Motivation and Accountability - Feb. 8 - 14th - Don't stop now!
 

Good morning my fitday friends! :) I want to start us all off this week by reminding us all that weight loss is not a linear process. There will be weeks when you are on track with your plan, yet it may seem as though you aren't making progress. It's at these times where you need to dig in your heels and not give up to those pesky negative thoughts that tell us we can't reach our goals. Remember, even if you aren't seeing results on the scale, there are other ways to measure progress! For me, the scale has been stubborn for the past week or so. This is when I start to look at other means of tracking progress. The scale may have been up this morning, but my clothes are feeling looser....that's progress! My body fat is down....that is progress! I need to start taking progress pictures again....that's another great way to track progress! For those who have a nicer scale than me :p, congrats on your loss! For those who are struggling, find other ways to track your progress. As long as you stick with your plan, the results will come. If you give up...well, 'nuff said :cool: Let's make this a great week!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8EOOHrrzf...e-weight-1.jpg

I'm changing up my plan a bit this week. I will be travelling this weekend which means I won't have access to my gym...this means I need to get in my strength workouts earlier in the week...I can do cardio anywhere I go as long as I have my running shoes :) I'm also going to up my water and decrease my calories and see if that will get the scale moving. However, since I'll be travelling it will make it harder to accurately track food since I won't be weighing and measuring and I'll be eating at a restaurant a few times. I will keep my goals in mind when making restaurant selections and I'll just have to guesstimate in order to track ;)

Weekly Goals and Accountability
80 oz. minimum water daily:
max. 1400 calories per day:
take vitamins daily:
full body workout (Tu, Th & Sa):
core workout (M, W & F):
cardio (M, Tu, W, F & Su):

Good morning, all!

I had a really good weekend. Stuck to my food plan and exercise goals Friday, Saturday and Sunday which is really tough when my husband is home and wants to eat out a lot.

After a two week plateau, my body is finally giving up the weight. I lost 2 lbs. over the weekend alone, which was a HUGE surprise! (I never lose weight on weekends.) So, as Debbie said, when the scale is "stuck", keep your chin up and carry on. If you calculated your calorie and fitness goals correctly, your weight will drop. The only thing I changed was my fluid intake. That always seems to help to get the scale moving in the right direction for me.

Since January 11th, I'm now down just under 9 lbs.! When I look in the mirror, I can really see it which is SO encouraging. My weight was mainly around my middle, and my clothes are definitely fitting much better. Since I'm making progress, I'm keeping my goals the same for another week...

Personal Accountability Goal Sheet, Week 5

1. Eat clean; eliminate the 5 "bad foods".
2. Limit diet Coke to one glass per day; ideally zero.
3. Drink 1 glass of tart cherry juice per day.
4. Drink two cups of antioxidant tea per day.
5. Take all vitamins and supplements.
6. 45 minutes of core building per day.
7. Walk 4 times this week; minimum of 45 minutes each day.
8. Stay within calorie limits.
9. Log everything.
10. Continue to very gradually add yoga and flexibility exercises to increase range of motion. (Spine)

Debbie, good words you started us off with this week. Thank you for that!

Quinn, proud of you for sticking to your plan this weekend...and you got rewarded for it!


I on the other hand did not stick to any plan whatsoever, and I couldn't understand why I was so non-stop hungry. that time came early and I wasn't expecting it...that explains a lot! I have been so discouraged, but I decided just this morning when I was up at 3:30 am that I'm not giving up. I'm going to refocus starting this morning and get myself back on track and join the rest of you again.

I started off this morning on the right foot by NOT having any chocolate chip cookies that my daughter baked last night. yea me!

I think I might have mentioned previously that a lot of my problem lately has not been overeating junk food so much as it's been large portions at dinner, having a meal at breakfast which I don't normally do and things like that. I read up on glucomannan and decided I'm going to give it a try. I know there's no such thing as the magic pill, but I'm going to try this to see if it helps. All it is is fiber that poofs up when you drink water, like metamucil or other fiber digestive aids. I don't get full be drinking water before a meal, but I'm hoping having this fiber bulk up in my stomach will help me keep my portions smaller while still feeling satisfied. I ordered a bottle of it off Amazon so it should be here within the next week. I'll give it a week or so after that and let you all know if it's working or not in helping with my portion sizes.

