7-Day Motivational Thread Starting 5/2/11
 

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.
7. Grain free 3 days.

Non-Fitness Goals:

8. Make DD a costume for Thursday's performance.
9. Call the autobody place and set up appointment.
10. Call my doctor's office and work out the prescription problem.
11. Smile more, bitch less and (stealing from Crimpet) instantly drop into a 2 minute plank for infractions.
12. 1 hour of cleaning in the basement.
13. Finish weeding/mulching at least 2 of the flower beds.
14. Housework:
Monday: down-stairs bathroom, up-stairs bathroom, laundry
Tuesday: kitchen, stairwell, hall, laundry
Wednesday living room, bedroom, laundry
Thursday dining room, bedroom, laundry
Friday den, master bedroom, laundry
Saturday, front porch, basement, laundry
Sunday, Mother's Day not doing a darned thing I don't want to.

I'm off to a good start this morning, got in a workout and a big jug of water and I may even have enough time to take a shower. Youngest DD has Kindergarten assessment this morning, and so far she's being a real brat about getting up and getting ready.

Good Monday Morning!

Saturday was a bad day for me, food-wise. Seemed to pull it together on Sunday. Once again, my eating was clean, just too darn much of it. Haven't hit the scale, but I feel a little "thick". :)

Another busy week ahead with school events that are planned over evening meals. (Why, oh why, do they have to do this???) Then they wonder why parents rely on drive-thrus.

A much stricter week for me... Doctor's weigh-in at the end of the month. :mad:

Food and Fitness:

*Multi-vitamin daily.
*1200-1400 calories, max... no excuses.
*Log everything.
*Walk as schedule permits.
*No bread, cheese, or cereal.

Personal Junk:

*Live each day with the strength of a woman; not the whining of a child.
*No emotional eating allowed! Time to pull up my "big girl" panties and move on.
*Schedule at least one day of things that I want to do; not things that I have to do.

1. Start each day with yoga and 10 minute Carb Killer workout (Love netflix!!!).
2. Water, water and more water....3 liters a day!
3. Work up to 20 minutes on eliptical machine by end of week.
4. Increase treadmill speed to 4mph with at least 5% incline for 30 minutes.
5. Make it to at least one fitness class during the week.
6. Focus less on weight and more on the inches being lost.
7. Keep the house clean--with two kids under 5 and less than a 1k sq ft, it's a battle.....
8. Stay caught up on laundry.
9. Be more patient.
10. Take ten minutes of personal quiet time every single day.
11. Work on eliminating negative people in my life.
12. End the day with yoga.

After a very busy weekend I weighed in today to find myself down to 186.6 - a new low and about a pound and half off from last Monday. I'll take it, considering the scale was bouncing up and down on me there for a week! So close to 185 and the 30-lb. milestone!!! Unfortunately, I've hurt my back somehow (it feels tight, makes me wish I had a muscle relaxer) so no exercise for me today as planned. I'll do some stretching tonight.

Today is going to be a bad food day in general - there's going to be pizza, cheesecake, key lime pie, and going out for dinner tonight due to two simultaneous parties for labmates. I'm going to try to keep the sweets to a minimum (maybe have a small slice of the pie) and save up my calories for dinner! We'll see how I do, oh boy....

My goals aren't changing much at all from last week. It's working, I won't fix it until it's broke!

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 104 oz. water daily
7) Report here each and every day
8) Eat out/take out no more than twice for lunch and once for dinner

Other Life Stuff:
1) Handle stress directly and appropriately
2) Make an effort on my appearance every day
3) Work on my embroidery for at least five hours
4) "Smile more, bitch less"
5) Try two new recipes

Good luck this week everyone, and happy May!

~Terri

OK, I'm going to apologize in advance, but the previous 2 weeks have been really bad in terms of health/fitness goals, and I've been really riled up by someother comments this morning, so here's my Monday morning rant and cry for help....

So, back-track to April 15th-ish...I was all on board with the "sign in and post over the weekend" challenge, and had had a pretty good week, all things considered. Then Saturday morning, we got news that bf's grandpa had passed away, and also that bf's family cabin was flooding, and we needed to go home. So, we packed ourselves into the car and went. We had already planned to go home for Easter, but this added about 5 days onto our trip. Problems?: #1 - McDonalds on the drive to home, because it's the most accessible roadside option...#2 - since they weren't doing a full funeral service, they instead planned a family gathering at home...which meant they needed food...which meant that I was requested to bake...which led to eating a lot of cookie dough and cookies all week. #3 - it was Easter as well as mine and bf's birthdays...so there was Birthday cake and Easter treats to be had.... I tried to work out at bf's parents' home gym...but only made it twice, which was not enough to negate all the garbage I ate. I came home about 3 lbs heavier.

Week #2: I only got one day back at work before I had to fly off to a conference. I had to go WAAAAY east, so my internal clock was (and still somewhat is) very screwed up. And of course, you get the standard conference food with that - continental breakfast (which is OK) and wraps/sandwiches, etc. for lunch...so making good choices was only so-so, simply because you don't know what's in the food, portions, etc. Dinners were on my own, and on the Atlantic coast you HAVE to have seafood, so I indulged in lobster and fish a lot. No problems there - pretty healthy actually. The problem? - I decided it was also a good idea to indulge in other ways: dessert and snacks. Saturday, I came home another pound or so heavier.

