Or something like that ... here's what I posted on the previous Red & Green thread:
My New Year's goal is still a 10 pounds weight loss, of which I have 7.5 to go (down a half pound this week, two last) though I try to focus on behavior more than weight and never will post my exact weight.
Hope no one minds, but I'm going to start a new thread with a New Year's name. Hope we can get that focus going that we've talked about ... could everyone maybe post a New Year's goal here and maybe a daily update of what they did or will do that day to reach that goal?
No matter where we are today in our weight, our lives or whatever, we know that it's the first day of the rest of our lives and the year 2002 is the next year of the rest of our lives ... why not face whatever that year will bring (good or bad) in the best physical shape of our lives?
It could happen! Right? Dang Skippy it could!!
My special contribution to my initiative today is to add a SECOND exercise session of any length and to TRY to keep my calories at a reasonable level (e.g., no bingeing, but eat something!).
If you guys post a goal here today, I promise not to talk about the the virtual vacation I'll win if I reach my goal (to the Bahamas with the virtual French-accented travel agent).
Hi Crone.
I will join in with you for that 10lb weight loss by New Years EVE for me.
I managed to make that goal for Thanksgiving and I had planned for it to be my Christmas goal but since you are starting a new thread for New Years I will go with you.
How am I going to accomplish it??
I am going to drink a minimum of 80oz of water a day.
I am going to follow my food plan. (low carb not no carb)
I am going to post in 3FC daily
I am going to feed my MIND healthy thoughts as well as my body healthy food.
I am going to swim a minimum 3 days a week.
I am going to accept progress instead of expecting perfection.
My plan:
Eat 27-31 Points daily and exercise at least a little everyday (but plan 5-6 sessions of 45 minutes strength/cardio every week)
Drink more water! (9-12 glasses)
Take better care of myself and pay more attention to my needs
Learn to say no!
Spend more time with my family
I do have two off-program days planned though for the month of December. I want to have a little fun. I'll still make good choices but I really don't feel like counting Points on Christmas. But I will be back OP December 26th, no "butts" about it.
I don't really have a weight goal. I'm going to try to steer away from focusing on my weight right now. I'm wearing my size 10's again so I guess my goal will be to keep going until they feel loose enough and then maybe if I'm curious enough I'll hop on the scale.
2Cute2BFat Good for you! I must admit that I sometimes lurk on your threads and I'm always cheering for you!
Hello, 2cute2Bfat. Thanks for joining me in a new initiative for the new year. I can't wait until it is 2002 and I will be rid of 7.5 pounds of cumbersome fat! I love the little song at the end of your post.
My Goal: 10 pounds down from when I started my holiday initiative. Have lost 2.5 (a lot because I lose very slowly); 7.5 pounds to go! I don't post my actual weight, but have gained 10 pounds, give or take, from my maintenance level after losing 100 pounds previously.
I will accomplish that by choosing a goal each day relating to weight, health or fitness and meeting the goal to the extent possible. I'll post here each day, sorry to repeat myself.
My goal today is to again add a SECOND exercise session of any length and to TRY to keep my calories at a reasonable level less than yesterday's of 2345. Yesterday I did a second fitness walk of 15 minutes around the neighborhood.
I can't see how to edit so am just saying, "Hi Weeesa!" I'm also waiting for my size 10s to get loose, then it's time for SHOPPING! In size 8, of course.
I'm seeing the forum in shell pink now and love it. Thanks to Suzanne and Jennifer for the neat upgrade!
I need help! The Blue Monday Munchies are after me. I'm already over my day's goal (which was to be lower in calories than yesterday). I came home early from the market research gig, took a nap and fell into career depression again and before I knew it the Munchies had found me. They're stilll here, whispering bad advice into my ear about how neat it'd be to go get ice cream. I'm fighting them off, but they are STRONG!
Crone I should've checked in last night but I didn't. Did you make it through the evening? Listen, I know you know this, but if you're feeling the career blues and then you eat because of it, then you have even more of a problem. Eating never helps me. I can't recall one single time when eating something actually made me feel BETTER. It just DOESN'T work. So concentrate on the good things you've done for yourself already, feed yourself positive thoughts (yes- even if you don't believe them) and carry on. Yes you CAN. Think about your weight loss the past two weeks and believe me, you won't want to let some blues take that success away from you.