And then there's that evil thing called soda again. That demon keeps rearing it's ugly head for me. I've been indulging too much, especially over this past weekend. I started to reach for it this morning, but then stopped myself and went for the diet. I'm going to try very hard to make better choices today, and then tomorrow I will worry about tomorrow. And hopefully those tomorrows will add up to be a week of good ones, etc.

I appreciate you all very much!

Lisa,
I'm a very, very weak person. lol That being said, I can't have ANY of my trigger foods in the house. No junk food, no bakery, no sweets, nothing. I know that sounds extreme, and it's much easier to do now that we are empty nesters, but that's the only thing that works for me. If there are chocolate chip cookies on the counter, I can guarantee that they will be gone by morning. lol

When we had kids at home, I just gradually started cleaning up all of the food that entered the house, since I was primarily in charge of purchasing it. The kids slowly found new favorites and now that they are 22 and 32, they have continued to cook and eat a very healthy diet... probably more so than I do. In fact, my son has a four year old that has never eaten at a fast food restaurant, which I find amazing. When my kids were little and I had a long, tiring day, I leaned on the drive thru often, especially on days filled with sports and band practices, etc.

I did it so slowly that they rarely noticed. About the only "bad" thing in my entire house are wintergreen Life Savers, which I munch on when I crave something sweet. Also, 25 calorie hot chocolate has saved my butt plenty of times when the craving for chocolate hits.

Hang in there! I know you'll find a system that works long-term for you. =)

Debbie, you are right: there are many ways to monitor progress. And sticking with it rather than giving up IS progress. Good luck with your "away plan." Tell us how it goes.
Quinn, you do not seem weak to me. It takes willpower not to buy the things and bring them home in the first place. 9 lbs, fantastic!!!!
Lisa, you resisted homemade chocolate chip cookies. My hero! Yay you!
My friend came to visit and she was really good on her gluten free plan and it was if I was eating for the two of us.
I have not been eating well (ice cream, TWICE, really?) or feeling well so here I go....

1) clean eating:
2) plan meals
3) walk when I can
4) keep track of my water
5) don't beat myself up for needing rest

Happy Lundi Gras people!! Once again, my scale is stupid. Friday it said I weighed 208.0. I ate way too much over the weekend, including (but not limited to) king cake and crawfish. I know I'm retaining water weight from the crawfish. I'm bloated and look/feel much fatter than Friday. I hop on the scale this morning only to have it lie to my face... 205.0.

I'm running out of windows to throw my scale out of. I can't keep building new house to keep creating new windows, so something has to give. I may have to switch back to an old school scale and get rid of this digital crap!

Food porn below...
I did make an awesome roast this weekend. I found the recipe on Facebook. It was by far the easiest roast I've ever cooked and it was awesome. This fat boy tore it up!! So tender and juicy and the flavor was out of this world! I did some ginger roasted carrots and some mashed potatoes to go with it. Only one thing could have made the meal better, if I would have finished it off with a warm slice of rum cake.:D

If anyone wants that recipe, just let me know!

So here I am, on the eve of Mardi Gras, working. I guess I've gotten to be too old when the thought of missing Mardi Gras doesn't bother me.

My goals will be simple this week:

1) Gallon of water a day
2) have my messed up scale read 204.0
3) check in daily
4) do something productive (make, build, or work on something)

Good day, Fitday Friends! First things first (in other words, let me get this bit out of the way):

Strategy for last week, Feb 1 - 7:

• Average daily calories: 1350-1450 RESULT: 1224
• Average sodium: 1400-1500 (and at least 75% potassium to offset) RESULT: 1206 (potassium: 1639, 136% offset)
• Average daily fiber: at least 25g RESULT: 25g
• Average daily protein: at least 50g RESULT: 55g

Result for the week? A GAIN of 1/4 pound (grouse, grumble). I blame it on that blasted fried chicken from a few days ago. The sodium was ridiculous. Probably had high not-good fat content, too. I wish I could say it was worth it, but it was just ok. Not bad but not grrrreat!

