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.

I'll be back later to catch up on today's thread so far.

Cassie, congrats on "the boy" winning the tournament!

Mike, big hug to you as you and GF decide your future together. I've read some of your problems but am not offering any advice. Just like there is no one-size-fits-all diet, there is no one-size-fits all relationship repair. Still just wishing you happiness whatever you decide.

Had a lazy weekend eating totally off plan. No way I'll get a good report now on my blood sugar test next month. The A1C blood sugar (average over 2 months) report will almost certainly show a level just slightly over 6% putting me back in the lowest part of the pre-diabetic range--I'll guess 6.2% Last time I was down to a nice normal 5.8%. But my cholesterol and triglycerides should show a nice decrease.

Hey all! I'm in for another week. Will post goals when I get home from work and running to the pet store. (I need to make a goal of NOT looking at the loney pitiful kittens when I go in.) My weekend was all over the place. Way WAY up on Friday night, way low on Saturday b/c of the lack of appetite and then slightly up again yesterday. But I blame yesterday on CN....I swear the man is trying to keep me fat. Hope everyone has a good Monday. ttfn

Joanna, I commend you for being able to say about your restaurant indulging this past weekend "it wasn't awful." :) Glad you got to visit with your mom.

Cassie, I agree the rest of your reports last week were stellar. Major kudos on that! I hope your headache goes away. I was punished by my carby choices with only feeling so sluggish from the spikes and plummets of my blood sugar. What movie are you going to/did you see?

April, a net loss of 2.2lb.s is "kudoworthy." :D Also kudoworthy is the burning of a lot of calories cleaning out your closets. Great job on getting rid of all your larger clothes! You are such an inspiration to us as are others here like Amy and Mike (I know I'm missing a bunch of you--sorry--my recall isn't great as I type this) and others who have lost a great deal of weight. OMG you were sooooooo active this weekend. My weekend was totally lazy and I ate like a maniac whatever I wanted. I'm back on track now, though.

Tori, so glad you had a good weekend with CN. We got our dog (deceased years ago after living with us for 14 1/2 years) from an animal shelter. I didn't want a long haired dog, but he picked US--standing on his hind legs against the cage door, wagging his tail, and loudly whimpering "Pick ME, Pick ME, Pick ME!" They pulled the wrong card on us--told us he'd be a small dog when full-grown-- part toy collie and part something else small--BUT he wound up being a 60 lb. part German Shepherd and part Golden Retriever. LOL

My goals are the same as always so y'all will see them in my Monday report tomorrow.

Menu today:

Breakfast skipped--not deliberate--just busy and never got to it.

Lunch: spinach and avocado omelet with roasted red pepper sauce, decaf almond flavored coffee with non-dairy coffee creamer

Dinner: meatloaf, spinach based tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette, broccoli

Snacks: almonds, flaxmeal, low carb protein shake

Cassie Enjoy your movie day. What are you going to see?

Kim Welcome!

Mike Good job on moving that scale down. Victim of doritos’ maybe you should take some self defense classes,lol.

Mary I hear we have switched weather forecast’s you have sun and + temps I am going on my hike with flurries and -3c (26f)brrr.

April Nice loss for you again. Way to go on getting rid of the old clothes that must feel very liberating.:) I am so glad you made an appointment that makes airing all my problems in public worth it. I wish I had been more consistent in getting mine done the problem we have is that this week’s mammogram will not tell us a lot as my last one was 5yrs ago because I had a “not me” attitude so I will need a couple this month unless the ultra sound tells them everything they need to know, so please be consistent don’t assume my first one was fine or I will do it later, it will save you a lot of worry if you ever have a problem.

Mern I hope all your reports are good let us know, your sugar may be better then you expect you have been so good since Christmas.You asked me last week about the job I have applied for its a hiring and training manager position for a large retail company and I want it really bad.:)

Tori My hubby thinks girls with a shape are much hotter than stick women as he refers to them as, your new man probably like your curves that not a bad thing as he like who you really are but it makes losing weight a little trickier but you will figure it out. Do not look at those cute kittens.

Ok I am off to freeze my tosh on my hike.

Health / Fitness Goals...
1. 100oz water daily
2. One diet soda limit
3. No added salt to plate
4. Walk on lunch 3 times M: 1.5miles in 27mins,
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


Mern ... Thank you for the kudos! I have recently discovered that I have a lot more determination that I used to. Previously had I done that border, it would have been all I did that day (weekend maybe even!) but I knew I had to get my housework in so that I can concentrate on working and dishes during the week so that I actually have time to be with my family as well during the work week.

