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taubele

Hi everyone!

Sorry I disappeared last week. It was a very, very, very busy and stressful week, personally, financially, and work-related too. I was working until 10:30 most nights and my diet was all over the place due to some unexpected expenses DH and I have had to work through - so I'm so sorry I disappeared, but I had to focus on other things.

I was grabbing food at work a lot, which usually meant going to university-held events, which means university-purchased food -- which means PIZZA. I cannot stress how much pizza I ate last week. I am afraid I can't accurately tally it, haha.

So I've stumbled, but this week, I am trying to take a deep breath and get back on the horse. Things are still crazy at work, but the personal/financial problems have settled down after many, many phone calls, and DH and I are going to be okay. (Long story short - we were hacked and had credit card/debt issues crop up out of nowhere, and our financial institution made it very difficult when it should have been smooth. It took a lot out of us.)

Anyway!! This week my big goal is to get the eating back under control, since the pizza has brought out the worst of my diet habits (eating on weird schedules, bingeing one day and then not eating the next day, etc.). Bad eating habits tend to get my other habits out of whack, too. I also need to get back on a normal sleeping schedule. Working out would be a bonus. So this week is a get-back-on-track week for me. I'll weigh in on Friday, after I've hopefully gotten the pizza all out of my system, and then get back to daily weighing!

Fitness Goals for this week:
1) Log everything that goes into my mouth. Try to keep it under 1500, but it's more important just to log it
2) Water 64 oz. daily
3) In bed by 10:30 every night, NO EXCUSES. NONE.
4) Limit distractions at work. No Facebook/other websites except on lunch break (Fitday exception to log any food)
5) Working out is a bonus goal. Log any workouts here.
6) Weigh in on Friday, good, bad, or ugly

Work-related goals (these are teaching and research-related goals, don't worry if they don't make sense!):
1) Monday: 339 Article write-ups graded and entered
2) Tuesday: 339 Worksheets graded/entered; 157 quizzes graded
3) Wednesday: Poster introduction done/comments back to student on Methods/Results. Schedule phone meeting with student
4) Thursday/Friday: head start on exam grading. Advanced W papers read.

JediMindTricks

Debbie, sounds like you've really thought about your goals and plan. Glad to see you so refocused and sounds like you're getting dedicated again. Good for you!

Terri, I'm so sorry to hear your cards got hacked! That happened to me, too, but in my case Bank of America was very easy to work with, which made it a lot less stressful to deal with. We got lucky. So it sounds like you had a rough week. I'm confident in you that you will get right back up and get back on track.

I'm still working on my own dedication. some days I am and some days I'm not. I need to (and want to) get more serious. I did not log every day last week, but I did quite a few so I'm going to build on that. When I went grocery shopping yesterday I did not buy a lot of junk food. I still battle the drive thru every day. In addition to chocolate milkshakes, I discovered Oreo McFlurries. Not a good thing. I've always been a nut for all sweets, but I really love ice cream.

I haven't been able to get back on board with regularly drinking my Atkins with milk, which I think was one of the keys to my successful formula previously. I need to start having those again to help curb my sweet tooth and help me to feel full at the worst times of the day (and night).

On a personal note...another sign I am getting older. My youngest daughter (age 12.5, 7th grade) just had a boy ask her to be his gf. Ahhh young love. I remember those days! One of the things that has me less worried about her starting in on the bf thing is that she talks to me openly and regularly. I know how she feels about not wanting to things to go too far until she's much older. I talked to her about setting her firm boundaries and letting him know what is and is not acceptable to her. I told her that hand holding should be the limit and she agreed. She was so cute getting giggly and embarrassed when we were talking about this kid. She's beautiful, smart, athletic, funny, and has big plans for herself for her life. I love watching my kids grow up.

rainbow24

Debbie, you have a good plan to start small and work your way back to what you used to do. That is what I have been doing, but I have years to catch up on.

Terri, I hope the pizza is out of your system as well. Rooting for you this week.

Jenai, 12.5! So young! I have three grown daughters. Just glad they're grown now.

I just spent a few days with my mom. It was a celebration for having a heart that has improved from functioning at 40% to functioning at 72%.
I got out and walked for two of the three mornings I spent there and although I wasn't recording my intake, the only problems I ran into was while travelling to and from. Then it was the salt in restaurant foods. Strangely enough, fast food would have been a better choice. Next time.