And this morning, what a gem. For anyone who was following my story from way back, I am a former professional cheerleader, and had recently tried out for a team in my new home city. I didn't make it, and requested that they provide me some feedback as to why. They dodged my question for weeks, but finally, after I had left them alone and assumed they weren't going to respond...they did. But I wish they hadn't. The reasons they provided me were completely illegitimate, and are just a cover-up for what they legally can't say: they thought I looked too heavy. They spun me some story about not smiling enough, needing to work on my cardio, and not being quick enough to learn the choreography - maybe I should take some more class? Yeah, right. I'm a former professional dancer and teacher, I take class several times a week as it is, I work on my cardio every day (minus the past 2 weeks, hah!)...what a lame story to tell me.

So...I'm beginning this week up a bunch - almost 5 lbs to be exact - from where I left off, and in a bad mood to boot. Might have to take up kickboxing or something tonight, just to pretend that I'm doing some real physical damage to these ridiculous people....ha! And, if you have followed all the way through this rant...thanks! - it was more just to get it all out e-verbally than to have anyone sympathize with me, but maybe it was an entertaining story too?!

Goals for the week:
#1 - log all foods every day - since I've been away from Fitday for 2 weeks, this should be a challenge enough
#2 - follow my nutritionist's advice. The consult I had mentioned before went quite well, and the biggest/easiest tip I took away in terms of food was 1 thing from each food group for each meal.
#3 - WATER!!!!! - 2 big blue bottles every day.
#4 - get back in the gym! 5x this week.

Non-fitness goals:
#1 - catch up on work email...sigh.
#2 - smile more, bitch less - I know this has been on other people's goal lists for awhile, and I have never felt I needed it...but I do this week! We'll start here! - :)

I'm back after a week of goofing off. Putting off assessing the damages till after tomorrow's weight in. I need to get right back into fitness and feel motivated.

i set a new longer term goal today as the one I had set was for May 1st. Didn't reach it but still pleased with Jan to May results. My new goal is 150 by October 1st. I figure that will match up with my 10 percent challanges.

This week I plan to increase my activity

Y 3 times, get my bike out, do my morning Sauna and yoga faithfully

food -- stay at 1500 but increase % of protein

Water -- have my two 5 gallon cooler jugs in the car to fill

green tea - 6 cups a day

Hopefully last week will be gone by friday. Feeling great despite the lapse. did keep active, just a bit too much food and alcohol. Mary

Happy Monday, everyone!

Almeeker, thanks for starting us off. Hope you are settling in after your crazy Saturday.

Quinn, I'm sure you'll pull it back together; glad yesterday was a good start. I have the worst times on Saturdays, too. I hear what you are saying about the events. We (or at least my son) are out every night this week. I tried to sit down and plan menus with fast leftovers, though we will probably have to resort to one trip to Subway. For the past 10 days, and for the next nine, it is absolute crunch time here...then he is off on the Disney trip. It's only finals after that. Drama queens have nothing on my Drama King.

Kayvery007, welcome to our thread. You'll enjoy it. We're a little wacky, but harmless.

Terri, be strong today. Choose the hills you're willing to die on, don't show up hungry, and don't be so strict it backfires. Just use all that common sense you have a ton of. Feel better soon!

Lindsey, sorry about how you've been hammered lately. Do your best to put it behind you and you'll be successful this week, I'm sure. Hang in there and vent all you need to.

Mary, we're all about motivation. Keep checking in, do what you gotta do. I'm glad you're feeling great. Be strong!

Well, my big disappointment for the week was learning that we can't go on our couple's trip to Savannah as planned. Hubs learned he has to travel for work that week...and probably most of the weeks in May and June :(. They are closing the FL office and it's in shambles, so he has to get it locked and loaded. He'll be home on weekends, then fly back out Mondays. Color me displeased. However, I'm thankful he's working again, so I can't get too upset.

Instead of going away, we've planned a day hike for one day and a nice dinner out plus a trip to the farmer's market the following day. It's not what I expected we would do, but it's all good.

The cool part is that I will have some time completely to myself. That NEVER happens. I am going to dip into my hoarded gift cards and get a massage, then go shopping for as long as it takes to pick through clearance racks and try everything on, with no one texting me to see when I'll be home, if a friend can come over, or what's for dinner. If I had any fashion sense, this would be more fun; I'm a little intimidated so I need to have a plan to replenish the wardrobe, since after donating so many clothes over the year, I'm down to half a closetful and a small dresser.

Maybe so, but I'm willing to put it to the test and swap out middle DD for a week with the Drama King, you might change you mind after that, especially considering she's only one of the trio. Oy, this morning was a difficult Monday. The DD's didn't get near enough rest over the weekend, and they are not typically nice people in the morning anyway. I'm thinking that I'm going to keep ice cream in the house again, and wake the DD's up by shoveling a tablespoon of it into them before their eyes are fully open. Just wait til their grown and have to explain that one to their therapists!!! Yikes.

