7 Day Motivational Thread 12/17/12
 

Good morning all. Last week before Christmas festivities (and extra food). Have slight cold (mostly sinus pain/pressure):mad: so I don't have too much energy lately.

Goals will be simple
1. Drink lots of water
2. Get rest
3. Eat sensibly
4. More fruits and veggies

Jenn

1) Plan meals
2) stick close to plan
3) under 1500 calories
4) 6 glasses of water
5) stretch
6) write

Thanks for starting us, Jenn, even though you're not feeling well. Your goals seem very sensible. I hope you feel better.

I love goals #2 and 4. #2 is very original; I'm curious to hear how it goes.

Plan:
egg whites and ham
salad and tuna
fish and veg
snacks:
fruit
nuts
goat cheese or cheese stick or sardines

Jenn - I'm in the same boat as you; I've been sick since last Thursday and it has only been getting worse. Today, finally, is a little better. Haven't had much energy, so I'm with you on simple goals this week! Thanks for starting us off :)

Goals:
1. Less than 1750 calories/day
2. Exercise
3. Stretch
4. Lots of fluids
5. Cook a couple meals

Best of luck everyone! Time to finish lunch and get back to work! :)

Goals
Water:
Tea:
Vitamin:
Gym 2x:
Bump up the fruits/veggies:
Scale back the carb-filled goodies:
Work 30hrs:
Relax:

Christmas party Saturday night went great! But when hosting a pot-luck ya never know what to expect, and turned out that everyone brought meat dishes, without a green veggie in sight… I ate Korean pork, French beef Bourguignon, Swedish meatballs, rice, potatoes, lemon bars, gingerbread cake, bread and dip, plenty of vino, and an ice cream sundae. Sunday I was not feeling so hot… but still managed to eat left-overs :rolleyes:. Today I am 0.6 lbs up from last week! SO I vow to up the greens, avoid red meat at all costs, and avoid (to the best of my ability) carby goodies for the next 5 days. No promises for this weekend though! DH and I are planning a nice dinner out Saturday, just the two of us – such a rare event that I plan to enjoy every morsel of it without the slightest bit of guilt! So the next 5 days I better avoid being too naughty!

Feel better Jen and Krystal!

Hope - I love your goals! I need to do better with the meal planning, good job keeping up with that every day! Today is grocery day so good time for me to start off right!

Donna - Curious about #2 as well. I love the don't be grumpy goal :p.

Hey guys!

I had an awful weekend, food-wise. Weight's up today to the highest it's been since I lost weight in the first place. We just had a holiday lunch party thing in my department, and I ate everything in sight! Ugh.

But! I'm here. So that's good.

Yes you are here and THAT IS GOOD. And we will help you cause that's what we motivators are all about. And ya know you can do it...

Ama, up only .6 from what you described? Take heart!!! It will be gone soon!!!

Krystal and Jenn, feel better!!!

Hi ladies...we are just ladies, so far, right? Where are the guys?

I agree with simple goals.

1. Show up here daily and post.
2. Eat mindfully.

I will try to check in tomorrow with y'all and expand these goals. Today was crazy and I am brain dead. Plus I have biscotti in the oven and if start chatting, it won't be good! Glad to see you all here; let's have a great week!

1) Plan meals -yes
2) stick close to plan- no ate more DH surprised us with amazing dinner seafood so not bad but I did have a big slice of garlic bread
3) under 1500 calories -1535
4) 6 glasses of water - 5?
5) stretch -yes
6) write -yes finished and sent out now onward


Welcome Cassie!!! So glad to see you here.

I guess there aren't many of us due to the holidays, huh?

Plan:
protein shake with almond milk
leftover salmon and squash
chicken and veg
Snacks:
nuts
fruit
ham and goat cheese

Goals
Water: Y
Tea: Y
Vitamin: N, Y
Gym 2x: Tue
Bump up the fruits/veggies: Y
Scale back the carb-filled goodies: Y
Work 30hrs: 7
Relax: Not really

I have finally come to terms with my hatred of the treadmill. I don’t want to do it, and several years of forcing myself have not improved upon my aversion to fast-walking in place for 20 min. And I can’t do the elliptical because my knee screams in pain after about 20 seconds. So this morning I hit the gym with a new cardio plan – do 20 jumping-jacks in between every other activity. Sit-ups/jacks, planks/jacks, leg-lifts/jacks, squats/jacks, weights/jacks, etc… I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes, but it felt pretty darn good so hopefully I found a keeper!

Yesterday I did really good food wise! Could have been because I had a pounding headache and was hardly hungry all day, but regardless my poor digestive track needed a break after the weekend food binge.