Strategy for this week, Feb 8 - 14:

• Average daily calories: 1200-1300 <--- NEW
• Average sodium: 1400-1500 (and at least 75% potassium to offset)
• Average daily fiber: at least 25g
• Average daily protein: at least 50g

This week, I'm lowering the calorie budget, since I seem to have been averaging 1250ish since the beginning of the year. Other than that, I'm not making any drastic changes. As I said last week, I'm not finding it too terribly difficult to adhere to this strategy, so I suppose that's a good thing. I almost do it without thinking about it. That's my true goal -- to get away from front-of-mind micro-managing and have this simply be my "regular life".

I do wish this plan provided me with the Big Drop, but I'm probably going to have to accept that the Big Drop just isn't in my destiny. Years -- no, let's be honest -- decades of dieting experience has proven it. This body simply doesn't get it. Doesn't mean I won't continue to grouse and grumble about it, though :).

You've been warned :D.

Ok, now that I've gotten the stats done, time for the social! Yay!

Debbie: Debbie, oh Debbie, I should have read your opening post before posting stats! Haha you addressed everything I was thinking about! You're absolutely right (as usual). This is not a linear process. Thanks for the reminder and thanks for starting the thread with so much positive energy. You're a peach! Good luck with traveling and eating on the road. Do your best to make reasonable choices. I know you will.

Quinn: Congratulations on breaking through! You're a great example of how to staying the course pays off. 9 pounds since January 11 is phenomenal!!!

Lisa: Portion control is a big gotcha for me, too. I mean, seriously, who eats a "handful" of nuts? I'm really curious about the glucomannan; I hope you'll keep us updated with your progress. I'm like you -- the glass of water before meals doesn't work for me either. Two quick cautions: 1) bulking up on fiber suddenly, when your system isn't accustomed to it, can cause a bit of... shall we say, rumbling. 2) I'm not sure if it applies to the product you've ordered, but I've heard that one must be careful to fully swallow things that "bulk up". If it gets caught in the throat, it could cause problems. Of course, that's probably just an old wives' tales (I'm an old wife, so... yeah...) but it's still worth keeping in mind. Good luck! We're all rooting for you!

Hope: I hope you're feeling better soon. I know it comes and goes. Please do keep #5 on your list in mind. Make it #1 if you have to!

Mike: You crack me up ("running out of windows..."). I hear you on the digital scale, though. About 10 years ago, I purchased one of those big, old-fashioned doctors' scale. The old one, with the sliding counter-weights (newer doctors' scales are digital *sigh*). It feels solid to me. More importantly, I know it's accurate because every now and then, I place a 5-pound weight on it (see? I DO use my hand weights!!! :D). Except when we moved (and it got jostled around), I've never had to re-calibrate it.

Ok, I hope I'm all caught up. Gotta run -- stay the course, y'all!

A doctors scale is a good idea.

Do any of you use water intake apps on your phone? I started using one this weekend called "Plant Nanny". You have a virtual "pet plant" and if you don't add water, (log water intake) your plant dies, which is horrible because the darn thing is kind of cute! lol I can't believe I got suckered into drinking with this thing, but it really does work. You can set a timer to remind you if you aren't drinking enough during the day, which is also helpful.

Quinn: That sounds cute. We have to do whatever works. It sounds like this is working for you!

For me, I generally do tea instead of plain water. I really struggled to get in 80+ ounces of plain water. From what I understand, tea is a perfectly acceptable substitute (unless, of course, it's doctored up with milk/cream and sugar).

I started drinking tea about 2 years ago. Up until then, I was a die-hard coffee gal. Tea was for weenies, I scoffed. But I realized I didn't want all the calories associated with the cream (I was doing minimum 350 calories a day from JUST cream :eek:), so I bit the bullet and made the switch to green tea (with a pack of stevia). Now that I'm accustomed to it, I can chug tea all day long. And I actually enjoy it! My "trick" to make sure I get enough fluid in: I have 4 16-oz mugs. If all 4 are in the dishwasher at day's end, I've done my due. That, in addition to a bottle or two of plain water (I prefer doing vitamins with water), and I'm good for my 80+ ounces.

By the way, I recently branched out. Now, I do 2 mugs of green and 2 of pu-erh. The pu-erh was a bit jarring at first (it has a rather "earthy" smell, like damp moss). Fortunately, it tastes a heck of a lot better than it smells. Of course now, after about 5 months, I've gotten used to the smell and actually find it comforting. Weird how things work out, eh?