This week I will focus on four aspects of my life. For the month of Sept, it looks like I lost about 3 lbs. I know it isn't much, but weight loss is not my focus, it is my results.

CSmith2048

Well, I've been trying to get into the 330s for a while now and I hit it the other day then went back up to 340.8. I didn't walk on Saturday or Sunday so I was dreading getting on the scale this morning. But I did...and was pleasantly surprised. Down to 339.0. The lowest I've been in almost a year. I was excited.

Didn't walk this morning due to the weather but I did do some things around the house (fixed the couch's foot rest and vacuumed the living room). Tomorrow I will be back at it.

Health/Wellness goals
1. Walk at least 5 days this week.
2. Get back to drinking 80-100 oz of water a day (I've been drinking water but not that much lately).
3. Keep my calories as close to 1800 as possible.

Other goals
1. Work on my sewing projects at least six days this week (got a craft show coming up on three weeks).
2. Work on a project for youth group (I'm the youth director at my church).
3. Clean/straighten at least one room of the house each day.

rosabella2012

Christy: Good work! What food plan are you following--you lost 9 pounds in 5 days! It's
working bigtime! You've also got some detailed goals--I need to learn from you.

taubele

Jenai: It's funny that it was Bank of America that was so great with you, because it was them that was awful for me!! We got it sorted out, but I just finished the process of closing my checking and savings with them. They've been awful for me over the past year; they wouldn't even let me change my name after married because I *had* to come in person. There isn't a branch within 75 miles of me! I asked to do it by mail, but the request was denied for some reason. Then after this? I'm pretty done. It felt good to close the accounts and tell them exactly why after everything was finally sorted!

Sounds like you had a mixed bag of a week, but more good than bad! How sweet for your DD! You will change one thing at a time and before you know it, you'll run out of things to change with your diet. Just don't give up - stay the course!

Annette: Thanks!! Loss is loss, but that heart function is your main goal, and wow! Almost doubled! You should be very proud of yourself!

Debbie: Haha, bad weeks happen. I was a little frustrated in the midst of it but I'm finding I can shake it off easily. It's a relief just to try to get back to normal and know that my dedication didn't wane -- it was just a week that had to happen. With that attitude, I don't feel like the failure is mine personally and I'm not beating myself up.

I also find that I don't lose water weight when I drown in water, but rather when I strive to drink it steadily across the day (rather than in big long gulps at meals or something). Everyone's different! Grats on getting that water weight off. I'm still too scared to check, but I WILL on Friday!

Christy: Great job!!!

As for me:

Suuuuuuper-low cal day yesterday. Oops. I didn't pack a snack and had to stay at work until 8:30. I could have eaten my own shoes when I got home, but DH had me covered and had a chicken breast in the oven, which he made into little "sliders" for me with my whole-wheat dinner rolls. It was very cute, and he served me a salad on the side. It was satisfying enough that I didn't feel like I needed dessert, even after the low-cal day. Thank goodness for hubs - who knows what I would have grabbed if I were on my own. I know there are Doritos in the cabinet - my arch nemesis!!

Stressfull week this week, but one day at a time. I'm trying to work on my procrastination habits, too. I read this great article yesterday regarding procrastination, and there was just a few things that just stuck with me. The article was called "The Art of Letting It Go" which seems odd for procrastination, but it was really apt!

"I thought about the person I want to be, the life I want to live. I set my intentions to do the good work I think I should do. I watched my urges to check things, to go to the comfort of distractions. I saw that I wanted to escape discomfort of something hard, and go to the comfort of something familiar and easy. I realized I didn’t need that comfort. I could be in discomfort and nothing bad would happen. In fact, the best things happen when I’m in discomfort."

That sounds like me with my procrastination habits alright!! Yesterday I was able to check it pretty good (a couple of slips) but I got a lot of work done and honestly felt satisfied. It was stressful, but I went to bed knowing I worked really hard on it and I wasn't worrying myself to death over what I didn't get done, and THAT was much-needed. So I will try keeping those words in mind today, too!


