WISH Away the Pounds -- Spectacular September Challenge!

[pjlla]

Good morning all and HAPPY FRIDAY!! I am so sorry I didn't make it on here last night (or the night before.... ). Been busy, busy, busy catching up after my time away on Nantucket. But the weekend is nearly here so I will have time to chat!!!

Lisa, love the Wellness weekend stuff you posted!! Can't wait to get a minute to look at it more closely.

Hope everyone SMILES when they step on the scale today/tomorrow!! If not, DON'T GIVE UP!!!!

TTYL after work!.......................P

 

[lisah0711]

well I've fallen behind again ...darn! my DH is burning his last vaca days next week to, so I hope to be spending lots of time with him and less online

I broke my momentum...I did so well this month that I felt like I could lax a little. I just hope and pray I haven't done damage on my WI tomorrow!! I need a final push for the month to keep my lime green status!! also, I'm so close to the next size down...I gotta stay focused. you know how your current size is getting roomy, and so you feel like you are doing so great. the next size is still too small to wear in public so you wear the bigger ones, then think...I can stop at starbucks. let's go out to lunch....

for my my mini-rewards have been digging out the smaller clothes and getting rid of the bigger ones!! there will always be a slim, but realistic chance that my Cushing's could become active again and then if I gain for that reason, I will not have any clothes to wear. I'm choosing to claim my victory in remission and have faith that day will never come!

on being able to dig out the smaller clothes, Molli! I have faith that you are firmly on the road to recovery and that you will not be needing those other sizes ever again!

Enjoy that time with your DH and I hope that you will find something fun to do!

good for you!!!

I didn't do my "peek" yesterday so not sure how I am doing. I've been trying to remember "you're worth it." BUT lately I've been saying "why did you do that?!" Remember how you used to feel full but ate more anyway? I caught myself doing that this week and just thought, "wow! haven't felt that icky in a while. thought I'd forgotten that feeling." Am determined to leave that behind me!!

Clothes are starting to feel looser so even if the scale isn't happy tomorrow I will be!

I've been having some joint pain in my thumb and just figured one more getting old ache. But at class this morning a couple gals were talking about tomatoes and how they are a nightshade. They both said they avoid those foods because it gives them achy joints. AHA I have been eating a lot of tomatoes lately because they are so yummy and everybody's garden is overflowing right now! Maybe it's time to stop.

Hope ya'll have a great rest of the week and a good weekend. We are driving over the pass and back (3 hours) Saturday to visit my in-laws. Which reminds me, I need to call them and tell them we are coming!

Safe travels for your visit, Linda! This awesome weather is da bomb! And for looser clothes!

I think it is the shorter days and weather change that is triggering some changes in eating and cravings lately . . . that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Hi!

Just back to work after back-to-back doctor's appointments today, all routine and good. I do really love my gyn; she's so funny and irreverent and *quick.* I'll never truly look forward to that appointment, but I'll always look forward to seeing her!

DD is TEN! Her birthday was yesterday, and we celebrated with Red Robin, lemon cake, and presents. I customized the heck out of a Red Robin salad and got it down to 8 points (!) - and still enjoyed it. That left room for cake, although I did finish DD8's piece when she wasn't crazy about the lemon. Not a terrible indulgence, though.

DH has an interview tomorrow! Happy day! He's started to hear from recruiters in the area, which is great, and I think he's starting to feel like he'll actually find a job again. It's been a month, but it feels like so much longer - we're trying to be patient.

In the meantime, I got a consignment check today for some clothes/coats I brought in last month, so I'm taking the family to Noodles & Company tonight, where I can eat light and we can sit out on their patio. It's beautiful here today, and I think we could all stand a little break. By late last night, we were all overtired and a little snappy, despite the birthday celebration, and I think we need to relax the kids a bit. We've been trying not to project our stress outward, but it's so hard, and I know they're sensititve to everything that's going on right now. I feel like it's a really fine line to walk between keeping them appropriately informed without scaring them. :/

I don't think I'm getting a workout in today - I've been running from one thing to another and will be until after my rehearsal tonight...but tomorrow! I might shoot to get my long run in early tomorrow, or I'll hit the PiYo sweat workout (first time). Not both. I have a feeling I'll be about the same for tomorrow's WI, but last week was so dramatic that I'll be okay with that!

