7-Day Motivational Thread for 4/18/11
 

Good Morning Everyone!! Are we ready to rock this week?

Thought since I had an insomnia night I'd get it started since I already started my day here lol

This weeks goals are gonna be simple maintenance goals since I've got a bit much on my plate..

Fitness Goals:

1) Maintain calorie budget and Deficit
2) Walk min. 30 min 6 days/ Try to get in either 10 min jump rope or 15 min. yoga 2 days if possible in the havok
3) Increase water intake-stay away from sodas
4) Stay away from junk-keep eating those vegies
5) Get Rest

Non-Fitness Goals:

1) Keep my cool, Smile more Bitch less -5 pushups for every loss
2) Paperwork Paperwork Paperwork, get it done, get the passport
3)Finish lace project #2, get a good bit done on #3
4) Sit down with hubby to discuss locations
5) Enjoy a stress free 4 year anniversary on Thursday WITHOUT thinking of tasks for our visa process

The next 4 weeks are gonna be a serious challenge for eating, and exercise because we're running a tight tight budget, even looking for a telecommute job (Anyone know of any?) So, eating healthy is becomming a serious challenge because we have to eat cheap.

Can't wait till Thursday though...It's a stay in day due to budget, but we're making it a movie marathon night with treats.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!!!

Health & Fitness Goals:

1. Eat clean and kept calories 1,350-1,600, 50 push-ups for days I'm over.
2. Drink 96 oz of water.
3. Exercise 6 hours.
4. Calorie deficit of 3,500 for the week.
5. Carbs 45% or lower, Protein 30% or higher.
6. Log food and report every day even weekends.

Non-Fitness Goals:

7. Get DD practicing for State finals (with or without nagging).
8. Sign up for Summerfest Race.
9. Call the autobody place and set up appointment.
10. Call the eye doctor and read her the riot act.
11. Smile more, bitch less and (stealing from Crimpet) 10 push-ups for infractions.
12. Clean out pantry area in basement.
13. Order more parts for elliptical (I'm starting to call that thing "the money pit").
14. Housework:
Monday bathrooms, laundry
Tuesday kitchen, stairwell, hall, laundry
Wednesday living room, bedroom laundry
Thursday dining room, bedroom, laundry
Friday den, master bedroom, laundry
Saturday, closet, porch, laundry
Sunday, basement, cupboard, laundry

Cassie I need to give the eye doctor an ear full because of a letter that they sent to me. My middle DD wears glasses and has since she was 3. She's extremely farsighted, and goes once a year for a checkup. Her prescription has changed over the years, but only the tiniest bit here and there. She was due for an eye exam in January, but I didn't schedule it because we were waiting to see how the vision insurance was going to end up, due to budgetary changes blah blah blah. Well the week before last I got a rather nasty note from the eye doctor basically telling me that I'm a negligent parent and my child's eyesight is in danger because I'm such a slacker with making the appointment. We all know this is BS, what they really should have said is that they are sort of pissed off that they haven't been able to collect my insurance money, and could I please schedule the appointment so they can get their grimy hands on it.

Good Morning, Gang!

Since my "smile more, bitch less" has been pretty successful, I have a new challenge to add. For all of you coordinated, exercise video champs, who can do multiple things at once, I challenge you to "do something kind while smiling", bitch less. Open a door for a stranger. Help someone carry something to their car. Give a quarter to someone frantically digging for change in a check out line. Maybe your random act of kindness will influence someone else to do the same.


Had a really busy weekend, despite some pretty nasty, late spring ice/snow storms. Another 3-5" expected for Tuesday night and Wednesday... sigh. The good news is that I finished my kitchen project. :)

Eating was a little off Sunday. Mom wanted Chinese buffet so I thought I'd count that as my days calories, but ended up eating again later. Oh well. A new day; a new week.

Food and Fitness Goals:

* 1200-1400 calories per day.
* Multivitamin daily.
* Floss Daily.
* Joseph's Lavash Wraps instead of bread.
* Walk as weather permits.
* 3-4 fruits and veggies per day.
* No cheese, bread or cereal.

Personal Goals:

* Figure out an Easter Brunch menu.
* Prom dress fitted and beaded by Friday... no excuses.
* Clean office closet.
* Do something kind while smiling and bitch less.
* "Just say no" rule. If someone asks me to do something that they should handle on their own, just say no... and mean it.

