Motivational Thread March 31-April 6
 

Good morning All. Up early this morning so decided to start. Going to be a gloriously sunny WARM day. Woo hoo.

GOALS for the week
1. stay within carb limit 40g per meal
2. 4 servings fruits/veggies
3. Exercise 4X 30 min

Personal goals
1. write more/stress less

I'm not including water in my goals this week because it has finally become a habit.

Yes, woo hoo to this nice weather!!! It sure helps with my motivation and energy levels!!

Goals March 31 - April 6:

1. To drink 8+ glasses of water
2. Exercise 4X for at least 30 minutes a time
3. Walk outside at least 4x this week (must enjoy this nice weather!)
4. Eat 4 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
5. Log all my food and cut my caloric intake by 300 calories a day

Have a great week everyone!!!

Good morning everyone! I, for one, am ready for a great week. How about you?

Jenn, so glad it will be a nice day in your neck of the woods. Good for you on water becoming a habit so it doesn't have to be a goal anymore!

I plan on working on less soda and more water. The lemon in the water is making a giant difference, and yesterday I drank quite a bit. I need to work on staying in my target calorie range of 1200-1400. Trying to keep saturated fats lower. May have to do some drastic things like switch to (ack!) reduced fat cheese and (oh no!) less pork.

Yesterday I had one of my most successful days in quite a while...a little less than calorie range, enough protein and fiber, only 8% sat fats, less carbs than I'm actually supposed to stay around. AND the scale was down to reward me for my good efforts. I'm hoping to keep that momentum going today.

Last night I had a great dinner. 3 oz hot diced chicken, 1.5 Tbsp mayo, 1/4 c shredded cheese, 1/2 c steamed broccoli made into a burrito on a multi grain with flax HG flatout and baked for a few minutes so it got a little crisp (but not too crisp). It was so delicious and filling and satisfying. Definitely going to make the regular rotation.

Hope everyone gets off to a great week today!

I stopped taking the blood pressure meds on Friday night and the cholesterol meds on Saturday night. The muscle soreness is going away and my head feels a lot better. I am going to eat right and exercise and I hope that that will be enough to lose weight and be well. My weight was 178 this morning down from 181 on Friday, so that is still 10 lbs more than where I was. Has any one else had trouble with their meds?

Goals for the week

Monitor blood pressure
Drink water
Eat more fruit and veg
Exercise 3X
Lose 5 pounds

Libby, I hope you can feel back to normal and then manage things with diet and exercise. Meds can often hurt in more ways than they help. I've had my share of bad med experiences. Not blood pressure meds, but one I was on made me ravenous and I gained 50 lbs in about 5 months. It also made my hair come out by the handful. Needless to say, I got switched to something else. I've had many more bad experiences with other meds, but I'm sure you don't want to hear the laundry list. I'm glad the soreness is going away and that your head is feeling better. Hopefully that 10 lbs will drop off quickly.

I am so glad that the weather is getting warmer and the snow is melting. I would like to be able to walk outside again soon. It's going to be a sunny day and that always makes me feel better.

Good morning my lovely fitday ladies ;) The sun is shining which is a nice way to start the day...yesterday we started the day with a surprise dump of 10 cm of snow! Had a busy weekend and didn't get in my usual amount of exercise. This week, my goal is to get back on track with exercise and do my best with diet...no tracking for me this week. Also going to do my best to drink lemon water to help with water retention. I'm always up around 4-5 pounds on Monday from the weekend. It takes nothing for me to retain water! Then I play catch up from Mon-Thurs hoping to see a drop by Friday weigh in. I'm like a dog chasing my tail!!!! ;)

Libby - Are you going to try to manage your high blood pressure through diet and exercise? Is that even possible? Or are you going to talk to your doc and try a different type?

Have an awesome day all!

At this point I don't know what is possible only that I don't feel well when I am taking the meds. I have done some reading on statin drugs and the side effects are worse than the benefits.

