WISH Away the Pounds July Challenge - Everyone Welcome!!

[jillbur]

*****
Hope everyone has recovered from the weekend.

And I hope to see more people on here today.

I might not make it on this evening, but I will be back on eventually. We have a contractor meeting us at the house we want to buy this evening. The house is in great shape inside (just needs updating) but it's like they deferred all the exterior maintenance. We want to get an idea of how much it's going to all cost. We asked for it in repairs and our agent thinks they are going to offer money, but I have a feeling it's not going to be even close to enough money. It is too much of a financial liability to have to update the interior and fix the exterior. And we paid too much to do both. Mike told me if it falls through we can take a last minute weekend away and get out of here for a few days, because I am going a little crazy. (OK, a lot.)

Have a great Monday!

I hope the house works out for you and doesn't cost a fortune to fix up. If it does fall through, it must be what's right for you at this time.

This is from a blog post in MFP. I am including the link, but you may have to be logged in to see it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/_gypsyrunner_/view/independence-day-free-your-mind-674924
Independence Day ... Free Your Mind
"I've fallen off the wagon."
"I screwed up yesterday - so I binged all afternoon."
"I've got a party this weekend, so I'll start over on Monday."
"I do so well for 2 - 3 weeks and then I just can't do it anymore."
"Every night I overeat by snacking - why try?
Change your mindset.

Instead of always framing things as "quitting and re-starting" - start thinking of this as simply - your life. Start seeing yourself as normal. We all have minutes, even days, when we are off our game - but we don't stop. The key to success is seeing that normal is okay and being perfect is NEVER going to happen. My Mom used to call this "stick-to-it-tiveness". We use it successfully in other parts of our lives - marriage, work, raising children, sports. But for some reason, we give ourselves permission to stop doing the one important thing - getting healthy. One small misstep and we throw in the towel. We let our brain tell us it's too hard. We're too weak.
Change your mindset.

Make your goals and keep moving in the direction you need to go. Stop starting over. Realize that there is no end zone and that these changes need to become habits. Once they become habits - you know you're on your way to changing your life. If you do this, it gets easier. You have control over the food - it doesn't control you. You make your choices. You train - without that voice prattling on about how you look ridiculous, how you'll never reach your goals. Shut that crap talk down.
Change your mindset.
Your mindset is critical. This is not a game that you can start and stop. It's your life. Take your power back. This is the perfect day. Do it.

*****
QOTD July8, 2014--Do you see yourself in this blog post? If we are talking about positive thinking and being kind to ourselves, is it better to regard our challenges as starting over or to tackle them head on and work on the 'stick to it tiveness' it takes to make a commitment to take care of ourselves? Thoughts?

I have definitely fallen off the wagon, got rolled over, and back on numerous times. I'm not sure why I think of my eating as something I "have" to do instead of what is best for my health? I think that's why I am doing better now in July. I think because I have a goal in mind of a few races ahead of me, I know that my eating is fueling my body. There is a purpose to it. In the past I often thought I was depriving myself of "good" foods like brownies and Wendy's french fries (my favorite ones) when I was trying to lose weight. I am now thinking about how that brownie hot fudge sundae is going to effect my run or workout and I realize it's not worth feeling yucky just for a minute of chocolate love.

Wow...that was a lot of thinking this early in the morning Great question.

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

Well I'm up, but not at 'em I actually have nothing to do today except take DSs to the fun center to play and roller skate. That's from about noon-2. I love that there's free things for kids to do in the summer. Although, I do pay to rent roller blades and usually get drinks. We are also taking advantage of the kids bowl free program and DSs can bowl 2 games free everyday this summer. I have to pay for shoes and, of course, drinks. Our movie theater is showing old movies for free twice a week as well. This week is Alvin and the Chipmunks and I'm not sure if we'll do that one or not.

Enough rambling I guess everyone is keeping busy since it's not too chatty here. I'll try to check back in later tonight. Have a great day!

Jill

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all! It feels like forever since I"ve been here! Our July 4th overnight turned into multiple overnights! Since Friday was a total washout and DD ended up with Saturday off at the last minute, we opted to stay at the cape for a "do-over" day on Saturday..... and it was gorgeous.... and then DD got a text that they were cancelling work on Sunday as well, so we stayed for another night! Thank goodness that the cat is flexible and good at taking care of herself!

