Motivation 9/21-9/27 Keep building on what you're doing right
 

Last week we all set some good goals for ourselves. Let's keep it going this week and build on what we're doing right, and try to diminish the things that aren't working for us.

I failed at exercising to my videos at least once. I'm still terrified of putting my back out again, and I'm coming off a knee injury that isn't completely healed. I know it sounds like nothing more than excuses, but I don't want to be in pain from injuries...it's a true fear of mine. I'll keep working on it this week. Another thing I'm going to keep working on is limiting my full sugared soda intake. I don't know what happened to Coke's recipe from last week to this week, or if the Walmart got a bad bunch, but it tastes different, and not in a good way. all 3 bottles I bought had a weird taste, which is good because I didn't drink them. I still had (and shared) a few fountain sodas from Circle K.

Here are my goals in a nutshell:
1. Limit full calorie soda intake
2. Do an exercise video at least once
3. Drink Atkin's shakes with milk daily

How do you feel you did last week? What goals will you keep, modify or add?

Happy Monday. Let's do this!

Good morning! I made it through the entire week without giving up on my goals. That's the first time in a long time.

1) drink 100 oz water a day
2) check in and touch base with everyone here
3) 2 RAKs (random acts of kindness)

Goals? What goals lol? Well that was last week and this is now. Ok despite the fact that there is a major holiday (Yom Kippor) in the middle of this week, I will:
1) Eat better
2) Get back to work
3) 3 RAKs ( I already did one)

I am following the three goal pattern here and borrowing one of Mike's. RAK more doable for me than 100 oz of water.

I stood on the scale at home this morning and it actually registered a weight.

328.8

Sadly I have undone much of my hard work over the past year.

So my goals for today and for the next 12 days, in order of importance:

1) Housework until I drop because only the bare necessities were done while I was away.
2) Paper work so that all my usual duties can be kept up in my next absence.

3) Stay away from the cheese (already failed on this today, but I am not yet broken)

4) Daily walk

You can do 100 oz water! Are y'all coming down for Mardi Gras?

I've had an ok day. a little bit of soda, maybe 8 oz, the rest today has been diet soda. I had a little bit of ramen noodles with egg in it for dinner, but it wasn't enough to fill me for a full meal. I'll be having my atkins with milk in a little while. I'm still recovering from my bad food day yesterday, and I just feel blobbish. ick.

hi Hope! nice to see you!

Annette, good solid goals for your week.

Mike, you certainly didn't give up on your goals last week...you knocked them out of the park! You know you can keep it up, so here's to a good week for you.

What types of things are on your menu for the week?

Are you kidding? I can barely do 32 oz of water!!! DH and DD make fun of my "tiny sips." Just cause I don't guzzle. Speaking of guzzling, (like the segue?) I would LOVE to come for Mardi Gras again. It was soooooo much fun. (And sooo much money for a place lol, the price gouging bastids, pardon my French.) Probably won't make it for that time but DH is telling me HE is going to NOLA this winter if I'd like to join him. Got some good news, will be in touch soon.

Hi Annette, I too am trying to break the cheese habit. So hard, I love cheese.

Hi Lisa, the blobbish feeling will pass. I have been craving soda and am drinking home made iced tea with stevia instead. Not bad.

Morning, folks! Some of my goals for the week are to:
1. Keep up with PT exercises for my knee and pay attention to my pain signals.
2. Keep fluid intake at least 80 oz per day, protein 110 gm daily and fat 50-55 grams per day--according to my nutritionist, I've not been getting quite enough fat in my diet and it could exacerbate my OA--who knew?

Gotta grab my walking cane and run (very carefully!) some errands today--pick up meds, pay some bills--all the stuff that runs our lives! I might even hit a movie while I'm out! Vicki

Lisa, your fears are genuine. Maybe you could do something that doesn't involve too much use with the knees, or drop it down a notch until the knee is better?

Mike, you are an inspiration with your meticulous tracking of goals.

Hope, what don't you like about water? Maybe we can help you come up with calorie free or lighter options for getting in there?

Annette, ((hugs.)) I'll trade ya likes, I hate cheese, I love chocolate, so my hubby got me addicted to expensive dark chocolate for its healthier qualities. He knows I'm too cheap to buy it all the time, LOL!

Vicki, dang, that's a lot of protein! LOL! Hope ya catch your movie.

My goals
1) check in daily (as sucky wifi permits)
2) track my food on paper (sucky wifi - see above)
3) working the cranky treadmillI despite the audience.
4) keep up water.