Sorry if I'm hogging the thread today. I just realized something though. After giving in to temptation and getting another soda this morning while on the road, I thought of an obvious solution. Stop going that route on the way home! All I have to do is drive 1 street down and there are no fast food restaurants at all on the way home. Then I won't be tempted. duh! Why didn't I think of that sooner???:confused:

I'm on the run today--10 and 12 year old grandkids are at my house this week on spring break. But DH took them out to eat, so I have time to catch up with our thread.

Everyone, best wishes on your goals this week! :)

Mike and Ian--how are you two doing?

Jenn, thanks for starting us out. Good job on water becoming a habit!

Libby, best wishes on your cholesterol and BP management without meds. I'm really lucky--at age 67 the only meds I'm on are eye drops for glaucoma. My blood pressure has always been normal. I refused the statin meds prescription for high cholesterol because I'm not willing to accept the potentially serious risks. I never take meds without first researhing the side affects and deciding whether I want to risk them. It's my body--I have the final say and, even if my doc disagrees, she respects my decision. My doc approves of self-help, but warned that some people can manage high cholesterol with diet and supplements but some people can't manage without medication--depends on how much is hereditary. She recommended a dosage of fish oil and red yeast rice supplements based on my blood tests and physical exam. We all know that supplements should not be taken without our doctor's knowledge because they still change body chemistry and can interact with meds and other supplements being taken. Have you talked to your doc about alternatives to your meds?

JenniferP1, glad your nice weather is helping with your motivation and energy levels.

Jenai, I LOVE your posts--I never think anyone is talking too much here! :) Great solution to abstaining from diet soda. That's using your noodle! Great inspiration--I need to look into solutions like that. I eat reduced fat cheese but find it only slightly more satisfying than no cheese at all--except for the Laughing Cow cream cheese wedges which are delicious and come in so many flavors. I love pork, but we have it only a couple times a month. OMG, your chicken, broccoli, cheese burrito literally made my mouth water! I'm going to write than one down. I tried a mushroom Rheuben sandwich on a Foldit yesterday (Swiss Laughing Cow cream cheese, sauerkraut, and portobella mushrooms grilled in a Foldit. It was good, but not a satisfactory replacement for a corned beef Rheuben. Sliced turkey works better than mushrooms in that sandwich.

Debbie, you and I are polar opposites this week on the food tracking. I have to return to it strictly--tried without it and kept my blood sugar normal, but found I need to track to manage LDL cholesterol.



Back to strict guidelines that got me to normal cholesterol without meds in the past. Goal should be more like 7-10% sat fat, but that's unrealistic for me.

Daily targets:
Calories: 1200-1500
Saturated fat limit: average 12% of total calories
Dietary Cholesterol limit: average 200mg
Net carbs limit-total carbs less fiber: average 25g
Fiber minimum: average 25g
Protein minimum: average 110g

Log every bite of food
Water 64 oz.
Exercise 5 days
Post non-scale victory

Hi everyone,

I was up to see Dawn's ass crack again today and went to the gym. I have been reading about the benefits of having a treadmill on an incline, s I have been slowly increasing the incline over the last couple of weeks.

Today 3.0 incline, I can't sustain a 3 mph pace, but I start at 2.5 to warm up for 5 minutes and then each minute increment it 0.1 until I hit 3.0 at the 10-11 minute mark.

I drop back to 2.5 for 1 minute,then 2.6 for 1 minute 2.7 for 1 minute, 2.8 for 2 minutes, 2.9 for 2 minutes, 3.0 for 3 minutes. then repeat, this last section twice more for a total of 40 minutes. (Pressing buttons, keeps me occupied and it keeps me motivated to get to the next 2.5 minute hehe) I get off the treadmill lightheaded, runners high, and drowning in sweat :)

My NSV - since deciding I could tackle the 3 steps outside hands free, I decided no more rail holding to my apartment! (3rd floor!!) It is slow going, and at times I feel unbalanced, but I am doing it!

Have a good day everyone!

Bea, kudos on your treadmill exercise, especially the incline and variation in speed. I'm no exercise expert--is that OK to be lightheaded after exercise? It doesn't mean you overexerted yourself? But, honey, this I DO know-- hold onto that railing going up and down stairs. Doing that doesn't make you a wimp--it's just good safety for people of any age.

