up and down and up and down over the years. I tend to give up after the first couple of weeks or when I don't see weight drop. This time I decided to make it stick. Instead of setting a huge goal (even though I know how much I want to lose) I set small goals each month. I set a goal of 5 lbs last month and actually lost 9. Don't be too hard on yourself if you fall off the wagon sometimes. Climb back on and keep going.

Good luck. You can do it!!!!

Oh man, I've had so many ups and downs weight wise over the last few years! I'll try and be brief - I have a lap band, first got it five years ago. Lost weight without too much hassle in the first year, but I wasn't mentally ready at all. Spent the next three years sorting my head out, gained back the weight, then was ready a year ago to start again. Struggled for the year as I didn't know the band had slipped. Couldn't eat for weeks / months. Lost a stack of weight (over 30kgs, sorry I'm Australian and talk metric ) but then preparing for the lap band replacement surgery and recovery time was so long without any help from the band, I put over 20kgs of that back on.

So now I'm back at a point where the lap band should be working, but I don't believe that it will. I keep having self defeating thoughts (I only lost weight last year because I could barely eat anything at all...so unless I'm at that point, the weight won't come off) and so I struggle to even want to try. I think the thing I really need to learn is that, if I follow healthy behaviours, I can trust my body to change for the better.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and congrats on the weightloss last month

I think for many of us this group here is their support network. While my friends and family are nice enough about me wanting to lose weight, I don't want to constantly talk about the challenges I face with them. I also find that they often don't really understand my problems as they are not problems for them. So it is great to have the group here who is on the same path as me!

I also see that you have a TR for Japan, I really need to check that out! I so much want to go there!!!

That's so true about having a group available I don't know why I didn't think to join sooner, but oh well, I'm here now! I'll have to blow the dust off my wii balance board to weigh myself lol (I usually only get weighed at my surgeon's office) and prepare myself for the bad reaction of my pudgy mii when the weight comes up hahaha

And definitely make plans to get to Japan! My TR is only around Universal Studios and Disneyland, but the whole trip was amaaaaaazing (the TR is still only about half done, though....... )

 

[DisFam95]

I'm in for the month. I've been kind of stalled out and need some re-focus! I've been doing my modified smoothie cleanse and doing ok but totally craved some junk yesterday. I grabbed the kids chips and went to town for a moment but then stopped myself. Oh a dried pineapple!! I have not had that in years. It's like candy crack! Had to leave the room after a few small handfuls (and that's about how much is in the little bag).

I hope to be more focused today and back on track. I'm taking the kids to an 'eat in theater' so lots of bad temptations there. They do have a soft baked pretzel which in my mind was the healthiest choice over their other foods and candy. I'm sure I'll dip my hand in the popcorn bucket more than once.

But I'm off to ride the bike for 50min! SO hopefully that will balance out this afternoon!

I'm only about 15lbs away from my goal but this is where I stall out. Those last pounds are the hardest.

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

I have the unique challenge of doing this without any real sleep. I watch my DS 18 month old (18 months old today! Happy Birthday, Donovan!) during the day while DW is at work, she leaves early in the morning and due to rush hour traffic isnt home until 7pm, at which point I try to get some sleep before I leave for work at 10pm, and I work until 7 the next morning. At least it does give me the opportunity to get in 2 15 minute walks and a 30 minute walk (I can eat at my workstation).

Took the quiz, shock of shocks I'm actually prepared for something!

I've been very good about keeping VERY careful track of everything I eat, and taking all my measurements, including blood sugar levels. I would never have even thought about being serious about this before DW and I found out we were expecting. Hell, I just got real serious about this and started holding my feet to the fire 10 days ago.

Short term goal: Lose 12-15 before our trip to DisneyWorld in mid August (which will also double as the first real test of seeing if my dietary changes stick or if I cave and go back to how I was eating beforehand)

Midrange goal: Complete a 5K in December

Long term: Complete the Dopey Challenge at WDW and the Rebel Challenge at DL in January 2016!

Yeah, I know, that last one is a real lofty goal....

 

[jillbur]

We are off and running! Hello to all the new names I see and welcome to a super supportive group! I am so happy that we seem to have a great mixture of former participants and new ones as well. And, we added Australia and a male! Woot! I don't think we've had a male participant in quite awhile.

QOTD: Your Results Prepared for Success!

I think I am in a much better place in July than I was in June. I am running again which feels awesome. I have a workout plan in place including a running plan and crosstraining with DH. I love that he and I can do active things in the summer since I am off (teacher here). Although, it would help if we didn't have 90% humidity right now And, most importantly for me, I have an eating plan in place. I was trying to avoid processed foods and added sugars and was feeling great until I fell (well, really dove head first) off the wagon and ate terrible for a few days. I've been back on plan for only 2 days and can tell a difference in how I feel. Although, we had a family movie night last night to watch The Lego Movie (again ) and I really wanted some popcorn. I had some peanuts and cheese instead and was proud of that choice. Well, now that I've rambled on and on...