Good morning, everyone. Wishing all of us a great start on our new week.

This week's goals same as last and I was very successful at it last week except that I took two days off exercise instead of one.

Calorie limit 1600
Carbs less fiber limit 25g
Protein goal 120g

Artificial sweetener limit one packet per day
Sugar free candy limit one piece per day
More healthful evening snack to satisfy sweet tooth

Water goal 64 oz.

Exercise 1/2 hour six days--work up to 30 minutes of Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies workout video. (Currently can complete the first 24 minutes.)

Good Morning All!

here are my goals:
1. more protein less carb
2. drink 2 l water or more
3. Do billy blanks Tae bo series, no excuses
4. log all the food

had a very busy weekend and i did so poorly food wise as well. glad i didn't take the challenge, or maybe i should have taken the weekend challenge to be kept more accountable? will see how it goes this week, so i can decide for the weekend. it's a very long weekend, having Friday and Monday off too, i guess i really have to try and eat clean or i'll be in trouble. :o

here's to a start of a good week for everyone!

I'm already having difficulty with "smile more - bitch less". Oh for crying out loud, it was snowing when I got up this morning, at first it wasn't sticking, but then it started accumulating and by the time the DD's headed off to school, we had 2-3 inches on the ground. So of course we had to dig out the snow pants and boots again, which I had optimistically packed away last week. Ugh. I'm smiling but it's fake and the only thing keeping me from bitching is the teeth clamped around my tongue. I may have to resort to a bead of super glue across my lips, which might be a great help in keeping the calories in check...

I'm with you on the snow... 4-5 inches on the ground and 3-5 more coming in Tuesday night! :mad:

I packed up all of the gloves and stuff, too, which makes clearing cars a bit miserable.

Hi everyone! Sounds like an interesting beginning to the week already. What is WITH the snow?! I am so sorry :(

Cassie: The cookout went really great actually, we decided to do it a little bit Asian/Mediterranean-fusion-style with extra veggies on the grill - kabobs and bowls with a little rice that was leftover from the week. It kept my cals well down yesterday, so it was like a little extra bonus!

188.5 on the scale this morning - that's 2.9 lbs. down from last Monday! Woooo! it's more than my deficit would indicate, but I also have my BMR set as "Seated" -- which is not quite true, I'm more active than that. I'd rather have it low, though, it keeps me focused.

I'm keeping my food/exercise goals untouched from last week. It's working, so I'm going to just ride it until it doesn't work anymore!

Weekly Goals

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:
1) Achieve a 7,000 calorie deficit by the end of the week
2) Do not take off two days in a row from exercising.
3) Achieve a 30% protein average for the week
4) Carbs at or below 50% average for the week
5) Protein powder after every workout in a smoothie
6) At least 96 oz. water daily
7) Report here each and every day - that includes weekends!

Other Life Stuff:
1) Easter cards out by Wednesday!!!!!
2) Make an effort on my appearance every day
3) Work on my embroidery for at least five hours
4) Don't worry, be happy!

Here's to a great week!

~Terri

Good morning everyone...I really enjoy reading all of your post not sure I can keep up with you though...:eek: I have to admit I did not keep track in fitday as to what I ate last week but I do still write it all down and try to be very careful.My 1st goal this week is to be better about that, kind of depends on how busy I am at work not that I am the type of person to be on my work computer!;) BTW absolutley love the t-shirt!!

I just finished working out with the UPS guy! No not the hotties in the Bob Harper workout video--my UPS stands for Ultra Perky Simmons. I added another Sweatin' to the Oldies song to total a 24 minute workout --working up to 30 minutes of the 46 minute tape this week if I can. I'll do six minutes more after lunch to total 30 minutes for the day. I find the tape comical, but it's a really great workout for me.

Sorry I don't have to address everyone--have errands to run and grandson's T-Ball game tonight.

Jjeand, you surely have a full plate of things to deal with! Along with all your busy times, be sure to take time to give yourself credit for all you do for others, and take some "me time" whenever you can work it in. "Don't kill the diet" and "don't wind up in the looney bin" are quite admirable goals. :)

Kim, don't worry about keeping up with the posts. It's very hard to do unless you have no life outside of the computer. Keeping track of your food in FitDay is really helpful, but you're doing great writing it down. We respect that everyone is different--you just do what's best for your own life. :)

Farah, so glad you're joining us again. Glad you mentioned the long weekend coming up--I almost forgot I have childcare duties Thursday and Friday--grandkids have only two school days off for spring break this year.