So much going on in your busy lives, Liz. Hang in there! Good luck to your DH on his interview -- the perfect job is waiting for him somewhere. Enjoy that workout tomorrow!

WATP Musings Which of these 60 second health boosters would you like to try this week-end? Do you have a minute health booster idea that isn't on the list? Bonus points if you do one or more and report back on it sometime this week-end!

I've done the water, take a deep breath and twist it out thing many times, especially at my desk. For the week-end I think I will try a couple of the more active ones -- I am really focusing on strength and balance as soon as my race is over on Sunday. And also the grateful and present minutes would be a big help.

I am a samer which is where I deserve to be this week. I have my race on Sunday and an IL visit next week-end so it is a little hectic around here not to mention my usual sandwich generation thing.

Good luck to everyone on their weigh ins and have a wonderful week-end!

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all and HAPPY FRIDAY!! I am so sorry I didn't make it on here last night (or the night before.... ). Been busy, busy, busy catching up after my time away on Nantucket. But the weekend is nearly here so I will have time to chat!!!

Lisa, love the Wellness weekend stuff you posted!! Can't wait to get a minute to look at it more closely.

Hope everyone SMILES when they step on the scale today/tomorrow!! If not, DON'T GIVE UP!!!!

Good pun there Pamela!

 

[Tasha228]

WATP Musings Which of these 60 second health boosters would you like to try this week-end? Do you have a minute health booster idea that isn't on the list? Bonus points if you do one or more and report back on it sometime this week-end!

I am pretty sure I can do all of those on the list except push ups! I have weak wrists and can't do one to save my life...not even the "girl" version! And, if I'm honest, I probably won't do jumping jacks either but I will walk/run this weekend so I'll substitute it with that! I think that is a great list and I do a lot of that already so I approve this message!

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey all! I’ve had a not-so-great week this week – lots of stress, not lots of sleep, too much food, not enough exercise – and it showed with a 1.5 lb gain on the scale this week. Oh well, today is a new chance to start over. I think I’m starting today on the right foot – I had a good breakfast (the applesauce overnight oatmeal Pamela shared with us last month), I already planned and tracked my first snack of the day (celery and peanut butter – yummy!), and today is house cleaning day, so even though I may not get heavy exercise, there will still be plenty of moving around!

I’ve been reading along but haven’t really had time to respond to everyone … don’t really have much time now, so … even if I’m not responding, I’m still reading and thinking of all of you!

WATP Musings Which of these 60 second health boosters would you like to try this week-end? Do you have a minute health booster idea that isn't on the list? Bonus points if you do one or more and report back on it sometime this week-end!

I get a coaching tip from my SparkPeople app every morning ... and this was today's, but I didn't even take the minute to read the article then. Oops. I guess if I'm seeing it in two places, that means I should read the article.

I already drink tons of water (I think yesterday's count was about 18 cups ... which is probably a new record for me, but I usually average 10-12), and I'm big believer in deep breathing, but there are definitely a lot of things on this list that I could try.
The first one would probably be smiling ... I'm fairly cranky most days, so smiling is a big deal for me. I think it's something I can definitely work on ... so maybe I'll try to work on it this weekend.

Ok, that's all the time I have for now. Hopefully next week I'll have more time to check in.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

[myweegirls]

Morning! I'm down 1.2 this morning, yay! I didn't weigh until after my long run this morning, so it could be a little lower than steady state reality, but...you know what? I'm just going the own the number and be happy with it. I zipped up my jeans today, and that's a big win.

XO
Liz

 

[pjlla]

Motivation Monday

While reaching your goal can be a reward in and of itself, it’s always a good idea to reward yourself as you reach mini-milestones along the way. Anticipating a reward can be a great way to motivate yourself to reach a goal, and rewarding yourself can be a great motivator to keep going!
For example, you can reward yourself for every 5 lbs lost, or every 500 exercise minutes. You can reward yourself if you have a person record in a race or if you break a plateau.

Rewards can be something fun, like a day at the beach, or something fitness-related, like signing up for a race.
The great people over at SparkPeople have a list of 50 non-food rewards – check it out: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1990&page=2

WATP Musings Motivational Monday, September 15, 2014: Do you reward yourself when you reach mini-milestones? What are some rewards you’ve used?