Epi,

I'm not a water drinker, either. I drink decaf coffee in the morning, and then switch to anti-oxidant tea or green tea for the rest of the day. In the evening, (...when I crave something sweet) I make 25 calorie hot chocolate.

I try to get my tart cherry juice in at noon. That was a bit jarring, too. When they say tart, they mean TART! I have to drink it watered down with half water and maybe some stevia.

Quinn, That's a good idea. I'll see if I can find that app. Maybe I can get on the ball and drown my plan.

I'm alive and well. The scale was fairly kind to me after this past weekend. I cooked for my dad's birthday and lets just say, he loves a good southern meal. I ate well today for breakfast and lunch so I would have calories to play with for supper. After eating and logging everything I'm at just under 1300. Not too shabby. I've also had 6 bottles of water today. SIX! I normally struggle to get in two.

Goals are simple
1--log it all
2--at LEAST 3 bottles of water
3--lose one pound

I will try to catch up with everyone after BF wakes up.

Hi all! Glad to see so many of us back for another week!! We're into week 6 of the new year...a time when many would have forgotten their resolutions...but not us!! Great job team! :D

Weekly Goals and Accountability
80 oz. minimum water daily: M - y
max. 1400 calories per day: M - y Guess I should have kept my goal at 1500 cals! ;) Oh well...there's always tomorrow!
take vitamins daily: M - y
full body workout (Tu, Th & Sa):
core workout (M, W & F): M - y
cardio (M, Tu, W, F & Su):M - y

epi, lol on the "rumbling". Yes, I plan to start off with just one a day before dinner, and I'll see how that goes. I'm looking forward to seeing if it helps me feel fuller.

quinn, I could never keep a real plant alive, and I'd probably end up killing the virtual one too. lol I'm so bad at drinking water or tea or anything good for me. Sounds like it's working for you, and that's a good thing! :) Also, regarding the snacks in the house...I'm looking forward to having more control over what is in my pantry. If it's in the house, I eat it...all of it! I have tried so many times to not bring junk in, but the family rebels. I usually make one type of treat a week, whether a cake or pie or something, and maybe one or two things in the pantry. I've taken back a little control because lately I've been buying granola bars. They have some great flavors in the brand I buy, and some of them are like eating candy bars for just 150 calories. That's been my saving grace to quench my sweet tooth.

tori, 6 bottles? woohoo for you!!!


I haven't decided if I liked my dinner tonight or not. I tried a new recipe...chicken sesame salad. The dressing was seriously lacking in any type of sugar to offset the saltiness of all the other ingredients. soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, ginger, canola, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar...I like all the flavors, but it was really potent and needed an offset in there. The salad was finely shaved cabbage, shredded carrots, green onions, almond slivers, sesame seeds, and cilantro. That part was all good. Filling and good for me and almost no calories...win! The chicken was just ok. I didn't have time to let it sit and marinate, so I cooked it in a skillet with a little soy sauce to give it some flavor. I'll tell you, though, after eating it I was seriously wanting something sweet. I was good and decided on an atkins with milk for a chocolate drink treat. It's very good!

I'm doing fantastic today on my calories. I keep thinking there's got to be something in there that I missed in my log, but I think I got everything. I've got about 600 calories left before I hit my target. I'm hoping to end the day under 1700, but I'm sure I will have something more before bed so my day won't end at 600 under. Day 1 back has been a good one.

Good morning!
Quick check in before I start my day...


Personal Accountability Goal Sheet, Week 5

1. Eat clean; eliminate the 5 "bad foods". Y
2. Limit diet Coke to one glass per day; ideally zero. 0
3. Drink 1 glass of tart cherry juice per day. Y
4. Drink two cups of antioxidant tea per day. 2
5. Take all vitamins and supplements. Y
6. 45 minutes of core building per day. Y
7. Walk 4 times this week; minimum of 45 minutes each day. Y
8. Stay within calorie limits. 33 over
9. Log everything. Y
10. Continue to very gradually add yoga and flexibility exercises to increase range of motion. (Spine) Y

Good morning, Fitday Friends!