Today I have sort of a food plan:

Coffee/tea
Kefir
Cottage cheese
Lunch - out with friends so not sure, but will keep it in reason (i.e. avoid cheese sauce and bread)
Chicken
Acorn squash (baked)
White rice
Small chocolate square
Maybe 1 small drink

Have a great day Ladies (so far)!

Okay, I'm soo thrilled with this meal I had to post a picture!!

It's salmon on top of a bed of steamed veggies (zucchini, summer squash, red onion, and baby spinach) and black beans with wild rice and a dash of soy sauce on top!

Yum! My kind of meal!!! The kidn you feel good about eating.

Ama, I love your exercise approach. Please tell me how it works.

I alas am a "yoga victim." I did a "moderate" class but in what I thought was a very mellow way and the next day coudlnot move - lower back. Just went for acupuncture. After that, new exercise plan!!

Krystal - That meal looks amazing! Thanks for sharing the picture. I love cookbooks mostly because of the pictures, and recipes with pics are usually the only ones I will actually cook. I think I'll make fish tonight :).

Hope - Yikes! I hope the acupuncture brings you some relief. Yoga can be so deceiving in its intensity. I have been a victim on occasion as well! I have been reading up on short intensity workouts vs long duration workouts, and it sounds like there are some big benefits to the short ones. Also, the longer ones are not doing it for me (not losing weight, getting bored at the gym, procrastinating even going to spend an hour exercising). If I can get in the habit of short 15 min workouts it may be really helpful.

Cassie - How did the biscotti turn out? Sounds yummy! I bet that would be good for neighbor gifts... I need to do some baking saturday am for my neighbors... hmmm

Joanna - How are you doing today? The holiday get togethers are so tough, food, food and more food! I know how hard it is to be mindful. Hang in there lady!

) Plan meals -yes, yes
2) stick close to plan- no ate more DH surprised us with amazing dinner seafood so not bad but I did have a big slice of garlic bread yes actually might have eaten less than planned
3) under 1500 calories -1535 1325
4) 6 glasses of water - 5?, 8
5) stretch -yes, yes
6) write -yes finished and sent out now onward, YES

Going into the city today with DH and DD for a play and holiday festivities so I don't know how "good" I'll be but here goes

Plan
bacon and egg white
lunch -if Thai, chicken and veg or else burger without bun somewhere
dinner we're doing in my favorite healthy place so:
grilled calamari and pineapple appetizer
fish or shrimp with veg, maybe a little brown rice
sf cookie or fruit

1. Less than 1750 calories/day: M - 1655, T - 1616, W -
2. Exercise: N, N,
3. Stretch: N, N,
4. Lots of fluids: N, N
5. Cook a couple meals: N, Y,

Hmm, not a great start, but I'm feeling more like myself, so this week will end great!

1) Plan meals -yes, yes, yes
2) stick close to plan- no ate more DH surprised us with amazing dinner seafood so not bad but I did have a big slice of garlic bread yes actually might have eaten less than planned prettty close
3) under 1500 calories -1535 1318, 1338
4) 6 glasses of water - 5?, 8,6
5) stretch -yes, yes, yes
6) write -yes finished and sent out now onward, YES no

Plan:
almond milk protein shake
grilled chicken
squash
fish
veg
Snacks
orange
nuts
goat cheese

Well, I've got a report on the goal 'Do something this week I've never done before.' When I wrote this goal I thought it would help me be a little more creative. Although I didn't know what the 'something' was at the time, I envisioned something along the lines of paint a canvas, or cook a souffle'. As it turns out, the thing I've never done before was shred two tires on the left side of my car! Not what I had in mind for this week. Anyway, no one was hurt. I hit a chunk of concrete, pulled of the road without incident, and had the car towed home. Greatly recommend AAA for their discounts and great towing service, BTW. So, today I'll be doing something I haven't done since I was much younger - calling junk yards. I'm looking for a replacement OEM rim for my car. But at least I've been feeling more melancholy and/or ironically amused than grumpy. I can always try for a second round of this goal in the future!

As for the rest of the goals:

• Cholesterol < 225: 163, 228, 162
• Exercise > 40 mins 3x: 45, 50, 0
• Calories: 1547, 1503, 1230

- Donna

Ama: I hate treadmills, too! Like your jumping jack plan though. It you get bored with the jacks, you might consider adding the old ski exercise of jumping laterally across an imaginary line, w/ a little knee bend. (It's harder than it sounds.) I got bored with the gym, so now I do my workouts at home, which means I actually do them.

& Maybe 'something I've never done before' should be - Eat Kefir.
I adore baked acorn squash.

