7-Day Motivational Thread Starting 2/21/11
 

Good morning everybody, here goes another week and another clean food log on fitday. This week is going to be a little nuts, thank heaven the swim season is over.

Health and fitness goals:

1. Keep calories to 1,500 and 2,000 Fri-Sat.
2. Workout 6 hours.
3. Drink 96oz water.
4. Calorie deficit 3,500 for the week (average 500/day).
5. Limit grain based carbs to 2 servings/day or less.
6. Eat 5 servings of fruits & veggies/day.
7. Keep carbs to 45% or less.


Non-fitness goals:

8. Apply mascara 5X.
9. Average 6 items/day from the "LIST".
10. Clean out one small area of the basement.
11. Clean out pantry cupboards.
12. Clean 2 rooms daily (15 min each) and 1 load of laundry.
13. Finish DD's Bloomer dress.
14. Call Grandma.
15. Register for race and call SIL about same.

I weighed in on my son's Wii Fit this morning. It was exactly 1 year since I had last used his. Up .3 kg. I guess that means the 13 pounds I've lost has gotten rid of was last year's gain. Now to get rid of the year before. It can go off quicker than it went on.


Goals this week:

Calories -- 1500 daily

Exercise -- 6 hours ( might all be Wed, THur and Friday, Do stretching yoga daily

journal - daily

Water - 64 oz minimum -- I always find this harder when away from home

Followed my same old pattern... lose 1.5 lbs. during the week, gain it back on the weekend... someday I'll learn. Knowing I'm a "foodie", husband always comes home on Friday with a list of little known restaurants that he wants to try. I eat healthy, bring half home etc., etc., but I usually lose my weeks progress. :mad:

Food & Fitness:

1. Limit calories to 1200 and log everything.
2. Continually drink fluids all day long.
3. Balance pie chart. Add more protein.
4. Trail walk at least 3 times this week, weather permitting.
5. Get BMI back under 20.

Personal Goals:

1. Continue with "do something nice each day". (It's actually getting to be fun!)
2. Make sure daughter obtains necessary signatures by Friday's deadline. (18 in total!)
3. Try to keep mouth shut when husband says, "Oh look! I'm down another 5 lbs.!" while eating nothing but garbage.

Good morning ladies!

Health and Fitness:
1) -2100 cals for the week
2) workout 3 days
3) no cereal for the week
4) Avg a gallon of water/ day
5) Take Daily Vitamin... DAILY
6) Take Fish Oil daily
7) Avg 145g Protein (or more) per day
8) Avg 26% or lower fat for the week

**The next two I will only attempt once this week so I will no update until I attempt**
9) Bench Press 275#'s (shooting for my body weight +~100#)
10) Dead Lift 310#'s

Other:
1) Change the brakes on my car
2) hound Almeeker daily until she registers for the race

Good morning everyone!

Am really frustrated this morning but trying not to let it get to me. I worked harder than ever last week. I'm on a 1500 cal/day limit, but every day last week was more like 1200-1300 (with the exception of one day that was 1600 due to the dreaded requisite slice of office-birthday-cake), and I worked out for a total of five hours (1 hour 5x per week -- 3xs straight cardio, 2x cardio/mixed strength). I was feeling great. I didn't weigh myself as it was my necessary female "week off" for weighing, but this morning I stepped on the scale to find that after the break in weighing to account for crazy hormones and water weight, I was only .3 lbs. down in about 10 days. :( I've been losing very slowly since I hit about 205 lbs. lost, and I'm not sure what the problem is. (I hit 205 on February 8th)

Very frustrated. I know that the numbers will come, but it's difficult not to get that rewarded weight. I'm approaching 200 lbs (am 203.4 right now) and I really want to get beyond that threshold in a bad way! I keep telling myself it's water weight, or that it's just from starting to mix in strength and it's inflammation, but it's hard to keep telling myself day in and day out :)

Anyway, I'm not going to let it get to me!! I will keep on keeping on and knowing that it's doing the right thing.