I've never done any real rewards, but I definitely started buying more clothes when the weight was coming off!! And I'm not afraid to buy "investment" pieces now that my weight has been off and relatively stable for a number of years..... although I'm so cheap that I don't often splurge.

Hi everyone! Haven't been on the forums in so long but on Saturday I started the Whole Life Challenge. So I thought I'd join up with you all for encouragement and motivation.

Welcome, welcome, welcome! I'd love to hear more about your Whole Life challenge!!

Good morning all!

A friendly reminder that today is weigh in day so please PM those numbers and good luck!

Well Being Week-end

Do you have a minute? Then you have enough time to do something good for yourself! With some help from our friends at sparkpeople.com, of course.

When it comes to losing weight or making healthy choices, you probably think that it takes hours at a gym plus long nights preparing and planning nutritious meals. What you may not realize is that quick and easy changes can really improve your immediate health and wellness.


WATP Musings Which of these 60 second health boosters would you like to try this week-end? Do you have a minute health booster idea that isn't on the list? Bonus points if you do one or more and report back on it sometime this week-end!

I will often do a mini-massage on my neck, shoulders, and jaw area.... mostly to help relieve pain and stiffness. But it helps. I'm also fond of doing a quick stretch.... and if I'm in a classroom, I often get the kids to get up and stretch with me!! A few "reach for the sky" and "touch your toes" movements can really help ALL of us!!

Good pun there Pamela!

Wish I could claim it was intentional...... but it wasn't. Good catch!!
************************

Evening all! Sorry I couldn't take the time to do replies to everyone. Glad to see so much good news though! Looks like some great runs, good exercise, some weight loss, and other positive family news (birthdays, job interviews, recovering from injuries, etc).

Nantucket was delightful.... not quite the weekend I had in mind, but still wonderful. I guess I wasn't really sure what to expect, traveling with my Mom and Aunt, both in their 70's. They were a bit slower than I expected them to be, but we still had plenty of fun. And when they were "done" for the day, I just brought them back to the cottage and went out on foot to do more exploring!!

All three of us being WW gals was a HUGE bonus! We ate well and healthy and light and OP (other than a few cocktails). Food-wise it was a big success... and I did walk a few hours every single day.

It is a BEAUTIFUL island and if you EVER get the chance to visit, do so! Especially if you like early American/New England history!! The place is LOADED with history!!

Anyhoooo... prayer request here, so if you aren't "into" that sort of thing, feel free to skip. My BIL (DH's next older brother, turns 55 next month) was just diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Other than this he is the picture of health and doesn't look or act his age. They are now talking about 8 weeks of radiation and chemo and then surgery that will result in a permanent colostomy. He is just too young for this. He is also currently unemployed and I'm not sure if he has healthy insurance through Cobra. And he has 11 year-old twin girls. So any how.... if you are the praying type, PLEASE add this gentleman to your prayer list. I think he has a long haul ahead of him.

Well.... dinner is ready! The men are busy with other things so I am on my own for dinner so it was a new type of packaged soup, which I will NOT be recommending (Dole brand in a carton..... Southwestern black bean and corn. Not great.... weirdly sweet and too spicy). And I have a tray of veggies roasting in the oven to top things off.... so off to enjoy my green beans and carrots!

BB tomorrow to chat.........................P

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Praying for BIL Pamela!!!

 

[pjlla]

Praying for BIL Pamela!!!

Thanks so much Buffy! Every prayer is needed and appreciated in a BIG way!!
He is telling DMIL today.... glad I don't have that job. She will be 92 in a few weeks and this is going to be VERY hard on her.

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

Morning all and HAPPY weekend!! I was up and moving bright and early. Had to answer the call of nature at 5:45 and decided not to go back to bed.

Forgot to report that I am down another half pound this week... not a big step, but a step in the right direction, nonetheless. Slow and steady wins the race, right??? And it feels especially good, coming on the heels of 4 days away!

They were promising sun day, but up until 1 minute ago there was NONE. But it is trying hard to peek through now. I have laundry ready for the line when the sun decides it wants to stay.