Hi Mern, thank you for the concern, but rest assured, I am ok. The lightheaded is just from working hard. I am strong and healthy! The stairs is something I want to conquer again! I used to be able to run up the same amount of stairs (different apartment) with a child on each hip! Mind you, that is 25 years ago, but I don't FEEL any different than I did at 25! Heavier yes, unhealthier or older, nope! I will be careful, but I will win over these stairs!

Good morning everyone! Isn't it so much better when the sun is finally shining for a change? I got my weightlifting class in this a.m. and my protein shake so am off to a good start. I gained back .5 lbs over the weekend, but feel confident I can lose that and
maybe another pound this week. We shall see...

This Week's Goals:
1. drink 5-6 glasses water per day
2. eat under 1000 calories per day
3. workout 2-3 x per week

Bea, OK. I'll give you credit for knowing yourself better than I do. :) Best wishes with your stairs and exercise.

Aimee, it's a beautiful springlike day at 58 degrees with partly cloudy skies here in southeastern Ohio. :) Way to go on your exercise and protein shake. Half a pound gain will likely come off quickly--that can be just a scale fluctuation or water retention. Best wishes on your goals, too. I can't eat under 1000 calories per day--I'd get ravenously hungry and then go on a carb and fat binge in the evening. You're losing at a nice rate--that's the kind of loss that stays off better than rapid weight loss. Enjoy your day.

It's freezing rain here and about 15cms of snow coming tonight :(

I want spring too!!!! How about if I jump up and down, or hold my breathe until I turn blue? (apparently as a toddler, that was my way to deal with not getting what I wanted)

Bea, I agree with Mern. Holding on to the stair rail is not a weakness. If you're using it to help yourself up and down, I can see how you'd want to stop doing that. But I think for balance it's not a failure. jmo. Sounds like you had an awesome treadmill workout! Way to go!

Aimee, Oh Lordy I don't know how you stay under 1000 either. I'm with Mern. I'd end up binging. Sometimes I still do lol and I'm doing 1200-1400/day. Good luck with all your goals this week!

I feel bad for all of you who have to endure such a long winter. I miss the snow terribly...I love it. But I live in Gilbert, AZ where the sun shines 350 days a year. So when we get weather like rain and monsoons, I am loooooving it. I'm not ready for 115 degree heat! It's already in the 80's. Summer here is miserable and it's just around the corner. :(

I am one of the last die hard "winter lovers" around here, but even I am longing for grass and sunshine!

We have such beautiful beaches and ocean breezes here!! I'm not a fan of heat at all, but the beach is tolerable in the summer :)

My shrimp marinara sauce was a hit last night, so much so, that I didn't get to have any sauce for my spaghetti squash (I left it for my daughter) I thought there had been more, oh well. Spaghetti squash for my supper I guess :(

Bea, sorry about your cruddy weather. LOL on your behavior as a toddler. You remind me of my little sister--she used to thrust her hands straight out behind her and lean forward and yell or scream. I hope you found a way to enjoy your spaghetti squash without your shrimp marinara sauce.

I didn't get out to the store yet to get stuff I want to try some new vegetarian dishes, but I didn make a yummy stovetop casserole with sauteed onions and green pepper, canned tomatoes, and Dreamfields low net effective carb pasta and a bit of Parmesan cheese stirred in at the end. DH had turkey sausage with his but I refrained--the casserole is plenty good without meat.

Jenai, wishing you a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng spring and then directly into fall to bypass the 115 degree heat.

I sort of misspoke earlier today. I said the only prescription medication I take is eye drops for glaucoma. But I do take prescription vitamin D--a once a week time-release capsule because my body doesn't absorb over-the-counter vitamin D-3.