One thing I can guarantee is that she eats less than the Drama King, so you would at a minimum save on groceries, and she doesn't know how to text.

Thanks Cassie :) I'll remember that part about the hills!

For lunch, I ended up having 2 slices of cheese pizza and a small slice of key lime pie. I was able to look up the menu for dinner tonight, and they do have some grilled fish options with steamed broccoli (of course, the most expensive things on the menu, unless I want sesame chicken with stir-fried veggies...) - so I decided that having a little indulgence at lunch would satisfy me, especially if others try to go for dessert at dinner. I do better with lunch being my largest/most indulgent meal rather than dinner, and I won't feel deprived when others start digging in.

Resisting the appetizer will probably be the hardest part for me, but I know I can do it. I figure if I end today around 1500-1600 calories, I did well.

Oh, yeah, this is a goal thread...I need some goals.

1. Calories 250 deficient per day (adjust after weigh-in on Wed. if necessary).
2. Balance macros, fiber, and ratio of good:bad fats.
3. Sleep at least 7 hours a night.
4. Drink at least two big blue bottles of water daily.

5. Pay attention to posture.
6. Smile more, bitch less (it's contagious :)).
7. Be more diligent about skin care (sunscreen, yes, but there's more I should be doing).
8. Straighten and put things away before bed. (I hate waking up to a disheveled house, but it gets so crazy in the afternoons and evenings. If I can do this, I will be in a much better mood in the mornings!).
9. Do shade garden by end of weekend.

Not really, oldest DD has another performance this week. Different thing altogether, and her part is very small, she's playing Wee Williamina Winky. Only one small problem, I have to make her a costume. I picked up the fabric this morning, it's kelly green and I have to make it into a nightshirt and sleep cap by tomorrow night's dress rehearsal. Which of course I haven't started because she kept me so stinking busy last week with the other thing. This theater mom business is brutal, soccer mom is much easier all I have to do with that is feed 'em, water 'em, find and wash all the bits for the uniforms and deliver 'em on time for games and practices.

Hi everyone!
I went away for the weekend for my a family reunion on my dad's side. I haven't read the end of last week's thread but I will do that next!

I took a break from tracking food for Sat and Sunday bc I felt like my brain/body needed it. I let myself eat whatever I wanted but tried to never get too full and I made sure to eat fruits and veggies too. I also exercised both days. I'm sure I was over cals for Saturday but I'm okay with it bc I know how to make it all even out.

Terri, great job on your success during lunch!!!!!!

Goals for the week:
-Track everything
-Exercise daily, even though not every day needs to be "hard"
-Strive to make healthy choices
-When tempted to binge try and stop for 5 minutes and think, or write down, what I really want--just a small taste, maybe? What can I do to move past the temptation, or to just learn how to work with it better?

Hi Mike, I just wanted to thank you for those gorgeous photos of NOLA! Can't wait to go back again and when I do I will be sure to let you know!:) Going down there after Katrina/Rita was such a moving and frightening experience...I'll never forget some of the people I spoke to and hearing their stories of where they were during and after the storm. I'm in a hydrology lab and some things that others do in the lab relates to the 100 year storm events and what not...it's quite frightening knowing the high likelihood of storms hitting areas where we have so many people, such a great culture, and all of the economic aspects of the fisheries/oil&gas in the gulf.

Emily, welcome! Wow, you are really doing great on your weight loss! You know what you're doing! Congratulations!

Terri, way to go on getting that scale moving. Congrats on your new low! So sorry 'bout your back--feel better soon! Best wishes on your food today.

Almeeker, happy kindergarten assessing with DD. Another milestone in your life... :) But, oh dear, another costume to make. Take time to breathe!

Quinn, best wishes with your meal and life plates. I always found it quite annoying when school stuff was at dinner time, too.

Lindsey, welcome back. Well, at least you got some feedback, even though you think it's a crock of... Kickboxing sounds like a good idea. LOL

Mary, hi--glad to see you back here. Yes, you did great on your January-May loss. Congrats on that!

Cassie, so sorry your trip to Savannah was cancelled. But you have so nice activities and some great ME time planned. :)

Julia. sometimes those change-ups are good to keep the body guessing. It might get your scale moving faster when you get back down to more strict eating. :)

Jjeand, golly, you are one busy mom, too! Try to get some RELAXING ME time in that to do list!

This week's goals:

Calorie limit 1600
Calorie restriction at least 1037
Carbs less fiber limit 25g
Protein target 120g

Really watch the sodium this week
Limit one artificial sweetener packet per day
Limit one piece sugar free candy per day

64 oz. water

1/2 hour exercise

Stock up on low carb veggies
Look for some new low carb veggie blends or recipes

Hi everyone
After months of slacking off and not doing things properly- resulting in 1 stone of weight back on (that is so hard to admit) im back to basics and determined to reach goal.
Although im not happy with the gain im not going to get don about it and im just going to focus on what i know is needed for me to feel better again.

1st week goals are
# I will take advantage of the warm weather and walk as much as possible
# I will discipline portion sizes
# I will drink more water
# I will try and recognise hunger/satisfaction levels
# I will not eat family leftovers
# I will not eat out of boredom/stress
# I will stay positive
# I will have 1200-1400 cals a day-although i am new to calorie counting and not sure yet how many is right for me. Ive lost all my weight previously with weightwatchers!