Yesterday presented two mini-challenges. First, I went shopping hungry, AGAIN. You'd think I would have learned my lesson last week, but nope, did it again. And again, I made an impulse buy. What was different this time? The impulse buy was PLUMS! Challenge: passed.

Second mini-challenge happened much later. It was a bit after midnight and I felt nagging hunger pangs. I toyed with the idea of getting a snack. I had been "good" all day and calories were under budget. Or, since it was after midnight, technically, it was "tomorrow", so I could record the snack there. In the end, though, I decided against any snack at all. Challenege: passed.

Fruit? Passing on snacks? What is happening to me??? :D

Quinn: Good start to the week. Keep up the good work!

Lisa: I can't take credit for the advice on... rumbling. It's pretty much the same advice our own Hope gave me back when I started bumping up fiber. I'm just passing it on. That Hope is one smart woman.

Make it a good one, folks!

1) clean eating: yes until night
2) plan meals: yes
3) walk when I can: I walked when I barely could
4) keep track of my water: yup and fulfilled my goal
5) don't beat myself up for needing rest: Y couldn't help it

Epi, I loved the line: see? I do use my hand weights

and Mike I like how you said your scale lied to your face.

When I change my diet, it messes up my tummy so I did have some pretzels (pretzels or crackers usually help even tho I am trying to keep away from that stuff.) I was hit by a big fibro flare. I could barely sit up or walk but I did shuffle around my new neighborhood a bit. I must have looked like I was imitating Tim Conway (if any of you know who he is/was.) I had to skip a meeting I wanted to attend last night because I couldn't drive and couldn't convince DH to come, migrating birds apparently are not a great incentive to him.

Oh Hope, I'm so sorry you're suffering through another flare. Although absolutely nothing like you experience, I've been dealing with a lot of pain, off and on, from chronic inflammation issues and spinal arthritis for about 13 years. Over Christmas, I could barely move and needed a lot of help. I was taking Celebrex until it seriously messed with my heart and BP over Christmas. I went off of it, cold turkey on Christmas day, and braced for the worst. To my astonishment, I started to feel much better. I was totally stunned. My heart rate and BP returned to normal, as well, within days. After Christmas, I met with my DCM (...who is also my husband's best friend) and with his guidance, I started a barrage of natural, non-prescription anti-inflammatories. Additionally, a friend, now in her 70's, told me that when she was in her fifties, she was diagnosed with RA, Fibromyalgia, and several other things, to the point where she had to quit her position as a college professor. I had some guidance from her with Super Antioxidants that helped her immensely to get back on her feet.

I have absolutely no idea what is working, but 6 weeks later, I feel better than I have felt in probably 10 years. Now, the trick is going to be figuring out exactly what is helping. I don't know if I should keep taking everything, or start to eliminate things, one by one. When you have pain to the point of giving up, it's my first inclination to keep taking it all. I don't want to go back to where I was over the holidays.

I do force myself to walk every day to combat the spinal arthritis. Without that, I would be in big trouble.

Doctors were useless to me. All they wanted to do was prescribe pain meds and prescription anti-inflammatories, which came close to giving me a heart attack. I'm sure you've tried it all, but don't give up. I'm convinced that MD's are clueless regarding unexplained, chronic inflammation. There are answers out there, and it's like finding a needle in a haystack to find which ones will work for you. But, there are answers. I've never been more convinced of that.

((Hugs)), my friend. I'm pulling for you. =)

I had to go across town this morning for about a 40 minute drive each way, and waited for about 45 minutes at my destination. On my way out the door this morning I thought to myself, "It's going to be a long drive. I'm going to go through McDs and get a soda for the ride." But I didn't!!! Then on the way home I thought to myself, "If I made it out here without a soda, then I can make it home without one." And I did!!!:D I came home and immediately made an atkins shake with milk, and I know it's making me happier than a soda would have. With this I get chocolate and no guilt!

Great start to my day!

Congratulations! That's definitely a big win! I wasn't as disciplined today, I'm afraid. I just downed a 32 oz. diet Coke from McDonald's. :o Oh well. At least my plant is getting watered! lol

I laughed at your comment about keeping a plant alive. I have a totally black thumb, when it comes to plants. A virtual plant is all I should ever be trusted with! :D

Lisa: Way. To. Go!!!!! You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Proud of ya!

