Working on Weight Loss and getting Lean!

[rubato]

Hi Ladies. After some questions, I think I've come up with a solution for the points system. If you do any of the foods or water for 5 or 6 days, you get half a point. A full point only for the full week. And, 4 days or under, no point. So, Jeanne, you would get an extra 1.5 bringing your total to 6.5!

Now, the other issue, make sure, when giving me your points totals, that you are including the point for weight loss, if you lost weight. I think Jeanne did, but am thinking Beth didn't. So, Beth, that brings yours to 7. Let me know if I'm right.

I will post results when we get our last few ladies in. Hope you all have a great day!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello leanies!

Beth - So speaking of losing posts, I was just half way through mine and lost everything as well! Arggh! I feel your frustration. Good job on your loss! You're definitely doing something right. How did you like the Greek yogurt? I use mine in smoothies and have a marinade for chicken that I use it in as well. Ouch on the epidural I hope everything's okay.

Jeanne - It sounds like you might be the biggest loser this week! At this rate you'll be in One-derland in no time at all! Congrats! The race my friend is involved in is happening at the beginning of May. It's a fairly big race out in Vancouver - it's a got marathon and half marathon component to it. I believe she works for one of the race's sponsors so she's managing that side of it. I love the idea of the vow renewals - perfect for people who love running!!

Maria - Great tip for the values! If I go solo in January, I'll try and go with Pop or one of the other All Stars… although in January, the cheerleaders shouldn't be there The Providence RnR race sounds like fun! Hopefully, they'll have an early start for you so that it won't get too hot. Most of the races I've done here in the summer start around 7 or 8AM. But hopefully the race organizers will also consider misting tents and more fluid stations for the runners. I noticed Cindy has Providence in her signature, are you guys going to do a meet up? Sorry to hear about the office yoga Is there anyway to petition them to bring it back or maybe you can get a yoga DVD and incorporate that into your morning workout routine (even though I know how early you already get up). Sounds like your dad's birthday is going to be huge! How much are you hoping to lose by the party?

Jackie - WTG on your loss!! Great job!! Is the Richmond race the one where you run x miles, eat a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and then run back to the start? I like getting lunch options after the race as well instead of the usual bananas, Gatorade, bagels, cookies and water. Georgetown Cupcakes it is I'll ask friends about pasta and carb options in the area but I'm good with pizza! And speaking of finish line foods and cupcakes - it would be cool if someone handed out cupcakes at the end of a race. I'd go for it even though it would be messy! When I was rehabbing my knee, my PT had me do step-ups onto a plyo box in lieu of squats… eventually we worked weights of about 10lbs into it.

Tandy - Those sound suspiciously like the burpees I use to do in the gym. I may just stick to squats or half and half to avoid the extra pounding on my ankles. When I was doing the burpees the most I could manage in a single shot was 30. LOL I'm glad it's just 15 now Congrats on your loss as well! Didn't you say something about pizza last week? And that's fantastic that you have Harrison registered in a 10K! Tell him he can eventually work up from the intervals to continuous running! My first 10K I had to run intervals in order to get it done, now I'm up to about 8 miles. I'll bet I could do a 15K continuous but have never tried. The belly dancing sounds like fun! How was the class?

Kim - Sorry to hear about the gain! It happens to the best of us Just think of the huge loss you'll have this coming week! I'm glad to hear that you're able to get in some walking at work. I can't wait for the weather to improve so that I can walk outside at lunch again!

Cindy - I'm so far behind on my scrapbooking, I've totally given up! I would have caved at the end of the weekend as well. You can only resist sweets and other stuff when it's in front of you for so many days. This week will be better for sure! I can't wait to see the Asian soup recipe. It sounds yummy!

Debra - How's WDW? Are you able to avoid the sweets and lattes?

AFM - I am up 0.2 lbs this week. But I started my own weight loss challenge a week before so this would be my second week and I'm down 2 lbs overall. So I'm not unhappy with that. It's too bad I don't get a point for this challenge. Speaking of points, here's what I came up with:

Exercise - 1 point
Exercise challenge - 0.5 points (I missed a day)
Water - 1 point
Fruits/Veggies - 1 point
Temptation - 0.5 point (I let myself have one cheat day a week)
New recipe - 1 point
New food - 1 point (pancakes made with coconut flour and coconut milk - does that count?)

So 6 points! One question I have, is the exercise challenge done every day or just any 4 days in the week? In case 4 is wrong - I don't know where I got that number from

I went to the gym last night and did 45 minutes on the spin bike. The place was empty except for a trainer and his client and myself (it's a small place). So much for new year's resolutions! I plan on heading back tonight and doing another 45 minutes. Maybe 30 running intervals and 15 minutes on the bike. The eating has been going well - no desserts unles it's fruit or no sugar added. Last night I made myself pancakes because it was Shrove Tuesday.