Off to enjoy the day and hopefully stay cool.

Jill

 

[Rose&Mike]

I keep having self defeating thoughts (I only lost weight last year because I could barely eat anything at all...so unless I'm at that point, the weight won't come off) and so I struggle to even want to try. I think the thing I really need to learn is that, if I follow healthy behaviours, I can trust my body to change for the better.

I think a lot of folks suffer with the self defeating thoughts.
There are many folks here who will tell you (and who are good examples) that you can lose weight despite age, health issues, schedules, kids at home, etc. You just have to believe in yourself and do the work.

Short term goal: Lose 12-15 before our trip to DisneyWorld in mid August (which will also double as the first real test of seeing if my dietary changes stick or if I cave and go back to how I was eating beforehand)

Midrange goal: Complete a 5K in December

Long term: Complete the Dopey Challenge at WDW and the Rebel Challenge at DL in January 2016!

Yeah, I know, that last one is a real lofty goal....

Great goals!

And if you go overboard at Disney, that is ok.
Get back on the scale IMMEDIATELY and get back on plan. No waiting, no excuses.

I think I am in a much better place in July than I was in June. I am running again which feels awesome. I have a workout plan in place including a running plan and crosstraining with DH. I love that he and I can do active things in the summer since I am off (teacher here). Although, it would help if we didn't have 90% humidity right now And, most importantly for me, I have an eating plan in place. I was trying to avoid processed foods and added sugars and was feeling great until I fell (well, really dove head first) off the wagon and ate terrible for a few days.

Jill

So how is the foot/p-f? Sorry if I missed an update earlier.
I was off plan for a couple of days too, but back on the wagon too. And like you I feel cruddy from being off plan. Why do I think a few minutes of something tasting good/satisfying a stressful situation are worth days of feeling crappy later?

I still think for me it is some self sabotaging going on. I expect to fail so I set myself up to fail. Not good.

****
My DS (22) is with us for the month which is a nice treat. I am off today so we hit the grocery and loaded up on healthy food. Lots and lots of fruit and produce in the house now. So no excuses for bad choices. I also bought some plain seltzer to hopefully offset my coke cravings. I am doing better but still cheating and having one occasionally. The problem is I have one and then all of a sudden I am craving all kinds of junk!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

 

[lisah0711]

A friendly reminder to PM our lovely hostess Flossbolna with your starting weight and monthly goal if you haven't already!

To all the newcomers: My recommendation is to not be shy and take part in the discussion! We are a very friendly group! And I personally find that chatting along does help me to keep focussed!

Excellent advise!

Hey, looking to join in for the first time. I don't want to seem like a sad sack, but I've realised I have pretty much no support network when it comes to my weightloss goals. There is maybe one person in my life who takes an active interest, and I don't see her that often. So it's very easy for me to slip or lose faith that sticking with this is worth it or even working (I can't be the only one who gets four days into a lifestyle change and thinks 'eh, this will never work! Back to the old habits...'...right? Lol) so I need some people to keep me motivated and focused. I had a quick read through a little of the June thread and it seems like you've got a good community here, so I look forward to participating

Oh, and as for prepared, I'm really not. I've always been a bit vague on any plans. I'm more of a 'if I do xyz, that should lead me to better things' and hope that works.

That is the great thing about these monthly challenges -- they help you break down your goal into small, manageable amounts. Remember no goal is too small! You could set a goal to lose one pound at a time if that helps you. Every time you make the right choice for a healthy lifestyle you get one step closer to your goal -- you can do it!

I am in.
Still thinking about my goal.
The fun continues at our house. We have a home inspection today on the house we are buying....maybe buying....there are serious rumors circulating that DH's company may be sold. The rumors hit the news media yesterday. We went through this in 2008, but because of the recession it didn't happen.
So do I push myself hard to stay 100% on plan and hope it helps deal with the stress. Or do I just throw in the towel and try to maintain.

Or do we chuck it all, quit our jobs, move to Orlando and get jobs at WDW? That idea is sounding better and better all the time.

I could handle the supposed company sale if we weren't in the process of buying a house. Oh and we received notice yesterday that if we stay in the apartment our rent goes up $200 a month in September. Not a good day yesterday!

So we need lots of QOTD's about how to deal with stress!

Wowza, that is a lot going on, Rose. One day at a time, one bite at a time. With all the other stuff going on you may want to be a maintainer this month.

You sound a lot like me. My weight has gone up and down and up and down over the years. I tend to give up after the first couple of weeks or when I don't see weight drop. This time I decided to make it stick. Instead of setting a huge goal (even though I know how much I want to lose) I set small goals each month. I set a goal of 5 lbs last month and actually lost 9. Don't be too hard on yourself if you fall off the wagon sometimes. Climb back on and keep going.