So maybe someone can explain the whole protein thing to me. I was vegetarian for a while and the concept of eating that much protein eludes me. I can't do dairy for health reasons (hate cheese, can't do yogurt, etc if it's related to a cow I avoid it) love beans, eat meat but not that much.

DH has left us for the week and will return later, so I sent him on a mission to find out what equipment our clubhouse has at home, hoping he'll send photos. Oldest DD has expressed an interest in weight training so she can carry horse equipment and if she's gonna go for it, I might as well tag along and maybe hire a PT who works with teens so she does it right. My treadmill at home is fab, but some strength stuff would be good!

I have to fend for myself this week with food, lol, my hubby cooks way better than I do and now that Monday is out of the way no more bad food choices. I think we'll be making tacos with ground turkey for dinner (at least I know the girls will eat that, and there are veggies involved, maybe mine can be a salad instead.)

Planning to hit the stairs and treadmill all week, but the littlest will protest about the 14 floors, so unless I can convince the oldest to ride with her, the stairs maybe tough to accomplish.

Hope, I was doing okay with cheese, only buying Swiss cheese and leaving the cheap cheese for my family but my doctor told me to double my salt intake. The only way to do that is eat cheese that is high sodium because I hate salt in my oatmeal, soup, or food. Cheese and bacon are my only big salt sources.

At least until I leave my kids alone to shop for two weeks. I came home to a fridge filled with sausages straight off the shelf (I have mine specially made without salt), ham, full salt bacon, pork and beans, and Chefboyardee. They even have a tetra container of commercial chicken broth.

Grumpy, I don't dislike chocolate but I am terrified of it. My first trip to the ER as a child was because of chocolate. Only two men have ever brought me chocolates in my life and that was grounds for never seeing them again. Oh, I am highly allergic to tree nuts and cross contamination is high in chocolate. Yeah, so I won't trade.

Today I am adding another goal. WATER

Oh Annette, how terrible.

Unlike Hope, I was able to get in 100 oz of water.

1) drink 100 oz water a day M. Yes
2) check in and touch base with everyone here M. Yes
3) 2 RAKs (random acts of kindness)M. No

Annette: I realized you were allergic to tree nuts but didn't realize chocolate hurt you too! I'd be lost without my dark chocolate--especially my chocolate coffee and dark chocolate balsamic vinegar! I love my bacon and the low-salt version tastes pretty good--some bacon really is way too salty. The best bacon I've tried came from a smokehouse in Arkansas--it was very lean and dry smoked. They also have smoked cheeses, sausages and hams that are great.

Grumpy: I realize my protein intake may be much higher than what others may need but with OA, lymphoedema, chronic cellulitis and chronic asthma along with trying to correct nutritional deficits, preserve muscle through exercise/diet AND lose weight, my MD suggests that I eat half my weight in protein grams per day (at 255 pounds, that would be around 128 grams protein per day), fat at 50-55 grams per day, 25-30 grams fiber and 30-40 grams other carbs per day. I also take vitamins to fill in any nutritional gaps. At 110 grams protein per day, that I feel I can do. I love meat, cheese and eggs--but that is a lot to eat which is why I use protein bars, drinks and powders.

Because of my chronic issues, some foods like grains and beans are off limits right now. They will be phased into my diet gradually as I get closer to the goals set by my MD. Other things, while great nutritious foods, work against my body and I will probably never be able to eat some things that other folks feast on daily.

When I started to try to lose weight and get healthy at >370 pounds, I was trying to eat the 'normal' amount of protein 60 grams per day, lowfat and high carb meals--the weight loss was very slow and I felt weak and lethargic all the time. My MD told me that 60 grams per day was an adequate amount of protein for a 120 pound 25 yr old female--which I definitely wasn't! At my target weight my protein should level off around 85-90 grams per day. This nutrition thing is truly a 'work in progress'! Fitday helps so much! Vicki

I can totally relate. I was able to undo all of what I had worked so hard for. It sucks but it's my fault, therefore it's on me to fix it. Nice set of goals. Keep plugging away!

Nothing on the meun. That seems to be the problem, I need to plan ahead. I've honestly been too busy lately and have fallen victim to the drive up window all too often. This morning we had to get up and drive an hour to meet with our builder (to finalize the plans on the house and take the next step in the build). We stopped at Chick Fil A for breakfast. On the way back we stopped to look for furniture and ending up stopping to get gas at a gas station that just so happen to have food. I had meatloaf, mashed taters and gravy and corn. It was actually really good. Probably really bad for me. You know what's a good way to recover from a bad food day???? 100 ounces of water!

