WISH Away the Pounds - Spectacular September Challenge...Everyone Welcome

[lisah0711]

Hello all! I haven't been around here for the last week or so. Had a great long weekend with my sister and it was very tasty however not exactly diet friendly. Since then I have been working lots and getting excited about my trip! Really looking forward to my night off tomorrow!! Hope everyone is doing great this month and I will try to be more present this next week off.

Have a great night!

Nice to see you! Enjoy your night off!

I am a history major with a minor in legal studies and I intern for the public defender's office in my county. Likely I will go into paralegal/legal secretary work for criminal law once I graduate next spring. Can't wait! As exciting as the upcoming Disney trip!

Seems like several of you are on WW. DH and SIL have done this in the past and had a lot of success. It is a great plan that really holds you accountable. I use a great website called skinnytaste who makes some fantastic food and always includes the points and the points plus values for each item. We have made a ton of her recipes and enjoyed almost all of them! The diet-friendly cheese fries are particularly good (DH is jealous he can no longer partake)

Hope everyone had a great day!

Thanks for the heads up on the skinnytaste website. Hungry Girl is a great site, too. She always has some good ideas on what you can eat that tastes good and is WW and diet friendly. She does use a lot of processed food though.

So exciting to be thinking about graduating and the next phase in your life. A good legal secretary/paralegal is worth their weight in gold.

Well guys-I blew it!! I'm so mad at myself right now (it's not like I didn't know that I was blowing it but yet I did it anyway)

I gained the pound I lost last week and added an extra one for good measure! I could blame lots of things but the truth is I ate all afternoon yesterday even though I knew I should stop

Anyway there ya go-I've owned up and now I'm going to do something I don't normally do and that is get right back on track! I would normally throw in the towel but this time I am not giving up because of 1 bad day/weigh-in so I'm getting up and out for a walk and I'm determined today will be better!

Good luck at the scales everyone

Well, phooey! But it happened, you owned up to it and you are back on track again. It is not realistic to think that we are going to be perfectly on plan all the time. "Persistence not perfection" is a great WW saying. Great job taking the energy and going for a walk instead of wasting too much time blaming yourself.

Good morning. Glad to see the scale down a pound and a half this morning but I fell asleep on the sofa without eating dinner yesterday so I'm sure that's just setting me up for a gain next week. Will have to work extra hard next week. I am glad to say that I wandered around the grocery store last night in search of a "treat" and everything I picked up, I put back down because I couldn't bring myself to do it! I decided to buy a magazine instead.

Way to resist the siren's call of the treats at the store -- a magazine was an excellent alternative! Congrats on your great weigh in and a great plan to keep up the momentum!

Am very happy with my weigh in today! Lost over a pound this week which for me is huge! AND most importantly I have a new lowest weight since I started tracking my weight on my Iphone app in the beginning of 2011! Only by 100 grams (about 0.2 pounds) but I take it! If the second half of the month goes as well as the first half I will be very very happy with September!!

I finally tried out a recipe from a cookbook that I got a few months ago which is a low fat vegetarian cookbook. It was a sweet and sour lentil dish. It was really delicious! I will post it to the recipe thread this weekend.

Congrats on your loss this week, Magdalene! And another congratulations for hitting a big milestone being at your lowest weight since 2011!

Your recipe sounds yummy! There is a lot of activity on the recipe and planning threads which is very helpful.

Good morning, all! Down 1.4 this week, which is boosting my confidence - it always seems so much harder to stay the course after the first week! But I have been tracking and counting points like a boss and this is the proof it works for me.

Tomorrow morning is my half marathon! It's a local race for me, and the forecast is still great -sunny and low 50sF when we start. I'm feeling good about it and have a plan for the race (I do ecoaching with Jeff Galloway, the runDisney guy - he's great!). Today is about hydrating, and tonight is about sleep.

The only thing I have to look out for after this race is my eating. I tend to eat more than I should after a race. I feel like I deserve it after all those miles, and I do feel hungry, but I don't need as much food to satisfy that as I often eat. So my post-race goal tomorrow is to be smart about what I'm eating to refuel after the race. That said, my family is meeting me at the finish line, and we'll be heading to our favorite restaurant for lunch. Small indulgences!