Good luck. You can do it!!!!

More excellent advise!

I did not take the quiz this time--I know I have done it in the past--but I think I would get a no. I think I am self sabotaging and holding onto this weight this time on purpose. Using way too many excuses. And just not taking care of myself. I need to give myself a good kick in the pants and get my act together! I liked being skinny. I am not enjoying these 20+ extra pounds. Time for some tough love.

You can do it, Rose! I have faith in you!

It says I'm prepared. I feel prepared. Let's hope it stays that way. Still have a problem with staying stocked up with healthy food and DH doesn't help when he says "hey, let's get a pizza". Still not strong enough to say no when I am exhausted after a long day at work and can't imagine standing at the stove or waiting for food to defrost. Going to have to have a "no pizza mentioning" discussion with him.

Setting my goal for 5 lbs again this month. Worried if I set it higher (even though I THINK I can achieve it) and I don't reach it, my motivation will be gone.

You can always increase your goal if you meet the first one -- that is the beauty of this challenge.

Hmm, can you have a Lean Cuisine pizza or an alternative if its one of those nights pizza comes home? Or can you have one piece of pizza with a salad so you don't feel deprived? I know it is so hard to make good choices when you are tired. I am the same way.

I am MENTALLY prepared to reach/maintain my goal.... but my body doesn't want to seem to follow! And my motivation to exercise has dried up in this summer sun! While I would love to lose another 5-7 pounds, I know from experience that it will NOT happen without faithful regular exercise.... and that is the part of the equation that I struggle with constantly. So I need to come up with an exercise PLAN.... something solid and unbreakable.

Wowza great job with all the preplanning and precooking, Pamela! Won't you be getting a lot of activity with your summer job? That may be the push you need.

BRB the smilie police are after me.

 

[lisah0711]

I am having this problem also. It was 99 degrees yesterday when I left work to go home. I couldn't imagine putting the baby in his stroller and walking in that heat. We also have a swimming pool but the sun doesn't go down until 8ish and I'm worried about him getting a sunburn even though I cover him in sunscreen so if we get in the pool it's not until late and by that time, I pretty much don't want to because it's Gabe's bathtime and then bedtime. Still trying to find an exercise plan that works.

I have an Airwalk exercise thing in my living room and for about 3 weeks I was doing good with that. I would get up at 4:00 every morning and exercise for 20 minutes, then shower and get ready for work. With the baby being sick lately, and neither one of us getting much sleep, I can't imagine getting up any earlier than absolutely necessary. Excuses excuses...I know.

Hopefully everyone will be feeling better soon and you can go back to this since it seemed to work for you. When you have sick kiddos there is only so much you can do.

Oh man, I've had so many ups and downs weight wise over the last few years! I'll try and be brief - I have a lap band, first got it five years ago. Lost weight without too much hassle in the first year, but I wasn't mentally ready at all. Spent the next three years sorting my head out, gained back the weight, then was ready a year ago to start again. Struggled for the year as I didn't know the band had slipped. Couldn't eat for weeks / months. Lost a stack of weight (over 30kgs, sorry I'm Australian and talk metric ) but then preparing for the lap band replacement surgery and recovery time was so long without any help from the band, I put over 20kgs of that back on.

So now I'm back at a point where the lap band should be working, but I don't believe that it will. I keep having self defeating thoughts (I only lost weight last year because I could barely eat anything at all...so unless I'm at that point, the weight won't come off) and so I struggle to even want to try. I think the thing I really need to learn is that, if I follow healthy behaviours, I can trust my body to change for the better.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and congrats on the weightloss last month

That's so true about having a group available I don't know why I didn't think to join sooner, but oh well, I'm here now! I'll have to blow the dust off my wii balance board to weigh myself lol (I usually only get weighed at my surgeon's office) and prepare myself for the bad reaction of my pudgy mii when the weight comes up hahaha

And definitely make plans to get to Japan! My TR is only around Universal Studios and Disneyland, but the whole trip was amaaaaaazing (the TR is still only about half done, though....... )

Ooo, I'll have to check out your TR. I would love to go to all the Disney parks some day.

You have had a lot of issues to overcome. Being a maintainer or setting a small goal may be the perfect way for you to start. You can do it!

I'm in for the month. I've been kind of stalled out and need some re-focus! I've been doing my modified smoothie cleanse and doing ok but totally craved some junk yesterday. I grabbed the kids chips and went to town for a moment but then stopped myself. Oh a dried pineapple!! I have not had that in years. It's like candy crack! Had to leave the room after a few small handfuls (and that's about how much is in the little bag).

I hope to be more focused today and back on track. I'm taking the kids to an 'eat in theater' so lots of bad temptations there. They do have a soft baked pretzel which in my mind was the healthiest choice over their other foods and candy. I'm sure I'll dip my hand in the popcorn bucket more than once.

