Working on Weight Loss and getting Lean!

[jeanneg]

Oops, it looks like Beth posted while I was slowly typing my post. Sorry to hear she is still having back issues. I applaud her weight loss in spite of everything else she has to deal with. Sending tons of pixie dust her way.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Jeanne - Yup just pushups! I don't think I could manage the situps because I sometimes get lower back problems. MaryJ on Hakuna Matada is taking on the 200 situp challenge and she's got the app for her phone.

Beth - Congrats on the 1lb loss! I'm glad that you're still able to get in some exercise despite the back pain. Are Greg and the boys pitching in around the house to help out? Pixiedust: for you today and I hope the MRI test goes well.

Maria - You go girl! WTG on smashing your through your10lb goal! You've got a lot of drive and dedication to stick to your workout and eating routines! Good luck this weekend at Princess - I know you'll do amazingly well! And have fun at the parks as well! I can't seem to stay up much past 11PM anymore so I'm right with you!

Jackie - Did you register for MCM? It was 90% full this morning!

Tandy - How did your 4 miler go? I forgot to ask which training plan you're following for the KC marathon. I've got a little while to decide but I'll probably go with one of Hal Higdon's plans again. They've worked for my half marathons. I looked at Galloway's plan on his site and I wasn't sure about it because it does go up to 26 miles several weeks before the marathon whereas most of the other training plans don't. I might incorporate his run/walk intervals into my plan - he's got a 4:1 interval that corresponds to a 9 m/m.

AFM - This is a repost from the Hakuna Matada thread so I'm sorry if it's a repeat for anyone (but if it is, at least it will be a short read )
I registered for MCM this morning. They're 90% full as of 9AM - crazy because it just opened yesterday so I don't think it's even been 24-hours. Assuming I make it to October, MCM will fulfill one of my fitness goals of running two marathons in 2011! :cheer: I'm just happy to have finally registered for a race!

I didn't have time to go to the gym yesterday but figured it was just as well since I was still sore from Monday I did start week 4 of the pushup challenge and day 1 wasn't too bad. For the fifth set, you do as pushups as you can and I made it to 50! Not sure I'll be able to do that again because that was tough but it was the most I'd ever done in a single set.

The eating is going well - Yesterday, I managed to go no added sugar! I made my own hot chocolate with cocoa powder, vanilla and Splenda. I like drinking something warm before bed but don't really care for plain milk. So I'm doing a little competition with my friend to see who can lose the most weight. I'm doing my own diet (no added sugars, no white rice, pasta, breads etc) and exercise while he's on Atkins. I was more curious to see who loses weight more quickly. I also looked at some of the foods you had to eat on Atkins … definitely not for me because I'm not a big meat or egg person. The challenge also meant that I had to weigh myself … so I'm embarassed to say that I'm up 7.1 lbs since last August. Oops! On the one hand, it's not as bad as I thought it was … on the other hand, 7.1 lbs is not great. My goal is to drop 10 lbs by May. So here I go (again)!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[rubato]

Good morning ladies (or afternoon, depending on where you live).

Vicky: Don't worry. You sound like you're really getting it together, so those pounds will come off quickly. Once you get into full gear, and can run again, there will be no stopping you.
No training plans yet for the marathon. I'm not sure I'm going to do it now. I'm so focused on getting what I need to become a nurse, that distance running may be put on hold. We'll see.
I can't believe you can do 50 pushups in a row! I'm in awe!!!

Jeanne: How's your renewed plan going? Have you started yet?

Beth: Well? Any news from the MRI yet? Great job losing a pound when you can't even move around! Impressive!

AFM: I'm having a great week! Frank started his eating plan on Tuesday and has been really sticking to it and positive. He even asked me to go for a walk with him yesterday!!!! I've eaten incredibly healthy for 2 1/2 days now and feel in control again. Having no junk food in the house helps. I'm had no meat or meat products for 2 days now and am happy about that. I just told Frank this morning that I'm becoming a vegetarian again. He just rolled his eyes at me.

Got a nice 4 miles in on Tuesday, but couldn't run yesterday. So, hoping to get on the TM today (it's sleeting right now).