It was a bit tricky since I'm trying to avoid white flour. I had coconut flour so I used that instead. The pancake texture was a little bit different than normal pancakes. They're closer to a thick crepe but still really yummy. I used a sugar free syrup in the batter and as a topping. It seems that coconut is used a lot as part of the paleo diet which advocates eating meats and certain fats, avoiding sugars as well as dairy and legumes. I don't know about the dairy part - but it seems interesting. I also found a recipe for coconut bread which I'm going to give a try on the weekend.

And thanks for all of the great suggestions on the races! I'll be sure to pass them along!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[rubato]

Okay ladies. I am still missing a few things. Debra is still on vacation, so she hasn't sent in her info yet.
Kim: I don't have any pts totals for you, so I don't know how to score you.
Cindy: I don't know how much you gained, and don't want to have to use last week's weight for next week, because it won't be as big a loss next week.
Jackie: The temptation can change each week, so we don't have to continue to give up the same thing. Or, it can stay the same if you want it to.

If I take the figures that I have now, Jeanne lost the most percentage of weight with 1.8%!!!!! Way to go Jeanne!
But, I don't know if you won the points or not. I have your 6.5, plus the 1 for the most weight lost, so that's 7.5. But, did you give yourself a point for losing weight? If you didn't, you'll have 8.5 and beat out my 8. If you did, then, you'll have the 7.5 and I'll win for the week. So, ???????????



I thought maybe I should repost the challenge, with the changes I've made.

Okay, 10 points total, but you can only track 9. The 10th only goes to the hard working lady who's lost the highest percentage of weight.

1 point: highest percentage of weight lost in our group
1 point: any weight loss at all
1 point: 8 glasses of water(1/2 pt for at least 5 days)
1 point: 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily(1/2 pt for at least 5 days)
1 point: 2 servings of dairy daily(1/2 pt for at least 5 days)
1 point: trying a new food
1 point: trying a new recipe
1 point: avoiding a chosen temptation
1 point: 4 days of my chosen exercise challenge(can be modified according to injuries)
1 point: 30 minutes of aerobic activity daily or 3.5 hours weekly

 

[rubato]

Okay, now I can post about other stuff.

Vicky: I did a little research on the paleo diet a while back. I just couldn't do it, but more power to those that do. Yes, I think the squat thrusts are burpees. I am dying and hate them!!!! They just take so much out of me. Belly dancing didn't enter into zumba as much as I thought it would. Which is a good thing. I'm just not good at it. Your eating sounds like it's going great. I'm sorry you didn't get a loss this week, but you had lost prior, and you just don't have much to lose. It gets frustrating though. I want to make sure about something. You are doing the full MCM right? I just realized that it must be the full that you're doing, which is awesome because that means that you are hooked!!!!!

Beth: You are doing so great with your eating if you are still able to lose like that without exercise! How are you feeling after the epidural?

Jeanne: I hope I cleared up some of the confusion. I'm new to this, and figuring it out as we go. Sorry. What did you decide to give up today? I always end up doing liquor and have a very unhappy 40 days, but it helps us to lose weight, right?

Maria: Providence sounds like it'll be a good fit. I'm sorry you have to deal with the family thing. But, you can do anything for that short a time, right? And, it always helps when you're feeling skinny!!!
Harrison doesn't enjoy the running, he's just making me happy. There is no way he could run a mile in under 7 min. Heck, I can barely do that and I'm pretty speedy. Ben seems to have his priorities right.

AFM: I had a bad night last night. Something about the impending lent made me drink beer, eat ice cream and cookies, and just overeat. But, today is a new day. I gave up all alcohol, all sugar and cussing this year. The cussing is actually going to be the hardest! I figure sugar can be my temptation this week. I get 2 for the price of 1. Harrison gave up all sugar and got mad at his weight today. He, too, ate a bit much last night. Frank doesn't ever give anything up for lent.

Today was a day off from running, but I took the dog for 3.5 miles of walking. I still need to do some form of squats, but we're off to a friends for the evening, so that may not happen. I also need to get another dairy serving and one more veggie in, so I hope dinner includes those things. Water was done by noon today. I am learning to just get it down and get it over with. I don't like it at all!

Oh, and I don't know if I told you guys or not (my brain is sugar deprived), but the textbook for my running class is Galloways book! Don't you just love it?

Anyway, I hope you ladies have a terrific evening. Let's keep up the good work!

 

[jeanneg]

This will be quick as I am off to a meeting this evening.

The extra point for being the biggest loser brings me up to 7.5 so Tandy is the winner for the most points with 8. I think giving a half point for 5 or 6 days regarding the water, fruit and dairy is a very good idea. I missed my 2 servings of dairy yesterday and was going to just go chuck it for the rest of the week. Knowing I can still earn half a point will get me back on track.