I'm inspired by Lisa's "Wellness Weekend" post about finding ONE MINUTE to do things throughout the day. I'll let you know what "one minute" things I am inspired to do!! I was thinking, if I do 60 of them, that is an HOUR of doing GOOD POSITIVE THINGS I will have accomplished!

Driving to DD's later today to bring her stuff and probably stay for a quick overnight visit, since her roommate has gone home for the weekend. I'll pop on again when I can!...................P

 

[ohMom]

Pamela -- will definitely keep your BIL in my prayers, and your family too

cyber high fives to our LOSERs this week!!!

sadly, I have regained a couple of the pounds I lost this month, so this reminds me not to slack for our 10 remaining days! I know I fluctuate and have a weight range of about 3 lbs, so I'm not freaking out...just refocusing. no eating out this weekend! I ate out a couple times this week and that probably did me, and I was not faithful on MFP. there's my confession

love the list Lisa! great ideas and one minute makes it all seem so attainable. the one I'm picking for this weekend is to be outside...I have a little bit of yard work to do still and I'd love to end the weekend have the last of my summer flowers pulled

 

[Flossbolna]

Sorry for being so absent lately. I guess I am once again a bit frustrated by the lack of movement on the scale. Well, it is that time of the month, so hopefully next week will bring some improvement.

I am keeping nice and active. Had a 6km run on Friday evening. It was not fast at all, but it felt great to run the distance that I will run in two weeks in a race. I definitely have the stamina for it! I have figured out that taking a short 100 step walk break every 10 minutes improves my running quite a bit. Interesting.

Also, thanks to someone why wrote about the Sparkpeople fitness videos in one of the last months. I have added in a few days of doing a core workout I found on there and now also added in an upper body workout. I like it that they are relatively short. So they are easy to just quickly do and get over with. While there is still some room for improvement, I feel like I am starting to get a nice routine of adding activity into my daily life. The scary thing I noticed with the fitbit is that I have long stretches every day where I just sit and don't move a lot. I guess I am not naturally an active person. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I had weight issues early on, I just don't like to move.

Foodwise I am doing okish. I kind of skipped tracking the last few days. I am getting to the point where I think I know all the point values and just add them in my head, but then I know that this is not a precise way of doing it. So I need to get back into real tracking!

Pamela - I am thinking of your BIL! I hope the treatment is successful!!

Molly - I hope you can make the last 10 days of the month a success!

Sarah - sorry for your crappy week! But you have the right attitude to let a misstep not lead you totally off the way!

Liz - congratulations for zipping up those jeans!

Lisa - sorry about the ! Hope you had a great race! Was that the one with the bridge you posted a picture of?

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh - and I read about a recent study this weekend that I thought you all might be interested in as well. I just picked one of the links that google found for me to that story in English: http://online.wsj.com/articles/rese...e-sweeteners-can-raise-blood-sugar-1410973201

There has always been debate about the effect of artificial sweeteners, but to me the findings seemed not conclusive. However, that new explanation this study has come up with totally makes sense to me: Artificial sweeteners have an influence on the bacteria in your gut. And the type of bacteria you have kind of determines how your food is broken down. It really was quite an eye opener to me! I never experienced being more hungry from artificial sweeteners (that was a supposed effect that made you gain weight), but I had the feeling that drinking too many diet drinks made me stop losing weight even if I was exercising and eating within my points. I have decided to not have any artificial sweeteners anymore. I need to give my friendly gut bacteria time to take over again!!! It will be interesting to see whether this is going to help speeding up my weight loss.

It will be interesting to see how this research is going to go on. I read a bit about gut bacteria and it seems that those are really vital to how your body metabolises food. Unfortunately it seems that overweight people tend to have more of the ones that make it difficult to lose weight while thin people have more of the ones that help you stay thin. The good thing is that it seems that when people lose weight their gut bacteria change, too.