But I'm off to ride the bike for 50min! SO hopefully that will balance out this afternoon!

I'm only about 15lbs away from my goal but this is where I stall out. Those last pounds are the hardest.

back! Nice to see you.

I have the unique challenge of doing this without any real sleep. I watch my DS 18 month old (18 months old today! Happy Birthday, Donovan!) during the day while DW is at work, she leaves early in the morning and due to rush hour traffic isnt home until 7pm, at which point I try to get some sleep before I leave for work at 10pm, and I work until 7 the next morning. At least it does give me the opportunity to get in 2 15 minute walks and a 30 minute walk (I can eat at my workstation).

Took the quiz, shock of shocks I'm actually prepared for something!

I've been very good about keeping VERY careful track of everything I eat, and taking all my measurements, including blood sugar levels. I would never have even thought about being serious about this before DW and I found out we were expecting. Hell, I just got real serious about this and started holding my feet to the fire 10 days ago.

Short term goal: Lose 12-15 before our trip to DisneyWorld in mid August (which will also double as the first real test of seeing if my dietary changes stick or if I cave and go back to how I was eating beforehand)

Midrange goal: Complete a 5K in December

Long term: Complete the Dopey Challenge at WDW and the Rebel Challenge at DL in January 2016!

Yeah, I know, that last one is a real lofty goal....

You have some great short and long term goals!

We are off and running! Hello to all the new names I see and welcome to a super supportive group! I am so happy that we seem to have a great mixture of former participants and new ones as well. And, we added Australia and a male! Woot! I don't think we've had a male participant in quite awhile.

QOTD: Your Results Prepared for Success!

I think I am in a much better place in July than I was in June. I am running again which feels awesome. I have a workout plan in place including a running plan and crosstraining with DH. I love that he and I can do active things in the summer since I am off (teacher here). Although, it would help if we didn't have 90% humidity right now And, most importantly for me, I have an eating plan in place. I was trying to avoid processed foods and added sugars and was feeling great until I fell (well, really dove head first) off the wagon and ate terrible for a few days. I've been back on plan for only 2 days and can tell a difference in how I feel. Although, we had a family movie night last night to watch The Lego Movie (again ) and I really wanted some popcorn. I had some peanuts and cheese instead and was proud of that choice. Well, now that I've rambled on and on...

Off to enjoy the day and hopefully stay cool.

Jill

I can tell that you are going to have a great month, Jill!

My DS (22) is with us for the month which is a nice treat. I am off today so we hit the grocery and loaded up on healthy food. Lots and lots of fruit and produce in the house now. So no excuses for bad choices. I also bought some plain seltzer to hopefully offset my coke cravings. I am doing better but still cheating and having one occasionally. The problem is I have one and then all of a sudden I am craving all kinds of junk!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Enjoy your visit with DS!

I hope that you enjoy the seltzer -- adding some citrus or other fruit might help, too. I know that I like the bubbles as much as anything about Coke.

I'll be back later with the QOTD for tomorrow.

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, we are off to an active start! I need to head to bed soon, so no time to do a big multi quote post! But I want to say that I am thrilled to see so many new faces! Welcome to all of you!

I just updated the participants, if you want to check the first page to see I got you there. Otherwise: I am still taking new sign ups!

QOTD:

I did not have time to take the quiz. But just going with how I feel, I have to say that I am very torn on how prepared I am. I do have a horrible big project at work that looms over me and makes life rather stressful and requires me to work very long hours at the moment. So getting exercise in is difficult. And that is usually the time when I start eating crap.

But doing this thread as somethings that helps me relax a little bit and being productive here really helps me stay focussed. So my plan for the upcoming weeks is to balance work with some weight loss DISing, eat as healthy as possible (I seem to have gotten over my sugar cravings!), make sure to get some exercise by walking or biking to work. And that's it. That is all I can concentrate on right now.

Hopefully the fitbit (it's at the postoffice now, need to pick it up on Thursday) will give me some additional motivation to stay active. I will try to track, but I won't get too annoyed with myself if I don't. I do know the points values of most things anyway, so as long as I stay with my healthy standards, I know I will be fine. In a way I guess I am following the other plan (simply filling?). Hm, maybe I actually should give that a try...

 

[desiree71081]

Hmm, can you have a Lean Cuisine pizza or an alternative if its one of those nights pizza comes home? Or can you have one piece of pizza with a salad so you don't feel deprived? I know it is so hard to make good choices when you are tired. I am the same way.

I have drastically cut back on my pizza intake when we get it. Instead of 4 or more pieces I will eat either one or two and instead of a whole pack of crazy bread with extra parmesan and butter, I will eat 1 or 2 pieces of crazy bread just the way it comes with no extras added.