Almeeker, I remember how frustrating some days were when I was a young mother, but I am often entertained by your stories--digging out snow clothes for the kids, fake smile. LOL Some day you'll look back on these same stories and laugh, too.

Terri, great job on the exta veggies and the great weight loss again! Congrats to ya, girl! Inviting you to update your skinnier weight in your signature!

jjeand--for some reason i read your goal as "don't kill the cat." and i was laughing thinking that this cat must be pretty badly behaved. i totally feel you on sometimes being overwhelmed, making a list is a great way to give yourself an energy boost to get things done!

my goals:
-stay active everyday, and to focus on exercise for atleast 40 mins 4X per week
-keep within my calorie budget
-continue to stay positive about making small changes that last

Julia, "don't kill the cat." LOL I misread sometimes, too. I love the goal about continuing to stay positive about making small changes that last, whether it's for life goals or eating lifestyles.

Hi everyone, good to see you all back for another week! Crimpet, thanks for getting us started.

almeeker, I'd be mighty ticked, too. Smile more, bitch less should get flipped around for the eye doc.

I'm sorry to those who have the yucky weather. Y'all are welcome to come for a visit. I'd say more but I don't want to rub it in.

Terri, great job; your cookout sounds delish!

JJ, just how many plates can you juggle, girl? Good luck to you! If it's any consolation, due to insurance nowadays, it's very difficult to get into the looney bin; you've got to be quite bad off!

farah & kag, glad you are here for the ride. No need to keep up; just use it however helps you.

Mern, enjoy the game tonight...I miss those days :(.

Okay, Quinn, I'll take you up on your challenge. I'll do it at work...I do that sort of stuff all the time at home and in the community, but not so often at work, so I'll make it a point this week.

Okay, goals:

1. Maintain at least a 250 cal. deficit to get the last 1 1/2 pounds off. Again.
2. Weights three times this week instead of two.
3. Sleep 7 hours (at least). I keep trying to go 7/7 on this one.
4. Balance the pie chart.
5. Drink 2-3 sports bottles of water daily.
6. Pay attention to posture (I'm a slacker on this).

7. Put annuals in front flower beds by end of weekend.
8. Re-do Spring Break at-home pedicure...bright turquoise is not tremendously professional at my age.
9. Plan Easter basket with a balance between healthy and treats.
10. Try two new recipes this week.

That should do it. Have a great Monday, everyone!

Hello All!

Quinn- Im with you where the heck is the storm coming from!? I was in shorts last week and now have hail and snow again. So much for training outside this week. I accept your challenge add-on!

Almeeker- I think this year I will be keeping the snow gear out until June... I just don't trust mother nature. As for the superglue I think that could be a new diet fad ;) You can get through today after all last week you were pretty resourceful coming up with ways to deal with your daughter.

JJ- Its tough being everyone's go to but remember to think about yourself to, sometimes NO isn't such a bad choice.

Mern- Haha way to go with your "UPS"!

Kag- Welcome and don't worry about keeping up as long as you get the motivation you need!

So last week started great then the weekend hit.... lets just not go there. I have 6 hours worth of exams on Wednesday so I need to cut myself some slack today and tomorrow. But then push hard Thursday through Sunday. I need to get serious about training I have my annual first 10KM of the year on mother's day weekend. It will be the first race since blowing my knee last year so Im excited/nervous.

Fitness Goals:
Keep a 1000 calorie deficit
Get in 5 days of exercise (run/jog, horse, swim) M: Horse
200 Push ups
350 Ab work

Lifestyle:
Keep the snacking to a minimum
Smile more bitch less/ random act of kindness
Thursday celebrate end of exams/her post grad interview with my best girl
Sunday quality time with my guy (no more exams for either of us)

Thanks for reminding me to include this in my personal goals this week. I'm the "go to" person, as well. I had a long talk with my husband about this last week. I'm happy to help my family when they really need my assistance with something. But, lately, I've been asked to do some things that they should have clearly handled themselves. For instance, my husband called me to tell me to call our daughter... does that make sense to you??? Call her yourself!
My son asked me to go to the store, buy him a watermelon and bring it to his house, a 10 mile round trip... buy your own stupid watermelon! (I have to say, I've personally never experienced a watermelon emergency.)