 

[pjlla]

Evening all! Back from a short-but-sweet visit with DD. I got there last night in time to head out for dinner and a treat (really nice butternut squash sandwich with a side of chick peas and lightly dressed greens.... then apple crisp ice cream!) and visit for a bit before going to sleep. Then up for a quick breakfast sandwich and coffee from Dunkins before dropping DD back on campus to work in the wet lab, and I headed home.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen prepping a bunch of stuff for the freezer and for this week. Tonight was rotisserie chicken, broccoli slaw with a semi-homemade mayonnaise-free dressing and roasted zucchini. Tomorrow night is cauliflower fried rice, Tuesday night is sandwich night (we have robotics), Wednesday night is ginger beef, kale, and mushroom stir-fry, and Friday will probably be baked stuffed spaghetti squash. I also made a double batch of split pea soup for the freezer (for lunches), chopped a bunch of peppers for the freezer, and made four servings of vegetarian stuffed zucchini for the freezer. I was going to make chicken stock with the carcass from tonight's chicken, but I am officially out of freezer room for now! I could probably make some room upstairs if I threw away the extra bag of ice and did some re-arranging, but I wasn't feeling like it tonight.

It rained off and on all day, so I didn't worry about getting outside to do yard work.

Other than the intentional planned splurge on ice cream last night and a small unplanned splurge this morning (mmmm.... Dunkins pumpkin latte!!), I've stayed right on track this weekend. I think I have enough Points left tonight for a light beer.... sounds like a great way to end the weekend!

TTY tomorrow hopefully! So far I am not scheduled to work, but of course I do expect a 5 am phone call!......................P

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all.... and welcome to the next week of your life!! Time to start making positive changes..... or to continue with the positive changes you've been making and maybe time to try something else new... like a new recipe, new exercise, or a new hairstyle!! Nothing in life is static and your weight loss journey shouldn't be either! Want to see the scale change? Then make OTHER THINGS change!! Small changes can make a BIG impact!!!

I'm up and moving and ready to have a GREAT productive active busy "get-it-done" kind of day!! Tonight Fall starts officially here, and while that makes me sad (summer is my favorite season) I am looking forward to crisp nights (although we've had many already lately), fresh apples (just starting to get them now and they are DELISH), pumpkin EVERYTHING (had my first Dunkin's pumpkin light latte in AGES yesterday!), and that "new season" feeling that Fall always brings me! It makes me want to clean house, fill the pantry and freezer for the long winter (like a squirrel with his nuts!), and just generally be more domestic. I was awake before the alarm this morning just lying there thinking about ALL I want/need to do here! Housework, laundry, yard work, organizing, cooking, card making, scrapbooking, redecorating.....AAHHHH!! Time to get off my butt and get moving!!

I pray that you all have a MARVELOUS MONDAY and that you are able to start your week off on a great note with plenty of healthy OP foods and heart-pumping exercise!! You are worth it!!!!

Anyhow... my "one minute" things I did this weekend weren't as many as I had planned, but I had a few.....

I spent one minute massaging my neck (to help with my headache).

I spent one minute straightening the mudroom (to relieve my stress).

I spent one minute deleting emails that clutter my in box.

I spent one minute drinking an extra glass of water while chopping vegetables for the week.

I spent one minute emptying my compost bowl (even though it was raining) so it wouldn't attract fruit flies during the night.

I spent many "one minute" spots writing some notes of encouragement to some family members who are struggling with things. Just need to mail them today.

I spent one minute stretching before climbing into bed last night.... it felt really good!

I spent one minute looking at something that DS had been working on (for fun, not school) that I wasn't really that interested in, but I knew he would appreciate it.


Off to be productive!.......................P

 

[pjlla]

Oh - and I read about a recent study this weekend that I thought you all might be interested in as well. I just picked one of the links that google found for me to that story in English: http://online.wsj.com/articles/rese...e-sweeteners-can-raise-blood-sugar-1410973201

There has always been debate about the effect of artificial sweeteners, but to me the findings seemed not conclusive. However, that new explanation this study has come up with totally makes sense to me: Artificial sweeteners have an influence on the bacteria in your gut. And the type of bacteria you have kind of determines how your food is broken down. It really was quite an eye opener to me! I never experienced being more hungry from artificial sweeteners (that was a supposed effect that made you gain weight), but I had the feeling that drinking too many diet drinks made me stop losing weight even if I was exercising and eating within my points. I have decided to not have any artificial sweeteners anymore. I need to give my friendly gut bacteria time to take over again!!! It will be interesting to see whether this is going to help speeding up my weight loss.