I'm doing fine here. Feeling some blues because my husband has some health issues but I'm sure we'll be fine. I've eaten 31 Points for two days now and hope to make tomorrow 27 or less. I really don't want to go to the Bahamas feeling fat. To complicate matters, my TOM is two weeks late and I'm feeling strange about that. I think I would like to be pregnant but at the same time, I don't feel like I'm ready at all! Isn't that silly? Conflicting emotions. However it turns out, I know God is watching over me so I won't let any fear control me. I have to give God the chance to take care of me.
I'll be back later, but I must work now. Take care everyone!
hello all. i've been doing ok...generally good but with a few (big) slips here and there. i think i will join in and say that i will be down 5 pounds by 12-31. i'm going for a conservative amount as that much would be an improvement.
i have been trying to do a lower-carbs thing. anyone have any advice/websites with info/etc.. for me? i'm a total carbo addict, so this requires really thinking about what i'm eating.
keep up the good work everyone, and i hope i can too.
Holiday elves! How is everyone? I'm SO happy to be here because my internet connection keeps blinking out on me ... storms!
Thanks for the encouragement, Weeesa! No, didn't quite make it ... went to the store at 1 a.m. for doughnuts and vanilla slimfast, but it could've been worse. Last Monday, I ended up with over 4,000 calories ... this Monday it was approximately 3,200 ... so I'm at least bringing it down. Today finished eating and no cravings at 2,000 exactly. Just had 5 cups air-popped popcorn (110 calories) spritzed with buttery cooking spray and salt. That air popper is the best thing I ever bought. Workouts today ... 40 minutes of aerobics in a.m., then walked all day on the market research gig, then a few minutes of Pilates to help my back.
Obviously I'm having a problem on Mondays ... going to keep hacking away at my moods and try to come to some acceptance of these career problems, which as you say, Weeesa, are worsened by bingeing. Although, the awful thing about it is that if relatively controlled (such as last night), the splurges DO make me feel better. I think it's related to needing to eat to satiety. I just need to find better ways to do it.
Hope your husband is doing ok and I admire your positive attitude. You are doing well ... if I were going to the Bahamas and trying to stay in shape for it, I'd take it as a signal to NOT stay in shape and I'd eat a house. I'm quite perverse and always seem to do the opposite of what I really want to do.
Hi, Sychie! A 5-pound loss sounds like a very doable goal. I don't do low carb plans like Atkins (I have a lot of reservations about that), but I'd love to bring my sugar consumption down, so I enjoy EAS AdvantEdge Low Carb vanilla shakes as a substitute for my beloved vanilla slimfast in a can! The EAS AdvantEdge line is the lower cost form of Myoplex (I'm not endorsing it and don't work for them, I just like it). The shakes are available at Wal-Mart and some groceries and are 110 calories with only 2 grams of carbs, which seems to be just fiber, and 15 grams of protein. Most people don't need to supplement protein as much as they think they do (IMO), but since I'm a vegetarian with terrible eating habits, I like these for a snack or meal replacement. If you haven't bought these, you need to check the label as the packaging is quite similar to the higher caloric EAS AdvantEdge with sugar.
There are tons of low carb forums and websites ... does 3FC have a support group for this? Not sure. Happy hunting!
I'm off to fix a piece of tatting I messed up when I started to go nuts last night!
Crone You know, we could list a lot of positive things that we do when we go overboard rather than negative. LIke you said, you're bringing your off-program splurges down a little, which is terrific. Also, you still track your calories when you splurge and how many people do that? I try to do the same thing. It seems as though when I don't journal, it gives me free reign to eat whatever I want because "it doesn't count". Talk about denial! I shudder to think how many Points/calories I can consume on days that I don't journal. Or even before I started doing program at all. As the old cliche saying goes: "You've come a long way, baby". The more I beat myself up about a splurge, the more likely I am to do it again. So beating up oneself is not the answer, that's for sure.
Sychie Hmmmm, low-carbing.... I'm not actually in favor of that. Well, it's a personal thing. For me, if I tell myself a certain food group is off-limits, then it becomes all I ever want to eat! But you are not me, and reducing your carbs may be what you need. My best advice would be to follow the Food Guide Pyramid. When I really paid attention to it, a serving of breads/cereals is a lot smaller than I thought.