My day wasn't very balanced. :( I was pitifully low on protein and fiber, a little high in sat fat, high in carbs. I was under my calories but to add protein and fiber I'm going to have an Atkin's shake with milk later. Unfortunately that will put me over my calorie range for the day. Tomorrow is a new day. :o

I made another delicious dinner tonight for the family. Mini shells taco pasta with a thick, creamy sauce that really sticks to the pasta. However, I choose not to eat pasta so I took half a cup of the meat mixture (turkey, btw) and wrapped it up burrito style in an HG flatout, nicely toasted for a couple minutes. Only about 300 calories or so (guesstimating a smidge because I don't know exactly how much cheese or sour cream was in my half cup serving). But it was delectable. Very satisfying. That's the best, when your meal is healthier and you feel full and satisfied.

Wishing everyone a good day tomorrow!

hi all! I didn't get a chance to check in all day and I'm literally in bed with my ipad so I could check in. I had a good day foodwise but life took over and I didn't get a chance to workout. My back was still bothering me this morning so I opted out of my workout. After work I went to the chiropractor the stopped at the grocery store...then home to cook dinner, then took my daughter to the cheer gym...oh before I did that I mde 2 dozen cupcakes. Came home from the gym and decoated the cupcakes (they are for a bake sae at the kids school)..cleaned up, read books, got the kids to bed...no I'm wiped! Tmorrow is another day...hopefully I can find somw time to take care of myslef too;)

Jenai, my day was unbalanced, too. I got busy with my grandkids being here on spring break and did not pre-log my food. That's not an excuse, it's just an explanation. I suppose I could have MADE time, but I didn't. Your turkey taco burrito sounds great. I had a turkey Rheuben burrito on Light Original Flatout with Swiss Laughing Cow and sauerkraut. Yum.

Debbie, I hope the chiropractor did some good to alleviate your back pain. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Wow, did you have a busy day! Also wishing you some quality ME time!

Non-scale victory: learned something from analyzing my Monday report.

Monday report: my day was unbalanced, too. In trying to get in more meatless meals per week, I need to adjust to keeping my protein up. I didn't get enough protein today from non-meat sources, so my percentage of calories as saturated fat is higher. I need to curb my cheese and keep in mind that my veggie dishes are lower in calories than meat dishes. (DUH, Mern!) I'll get the hang of it--I think I even have a list of good non-meat protein sources on my hard drive somewhere. Yup, Jenai, tomorrow is a new day.

Green=on target Blue=off target but still time to get my weekly average in line Red=missed goal

Calories: 1200-1500 1234
Saturated fat limit: average 12% of total calories 16%
Dietary Cholesterol limit: average 200mg 101mg
Net carbs limit-total carbs less fiber: average 25g 25g
Fiber minimum: average 25g 37g
Protein minimum: average 110g 83g

Log every bite of food YES
Water 64 oz. NO
Exercise 5 days
Post non-scale victory YES

Today went well but I have a headache tonight.

Goals for the week

Monitor blood pressure
Drink water: Yes
Eat more fruit and veg: Yes
Exercise 3X
Lose 5 pounds

GOALS for the week
1. stay within carb limit 40g per meal no
2. 4 servings fruits/veggies yes
3. Exercise 4X 30 min no

Personal goals
1. write more/stress less
no

Jenn

My blood pressure and fasting blood sugar were normal this morning so I am happy about that. My weight is coming back down again and in a couple of weeks I should be back to my previous low. I plan on using the treadmill today for 30 minutes. There is still soreness in my legs and arms but I hope it will diminish in time. My diet is going well and I have my day planned out.
Make it a good day.

Our weather forecast today is for a wonderful spring 73 degree day. My agenda for this morning is to eat breakfast and go to the grocery store. Counting as some exercise this afternoon will be hand cleaning the wooden jungle gym in my backyard in prep for hanging the new outdoor baby swing I bought for my 7 month old great granddaughter. I expect that to take a few hours.

Libby, I hope you had a good night sleep and woke up without a headache. Good job on your BP and fasting blood sugar being normal today and on your weight coming back down! :) Your goal is to lose 5 lbs. this week? I forgot--are you retaining water?

Jenn, kudos on getting in your veggies. Wishing you a stress free day.

Good morning all! Up at my regular time this morning, so I got in my regular morning workout. I'm so glad I made the 2 dozen cupcakes last night because when my husband dropped off the goods this morning, he said the tables were pretty empty. It's understandable I guess...most parents work full time jobs so it's difficult to fit this in during the work week.