It will be interesting to see how this research is going to go on. I read a bit about gut bacteria and it seems that those are really vital to how your body metabolises food. Unfortunately it seems that overweight people tend to have more of the ones that make it difficult to lose weight while thin people have more of the ones that help you stay thin. The good thing is that it seems that when people lose weight their gut bacteria change, too.

Sorry I didn't get around to commenting on this yesterday. I was really excited to see someone ELSE talking about artificial sweeteners. So often folks in this group (and in previous versions of this group) talk about their addictions to Diet Coke (and other diet sodas) and while I try hard to NOT jump on my soap box and preach about the dangers of aspartame (most especially, but other sweeteners as well), it is HARD. I have done a bunch of reading and there is no other conclusion to come to other than the fact that this stuff is BAD.... really BAD!! And not just bad for weight loss.... but bad for your body and brain overall. I have only skimmed your article for now, but I plan to go back and read it in more detail later. Thanks for sharing it..............P

 

[pjlla]

Wowza..... looks like I scared everyone away with my talk of CHANGE!

JK....I know you all are busy, busy, busy!! I've been moving and shaking here at home with laundry and cleaning. Three loads hanging out in the last of the official summer sun.....

Gobbling up a huge salad right now and will follow that with a cup of homemade split pea soup and a pear. Then on to more cleaning, organizing, etc. TTYL..............P

 

[lisah0711]

Morning! I'm down 1.2 this morning, yay! I didn't weigh until after my long run this morning, so it could be a little lower than steady state reality, but...you know what? I'm just going the own the number and be happy with it. I zipped up my jeans today, and that's a big win.

Kudos to you for the loss, Liz! And zipping jeans is always a winner for sure!

Anyhoooo... prayer request here, so if you aren't "into" that sort of thing, feel free to skip. My BIL (DH's next older brother, turns 55 next month) was just diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Other than this he is the picture of health and doesn't look or act his age. They are now talking about 8 weeks of radiation and chemo and then surgery that will result in a permanent colostomy. He is just too young for this. He is also currently unemployed and I'm not sure if he has healthy insurance through Cobra. And he has 11 year-old twin girls. So any how.... if you are the praying type, PLEASE add this gentleman to your prayer list. I think he has a long haul ahead of him.

So sorry to hear about your BIL, Pamela. Sending him and all the family oodles of peaceful, healing thoughts and

love the list Lisa! great ideas and one minute makes it all seem so attainable. the one I'm picking for this weekend is to be outside...I have a little bit of yard work to do still and I'd love to end the weekend have the last of my summer flowers pulled

Yes, we should all be able to spend a minute or two on ourselves every day!

Sorry for being so absent lately. I guess I am once again a bit frustrated by the lack of movement on the scale. Well, it is that time of the month, so hopefully next week will bring some improvement.

I am keeping nice and active. Had a 6km run on Friday evening. It was not fast at all, but it felt great to run the distance that I will run in two weeks in a race. I definitely have the stamina for it! I have figured out that taking a short 100 step walk break every 10 minutes improves my running quite a bit. Interesting.

Also, thanks to someone why wrote about the Sparkpeople fitness videos in one of the last months. I have added in a few days of doing a core workout I found on there and now also added in an upper body workout. I like it that they are relatively short. So they are easy to just quickly do and get over with. While there is still some room for improvement, I feel like I am starting to get a nice routine of adding activity into my daily life. The scary thing I noticed with the fitbit is that I have long stretches every day where I just sit and don't move a lot. I guess I am not naturally an active person. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I had weight issues early on, I just don't like to move.

Foodwise I am doing okish. I kind of skipped tracking the last few days. I am getting to the point where I think I know all the point values and just add them in my head, but then I know that this is not a precise way of doing it. So I need to get back into real tracking!

Pamela - I am thinking of your BIL! I hope the treatment is successful!!

Molly - I hope you can make the last 10 days of the month a success!

Sarah - sorry for your crappy week! But you have the right attitude to let a misstep not lead you totally off the way!

Liz - congratulations for zipping up those jeans!

Lisa - sorry about the ! Hope you had a great race! Was that the one with the bridge you posted a picture of?

Hang in there, Magdalene! It is frustrating to have to deal with the ups and downs but as long as the trend is downward you are good to go!