Darlene ... I'm with you on freezing off the tush! I just did my lunch walk. 1.5miles in about 20*F and windy. My face & ears were all pink when I came back in! And I know you will be out there a lot longer than that little walk I did. ... My GYN seemed to think that starting at 35yrs old every 3yrs would be often enough. I'm not sure if it is since I am large breasted but my tissue is very nodular. (You can feel bumps and ridges) It makes it very hard to do a self-exam without getting all worked up. So I usually leave it to her. I do a general feel in the shower and have my hubby follow up on anything that I think feels weird but she gets the last decision....Getting rid of those clothes was very scary for some reason. I guess because technically I could still wear a lot of them, they just were very saggy and there is that little hint of doubt in the back of my mind that I may need them again. :o

Joining the bandwagon with my goals for this week. The weight goal will, hopefully, be simple to reach and maintain. Last week, I kept fluctuating 4-5 lbs every day, which is disappointing (I know it's likely the imfamous water weight).

- 1700 Cals
- 30 minutes of free weights daily
- balance carbs/fat/protein to 40/30/30
- a stable 289 lbs

Hi all,
I'm in.

I'm feeling a little under the weather today. It is pretty typical for me. Beginning in Nov to about New Years... who has time to get sick? Too much fun stuff to do, too many old friends, family, and new friends to catch up with, along with the regular work and household stuff. And this year I had a conference the 2nd week of Jan, so our last Christmas gathering was last night with the counsins. Whew! So now that things are slowing down my body is making sure that I take a break :rolleyes:. It isn't really a bad thing and in the end it ends up setting me up for a great Feb on into spring.

The bad news is that it looks like I will have to go back on blood pressure meds :mad:, at least for a while. Ah well, I'm grateful that there are treatments as I'd rather take the meds that have a stroke... if you know what I mean.

Goals are pretty standard:

Fitness & diet
1. 2 liters H20, one during the day, one after dark
2. No white food
3. 2 yoga sessions
4. 2 runs (even if they turn to walks)
5. 2 Crossfit
6. Carbs less than 40%,
7. 90g protein
8. 1600 calories per day
Home, hearth & work
9. 1 random act of kindness/day
10. Trim trees and chip
11. Plan replanting of front bed
Not sure I'll get the exercise goals done, but I allowing a brisk walk to take the place of a run, if I just don't feel up to it.

Darlene, thanks for your encouragement on my blood sugar test next month. Hope you get that hiring and training manager position. :) How was your tushy freezing hike?

April, I love that you did all that work this weekend out of motivation to concentrate on working and being with family. :)

zyxst, hi! Welcome! Water weight is a nuisance, isn't it? Some people weigh daily and others weigh weekly or somewhere in between. Don't let your scale drive you nuts. Don't take your daily numbers too seriously (because of "scale fluctuations") and see how much you weigh NEXT monday. I like your sensible goals.

Pam, I'm sorry you're feeling under the weather. I'm all for meds when they're necessary. We certainly don't want you endangering your health since you aren't able to control your blood pressure without them. My sincere best wishes on that.

I have that same problem with calories, it's like my metabolism is wrenched up now and it's unwilling to starve. I cracked up that it twitched in your brain all week, believe me it's a question I struggle with all the time.

April. Well done you on lots of levels, loss, work and activity. I know what you mean about throwing out the now too big clothes, in a way it's nice to put something on and feel that it's loose but if it doesn't fit then it doesn't flatter. I also have that little " but what if" voice.

Mern. I made muffins, apple and cinnamon and they are in the freezer ready for breakfasts.
I hope your tests pan out well, my BF is doing well so far with his blood sugars, so we are hopeful he can reduce the insulin and maybe even manage on meds and diet only. He's also down one size already.

I cannot make an appointment fo a mammogram unless I go privately but my general practitioner sends me for one every 3 years now that I am over 50. I also have a smear every 4 years. Of course if I had problems or symptoms I would be checked out immediately.

Today I have awful sinus problems and it is making me feel so miserable, I am about to head to bed with a hot drink and some meds. Will post goals tomorrow, but for info last week was a no loss week which isn't surprising.

April I swear woman you have more energy than a rabid toy poodle. Don't be surprised when you reach goal that you have to run marathons just to wear yourself out enough to sleep lol. I tried to channel your energy today, but was not quite so successful as you, although I did get some housework done, including a small mountain of laundry.

