Motivational Thread May 19-25
 

Good morning everyone,

Happy Monday!

My major goal for the week is to see 299 by Friday!
The scale, so far has not budged, but it will!

Many people take Monday to start over.......well it's Monday! Let's make this a fantastic week!! (I personally hate starting over, so I've figured it out!! If I stop quitting, I'll never have to start over :D)

Bea

Happy Monday Bea

You will see 299 - just keep going!

It seems strange to me starting the week with a holiday!

I made an mistake yesterday, went to the movie theatre hungry and ate too much popcorn! Next time I'll eat before I go.

My goals for this week are to walk at least 1k regardless of the weather (pouring rain today:(), to drink more water, to bring a lunch to work and drink some green tea.

Good morning all! I'm here for another week. My only goals this week are to shake the dark cloud that's been following me around lately and to getting back and staying on track. I thought this was fitting..."10 Things You Must Give Up To Move Forward". I've been letting too many things get in my way and in my head...mostly my own self ;) Have a great day all!



http://dontgiveupworld.com/wp-conten...ime-Is-Now.jpg

Good morning ladies. Isn't this weather crazy Robin. Rained all week. Today looks like the only good day to do some yardwork. Grass is growing like crazy!

GOALS
1. Keep to carb limit
2. 6 glasses of water (and coffee doesn't count)
3. more veggies
4. Exercise 4X for 30 min

Personal goals
1. Phone someone to trim bushes etc
2. Budget
3. write
4. let go of things that I can't control

Jenn

Well, last week entirely got away from me. Too many celebrations of graduation/retirements/faculty appointments/student invites to places ended up with my calories being entirely up and down and very little water drank. I'm up a pound today (182.2 this morning), which is discouraging, but I *also* know why it happened. It was impossible to log all the snacks. My eating was completely out of whack and everyone just kept handing me beers.

One of the reasons I dislike being a natural introvert is that I never have quite developed the social graces to politely decline without it becoming exhausting over and over again.

Ah well, no excuses this week!!!!!!! Now that commencement is over, I can settle back towards something like a routine. I do have a conference this Friday/Saturday in Chicago but I will be doing my best to plan for it.

Week goals:

1) Log everything
2) -4,000 calorie deficit
3) Workout 4x this week. 5 would be great. Follow Turbo schedule
4) Water 72 oz per day
5) Protein 25-30% of calories, daily and weekly

Here's to a lovely week everyone!

~Terri

Hi all. It's a beautiful sunny day and I am varnishing the furniture that I sanded and stained on Saturday. I also have house work to do and pants to hem. I don't know how much I will get done but it will be a busy day.

6 glasses of water
exercise 3x
3 fruits and 3 veg
keep calories under 1100
lose 1 pound

Debbie, thanks for posting that. I am a huge Stephen Covey fan. I just heard a talk in which he was quoted extensively. 'First Things First' is my favorite of his books.

'The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.' So true.

GOALS
1. Keep to carb limit a little over
2. 6 glasses of water (and coffee doesn't count) already up to 6
3. more veggies no
4. Exercise 4X for 30 min yes cut the grass

Personal goals
1. Phone someone to trim bushes etc
2. Budget
3. write
4. let go of things that I can't control

NSV--my watch is looser
Jenn

Hey Jenn you did very well!

I went out and walked even though it was pouring. Only 1 km.

Unexpectedly, my neighbour started her "Park Fitwalk" today. I hour in the park. Walking and strength training. It was fun. It had stopped raining. There were 6 of us.

Prepared leftovers for tomorrow's lunch:) Brown rice, with veggies and chicken.

Thanks all! I am so happy to be back:)

Hi everyone! My goal this week is to exercise every day. And keep on track with my calories.

If any of you remember, I sent back the 21 Day Fix workout program to Beachbody and ordered Slim in 6 instead. SI6 is exactly what I was hoping it would be. It's so much more to my level and speed. There are 3 different work outs, Start it up, Ramp it up and Burn it up. You're supposed to do each one for 2 weeks. But, Start it up is difficult enough that I may not feel comfortable moving on after 2 weeks. It may take me longer to work up my endurance and speed. But I'm ok with that. I did the Start It Up today, and although I only got half way through it before my body felt like a giant noodle, I am really satisfied with what I did. Unlike 21DF, I did not get frustrated or angry. I felt great with my accomplishment (and even 1/2 way through for me is an accomplishment!), and I am ready to do it again tomorrow.