You can do a 100 ounces, you just chose to be weak minded and let it intimidate you. Even though you don't have faith in you, I do and that should count for something! Don't let me down!!! Yes, you need to come with him. Unfortunately the new house won't be quite done, be we can still go check it out!

What are these "fluids"you speak of?:D

Glad to see you grumpy! I'm not sure about females but when I was working out, I tried to take in 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. For example, when I was ~170# and 10% body fat, I would try to take in around 150g of protein per day (170-10%=153). That's excessive, I would assume for women, .5-.75g per lean body mass would be sufficient. This isn't necessarily you but lets say a female weighing 150# with 30% bf could probably take in 52-79g and be fine. I'm no expert but that's what I'm banking on.

Don't get me wrong, no judgement on the protein, just not something I'm familiar with so I ask questions, lotsa questions. I've always kind of low carb-ed (love my carbs) and high veg/fruit and whatever was left could be a variation of meat fats etc. (my slipper slope has been sweets.

My goals
1) check in daily (as sucky wifi permits)M-Y, T-Y
2) track my food on paper (sucky wifi - see above) M-N, T-N
3) working the cranky treadmillI despite the audience.M-off, T-Y
4) keep up water.M-Y, T-Y

Ran 2.14 mi in 30min, with the girls being super patient, it's hard to run and talk at the same time LOL! mDD, now insists we go for a mile walk on the beach and then hit the pool before dinner (I swear she is after her inheritance already (she's 9) she's trying to kill me!!). I'll be fit as a fiddle in now time!

Vicki, okay the protein makes sense now. I just keep reading everywhere that everyone needs to up their protein intake and I know I get nowhere near the RDA, which might explain somethings. Good thoughts for pondering, and further research. I have untreated Crohns and found meat to be a trigger along with dairy, so other protein sources might be to my benefit.

Annette, I didn't know you were nut allergic, but it makes sense that almost all chocolate is off limits. Everything is cross contaminated.

Mike, thank you. Protein questions make more sense now, and definitely something I need to look into and question my MD about.

Guess, I need to make that Dr. Appt for when we get back. *sigh*

mike: The fluids I mentioned are a combination of water and usually 1 cup of plain unsweetened almondmilk. I usually do 3 24 oz glasses of water as a minimum plus the almondmilk. Some days, like today, I've had over 90 oz of fluids. Very rarely do I drink diet sodas.

Grumpy: Good questions regarding protein! By all means, get your MD's guidance. What I need could be entirely different from what you need. Vicki

I failed miserably on the water. I need to step up my game today. (120 ounces today)

1) drink 100 oz water a day M. Yes T. No
2) check in and touch base with everyone here M. Yes T. Yes
3) 2 RAKs (random acts of kindness)M. No T. No

I have failed miserably for two days in a row. I am about to stand on the scale and expect a 5 lb gain. BRB

328.2

So that's what a gift horse looks like.

I had ham for dinner. Salt content alone should have netted 5 lbs, but I made it worse by having two servings. And I didn't make my minimum water requirement. I drank coffee and milk yesterday.

Vicki and Grumpy, I keep baking chocolate, the unsweetened type, in my cupboard for chocolate cravings, but as a rule, I find that I have a greater weakness for butterscotch. My allergy has it's perks. Halloween candy has rarely been a temptation to me.

Mike, thanks for the encouragement.

I had an NSV today. I had to run into the grocery store for a minute and I really thought about getting a king size candy bar. As I was going through the store picking up the things I needed I was having a conversation with myself (not out loud lol!) about why I shouldn't get one. I thought to myself, "I could wait just a few minutes til I get home and have a chocolatey atkins shake with milk instead and it will be even better than a giant candy bar." So I went home, had an atkins w/ milk and it WAS better than a candy bar. It was better because I got the chocolate that I was craving, but it came with absolutely NO GUILT when I was done! and it was healthier calories, too.

I was proud of myself.

Annette, even if you've failed for a couple days, your next decision could be the start of getting right back on track. you can do it.

Loving the beautiful weather we're having and the mild temps along with low humidity! Mobility is much better and pain is less. PT exercises are getting a bit easier too. Enjoying the late summer veggies.

Annette: 'Do the next right thing' is a saying you will hear pretty often in 12 Step Recovery circles. I'm sure glad to know that each day brings new opportunities to make better choices.

Lisa: Glad you were able to forgo the candy for a better choice nutritionally! Small victories are still victories!

