7-Day Motivational Thread starting 1/16/12
 

Good morning everyone. For me this is a Monday morning following "epic failure" weekend. Okay, the whole weekend wasn't bad, just Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday! I'm not quite on fire like I was last week, but I'm trying.

Health and Fitness Goals:

1. 1,400 calories.
2. 100 oz water.
3. Calorie deficit 5,000 for the week.
4. Exercise 7 hours.
5. Log everything, especially weekends!
6. Weigh daily and post. 169 :eek:

Other Goals:

1. Finish 1 rabbit cage and start a second.
2. Start Valentine letter.
3. Speak at school.
4. Housework, 1 hour daily + 1 load of laundry.
5. Cross off 10 items on "the list".
6. Fix the elliptical again. Ugh, that thing is a piece of junk.

Yay, new week! My week last week was fine, but my mom came to visit over the weekend and that always seems to involve indulging at restaurants. I mean, it wasn't awful, I just didn't pay too much attention. So, at it again!

I'm in. I had slips on Friday and Sunday, but the rest of the week was stellar, so I'm going to try to do a lot more journaling this week to try to figure this out. I've just finished re-reading two really interesting books, Mindless Eating (Brian Wansink) and The End of Overeating (David Kessler). Neither is a "diet" book but rather deal with the psychology of eating (not in textbook-y kind of way) and the way that food manufacturers "conspire" to keep us coming back to unhealthy (profitable) food, though it's not a conspiracy-theory type approach, either. I highly recommend both and they were both in my public library.

So, predictably, I have an awful headache this morning, probably from the food choices of last night (Go Ravens!), but that's not an excuse to just lounge around. I'm going to put some goals out there and get going. Best to all; looking forward to a week that will allow me to be more active on here!

1. Limit calories to 1350.
2. Exercise 6 times.
3. Journal mood-food-thoughts for everything that is not a planned meal.
4. 3 sports bottles of water daily.
5. Take all vitamins and supplements.
6. Log everything and post daily.

Checking this in ahead of time...I'm taking the boy to the movies today and I will report back that I did not eat any of the horrible food there!

Have a great week, one and all!

Almeeker, there was a day last week I did not respond to you...I didn't have the time to figure out how to put my thoughts into words but kept thinking about it, so maybe if I type it out now I can use it.

You had asked if it was that the things I used to do weren't working for me anymore, or if I just wasn't working the whole program. That's definitely a valid point and I would say it's a combination of both. I can't really work my whole program anymore because some things have changed (namely, my biggest calorie burn cardio class got canceled and I haven't found a good replacement, wrist/elbow/shoulder issues are precluding some tennis and weights, and time constraints have changed since joining another practice). The other part is that when I started FitDay 2 years ago, I was perfectly content on 1200, 1300 calories daily, but for some reason I find I can't stick to that now and I'm not sure why. I end up rebounding and eating even more than I would if I were just trying to maintain. You are absolutely correct in that what works, works, but I can't make myself do what works and that's what's not working! It's frustrating. But the bottom line is that I need to find what works NOW and do it. No excuses, no whining, just do it. Thanks for the thought-provoking question, because it really did twitch in my brain all week.

Hi,
I'm new, not sure what to post. I guess my goal this week is to exercise 6 days and not bing eat at dinner time. Thats my weakest part of the day. Gonna try to show some more patience with the kids and encourage my eldest (5 yrs old) to try a new vegetable.
No more eating my kids left-overs!

Welcome aboard Kim.

I'm in. I weighed in at 182.0 this morning (down 1.2 for the week). I was up b/c I fell vitim to the Doritos. I was 179.2 yesterday morning so I know it's water weight.

Health and Fitness:
1) drop 3 pounds (starting 182)
2) 4 serving of fruit/ veggies
3) -3000 calories
4) walk 6 miles
5) workout 3 times

Other:
6) write 4 policies

Welcome Kim I can relate to the not eating the leftover. I gained 4 pounds just looking after grandkids for 8 days. Remind yourself it's better to waste the leftovers than to add them to your waist.

My goals this week.

Cut out bedtime tv
Exercise X 5
Eat healthy
Journal

I am not setting a calorie limit this week except for Mon, Tue and Thur. 1400 each. The other days -- make wise choices. Mary

Kim, welcome. I like your goals. Good luck on the new veggies with your five year old. :)

Lizzie, I can't remember exactly but I pay somewhere between $3 and $3.49 for a 453g bag of flaxmeal. Wish I could make beautiful Irish Linen out of flaxmeal. LOL

fit4luv, I'm glad you enjoy the PC version of FitDay. I'm just too cheap to pay for it. LOL

Tori, I'm usually fine with just five hours of broken sleep. When it gets down to just 2 1/2 or 3 hours of broken sleep for more than two nights it starts to catch up with me. It's broken sleep because I have a small bladder and wake up two or three times a night for a bathroom trip even if I don't drink anything after dinner.