I said to my husband, "Now all I have to do is exercise every day for the rest of my life." That was overwhelming and depressing. I'll think about 1 day at a time for now. Who knows, maybe there will come a day where I have to have my workout and love it.

The furniture that I varnished is in the house. The pants aren't hemmed and the house is still a mess but it was a busy day.

6 glasses of water M-Y
exercise 3x
3 fruits and 3 veg M-Y
keep calories under 1100 M-Y
lose 1 pound

Good morning fitday friends :) I had a great long weekend! We accomplished so much yesterday...75% of the fence is stained, I cleaned up my gardens and planted some annuals and got my vegetables planted and painted the front porch. I also managed to take the kids to the park! My washing machine broke on Friday, but I figured out what broke and have someone bringing us the part tonight and helping us to install it....so all should end well and I can start working throught the heaps of laundry that have been growing over several days! :rolleyes: I slept well last night (a rare thing for me!) and woke up feeling energized, refocused and recommited after slipping a little in the past few weeks. Instead of feeling defeated and letting that take control (what I've been doing recently), instead I updated my goal weight date and I'm once again ready to move forward...no looking back!

Libby - It sounds like you accomplished a lot this weekend as well! Feels good doesn't it!

Jenai - I'm glad to hear you're enjoying Slim in Six! I did it years ago when if first came out and I really liked it. All three workouts are very similar, so I did crave some variety by the end of the six weeks, but I did see some good results. I think they redid the program though, so my experience is with the original.

Robin - That's so awesome that you have a group of friends that you exercise with! I'm sure that helps with motivation and accountability!

Jenn - Congrats on the NSV!

Kathy - Honestly, I've never heard of Stephen Covey....I was just looking for something to motivate and help me refocus and I stumbled upon it. I like what I found though so maybe I should get his books!

Terri - It's so tough to stay on track when it comes to social events. But that was last week...you have a whole new week ahead to make strides. ;)

Bea - I'm here cheering you on to hit your goal this week! You can do this!! Woohooo!!!

Have an awesome day everyone!

It feels too much like Monday today. Hard to get back to work. I'm just going to try to eat better this week and walk daily. This is a lifetime commitment which makes it important to find activities we either enjoy or learn to enjoy. I have couch potato tendencies however I feel much better when I'm active and see myself as an active person.

Good morning Everyone,

Well I won't hit my goal this week!

I'm semi menopausal and I have my friend (Whom I haven't seen in 2-3months) and the B*tch brought 6 pounds with her! In 2 days the scale jumped 6 freakin pounds!

It is temporary and it will go, but UGHHH......... Oh well, I will keep going and when the drop starts it will be sudden and substantial!

Have a good day everyone!
(gonna go stamp my feet in the corner) :)

Terri, you know what the problem was, so don't be discouraged over it. Just pick yourself up and move on with your plan. That pound will come off before you know it.

Robin, sounds like your new group will be a good one!

Libby, good work on getting the furniture varnished. It's ok (if you ask me) that you didn't get everything done. redoing furniture is a big task.

Debbie, you got so much done! You must have been exhausted! So glad you slept well and woke up refreshed. I have sleep problems, and when I get that kind of sleep I cherish it!
Just get back up and get to it again. 6 lbs I can see how discouraging that would be. It's probably mostly sodium with just a little bit of real pounds. You'd have to eat an awful lot of surplus calories to gain that much!

Mary, don't beat yourself up either. Like you said it's a lifelong commitment and you just get back up and get to it again.


My calorie average for the week is still high at 1500 or so. I need to have a 900 calorie day or two to get my average back where it needs to be. I had one incredibly high day, one medium high day, and two days on target. So now I need a couple low days to balance out for the week. I think the calorie cycling is better for me personally than hitting one target every day. It's too much of a chore for me that way because some days I'm ravenous and other days I'm not hungry at all and I have to work just to get to 900 or 1000.