Tomorrow is my sons 8th birthday and we are having a small family tea party at my parents (just 2mins away) an i am going to prepare a healthy pasta salad for when we get home for my main meal. This should help me stay clear of birthday cake and other bad foods. As the weather is going to be nice i think i should stay in the garden where the food isnt staring me right in the face!!

Tracey

This is gonna be another SERIOUSLY aggravating week...
I worked 9 days in a row, serously messed up shifts, earlies, lates and no routine whatsoever, so today I knew I had refused to work...
And someone put me on the rota anyway, along with another person who had also not agreed to work, so after my long early shift yesterday, I then had a late shift today at 3 hrs notice. So rather stress and heading for the Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur very shortly.

My goals will remain as they were last week, but maybe this week I'll actually hit one or two.

Anyhow, it's almost midnight, I've been up since 6am, and EVERYTHING aches, so I'll catch up with everyone in the morning. Bedtime for me now... and the Bailey's is coming with...

Monday Report Card

Health & Fitness Goals:

1. Eat clean and kept calories 1,350-1,600, 50 push-ups for days I'm over. 1,600 by my fingernails.
2. Drink 96 oz of water. Y
3. Exercise 6 hours. 62 min (total 1:02)
4. Calorie deficit of 3,500 for the week. -762 (total -977)
5. Carbs 45% or lower, Protein 30% or higher. (43c/30p),
6. Log food and report every day even weekends. Y
7. Grain free 3 days. Y

Non-Fitness Goals:

8. Make DD a costume for Thursday's performance. Started
9. Call the autobody place and set up appointment. N
10. Call my doctor's office and work out the prescription problem. N
11. Smile more, bitch less and (stealing from Crimpet) instantly drop into a 2 minute plank for infractions. Y
12. 1 hour of cleaning in the basement.
13. Finish weeding/mulching at least 2 of the flower beds. N
14. Housework:
Monday: down-stairs bathroom, up-stairs bathroom, laundry
Tuesday: kitchen, stairwell, hall, laundry
Wednesday living room, bedroom, laundry
Thursday dining room, bedroom, laundry
Friday den, master bedroom, laundry
Saturday, front porch, basement, laundry
Sunday, Mother's Day not doing a darned thing I don't want to.

I've had a fairly decent day goal wise, haven't gotten my phone calls done, but I did think about it, maybe tomorrow. Hopefully the elliptical parts I ordered last week will arrive tomorrow, the FedEx slip is on the door and I've signed it. DD's costume is coming along, thank heavens it's not a complicated pattern, 6 pieces total and that's including the mob cap. I've talked her out of buttons and collars, so it's pretty straight forward. The color I think will work well with stage lighting, and she loves it. I'm less sure, but this isn't about me. Oh, and get this today we found out the theme for next year's National History Day and she's all ants in her pants to get started on it. OY! Motherhood and all it's glory.

Tomorrow is my easy day, down to one child from 8:00am - 3:30pm, although the easy part ends at 4:00 when Girl Scout starts. Mr. Screamy Pants is sick so I didn't have him today, and he isn't scheduled to arrive again until Thursday. It's almost like being on vacation.

Looks like many of us are going to have some rough days ahead, which means it's time for a plan. I always love that quote from Ramsay, "Nobody ever plans to fail, they just fail to plan". So that's what I'm trying to do, plan even if it's just a little, sometimes that's enough.

Well I gotta go, eldest DD rode her bike to soccer practice, and I'm going to bike down and fetch her back. She's 9 and maybe it's okay for her to bike places like that alone, but then again maybe it's not.

No problem Julia, I'm glad you enjoyed them and thanks again!

Well it's been a busy and productive day for me today! :D

Health & Fitness
1) Gal. of water a day
2) workout 6 days
3) 1000+ cals deficient for the week
4) eat clean
5) only 1 cheat meal

Non Health and Fitness
6) do Business drop-ins 1x
7) make money
8) do 3 random acts of kindness


I already did 1 random act of kindness today and it felt great. I was in my N.O. office and I got a random phone call from a guy wanting to buy life insurance on himself, more for his dad and he said his brother needed some as well. He said that he wanted to go with my company (BTW I don't own my own insurance company, I just say "my company" b/c I don't want to put the company's name out there) b/c when his mother died, my company took good care of them. Then my brain went to work (yes, I took my adderall) and this is how the rest of the conversation went:

me: I'm sorry to hear about your mom passing away.
him: thanks, everyone has been so compassionate.
me: when did she pass away?
him: soon after Katrina.
me: oh, okay. What's her name?
him: [he told me her name]
me: [I started typing to see if I could find her policy but couldn't access it w/o the policy number]Do you know her policy number?
him: yeah [gives me the policy number], but we already had the death claim paid.
me: if you don't mind me asking... how did she pass away?
him: she had an infection that ended up killing her.
me: [my brain is working overdrive and I punch in the policy number] I see that she had an additional $25k of accidental death coverage.
him: she died of natural causes.
me: Really? What caused the infection?
him: she had knee replacement surgery.
me: Really? Why did she have the surgery? [I'm starting to know exactly where this conversation is going, b/c people don't usually just want to have knee replacement surgery]
him: [pauses as if I'm being a little nosy] She fell getting out of the shower and broke her leg and the doctor said that she needed the knee replacement surgery.
me: So let me get this straight... she fell getting out of the shower and broke her leg and the doctor said that she needed the knee replacement surgery. Had the surgery which led to her getting an infection, which ended up taking her life. Does that sound right?
him: yeah
me: Well it sounds to me that if it weren't for the accident, she wouldn't have lost her life, and that my friend is what the extra $25k for accidental death covers!