Happy Friday to all - I hope the scales are kind today!

XO
Liz

Sounds like you are ready to rock your half, Liz. Good luck and have a great time!

I e-coach with Galloway, too. It's a great way to make sure you stay on plan with your activity and a lot fun, too.

QOTD Friday, September 13, 2013: Do you have weight loss superstitions? Or are you superstitious about anything? Do you think it helps you or hurts you?

While I know in my head that all the scales at WW are the same, I do feel like it I weigh on a particular scale that I will have a gain and if I weigh on another one that I will have a loss. I know that this is silly because WW calibrates their scales weekly and they are all the same yet still I try so hard to get weighed on the "good scale" and avoid the bad.

Have a great day all!

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all!

I think this is the week that I volunteered to coach but if I am wrong just let me know.

It's Friday the 13th so I thought I would talk a little bit about superstitions. Anyone remember this Stevie Wonder classic?

Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong,
You don't wanna save me, sad is my song

When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way

We all know about superstitions like throwing salt over your shoulder or knocking on wood and you can have superstitious behavior with just about anything, including weight loss. But the question is do your weight loss superstitions help you or hurt you?

QOTD Friday, September 13, 2013: Do you have weight loss superstitions? Or are you superstitious about anything? Do you think it helps you or hurts you?

BRB with my answer and some replies.

First of all... FABTABULOUS question!!!

Not sure if they are true "superstitions" or just things that I've worked up in my mind over the years, but here goes...........

My answer is probably "a bit of both help and hurt." I know that I usually eat FAR too little on Thursdays in anticipation of Friday morning's scale time. And it has backfired on me more than once. I almost ALWAYS have a better weigh-in on Friday if I eat at least my minimum points on Thursday (assuming that the entire previous week was good as well), but somehow I can't get past the mental block that I should eat as LITTLE as possible on Thursdays!

As far as helpful superstitions.... not sure if it is really helpful or just in my mind, but lots of water and green tea if I am struggling to lose a few pounds seems to help... but maybe it just keeps my belly fuller and I don't eat as much??

Well I'm neutral but ill take that over a gain. I rocked on the exercise but had a bit more snacks and cheats than usual. I looked back at my week and jotted it all down last night. Yikes lots of cheats. I could have had a great loss but oh well.

My goal this week is to journal what I eat and I may have stopped with cheats sooner if I saw it all on paper!

Well my treadmill is revving and it's time to kick it up a notch!

Keep your focus and don't give up even after a bad day (or 2 or 3!)

Tracking, tracking, tracking! Honestly, that is a HUGE key for me! I challenge you to track EVERYTHING for just one week and see if it makes a difference.

..................P

 

[pjlla]

Well, phooey! But it happened, you owned up to it and you are back on track again. It is not realistic to think that we are going to be perfectly on plan all the time. "Persistence not perfection" is a great WW saying. Great job taking the energy and going for a walk instead of wasting too much time blaming yourself.

Nicely put!!



While I know in my head that all the scales at WW are the same, I do feel like it I weigh on a particular scale that I will have a gain and if I weigh on another one that I will have a loss. I know that this is silly because WW calibrates their scales weekly and they are all the same yet still I try so hard to get weighed on the "good scale" and avoid the bad.

Have a great day all!

While the scale calibration might be happening at regular WW "store" locations, it certainly is NOT happening at travel locations, so if you feel that your weigh-in at a travel location isn't what it should be, by all means, attend another meeting and try their scale! The scale at my current meeting location is set up and taken down and packed up every single week and other than fresh batteries, it never gets checked (other than my receptionist and I stepping on it and groaning ). And the other WW scale I am in posession of (in anticipation of leading an "At Work" meeting) has been packed up in a rolling travel bag in my playroom since June and I have NO IDEA when it was last used or checked or how old it is! So your thinking about a particular scale may NOT be superstitious!

Off to shower for my lunch out with my friend!................P

 

[PlutoBaby]

Good morning, all! Down 1.4 this week, which is boosting my confidence - it always seems so much harder to stay the course after the first week! But I have been tracking and counting points like a boss and this is the proof it works for me.