But of COURSE, that meant that 2 days of "off plan/off schedule" eating turned into 4 days of said eating!! I feel disgusting. I honestly can't WAIT to get in the scale on Friday, face the music, and just go forward. I ate well yesterday and plan to do the same here today, but it seems like too little too late after a few days of cocktails, snacking, and no tracking. In some ways I did better than planned/expected and in some ways worse. My "unhappy belly" that I was experiencing last week actually got better, but still helped me keep some of the eating under control, due to belly pain.

Time to get ready for today's meeting! TTYL...............P

 

[bigsis1970]

HI Ladies just a quick pop in fly by Hello!!

I hope you all had great 4ths.. we did.. were super busy - family reunions baby showers and weddings!!

I will not be joining this month but will pop on and say hello every now and again.. we are getting ready for a camping vacation next week..

take care and see you all soon.. Michelle

 

[glss1/2fll]

I didn't meditate yesterday--my back hurt too bad for sitting and I was afraid if I lay down I'd never get up! I did it this morning after my gym class and then walk. Surprisingly the 5 minutes went by pretty fast. I really tried to push thoughts away as soon as they came in---fast and furious! It felt good.

Today's QOTD: Well, I'm not sure I'm at the point of thinking this is my life on a journey to healthy eating. It's more of a "this is my life trying to be good, but screwing up and trying again" journey.

Desiree--good job on loose clothes!

I read something on pinterest the other day that said it takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your family/friends to notice and 12 weeks for everybody else to notice. I've been thinking about that a lot lately--and my body hasn't even started changing!

Last night we went to our son's choir concert. Too bad we couldn't weight ourselves right after. I think everybody sweat off about 20 pounds! We Pacific Northwesterners just can't handle 95 degree weather! The kids were amazing singers! It was so incredible to think they'd only been together a week! Five more days of camp for him and 2 more concerts for us.

 

[desiree71081]

We are planning to go eat out for my birthday on Thursday.

I want to eat somewhat healthy but still want to eat the things I enjoy. Which would you pick out of these choices when thinking healthy but enjoyable?


Outback or Texas Roadhouse: Steak, salad, sweet potato. Never been to Texas Roadhouse since it just opened up here in town. Outback is my favorite restaurant.

Samurai Dragon: Sushi, fried rice, egg drop soup.

La Casa: Chips and Salsa, taco salad with ground beef and xochil soup.

I also plan on having 1 bloody mary.....it's mostly veggies right?....lol

 

[Flossbolna]

Ok, it seems that in the half hour I spent updating your weights, Germany scored 4 goals in the semi final against Brazil. And the game just started then. I could hear people cheering loudly so many times, I just could not believe it... For soccer that is crazy - and even more for a semi final in a world cup. But then the Brazilians really had double bad luck with two of their best players missing...

Anyway, you are much more interested in some other results and here they are:

Flossbolna (Magdalene)
lisa0711 (Lisa)
jillbur (Jill)35%
JennStars9 26%
glss1/2fll (Linda)
purplekicks 20%
desiree71081 52%
myweegirls (Liz) 81%
DisFam95 16%
GrandAdmiralStrife 80%
LadyRayado 25%
Rose&Mike (Rose) 43%
mainemooncat (Elizabeth)
FireflyFi (Fiona)
beno44
BernardandMissBianca (Buffy)

I have included all participants who signed up, even if you have not yet reported an update on Friday. If I am missing someone, please let me know!!

 

[Flossbolna]

We are planning to go eat out for my birthday on Thursday.

I want to eat somewhat healthy but still want to eat the things I enjoy. Which would you pick out of these choices when thinking healthy but enjoyable?


Outback or Texas Roadhouse: Steak, salad, sweet potato. Never been to Texas Roadhouse since it just opened up here in town. Outback is my favorite restaurant.

Samurai Dragon: Sushi, fried rice, egg drop soup.

La Casa: Chips and Salsa, taco salad with ground beef and xochil soup.

I also plan on having 1 bloody mary.....it's mostly veggies right?....lol

I would go with the steak and recommend to get a filet as that is the leanest cut. Also, go easy on the sweet potato and the dressing and avoid any additional butter. Then this is really not too bad of a meal I would say.