So I called the home office and started the process. He is in the process of gathering the records from the doctors office and it's safe to say that his random phone call and getting the right person on the phone that wasn't just trying to sell him a product but dig deeper and actually help his family out could have just netted him $25k.

So of you may remember me saying that I'm not a pushy insurance salesman but I focus on helping people. Today was an example of that. The best thing is that they aren't even clients of mine.


BTW The death certificate says Natural Causes. Watch me work my magic. Stay tuned!

awesome job, Mike!!!!! :D

I had another binge today. Again, it was in my car! I must think of that place as my safe zone or something. I would be better off if I always HAD to eat in front of others, then I wouldn't eat as much. So I ate half a box of raw cookie dough. yumm! I hope I get salmonella so that the cals drop out of me. kidding, i know that would really be much worse than gaining a pound.

damn a half a box of raw cookie dough??? That's awesome! :D That sounds like something I'd do. Time for me to work out.

You da man, Mike. Restores my faith in humanity to know one of the good guys.

Julia, maybe try making yourself watch in your car mirror while you eat? I've heard that when people watch themselves eating, they eat less. Maybe it has the power to stop a binge in its tracks? Oh, unless you're driving; then I wouldn't recommend it. Put the stuff in your trunk instead!

Health & Fitness
1) Gal. of water a day yes
2) workout 6 days yes
3) 1000+ cals deficient for the week -172
4) eat clean yes
5) only 1 cheat meal no

Non Health and Fitness
6) do Business drop-ins 1x no
7) make money no
8) do 3 random acts of kindness yes


Cassie, thanks... see not all insurance agents are like a used car salesman. :D

Check In:

1. Calories 250 deficient per day (adjust after weigh-in on Wed. if necessary). Yes
2. Balance macros, fiber, and ratio of good:bad fats. Yes
3. Sleep at least 7 hours a night. No
4. Drink at least two big blue bottles of water daily. Yes

5. Pay attention to posture. Yes
6. Smile more, bitch less (it's contagious ). Yes
7. Be more diligent about skin care (sunscreen, yes, but there's more I should be doing). Yes
8. Straighten and put things away before bed. (I hate waking up to a disheveled house, but it gets so crazy in the afternoons and evenings. If I can do this, I will be in a much better mood in the mornings!). Yes
9. Do shade garden by end of weekend.

Today was good. Got my work goals accomplished, volunteered at school setting up the book fair, cooked a great stir fry, lifted weights, and had some time to myself. The stars don't often align that way; I'll take it!

hi all,
I exercised much more this week, and I see my energy levels going up, am all smiley and happy :) and i lost 1lb. Not bad:)

Mike, good job man :) I totally love people who are good in what they do ( whatever it is they are doing)

Cassie, congrats on your stellar alignment! I love days like that. I keep thinking about your post where you said you rocked 14 things off your to-do list. I sooooo very need a day like that! I picked up a copy of Bob Harper's Inside Out Yoga last week, and managed to work up the nerve to attempt it this morning. Well, I was able to do maybe 90-95% of the moves, and Bob did not kick my butt completely, he just tied me in a knot and laughed his goofy guffaw at me. And here I thought the Cardio one was sadistic. What is up with that pose where you clasp your hands together under your leg in Warrior I and then stand up and lift your leg to the ceiling? OMG, I can't even touch my hands together under there, let alone stand up and get a leg off the ground.

Mike, you're very sweet to help out a complete stranger like that. Have you ever seen "The Incredibles"? You're the real life version of Mr. Incredible's mild mannered alter-ego Bob Parr. I'm thinking you need a new outfit for work, very tight and very red. Wadda ya think? You know my grandmother died from a similar series of events, I wonder if I should have that same conversation with my dad? Of course grans was almost 90, so maybe she didn't have that sort of insurance.

Julia, I can honestly say of all the millions of calories I've eaten in my car, cookie dough has never been part of that. That combination has "very bad habit" written all over it. OY!!! Love that stuff! One thing that always helps me not eat in the car is to clean it, really well inside and out, because then I don't want to ruin the effort with crumbs and wrappers. Another thing I do to keep myself from lapping the drive-thru is to put my purse where I can't reach it easily, like in the far back storage well (I drive a cross-over so there isn't a trunk). And when I have no other option besides eating in the car I try and pack it ahead.

Welcome aboard traceymc, this is a great thread, we start it fresh every week. It's a good place to check in for accountability, motivation, tears, cheers, etc. I was trying to remember if you were the one that started the original thread? It was someone from the 100+ ladies thread, but I can't seem to recall who.