Every time something breaks, needs to be purchased, filled out, cooked, washed, wiped, replaced or taken care of, I'm the one that is told. Last week was especially bad to the point of being overwhelming. I don't know what the answer is... I'm trying to figure this one out, too. :o

And don't forget...decisions to be made, things to be mailed, dates to be remembered, medicines to be refilled, and bills to be paid! Aaargh!

Maybe we should just all practice tough love, schedule a vacation, and go enjoy ourselves while our respective families figure out how to do things on their own :D.

YES, PLEASE!!! I'm in!!! :cool:

Update on the middle DD. This morning she got up with the alarm clock and came downstairs and had what we call a "cheese roll-up". It's a wheat flour tortilla with about 1 -1.5 oz colby-jack cheese on it, zapped in the microwave and rolled up. She loves them. At first she started in with her negotiating, "so if I eat this then I don't have to eat anything more later, right?". I basically told her that there was no set rule about any of it, but she should try eating a little something first and we would play it by ear after she got showered and dressed. Guess what? It worked like a charm, she didn't fight with anyone, she didn't burst into tears over every stupid nothing, she was even rather calm as we were running around looking for her missing winter coat, and wonder of all wonders she remembered to take her lunch! So I think we have a winner!!! Fingers crossed, but it was so very nice to not feel like WW3 was brewing on the second floor.

I should probably explain that it's only in the morning that she's such a pain in the butt, otherwise she's a pretty good kid, she does really well in school, she's extremely athletic (at 6 she started getting recruiter-type calls from a couple of different soccer coaches and it gets a little worse every season), and she and I have a lot of the same interests. Any given day of the week after 12:00 noon I quite enjoy being her mother. Our mornings together are simply a work in progress.

Oh, me too!!! Somewhere warm please.

I do practice a little tough love on my kids. I once heard a speaker on child rearing and her philosophy was to never do for your children what they can do for themselves. I don't employ that strictly, but I try and use it often.

It's so hard to find that perfectly right balance of doing for your family without spoiling them and practicing tough love when it's necessary--and I wholeheartedly agree there are times there's no alternative and it's truly what is best for them, as painful as it is for us to do that.

Almeeker, way to go on dealing with DD's rough starts in the morning. Looks like you may indeed have pinpointed the problem as her morning low sugar effects on her AND you. Nothing can beat an intelligent mother's intuition! :D
I know what you're talking about--my kids are responsible for every gray hair on my head, but they both grew up to be adults of whom I am so very proud. A reward very likely to be bestowed upon you in the future is that in her adulthood DD will likely implement some of the same solutions to problems that you have thought up yourself and she'll come right out and verbally give you credit for that and thank you for it. :)

Mern: Ultra Perky Simmons, hahaha! I love it! I really like how you're always working up in your goals - little goals every day add up to a huge difference. :) Thanks for reminding me about my signature. Normally I've just been updating it once a month (every 4th of the month) but maybe updating it weekly will give me a little happy every Monday morning - why not? :D Ta-da! See below.

quinn: Doing good for others with a smile? Sounds great! Whenever the opportunity comes up this week, I'll try to do the right thing and report!

acameron: Good luck on your exams this week! YOu can do it!

Ugh, I relate with all of you on being the go-to (or perhaps dormattish) member of my family. Moving to FL has stopped the physical "oh-could-you-do-this?" requests, but I'm constantly getting phone calls of "Tell your grandmother this from me" or getting into the middle of arguments. Sometimes I feel like I'm in third grade. No, Dad, I will not call Mom and tell her that you're mad she didn't make the bed :rolleyes: What the heck?

almeeker: Glad your DD is doing better today! You're a smart cookie of a Mom, and you know what she needs! Peace in the morning is a blessed thing.