Vicki

Still no RAKs for me. I held the door open for an elderly lady when I was going to the store but that doesn't count. I guess that would be a RAK if I were a yank, but being from the south, it's just what we do. I need to step up my RAK game!

I had six 16.9 oz bottles of water so I barely go in a 100 ounces. Did get in a gallon like I hoped.
1) drink 100 oz water a day M. Yes T. No, W. Yes,
2) check in and touch base with everyone here M. Yes, T. Yes, W. Yes
3) 2 RAKs (random acts of kindness)M. No, T. No, W. Nope

Is the paper connected to the wifi? I see you're having a connection problem. Connecting the pen to the paper.:D Good job on the 2+ miles!

Yeah definitely talk to your Dr., I wouldn't want to give out bad advice.

That makes sense. Just making sure that "fluids" wasn't wine. Sometimes I feel I need to clarify with this group of misfits.;)

You're welcome. Two days of failure is nothing. I've had over a year of it. Look and my before and after pics... now reverse them. I'm back to looking like my before pic.:eek:

What is an NSV? Being guilt free is always good.

Mike: NSV is a Non-Scale Victory. Sometimes they're the best kind! V.

How is everyone doing today? I undid my NSV by having a NSF (new acronym for Non-Scale Failure lol). I'm ok about it though. I'm still doing better each week than I did the week before and that's my goal to begin with. Just keep making progress. My NSF's are less and less each week. Soda. ugh. I love it so. I need to break off my relationship with it, but it's just so...good. lol Again, I'm doing better and that's my plan. Some days I have too much, but some days I have none.

I'm going to start keeping track of my progress in the Friday Weigh-In thread. I know I gained a bit this week...I can just feel it. I feel bloated. I had leftover beef rice with hamburger, salsa and cheese, but I had too too much, and I felt sick all night. I haven't felt right since then. I'm sure this added lb or so will come back off in the next day or two.

What do you all have going on this weekend? Not so much here. Busy day tomorrow with a dentist appt for my 15yo son...he's getting a filling for the first time and is being a big baby about getting a shot. lol. Then I have a med-check appt for my bipolar and anxiety meds. It will be a long day with no nap. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I sleep terribly at night (sometimes not at all) and always need to supplement my sleep with a nice long nap during the day. I will be hurting by tomorrow afternoon. But then I have the weekend to do nothing. Oh, wait! Maybe, oh just maybe, I can get my ass up and do some exercise. What a novel idea. lol

My weekend has to be spent getting paperwork done. I'm in charge of a children's program in our church. I have already postponed the start of it because three of the leaders were away for part of Sept, me included. Now I won't even be there for our postponed start date and perhaps not at all for the month of November.
There was hope that I could bring my mom to the lower mainland for radiation treatment, but I realised that having her away takes pressure off me. The bottom line is that I am on heart meds but there is no need to push the envelope with stress in my life. One stress at a time.

While I am doing paperwork, water intake is important. Staying indoors is kind of important as well. It's raining out there and I don't need to get chilled and sick again. Not with my mom's surgery in just over a week.

OK I have been AWOL, incredibly busy week.

What a bunch of water pushers you all are lol!!!! Actually I have been making decaf herbal tea and drinking that; does that count?

I think I need to plan food. So here it is:
bkft: one egg, one egg white with spinach, mushrooms, scallions (already had)
snack:goat yogurt with raisins and sunflower seeds
lunch: tuna or chicken with salad
dinner: veggie burger with salad or fish with veg
snack: nuts and fruit

1) Eat better: ummmmm
2) Get back to work: a bit
3) 3 RAKs (I already did one); 2 so far

Ha Mike, wifi and paper are just not connecting, what am I doing wrong?? LOL!

Annette, hang tight and hold fast to your goals.

Lisa, yay on the NSV! With the Atkins shake!

Vicki, glad the cooler weather is doing ya some good.

Mike, yay on your goals. I love that you're including RAK in your goals.

So apparently that's a goal I'm not quite ready to work on just yet, recording food. I've fallen in love with running and the idea of exercise, a new thing for me. And while I can't seem to log food on the slow clunky wifi, or the old fashioned way with pencil and paper, I am happy to report that I am making conscious choices that are better than I would normally make. Over the last 6 months I've stopped eating out, which makes the food choices 99% better. I've started choosing healthier foods (natural things like fruit, upping veggies at meals and hubby is cooking healthy otherwise.). Food allergies plague me, but I can work with them when I put a conscious effort forth and I'm seeing the effects. Yay! I love all foods that are bad, like cookies and muffins and chocolate, but since deciding I was going to do this journey, I find myself passing on the cookies, they're just too sweet. My hubby has spoiled me for chocolate, by getting me addicted to 72%+ so a bag of m&m's taste like a bag of sugar lately.