I attempted my squats last night and although I won't win any awards for perfect form, I managed to get them all in. At the moment I am not feeling any aftershock but will know for sure when I try again tonight.

My lenten sacrifice will be candy (except super dark chocolate, which is a health food!) and french fries. I'd love to give up the booze, but have too many social events coming up and I don't want to be grumpy. Love the fact that you are giving up cussing, Tandy. I'd do that, but it would severely restrict my working vocabulary.

I think that's it for the moment. I wanted to make some individual comments but I'm a slow typer and need to leave ASAP!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello lean ladies! Not much of import to report today. It's a slushy and rainy day today and I slipped on the sidewalk and ungracefully landed in a puddle. D'oh! I ended up being late because I had to go and change and I got water inside my Ugg boots. Ugh!

Jeanne - Congrats on being the winner for the week! I think for Lent I'm going to give my daily tea/coffee purchase. I've already dropped the sugar for this diet so there isn't much else that tempts me. I figure this way, I'll save some money

Tandy - You should tell your class that you came *this* close to finishing ahead of Galloway at Disney. Too bad we didn't think of getting a picture with him. I'm sure he would have done it but my brain wasn't working all that well by end of the race And yes, I'm hooked! I knew if I did Disney as my first full, I'd have a great experience Running with you was also a huge bonus! I wonder how I'm going to do races running solo now How was the dinner party? Did you manage to get in that last serving of dairy?

AFM - Went to the gym last night and did 45 minutes of cardio - 25 minutes on the spin bike and 20 minutes running. I wasn't able to run faster than 5.3 on the TM - when I tried increasing the speed to 10:55 m/m, I felt pulling in my ankle/heel. I reminded myself that slow running was better than no running. I still have trouble with other things like wearing heels, standing on my tippy toes or doing T pushups. I can't seem to support myself on that side as well but I'm running so that's good!

Eating and exercises are going well ... I have a bunch of cupcake recipes that I'm dying to try out but will have to wait until I can make a dent in my weight loss. I have recipes for chocolate bacon cupcakes and a Guinness bundt cake. I'm looking forward to facing off against that bundt pan again

Have a great day ladies!

 

[MouseDogMom]

Vicky - It's about to turn ugly here too. It rained on and off all night, and they're forecasting really bad storms any moment now. I can't wait! Chocolate bacon cupcakes? Seriously? The Krispy Kreme Challenge is a local race (4 miles) where you run 2 miles, eat the donuts, then run back. (There are actually several of them now, but the one here in Raleigh is the original - begun by a few fraternity brothers who were bored one night and decided to get up and run the next morning. The one who actually thought it up slept in and didn't even run!) The Richmond marathon just has one very nice spectator who always has a few dozen cut into bite size pieces in their front yard. I'd heard about it from previous runners, and it came just at the right time when I needed a special sugar fix!

Tandy - Thanks for keeping track of all of us. We're slowly getting it! I like the partial credit idea too. Like Jeanne, it would be way too easy to throw in the towel on the first day, but now there's a reason to keep looking for veggies! I'm on the fence about switching my temptation for this week, but just to be safe I've stayed away from the office snacks.

Maria - My coworker suggested that if you simply keep the "crunchy" in your mouth long enough, it loses its crunch. Then you can eat it.

So I dreamed last night that I tried a new food - does that count? I've never actually eaten oatmeal, even though DH has it every morning for breakfast. I just don't get the concept. But I did last night in my dream, just for the challenge!

I haven't decided what I'm going to do for my exercise this week, unless I count my monster walks. My knee is hurting so bad that I'm actually beginning to get a little worried. I can do the TM just fine, but stairs? OUCH!

As for Lent, I sucked it up and gave up sweet tea. As a Southern girl, that's serious. I'm also trying to throw in my morning coffee too, in an effort to drastically reduce my sugar consumption. I was adding Splenda, but I ran out and went back to regular sugar, so if I cut out both beverages, I should see some difference in the scale. So my temptation for this week, at least, is the tea and coffee, while also trying to continue the office snacks. Poor little girl is going to starve to death...

Jackie

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Lovely Lean Ones!