Goals for this week:

1) Keep up the 5 days per week working out (will probably be M T W F Sat, as I have to work out at night and I must get up SUPER early on Friday morning for a doc's appointment, so I will rest Thursday and make sure I get to bed early) -- 2x strength, 3x cardio, aiming for 60 mins. per day.

2) Drink 64 oz. water daily

3) Keep under 1500 cals every day

4) No boxed foods for lunch!

5) Go to bed at a decent hour (by 11:00) and get my 8 hours sleep

6) Don't step on the scale until Friday

Non-weight goals:

6) Don't fret about doc's appointment on Friday

7) Finish corrections on my book by Friday so publisher will not have a cow.

8) Clean the guest bathroom!!!

I've gotten so much done with these goals and the support here, I'm not going to change too much! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as they say. I swear, it's a lot harder to put stuff off, knowing I have to be accountable. I think my eating slipped a few days this week; the pie was balanced, just too many calories, so need to watch that as well again. I'm in the same pattern as Quinn, apparently!

1. Balance the pie chart (no numbers, just balance).
2. Achieve a 250 calorie deficit daily.
3. Sleep 7 hours a night.
4. Turn off all the electronics at least half an hour before bed, and read.
5. Exercise outside one day this week, preferably two.
6. Exercise at least once this week with friends and/or family members.
7. Incorporate a stretching/flexibility workout into the mix twice this week.
8. Dress nicely and make an effort at minimal makeup even if not working that day; the pushed-for-time grad student look is old now.
9. Meditate on three things daily I'm grateful for.

Practical stuff:

10. One office organizational task daily.
11. One room's trim painted (long shot-we're at a tournament next weekend and that shoots that, but school is out this week and work is slow, so maybe it will happen).
12. Keep working on short, mid and long range financial plans with hubby.

The scales will reward you soon. Look for other signs of change and be proud of yourself for sticking with it. Mary

Hi Mary,

If this is for me, then thanks. I need to hear it. I've been noticing a better fit on my jeans and clinging to that like a drowning woman clinging to a life preserver :D I'm just a numbers-oriented person so that always gives me the biggest boost.

~Terri

Terri, I highly encourage you to take your measurements and take photos along the way. I was in the exact same boat... exercising, eating right, and the damn scale was not cooperating but I took my measurements and during a one month period I lost a whopping 3 inches off my waist and had only lost 3 pounds on the scale. I also took pictures. The before and after did not look like a 3-pound loss but more like a 10-pound loss. Just keep doing what you are doing! Don't give up and the results will please you. :)

Hi Everyone,
Cassie, thanks for answering my "balance" question from last week!

Eating goals for this week:
-4 days of weights plus cardio
-track everything, stay w/in WW pts
-stay positive, even if the scale this week only goes down 0.2

what race are you going to do?

Thanks very much, Rose :) I have my "starting photo" (ugh!) and my plan was to take another once I got under 200 (which would be 15 lbs. lost). I did take my measurements last Wednesday once I finally found my cloth tape. I think what I'll do is take a photo EITHER when I hit under 200 OR on March 4th (two months into change) -- whichever comes first -- and try to do a comparison then. I also plan to take my measurements every month. It'll be another number to shoot for! :D I'm also hoping that as this week goes on the scale will be kinder :)

Goals for this week
Calorie limit 1600
Carbs less fiber limit 25g
Protein minimum of 110g

Water 64 oz.

Exercise: walk to build up my stamina. Add distance daily depending on level of lower back pain from walking.

Add a different type of exercise to burn more calories if weight loss slows.

__________________________________

Backtracked on my walking today. Raining outside so I walked in the house. Don't know what made the difference--could be the steps in the sunken living room which I went up and down every 30 seconds or so making a loop from the living room to the kitchen and back. Got to a lower back pain level of ten which required me to sit down and rest. Went from .77 miles non-stop yesterday to .64 miles today. But I'm proud of myself for the honest effort to do as much as I could--that's what matters. Tomorrow is another day... :)

I watched a show last night about a woman who weighed 600 lbs. She wanted to get to 500 lbs. in order to qualify for weight reduction surgery. She was so large that she was actually bedridden.