Mern, don't be so quick to write off next months test results, you just have to be really diligent for the next 29-30 days right? Thanks for the muffin recipe, I'm going to give it a whack later this week.

I've got to get going, there is a huge ruckus going on in my kitchen and I have to get the fishes to the pool in less than an hour.

Xyzst Welcome. Were about’s in Canada are you? I am on Vancouver Island where it’s freezing today, well freezing for us.:rolleyes:

April I am cold to the bone, I am typing this from under my big warm quilt while holding a hot coffee, it was a good hike and we made record time shaved off 5min probably due to how cold we were in the beginning. I also thought that because I am large breasted that self-exams seemed pointless and there is so much talk about whether they are a useful tool in detecting lumps, but I was wrong my Dr says 20% of lumps are found by us! I started doing them monthly back in Oct when Mike was encouraging us to be breast aware and it made me feel less guilty about not having my scheduled mammogram and to my surprise when I felt this lump last week I was positive it was not like the rest and sadly I was right. The good news is that the hospital called and wed morning at 7am I have both mammogram and ultra sound scheduled so hopefully my results will come quickly. The best part of throwing out my clothes when I lost the weight last time was when the weight started coming back on I had no fat clothes to make it ok I had to either buy new clothes or get back on fitday and I am so glad I am back and only regained half of what I may of if I had clothes in the closet to slide back into.:)

Pam I am sorry you are feeling sick. I am so glad you went to see your Dr about your bp, meds are much better than the alternatives.

Mern My hike was great and cold and I think I need to go soak in a tub.

Lizzie Your Dr would know what’s best for your mammogram schedule they recommend here that over 40 is yearly with family history every two years if no history, under 40 every 3 years. Does it cost to go have one done privately? I really just wish I had gone yearly as I was supposed to because my last one was too long ago to be used as a base so they won’t be able to say its grown this much in a year, but really self-exams and getting our dr’s to also do exams are really important tools we should all be using. Sorry to hear you are sick also, my cold is still hanging on it’s been a long one.

Amy Did you get your mammogram results back.

I made a fantastic squash treat yesterday I just baked it, mashed it up and added cinnamon. I do not eat a lot of winter squash so I am hoping you lovely ladies and mike may have some ideas as to what to do with the 2 I have left.I took chilli out for dinner last night and now its calling my name I guess I should go get a snack before I end up eating my dinner at 2:00.:rolleyes: Have a great afternoon.

I love sqaush soup. There are lots of recipies online. The one I make has apples, chicken stock, onions and some spices. Mary

Hi everyone, let's see... I lost 1 lb last week, so I know things are at least moving in the right direction. There were several times over the weekend when I really wanted to snack, but I think it was just boredom. Yesterday afternoon was the worst, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out til dinner so I got the heck out of the house for a couple hours and that did the trick. I really need to keep busy.

Goals for the week:

-Keep carbs, fat and protein at 40/30/30.
-Plan and prepare ahead so I don't come home at 5:00 having no idea what I'm doing for dinner.
-Drop another pound.
-Exercise, at least 2 cardio and 2 strength workouts this week. Time to get more structured with this.
-Get minimum of 7 hours sleep each night. I don't really know how I'm going to do this, but last weeks bout of insomnia was no fun.
- Complete 3 course assignments and start final paper. No point in creating undue stress for myself by procrastinating.
- Finish putting away the last of the Christmas stuff and give the livingroom a good cleaning.

Better late than never, right? Gonna post last week's totals before making this week's goals.

Health/Fitness

1--1200 to 1300 calories during the week, max 1500 on the weekends---1228, 1079, 1102, 1301, 2024 :eek:, 825, 1633
2--at least 64 oz water a day!---yeah, only nailed this one on Monday
3--exercise at least 4 times--I've GOT to nail this one this week. I start out the week so good and then the latter part rolls around and I get tired. BUT NO EXCUSES THIS WEEK!!---Y, Y, N, N, N, N, Y---soooo close again!
4--shooting for at least a 2 lb loss--starting weight Monday morning~222.8---ending weight 219.6!!! woo to the HOO!!!!

Life/Home
1--clean out car--UGH it's driving me insane!!---still need to vacuum
DONE!2--keep up to date on paperwork---sure did!
DONE!3--go BACK to store and get them to take the security device off new sweater---yup!
DONE!4--clean out fridge--it's not pretty in there---yup!