Amy, I agree with you--when people say their kids won't mind them, I think the kids don't mind because they know they don't HAVE to. It takes a lot of patience and letting the kids know the consequences they are CHOOSING FOR THEMSELVES if they don't choose to do what's right. It's hard to pull off sometime but I've tried to set out the good consequences they could choose rather than the punishment. "Yes, I'll be happy to drive you to the skating party Sunday afternoon if your book due Monday is finished." "Oh, so you decided you didn't want to earn money for that toy by doing extra chores?"


Chocolate Mocha Flaxmeal Muffins
Mern's recipe
They freeze well and are delicious rewarmed

**Note: these are moist muffins. If using paper muffin/cupcake tin liners,
peel off paper before rewarming in microwave for maybe 10 seconds or so.

Delicious for breakfast or a snack with a cup of almond coffee--just regular coffee to which 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon almond extract is added.

Muffin Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) or 2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup room temperature or cold strong prepared coffee (I use decaf but use what you like)
4 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup ground flaxmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill brand found in baking or health food aisle of grocery store)
6 tablespoons dry Vanilla Protein Shake Mix (I use Walker Diet found online)
1 cup granular Splenda, Apriva or other heat stable, pourable artificial sweetener that measures the same as sugar (the volume is necessary for proper texture)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray 12 cup muffin tin with PAM or use paper liners

1. In a large bowl beat eggs well with hand whisk.

2. Add remaining wet ingredients and combine well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine well all the dry ingredients.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, until just well combined with no lumps.

5. Divide evenly between the 12 muffin cups (about 1/4 cup each). Bake about 14 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6. Cool 5 minutes in muffin tin on wire rack. Then, if not using paper liners, loosen around each muffin with a plastic knife and then remove muffins onto wire rack.

Entire recipe makes 12--with egg substitute and pourable Splenda, and 1 net carb protein shake mix: 1412 calories; 100.7g fat; 14.4g sat fat; 54g poly fat; 23.8 mono fat; 93.2 carbs 48.1g carbs 65.9g protein; cholesterol 25mg.

Per muffin 117 calories; fat 8.4g; 1.2g sat fat; 4.6g poly fat; mono fat 2.0g; Carbs 7.7g; Fiber 4.0g; Net carbs 3.7g; Protein 5.3g; cholesterol 2.1mg
__________________

I had a good week and weekend. I was down to 272.0 at one point (Thursday maybe) last week but I have ended the week at 274.2lbs. That is a 2.2lb loss from last Monday so I'll take it. I got a ton accomplished this weekend. Saturday I worked out when hubby went to work then took a nap till 7:30AM. Then I cleaned all the closets except for the boys' bedroom ones. They can do their own! I ended up with 2 stuffed full 33 gallon trash bags for donation and half of one to throw away out of my clothes closet of things that are too big or I just no longer wear at all because they have no shape to them for me now. I kept one pair of jeans, a shirt and a sweatshirt from my bigger days. I had days bigger than that but dont' have those elastic waisted pants any more and they were from years back when I was actually over 350lbs. Then on Sunday I stayed up when hubby went to work at 5am and since the boys went for sleepovers at their gram's and aunt's houses I was able to sneak in my oldest's room and hang him a new wallpaper border instead of the dinosaurs playing that were in there. Now he has a cool hockey wall border. In order to do the work I had to take the mattresses and plywood sheet out of his bunkbeds and retrieve the ladder from the garage behind all the four wheelers. Then put it all back to see if he would notice on his own.....which he didn't BTW!! :rolleyes: I folded laundry then took a nap. Got up from the nap and ran to the grocery store (after doing my hair of course) and then home to clean all the bathrooms and dust & vaccum the whole house.

Just too many carbs with pasta and bread for two meals this weekend is what put me back up those 2.2lbs so I know it's water weight mostly.

Health / Fitness Goals...
1. 100oz water daily
2. One diet soda limit
3. No added salt to plate
4. Walk on lunch 3 times
5. Exercise in morning 3 times
6. Listen to body when full
7. Weigh and post daily M: 274.2lbs,

Life Goals...
1. Keep hands busy in evening
2. Make yearly GYN appt M: DONE! It's on 02.27.12 at 3:15pm
3. Don't cause panic until I have facts

Darlene ... You inspired me to make my appt. I put it off and it has been about 2 yrs since I have been to the GYN. She and I discussed before that I should probably start having mammograms done at 35 yrs old and I will be 35 in May :eek: so no better time to get going on that than now. I am very sorry for your news. I can't imagine how scary that is and I hope for you that you are not in the top 15% either. That is a great way to look at it. I love your attitude change that took place last week.

Mike ... I read through last week's posts and hope that this week finds you and GF in a better place.

Kim ... You did fine with your goals. I can remember all too well finishing the kids' food. They are 14months apart and many chicken fingers and french fries were eaten. Welcome to the group!

Cassie ... I think those books sound wonderful and I may have to look them up.