The only thing I need to work on more is on my low days getting enough protein. Protein is always a problem for me. I don't eat that much meat, but I tend to stay away from beans and such because I'm afraid of their high calories. Are there any low calorie proteins out there besides meat?

Hi Jenai,

I really am ok, I'm slightly frustrated, but mostly giggling. I know the scale is an evil beast sometimes, and I know I did nothing to account for this. It will come back down.

I have never had any kind of menstrual issues EVER. No PMS, cramps etc. At worst it has simply been a nuisance. So I guess a few days of scale shock is ok.

That's good, Bea. At least you're having a good attitude about it after all. I have pre-menopausal symptoms sometimes, like hot flashes, and it is NOT fun! And I'm only 43. I'm sure the scale is doing funky things from that too for you.

Libby: I love accomplishing stuff like that. I actually feel ACCOMPLISHED when I build or paint things! Or varnish them :)

Jenn: Nice NSV! Woohoo!

Robin: welcome back!!! I kind of like walking in downpours, at least when I plan to walk no matter what, haha!

Jenai: I'll tell you something, I've never gotten to that point where I just HAVE to have my workout, even in my best losing days... I think I'd love to be there just like you!!! For me, it's honestly just pure, natural laziness. I always feel good when I work out, and accomplished, but I can never seem to remember that feeling the following day. So weird. I'm super proud of you for feeling like you found a better workout regimen! Good job!! Thank you for the motivation. I need it. I guess step one is admitting the problem, right?

For me, high protein, low-cal foods tend to be in the fish family -- most fish is very high protein, though I'm not sure that counts as "meat" for you or not. Cottage cheese and egg whites are also high-protein, low-cal. You could also maybe add protein powders?

Debbie: Another social event snuck up on me yesterday (I had forgotten about the end of semester picnic) which is why my numbers are super-gross for yesterday. I have a REALLY hard time being obviously dieting around people. It's not exactly shame, but I find that it makes everyone else feel uncomfortable when I mention it. I think I'm most mad at myself for going for a piece of cheesecake. Thanks for the motivation, though - I need it! Glad you're feeling better!!

Mary: I love that -- I too am a natural couch potato. I'm going to remember what you said - "I feel much better when I'm active and SEE MYSELF AS AN ACTIVE PERSON" -- that all-caps part is the part that I think I need to embrace!

Bea: Aunt flow is a total b*tch ;) You'll show her! The door will hit her in the butt on the way out!

As I mentioned above -- yet another social event is the cause of my bad Monday numbers. I'm also heading to Chicago on Friday (ergh) but I am going to try to pack as much of my own food as possible to avoid eating terribly. I'm only staying for one day, at least. Today, Weds and Thurs should be easier, so I'm going to try to be as good as possible!!! Feeling REALLY sluggish today, however, and blood-pressure-y in that whenever I get up and move around I get a wave of the dizzies. I'm going to try to do some of my exercises to get the blood flowing before I pop in Turbo today.

Week goals:

1) Log everything M: yes
2) -4,000 calorie deficit M: -8 (off to a great start...) Total: -8
3) Workout 4x this week. 5 would be great. Follow Turbo schedule M: day off
4) Water 72 oz per day M: yes
5) Protein 25-30% of calories, daily and weekly M: 12% Average: 12%

Happy Tuesday all!

~Terri

Hi Terri,

I wonder if a different mindset, to eating in a social setting, would make you and others feel more at ease.

Some people are naturally drawn to more nutritious choices. I will always pick fruit or veggie trays over sweet trays (not for dieting sake, but because I prefer the taste of fresh produce). There are people who understand that, and they are the ones hanging around the healthy food.

As we get older, it is our responsibility to look after these bodies, we only get one after all! I've never met anyone who felt uncomfortable when I explained, I was eating "this" food, because I prefer it and feel it is a bargain on the health care system (both true btw). If dieting and deprivation aren't mentioned, I don't believe they would even be considered

Bea and Terri--you are hilarious! I take a fluid pill so I don't find I gain the water weight the same. Thankfully I had a "light" month.