My reasoning behind this is that it would have the least amount of hidden fat and carbs. I am far from a low carb eater, but I have figured out that most carbs (potatoes are an exception) are very calorie dense foods, meaning that already a small portion gives you a lot of calories. Most protein (unless it comes with additional fat) has much more water stored in it and therefore gives you more volume for your calories.

Will remember to wish you a happy birthday on Thursday!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, and in case anyone wonders, it is now 5:0 for Germany. I do hope that they stop scoring, the poor Brazilians! I do know how horrible it is to see your team lose in a semi final if the world cup is played in your country, but we lost against Italy in overtime in 2006, that was bad enough!

 

[desiree71081]

I would go with the steak and recommend to get a filet as that is the leanest cut. Also, go easy on the sweet potato and the dressing and avoid any additional butter. Then this is really not too bad of a meal I would say.

My reasoning behind this is that it would have the least amount of hidden fat and carbs. I am far from a low carb eater, but I have figured out that most carbs (potatoes are an exception) are very calorie dense foods, meaning that already a small portion gives you a lot of calories. Most protein (unless it comes with additional fat) has much more water stored in it and therefore gives you more volume for your calories.

Will remember to wish you a happy birthday on Thursday!!

I usually get baked potato soup instead of sweet potato but I'm sure neither is better than the other because they are both potato.

I always get the Victoria's Filet.

Now my mouth is watering just thinking about it....lol.

 

[Zoesmama03]

QOTD for Friday, July 4, 2014: Do you think you are a body basher? Do you think that you could use one of these tips to be kinder to yourself? Do you have other tips to be kind to yourself?
Yes and I realize it more now as an adult but in high school I was overweight and bashed my body and started what probably led to worse. I would give anything to be that weight now.

QOTD Saturday, July 5, 2014 and Sunday July 6, 2014:

1. Math or English? Math I guess(I'm a Science person in reality)
2. Summer or Winter? Winter
3. Morning or Night? Night
4. Abominable Snowman or Yeti? Abominable Snowman
5. Tea or Coffee? Tea but not that often
6. Avengers or Star Wars? Tough call. hmm Star Wars wins though I think
7. Black or White? Black
8. Dogs or Cats?both but I'd say I'm a cat person
9. Drizella or Anastasia? Anastasia
10. Cake or Pie? Cake
11. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
12. Bella Nolte or La Vie en Rose? Bella Nolte
13. Thor or Ironman? Thor
14. Mickey Pancake or Mickey Waffles? Waffles
15. Pen or Pencil? Pen
16. Hamburgers or Hotdogs? Hamburgers I guess not super fond of either
17. Salt or Pepper? pepper
18. Wishes or Illuminations? Wishes
19. Tinker Bell or Fairy Godmother? Tinker Bell
20. France or Italy? italy
21. Mayo or Miracle Whip? Miracle Whip raised on it and can't stand mayo
22. Pickles or Olives? Pickles
23. Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew? Mountain Dew but its be over 2 1/2 months since I've touched any
24. Briar Rose or Brer Fox? Briar Rose
25. America Sings or Carousel of Progress? Carousel of Progress

QOTD 7/6/14--7/7/14

Name three things that you like about yourself.
One rule: they cannot be I am a good Mom, wife, husband, sister, friend, listener, etc.

Bonus for the day--spend 5 minutes (just 5 minutes) today sitting in a quiet room doing nothing. No thinking, no moving, no cleaning. Just sitting quietly. If a thought pops in your head just let it float away. If you complete this exercise how did it make you feel?

1.My hazel eyes that change shades depending on my surroundings and clothing.

2.My healthy wavy hair. Once I learned to embracing the waves I thought a lot better of it. It flattens in a couple days but if I use the right shampoo every 2-3 days it stays pretty wavy.

3.I like my creativity but I should learn to be less critical of myself.

Guess that will count for some catch up. Trying to watch reruns of Grey's Anatomy but keep getting distracted with both. Not the multi-tasker I once was.

 

[Rose&Mike]

I am not a huge fan of Huffington Post, but a friend posted this on fb. The link is included if you want to read the whole article. (It is a pretty short read.)

9 Little-Known Habits of Confident People
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-moore/habits-confident-people_b_4876364.html
"With confidence, you have won before you have started." -- Marcus Garvey

Confidence is often the single differentiator between people who get what they want and people who don't. Those who think and believe they can do something -- run a marathon, start an entrepreneurial venture, ask someone out (and have them say yes), win a competitive promotion, fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans, build a fun social circle, well... they do it.