Sounds like you are more than ready for your race in a couple of weeks. There are tons of stories of folks who found out following Jeff Galloway that a little walking means a faster run -- amazing!

My race yesterday went well. It was warm at the start and just got hotter. There was a crazy headwind, too, on the bridge on the way back. I don't know why that wind didn't feel more helpful on the way to the turnaround! I took five minutes off my fastest 10k time so I was happy about that.

Oops out of time! Will finish replies in the morning.

 

[pjlla]

So sorry to hear about your BIL, Pamela. Sending him and all the family oodles of peaceful, healing thoughts and

Thank you so much!

My race yesterday went well. It was warm at the start and just got hotter. There was a crazy headwind, too, on the bridge on the way back. I don't know why that wind didn't feel more helpful on the way to the turnaround! I took five minutes off my fastest 10k time so I was happy about that.

Oops out of time! Will finish replies in the morning.

Great job with the race time! Five minutes off is a huge thing!!

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

Evening all! STayed busy today, but didn't get as much done as I had hoped.

Cauliflower fried rice for dinner was DELISH! Both of my men like it and DS is taking the leftover (there isn't much!) for lunch tomorrow. It is a HUGE veggie meal and I'm thrilled that we all got so many great veggies and greens into us tonight..... two full heads of cauliflower, about 5 carrots, 1.5 C peas, half a large bundle of bok choy, a large onion, 4 cloves of garlic..... plus two scrambled eggs, some diced ham (about 1.5 C), and a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil. And the three of us nearly polished it off!

Tomorrow night is changing to baked stuff spaghetti squash, since it will be just DH and I.... the calendar was wrong and there is no robotics meeting, so DS will be staying at school for Driver's Ed, some homework time, and then production company for the fall show.

Off to fold my laundry! Was hoping to make it to my room with the cleaning and organizing, but didn't quite get there. oh well...................P

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey all!

Just stopping by for a quick hello. I've been busy the past few days and will be busy again the next few days.

And of course, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I had a really rough night last night ... tonight is a little better, but I still was having trouble falling asleep, so I figured I'd get up and try again in a little bit.

Not much else going on with me. I hope everyone is having a great week!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am so sorry!!! I missed my Motivational Monday that I signed up for!! I only remembered that it was towards the end of the month and lost track that we are getting close to the end of September...

Anyway, a day later, here it is:

Goals - we all have them. But do our goals really help us in losing weight? Goals certainly can be a great motivational tool, but they can also frustrate us if we don't reach them. So, how can we make sure to set ourselves helpful goals? I found a good article on this topic: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=696 It focusses on the following 6 Characteristics of Effective Goals:

1. Challenging: Your goals should be realistic and suited to your present capabilities. You can’t go from habitual couch potato to world-class athlete overnight, or recover the “look” you had in your 20's if you’re pushing 60 right now. Small, progressive steps toward reasonable, long-term goals are crucial to success. But your goals should also push you to extend yourself beyond where you already are. Otherwise you will get bored and quit the game.

2. Attainable: Don't take the challenging characteristic (above) too far. Make sure you can actually achieve what you're setting out to do. Otherwise, you will get frustrated and quit the game.

3. Specific: Trying to "do your best" or "do better" is like trying to eat the hole in a donut. There's nothing there to chew on or digest. You need to define some very specific, concrete, and measurable action-steps that tell you what your goal looks like in real-life terms. Include how you will measure your results so you can tell whether you are getting anywhere.

4. Time-limited: Goals need to come with deadlines, due dates, and payoff schedules. Otherwise, they'll fade into the background with your daily hubbub, and you'll quit playing the game. If your long-term goal is going to take a while to reach, create some intermediate- and short-term goals. These will make your larger goal seem less daunting and keep you focused on what you can do here and now to help yourself get there.

5. Positive: Goals should always be framed in positive terms. Humans are not designed to white-knuckle their way through life, always trying to not do things or to avoid certain thoughts, feelings, actions or circumstances. We are much better at approaching what we DO want than avoiding what we don't want.

6. Flexible: Good strategies and goals are always flexible, because nothing in this world stays the same for very long, and staying alive and on course means being able to adapt to changing circumstances.

More, including examples, can be found under the above link.

So, do you think your goals are effective? Is there a way you can change them to make them help you better in your weight loss effort?