Fitness Goals for this week:
1) Log everything that goes into my mouth. Try to keep it under 1500, but it's more important just to log it M: 955
2) Water 64 oz. daily M: yes
3) In bed by 10:30 every night, NO EXCUSES. NONE. M: 10:29!
4) Limit distractions at work. No Facebook/other websites except on lunch break (Fitday exception to log any food) M: I did limit, but I logged onto Facebook briefly a couple times in the afternoon
5) Working out is a bonus goal. Log any workouts here.
6) Weigh in on Friday, good, bad, or ugly

Work-related goals (these are teaching and research-related goals, don't worry if they don't make sense!):
1) Monday: 339 Article write-ups graded and entered M: All but three, which I consider a win!
2) Tuesday: 339 Worksheets graded/entered; 157 quizzes graded
3) Wednesday: Poster introduction done/comments back to student on Methods/Results. Schedule phone meeting with student
4) Thursday/Friday: head start on exam grading. Advanced W papers read.

CSmith2048

Thanks everyone! Everyone else is doing great (Terri: Great job on not grabbing the Doritos. Those are one of my weaknesses too).

Rosa: I'm not doing any particular plan. I have over the years and a few worked really well but I don't have much disposable income to pay for any type of program or special foods right now. I went to the My Plate website that the government runs (ChooseMyPlate.gov) to figure out what my daily calorie intake should be for my weight, height and age. It said 2400 a day. I felt that was too much and it's hard to stick to one number so I made a range. Right now I aim to stay between 1800 and 2200 with a real effort to stay close to 1800 (I'll change this as I lose more weight). I sometimes hit the higher end of the range but that's okay as long as I keep up my water intake and my walking/activity. For instance, yesterday I had some cookies left over from an event and I ate 5 of them! But I logged them. Then I walked almost 4 miles this morning.

That all said...I do try to eat proper things (fruits and veggies, lean meat, etc). I don't buy sodas for home anymore and only have the occasional one when out to eat or buy one sometimes at a convenience store. I measure my foods as best as possible. For instance, I have a 1 cup measuring cup in my cereal container because 1 cup is a serving size. I have a food scale that I use, I use a measuring cup to measure the milk for my cereal, etc. I also reuse water bottles and keep them filled and in the fridge along with a pitcher of water for pouring into glasses. I have to drink cold water. I carry a bottle of water just about every where I go so that I can get it in. I've slacked the last couple of days but I'm getting back on it. Preparation is key so that you don't just grab whatever is available. I'm still working on some aspects of preparation but I've got it down pat in some areas.

Okay...kinda rambled there but I hoped that helped. Good luck to you (and everyone).

rainbow24

I picked up a burning permit yesterday. I have a tree down in the back yard that needs dealing with. So that is what I will be doing Wednesday through Friday of this week.
I talked to rather handsome young fireman, telling him about my heart attack and my worry about compromising my breathing. First he suggested that someone else should be doing it, but then he gave me two particle masks to wear while burning.

rosabella2012

Thanks, Christy. BTW, my name is Vicki--I just used my chihuahua's name and birth year to set up profile 'cause since I'm over 55 I need something real easy for me to remember!

These are some of my goals and things I do to help me be healthier:
1. Plan meals daily according to MD guidelines.
2. Weigh, measure and log in every bite that passes my lips!
3. Read uplifting literature--12 step recovery, scriptures
4. Listen to or watch at least one piece of something artsy and cultured--ballet,
opera, symphony or instrumental
5. Work at least one puzzle to keep mind functioning--numbers, words, etc
6. Exercise body--upper, mid-section and lower--1 section per day
7. Spend time with animals--feeding, watering, grooming and play
8. Housework and laundry--it NEVER ends!
9. Cook planned meals, freeze/repurpose leftovers

I have asthma and arthritis; thus, my dietary guidelines are set up by my MD so they will work with my medications. It is low-carb based, but modified for me. It includes a variety of veggies and fruits, mostly fresh or very lightly cooked--many meats, but only unprocessed--I LOVE bacon and hot dogs but their processing adds things that don't work well with my meds, Dairy consists of butter in limited amounts, yogurt--especially Greek and plain ONLY--cottage cheese (lowfat) and small amounts of hard cheese--no more than 1 ounce per day. I also use unsweetened vanilla soymilk and almondmilk in protein smoothies. Grains are quinoa, oats and other non-processed whole grains--no wheat or corn in any form because they are now being geneticaly modified and do not have the nutritional profile they once had. Limited diet sodas --about 1-2 per week and usually less! Sweeteners are usually stevia but I can use small amounts of local honey and molasses. I use olive oil, and herbs instead of so much salt. The processed things approved for me are whey protein powders and some of the commercial protein drinks with vitamins and I do take a multi-vitamin every daily. That's about it--it's working slowly but surely! Vicki