Our mind is a very powerful tool, and the impact of our thoughts and words cannot be underestimated. Our thoughts create our emotions. Our emotions create our actions. Our actions create our life. Confident people have greater control over their minds and have tuned their mental station to one of "I can."

Here are nine things that confident people do that you can apply to your life:

1. Do not overcomplicate.

2. Focus on what you want.

3. Act as if it's already yours.

4. Use words with intention.

5. Listen but don't pay heed to others' opinions.

6. Dedicate time to what matters.

7. Act humble.

8. Know failure is sometimes inevitable and don't fear it. \

9. Repeat all of the above! Confidence building takes a lifetime. The more we practice confidence as an attitude, the easier it becomes.

The most successful and happy people are not born the most rich, beautiful or talented. They just believe in themselves and go for what they want. Confidence is also a highly attractive quality in others as we all secretly aspire to have more self-assurance. "I can" and "I can't" thoughts create very different emotional spirals, as the mind is very obedient and follows whichever path we direct it. Which do you choose?

Continuing with our positive thinking theme:

QOTD July 9, 2014
I think sometimes on this journey many of us expect to fail. It is the nature of the beast--weight loss is hard and many of us have been down this path way too many times to count.

Do you share any of the habits of confident people? Is there anything that stood out that you need to work on?

Being honest with yourself--
Do you have the confidence to succeed?

What does 'success' look like when it comes to weight loss?

 

[Rose&Mike]

And if you didn't like the question above--feel free to go with:

Wahoo Wednesday!

 

[lisah0711]

UGH, not having a goos week so far. I don't feel well. Not sure how, just off and foggy. My head hurts, I'm not hungry but I'm grazing like crazy, can't focus. It's so frustrating.
Summer runs started tonight but I didn't go. I hope to make it to Thursday's run. I also hope to at least hit the treadmill tomorrow.

I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight, kids are on their own for dinner.

Hope that you are feeling better now, Buffy!

It really says something when I am sure all of us could name multiple positive things about the people we love, but struggle to name positive things about ourselves....Definitely an eye opener.

Isn't that the truth?

QOTD July8, 2014--Do you see yourself in this blog post? If we are talking about positive thinking and being kind to ourselves, is it better to regard our challenges as starting over or to tackle them head on and work on the 'stick to it tiveness' it takes to make a commitment to take care of ourselves? Thoughts?

This blog reminds me of this quote

I want to join in. I'm down around a pound to a pound and a half already this month. Is it too late to join the July Challenge?

I'll read through the instructions and try to get the best fit for the weigh ins if I can join you all.

So nice to see you again! And I cannot believe that your DD is in double digits now. Time flies!

Hi everyone, sorry for not being around - and I am also late in updating all your wonderful successes!! Life has been stressful over the last few days. Hopefully I will get around to do the update tonight!!

Sorry for the stressful times! Hope they are behind you for now.

I am definitely a body basher. I HATED (still somewhat do) the way my body looks. I've lost 12.6 lbs since June 1st and I am just now starting to be ok with myself. Told DH this morning that I notice my stomach going down and my pants are definitely starting to float on me. He said he has started noticing a difference in my attitude. Who knows if that's the meds working or me just being happy that my weight is going down. It's a work in progress....

That is a great loss since June 1st! Keep up the good work!

I hope the house works out for you and doesn't cost a fortune to fix up. If it does fall through, it must be what's right for you at this time.

Excellent advise!

Jill, you are having such a fun summer with your boys! Lots of fun and active stuff going on.

Good morning all! It feels like forever since I"ve been here! Our July 4th overnight turned into multiple overnights! Since Friday was a total washout and DD ended up with Saturday off at the last minute, we opted to stay at the cape for a "do-over" day on Saturday..... and it was gorgeous.... and then DD got a text that they were cancelling work on Sunday as well, so we stayed for another night! Thank goodness that the cat is flexible and good at taking care of herself!

But of COURSE, that meant that 2 days of "off plan/off schedule" eating turned into 4 days of said eating!! I feel disgusting. I honestly can't WAIT to get in the scale on Friday, face the music, and just go forward. I ate well yesterday and plan to do the same here today, but it seems like too little too late after a few days of cocktails, snacking, and no tracking. In some ways I did better than planned/expected and in some ways worse. My "unhappy belly" that I was experiencing last week actually got better, but still helped me keep some of the eating under control, due to belly pain.