Tomorrow morning is my half marathon! It's a local race for me, and the forecast is still great -sunny and low 50sF when we start. I'm feeling good about it and have a plan for the race (I do ecoaching with Jeff Galloway, the runDisney guy - he's great!). Today is about hydrating, and tonight is about sleep.

The only thing I have to look out for after this race is my eating. I tend to eat more than I should after a race. I feel like I deserve it after all those miles, and I do feel hungry, but I don't need as much food to satisfy that as I often eat. So my post-race goal tomorrow is to be smart about what I'm eating to refuel after the race. That said, my family is meeting me at the finish line, and we'll be heading to our favorite restaurant for lunch. Small indulgences!

Happy Friday to all - I hope the scales are kind today!

XO
Liz

Liz-I find if I make a conscious effort to eat slower, and take a lot of water breaks, I fill up much quicker. May sound weird, but it works for me.

And good luck!! [/COLOR]

Good morning all!

QOTD Friday, September 13, 2013: Do you have weight loss superstitions? Or are you superstitious about anything? Do you think it helps you or hurts you?

I love that beer commerical where they say it's only weird if it doesn't work. During football season in our house, nothing could be more true! If I see one of my teams starting to blow it, I'll do anything, including getting fidgety. The DH laughs at me because I'll try crossing one leg over the other, then reverse it, stand up, sit down, etc. Whatever works! Unfortunately, it took me drinking a whole lot of dark chocolate tequila last weekend! Can't keep doing THAT all season!

Congrats to all the "losers" this week and for the rest of us, we'll get over it! I don't weigh in until Tuesdays as that's my office weigh in day, so I still have a few days to make up for the 1.6 gain from last week! (Darn tequila!) Going to do everything possible to stay on track this weekend!

 

[sugarnspicex4]

Had an encouraging weigh-in today after just a .5 lb. loss last week. I'm halfway to my September goal and it's only the 13th, woo-hoo!

Unlike many of you who said getting into the groove when the kids get back to school is easier, I've been struggling. Too much to do and getting up super early (5:20 a.m.) is taking its toll on me. But I'm happy to say I'm keeping up with my running/walking schedule. One morning this week I had to skip my run to take my 12 year old to the doctor (throat infection, bleh) and although I didn't get a chance to run until 9:15 p.m. that night, I still managed to get my run in.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Just wanted to say a big THANK-YOU to everyone for the encouraging words I walked off some of my frustration with my self and then took kids to the park for an hour after school and actually did lots of running about with them instead of being lazy and just watching from the side-lines so I feel a bit more positive about myself now Cant say I've totally forgiven myself for being so stupid but I cant change it so am moving on and next time I get the urge to emotionally eat I hope to harness how I feel now in order to prevent a repeat!

Off to make something healthy for dinner.
Really guys -thanks so much

Pamela and Lisah I am repeating your wise words in my head right now

 

[Ohana 4]

Slowing down on the weight loss this week to -3.4 lbs. Good news is that I've lost my goal for the month of a total of 6 lbs. I guess I could have made my goal higher being as this was my first time back to healthy eating (I don't call it a diet because that isn't what I do) in a long time. Should have known to expect higher results in the first few weeks. But oh well. At least the pressure is off to make sure I've lost my goal. The trouble now though, is that I don't want to relax and start eating anything I want just because I have some wiggle room. Gotta keep the big picture in mind that I still have about 50 lbs to go!

I am so glad to have done my first and probably only 1/2 marathon last November because my knees sure take a beating when I run. Running for me has always been a love/hate relationship. I love it for a little while, then all of a sudden my body changes to HATE mode and there is nothing more I'd rather have than to be back home and NOT running. DH and I started up ballroom dance classes about 10 months ago and I have found that if I run, my knees hurt and then I can't put lots of body weight on them for dancing. So I've got a self-imposed law that I had to choose between running and dancing. And dancing wins, hands down. So I now enjoy WALKING daily.

Good job to all the losers this week, and to those who didn't lose, keep up the work and it WILL come off!

 

[Eliza32]

Bad week for me...back to September starting weight!! Back on plan as of today, had a lovely week of days out, but tme to focus again now. Been shopping for lots of veggies and lean meats.

Thanks to everyone who has PM'd their weight already, I've updated the spreadsheet (and added newcomers) but will do the colour changes on Monday when all weights are in. Seems like most of us who have reported in already are struggling a bit. Got to focus as temptation time is just around the corner!!!!