Quinn: Wait, Diet Coke is a no no? Uh oh... I allow myself a 12-oz bottle 3-4 times a week (only after I've done my tea/water fluids for the day). Oh well...

Haha! On my goals, I list one diet Coke per day... I didn't say what size, like McD's half-bucket size! ;) Having 32 oz. of diet Coke in me definitely made me walk faster today, though! lol

Weekly Goals and Accountability
80 oz. minimum water daily: M - y, Tu - y
max. 1400 calories per day: M - n, Tu - n Hmmm....I really should have kept my goal at 1500 cals! :rolleyes:
take vitamins daily: M - y, Tu - y
full body workout (Tu, Th & Sa): Tu - y
core workout (M, W & F): M - y
cardio (M, Tu, W, F & Su):M - y, Tu - y

quinn, I drink diet soda continuously. My current favorite kind is Fresca. I know the chemicals in it aren't good for me, but it's way better than all the sugar in regular soda imo. I really hate water, and nothing can get me to drink it. I was using an infuzer bottle for a while, which worked in the short term but not long term. I just can't bring myself to drink it. I don't like tea either. My husband has a very giant insulated cup glued to his hand for his tea. He goes through 2 12-c pots a day!

I'm 350 calories over my target for the day. It's only 7pm and the only thing left on my menu for the day is another atkins shake and milk. I logged everything, and I feel I must be honest and admit I had a 290 calorie cheeseburger. I was doing so good, though, and 1 little thing just throws my day in the dumper.

Also, I had 1.5 servings of dinner instead of just 1. This is where I'm hoping the glucomannan capsules I ordered will help me. I had 1.5 servings and really could have gone in for more, but I stopped myself with still feeling hungry. I'm also not good at bulking things up with vegetables. We have them sometimes, and my family really likes them a lot...I just don't buy them all the time. Kind of expensive for fresh veggies and it's almost like an indulgence to buy them.

I had a very long day in the car playing taxi for the kids after my trip across town this morning. I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to call it an early night. That will keep me from eating the pantry, too!

Good morning, friends!

It is so cold here this week! We're dipping below zero at night, and only in the teens during the day. For those of you in the south, this is how it goes for us during the winter...

Phase One, November/December: Look at the snow! It's so beautiful!!

Phase Two, Christmas: It just wouldn't be Christmas without snow!! It's a winter wonderland!

Phase Three, January: Another 3' of snow?? You've got to be kidding. I don't feel like going out in the dark to snow blow for an hour, just to get my car out of the garage to get to work!

Phase Four, February/March: There's a -25 windchill, my car won't start and my snow blower died. I can't walk out my patio door because there's 3' of snow on it and I haven't seen my backyard since November. (Stabs self squarely in eye with fork...)

The 'Cabin Fever' stage has most definitely set in around here. Everyone is crabby, pasty white and permanently chilled and/or sick with a variety of respiratory infections. To go walking yesterday, I had to go out in 6 degree weather with 40 mph wind gusts, freeze my butt off to drive 5 miles to the mall and walk across a deserted parking lot, being knocked sideways by the wind. THEN, I had to walk. I so miss the days of walking out my back door onto a beautiful wooded path enjoying nature, in normal temperatures!

Looking back on yesterday...

Personal Accountability Goal Sheet, Week 5

1. Eat clean; eliminate the 5 "bad foods". Y, Y
2. Limit diet Coke to one glass per day; ideally zero. 0, one massive bucket of Diet Coke
3. Drink 1 glass of tart cherry juice per day. Y, Y
4. Drink two cups of antioxidant tea per day. 2, 1
5. Take all vitamins and supplements. Y, Y
6. 45 minutes of core building per day. Y, Y
7. Walk 4 times this week; minimum of 45 minutes each day. Y, Y
8. Stay within calorie limits. 33 over, Y
9. Log everything. Y, Y
10. Continue to very gradually add yoga and flexibility exercises to increase range of motion. (Spine) Y, Y

Hi all. I was just reading every ones posts for this week and I am so glad that you are doing so well. I took a break from dieting and posting but I am ready to come back again before I do any more damage.
Goals for the week:
Drink 8 glasses of water
Keep calories under 1100
Rest and get over this cold

So I have been productive but I haven't hit my water goal yet. I have come close.
Monday, I built a firewood rack. Tuesday, which was Mardi Gras, instead of partying, I did some work. My wife and I went out to the new house, set up the firewood rack and stacked a trailer load of firewood. That night I walked 4.4 miles. Even though I've been good, my stupid scale says I'm up 2 pounds. See why I hate that thing?