Time to get ready for today's meeting! TTYL...............P

Sounds like a fun week-end, Pamela! I know you will be back on track already by now.

HI Ladies just a quick pop in fly by Hello!!

I hope you all had great 4ths.. we did.. were super busy - family reunions baby showers and weddings!!

I will not be joining this month but will pop on and say hello every now and again.. we are getting ready for a camping vacation next week..

take care and see you all soon.. Michelle

Hi Michelle! Nice to see you! Lots of busy times at your house, too.

I didn't meditate yesterday--my back hurt too bad for sitting and I was afraid if I lay down I'd never get up! I did it this morning after my gym class and then walk. Surprisingly the 5 minutes went by pretty fast. I really tried to push thoughts away as soon as they came in---fast and furious! It felt good.

Today's QOTD: Well, I'm not sure I'm at the point of thinking this is my life on a journey to healthy eating. It's more of a "this is my life trying to be good, but screwing up and trying again" journey.

Desiree--good job on loose clothes!

I read something on pinterest the other day that said it takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your family/friends to notice and 12 weeks for everybody else to notice. I've been thinking about that a lot lately--and my body hasn't even started changing!

Last night we went to our son's choir concert. Too bad we couldn't weight ourselves right after. I think everybody sweat off about 20 pounds! We Pacific Northwesterners just can't handle 95 degree weather! The kids were amazing singers! It was so incredible to think they'd only been together a week! Five more days of camp for him and 2 more concerts for us.

So sorry about your back, Linda, and it is feeling better very soon!

It is hot here -- it's 4:30 a.m. and I'm going to the pool because it is too warm to run outside already.

BRB I'm sure the smilie police are around here somewhere.

 

[Flossbolna]

QOTD:

Interesting question. I do think I am a confident person in my professional life. And then there are some areas where I used to be not very confident at all. I have gained a lot though over the recent years. And then there are still things where I really lack confidence, for example I HATE having to call someone whom I don't know. Even for things like getting an appointment at a new doctor.

I think I am very confident with my weight loss goals as well. My problem is not confidence or not believing in that I can do it, but self discipline. But maybe I need to believe more in myself that I can show self discipline...

Thanks Rose! Answering your question certainly gave me something to think about!!

 

[jillbur]

Ok, it seems that in the half hour I spent updating your weights, Germany scored 4 goals in the semi final against Brazil. And the game just started then. I could hear people cheering loudly so many times, I just could not believe it... For soccer that is crazy - and even more for a semi final in a world cup. But then the Brazilians really had double bad luck with two of their best players missing... Anyway, you are much more interested in some other results and here they are: Flossbolna (Magdalene) lisa0711 (Lisa) jillbur (Jill)35% JennStars9 26% glss1/2fll (Linda) purplekicks 20% desiree71081 52% myweegirls (Liz) 81% DisFam95 16% GrandAdmiralStrife 80% LadyRayado 25% Rose&Mike (Rose) 43% mainemooncat (Elizabeth) FireflyFi (Fiona) beno44 BernardandMissBianca (Buffy) I have included all participants who signed up, even if you have not yet reported an update on Friday. If I am missing someone, please let me know!!

That game was crazy!!! It almost looked like Brazil wasn't even trying. Congrats on a HUGE win ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay...we made a last minute decision last night to head to Niagara Falls for the day today. We haven't been since DS8 was 3! He doesn't even remember it, so it's going to be a blast. So, I won't be on today but I'll check in tomorrow.

Jill

 

[Rose&Mike]

QOTD July8, 2014--Do you see yourself in this blog post? If we are talking about positive thinking and being kind to ourselves, is it better to regard our challenges as starting over or to tackle them head on and work on the 'stick to it tiveness' it takes to make a commitment to take care of ourselves? Thoughts?

This blog post really made me think. I think I use the idea of starting over as a crutch--the whole there is always tomorrow idea. I really like the idea of stick-to-it-tiveness. If I am going to be off plan I need to OWN IT. Not say--well I'll get back on it tomorrow. When it comes down to it it is choices I guess.