I went to my new school and took my placement tests yesterday. I got exactly the math score I figured I would. I have to take a high school level Algebra class before I can take my Algebra that I need for the nursing program. But, I scored so high on the reading and writing, they want me to take honors courses for my english credits! I don't think I'm going to because it won't help me with my goals, and may, in fact, take time away from the important science studying I need.
I also opted to wait and take the ACT in September. That way, I will be done with this first math class and a month in to the next math class, which should help my math score on the test. I need a really high science score, so I'll mostly focus on that, but don't want the math score to be so low that it drags everything else down. Enrollment is in April, so I'm ready to go until then. It's all just so exciting!

I better get on the TM before I talk myself out of it! Have a fantastic day ladies.

 

[Hockeychic]

Sorry I didn't get back here the other day, sometimes I think I try to fit too much into a long weekend.

On the bright side....drum roll please......down 2.2 pounds finally the scaleis moving. Almost onderland I can feel it!!!!!

 

[rubato]

Kim: Great job! It's always nice when the hard work pays off at the scale!



Okay ladies, I’ve come up with a challenge with Vicky’s help. It is based off of Beth’s from earlier this year. Thank you, Beth! Do we want to start it on March 1st? That will mean that Tuesdays are our weigh in days and I don’t know if that’s good or not. We could start it on Friday, or next Monday or whatever you guys vote for.

It is worth 10 points per week. I tried to find a good balance of exercise, diet and weight loss, so if someone has a rough time with one part of that equation, they still have a chance of winning (thinking of myself here with my bad eating habits)!

Now, if you do not want to post your weight, please just PM me and I will work out your loss and % lost at home and then, no one will have to know.

Here’s the breakdown and these points are per week, not per day:



1 point: 30 minutes daily aerobic activity (walking, running, biking, swimming)Could be 3.5 hours per week, so you can make up if you miss.

1 point: Weekly challenge exercise done 4 times per week (I will come up with something new every week)

1 point: 8 glasses of water (64 oz total) per day

1 point: 5 -10 servings of fruits and veggies per day (great for you WW gals)

1 point: 2 servings of dairy per day

1 point: Tried one new recipe during week

1 point: Tried one new food per week (this will be my hardest)

1 point: Successfully avoided a temptation (will be personalized, so you’ll have to share that with the group)

1 point: Any loss of weight (even .1 pounds per week gets you this point)

1 point: Biggest weight loss % in the group (I’ll figure this out each week and let you know)

So, I hope this sounds good to everyone. As you can see, most of the points are food based, since we’re all pretty good at exercising. So, your challenge is to come up with a start date!

 

[Creativebeth]

Hey Leanies!

Tandy: Your challenge looks awesome! I am in!

My weigh in yesterday went well! I am down 2.6 for the week! I think it's awesome! I worked out only twice for the week, but I was spot on for eating. So I have a total of 16.6 pounds since Jan 5th. I am on the right track.

Vicky: I am envious of your 7 lbs! I wish I could have stopped there....it will come off, no problem! Good for you getting on that scale!

I am wishing all our 'princesses' a great race!

I had my MRI yesterday, but my appointment is not until next friday.....I will let you all know what happens.

Beth

 

[Cindylou]

Good morning LMs,

Beth: Great job on your 16.6 lb weight loss. You’re half way there – how fantastic is that? I’m glad you are able to work out despite the back problems. Hopefully it will heal soon. Good for you for staying on plan with the eating. I find it so hard to track everything.

Tandy: I’m in for the challenge. I vote to start March 1st. I’m sure drinking water Every Day will be the hardest for me. I’m so bad at that.
Congrats on scoring so high on English. I agree that it might not be the right thing to take the Honors Engish class. I’m sure you could handle them, but you are smart to concentrate on your core science classes. As far as signing up for OKC marathon, you might be wise to wait and see how much time your classes take. You could always run it next year, or find another race that would fit into your schedule once you see how much work it is. I’m glad Frank is getting serious about his health. My DH just isn’t there yet.

Vicky: Yea for signing up for MCM. An October marathon is so much easier to train for than a January marathon. Good luck on losing the 7 lbs. Nothing like a friendly competition to help motivate. 50 push ups are amazing or rather you are amazing for being able to do so many.

Jeanne: Hope your eating is going well.

Kim: Congrats on your 2.2 lbs. You are on the right track.