Quinn, I so hear you on the school-taking-over-the-evening-fam-time thing. It's been like that for us since soccer started. We have at least one child playing a soccer game or going to practice M-T-W-Th & S, every week for all of April and May. The weather has not cooperated and now we'll be playing make-up games into June. Swim Club starts May 13. Save me from student athletes.

jjeand, I'm totally cracking up over your post, it's like shorthand-mom-speak. It made perfect sense to me though. Good luck this week, looks like a typical busy-nutty mom schedule.

Mern, good luck on your goals. So how's your Richard workout coming along? I can't wait until you get to P90X, I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up with you. LOL, now wouldn't that make your DH huffy? You might want to get him used to the idea of having a chin up bar in the living room.

Good Morning!

This week looks to be busy but in control... at least so far. lol Lots of year end activities going on (banquets, awards ceremonies, track meets, concerts...) Far too many after-event "socials" complete with cake, bars, ice cream, etc. Oh well.

The @#$%& dress made it through Prom without any "wardrobe malfunctions"... at least none that could be seen... LOL

I would say I'll be glad when school comes to an end, but then we have to get the college apps out. So, I'm afraid my summer is going to be more of the same.

On a bright note, the weather is going to be sunny and warm for the next week, so I'm really looking forward to getting outside to get some hiking in. Everything is so far behind this year... our trees are just beginning to bud. No spring flowers yet... nothing. Hard to think shorts and tank tops when you're still wearing a winter coat! ;)

Food and Fitness:

*Multi-vitamin daily. Y
*1200-1400 calories, max... no excuses. 1397
*Log everything. Y
*Walk as schedule permits. No time.
*No bread, cheese, or cereal. Fail.


Personal Junk:

*Live each day with the strength of a woman; not the whining of a child. Y
*No emotional eating allowed! Time to pull up my "big girl" panties and move on. Y
*Schedule at least one day of things that I want to do; not things that I have to do.
Looking at Wednesday.

Lindsey: Sorry for the news - at least they did get back to you. I know you'll just take it as motivation and turn it into positive energy - let all those negative emotions out and focus on YOU, and good things will happen!

Mary: It's a new week! We're here for you! You've done great Jan-May, definitely be proud of yourself!

Cassie: Sorry to hear about all the travel for hubby, but I'm glad that you will still get a little couples' time - as usual, you're going to make the best of what you have!! And ooooh, shopping! I hear you on fashion sense :rolleyes: since I have none either, but I bet you'll surprise yourself, especially since you'll have all that lovely relaxing time to just do and buy what you like. Also, you rocked your goals, awesome job!

jj: Wow, you sound like a busy Mom this week! Remember to take time for you!!

tracy: Welcome back! Every new day is a new beginning. I hope you had a lovely time with your son's b-day and stuck with your plans and goals (and if not, that's ok too!)

Cybervox: Hang in there! I hope you get some good rest, sorry about the nutty work schedule :(

almeeker: Sounds like you had a pretty good start to the week, congrats!

Julia: Mmmm...cookie dough! I'm going to go ahead and hope you DON'T get salmonella poisoning to balance out your wishes... I think Cassie has a great idea, watch yourself eating in the mirror? Can't hurt. I totally feel like my car is a safe/private zone too, and I definitely did binge before in it, parked in the far corner of the parking lot where others couldnt' see me >.>

Mike: Your report looks great too, and your random act of kindness made me tear up big-time reading it. You're a great guy to do that, and I hope it works out for that caller!!

Monday Report Card

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:
1) Achieve a 7,000 calorie deficit by the end of the week M: -437 (Week Total: -437)
2) Do not take off two days in a row from exercising. M: Day off (back pain)
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: 38% (Weekly Average: 38%)
5) Protein powder after every workout in a smoothie M: N/A
6) At least 104 oz. water daily M: I think so
7) Report here each and every day M: Day after
8) Eat out/take out no more than twice for lunch and once for dinner M: Pizza lunch, restaurant dinner (Total 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)

Other Life Stuff:
1) Handle stress directly and appropriately M: No real stress
2) Make an effort on my appearance every day M: Yes x 2!
3) Work on my embroidery for at least five hours M: No
4) "Smile more, bitch less" M: All smiles!
5) Try two new recipes M: No

I think I handled my day pretty well yesterday, considering it was all-celebration, all-day. Celebratory lunches and dinners are difficult ground - I ended up having 2 slices of pizza and a sliver of key lime pie at lunchtime, and then out to dinner.

Then, I got some extra and unexpected motivation...last night I put on a dress for dinner that I have not fit into in FOUR YEARS. And it FIT! It was perhaps ever-so-slightly tight around the middle, but it definitely fit just fine, and a couple of more pounds and it would have been perfect (Size 14 - I started in January as a Size 18/20)!!!!! It was a great morale-booster for the dinner to remind me WHY I am doing this.