Hi everyone, sorry for not being around - and I am also late in updating all your wonderful successes!! Life has been stressful over the last few days. Hopefully I will get around to do the update tonight!!

Hope the stress lets up soon!

I am definitely a body basher. I HATED (still somewhat do) the way my body looks. I've lost 12.6 lbs since June 1st and I am just now starting to be ok with myself. Told DH this morning that I notice my stomach going down and my pants are definitely starting to float on me. He said he has started noticing a difference in my attitude. Who knows if that's the meds working or me just being happy that my weight is going down. It's a work in progress....

I loved what you said about attitude. I definitely had a different attitude when I was thinner.

I guess the question then becomes why do we have to wait for that day when we decide we are thin enough to have a better attitude?

1. I love my green eyes.
2. I love my long curly hair (even though on bad hair days I want to shave it off)
3. I love knowing that if I had to be independent...I totally got that. This was a huge goal for me after getting divorced and having no job and 2 kids. I have a great job now and I am a hard worker.

Bonus: I was told by my counselor that I was to take 10 minutes a day for myself. Doesn't happen very often though. I will try to take my 5 minutes. It may involve me putting ear plugs in because my house tends to be very nosy.

Great list! And with all you have going on I think those 10 (5) minutes a day would be so good even if you have to put in earplugs!

I have started and restarted so many times I couldn't count. I've done diets, pills, you name it. This time I am making changes with portions and it's making a world of difference. In a month and a week I notice that I can't/don't eat as much as I used to.

This time, I am determined to stick to it. I know there will be days where my weight goes up slightly. I know there will be parties that come up where I will eat more than I should. I just know now that one bad day doesn't have to lead to another and another and another. I don't beat myself up for gaining a pound here and there anymore. That's life. I just try to make better choices the next day and I am right back on track. Detours are a part of life and now I just see any weight gain as a detour and will do my best to get back on the road I need to be on.

Loved the underlined part! What a great attitude!

I have definitely fallen off the wagon, got rolled over, and back on numerous times. I'm not sure why I think of my eating as something I "have" to do instead of what is best for my health? I think that's why I am doing better now in July. I think because I have a goal in mind of a few races ahead of me, I know that my eating is fueling my body. There is a purpose to it. In the past I often thought I was depriving myself of "good" foods like brownies and Wendy's french fries (my favorite ones) when I was trying to lose weight. I am now thinking about how that brownie hot fudge sundae is going to effect my run or workout and I realize it's not worth feeling yucky just for a minute of chocolate love.


Jill

Food as fuel is an excellent way to look at it Jill! You have some wonderful things planned to do this summer!

Good morning all! It feels like forever since I"ve been here! Our July 4th overnight turned into multiple overnights!

Sounds like a great weekend!

HI Ladies just a quick pop in fly by Hello!!

I hope you all had great 4ths.. we did.. were super busy - family reunions baby showers and weddings!!

I will not be joining this month but will pop on and say hello every now and again.. we are getting ready for a camping vacation next week..

take care and see you all soon.. Michelle

Have a great time Michelle!

I didn't meditate yesterday--my back hurt too bad for sitting and I was afraid if I lay down I'd never get up! I did it this morning after my gym class and then walk. Surprisingly the 5 minutes went by pretty fast. I really tried to push thoughts away as soon as they came in---fast and furious! It felt good.

Today's QOTD: Well, I'm not sure I'm at the point of thinking this is my life on a journey to healthy eating. It's more of a "this is my life trying to be good, but screwing up and trying again" journey.

Desiree--good job on loose clothes!

I read something on pinterest the other day that said it takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your family/friends to notice and 12 weeks for everybody else to notice. I've been thinking about that a lot lately--and my body hasn't even started changing!

Last night we went to our son's choir concert. Too bad we couldn't weight ourselves right after. I think everybody sweat off about 20 pounds! We Pacific Northwesterners just can't handle 95 degree weather! The kids were amazing singers! It was so incredible to think they'd only been together a week! Five more days of camp for him and 2 more concerts for us.

Hope your back feels better.
And I have been at one of those sweaty concerts. Sounds like it was wonderful, though!

I have included all participants who signed up, even if you have not yet reported an update on Friday. If I am missing someone, please let me know!!

Thanks for tracking us Magdalene!

QOTD 7/6/14--7/7/14

1.My hazel eyes that change shades depending on my surroundings and clothing.