I See the snow is happening for a few of us...you all in Minnesota or are other parts of the country blessed with this white stuff that just won't seem to end? Thanks for all the support even if I can't keep up with all of you, it is hard when friends and family support you but really don't want to hear about your ups and downs of the weight loss journey it seems. Last night was my cheat night and had some egg rolls and cheese curds which were once my favorite but oh my gosh can't stand the grease anymore...I'm done with that as a cheat. Would enjoy ice cream so much more!!!:p

Monday Report Card

1. Eat clean and kept calories 1,350-1,600, 50 push-ups for days I'm over. 1,538
2. Drink 96 oz of water. Y
3. Exercise 6 hours. 60 min (total 1:00)
4. Calorie deficit of 3,500 for the week. -934
5. Carbs 45% or lower, Protein 30% or higher. (53c/25p)
6. Log food and report every day even weekends. Y

Non-Fitness Goals:

7. Get DD practicing for State finals (with or without nagging). Y
8. Sign up for Summerfest Race. No, just found out I'll be at a family wedding that day, so it's a complete no go.
9. Call the autobody place and set up appointment. N
10. Call the eye doctor and read her the riot act. Y
11. Smile more, bitch less and (stealing from Crimpet) 10 push-ups for infractions. 20 push-ups
12. Clean out pantry area in basement. Some
13. Order more parts for elliptical (I'm starting to call that thing "the money pit"). N
14. Housework:
Monday bathrooms, laundry
Tuesday kitchen, stairwell, hall, laundry
Wednesday living room, bedroom laundry
Thursday dining room, bedroom, laundry
Friday den, master bedroom, laundry
Saturday, closet, porch, laundry
Sunday, basement, cupboard, laundry

When I called the eye doctor's office I was informed that the one my daughter sees has left the practice, which I already knew, her actual doctor probably wouldn't have sent that letter out to us without at least 2-3 more reminder post cards. I then informed them that I was so offended by the tone of the letter that I wasn't going to be bringing my daughter or any other member of this household to their practice anymore and they may want to take a long hard look at their form letters and make some revisions, especially given this economy and my big mouth. Of course I was talking to the ever powerful receptionist, who probably wouldn't dare bring the matter up with the boss for fear of losing her job, but I felt better for having said it. You would think that a lousy economy would bring back the element of "service" that is sooooo very lacking in corporate America, but you'd be wrong.

Did well with calories today (that threat of push-ups is working, because I already knew that I had to do 20 and didn't want to add another 50 on top). The pie chart was less good, but maybe tomorrow I'll go grain-free that always helps my pie chart and my calories.

sorry guys, I haven't been able to get on here all day. Super hectic day. I'll try to think up some goals and hopefully get to posting them up.

Kim, I live in Ohio and we didn't get the snow, but I am really disappointed right now with the beautiful maple tree outside the window by which my computer sets. The buds on the tree had just turned to teeny leaves when the temps dipped below freezing. The leaves are growing but are now lacking the bright green color of new leaves--they look more like the dull green leaves of late August. I'm hoping they'll get that new look back with more rain and sunshine.

Terri, yeah, I'm glad you changed your weight in your signature. You deserve that recognition and others (like me) find it really encouraging. :) Some people are too embarrassed to do baby steps to work up to a more substantial goal, but I'm not. "Doormattish"--good word for letting people take advantage of you. LOL

Almeeker--kudos to you for the self-discipline of 50 pushups if you exceed your calorie limit. Sorry to hear about your trouble with the eye doctor's office. I hope you're now recuperated from that insulting letter you received.

Hi, Mike. Glad you had time to pop in even for a short time.

Mern, I hate the freeze-back, too. So disheartening. Fortunately we didn't get it this year. Our trees and early spring flowers are just about done now, though.

I truly had to white-knuckle it through today. I wanted to eat everything that wasn't good for me. I slipped a bit but I hope I compensated okay. It wasn't how I wanted the day to look, but it's over, fortunately. It seems like every time I recoup from a slew of bad choices, I'm poised to make them all over again. I was out of sorts today also; just couldn't get things done and was kind of in a funk, so I'm sure that was related. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

1. Maintain at least a 250 cal. deficit to get the last 1 1/2 pounds off. Again. 258, but it wasn't easy!
2. Weights three times this week instead of two. One down
3. Sleep 7 hours (at least). I keep trying to go 7/7 on this one. Yes
4. Balance the pie chart. Yes, fair
5. Drink 2-3 sports bottles of water daily. Yes
6. Pay attention to posture (I'm a slacker on this). A bit