Health and Fitness goals are still not exactly where they need to be. I'm still not drinking enough water, and I'm getting closer to finally being able to say that I hit my 4 workouts per week. I would have only had 2 in but CN MADE me get up early Sunday morning and do some yoga with him before he had to report for PT. So, God bless him, he helped me get at least one more workout in last week. We did make it to the gym Saturday night, but I wound up just watching him. Ever seen a 6' 2" 195 lb. soldier work out?? It's pretty impressive **wiggling eyebrows**:p I did do pretty good with my life goals though, and I dropped another 3 pounds, so I'm calling in a Win for the week.

This week's health goals are pretty much the same. More water, more workouts and more weight loss. I've logged my food for the rest of the day, so I'm good there. Skipping my normal Monday night workout 'cause my knees are hurting (is it supposed to rain???)

Life goals
1--stay on top of paperwork
2--clean cat's bathroom---I swear, I think she purposefully throws the litter out of her box
3--strip bed and wash linens
4--don't let the guys at work get to me

So far away on Newfoundland. -10C (-19C windchill) today, no snow and sunny.

First Day on Fit Day
 

I'm 49 years old, 5 foot 5 inches and 208 lbs.

I gained forty pounds when I stopped smoking about 15 years ago and then about four years ago I got sick and was on medication and gained another thirty pounds. For the past two years I have been eating when I am tired, when I am bored, when I am sad or upset, when I am overwhelmed, etc.

I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. My bad cholesterol is extremely high and I want to get it under control by losing the weight. I have been trying to eat healthier for the past four months and my triglycerides are down by half and back in the normal range, which is a good start.

My plan is to use this site to track everything I eat, to start walking each day, and to use this forum for information, inspiration and feedback.

Present weight: 208 lbs (January 16, 2012)
Goal weight: 135 lbs (January 1, 2013)

Yes, and in just this one little corner of my life, I'm normal.

I prepare squash lots of different ways, baked, broiled, marinated and grilled, roasted (yum), depending on the variety you can also bake it with meatloaf in the cavity or some other kind of stuffing (think "stuffed peppers"), it's also a fantastic soup or chili base. We had acorn squash tonight, just baked and mashed with a bit of spray butter and salt & pepper.

Welcome aboard, connect1 and zyxst, looks like you already have the "make goals" part down pat. Most of us make at least some attempt to report in on how our goals are progressing for the week.

connect1---welcome aboard!

Amy---WOOHOOOOOOOO! sometimes "normal" is a blessing

Lol, are you dating my husband? JK, hubs isn't 6'-2", nor is he military. He did however run sabotage when I hit the point where I got below what I weighed on our wedding day.

Darlene---

The past couple of days I've sat and thought "what can I do or say to show my support?". And truthfully, there's nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said. I can say that your outlook is where it needs to be. Don't stress until there's a reason to. Know your facts. Take it one step at a time.

Breast cancer awareness is one of the issues that is near and dear to me. My paternal grandmother was a TWO time survivor, and this was in the mid to late 80s (I can't really remember the exact years, I was too young). Given my family history it's always something that my doctors and I have kept a watchful eye on.

Nannie (it's what we called her) was diagnosed the second time almost a year exactly from the first time. She opted for a mastectomy both times, and then did the follow up chemo. Never once did she lose her hair. I like to think that she was just too stubborn to let it fall out! She admitted to me later in her life that she was scared the first go around. She had already lost 2 of her 3 sisters to it, so when she found out that she had it she automatically thought it was a death sentence. The second go around she said "well, I beat it once. I can beat it again." And she did! It was detected early and she went forward with treatment. Of course, we're praying that you're in the 85%!!!!

On a funny note. A few years ago my cousin and I were living in our grandparents' house (to keep it from sitting empty). Well, we were going through some of Nannie's things and my cousin found one of the gel bra inserts that she used when going to dinner or church. So, my cousin picks it up and says "Look, haha, it's Nannie's booby. hahahahaha" I told her to put it back where she found it and not to play with it. The next thing I know she's squealing like a rat had run across her foot and she's screaming "OH GOD, OH GOD! IT LEAKED! NANNIE'S BOOBY LEAKED ON ME!! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!" Needless to say, I couldn't do anything for laughing. I finally managed to get up and get her a towel, but not before nearly peeing my pants. Had Nannie been there she probably would have laughed as much as I did. And then given Cousin a good "see, that's what you get" talking to. I've always wanted to share that story, and now that I have, it's still as funny as the day it happened!