Pouring rain AGAIN so I hope to do some Wii exercises this afternoon. Errands took a lot longer than I thought they would this morning.
Jenn

Hi Bea,

I like your thought; unfortunately anyone who knows me knows that I prefer chips and such -- but I'll try to come up with my own reasons for eating and not mention dieting! Maybe that would work.

I am transitioning to a new workplace soon, too, where I won't be around those who know me as much! Thanks for the advice. I will truly use it!

Jenn: I've been on birth control forever (and haven't really had a period in a few years due to it) so I just empathize with those that deal with it. I'm actually coming off my birth control in July and I have NO IDEA how that will go. Ugh! lol.

Terri - I completely understand how you feel....having to explain your food choices. People should just focus on themselves and not question others about food choices. When you say 'turbo' to you mean BeachBody TurboJam or TurboFire...or something else?

Bea - The bitch will be gone before you know it and will most likely take the excess 6 pounds with her :p

Jenai - Another good source of non-meat protein is Greek yogurt. My breakfast (almost daily!) is plain non-fat yogurt mixed with frozen berries. The berries semi-freeze the yogurt...so yummy! Beans are calorie dense yes, but they are also nutrient dense so don't shy away from them as a protein source. what you can do is keep the rest of the meal lower cal and lower carb to balance out the cals and carbs in the beans. I just had 2 yummy wraps for my lunch. I mixed chick peas, tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, green pepper and a little Greek salad dressing and used collard greens in place of a flour tortilla for the wrap. Yummy, nutritious, low cal, low carb, high protein. Give it a try! :)

Jenn - Good job planning an alternate indoor exercise rather than letting the rain be an excuse to skip exercise all together!

Debbie, thanks for the recommendations. I will try not to look at beans in a bad way, because you are right. They have so many nutrients and fiber along with the protein. I can't stand Greek yogurt, though. lol I know it's the big thing right now, but I tried it once and was like...gross! :rolleyes:

Terri, In addition to the Greek yogurt Debbie recommended, I also can't stand fish (except for tuna from a can). But I do like your reminder of eggs (which I love) and I never knew that cottage cheese was high in protein. You can even make an omelet by mixing both the cottage cheese and eggs together along with some good veggies. Good idea! Thanks!

Finished my Slim in 6 workout for the day. Still only made it half way but today I didn't take a break at the quarter point. That's an improvement and I'll take it! It's a really good workout. Next week maybe I'll go to the 2nd half which is using the resistance bands. Sounds scary and difficult!!! lol

Day 2 successful! Water, walk, green tea and homemade lunch. And thanks guys for the food tips. Greek yogurt and frozen berries, yummy!

Now that I am getting back into the swing I plan to go to the gym tomorrow and do weights. It's so easy to stray!

Here's to the rest of the week. Keep it up!

It is hard for me to work on one project at a time and I saw a program on adult A D D. I think that that is my problem. I am trying to complete projects already started and organize my life. Today I worked on the finishing touches of a quilt and in another day I should have it done. My day went well.

6 glasses of water M-Y T-Y
exercise 3x
3 fruits and 3 veg M-Y T-Y
keep calories under 1100 M-Y T-Y
lose 1 pound

Good morning all! Ready for another awesome day...a day to work towards our goals!?! :)

Jenai - Since you don't like Greek yogurt (what's not to like! LOL!) you may not like tofu or tempeh...although they are both a good source of vegetarian protein.

Libby - Feels good to wrap up unfinished projects. Great job getting organized and staying focused!

Robin - I agree it's so easy to stray! But with a little motivation and dedication, it can be just as easy to get back on track (at least that's what I'm telling myself ;) )

Have a great day everyone...make it count! :)

Debbie, I don't like the sharp, sour taste of the Greek yogurt. I love love regular yogurt. Why do you think I wouldn't like tofu if I don't like Greek yogurt? I've never had tofu before, but I've wanted to try it.