7. Put annuals in front flower beds by end of weekend. Not yet
8. Re-do Spring Break at-home pedicure...bright turquoise is not tremendously professional at my age. Not yet
9. Plan Easter basket with a balance between healthy and treats. Not yet
10. Try two new recipes this week. Yes- Stir-fry shrimp and walnuts; it was really good
11. Plan mini-trip. Not yet

Had to tack a goal on there. Hubby and I are going away for a couple days and nights while the boy is in Disney with the band in May. I've been dogging it and noticed today that places are starting to fill up, so I've got to get going.

well.... my annual gym membership is up for renewal. The gym has been a major part of my life over the past year and I think I'm going to have to give it up for now. I think I may end up doing another round of P90X or designing my own home workout that I can do with a limited amount of weight. I still don't know. The gym was my escape many times, when I wanted to get away, do my thing, the iron was there for me. My workout buddy is pretty bummed as well.

I still don't know what my goals will be for this week. :(

Mike, have you ever thought about asking the gym if they are in need of a personal trainer? Seriously I think you could get your trainer's license easily enough and even enjoy the process. Or maybe you could work a shift or two every week and that would give you access to the gym without having to slap down the cabbage. Or maybe you could do some advertising for them by standing out front in some really skimpy workout clothes (and your pimp hat) and flexing for an hour or so every week. It's bound to be an improvement over that street corner situation.

Morning Mern, how's the body feel after 30 minutes with UPS? I've been looking at the P90X set, I figure at the rate you're going you'll be ready for that soon, and I'll have to kick my butt to keep up with you.

Cassie kudos on hanging on to the diet yesterday. I struggled a little myself, and I'm already off to a rough start for the day. I'm already planning egg white omelet for lunch, which is very light and usually helps me through the afternoon. Have you tried the Laughing Cow cheese wedges?

lol. Actually for me to work another job I have to get approval from my current company, which is a PITA!

Monday Report

Calorie limit 1600 1544
Calorie deficit 1037 per day 1109
Carbs less fiber limit 25g 26.3
Protein goal 120g 130.2

Artificial sweetener limit one packet per day 0
Sugar free candy limit one piece per day 0
More healthful evening snack to satisfy sweet tooth ricotta cheese with cinnamon

Water goal 64 oz. YES

Work up to 30 minutes of Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies workout video. 24 minutes--positive achievement because it burns more calories than 30 minutes of my customary aerobic walking

Very busy day ahead, but I just wanted to pop in and say "hi". Busy days for me usually don't mean making bad food choices, but rather not taking the time to eat at all which I have to guard against, too. I have a list of errands the length of my arm, so I better get to it. :mad:


Food and Fitness Goals:

* 1200-1400 calories per day. Y
* Multivitamin daily. Y
* Floss Daily. Y
* Joseph's Lavash Wraps instead of bread. Y
* Walk as weather permits. No time.
* 3-4 fruits and veggies per day. N
* No cheese, bread or cereal. N, one granola bar.

Personal Goals:

* Figure out an Easter Brunch menu. Kind of.
* Prom dress fitted and beaded by Friday... no excuses. Fitted, not beaded.
* Clean office closet. No time.
* Do something kind while smiling and bitch less. Y
* "Just say no" rule. If someone asks me to do something that they should handle on their own, just say no... and mean it. No, didn't come up.

Nice job, Mern! What do you do with the ricotta, just mix cinnamon in and eat with a spoon? I have a ton of FF ricotta in the fridge; it was buy-one-get-one free this week.

Mike, what a pain...does your company think they own you? I hope things work out okay. If not the gym, I'm sure you'll make it happen somehow.

almeeker, I've not tried Laughing Cow. I've picked them up a hundred times and then put them back for some reason. My son snacks on the Babybels, though. For cheese I usually use the Cabot RF, but I hear LC is really good, so I'll make a point to try it next time it's on sale.

Well, I made my morning difficult. My son asked for minimal candy this year, just a bag of Jelly Bellys and his favorite, Robin's Eggs. So I got to thinking, maybe I could find a recipe for malted milk eggs...well, that was a mistake, because I've spent the past 30 minutes reading about everything yummy that you can put them IN, like cookies, brownies, cupcakes...and I have a serious chocolate jones now. I'm planning to hit cardio tennis class at 10 and hopefully it will be out of my system by the time I get back.