I'm not sure what's up with me? Spring is in the air....but I feel down? I sometimes feel like life is just too darn busy! Too busy to be able to slow down long enough to enjoy anything. The only time I ever sit down is when I'm at work (guess that's one good thing to a desk job!). I'm trying deperately to shake the feeling of doom and gloom. I think maybe I need to find something that gets me out of the house at least once a week....something that's just for me. I do take the time to exercise which I always considered my time, but I do this by myself in the basement. I need a social outlet I think?

Anyway, so for being so gloomy on this sunny spring day! I hope everyone has an awesome day!

I know what you mean Debbie!
I'm taking a writing course at local library which will be my social outlet for a few weeks. Wasn't Hope the writer?

Jenn

It could only be water weight because I went from 167 to 181 in 2 weeks. I too need to go to the grocery store and fresh fruit and vegetables are first on my list. Last summer I made these amazing grilled chicken vegetable wraps
with dipping sauce. In the winter I want hot food but in the summer I eat more raw vegetables and fresh fruit. I am going to get some grapefruit to eat
because I couldn't have any while I was on the cholesterol meds and I miss it.
My doctor won't be happy when I tell him that I am not taking my meds but
I am making an effort to live a healthier life style and as long as I take the meds he will not see what improvements I am making and what the meds were doing. He likes to write prescriptions or refer patients to specialists which takes for ever to get an appointment. I was checking out our public library on line and found some books on improving cholesterol without meds.
Mern, if you know of any good reference material that would be of help I would appreciate reading it.
This is the year that I will turn my life around.
I wanted to walk for 30 minutes but 20 was all I could do today. I will try to do another 10 this evening.

Hi ladies, may I join you? I'm just struggling right now to reach my goal. Last year I went from 210 to 147, from Jan to Oct. We've been trying to get pregnant (I've always wanted 3-4 kids), I have a condition that I can't produce eggs so we flew to Czech republic to do donor egg IVF. Over the Dec/Christmas/Jan-Feb period I was preg, Dec9-Feb 21 and gained weight-back up to 163, now I'm back down to 161 and would really like to reach my goal 130/135. I never did accomplish my weight goal last year, got side tracked with making babies lol.

I lost the baby due to Turner Syndrome, it was a complete fluke (1 in 2500 chance of it happening to anybody). So we'll go back in June to Greece and try again. I'd just love to feel great in a bikini and go into this next pregnancy feeling lean and super strong. I will take lildebbieg's advice and join your motivational thread if you'll have me and keep on chugging away with diet and exercise.

I've read your posts and think you're all great for trying to reach you short/long term goals and focus on the daily steps to get there. My goal is to cut out all alcohol (had a glass of wine Friday and 2 scotch Sunday and I think this buggered up my weight loss last week despite all the calorie restricting and exercise.) And exercise more at the gym (more cardio).

______________________________________
38 yr old 5'9
hw 210
cw 161
gw 135
low carb diet, clean protein, veg for carbs and lots of cardio/resistance training

Debbie, that was so generous of you, busy as you are, to make all those cupcakes for the bake sale. So sorry, about your "doom and gloom" feeling. I think your idea of getting out at least once a week for ME time will take you a long way in getting into a happier frame of mind. Getting out with some adult pals would be nice.

Jenn, that's wonderful that you're taking a writing course. Enjoy! Yes, hope is a writer.