I forgot to mention, I signed up for the Beachbody Challenge. You put in your start weight and measurements, decide on your finish date then send them your before and after photos, and end measurements and weight. I put my finish (although you are never really finished since it's a lifetime thing) at January 2015. After I did that I regretted it because I don't think that's enough time. But if I keep up with the Beachbody exercise programs (after Slim in 6 I'm thinking about P90), watch my calories, etc. then maybe I can look way better and get close to my end goal. If they choose your photo and people vote for you, you can win up to $100k! So I have a long term goal, now I need to break it up into mini goals.

My mini goal is to workout every day this week except Sunday...the program is gracious enough to give you 1 day off a week. lol I'm sore today though!!! My legs feel stiff, and my upper body is reeeeaaaaally sore. The backs of my arms are aching, along with my sides/back under the back of my rib cage. I'm moving things that haven't been moved in a gazillion years. But I guess the aching means it's doing something and working, right?

I was thinking you may not like yogurt because of the texture (this is why my husband doesn't like it). There are different types of tofu...I personally like extra firm. I like it in a stir fry with lots of veggies and a sesame stir fry sauce. You can also buy dessert tofu that's soft and creamy and usually fruit flavoured. I'm personally not a fan of the dessert tofu.

That's so exciting!! If you keep up the exercise, the soreness will go away....give it about a week. After that, if you regularly exercise, you shouldn't get sore unless you switch things up and try something new or up your weights. I find if I stray from exercise for even a 4-5 days, I'm sore when I get back at it. I'll be here cheering you on to get as close to your goal as possible!

Will not be a good day foodwise since tomorrow is shopping day. Ended up having pasta for lunch since we had that in the cupboard.
Will get some exercise in this afternoon.

Jenn

Yep. the last day before groceries slump. Hope it was not KD.

A great day. Gym before work. Water, tea and lunch goals met. Went for a walk after work with some neighbours and taught them how to pick fiddleheads (that part didn't take long). Lunch packed for tomorrow. Now yoga and bed early:). It's 9pm here.

Jenn, the day or two before grocery day is truly awful! My kids especially hate the weekends because of that. I don't do the shopping until Sunday. I hope you found something!

Robin, sounds like you had a very good day!


Got my Slim in 6 done for the day. Still only did up to the halfway point of the first DVD, but it is getting easier in stamina. I still can't stretch as high/far, kick my legs as high, as deep on the lunges or as fast on most of the moves. So I'm wondering, should I move on with the video, or should I keep doing the first half until I can do more of those things? The second half is using resistance bands, and I just know that's going to kick my butt! lol

Calories good today. Having another low day. Just under 900, so I'm doing about 1300/day avg for the week since last weigh in. The Atkins shakes are coming in real handy. Not a ton of calories, even with the cup of milk I add, and they have a lot of protein and fiber.

For breakfast I had a shake with milk and a small apple, sliced, sprinkled with 1 tsp sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Covered and microwaved for 1 minute so the apple is crisp/tender with a side of 1 Tbsp of peanut butter. Sooooo delicious! Protein was 22.8 and fiber was 11.2. Calories for everything was 406 calories, which is high for what I normally do, but I think it had good nutritional value. It was so good, in fact, that it's going to make my regular rotation of breakfasts.

Jenai I like your breakfast idea. I usually do a protein shake but the apple idea sounds like something I could do for a snack anytime during the day.

I seem to be on hold. Hard to get motivated to get strict on my diet when I start holidays next Thur. I think I will focus on maintenance for the next 3 weeks. I need to put up a few reminders to get back into fitday as soon as I get back. I do plan on weighting in the day I leave and hope to be busy enough not to gain.

Sounds like you're doing great with the new workout Jenai! If you're not doing everything 'perfect' just yet, that means you have room to grow with the program and you'll improve over time. I say go for it! Incorporating the second half may be tough at first, but that's the point right? As they say "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you" ;)

Debbie: I do Beachbody TurboJam :) One day I'd like to graduate to TurboFire. I've always wanted to try P90x or Insanity, but I always worry because I have a bad ankle and a lot of the moves they do on those (hopping up and down) are bad for the ankle, even with a brace on. I know things can always be modified. I might just be a chicken, but I do often roll my ankle working out even with brace/modifications.