Her doctor put her on a 700 calorie/day diet. After 2 weeks, she lost something like 35 lbs. Around this time, she started to hate her new "diet foods" so she would eat the entire days food, 700 calories, all at one sitting just to get it over with.

After 2 more weeks, her doctor returned to weigh her and found that she had actually gained 3 lbs.!!! He explained that by eating once daily, her body had entered "conservation mode" and her metabolism had slowed greatly. Being bedridden, she actually gained.

Which made me think of my eating patterns compared to those of my husband's. I am a strict disciplinarian. I eat three meals a day and when supper is over, I am done eating until morning.

He, on the other hand, "grazes" all day long... an apple here, a yogurt there... and he loses twice as fast as I do. :mad:

I know we've talked a lot about "starvation mode", but this really made me think. I also realize that part of it is also the whole "male/female thing" as well.

How do you delegate your calories? Are you a "disciplinarian" or a "grazer"?
I think I'm going to try spreading out my 1200 calories out over the 17 or so hours that I'm awake and see what happens.

Looking at doing the Old Kent River Bank Run in May.

were you one of the ones that I talked to about mapmyrun? Tomorrow is a NEW day! :D

I wonder if she truly stock to her 700 cals, I would seriosuly doubt that since she gained weight. I try to eat 6 times a day, 3 meals and 3 snacks. I also break up my food log to show different meals instead of it all being jumbled together.

I fixed your post! Did you noticed my #2 goal. :p

First of all thank you Cassie for directing me here, not sure I am ready for weekly goals as I find it such a chore just to get through one day at a time, but I will try.

1. Drink at least some water every day, this will be my biggest challenge
2. Keep my food journal every day and stay in my calorie range
3. Keep myself accountable by posting here
4. Walk somewhere instead of drive at least a couple of times this week(hope the weather improves a little)

Other:
Finish scraping all the old peeling paint in the downstairs shower and repaint so the boy can have thier own shower and stay out of mine.

Quinn...I saw the same show! I think my mouth hung open in disbelief for most of it. What struck me was her degree of denial and naivete; she actually thought she was going to lose about 80 pounds in a week or two, so she could have the surgery and make it all better. I guess that illustrates how so many folks are just looking for the magic pill, band, cream, supplement, shake weight, etc.

Everyone here knows it takes hard work and denying short term gratification for long term benefits. And look at the pounds we are losing. Keep it simple.

As for your question, and it's a good one and I'd love to know what people do, I probably do everything wrong, but it works so I'm sticking with it. I'm not a morning person so I eat a small breakfast, about 200-260 calories (including the tea with milk and sugar). I usually have about 300 calories for lunch and a 100-calorie or therabouts snack before dinner. I keep dinner between 400-500 calories, but I am a big evening muncher, so I usually have 2-3 small snacks (veggies, fruit, nuts, sometimes crackers, peanut butter, cheese, or popcorn), usually trying to fill out wherever my pie is deficient. Though some days it ends up being more like grazing, depending on my schedule and what kind of foods I'm hungry for (like a yogurt here, some nuts an hour later, etc.). If I'm in maintenance, I can pad a little more in there, but it's more the grazing than the bigger meals.

My personal take on the conservation business is that it is true...and not, another individual difference. I personally experience it, whereas others on this site whom I trust to take at their word, don't. So once again, it comes down to my favorite phrase, "Find out what works for you!"

this week
 

this week would like to stop blowing my nose
stay with my food count
would like to go back to the gym( can't till I get over this cold)
going to dye my hair and get it cut this week ( I hope )
have to get the kids trip to Disnyland done or no one will have a place to sleep
I am sure there is more stuff to do but don't want to over do it and have a set back :p

Cassie,

I can't believe you saw the same show! When it was over, I thought why am I killing myself to get these last 3-4 lbs. off?! lol I didn't see the very beginning, but I'd like to. I was just flipping through the channels and my jaw fell open, too!

Big OOPS! Posted on the old thread, so here we go again.

Again - love your posts and energy, everyone. Lots of success and good humor out there!