Libby, kudos on your exercise. Disclaimer: :) I am not suggesting that everyone give up her cholesterol meds. That's a personal decision I made after reading the risks of statin medication and deciding it was not for me to begin with. Doc was blunt but understanding when I told her my siblings were on the meds but I refuse them. She said "Well, sometimes it does come down to a matter of how people would rather die." (In my case I choose heart attack over severe memory problems like my mother had. My siblings figure if they lose their mental faculties, they won't know it.) Doc also told me that some people can reverse their high cholesterol to normal through diet, fish oil capsules, and exercise, and some can't. My highest total cholesterol was 244 and I brought it down to a high normal 198 in six months. My highest LDL "bad" cholesterol was 127 and I brought it down to 106 (normal is under 99) in six months and at those reduced numbers my doc said she would not prescribe statin meds for anyone. Most of what I know about lowering cholesterol without meds is what my doctor (a general practitioner) and I worked out together after she went over my FitDay printouts so she could see what I was eating. I didn't have any books, but researched online alternative foods to help lower cholesterol--like using non-shell zero cholesterol eggs such as Egg Beaters and switching from pork to turkey bacon. I discussed my findings with her and she either agreed or disagreed and added her own thoughts. I'll look through my notes to see what I have that I can share. Question: do you have to go to that doctor if he won't help you except through meds? I changed doctors twice before I found one that was educated enough to help me. The first just handed me a prescription and I handed it back to him after he said it was a statin, and all the second one knew to tell me was "cut down on red meat." That grilled chicken veggie wrap sounds delicious! Grapefruit is a good idea--a natural diuretic, isn't it? I'm trying to go lower sodium. Do you have Mrs. Dash seasonings in Canada? All of the varieties are salt free I bought some today that is Chicken Grilling Blend and used it in place of salt on some veggies and it was quite good.

Charlie's Angel, of COURSE you are welcome here! Glad to have you join us! Thanks for sharing your story. Major kudos on your net weight loss from 210 to your current 161. My sincere condolences on the loss of your baby. I know that pain--our firstborn was full term in 1974 but died of very rare birth defects at 26 days of age. My heart is with you and I wish you great success in your next attempt at IVF. :) You have very nice weight loss goals, too. We'll all be rooting for you!

Libby, bear in mind that my doc's guidelines were based on my physical exam and blood tests and the fact that my only other health issues are glaucoma and a predisposition toward high blood sugar. As with weight loss diets, there are no "one size fits all" cholesterol reduction guidelines.

I have no books or publications but found these online articles helpful:

Reduce Cholesterol Through Diet

Eggs: Are they good or bad for my cholesterol? - Mayo Clinic

Cholesterol: Top five foods to lower your numbers - Mayo Clinic

MUFAs: Why should my diet include these fats? - Mayo Clinic

High Cholesterol Foods

this diabetes article also mentions saturated fat:
Answers from the Experts


What Doc and I worked out for me through trial and error:

Exercise: minimum of 150 minutes per week, combo of cardio and strength training.

Dietary cholesterol: 250mg per day, but now I have a limit of 200mg. per day.

Fiber: minimum of 25g per day. She thought 30g may cause intestinal discomfort, but I'm OK with higher.

Saturated fat limit recommendations 7-10% of total calories, but that's unrealistic for me so I strive for 12%.

Tips on foods to help reduce cholesterol:


1. switch from full fat to 2% milkfat cheese
2. switch from pork Italian sausage to turkey (71% less fat)
3. switch from pork bacon to turkey bacon
4. curb use of mayo
5. avoid processed meats
6. make a serving of meat 5 oz. or less
7. switch from shell eggs to zero cholesterol egg blend such as Egg Beaters
8. fish and poultry for two dinners a week each
9. beef or pork no more than twice a week
10. one meatless dinner per week--aiming for more than that now.

Foods that are supposed to help reduce cholesterol:
1. olive oil, but use in place of other oils. Putting it on everything adds a lot of calories.
2. 1 1/2 ounces per day of almonds or walnuts
3. Avacodo is supposed to help, but my doc thinks it adds more calories than helps reduce cholesterol

Jenai, thanks so much--I really loved your Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin! YUM! :) (Readers, the recipe in in the Food Talk Forum in the Vegetarian Thread http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...tml#post107033 Post #7) I had no idea spaghetti squash is so easy to cook--I did it in the microwave as you suggested.

Hi everyone! 14 hours of freezing rain AND 27cms of snow later, the storm is over!! What a mess... This was a combo of 3 storms since last Wednesday (Wednesday's dump was 53cms)!

There hasn't been school since a week ago today!
PEI is absolutely beautiful, but man! this winter has been brutal (and no end in sight)

Hi Everyone
 

Hi everyone, I'm new and would love to join in if that is ok. Thanks JediMindTricks for recommending me this forum. I'm a 27 year old female from Australia. I'm new to online tracking and only just signed up yesterday.