Have a great day, everyone :)

Mern,

I love Richard Simmons. When I was going through my old cookbooks over the weekend, I found a cookbook he had written in the early 80's called the "Never Say Diet Cookbook". I'm really looking forward to going through it. When he's not being an entertainer, what he has to say is usually pretty spot on. Nothing candy coated; just brutally honest. He reminds me of Mike's "Hey, Fatty" thread. I like that.

Cassie,

Fat free ricotta makes incredible gnocchi with your favorite marinara sauce! Very quick and easy although it uses white flour but it's much lower in calories compared to its usual potato-based cousin. They freeze well, too.

I usually skip the sauce and instead use zucchini ribbons and cherry tomatoes.

Cassie, yes they do. I'll just leave it at that since I'm on my work computer. Time for me to get busy. I'll check in later.

Cassie, most often when I eat ricotta I add it to a veggie omelet or use it with Dreamfields low carb pasta (5 "digestible carbs" per serving) and tomato sauce for a lasagna type casserole. Some people use cabbage leaves instead of pasta for a veggie lasagna, but I haven't got a recipe for that--never tried it. But last night I just added cinnamon to ricotta and ate it with a spoon. I'm glad you didn't get the freeze-back this year. Our grass is Easter-new, though. Kudos for fighting temptation and successfully making it through yesterday calorie deficit! Mmm, shrimp and walnut stir-fry sounds delicious. I'll have to try that sometime soon. So have you got an idea where you want to go with DH for a couple days in May? Home made malted milk eggs sound delicious--yeah that's got to be tempting your chocolate sweet tooth hunting up recipes for that! Best wishes on keeping in control.

Aw, Mike, I hope you can think of something else to cut back on instead of having to give up your gym membership, but I know one can get great workouts at home, too. Kudos to you for using good sense, though, and not considering a gym membership a necessity of life. Way better than people who put entertainment and eating out before rent/house and utility payments.

Almeeker, I didn't add to the 24 minutes dancing with my sweet little UPS guy as I said I would but it burned more calories than my usual 30 minutes of aerobic walking. I'm actually looking forward to adding more time today, although yesterday was such a push that I may be able to add just another minute or two rather than another whole song. The time passes so much more quickly than with my aerobic walking and I get an even better workout. :D P90X!!!! I think I'd rather LIVE a little longer. LOL

Quinn, I forgot about the zucchini lasagna. Sounds great with tomatoes, too! Thanks for the idea! I guess just about everyone knows Richard Simmons was an obese child and teenager. He has such empathy for the obese, but doesn't allow excuses for us to stay that way. I used to find his perkiness so annoying, but now I find it encouraging.

Mern: I hadn't thought of myself as an inspiration at all - I'm flattered that you think so! :o thanks! And baby steps is definitely the way to go. Sometimes I need to remind myself of all the baby steps I've forgotten that I've even done in the past few months! It's sort of amazing when you think about it :) Your Monday looks great! Nice job!

almeeker: If anything, I've found that this economy has made everyone way more scared of losing their jobs - and that means NOT sticking their neck out for their customers. Sad. Sometimes I'm grateful to be insulated by acadamia (though that has its headaches too) but good for you for speaking your mind. More people should do it - too many people let themselves be walked all over for fear of rocking the boat.

Mike: Sorry to hear about losing the gym and that your job is completely unreasonable in terms of dictating your life :( I hope you figure something out; don't be too discouraged! Remember to look for the open window when all the doors are getting slammed in your face - you've got a good head on your shoulders about the whole thing, you'll figure it out.

quinn: I'm so like you in that busy = I forget to eat and drink. Make yourself stop and think about it if you have to! Good luck on getting that list done!