Quinn, to answer how often does one eat. For me, I totally graze--hands in the pantry 6-8 times a day. A few minutes ago, I was restless and hungry so found a slice of low fat cheese and wrapped a couple vegetarian deli slices in it. Did the trick. My whole day is doing stuff like this!

Mike, fun to see your weight graph. Mine looks like a drunken sailor going from bar to bar, but the line is steadily going downward. I've been watching my graph compulsively. Gotta stop that! But I have to say, when I get crazed results happen.

I felt pretty good about my goals. Although early in the week I was still recovering from my cold/flu, I got back on track by Friday, full of my usual energy. Lost a pound this week--met that goal! Didn't meet cardio goals, but this week will be better. Managed 3-4total body weight workouts. I didn't meet my average calorie deficit of 400-600 from workouts. Had a GREAT week in my studio--very productive. Lots of shows coming up so there's no choice!

Diet/Fitness goals
1) 1300 cal/day, under 30% fat (adjust down from 1600 because I've been around 1000)
2) 400-600 (at least 2000/wk) - calorie deficit through exercise alone by doing:
a) cardio 5X/week
b) weights, 2X/week-full body
4) 8+ glasses of water daily

Personal Project Goals:
1) Spend at least 4 days/week working in my studio
2) Work in home office--got some deadlines (taxes, side jobs, etc)

Height: 5'4.5" (and shrinking!)
Start Weight 1/1: 135
Weight 2/21: 127.5 (yay!!)
Goal 2/28: 126.5 (getting harder!)
4/1/11 Goal: still 122

I have a question for the group, how do y'all decide who's going to start the next thread?

simply, whoever is the quickiest :D

my goals this week:
1) report myself daily to this thread with 400kcal deficit
2) exercise every 2nd day plus saturday killer workout
3) stick to vegetarian diet
4) practise driving

DH bought a car :) finally. I'm the only person in the house who actually has a valid license so it looks like I'll drive a lot. A little detail here, last time I drove a car was 3years ago. Today I reached for hand brake when I needed to change a gear. Ooops! The Irish, just like the British, drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, unlike the Continental Europe.

Hi everyone! I haven't posted goals in a few weeks. I've just been fighting one annoying sickness after another! My GI bug finally got better but the next day I got a sore throat and lost my voice. It's been a week and I still have a sore throat, no voice, and chest cough. Phooey. I keep eating too, I'm not one of those people who lose weight while sick due to lack of appetite! I've actually been ravenous. My weight is the same, even down a couple pounds for a week, but my "skinny" pants feel much tighter than they used to.

I've been so mopey and depressed too (probably from being sick for a month), and feeling like a lousy parent b/c I don't feel like talking or playing. I feel like it's impossible to stay under 1500-1800 calories and exercise 200 or so min a week (I've read that's the best for heart health).

On the plus side, we filed our federal taxes and are almost done w state!

Goals:
1) Think of positive things daily
2) Try to stay under 1800 cal's per day
3) Try to work out 160 minutes this week

Monday Report Card

Health and fitness goals:

1. Keep calories to 1,500 and 2,000 Fri-Sat. 1,493
2. Workout 6 hours. 1:03
3. Drink 96oz water. YES
4. Calorie deficit 3,500 for the week (average 500/day). -762
5. Limit grain based carbs to 2 servings/day or less. NO 4
6. Eat 5 servings of fruits & veggies/day. YES
7. Keep carbs to 45% or less. NO 54%


Non-fitness goals:

8. Apply mascara 5X. NO
9. Average 6 items/day from the "LIST". NO
10. Clean out one small area of the basement. NO
11. Clean out pantry cupboards. NO
12. Clean 2 rooms daily (15 min each) and 1 load of laundry. NO
13. Finish DD's Bloomer dress. Getting there.
14. Call Grandma. YES!!!
15. Register for race and call SIL about same. NO

Did better with calories, yesterday and today. Didn't do so well with non-fitness goals, but I've been working non-stop on DD's costume. The kids were also off school today, so we spent the afternoon selling GS cookies.