Jackie -- I like how your co-worker thinks! But I think I'm going to stick with skipping those goodies for Lent. I am already planning my Sunday of crunchy goodness (every Sunday is like a little Easter, so you can have whatever you gave up -- at least in my religion) -- I have church, then I'm having my Brazilian hair straightening (so no sweating until Thursday ), and then it's me, the tivo [Stargate Universe, The Big Bang Theory, Merlin, BBCAmerica's Being Human], and some delicious homemade popcorn! I think trying new foods in your dreams sounds like an interesting way to do it...I haven't figured out what that might be, but I'll be picking a new recipe this weekend, and maybe I'll see something new in the grocery store

Vicky -- I believe your rain/slush has arrived for us today Sorry about that puddle! Chocolate bacon cupcakes? I'm not sure about those, but it would definitely be a new recipe for me Glad to see your recovery is coming along nicely, I know how much you want to be running! I found out the Providence Rock 'n Roll starts at 7am, which is good news. We are going to probably have to drive from Providence to NH to get dh set up at his sleep-away camp that afternoon, so it's good to be on an Interstate. I'm not sure how realistic it is, but I'm trying to keep it modest. I hope to lose about 10 lbs before my dad's birthday party. I have 5 weeks, so I think it should be doable. Our Training Mgr. has said she'd like to bring yoga back in the Fall, but only if there is enough interest. I am hopeful, but not optimistic. I do have a couple of yoga dvds, I may have to actually start using them!

Jeanne -- I am in awe of you for giving up chocolate for Lent. I have a little bit of chocolate each day -- I think it keeps me sane and agreeable. I can get cranky very easily if I skip my daily dose! I was also surprised I could do the squats -- I think my thighs are stronger than I thought, which was a happy revelation! Sadly, I'm still not on FaceBook -- but what an amazing accomplishment for your dd! I bet you are still beaming!

Tandy -- They call it Fat Tuesday for a reason...I think it's ok to have a little "feast" before your famine. The key is to end the feast after one day, and it sounds like you did -- maybe even after one meal? So you're o.k.! I love that the Galloway book is your textbook -- I'm sure you will do very well in that class -- and you have to promise to pass on anything that you learn!

Cindy -- I'm glad Vicky pointed out you're doing Providence, because I missed it! From what I can tell there is definitely a contingent of WISHers coming, so maybe we'll be able to have a WISH Meet! Regardless, I'd love to see you!

Beth -- Hope the computer is up and running soon, we miss you! I've had one epidural in my life (for childbirth), and that was plenty. I hope yours wasn't too intrusive -- although I'm really not sure how it couldn't be... You did a great job with weight loss this week under very trying circumstances. I am really hoping this week will be more fun for you.

Debra -- Hoping your WDW trip was so awesome, you can't even find the words to describe it! Ok, not really, because I want to read all about it!

Kim -- Hope you are having a better week and getting ready for a fabulous weekend!

I realized I never stated my temptation -- It would be easy to make it all the crunchy goodness, but since I plan to have it on Sunday, that doesn't seem right. This week my temptation is ice cream. I do love those WW dark chocolate raspberry pops -- but this week I can do without them!

I stayed home yesterday to get some extra sleep -- and after I did I went ahead and got my 10M in! I felt pretty good and tried a new strategy dh learned after one of his marathon training workshops. They tell them to Gu before the race, and then every 5M. I had 3 clif bloks before and 3 at 5M, and I actually felt ok -- I really like the idea of less frequent "energy stops", so I think this may be my new way to go.

I'm taking today off from exercise. I planned to do office laps, but the temp showed up about 20 minutes into it, so I had to bag that plan. DS has a lock-in at church tonight, so we're on our own. DH is running part of his marathon route tomorrow, so we're going to have an early night. I already took mac and cheese (WW, of course) out of the freezer to thaw for my dinner tonight, so I won't be tempted to have something too yummy the night before my WW weigh-in.

I plan on going home and having lunch with Inspector Lewis this afternoon. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a PBS mystery show -- modern day, but with the sensibilities of Hercule Poirot. I watched season 3 on tv, and I've been getting the previous 2 seasons on Netflix. It's a nice break from the Tudors, I'll start season 2 of that when I finish Season 2 of Inspector Lewis. Just me, the Netflix and Should be a productive and relaxing afternoon...perfect for a rainy day.

I'm going to get up and run 4M tomorrow before I go over for my WW weigh in. Hoping for another loss!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Maria

 

[rubato]

Happy Friday ladies. I hope everyone had a good week. Today is day 1 of spring break. We went to the zoo, all 3 of us, and had a really good time. It's 65 degrees and beautiful!!!!

Maria: Inspector Lewis sounds like something I might have to try watching. I love anything mystery and PBS is my fave. Good job on all the running. You deserve a day off today. I do hope the yoga comes back in the fall.
Ice cream is my personal favorite. Any and all, but especially black walnut! Yummy.

Jackie: I wish a dreamed new food could count, but I have to say no ma'am. Sorry! But, to give up sweet tea and coffee....Wow! Coffee would be the very last thing I say goodbye to. Especially since I've been reading all of Jeff Galloway's books and he recommends it.
Take it easy on the knee. Whatever you want to do instead is fine. Maybe an upper body exercise???