2.My healthy wavy hair. Once I learned to embracing the waves I thought a lot better of it. It flattens in a couple days but if I use the right shampoo every 2-3 days it stays pretty wavy.

3.I like my creativity but I should learn to be less critical of myself.

Guess that will count for some catch up. Trying to watch reruns of Grey's Anatomy but keep getting distracted with both. Not the multi-tasker I once was.

Good list! Next time no buts.
Simply--I like my creativity. Positive thinking!

Here are nine things that confident people do that you can apply to your life:

1. Do not overcomplicate.
2. Focus on what you want.
3. Act as if it's already yours.
4. Use words with intention.
5. Listen but don't pay heed to others' opinions.
6. Dedicate time to what matters.
7. Act humble.
8. Know failure is sometimes inevitable and don't fear it. \
9. Repeat all of the above! Confidence building takes a lifetime. The more we practice confidence as an attitude, the easier it becomes.

The most successful and happy people are not born the most rich, beautiful or talented. They just believe in themselves and go for what they want. Confidence is also a highly attractive quality in others as we all secretly aspire to have more self-assurance. "I can" and "I can't" thoughts create very different emotional spirals, as the mind is very obedient and follows whichever path we direct it. Which do you choose?[/COLOR][/I]

Continuing with our positive thinking theme:

QOTD July 9, 2014
I think sometimes on this journey many of us expect to fail. It is the nature of the beast--weight loss is hard and many of us have been down this path way too many times to count.

Do you share any of the habits of confident people? Is there anything that stood out that you need to work on?

Being honest with yourself--
Do you have the confidence to succeed?

What does 'success' look like when it comes to weight loss?

I don't know if I have the confidence to succeed. But I loved this list. It really made me think especially numbers 4 and 8.
I think I really need to define what I consider to be success.

QOTD:

Interesting question. I do think I am a confident person in my professional life. And then there are some areas where I used to be not very confident at all. I have gained a lot though over the recent years. And then there are still things where I really lack confidence, for example I HATE having to call someone whom I don't know. Even for things like getting an appointment at a new doctor.

I think I am very confident with my weight loss goals as well. My problem is not confidence or not believing in that I can do it, but self discipline. But maybe I need to believe more in myself that I can show self discipline...

Thanks Rose! Answering your question certainly gave me something to think about!!

I am the exact same way with phones!
I loved this: I need to believe more in myself that I can show self discipline
You need to be confident you ARE disciplined enough to make good choices.

That game was crazy!!! It almost looked like Brazil wasn't even trying. Congrats on a HUGE win ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay...we made a last minute decision last night to head to Niagara Falls for the day today. We haven't been since DS8 was 3! He doesn't even remember it, so it's going to be a blast. So, I won't be on today but I'll check in tomorrow.

Jill

Have fun Jill!

 

[Rose&Mike]

This blog reminds me of this quote

Loved this. Thanks for sharing!

 

[pjlla]

Morning my friends! Gloriously beautiful day here today after lots of rain last night!!

Last night's WW meeting went well, although we were definitely down in numbers. We were talking about PRODUCE.... and easy subject and something I love to talk about.... all the different ways to get more fruits and veggies into our days.... but I have a VERY quiet group and it was like pulling teeth to get anything out of them!! I was pretty frustrated. I love my group and they are fantastic ladies and gents.... but would it KILL THEM to talk a little????

Not sure if I told you all or not that DH got me a VITAMIX for my birthday! I was hesitant to open it, since it was pretty expensive, but I decided it would be rude to return a gift and I opened it and used it today! I had quite the smoothie! I think that including all of the fiber (unlike juicing) will definitely keep me fuller (than juicing) and help things keep "moving along" in my system. And I still get all of the benefits of lots of fruits and veggies. In the future I may make some smoothies with a combination of homemade juices and whole produce in the Vitamix.

Today's smoothie definitely could have been sweeter, but it was good and I am FULL! Two organic carrots, one organic cucumber, 1 c watermelon cubes, 1 champagne mango, two huge handfuls of organic baby spinach, 1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tb. hemp protein, a spinkle of cinnamon, a cube of fresh ginger, about 1/2 C homemade unsweetened green tea and half a frozen banana. It made a huge portion (of course). I gave DH a small amount (too much sugar for him) but drank the rest myself.