Yes, I noticed. I was hoping that by answering you normal-like, that would brush you off for the day.

I think it falls to whoever is up and on-line first thing Monday morning? I didn't log on this morning until after 8:00am local time and was surprised that nobody had started one yet, so I did the dirty deed.

Fitness goals for this week:

1) Keep up the 5 days per week working out (will probably be M T W F Sat, as I have to work out at night and I must get up SUPER early on Friday morning for a doc's appointment, so I will rest Thursday and make sure I get to bed early) -- 2x strength, 3x cardio, aiming for 60 mins. per day. - Bad back today from too much lifting at work - did 30 Day Shred as a compromise and it's screaming at me now.
2) Drink 64 oz. water daily -- Only about half of that so far. Will get one more glass before bed!
3) Keep under 1500 cals every day -- 1389
4) No boxed foods for lunch! -- Leftovers :)
5) Go to bed at a decent hour (by 11:00) and get my 8 hours sleep -- This will definitely happen, I am bone-tired.
6) Don't step on the scale until Friday -- successfully avoided

Non-weight goals:
6) Don't fret about doc's appointment on Friday -- Haven't thought about it :)
7) Finish corrections on my book by Friday so publisher will not have a cow. -- Started, about 1/5 done.
8) Clean the guest bathroom!!! -- Ugh, when my back is not in pain!

Health and Fitness:
1) -2100 cals for the week -349
2) workout 3 days yes
3) no cereal for the week none
4) Avg a gallon of water/ day 140oz.
5) Take Daily Vitamin... DAILY yes
6) Take Fish Oil daily yep
7) Avg 145g Protein (or more) per day yes 202.2g
8) Avg 26% or lower fat for the week 21%

**The next two I will only attempt once this week so I will not update until I attempt**
9) Bench Press 275#'s (shooting for my body weight +~100#)
10) Dead Lift 310#'s HELL YEAH!

Other:
1) Change the brakes on my car not yet, this weekend
2) hound Almeeker daily until she registers for the race just a little

nope, I'm going to be like an annoying fly in your ear. ;)

Okay, so today was my weigh in! I'm fairly certain that my scale is playing with me! I weighed in prior to shower (178.2) and then after shower with wet hair and everything and I weighed 177.6! What?! Of course I'm going to take this number and use it to encourage myself, but I didn't think that I was that dirty or hairy! Has anyone else had this happen to them?

Monday, Monday:

1. Balance the pie chart (no numbers, just balance). Yes
2. Achieve a 250 calorie deficit daily. Yes
3. Sleep 7 hours a night. Yes
4. Turn off all the electronics at least half an hour before bed, and read. Yes
5. Exercise outside one day this week, preferably two. Not yet
6. Exercise at least once this week with friends and/or family members. Hubby bailed on me halfway through yoga
7. Incorporate a stretching/flexibility workout into the mix twice this week. Yes
8. Dress nicely and make an effort at minimal makeup even if not working that day; the pushed-for-time grad student look is old now. While I was out, yes; changed into the grubbies to make bread
9. Meditate on three things daily I'm grateful for. Yes

Practical stuff:

10. One office organizational task daily. Yes
11. One room's trim painted (long shot-we're at a tournament next weekend and that shoots that, but school is out this week and work is slow, so maybe it will happen). Not yet
12. Keep working on short, mid and long range financial plans with hubby. Yes

Glad to see you back, rubypeanut, and hope you and taubele feel better soon!

did you pee in the shower?:eek:

I didn't! I am so confused! I even have a good head of long, curly (read: hydrophilic to the extreme) hair! What on earth could have happened?! :confused:

Monday achievements:


Carb less fiber limit 25g, actual 25.1
Protein goal 110g, actual 137.9g
Calorie limit 1600, actual 2141. Not binge eating or emotional eating or impulse eating--the only junk food or food taboo on my diet was one light beer at lunch with a friend. I still had a 435 calorie deficit.

Water goal 64 oz., actual 68 oz.
Exercise .64 miles real walking in my house because it was rainy outside. Had to quit when lower back pain level got to 10 out of 10.