Vicky: I actually think the bacon choc cupcakes sound good. I love the show Top Chef, and I remember when they had the ice cream challenge in season 2 or 3, someone made bacon avacado ice cream. I thought that even sounded good. And, it was a very pretty color of green. And, yes, the thought of now having to run a marathon alone kind of scares me too. I'm still on the fence about my October one, but if I do decide to do it, I'm going to need some extra inner resolve to get through it. The running class is actually online, so I think the only person I can talk to is the instructor, but I could be wrong. I don't know how these things work.

Jeanne: Oh, giving up candy is hard. I am struggling so much with no sweets. The cussing is going well. It was hard on Wed and Thur, but today, I got the hang of it. I may have to make it last longer. It's funny the words I'm coming up with to describe things. I had no idea I cussed so much!

AFM: Harrison and I went for our first training run today. We, basically just wanted to see what his speed was. So, we did 4/1 intervals for 30 minutes. He got 2.5 miles in, which means his 10k time should be around 1 hour 13 minutes, if we go off of that speed. I got his training schedule all worked out today, and he was actually a tiny bit excited. But, just a tiny bit. He keeps telling me that he'll never be a runner. I don't have the heart to tell him that he already is. It would just make him mad at me that I managed to turn him into one without his knowledge!

I got on the scale today and, because of Tuesday nights binge, I weigh the same as I did on Tuesday morning. I hope to see a loss over the weekend. If not, no biggie, but it would be nice. I just got back from Costco and they had Greek yogurt on sale for less than $1 each!!!! I am now addicted to the stuff, because, as a vegetarian, trying to get in the recommended protein can be a little difficult sometimes. Getting 14 grams per serving makes it much easier.

I got 7 miles in yesterday. I slowed it down and it felt soooo amazing. Sometimes, it's nice to run just for the sake of running. I am always trying to beat some time, which is silly.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!!

 

[MouseDogMom]

Tandy - You may as well count the dreamed food, since it looks like it may be the only point I get this week...

Remember last challenge when Debra got sick and lost extra weight? Looks like I may be the one this time around. I don't know exactly what I have, but it's some sort of ick. Yesterday at work my stomach was really gurgly, but I thought it was just a reaction to the extra fruit and fiber I was taking in. By the time I got home I felt pretty crappy, so I lay down for a nap. Got up 3 hours later, ate some rice, went back to bed and slept until this morning when I woke up with a killer migraine, turned off the alarm and called my boss to tell him he'd see me when he saw me. Rolled in to work about 9:00 with no shower and no makeup and stayed till lunch, when I came home and went back to bed. So far today I've had no dairy, no fruit or veggies, no exercise, and very little water. I did get everything in yesterday except for the exercise.

I am beginning to feel hungry, but it appears that I'm going to be very, very bad and go out for a burger and shake. This place has particularly good sweet tea, but I'll have to skip that. And we're going to the St Patty's Day parade downtown tomorrow, so I hope to get in all my exercise walking around, and then my running buddy and I have a date to walk on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

Jackie

 

[rubato]

Jackie: I'm so sorry you are feeling sick! Hopefully, you're already better today. Yes, being sick makes it almost impossible to get any of the eating points. But, having the half points may work for you this week.

AFM: I had my first really bad night as a vegetarian. We went to our favorite Chinese buffet last night and I was so mad. Other than green beans, and mushrooms swimming in butter, there was not one option for me. Every single dish had meat or seafood in it! There is a salad bar, and I used that, but man, not fair! Luckily, there is a Mongolian grill side that I've never used before. They had eggs and all the veggies and sauces, and then, they cook the food for you. I had to ask for tofu, but they did go get some for me. I guess I just never realized how much harder going out is. Last time, I was vegan, and just basically gave up going out to eat. But, I thought being a vegetarian was going to be easy. Ha!

I took the dog for a 2 mile walk and am debating whether I want to run, or get on the TM and walk at a full incline. I need to do something.

 

[Cindylou]

Hi Ladies,

I wanted to post the soup recipe I made last week. It was very good and just 1 WW pt+ for a 1 cup serving.

Asian Inspired Vegetable Soup

2 cup(s) bok choy, chopped
2 cup(s) chinese cabbage, chopped
3 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/4 cup(s) ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
4 small raw oyster mushrooms, chopped
2 cup(s) scallion(s), chopped
1 cup(s) canned water chestnuts, sliced (8 oz can)
1/2 cup(s) sweet red pepper(s), thinly sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 cup(s) vegetable broth
2 cup(s) snow peas, stringed
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup(s) cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
Put bok choy, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, mushrooms, scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, red pepper flakes and broth into a large soup pot; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in snow peas during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering.

Stir in soy sauce and cilantro. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

I didn't add chinese cabbage because my grocery store didn't have it, I used chicken broth rather than veg broth and I omitted the red pepper flakes. It makes a lot, but I ended up freezing several containers to bring for my lunch.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Cindy

 

[Hockeychic]

Hey team sorry I am way behind.