Had a bit of good news today - a small windfall that will make a holiday possible next summer.......NOT Florida unfortunately, but somewhere nice and warm in Europe for a week. Definitely need to keep up with th healthy eating/exercise plan for then!!!

 

[mainemooncat]

Congrats to all who posted a loss this week! I can commiserate with those who are struggling a bit. I turned my ankle playing golf on Monday and have not been able to do what little exercise I usually schedule during the week. It seems like very small changes in routine can throw your whole plan and resolve out the window.

I challenge myself and everyone else facing little setbacks or changes to try to get by them and even if the scale shows an unfriendly number to keep going and push through! This is a supersition of mine, if I get sidetracked I "have" to restart on a Monday or a day that ends in 5 or 0 to "make it even." Really, every day can be a new start, right?

Thanks for posting your stories and keeping me inspired. I have to figure out the multi quote thing one of these days so I can respond specifically...

 

[pat fan]

Not happy at all with my WI. For no apparent reason I'm up a tad, but better than during the week when I bounced 2 lb's up! This is the point where I usually throw in the towel. I am stuck at this weight range (within 5 lb's) and I cannot shake it! Grrr....Not throwing in the towel yet, maybe someone here has advice, but it's just discouraging.

 

[RangerPooh]

Had an encouraging weigh-in today after just a .5 lb. loss last week. I'm halfway to my September goal and it's only the 13th, woo-hoo!

Unlike many of you who said getting into the groove when the kids get back to school is easier, I've been struggling. Too much to do and getting up super early (5:20 a.m.) is taking its toll on me. But I'm happy to say I'm keeping up with my running/walking schedule. One morning this week I had to skip my run to take my 12 year old to the doctor (throat infection, bleh) and although I didn't get a chance to run until 9:15 p.m. that night, I still managed to get my run in.

It's awesome that you still made your run! I've been bad about my daily jog since school started a month ago, I tend to only get out on the weekends there's also something about the sun not rising as early as it did mixed with going to bed around midnight that I need to fix.

 

[IfIHadWings]

Good morning! Well, my weigh-in is .5 pounds higher than my starting weight this month. Boo me. I can't be mad at myself because I'm still 5 plus pounds lighter than when I started tracking myself in mid August.

You know, I turn 45 in a few months and for me, not GAINING weight is kinda huge for me right now. Between peri-menopause and trying to hang on to muscle tone as I age, it's a struggle. I've decided though that I cannot live the rest of my life on 1,200 calories a day. So I eat more around 1,600, exercise 4-5 times a week and smile at myself! I haven't lost a lot, but my body is looking better--less wobbly, lol. Losing 25 lbs. would be great though, I ain't gonna lie.

Does anyone here do water aerobics? I'm in north Florida and started taking classes with my mom. I like it! Getting my heart rate up and not sweating is a lovely thing!

MaryPat

 

[lisah0711]

While the scale calibration might be happening at regular WW "store" locations, it certainly is NOT happening at travel locations, so if you feel that your weigh-in at a travel location isn't what it should be, by all means, attend another meeting and try their scale! The scale at my current meeting location is set up and taken down and packed up every single week and other than fresh batteries, it never gets checked (other than my receptionist and I stepping on it and groaning ). And the other WW scale I am in posession of (in anticipation of leading an "At Work" meeting) has been packed up in a rolling travel bag in my playroom since June and I have NO IDEA when it was last used or checked or how old it is! So your thinking about a particular scale may NOT be superstitious!

Off to shower for my lunch out with my friend!................P

Thanks for letting me know about this. I am at a store location and this seems to be an important thing to this manager because they make a big deal out of how they calibrate weekly. I'm not the only one who thinks that the receptionist's scale weighs heavier. So who knows if it is superstition or fact?

Liz-I find if I make a conscious effort to eat slower, and take a lot of water breaks, I fill up much quicker. May sound weird, but it works for me.