Jenai: Those cottage-cheese-and-egg omelettes actually sound pretty yummy! I actually can never eat cottage cheese, the texture just makes me gag, but maybe in something like that it would be good. A lot of the low-fat cheeses are fairly high in protein - nothing like meat, but still, something to get it into the diet. Aching DOES mean something is happening - make sure to drink water and stretch those muscles out if they're sore!!! You go girl!!

I agree with Debbie - give that second half a try. You might need to pause it a couple of times but you'll feel really great that you got it done!!

Robin: You remind me that I'm always wanting to add green tea in during my day and I never do. Maybe I'll make that a goal soon!!!

Libby: Ooooh, I'm a crafter too (although I sew) and I'd love to see a pic of your quilt when you finish it!

Mary: We're here for you when you need us!!!!!!

As for me: I have no excuses for not getting my exercise done in the past couple of days. I'm stressed about my Chicago trip coming up tomorrow (I don't want to go) and I have been moping/sulking about it. I still can feel the stress of it looming today, but I'm going to pop in my DVD as soon as I'm finished checking in here and get some exercise done; hopefully it will lift my mood a little bit. I'm terrible when I'm stressy, I just turn into a toddler again, wanting to stamp my foot and say NO, and hide under a blanket. When was I supposed to grow up again?

Week goals:

1) Log everything M: yes T: yes W: yes
2) -4,000 calorie deficit M: -8 (off to a great start...) T: -592 W: -439 Total: -1,039
3) Workout 4x this week. 5 would be great. Follow Turbo schedule M: day off T: no W: no
4) Water 72 oz per day M: yes T: no W: yes
5) Protein 25-30% of calories, daily and weekly M: 12% T: 10% W: 22% Average: 14.67%

~Terri

OMG...is it already Thursday???

Goals:
1. work out 3 x week (M/Y, T/N, W/Y, Th/N
2. Drink 4-5 glasses water per day (M/Y, T/Y, W/N, Th/Y
3. Log food daily (M/Y, T/Y, W/N, Th/Y
4. lose a pound this week...we shall see...

Memorial Day weekend coming up, so I will try to be good. I'm afraid that I am getting this terrible cold all my family has come down. I always get it last....sore throat last night and this a.m....I took some airborne to try to cut if off before it gets bad. We shall see...

Jenai- I like that apple idea. I will try that. I say go for it on the next workout level too btw.

Tonight my daughter is graduating from high school. Out of 350ish students in her Senior class, she is one of the top 5 graduates. Not top 5%, Top 5 people! I'm sooooo dang excited. My eating has been good today. I was mulling around the idea of getting take out for dinner since we have to leave at 6:30, and I was concerned about getting everything done. But I managed to pull together some bbq chicken sandwiches for the family (I just had two little thin slices of chicken in sauce with no bread). AND I didn't want to exercise either. At all. But I worked through my laziness and pushed play. I did the first half again. I'm getting way better at it but the lunges still kill me. lol I'm planning on starting to work through the 2nd half as well maybe this weekend but by Monday for sure.

Eeeesh! Made some bad decision today! My daughter had dance photos so after school it was a real rush to get her dressed (in her first of two costumes!), makeup on and hair in a tidy bun...not to mention get some food in her belly! By the time I got her to the studio I realized I hadn't had anything. I had a bottle of water and a turkey sandwich on pita....followed by a bag of chips! My period showed up 3 days early and I'm in munchies mode!!! My guess is I wont have a good weigh in tomorrow...we shall see!

Aimee - Hop you're not sick...especially on a long weekend!

Terri - I hope your stressy mode disappears and you're able to enjoy your Chicago trip :)

Mary - Enjoy your trip! Maintenance is half the battle right! If you can manage that while traveling on vacation, I say you're ahead of the game!

Robin - K, you've got to explain fiddleheads to me. I see them in the stores right now...where do you pick them? How do you prepare and cook them...season them...eat them?