Tandy I am sorry I totally forgot to keep track of my points....I honestly doubt I would have any it was a bad week and this one hasn't been much better. Life is getting back to normal and althought I doubt I will see much if any loss on Tues I vow not to gain and get at it with a vengence on Tues for week 3.

Congrats to all the losers!!!!!!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello leanies! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Jackie - Hope you're feeling better soon! No fun being sick … I'd totally be in for the Krispy Kreme run but only because of the donuts And I think I'd probably be walking on the way back after eating a dozen. Does the winner get more donuts? I cracked and had a coffee this morning. I said I was going to get rid of mine but with the time change - it was too tricky. I was exhausted this morning. Didn't realize it would still be dark at 6AM. I have a recipe that uses leftover brown rice to make a breakfast cereal that's similar to oatmeal. Well, I've never really drank plain soy milk by itself before last week (and I'm Asian!) so I can believe you've never had oatmeal Psst - you're not missing much taste-wise anyway.

Maria - Are you doing the RnR Providence by yourself then? What's a sleep-away camp? I've tried chocolate bacon before and it's kind of interesting. The salty flavour from the bacon contrasts with the sweet chocolate flavour. Have you had salted caramels before? It's kind of like that - it doesn't sound appealing but it tastes really good! I think you'll be able to do the 10 lbs in 5 weeks! I'm definitely rooting for you! You definitely have the drive and motivation! The dark raspberry pops sound yummy!

Tandy - Funny you mention the avocado ice cream because I found a few ice cream recipes on the weekend and realized that I'll need an ice cream maker to try them out. Well, that and I'll need to start running again The zoo trip sounds like fun! Do you have any interesting animals at your zoo? The Toronto has the usual - lions, polar bears and monkeys… they even have a sad little exhibit with a raccoon stuff in it. I'll bet they caught him roaming around the zoo and threw him into a habitat/exhibit. What else do you have planned for the week? Oh and I never quite pictured you cussing Or at least cussing enough to have a jar for it! And that is a great price for Greek yogurt! I love the stuff too!

Kim - I hear ya! It's just one of those LTO weeks I think! I saw your breakfast this morning and it rocks! You'll do well on next week's weigh-in

AFM - Didn't get in any exercise this weekend and I only had enough extra minutes to cover for a day. D'oh! Not sure what it is about getting out to the gym on Saturday morning that's so much tougher than getting out the door and running but hopefully soon I can just go running.

The new foods I tried this week was soy milk. I ran out of milk and was too lazy to go to the supermarket since it was after 9PM. So I made my diet hot chocolate using soy milk. It was actually pretty good and it didn't burn the same way milk does. Does it have calcium? Can I count that as my serving of dairy? I also bought a box of Stevia which is a sugar substitute that's derivived from the sunflower plant. I sprinkled it on top of dry cottage cheese which was interesting. I picked up the dry cottage cheese to try because it seemed like it had a bit of protein in it and the supermarket was out of Greek yogurt. I also made a lentil soup - it was so-so. I didn't have a hand blender so I couldn't puree it properly. And I also made coconut bread - a lot of people thought it was sweet but it only had 2T of honey in the whole loaf. I ended up with a few non-impressed people I also picked up a small bag of chia seeds while at the bulk foods store. Chia seeds were eaten by the tribe of runners in the book Born to Run. Supposedly they're a good source of Omega 3/6 and give you a boost of energy. They look like sesame seeds and I have a breakfast bar recipe that I'm going to throw them into on the weekend.

(This part is a repost from my team thread … sorry for the repeat)

I watched 'The Adjustment Bureau' on the weekend. It was ok - definitely worth a video rental if anyone is thinking of seeing it. I definitely need me one of those teleporting hats and one of those notebooks to predict decision outcomes I didn't realize it was based on a Phillip K. Dick short story... I did like the trailer for 'Paul'. I normally am not a fan of the CGI and live action movies but this one just looks funny!

I also went to a friend's birthday party on Sunday morning. She was someone I worked with at my last job and I hadn't seen her in about six years. She had a stroke a few years ago and was still regaining the use of her body. Her kids put together a photo slide show of her and it was a little sad to see how she use to be and how she was now after having her body give out on her. She was a chronic smoker, a non exerciser and had a poor diet so I'm sure that didn't help. It was just a reminder to me of how we sometimes take our bodies for granted and how we do need to take good care of ourselves. But overall the party was a lot of fun and it was nice to see the people I use to work with and to catch up.