And good luck!! [/COLOR]


I love that beer commerical where they say it's only weird if it doesn't work. During football season in our house, nothing could be more true! If I see one of my teams starting to blow it, I'll do anything, including getting fidgety. The DH laughs at me because I'll try crossing one leg over the other, then reverse it, stand up, sit down, etc. Whatever works! Unfortunately, it took me drinking a whole lot of dark chocolate tequila last weekend! Can't keep doing THAT all season!

Congrats to all the "losers" this week and for the rest of us, we'll get over it! I don't weigh in until Tuesdays as that's my office weigh in day, so I still have a few days to make up for the 1.6 gain from last week! (Darn tequila!) Going to do everything possible to stay on track this weekend!

Good job getting back on track after the tequila run in. Hope you see a loss when you weigh in on Tuesday.

Had an encouraging weigh-in today after just a .5 lb. loss last week. I'm halfway to my September goal and it's only the 13th, woo-hoo!

Unlike many of you who said getting into the groove when the kids get back to school is easier, I've been struggling. Too much to do and getting up super early (5:20 a.m.) is taking its toll on me. But I'm happy to say I'm keeping up with my running/walking schedule. One morning this week I had to skip my run to take my 12 year old to the doctor (throat infection, bleh) and although I didn't get a chance to run until 9:15 p.m. that night, I still managed to get my run in.

on being halfway to goal already! Sorry for the struggles and first of year sickness in your house. Sounds like you did an excellent job staying on track in spite of it!

Just wanted to say a big THANK-YOU to everyone for the encouraging words I walked off some of my frustration with my self and then took kids to the park for an hour after school and actually did lots of running about with them instead of being lazy and just watching from the side-lines so I feel a bit more positive about myself now Cant say I've totally forgiven myself for being so stupid but I cant change it so am moving on and next time I get the urge to emotionally eat I hope to harness how I feel now in order to prevent a repeat!

Off to make something healthy for dinner.
Really guys -thanks so much

Pamela and Lisah I am repeating your wise words in my head right now

That's why you have a support group to help you through these bumps in the road. Glad to hear that you are feeling better and did such a great job putting that energy into productive, positive solutions. A little bit of annoyance with one's self in these situations is good -- your plan to call on those feeling again is an excellent one.

Phooey! Smilie police troubles. BRB with the rest of the replies.

 

[lisah0711]

Slowing down on the weight loss this week to -3.4 lbs. Good news is that I've lost my goal for the month of a total of 6 lbs. I guess I could have made my goal higher being as this was my first time back to healthy eating (I don't call it a diet because that isn't what I do) in a long time. Should have known to expect higher results in the first few weeks. But oh well. At least the pressure is off to make sure I've lost my goal. The trouble now though, is that I don't want to relax and start eating anything I want just because I have some wiggle room. Gotta keep the big picture in mind that I still have about 50 lbs to go!

I am so glad to have done my first and probably only 1/2 marathon last November because my knees sure take a beating when I run. Running for me has always been a love/hate relationship. I love it for a little while, then all of a sudden my body changes to HATE mode and there is nothing more I'd rather have than to be back home and NOT running. DH and I started up ballroom dance classes about 10 months ago and I have found that if I run, my knees hurt and then I can't put lots of body weight on them for dancing. So I've got a self-imposed law that I had to choose between running and dancing. And dancing wins, hands down. So I now enjoy WALKING daily.

Good job to all the losers this week, and to those who didn't lose, keep up the work and it WILL come off!

Wowza! Great loss again this week! Congratulations on finding yourself at WISH green already! That is a tough decision whether to bask in the glory and maintain for the rest of the month or keep up the momentum and shed a few more pounds. I would probably try for a bigger number in October to keep the momentum and because you may be glad you did in November and December.

Your dancing class sounds divine! I would love to do something like this but my DH rolls his eyes at the mention of anything like this. I think that is the sign of activity success when you find something that you absolutely love doing!

I have a love/hate relationship with running myself. But I do love the way it makes me feel and I love seeing my WISH friends at Disney races. Since I will be doing a running reboot when I recover from my injury, one of my goals is to enjoy it more. I do love the pool that I use for cross training. I can actually return there next week.

Bad week for me...back to September starting weight!! Back on plan as of today, had a lovely week of days out, but tme to focus again now. Been shopping for lots of veggies and lean meats.