Monday Report Card

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:
1) Achieve a 7,000 calorie deficit by the end of the week M: -924 (Week Total: -924)
2) Do not take off two days in a row from exercising. M: Roughly 30 minutes weights, 15 minutes non-HIIT cardio (stationary bike)
3) Achieve a 30% protein average for the week M: 20% (Weekly average: 20%)
4) Carbs at or below 50% average for the week M: 53% (Weekly average: 53%)
5) Protein powder after every workout in a smoothie M: No
6) At least 96 oz. water daily M: Yes
7) Report here each and every day - that includes weekends! M: Yes (following morning)

Other Life Stuff:
1) Easter cards out by Wednesday!!!!! M: No
2) Make an effort on my appearance every day M: Minimal...
3) Work on my embroidery for at least five hours M: No
4) Don't worry, be happy! M: Yes

Not the world's best start to the week in terms of goals - I was smacked pretty hard by the carb monster yesterday afternoon and I caved into it during lunch and when I got home from work. For accountability's sake, I consumed an order of Arby's value fries during lunch (lab mate bought them for me), and when I got home I had 1/2 of a large slice of 2-day-old cheese pizza, a couple handfuls of tortilla chips, and a bagel with peanut butter on top. I did manage to get to the gym, but I had a truncated workout because I got there late in the day and I had to cook dinner.

My deficit looks decently good, and even though my cals-in was about 1,450 yesterday (not bad) they were not good calories for the most part. I feel a little bloated today. I'm sure it was a high-sodium day. Regardless, though, I still feel pretty good and I'm in a mental state where I'm feeling like I can shrug off the bad day. I'm telling myself that I got a lot of scut work done yesterday (I did) and today I can relax a little and pay more attention to what's going into my mouth. I've got some grilled chicken (leftover from dinner) and broccoli for lunch, I'm going to drink a ton of water, and move on!

~Terri

Good Morning everyone...gosh darnit it is snowing:mad: Oh well it is part of living in this wonderful state...Did good yesterday with food and exercise, hopefully can keep it up today even with the depressing weather. Got on scale was happy to see 176:) Liked seeing the ideas for ricotta although now I am starving!!! The Veggie lasagna sounds wonderful, would have never thought to use cabbage, maybe will try to get creative this wknd. Hope the day goes well for everyone, will do a check in later if work permits, been kind of crazy lately.

Thanks for this idea, Quinn! Last time I bought it, I did ravioli with wonton wrappers (and some of it ended up in a cake :(), but I love gnocci and I just found a great recipe for gnocci in marinara with spinach. It calls for frozen gnocci but I'm sure I can hunt a recipe down.

Mern, we're thinking of Savannah or Charleston...a little history trip. But I need to get going or we won't go anywhere! If you are interested in the stir-fry recipe, here's the link: Stir-Fry Walnut Shrimp - Healthy Recipe Finder | Prevention. The only drawback is the lack of veggies, but we had a lot of cooked veggies leftover from the weekend and just ate those on the side.

Terri & Quinn, I agree; busy is good; forgetting to eat is not. For me, it means I grab the first thing (or several things) I see when I get to the point of no return. It took a while to learn what was "hungry" and what was "too hungry." Of course, everything is a learning process with this!! The "carb monster" visited me yesterday afternoon, too. Let's hope it heads to Alaska today; I don't think we have anyone up there.

Kim, great job; hope you see spring soon!

Mike, hang in there. We'll catch you later.

Kim, kudos on losing 3 more pounds since April 9! You're rocking it, girl! You, too, are insprational!

Cassie, thanks so much for the link for the shrimp stir-fry with walnuts! I'll definitely try that soon. :) No problem for me to get more veggies into a recipe--I love veggies, especially low carb ones like broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts, snap peas that often go into stir-fries. Ooh, I'd love to visit Savannah or Charleston and see some great architecture, plantations, and museums. I love history trips. DH and I are planning on visiting the historic district of Philadelphia this fall.


Terri, aw, don't be embarrassed at being considered inspirational. I don't memorize them, but try to take notice of our members' daily progress reports. I do look at people's signatures, too. So when an individual's reports look good most days plus they show reaching goal, good maintenance, or a good weight loss in their signature, I find that very encouraging and inspirational. That's why I encouraged you to change that signature--I was inspired, but wanted newbies to see how well you are doing, too. I came here for motivation and that's exactly what I'm getting. :) Thanks for your encouragement. Baby steps take courage and perseverence. Everyone who needs to take them should be proud of themselves for what they CAN do, even if they have to start out small. Good for you for shrugging off a carby day yesterday and getting back on track. Your lunch sounds great. I washed away a whole pound of water weight gain from bacon, cheese and olives and something else salty (forgot what) over the weekend by drinking tons of water Sunday night and Monday. It does work, so I know you will do it, too. :)