I have a training session tonight and hope to get in a quick 25 minute run afterward. The eating this weekend was so-so as I had chocolate and cake at the party. Oh and a mini whoopie pie at Starbucks. I'd never heard of whoopie pies before - are they an American dessert? They remind me a little bit of Jos Louis snack cakes or are they called May West in the US.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Creativebeth]

Hello Lean Ladies! I have returned to work....cause I couldn't stand it anymore. I am not one to sit around.....all I did was obsess over my numb foot. I decided it could be numb at work too! I am taking it pretty easy.....and glad to be back to work with Nancy.

I returned to the gym the end of last week also. I am using an machine called an ARC (at Planet Fitness) which is pretty low impact (less than the elliptical). I was going for the recumbant bike, but the ARC felt alot better on me.

WW weigh in last week was only .6.....but I felt ok about it. It's really hard to lose weight with diet alone!!!!

Vicky: The bread sounds interesting....but the Soy milk NOT! I just don't think I would like it, but good for you for trying it out!

I will be interested in my weigh in for tomorrow's challenge.....I have really been on target eating wise, but I don't think that it's enough for a good loss tomorrow.

Beth

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Afternoon, Lovely Lean Ladies!

Vicky -- Dennis and I will both do Providence, we'll just bring ds with. He's 13, he can stay in the hotel room while we run. You kind of have to go down the night before since the race starts at 7am, unless you want a Disney-early start to your day! Sleep-away camp is camp where you don't go home at the end of the day, you spend a whole week there. We need to drop him in NH for Sports and Games camp, assuming he gets a slot. I'm going to try to sign him up tonight. This particular camp is run by our church -- so the focus is more on participation and having fun than athletic ability. Thanks for rooting for me! I did not have my best effort yesterday. Got carried away with my "little Easter". Next week I'll be more in control. Soy milk...I've heard of it

Kim -- Great to see you posting! I actually have a question for you and Vicky -- have you ever done an event put on by Causeforce? They are Los Angeles-based, but I believe work mostly in Canada...and they do rides, walks, 5 and 10K's etc...

Cindy -- That recipe sounds good! My new recipe this week is from the March/April WW Magazine. It's for a whole-wheat pasta salad. I had my first serving at lunch today, and it was delicious. It has fresh oregano, and it is a big winner in my book -- only 5 pts for 1 1/2 c.!

Tandy -- I am sorry for your experience at the Chinese restaurant! I've basically given up eating out, and I'm still eating meat...it's just so hard to be eating healthy when you don't know how they prepare food -- even food that on the surface is good for you! I do try to get something on Saturday nights, but aside from salad and our favorite seafood restaurant, it's hard Nice job turning Harrison into a runner without him noticing!

Jackie -- I really hope you are feeling better and the "ick" is gone! That is not the way to lose weight...I hope your weekend got better as you went along!

Debra -- Oh, Where for art thou, Debra?

Beth -- I do hope you have a good loss tomorrow, but if you don't -- remember that it is doing the right things consistently that gets you there eventually. Even if you can't work out like you want to, you are taking this time to master the eating. Slow and steady, my friend! Which reminds me, I forgot -- did you get the guinea pigs?

So, it was supposed to be a nice, uneventful weekend. Saturday morning dh decided to bag his 20M, because he was exhausted. I still ran 4M and went to WW, where I found I was down 1.8, 16.4 total!

Turns out it was a good thing dh stayed home -- he got a call on his cell that the shelter surprisingly had a 12 wk old kitten for us! He is a grey long hair, and he is just beautiful. Chewie was less than thrilled at first, but they have come to an understanding -- they both love to play! I named our new kitty Spock, and he is already right at home.

We spent the rest of Saturday acclimating the fellas, and Sunday dh did his 20M. He was by far the slowest person on the Boston Marathon route, but he did it

I do not adjust well to Daylight Savings. I've been tired all day, and a little cranky since I had my hair process yesterday and I can't sweat until Thursday. I am really looking forward to a good run!

I also stopped Tivo'ing General Hospital. I read a spoiler that is a deal breaker for me. I'm thinking about picking up One Life to Live, or I just might stop watching altogether. Those are hours I could use more productively

Ok, my boss is here so I have to check on a letter -- everyone have a great afternoon!

Maria

 

[rubato]

Hi ladies. Everyone is sounding positive, even if life is throwing us some curves!

Maria: Spock sounds adorable! Luckily, Chewie is still young, and won't remember life without Spock.
When is your son's camp? Harrison had his first sleep away last year and said he didn't want to do it again. Until, that is, I found the Cosmosphere camp. Now, he's doing that in July. He's going to be such a happy science geek!!!!
How often do you have to do the straightener? I don't know how you can handle not sweating for more than a day. 2 years ago, I had to do some allergy testing that required ink not being removed from my back for 5 days. The truly unfortunate part was that this was in August. I would go to Harrison's practice and have to sit in the car with the ac on. Not good.