My plan of attack for the dinner was to 1) Avoid Appetizers and 2) Eat a light meal, as I'd had a heavy lunch. I had a handful of Special K cracker-chip things to tide me over before we went (I wish I liked nuts... a handful of nuts would have been good!) and then focused on those two goals....I mostly-succeeded. Unfortunately, the place we went to had the SLOWEST SERVICE IN THE WORLD (I looked at my phone, it was 45 minutes between when we put in appetizer orders and when the apps came out...and then another 35 until the entree, yeesh!) and by the time the apps got to the table, I was famished. I actually excused myself and went to the bathroom because I could feel my arms reaching out to grab at dumplings, and fried wonton things, and tempura-battered shrimp and zucchini -- you get the idea, haha!

By the time I got back, people were mostly digging into the appetizers and there wasn't much left on the serving platters, so I felt like I dodged a bullet. Then my BF nudged over a plate to show me he had saved me some crab rangoon - which is crab and cream cheese inside a fried wonton shell. One of my old favorites. I did end up eating it to be polite and because he insisted I should "have some fun" but I only ate the one, so that's some small relief.

For dinner I had a salad with some great fresh veggies - cucumber, asparagus, raddachio, cherry tomatoes, dark leafy greens - and it also had pan-seared scallops nestled inside of it for some protein. Scallops aren't as good as shrimp in terms of calories, I know, but I hadn't had them in so long, and I wanted to give myself a little protein variety. I love seafood.

They were delicious. I ended up eating about 2/3 of the greens because the bottom of the bowl was drowned in dressing and it was too tart for me -- forgot to ask for dressing on the side! D'oh! I'm usually good about that. I blame the slow service and my appetite!

I did my best guesstimate on calories, because I'm not sure what was in the salad dressing, though I'm certain it was some sort of vinigarette. Also, for the crab rangoon I grabbed some info off of another site for a similar restaurant, but I don't know how accurate it is, so yesterday is a guesstimation day. I'm CERTAIN I didn't go over-calorie, so I will count it as a win, and back on-track today for a lean-cal day!

Also, my back is feeling about 50% better, so I will probably do some form of exercise tonight for maybe a half hour -- I don't want to overdo it, but I don't want to lose my exercise rhythm...because when I skip, I quickly lose the workout motivation mojo. I'm thinking stationary bike with a back on the seat so I don't have to lean over...There is one (and only one) at the gym - hopefully I can score it!

~Terri

Terri,

You're smart not to push when you have a back injury. Spinal injuries can be very deceiving. Limit any impact or jarring movements, but continue with things like walking, stretching and yoga. (I've learned the hard way, thinking that I could "muscle through" such injuries.)


Cybervox,

My husband and I looked at some baby chicks on Sunday! Man, they were so cute. I'm starting to think smaller, to start. Maybe quail or something like that... and just a couple. :)

Mike,

I sure wish my insurance company would take some lessons from you. I've had trouble with claims with home, auto and health. I've found that auto insurance is great until you have a personal injury claim. Then they can be pretty darn cold-hearted. Your clients are lucky to have you looking out for them. It will bring you great rewards in the future.

Cassie,

Your #8, regarding straightening before bed, is something that I'm really disciplined about, even when my kids were small. I can't stand waking up to any kind of mess or things out of order in the morning. (Of course, then my husband and daughter get ready in the morning and it looks like a tornado hit their bathrooms! ) I think I'm a little OCD, though... lol. Even when I go somewhere, I'll walk through the house quickly to make sure that everything is straight and put away. I once had to get rid of an oriental rug because it had fringe that drove me nuts... LOL.

almeeker,

I thought that I dodged the bullet this year with my daughter working instead of playing soccer, but then she joined track!!! UGH!!! I was SO close to being done!!! :)

Quinn, far better track than wrestling. The year my oldest nephy took up wrestling, SIL took up crocheting and we all got afghans for Christmas, every last one of us. She still swears that her butt has a flat spot on it from all the time she spent on the bleachers.

Cassie & quinn you're far better women than I. At the end of the day I'm D-O-N-E, and I'm not doing one more thing for anybody, not even myself. Although I do clean before we leave for the weekend or on a trip, I hate to come home to a messy house. I also usually get my housework done first thing in the morning as soon as the kiddos are off to school, otherwise it doesn't happen. So by the end of the day, some of it has most certainly been undone.

Lindsey, pooh on those people, their loss. We all know that often these things have political manifestations tied into the selection process. I would just take that frustration and turn it around into positive energy and show them who's boss. When I was a Sophomore in college I had a professor that told me I would never get admitted to the architecture program because I have dyslexia and I'm a woman. Which only served to make me spitting mad and helped me focus all my energies into proving that idiot wrong. Well not only did I get myself admitted, I was given a scholarship that paid for about a third of my grad school education, then I graduated with a 3.75 gpa and I passed my registration exam the first time through. Take that Mr. Stupid Professor.

Muna, I was thinking yesterday that we should all celebrate what we are good at. Sometimes our job may seem trivial but think about home many science teaches made an impact on students that turn to the medical profession and end up saving lives. The impact of what we do goes beyond what we see.

almeeker, I haven't see that movie but I know of it. I don't think I'd look good in anything red and tight. The last time I tried that the girl at Victoria's Secret gave me a dirty look. I kid, I kid... it wasn't a dirty look. ;)

quinn, I'm glad to hear that the prom dress worked out! I can understand that the claims process can be difficult. I think adjusters try to hard to help the company and not the client.