Cold outside today. Will walk indoors again, but avoid the sunken living room steps which I THINK may have caused the decreased walking stamina yesterday. Will give it my best shot again today aiming for .9 miles that I wanted to achieve yesterday.


Mike, it was I who said "tomorrow is another day..." I meant another new day, another chance to succeed. I wasn't feeling down on myself or anything. Thanks for your encouragement, though. :) You spoke with me about Map My Run. I've been using it ever since you told me about it--even for logging distance on my Walk Away the Pounds for Abs DVD in my living room, and now for walking in my neighborhood and soon at the park. Really versatile program--I really like it. Thanks for that suggestion.


Quinn, since you suspect trying the new restaurants is sabotaging your efforts and bringing home half your food isn't working, is there something else you can do when trying new restaurants? Like maybe skipping sauces, substituting broccoli or some other low calorie vegetable for starches like rice or potatoes?

Report card for Monday
 

Hi Everyone,

I sound like a broken record these days but life sure is boring when all you do is work work work. I worked on the weekend, got home at 8pm last night, and I am so tired I can't stand it. My gig ends in less than 2 weeks now and I just can't wait!!! Woohoo!

Last Thursday I had a dinner party and totally fell of the wagon. There was wine, too much cheese, homemade brownies for dessert... I tried to chalk it up to a one-day hiatus from my plan but I have a real problem handling the guilt! Before I knew it, one day turned into three days of over-indulgence. I haven't weighed myself because I am praying that my past month of diligence with the exercise and the food will compensate. Now I am definitely kicking it up a notch!

Anyway thanks to you guys and this thread, I am here beginning a fresh new week with new challenges and a renewed commitment. For now I am keeping the goals simple since I have to keep my nose to the grindstone and make it to my work deadline. With all that pressure at work, my plate is pretty full.

1. Eat between 1300-1550 calories per day: YES 1300
2. Keep carbs under 35%: YES 30%
3. Take my multivitamin: YES
4. 30 Day Shred 4X: YES
5. Gym 3X:
6. Drink 2.5 liters water per day: YES

Rose, I've been there many times also. It's tricky to let go of the guilt enough so that you aren't sabotaged by it, but also remembering what happened so it doesn't happen again (or at least not as often).

Mern, your attitude is awesome! I need a dose of that myself this morning.

I'm trying not to be frustrated, really I am. My scale showed a 2 lb. gain from last week, and a percentage point up in body fat. I know I overindulged Friday night, but no other slips, and there's no way I indulged 7000 calories worth. Consequently, I'm trying to talk myself down and not give up and eat a half dozen muffins for breakfast.

Unfortunately, I've hurt my shoulder pretty badly somehow, so my tennis plans for today are canceled. I'm just going to go ahead and do a consultation at work and hopefully will be able to get myself on the treadmill later. Thanks for being here, y'all. If not for this thread, I could be halfway through my pantry by now :o. Have a wonderful day!

It's The Bread! lol
 

When I was at my highest, somewhere around 148, I was making about a dozen different kinds of Artesian breads. There's something about the smell of bread baking, alone, that adds calories... :D

Stuck carefully to calorie limit, (actually came in at 1100) balanced pie chart and gained .5 lb.! How the heck does that work???

Food & Fitness:

1. Limit calories to 1200 and log everything. yes
2. Continually drink fluids all day long. yes
3. Balance pie chart. Add more protein. yes
4. Trail walk at least 3 times this week, weather permitting. weather not permitting
5. Get BMI back under 20. I'M TRYING!

Personal Goals:

1. Continue with "do something nice each day". (It's actually getting to be fun!) yes
2. Make sure daughter obtains necessary signatures by Friday's deadline. (18 in total!) sent her out the door with it
3. Try to keep mouth shut when husband says, "Oh look! I'm down another 5 lbs.!" while eating nothing but garbage. Mums the word

i'm here everyone. i was out of town & didn't have access to a computer for me it was a long weekend. i made pretty good choices :) i still have to think of my goals. i'm not going to try to catch up on posts sorry, but i'll continue from here on :)