Beth: You may be surprised. Even 0.1 pounds is a loss. Plus, I have to agree with Maria that you, like me and everyone else on here are learning to tame the eating demon. The fact that you are staying on track with the food is so huge! Keep up the good work!

Vicky: I own an ice cream maker and vow to never use it. Whatever amount of ice cream I make, I eat. Bad!!!!!!
Our zoo is huge. It's 200 acres which is almost double the size of the San Diego zoo. We are, hopefully, getting our penguins in the next year or so. We keep having fundraisers for them, but no news yet. They are building a skyway as we speak that is like a ski lift across the whole zoo. Hope it's as cool as it sounds.
I have never had a whoopie pie. I think they are a southern thing. We'll have to get Jackie to weigh in on that. But, it sounds like you're doing great on your food points. I didn't try a new food this week, but did try a new recipe. I actually like soy milk. We thought Harrison was lactose intolerant for awhile, so I bought every type made. He hated them all, but I like them. I especially like that you can buy the ones that don't have to be refrigerated!

Kim: It's so hard to try to keep track of the points. Hope you can get a handle on it for next week. I have to keep a notebook with me all the time now. Ugh! Hope you have a loss this week.

Cindy: I'm definitely stealing that recipe. It sounds really good. And, I'm having to tweak all my old recipes now to take out meat products.

AFM: Got a 6 mile run in today despite feeling incredibly sick to my stomach. I have been eating WAY too much fiber. (I know, TMI, sorry). Zumba tonight, which is going to be so good. All I wanted to do today was eat, so I've been trying to keep busy.
Official family weigh in day today. I lost 1, Frank lost 2, and our winner, Harrison lost 3. We measured him today, and, to get to a healthy weight for his height, he only needs to lose 6 more pounds. I'm so happy for him. He was beaming today. And, he even walked around after he woke up with his shirt off. He is usually so self conscious about that.

Don't forget to tally up those points for tomorrow and have a great evening!

 

[Creativebeth]

Good morning Lean Ladies!

Challenge update:

weight loss: 1.0 pounds

Points:
fruits/veggies: 1
dairy: 1
exercise: .5
new recipe: 1 (used the new one from Runner's World)
new food: 1 (used feta cheese in salad)
water: 1
weeks exercise challenge: 0
weight loss: 1
temptation: 1 (avoided eating before bed)

total points: 7.5

Hope I got that right!

Good luck competitors!

Beth

 

[MouseDogMom]

Good morning Leanies!

Or not... weighed this morning, and was rewarded with a 1.3 pound GAIN! Ugh! So I get to report a gain, and 2 points. Wow. What a successful week - not. But today starts a new week, and I see the doc tomorrow, and maybe, just maybe, he'll clear me to start running just a little. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

Maria - Welcome to Spock! I'm sure he and Chewie will be great friends. I DVR All My Children, and occasionally check in on One Life to Live. Just barely know who the characters are. Fortunately, we usually get to watch at least half of AMC at lunch, so I don't have to spend much time in the evening catching up!

Tandy - I've heard of whoopie pies, but never had one. Can't vouch for the southern angle either! Can definitely relate to the fiber issue. That's why we weren't really sure I was sick when the ick started, but when I slept for pretty much 2 days straight, I figured it wasn't just fruit and fiber! I still don't want to look at fruit though, which is making it very difficult to get in my 5 servings. My stomach is convinced the fruit is responsible, and I just can't seem to make it believe otherwise.

Beth - Glad you're back at work. I couldn't stand sitting at home. I was so glad my ortho didn't seem to think I needed to take any time off after my surgery. Even though it was miserable trying to maneuver on crutches, it would have been worse to be stuck at home doing nothing. Hope the new machine will keep you entertained!

Vicky - I've been looking for Chia seeds, but haven't had much luck. Runners World had mentioned them, and I thought they sounded interesting. DD went to see "Red Riding Hood," but she said it was just okay. She didn't like the ending, apparently. We've added that to the Netflix list instead of the theatre list!

Probably should start to work. The boss is out of town until Thursday - in Orlando, of all places. He claims they're not going to have any free time, but I'm not buying it. I keep telling him just being close to Disney is better than being here. And they're staying in Downtown Disney...

Have a great day!

Jackie

 

[Cindylou]

Quick post for now. I 'm hoping to catch up with everyone soon.

Tandy: Last week's weight was 149.2. Sorry if I messed up your book keeping.

This week's weight 146.6 Yahoo!! Wondering if I might be a bit dehydrated since I haven't been drinking all my water - boo!

Pts this week: 6 I did fruit, dairy, exercise, new recipe, new food and wt loss.

New recipe was hearty tomato soup. It was OK, but not great. New food was a new type (new to me) of veggie sticks. I'm having a hard time finding new foods that are still healthy/low calorie.

Good luck to everyone.
Cindy