My goals will be simple this week:

1) Gallon of water a day no, no
2) have my messed up scale read 204.0
3) check in daily yes, no
4) do something productive (make, build, or work on something) yes, yes

Libby: Welcome back! Hope you get over that cold soon. Having a cold can throw so many things out-of-whack, especially motivation to stick to dieting.

Mike: Perhaps you can apply that GTFO, BAN hammer to your scale :D? ((ETA: Am I gonna get in trouble for using that acronym? :eek:))

:eek: That's a good idea.

hi, everyone. Mike, taking the ban hammer to your scale is a good idea!

Libby, good to see you!

Quinn, your winter timeline made me chuckle. I feel bad for you! Although I miss winter and snow terribly, I don't deal with any of that here in the desert of Arizona. I'm the polar opposite. I have these types of feelings in the summer when you walk outside and the moisture in your eyeballs immediately evaporates, when you have to drive with oven mitts on to prevent 3rd degree burns from the steering wheel, etc. It's coming early this year. It's in the mid 80's already! ugh. The kids want me to turn on the a/c already.


Well, as usual at this time of day I'm doing very well. I had a little soda, but not a lot, and the rest has been diet. I had an atkins shake w/ milk for lunch. For a snack I had the popcorn idea Debbie told me about...airpopped popcorn with parmesan, onion powder and salt on top (delish!!!) I had a good sized bowl of that for about 150-175 calories (I didn't weigh the kernels before popping so I had to guesstimate a little). Took away my munchies and filled my belly pretty well. I'm pretty sure I can make it til dinner tonight.

Tonight's menu is a very calorie-reasonable chicken teriyaki casserole. I'm hoping to finish up my day under target for once. Usually what I do, because I'm a food addict, is eat more to fill up my calories to the limit, or even a little over. There's something unsettling to me that I haven't "used up" all my calories. There are starving children in Harlem, and I'm blessed with the opportunity to eat, so I should! (said sarcastically) but there is some truth to the thought process. Not sure how to combat that. I guess it has to be sheer willpower, of which I possess none.

My scale is down a bit, and I'm thankful for that. I'm hoping to stay on track the rest of the week and have good weigh-ins Friday and Monday.

Have a good night, all!

So glad that you're liking the popcorn mix!! I swear by it!! Low calories and very satisfying! ;)

I did it! Finally! I finished under 1700 calories yesterday and came in at 1584. I went to bed so I wouldn't eat anything else. lol

Good morning!

I am in such a good mood this morning... which is really odd. Did something great happen? No, not really. In fact, I have to go pay my property taxes today. I'm energized and happy and ready to go walking right away today.

The only thing that is different, is that my chronic pain is literally gone. To say I'm stunned is an understatement. Since fall, I would wake up and spend the next 2-3 hours trying to work the extreme stiffness and pain out of my lower back. And, boy, I was crabby and frustrated by not being able to jump out of bed and do all of the things I wanted to do.

After Christmas, I did so many things that it's difficult to know what exactly worked. Is it the daily 2 mile walks? Is it the barrage of dietary supplements? Is it the PT? Is it the change in diet? Is it losing a few pounds? Is it lowering my BP? I seriously have no clue. But, it is truly amazing how chronic, long-term pain brings you right down. I feel like I've been given my life back. It remains a mystery, but one that I am so grateful for.

In addition, I got on the scale today and found that I have reached a milestone. Today, I am officially 10 lbs. down from the first week of January! =) It really hasn't been that hard, either. If I want to feel that "stuffed" feeling, I just fill up on healthy, low-cal foods, instead of breads and bakery and junk.

Well, time to get walking!