Thanks to everyone who has PM'd their weight already, I've updated the spreadsheet (and added newcomers) but will do the colour changes on Monday when all weights are in. Seems like most of us who have reported in already are struggling a bit. Got to focus as temptation time is just around the corner!!!!

Had a bit of good news today - a small windfall that will make a holiday possible next summer.......NOT Florida unfortunately, but somewhere nice and warm in Europe for a week. Definitely need to keep up with th healthy eating/exercise plan for then!!!

Ooo! A holiday by the beach in Europe sounds divine! Be sure and share your planning as we love to live vicariously through the travels of our fellow WISHers.

Sorry for the bump in weight. That happens on vacation. I find if I get right back on track I can drop that vacation weight fairly quickly. You can do it!

Congrats to all who posted a loss this week! I can commiserate with those who are struggling a bit. I turned my ankle playing golf on Monday and have not been able to do what little exercise I usually schedule during the week. It seems like very small changes in routine can throw your whole plan and resolve out the window.

I challenge myself and everyone else facing little setbacks or changes to try to get by them and even if the scale shows an unfriendly number to keep going and push through! This is a supersition of mine, if I get sidetracked I "have" to restart on a Monday or a day that ends in 5 or 0 to "make it even." Really, every day can be a new start, right?

Thanks for posting your stories and keeping me inspired. I have to figure out the multi quote thing one of these days so I can respond specifically...

Bummer on the ankle! Hope it is feeling better soon. Be sure and give yourself all the time you need to heal completely. You will be glad that you did in the long run.

To multi-quote you hit the + button for each quote you want to reply to as you are reading and then hit reply. The quotes will show up in your reply box. Just be sure you keep that codes at the beginning and end of the quotes or it will look weird when you post. I bet you will be a multi-quoting pro in no time.

And yep any day can be a new start! One of the the things we used to say a lot around here is "your next bite is a chance to get it right." I think that was keenercam who used to say that.

Not happy at all with my WI. For no apparent reason I'm up a tad, but better than during the week when I bounced 2 lb's up! This is the point where I usually throw in the towel. I am stuck at this weight range (within 5 lb's) and I cannot shake it! Grrr....Not throwing in the towel yet, maybe someone here has advice, but it's just discouraging.

Boy, that is so frustrating when the scale does not reflect your hard work and effort. Whether it is your cycle, something weird your body is doing or even the full moon, it is disheartening when it happens to you. Don't throw in the towel though. I remind myself that giving up didn't work too well for me either. You are not the only one to deal with the dreaded plateau. Here is a link to a three part series on sparkpeople.com about busting through a plateau. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=516 Hope that something there will resonate with you and help you bust through that barrier!

It's awesome that you still made your run! I've been bad about my daily jog since school started a month ago, I tend to only get out on the weekends there's also something about the sun not rising as early as it did mixed with going to bed around midnight that I need to fix.

Since you seem to be a night person can you do your short runs after school when everyone is working on homework or something? It is hard when our schedules change and the sunlight goes away.

Good morning! Well, my weigh-in is .5 pounds higher than my starting weight this month. Boo me. I can't be mad at myself because I'm still 5 plus pounds lighter than when I started tracking myself in mid August.

You know, I turn 45 in a few months and for me, not GAINING weight is kinda huge for me right now. Between peri-menopause and trying to hang on to muscle tone as I age, it's a struggle. I've decided though that I cannot live the rest of my life on 1,200 calories a day. So I eat more around 1,600, exercise 4-5 times a week and smile at myself! I haven't lost a lot, but my body is looking better--less wobbly, lol. Losing 25 lbs. would be great though, I ain't gonna lie.

Does anyone here do water aerobics? I'm in north Florida and started taking classes with my mom. I like it! Getting my heart rate up and not sweating is a lovely thing!

MaryPat

Love your user name, MaryPat! I hear that Epcot song in my head every time I see one of your posts.

Sounds like you've done a great job finding a plan that works for you! That is the whole point, right? Finding a lifestyle that fits your goals. That is the key to making changes that will work for you long term. Congratulations!

I absolutely love my Riverwalk class -- there is a current in the river and you work with it and against it as part of the workout. It is a blast! Fun to find something to do with your mom too.

Go, Liz, go! Can't wait to hear all about your half marathon and after race refreshements!