I think the biggest change in me, is the goal of 10,000 steps per day and actually hitting, exceeding or at least getting darn close (I'll thank the 9 yr old for that, yes the one that is trying to kill me!)

Today is my birthday, and I'm working out how to celebrate it. I will have cake, just a small piece, but I will also run! I have promised the girls a walk on the beach and it will likely turn into a 2 mi walk. Yes some of my fluids will come from a wine bottle! :)

1. Didn't check on Wed or Thurs.
2. No paper contact
3. Didn't run yesterday (been fighting a headache for 2 days)
4. Sufficiently hydrated

2.21 mi on the treadmill in 30 mins, plus 14 floors down and 10 floors up.

I figure I deserve a cupcake!

Grumpy, Happy Birthday!!! I hope you enjoyed your cake and wine, but also the 2 mile walk. It's amazing, isn't it, how our palate changes when we give it some time? As you're more sensitive to sugar, I am more sensitive to salt.

Mike, how are the RAK's going? Water intake?

Hope, your food plan for the day is incredibly healthy. Good for you for being able to eat like that. I don't think I'm mentally and emotionally ready for that level of health. I'm working on it though!

Annette, don't go and get yourself sick before your mom's surgery especially. You've always got so much going on. I don't know how you handle it!

Vicki, so glad to hear your pain is lessening.

Sara wanted yogurt pretzels and the best place I know to get those is Sprouts. I used to go there quite a bit but have gotten away from it. I don't know why. Their fruits and veggies are so fresh and vibrant! And they're way cheaper on most stuff than the grocery stores. I was shocked when I saw the strawberries...they were soooo reddish-pink...the perfect color you would imagine strawberries for only $1.50. I need to make it a habit of going there again for produce and other treats. I also got her a little scoop of chocolate covered almonds from the bulk bins. Ok, I might have had 1 of those and I might have had 4 little pretzels. lol I couldn't resist.

Unfortunately I gained a lb this week. :( I think part of it was going overboard on the leftovers with flavored rice that was processed in a box....tons of sodium! Also, I still haven't been able to completely get away from the soda yet, and I'm sure that's contributing. And I had 1 candy bar.
And I had a sausage egg mcmuffin this morning while out and about. So, still far from perfect, but I'm also seeing more good choices as well. I just need to get the scale tipped in my favor to more good choices than bad choices.

What's everyone got planned for the weekend? I don't have much going on...no tournament this weekend. phew! a break 2 weeks in a row! I'm going to do my best to do well this weekend, and I'm also going to make a goal of logging my food all weekend. I need to get back in the habit of doing that too.

Grumpy: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Good job on the treadmill and stairs! Enjoy your birthday!

Hope: Where do you get the goat yogurt and what does it taste like? Do you make the yogurt yourself? I have a friend who makes her yogurt from cow's milk and cheese too--her cottage cheese is so much better than what you can get at the store.

Lisa: We belong to a consumer supported agriculture group in our area and we get a box of fresh, locally grown veggies each week along with things like honey, spices and sometimes fruit. We also have access to local eggs and some meats. It encourages us to eat more veggies and I've learned to enjoy so many more than what I ate years ago.

Not much planned on my homefront for this weekend, just grocery shopping in the morning, finish laundry, housework and a ladies meeting at church tomorrow night, cooking will be very minimal, maybe make a soup with my leftover grilled veggies.

Vicki

Hi Vicki,
I buy the goat yogurt at the health food store. It is called Redwood Hill Farms. It comes in flavors but since I try to avoid sugar, I buy the plain and add coffee flavoring, liquid stevia and sunflower seeds and raisins. It really has a nice taste and no funky aftertaste. I wish I could have the other kind but regular yogurt makes me really sick; homemade is awesome tho.

Lisa, That was my plan, not what I actually did lol but I do feel better when I get as close as possible to eating that way. Poker night last night I didn't just play with chips, I ate them A whole lot of them.

Plan today:
Egg salad with sugar free mayo and lettuce on sf bread and an orange- ate already

The goat yogurt I didn't eat the other day lol

Some kind of southwestern quinoa salad with homemade carrot juice and squash

Might go to a vegetarian potluck tonight so I have to be careful... buffet situations are dangerous for me...

Happy Belated Birthday, Grumpy!!!!! Cake, wine, run, time on beach with loved ones, sounds great. I hope it was.