Personal Accountability Goal Sheet, Week 5

1. Eat clean; eliminate the 5 "bad foods". Y, Y, Y
2. Limit diet Coke to one glass per day; ideally zero. 0, one massive bucket of Diet Coke, Y
3. Drink 1 glass of tart cherry juice per day. Y, Y, Y
4. Drink two cups of antioxidant tea per day. 2, 1, 2
5. Take all vitamins and supplements. Y, Y, Y
6. 45 minutes of core building per day. Y, Y, Y
7. Walk 4 times this week; minimum of 45 minutes each day. 2
8. Stay within calorie limits. 33 over, Y, under
9. Log everything. Y, Y, Y
10. Continue to very gradually add yoga and flexibility exercises to increase range of motion. (Spine) Y, Y, Y

Congratulations, Lisa! You're doing great! :)

Lisa: Well done! Give yourself a big, ol' pat on the back!

Quinn: That is fantastic news about being pain-free. What a relief that has to be. AND you're 10 pounds down??? My friend, you need to go buy a lottery ticket!

As for me, I have no great news, but no bad news either. Instead, I'll share something I found interesting. As many of you know, I reluctantly made the switch from coffee to tea about two years ago. To prepare tea, I take a 16-oz mug of water and zap it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Comes out piping hot, as I discovered one day last year when I lost control and dropped one... on my hand... We're in a different house now, with a different microwave, but the same mugs. I still put in 16 ounces, but every now and then, maybe once a week or so, only 15 ounces come back. The other ounce has apparently exploded (I set it and walk away, coming back when it beeps), coating the cup itself and the entire interior (door, included) with piping hot water.

Why is this, I wonder, as cuss under my breath while mopping up the soggy mess.

Well, I did what I usually do -- I went into research mode. Turns out, I've been VERY fortunate. Apparently, it is a VERY bad idea to microwave plain water. It can become "super-heated" and it's not uncommon for it to simply explode, rather than bubble-boiling, as water heated on the stovetop does. Even after taking it out of the microwave, the potential for an explosion exists, especially the moment one introduces a new element to the water, such as... wait for it... a packet of stevia (or sugar) or a teabag.

I won't go into all the science behind it, but a solution (other than "just don't do it") is to place a wooden spoon or coffee stirrer in the mug to help make normal boiling bubbles. Lucky for me, I have a pack of wooden stirrers!

Anyway, Part 2 of the research led me to discover that I've probably been making tea wrong this whole time. Different teas are best at different temperatures. I always thought HOT was good and piping hot was best. No sir. Green tea, for example, likes a milder temperature, around 170-180. Who knew? ((Probably you all did -- I'm the tea-newbie around here :D)). Black teas (I think the pu-erh I like is considered a black tea) is better with the higher temp, so I'm ok there.

Well, that's enough learnin' for me for today. I'll change my tea-making practices starting tomorrow. Or maybe next week. Although I'll start the wood stirrer thing this afternoon. No need to press my luck :D.

Stay safe, everyone! Make it a good one!

Oh, and apparently 3 minutes for 16 ounces is overkill. Assuming this is a 1000w microwave, I could probably get away with 2 minutes (1 minute for 8 ounces). No wonder the tea stays hot for well over an hour. And here I thought they were just super-efficient mugs (and I was oh-so-clever for buying them) ;).

Hehe looks like I've been extremely lucky. Maybe I should be buying that lottery ticket!

Quinn, that's so fabulous about waking up pain free today! Who cares what the magic ingredient was to the mix...obviously keep doing what you're doing. maybe it's everything all together that's making it work. Happy for you!

Epi, I had no idea about the water thing in the microwave. I too have had soppy messes in the microwave. I always put water in a bowl, put in the dirty/smelly dish sponge, nuke it for 3.5 minutes and it comes out clean, disinfected and smelling good again. It often leaves a mess in the microwave too. Also interesting about the tea. Maybe I should learn to like tea. Maybe if I try different kinds I might find something I like.


I'm doing ok so far. I had an unplanned granola bar for 140 calories that is taking me 28 over my target today if the rest of the day goes as planned. I'll have to be careful from here on out to stay reasonably near my goal of 1700. Tomorrow is weigh in day already. I hope to see a change for the better on the scale. I've been putting in a lot of effort this week to get back on track and stop eating out of control. I hope it's paid off and gives me hope to keep on going.