BRB with the QOTD.

 

[lisah0711]

Yesterday we talked about superstitions. Continuing that "theme" today I thought we would talk about secrets . . . secrets of successful people who have successfully lost weight.

Here is a excerpt from a slideshow on sparkpeople.com called 15 SparkPeople Secrets of Success.

Know how much you are eating. People who track lose 50% more.

Don't skimp on strength training. Building muscle helps your metabolism.

Be a goal getter. Successful folks have goals.

Make exercise fun. It's more likely you will stick with something you like.

Eat more fruits and veggies.

Move it to lose it.

Start small to achieve big results.

Mix it up to keep it up. Variety helps you to avoid boredom and acheive better results.

Make a plan. And we have a planner extraordinaire right here on our thread-- her pjlla plans are famous!

Sneak in more exercise.

Get cooking.

Tap into the power of positive people. You're here, so you have that one down!

Stop dieting.

Look forward, not back.

Follow the 80/20 rule. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy your food.

Here is a link to the slideshow if want to know more. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/slideshow.asp?show=39 Each slide includes links to other resources to help you with a particular area.

Which brings me to the QOTD Saturday, 9/14/13 and Sunday, 9/15/13: What is your favorite secret of success? It can be from this list or one of your own.

I will be back later with more replies and my own answer. Have a great week-end!

 

[Ohana 4]

Favorite secret to success: Don't beat yourself up about a non-successful day/week/month. The way I always look at it is that we are living for the long run. You want to get healthy for life. If you don't have a good day or week, don't just give up because it hurts you more than if you just admit you had a bad day or week and then continue from there to try and improve. This isn't a race. Doesn't matter how fast we get there. The objective is just to get there.

 

[Eliza32]

Which brings me to the QOTD Saturday, 9/14/13 and Sunday, 9/15/13: What is your favorite secret of success?

My secret is not to sweat the small stuff. If I can keep focus on the bigger picture, the small stuff tends to take care of itself, whereas if I focus on the small stuff, I get stressed out and have a tendency to throw in the towel!!!

Take this week.....I've had a week off work and OH and I have been going out for days here and there. My eating on occasions has not been good, and I have had some really unhealthy meals.......but, I've kept up the exercise, shopped for good nutricious food for next week and the scales are already showing a 1lb loss! See...bigger picture is best for me.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

QOTD I guess this week it would be follow the 80/20 rule and cut myself some slack (though I wasn't very successful this week I will be eventually)! Honestly in the past what has worked has been tracking every single thing that passed my lips! My old ww leader used to remind us weekly "if you bite it-write it!!" and it worked as I was often guilty of forgetting that little something I'd eaten between meals when I didn't write it down

 

[Flossbolna]

Wow, who thought that furniture shopping would be exercise. I went to look at new furniture today and went to the massive store. First it was a hassle to get there and I had to walk quite a bit from the underground station. And then once I had looked at everything (slowly walking through the store) I come out and feel tired. Then I look at my watch and realise that I spend 2 hours walking up and down the aisles there. With getting there and back and some regular shopping, I think I have been walking for nearly 3 hours today. No wonder my legs and feet feel tired...

Also had a non scale victory as I tried on a dress that I bought for when I lost the weight that I always wanted to lose and it is wearable! Yay! Of course it is a summer dress, so it will have to wait until next year, but that's ok, it will look even better once I get down a few kilos more! I am starting to feel very confident about my weight now. Looking at myself in the mirror, especially from the side, I feel that I don't look fat anymore. That's great and with the current scale movement a huge motivator to stay on track!

QOTD:

My secret is portion control. It goes with the tracking, but at home I try to put everything on a kitchen scale before I eat it and track accordingly, even my small piece of chocolate. I tend to overeat and having my portions measured out exactly really helps me not to do that.

 

[Eliza32]

I can totally relate to your comments about clothing Magdalene. I went out last week to a meal for a colleague who is leaving, and I wore a black dress (like an oversized T-shirt that comes about 2 inches above my knee), thick tights and knee high black suede boots. I would never have dared wear anything like this before. When I went to the ladies, there was a full length mirror (I don't have one at home) and I actually thought I looked quite good!!!

Did you go to IKEA???? I can spend hours in that place!!!