Maria: Hope you are enjoying a wonderful sunny weekend. You’ll miss another snowstorm tonight. Dennis seems like he’s doing a good job with his training. It’s good that he’s adding in some hills. He’ll appreciate that at about mile 20. Yea for 12.2 lbs. That’s fantastic for 5 weeks.

Jackie: I’m glad you were able to enjoy your weekend. Hope you’ve recovered from all the walking and the sunburn. I cannot even imagine the weather being warm enough for a bathing suit.

Debra: Hope all is well.

Manda: How is everything going? Check in with us.

AFM: I weighed in at WW this week and lost 2.5 lbs. I was so thrilled. It’s amazing that just a couple lbs can make such a difference in how I feel. The challenge is to keep it going. Since my weigh in I haven’t tracked pts at all. I don’t think my eating has been too bad, but I don’t know for sure since I’m not tracking. I don’t know why writing it down is so hard for me.

I had a session with a trainer at my new gym. You get one free one when you become a member. It was very frustrating because he just assumed that I joined the gym to lose weight so he started off calculating my body fat and explaining to me about metabolism and how I needed to build muscle in addition to running. (BTW, I had twins, you can’t measure my belly fat and give me an accurate reading with just one measurement!!) I explained that I was training for my 9th marathon. I tried explaining to him that I was there mostly to use the TMs since the roads are impossible to run on right now, but wanted him to show me a 20 minute weight routine to work out my non-running muscles. The gym has 3 different types of weight machines in addition to free weights. I’m intimidated to try using the machines since I don’t know how to use them. I just wanted someone to show me which ones would be good for me. He obviously wasn’t a runner because he asked me why people ran marathons, was I trying to finish first? Instead he put me through a workout trying to convince me that it would be beneficial to me to have someone stand over me and count my reps. He did have some good ab workouts that I could do at home, but only included 2 machines and 2 free weights. At $50/hr I don’t think I’m going to hire someone who won’t even listen to what I’m saying. I was just so frustrated by the whole thing. He was nice enough so I didn't want to be mean to him, but he obviously couldn't adjust to what I wanted. You can tell I was so frustrated since I’m still ranting about it 3 days later. Hopefully I’ve vented enough about it that I can let it go now.
I’m planning to run 15 miles today. I can run in my neighborhood since the roads are well plowed and there’s not much traffic. The weather is supposed to be around 30 degrees, so good running weather. I’m not sure I’m ready for 15 since 14 nearly killed me last weekend. We’ll see how it goes.

OK, since it’s taken me nearly an hour to write all this, I’d better get on with the rest of my day. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Cindy

 

[Hockeychic]

Beth congrats on your 2.6 that is totally awesome!!!!!

Tandy I am totally in Tuesday works for me but whatever works for the group is great.

Cindy wow 2.5 you go girl. WOW so many losers this week nice to see everyone doing so great.

Vicky, I have decided to do the Oakville 10K Mercedes Benz, awesome bling....has the mercedes benz symbol in it so have to have it

 

[Hockeychic]

Well I am crawling back to admit somehow I gainned 3 pds this weekend, I am hoping it is all water and will be gone tomorrow.

I did a little too much celebrating Friday night and eatting and exercise where bad all weekend. I am going to work hard cause I promised myself I would be in onederland this week, so will do the new weight in tomorrow but starting fresh today, lunch is packing, eatting a very heart healthy breaky this morning. Tea...can't live without and oatmeal, egg whites, flax seed, and walnuts, a little milk to blend it all together. Lunch is brown rice, tons of veggies and chicken. Dinner not sure yet but will stick to plan so probably fish...which I am trying to eat more of and salad. for a snack, apple and peanut butter....much yummier combo then you would think.

Hope everyone had a more successfull weekend then I had.

Kim

 

[Creativebeth]

Good morning Leannies!

How is everyone? It's a rainy, yucky Monday around here. I hope the Princess weather was better than mine is right now! I can't wait to hear how everyone's race went.

I ended up working out yesterday....it's been since Thursday since I worked out. My back is still giving me fits.....I see the orthopedic doc on Friday this week. I hope whatever the issue is can be fixed so I can get back on my treadmill soon. My MRI was last week, but of course I don't know what it showed.