Know that you'll be in my thoughts and prayers. Only He knows how it's going to turn out. And there is NOTHING that He can't fix.

Yep. I didn't actually think about them finding anything on the mammo until Darlene posted about her issues over the past few days. That hit sort of close to home and made me think about the results a little more. So when the "normal" post card arrived it was a whole lot more of a relief than I realized it would be. Darlene baby, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, and I'm very impressed and inspired with how you've turned this around mentally.

Oh Tori honey, ROFLOL!!!

Darlene I have a friend that was diagnosed with breast cancer, at the time I think she was about 50. Anyway she admitted to me that she let herself cry for a day or two and then she got busy reversing her whole mindset. She went and had a wig made before she went to chemo, so the wig designer could see her natural hair, she planned out her sick and vacation time around her treatments and then she met with a plastic surgeon her oncologist recommended. She ended up having a bi-lateral mastectomy, and simultaneously had plastic surgery where they took tissue from her fanny and stomach and made it into new boobs. And I'm telling you she was a foxy hot thing by the time they took the stitches out. That was 10 years ago, and she's still with us and hotter than ever.

You know, I would say that maybe he does like "curvier" women, but his exwife was anything but. He admitted the other night that he's wanted to ask me out for a while, but knew I wasn't ready. And it's the big AWWW moment. Of course, he could have just been saying it to get in my pants LOL!! And while I did the internal "aww" at the same time I was thinking to myself....'why???' It's the insecure fat girl from high school thinking those things though. I know that it's not a bad thing that he likes me as is, it's actually better that he does. But given how fit and healthy he is, it's still a little shocking.

HaHaHa!!! Nope pretty sure he's not your hubby. ;) One minute CN is all "lets go work out", the next he's ordering Creme Brulee. He's a man of contradictions. It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to him.

Quick check in.

I had a BAP (Big Ass Pot) of red beans cooking all day. I just got back from doing some cardio at the gym and came home and pigged out. 2 bowl of red beans and 2 corn bread muffins. :) I'm full as a tick now.

Tomorrow I'll be in a company meeting all day (starting at 7:30am :eek:) I'll do the best I can with my food choices.

Mary Soup sounds awesome I never thought of that yet I used to order butternut squash soup in restaurants all the time and love it. I will do some homework and try to find a healthier option I am sure the restaurant one has cream.

Kay Congrats on the loss.

Tori Way to go on your loss.

Zyxst Wow that’s cold I think it’s only got that cold here a couple times I think we are the mildest province in the winter.

Connect1 Welcome and I would say having your triglycerides back in the normal range is great, your goals of tracking and walking sound like a great start.

Amy Thanks for sharing I am glad your friend is still cancer free I am hoping to have good news but if not and I am wallowing in self-pity please post her story again because that’s pretty awesome behavior. I am glad you are normal I am praying that I am just lumpy and normal. I knew you would come through for me with the squash I had butternut yesterday and I have 1 left and a buttercup squash also do you have a tried and true squash soup recipe?

Tori Thank you for sharing your story and trust me just talking to you guys and hearing your stories and having your prayers and support has really helped me. Your nannie sounds like an amazing strong woman what a blessing to have an example like that in your life. Oh my thanks for the laugh that is a great story and I am glad you shared it with me. A real romance is more than just hot bodies (and everyone’s idea of hot is different) I think you may have found yourself a keeper now go sit on that insecure school girl and remind her that a confident women lives hear now.:)

Mike Stay away from the baked goods they always look so tempting when you are meetings, just say no to pastry!

I stuffed myself with homemade chili but I am not sure how to log it, I didn't figure out my recipe stats:( The chili con carne in fitday says 391 calories for 1.5 cups and 1912mg sodium I sure hope mine didn't have that much salt or my scale and I are not going to be friends tomorrow. I hope you all have a great night and thanks again for your friendship and support.:)

Closing the kitchen and PROMISING no more eating until tomorrow's breakfast.