I was my goal weight when I was 15, but at the time was not happy as I was bullied at school for being 'fat'. I was a size 12 and 60kg. Over the past 12 years I have struggled with my weight due to various medical conditions. In particular depression, anxiety and due to some medication I have gained a significant amount of weight, currently I am 138.3kg - size 24-26.

I am engaged and wanting to plan my wedding for next March, however I refuse to walk down the isle at the size I am at the moment. Three years running I have put off our wedding date, now I am determined enough is enough and I will be getting married next year, I also would love to have children of my own but my weight is holding me back. I have a very long road ahead of me but I do believe I can do it, from support of family, my fiancé and 4 step children and all new friends I make.

I have set goals and dates to achieve and as I do I have small rewards for myself (not food). I have done a vision board and have hung up photos of when I was my goal weight as motivation. Each week I want to set personal goals to acheive.

This week my goals are:
1. Eat breakfast min 4 times this week (I never eat breakfast)
2. Drink 4litres of water a day
3. Do 1 session of Zumba a day 30 - 60mins
4. Do 1 session of Turbo Fire a day 30 - 60mins
5. Walk my dog Payton every day 30min
6. Record all food/drinks/emotions/daily journal/ exercise (General week just to see exactly how much I am in taking and what affects it's having on me, before starting replacing food next week)

I am not following any diet, I have tried many and failed. I struggle with calorie counting, hence why I found this site. I have chosen to cut out a lot of prepack foods, takeaways and sugary foods. I am going to replace these food with whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruit and vegetables. If anyone has any handy tips or suggestion I would love to hear from you. Feel free to add me as a friend also.

CharliesAngel - so glad you took my suggestion to join us!

Bridgette - so glad Jenai pointed you to our little check in!

I want to welcome you both! If I wasn't on my iPad I would have more to say....I can't type on this darn thing! I just want to quickly say WELCOME to you both! stick around...our group may be small but we're mighty! LOL!

Bea, so sorry 'bout your snow again! Sending you a warm cyberhug. :)

Debbie, hi. I don't have an iPad, but can say that I hate texting on my cell phone because it's too danged hard for me. I text to my grandkids' phones from my computer. LOL

Bridgette, welcome! :) I wear a size 24-26 now. But I feel good about myself because I'm working to conquer this obesity. Oh, yes--you CAN do this--you CAN get your weight down this time and look forward to a wonderful life with your husband-to-be and with your future children. But you don't have to get down to a size 12 again, do you? Is looking better in your clothes and feeling more fit a goal you could be happy with? Hey, something else we have in common--I have two stepsons and three step-grandchildren. Good for you on the non-food rewards. Really nice goals you have set for yourself this week. My goals aren't always the same from week to week. It looks like your food plan is very healthful with the whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruit and veggies. My only advice is to eat as many leafy green veggies as you can, such as spinach, kale, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage. They're lower in calories than starchy ones like potatoes, corn and carrots. I don't do the friend option through FitDay, but look forward to talking with you through this thread.

Closing down the kitchen and posting my Tuesday report:

My non-scale victory was getting so close to an all green report--just went over 1% on my sat fat. Hard for me to get low sat fat with my new eating lifestyle of cutting back on meat because I love cheese and I think of it as a good protein source in place of meat. The very high fiber of 59g was from eating low net carb, high fiber black soybeans after already having a bunch of flaxmeal.

Green=on target Blue=off target but still time to get my weekly average in line Red=missed goal

Calories: 1200-1500 1234. 1485
Saturated fat limit: average 12% of total calories 16%, 13%
Dietary Cholesterol limit: average 200mg 101mg, 157mg
Net carbs limit-total carbs less fiber: average 25g 24g, 25g
Fiber minimum: average 25g 37g, 59g
Protein minimum: average 110g 83g, 117g

Log every bite of food YES, YES
Water 64 oz. NO, YES
Exercise 5 days
Post non-scale victory YES, YES