I hope to get to the gym every night this week, but I have to play it by ear....to see how everything feels, and if it's safe to work out. My left foot is pretty numb, still, and feels really 'burny' right now.....I hope that the numbness goes away soon!

Check in today everyone.

Beth

 

[rubato]

Hello ladies.

It looks like we'll be starting our new challenge tomorrow. Maria may not be back from Disney yet, so we'll have to get her in here when we can.

I think our first exercise challenge will be situps, since I, personally, need these the most. You can either do 25 regular situps or 50 crunches for 4 days this coming week.

So, get me your starting weight tomorrow and please, share your temptation you are going to try to avoid. I think mine is going to be wine, or I guess, any alcohol. I really enjoy a glass of wine in the evenings, but it's just empty calories.

Beth: I'm happy you are back in the gym, but, of course, I'm worried about you. I don't want you to make your back worse. I hope you get a good report on Friday.

Kim: It happens. Don't worry. Probably best to get it out of the way and get serious now that we have the challenge going! When will your 10k be taking place?

Cindy: Congrats on your 2.5 pounds!!!! I will be thrilled to see that number! Yes, the water is hard. I have a harder time with the fruits and veggies. Not so much now that I'm vegetarian, but definitely before.
I don't work out at a gym, but I would find that trainer VERY frustrating. I guess he was just trying to make more money by giving you no information, but it still sucks! Did you get your 15 in? How'd it go?

AFM: I am so proud of my family! We had our official weigh in day today. Mine stunk, but Harrison lost 4 pounds this week and Frank lost 12!!!!!! They are inspiring me to do better, which is a big turn around.

Eating has been going well, I'm just eating too much. I've gotten my runs and walks in, so everything's pretty in control there. I have no run scheduled for today, which is good. I have 6 tomorrow, which, at this point, is a lot. I've only been running 3 or 4 miles at a time for a couple of weeks now. I've also got zumba tonight. I pulled an ab muscle in boot camp last Thursday, so we'll see if I feel like going this week.

I hope everyone has a great Monday.

 

[Creativebeth]

Tandy: So the total # of points weekly will be 10, correct? So, Tuesday's are weigh in days. Will let you know weight tomorrow, and points will be next Tuesday.

Good luck everyone!!!

Beth

 

[rubato]

Yes, max of 10 pts, and we all weigh in tomorrow!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello lean ladies! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I was thinking … last year, weren't we talking about organizing a leanies race somewhere? Just throwing it out there

I've been chatting with Maria through email - she made it WDW safely on Friday and did amazingly well on the 1/2!! I'll let her fill you in when she comes back but she says she's in for the challenge and will start on the 3rd.

Tandy - Good idea to focus first on the nursing courses because the marathon and races will always be there! And good job on your tests I have to agree with you that the honors English program probably won't be of much help in nursing. Forgot to ask you how long the nursing program will be. And I loved that you're so focused on starting your career. It's forcing me not be such a slacker and to start looking into courses for myself. I have to admit though - some days I really feel like a late bloomer.

Count me in for the challenge (figures TOM would coincide with the challenge ). I will weigh in tomorrow and post it here. And big congrats to Harrison and Frank! Fantastic losses How does Frank feel seeing such a big number on the scale? Don't worry, you'll catch up in no time once we get going with our challenge! Have fun at Zumba class!

Beth - for your back and leg. Take it easy if you do make it out to the gym. You're doing wonderfully even without the exercise. I could stand to learn a thing or two. And thanks for being positive about the 7 lbs. You're right, it could have been worse. Old me wouldn't have stopped or noticed and it would have probably gone back to where I started. I'm so grateful for the group to help keep me accountable

Kim - What's a birthday without a little celebrating? I'll bet most of it is water weight and it's going to come off in no time at all. I like the lunch that you packed. It sounds yummy I also love PB and apple slices. I think it's a great snack! I have to start bringing tea with me to work again - it's too tempting heading out to Tim's and staring at all the donuts and treats while waiting in line. I've heard of the MB 10K but have never run it before. I like that you have a shot of winning a lease of a car for a year. I'll add that race to our team racing calendar.