Calorie limit 1600 1571
Carbs less fiber 25g 24.2g
Average daily sat fat 12% 14%
Average daily cholesterol 300mg 144mg
Average daily fiber 25g 28g
Fruits/veggies 5 servings per day YES

Water 48 oz. YES
Exercise 5 days YES
Artificial sweetener limit 2 pks. per day 0
Sugar free dark chocolate miniatures limit 2 per day 0
Vitamin D and fish oil capsules daily YES

Something wonderful: we had a new great-granddaughter born Saturday. The daddy is one of my step-grandsons from DH's first marriage. Mother and baby are doing great. We also have a 5 year old great-grandson who has the same father as the newborn. :)

Darlene--I debated on whether or not to share "her story". She passed 3 years ago last Tuesday and it's still hard sometimes to think of everything she went through. She was an amazingly strong woman. One like I've never known before or since. Even in her last days, she made her decisions. I thank the Lord that He was gracious enough to have put her in my life.

The "leaky boob" incident, as we call it, is absolutely one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed. I've never come so close to peeing my pants as that day.

"Hot" is definitely subjective. I'm coming to know that more and more as an adult. Sometimes it's still hard to put the school girl thinking at bay. But that girl is slowly starting to get drowned out by the more confident me.

As far as him being a keeper......I'm still trying to work that out. I'm just now starting to realize what I'm worth. I don't want to rush right into another relationship but I don't want to rule it out either. I do know this....he's nice and he makes me laugh. He's sweet, without being annoyingly so, yet he's not a pushover. I'm trying real hard not to fall for him too fast. But, I like him. A lot. And that scares me a little. He's scheduled for deployment right before Valentine's, and is looking at 12 months away. I keep asking myself if I want to wait it out and see where it goes, or do I want to see what else is out there? He's told me that he doesn't expect me to not date anyone while he's gone. In fact, he wants me to. He just doesn't want me falling for anyone LOL! He wants his "shot" at making me happy when he gets back. I go back and forth on it, and still don't know what to do. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Mike, glad you enjoyed your cornbread and beans. :)

Lizzie, congrats on making those muffins! They sound YUMMY! Thanks for your good wishes on my blood sugar test next month. I sure hope your BF is able to manage better with less insulin after a time. Wonderful that he's down a size already! :) What do you mean about going privately for a mammogram? Do you mean your medical insurance doesn't cover it? Aw, I hope your sinus problems are relieved soon.

Amy, thanks so much for your encouragement. I do appreciate your having faith in me that I can manage my blood sugar if I try hard enough--and I know I can if I pledge to be better in the future. I just figured since I cheated so badly one day last week and absolutely horribly ALL this past weekend, there's no way my blood sugar is going to be under 6% for the 60 days the test measures. There are only 40 days left until the test. Last time I had to be good for 60 days straight and just barely made it under the wire-5.8% with under 6% being normal. It will be a case of "it is what it is" (an expression I absolutely detest) but the numbers, good or bad, are a necessary tool for MY personal use in helping keep myself, through diet alone, from ever progressing to full-blown type II diabetes. You are very welcome for the muffin recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Oh, yeah, congrats on the normal mammo.

Mary, that squash soup sounds delicious.

Darlene, so glad you enjoyed your cold hike. Hope you got warmed up quickly. I love squash, especially mashed or pureed with cinnamon. Don't know why I prefer it mashed or pureed instead of sliced or in hunks, but I do. I had made myself some turkey chili with black soybeans which are amazingly low in carbs and put it in a casserole dish in the fridge. I get to eat the whole batch myself (still have a couple servings left) because DH loves my beef chili but hates turkey chili. Know that you are in my prayers and if you don't mind, I'll be happy to put you on the network of prayer at my church. Remember to watch for those footprints in the sand whenever you get scared--when you see just one set, it's because Jesus is carrying you on his shoulders. Big hug to ya. Yes, it's easy for me to say, but try hard to not worry until you know for sure you have something to worry about--I do know personally several women whose lumps turned out to be just fatty tissue or benign tumors.

Kay, congrats on your lb. lost and on your self-control in making yourself leave the house to get away from the temptation to snack! OMG, I'm so sorry you also battle sleep problems. I'd love to know how to conquer that, too.

Tori, great job last week--even with the calorie overages on two days you still did really great the other five, plus lost 3 lbs. Kudos to you, gal! So nice you have "eye candy" watching CN working out. :) Hats off to you for waiting to decide what you will do when he is deployed.

Connect, welcome to our group. :) I feel for you! I gained 45 lbs. when I quit smoking. I also have fasting blood sugar impairment which makes it harder for me to lose weight, plus I have high cholesterol and high triglycerides that I'm reducing with diet alone. Wow, your triglycerides are back down to normal! Congratulations! I'm inspired by your success!