Terri, Thanks. It really made my day to be able to go above and beyond for him. Congrats on getting into that dress. :)

1. Start each day with yoga and 10 minute Carb Killer workout (Love netflix!!!).
2. Water, water and more water....3 liters a day!
3. Work up to 20 minutes on eliptical machine by end of week.
4. Increase treadmill speed to 4mph with at least 5% incline for 30 minutes.
5. Make it to at least one fitness class during the week.
6. Focus less on weight and more on the inches being lost.
7. Keep the house clean--with two kids under 5 and less than a 1k sq ft, it's a battle.....
8. Stay caught up on laundry.
9. Be more patient.
10. Take ten minutes of personal quiet time every single day.
11. Work on eliminating negative people in my life.
12. End the day with yoga.

I am so happy I found this site! Getting on here and having a sense of accountability is a big help.

Mike--While I don't know you, what you are doing for that client is amazing! It goes above and beyond in the game of life :)

Terri-- I am 29 and have arthritis in my spine btwn my shoulder blades (genetics and 8 yrs of EMS) and doing yoga has been the best thing ever. If you have netflix, there are a lot of yoga videos available for instant viewing ;)

Cassie--I try to pick up at night like quinnesec mentioned; I just get all the toys up and kind of pull it together. That way in the morning, everything is ready for the vacuum and the mop.

As for me....I managed to get up to 15 minutes on the elliptical, although I skipped the treadmill afterwards. My legs were jello and images of me flying off the treadmill kept running through my head lol I started and ended my day the way I wanted, got my quiet time (even if it was in the sauna at the gym), drank my water, kept the house clean, conquered Mount Clothesmore (which is already ready to be conquered again), and am working on patience and eliminating negativity.

Don't you mean, "it wasn't a dirty look ;)", LOL.

You should watch "The Incredibles", it's very funny and I think given your profession, you might find it especially so. There is a scene where Bob Parr takes things into his own hand, and does what all of us have wanted to do to one boss or another, because he's getting in trouble for helping a client like you did yesterday. Although I have to admit my favorite part of the entire movie isn't the movie, it's the short film that follows called "Jack Jack Attacks". I've seen it maybe 1,000 times and I still laugh like a hyena through the whole of it.

totally!!!

LOL, I always call that huge pile of dirty laundry Mt. Washmore, glad to see I'm not alone in that feeling. Although I will say that last week when the basement flooded it would have been much deeper if the pile of dirty laundry hadn't absorbed so much of it. Ugh. The only thing worse than a huge pile of dirty laundry is a huge pile of sopping wet dripping dirty laundry.

A flooded basement is the pits! With kids, I don't think the laundry or dirty dishes ever ends....ever....

I got so fed up a few weeks ago, I got out garbage bags and just started putting clothes in them....and took like half a dozen bags to Goodwill. Then next day I realized that my fever pitch, I gave away all but three of my own shirts lol

Sucky start this week.

Monday report:
Calorie limit 1600 1527
Calorie restriction at least 1037 952
Carbs less fiber limit 25g 30.4-over by a low carb flaxmeal muffin and NM peanut butter
Protein target 120g 106.5

Really watch the sodium this week NO
Limit one artificial sweetener packet per day 0
Limit one piece sugar free candy per day 2

64 oz. water YES

1/2 hour exercise NO

Stock up on low carb veggies DONE
Look for some new low carb veggie blends or recipes DID BOTH

No worries, Mern...you were close! Good job on the green goals and good luck today with the others. You're doing great :D

This is gonna be another short one, as I've finished Day 11 and eaten my little spanish-type omelette, but the computer's next to the kitchen (we don't have a dining room any more, it's more like a computer/video room) and I can smell a load of stuff I really don't want to eat - at least that's what I'm telling myself - so I need to tear myself away before I cave.

Sounds like everyone's doing somewhat better this week, I just hope it continues that way and that I can count myself into that when I recover from the exhaustion, sleep deprivation and resulting junk-food cravings.

Quinn,
Glad you got the dress done, it sounds beautiful and I bet it got a load of admiring glances. As far as birds go, you're better off getting young chickens (not necessarily chicks, they need special foods, heating if they're really young, etc etc) than getting, say, quails or similar. If a chicken escapes, it's easier to catch, and you can handle them more than you can quails, which disappear into large mouseholes and are like little feathered balls of lightning. A young chicken is fairly easy to "humanise", Aki's taken to running to meet me at the back door if the flock is out for their "playtime" with my dad and brother. Obviously you'd get 2 or more, but 2 is plenty to start with.

Almeeker,
I hear you on the Mr Stupid Professor, good on you for proving him wrong.

Mike,
What you're doing for that random client is fantastic, I wish other people could see their way to doing things like that now and then. I don't know if your company deals internationally, but if they do, I know who to call when I have to spare income to pay for life insurance!

Emily,
These ladies, and of course Mike, are the best when it comes to advice and motivation, I lurked here for months before I ever posted but it was still helpful.

OK, my willpower is about 2 minutes away from crumbling, so I'm off upstairs to watch The Blind Side, or possibly Sherlock Holmes, with a big bottle of water and a high-fibre cereal bar, and I'll catch up with everyone later...