Cindy - I've found that a lot of gyms typically hire trainers that are really knowledgeable But what a dummy! I can't believe he asked you why people run marathons - and the finishing first thing sounds like something my mom would say. Maybe you could tell the gym he didn't give you what you were looking for and maybe they'll assign you another free session with a different trainer. I have several weight exercises (free weights and machines) related running muscles if you want. Ones that aren't related to running muscles would probably be any bicep curls or using the lat machine. I could try and explain how to use the machines if you show me pictures of what they look like.

Debra - How are you doing with the 100 day challenge? I've probably only completed 25 and those would be non consecutive days What did you think of the Oscars last night?

AFM - I had a horrible headache today I believe it's partially related to TOM and work stress. I'm glad I thought about looking at courses and different career options because I'm really not happy where I am anymore. Long story short, is that I'm tired of having a manager who spends more time at his own business than he does at work. It also gets a little embarrassing to constantly have to explain to other managers/groups that he's "on the road". I'm sure they know ... And I'm also tired of working with the "personalities" in my group But it was one of my goals to make a career change this year so that's what I'm going look at this as - an opportunity to make a change. Think positive right?

Anyway, my headache was bad enough that my chiro stopped the session halfway through and did a treatment on my neck and back. And it did seem to make the headache go away But before we stopped, I got in some deadlifts, (assisted) chinups and some pushups.

The eating has been going well - been sticking to no added sugar foods. I still eat things with natural sugar like fruits but make a lot of things without sugar now - like hot chocolate, banana bread but still keep those to a minimum. Sunday was a cheat day for me and so I had a couple sweet things but didn't go nuts. Oh, and a big thanks to Kim who sent me a reminder text to stay away from the sweets while in line for coffee today Because I really would have loved a donut

Ok will check back in tomorrow with my starting weight! Have a great night everyone

 

[Hockeychic]

Good morning all!!!

Vicky yikes on the headache I was fighting one of those yesterday as well. Glad you resisted the donut counter...feel free to text any time

Well sent Tandy by weight....not impressed but no one to blame but myself.

Vicky, just going to register for Acura before I forget later today.

Kim

 

[Hockeychic]

Crap...can't register till noon.....grrrrrr

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Leanies.

I just have time to post my weight now. I'll try to post more later today.

Starting 148.6. Not as bad as I feared. I'm hoping to lose 8.7 lbs to get out of the 140's.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[bunnyfoo]

My starting weight is 131.6 lbs ... I'm hoping to lose about about 7.6 lbs by May. If I can do a pound a week or so during the challenge. I'm happy.

 

[rubato]

Good morning ladies. I'm so excited about our challenge! I'm starting another one at zumba also. They may as well coincide. That way I only have to do it once!

Official weight: 142.0
Goal weight: 129
So, I need to lose 13 pounds. I haven't seen the 120's in 13 or 14 years, but I'm feeling incredibly motivated right now!


Kim: Don't beat yourself up about the weekend. And, don't worry about that weight. That's why we're starting this!!!!!

Cindy: I'm glad you aren't as high as you thought. Your goal sounds very reasonable!

Vicky: Great job on your sugar free eating! I'm trying, but not very successful all the time. I agree that it's time for a career change if you're that unhappy. It's tough working for someone who isn't giving it his all. Plus, you're just ready for a change. I hope you figure out what that dream career would be and go for it!
I will be in school full time for 3 years. The nursing program is 2 full years and I have so much general education to make up that it's a full summer, fall and spring. But, there's no way around it.
Yes, Frank was very happy with that number and it's good motivation for him. He usually quits things after a week.

AFM: The summer schedule opens up at school today, so I can finally plan out my schedule.
Eating is going great and zumba was fun yesterday. I have a 6 miler today and hope to do it outside!!!!!!

Have a wonderful day ladies.

 

[MouseDogMom]

Starting weight 143.5. Higher than I thought, but that means I have lots of room for improvement!

Don't really know what my goal is, but during last year's challenge I hit 135 a couple of times. I'd be happy to see that again, and anything lower than that would be a huge victory at this point, especially since I'm not running.

DH and I are still tossing around the idea of joining a gym. We had a MAJOR financial setback over the weekend that I'm still reeling from, but I managed not to do any stress eating because of it so that's a plus! When I got to PT last night my therapist said he knew I wasn't my usual self, so his response was to make the workout twice as difficult as usual. Thanks, Jason. We're hoping to make next week my last week and then send me home to work on my own.

Good luck everyone!

Jackie