Krystal, salmon on steamed veggies looks yummy.

Hope, Sorry to hear about your yoga exasperation. I've read that yoga has been the leading cause of visits to orthopedists lately. There will likely be a new uptick in cases after the first of the year, so you are ahead of the curve!

Looking forward to this thread moving out of the "women's" corner - maybe the men will come back.

- Donna

Donna, so sorry to hear about your tire experience!!! I actually shredded two tires my first day of driving (I have skills lol.) Hopefully it will get resolved without too much more aggravation.

I gave up yoga years ago due to back stuff (so I was waaaaayyyyy ahead of the curve)but I thought if I was careful... maybe like you guys, gotta make up my own routine.

I miss the guys and others; the thread is quiet due to holidays I'm sure. Hopefully it will pick up as we all make our resolutions... which is just another way of saying motivational goals.

Can't believe tomorrow is Fri already!
Haven't done very well with goals this week. Been eating too many carbs but have been drinking more water. Had time to journal today--makes me feel less stressed. Even had a little time to exercise today too!

Jennifer

1) Plan meals -yes, yes, yes, yes
2) stick close to plan- no ate more DH surprised us with amazing dinner seafood so not bad but I did have a big slice of garlic bread yes actually might have eaten less than planned prettty close no, friends invited us over to dinner
3) under 1500 calories -1535 1318, 1338 1535
4) 6 glasses of water - 5?, 8,6 5?
5) stretch -yes, yes, yes, yes
6) write -yes finished and sent out now onward, YES no, DD and I edited a piece together; she's good!

It doesn't quite feel like the holidays this year, don't know if anyone else has noticed this. In some ways it is good because I didn't go overboard as I usually do. But sometimes I like going a little overboard.

My progress this week has been kind of back and forth but I think I'm doing OK.

Plan:
muesli and almond milk
eggs or tuna
chicken
orange
nuts
chips (poker night)

I must go shopping I have no veg and very little fruit so this might change if I do shop

Hope, I have noticed this in myself. I'm definetely grumpier this year.
For me I'm finding it too commercialized...so much emphasis on how many presents one has under the tree. It seems everyone I know buys on credit so they can buy the perfect gift. Plus people aren't sending out as many cards anymore--a way to keep in touch.

Jenn

Goals
Water: Y, can't remember for the rest of the week...
Tea: Y, Y, N, N
Vitamin: N, Y, N, Y
Gym 2x: Tue
Bump up the fruits/veggies: Y, N, Y, N
Scale back the carb-filled goodies: Y, N, N, N
Work 30hrs: 22.5 so far as of Thursday pm
Relax: Not really

Thanks for the idea! I am so sore from the first power jumping jack work-out that I have not done it again yet this week. Maybe this afternoon, and I'll definately work in the ski exercises!

I have tried really hard to be good this week, but alas the holiday parties, left-overs from the holiday parties, neighbors stopping over to toast the holidays, work lunches and the notorious free goody table at work (an evil nemesis...), have all added up to no weight loss. But I did discover that a wet towel on my head and a bulky bathrobe together add up to 3 whole lbs! So just by stripping down before getting on the scale shows a loss (for a cheater that is :rolleyes:). HAHA!

Today it is snowing outside. I don't need to go into work though which is great! We lost power for a few hours last night, but it came back fairly quickly, fortunately. I have a mountain of laundry to do and a few hours of work on my laptop, and of course an addiction to coffee - need power!

Today I will do my best to overlook the box of chocolate, home-made caramel, and sugar covered cookies on the counter. And the 1/2 full bottle of champagne left-over in the fridge from last night.

Have a great Friday!

http://www.fivelamps.org.uk/resource...christmas1.jpg

I'll be back and ready for a big restart after Christmas. :)

Huge cyberhugs to all!

MERN SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED YOU ON THIS THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas, dear Mern. Joyous, healthy, peaceful new year. I will be happy to see you here ANYTIME.

I am one of those guilty of not sending cards this time and you know, you're right. They mean so much. I love getting them. For me, it's not so much grumpy as just that I notice people in my groups that I exchange with not really putting as much in spirit wise. I actually backed off the buying this year and while it felt weird, it was a lot less stressful. But everything seemed to come early (Halloween, Thanksgiving.) And please forgive me; I am not trying to be a grinch. If you want some nice holiday spirit, check out this link of Mariah Carey singing All I Want for Christmas with members of Rusted Root on Jimmy Fallon. This will bring a smile!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWEfs...layer_embedded

Thanks Hope! That was great!

- Donna

so glad you enjoyed!!!