I did buy some avocados to use, but they aren't ripe enough yet....and I forgot to throw in the lime.... oh well, next time.

Well.... I've been negligent in responding to the QOTD, so off to rectify that situation!! BB in a bit!...................P

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

This is from a blog post in MFP. I am including the link, but you may have to be logged in to see it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/_gypsyrunner_/view/independence-day-free-your-mind-674924
Independence Day ... Free Your Mind
"I've fallen off the wagon."
"I screwed up yesterday - so I binged all afternoon."
"I've got a party this weekend, so I'll start over on Monday."
"I do so well for 2 - 3 weeks and then I just can't do it anymore."
"Every night I overeat by snacking - why try?
Change your mindset.


*****
QOTD July8, 2014--Do you see yourself in this blog post? If we are talking about positive thinking and being kind to ourselves, is it better to regard our challenges as starting over or to tackle them head on and work on the 'stick to it tiveness' it takes to make a commitment to take care of ourselves? Thoughts?

All of the above!!! Daily!! Then the cycle continues with the self loathing and negative talk. Then the pep talk with the above added in, I can start over tomorrow! ETC.

I hate that hamster wheel!!


Things have been crazy here. DH's job is thankfully coming to an end. He will start a new job within the next week or two. Thank goodness!!! So he will not be driving over 100 miles each way every day, which means no more 2 1/2 drives and no more 9 pm dinners! He will either be home or away, no in between.
He will however be using the RV as an office which is about 30 minutes from here. So there will be days that we go to him. I need to come up with meal ideas that are are easier to prep at home during the day so we can eat at the RV when we get there.
We had a really good new recipe yesterday but it was a pain to make there. Harder than I thought it would be, so we ended up eating dinner at 9:30. I was not happy!!
We use the crock pot a lot but that gets old.
I think I will head off to the WISH recipes thread.

Sorry for the rambling. This is my brain lately!!! LOL
I need routine!!

 

[lisah0711]

Took me awhile to get back!

We are planning to go eat out for my birthday on Thursday.

I want to eat somewhat healthy but still want to eat the things I enjoy. Which would you pick out of these choices when thinking healthy but enjoyable?


Outback or Texas Roadhouse: Steak, salad, sweet potato. Never been to Texas Roadhouse since it just opened up here in town. Outback is my favorite restaurant.

Samurai Dragon: Sushi, fried rice, egg drop soup.

La Casa: Chips and Salsa, taco salad with ground beef and xochil soup.

I also plan on having 1 bloody mary.....it's mostly veggies right?....lol

Kudos to you for making an effort to stay OP on your birthday!

Texas Roadhouse is good but it is a high caloric good. They don't even publish their nutrition information but you can find much of it from other sources. Like their delicious rolls -- 227 calories a piece! There are somewhat healthy choices available but it will take some planning for sure.

I think it is perfectly fine to have a little indulgence for your birthday. That is what I am planning to do for mine on Friday. I hope you have a great day no matter how you enjoy yourself!

Ok, it seems that in the half hour I spent updating your weights, Germany scored 4 goals in the semi final against Brazil. And the game just started then. I could hear people cheering loudly so many times, I just could not believe it... For soccer that is crazy - and even more for a semi final in a world cup. But then the Brazilians really had double bad luck with two of their best players missing...

Anyway, you are much more interested in some other results and here they are:

Flossbolna (Magdalene)
lisa0711 (Lisa)
jillbur (Jill)35%
JennStars9 26%
glss1/2fll (Linda)
purplekicks 20%
desiree71081 52%
myweegirls (Liz) 81%
DisFam95 16%
GrandAdmiralStrife 80%
LadyRayado 25%
Rose&Mike (Rose) 43%
mainemooncat (Elizabeth)
FireflyFi (Fiona)
beno44
BernardandMissBianca (Buffy)

I have included all participants who signed up, even if you have not yet reported an update on Friday. If I am missing someone, please let me know!!

Love to see all the beautiful colors!

Thanks for keeping track of us Magdalene!

And if you didn't like the question above--feel free to go with:

Wahoo Wednesday!

I think I am reasonably confident with pretty much everything in my life. My overall health and well being improves all the time so I call that a success in my weight loss efforts. A number on the scale has nothing to do with whether I am successful or not. Slow progress is still progress.

And for my for the week -- I signed up for 10k training with my running group!