Well, I had a splurge yesterday. I honestly don't know what's wrong with me. I'm now two weeks late for TOM and now I'm beginning to wonder if I REALLY might be pregnant. Gosh, that would be so weird. I honestly don't know what to think of it at all. My husband and I were talking about it last night, and he's SO excited. It's all he's been talking about. I know he would be a great dad, and he deserves it. Now we'll both be truly disappointed if TOM does arrive. Maybe I shouldn't have told him! I did tell him that if I still haven't started by Christmas, I will take a PG test on Christmas Day. That way, if I'm preggers, I can make a big announcement to the whole family. They'd be shocked I'm sure! I love kiddos but I've never talked about it much I guess, so I'm sure they would all be taken by surprise. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my current level of exercise during most of the pregnancy and not gain much more than the recommended amount. Listen to me talking as though I'm already sure I"m pregnant!
We seem to be missing some folks! Babette!! Joanie, etc. Come out come out! Don't bury yourself in Christmas goodies and promise to get back OP "tomorrow" or "after Christmas". It's not worth it! You can do it NOW!
hello. i like the idea of looking at the positive side of our "bad" times/splurges. (at least that is how i tookthe suggestion). i always try to see the good in something, and i believe everything happens for a reason, so i can't get too mad.
as for the lower carb plan, well, i'm not cutting out carbs totally-i know i can't do that. i am taking anatomy and physiology, and after studying and discussing metabolism and digestion in class, i decided to try the higher protein way for a bit. i know it has worked well for some people. i'm not one for sticking exactly to a prescribed diet, but i'm trying this general method of eating to see how it works for me. so far, i seem to have more energy on the days i stick to it. we shall see.
i seem to do ok as long as i think about what i am eating, no matter what it is. i just have to really make the decisions.
ramble, ramble...
i need to get back to the gym-really hoping i can make it tomorrow. it's just been one thing after another lately to keep me away form it and exercise in general. time to make that a big priority again.
on the up side, the other day i went looking for a pair of jeans to wear and decided to try an old pair that i set aside as they were too small by a size, and i fit into them again! they were a bit tighter than i would like, but i wore them all day-i must be doing somehting ok!
take care and "see" you all later.
where is everyone else???
I'm still splurging. Mom is going into hospice tomorrow. I sat in hospital all day and she never woke up, but I thought I was doing so well. Had a protein shake, tatted, read, talked to the nurses. Very in control. Then came home and took a nap ... that was a mistake. Woke up. It was dark. I wanted FOOD! The rest is history.
But still know I'll get control soon and reach my New Year's goal. Weeesa, I like your idea of listing positives. Was listening to some guy on public radio talk about the brain ... how it is known that people who handle stress well have lower incidences of developing dementia like states as they age. And, he said, habits of positive rather than negative thinking are a big factor in that. He suggested learning to "reframe" negative thoughts ... not to eliminate them ... such as "I've been splurging for five days BUT I've carefully documented each day in my journal and am now better able to understand what is causing this."
Sychie: Sounds as though you have your carb experiment well in hand. Hope it works for you. I have the opposite reaction when lowering carbs ... it kills my energy and makes me lethargic and depressed and sinks my metabolism. But everyone is different.
I also miss everyone. There are 77 views but only 10 posts ... so hope everyone is out there and ok.
Had our first day of Christmas programs yesterday and it was fun but I'm exhausted! Today is the same and then Saturday we have a hospice tour and its done for the year. Just have the cleaning up and the loose ends to deal with then.
I have to get going, so i'll have to make this quick. I've really missed checking in with everyone--I'll have to go back and read everyone's posts fully later. There does seem to be a common theme though--that we're not exactly having a stellar time of it with food. Is it unrealistic to think that we're immune to all the holiday temptations? What do you think?
Last night at the reception everyone went on and on about how great my fudge was and I tried it ; it was good so I tried it a few more times! And this morning I feel all hungover and am drinking lots of water and I'm craving salt. So I'm taking a solemn vow before all of you that I'm done with the stuff for the rest of the year---and beyond. I don't have to make it again till next Christmas. I tell you, some things I should never start with....!
Eydie You know, you're right, some things should not veen start. That's so true! There are some things that I've come to accept: 1. There are some foods I can't even taste because I won't be able to stop on them. (Cake and fudge are just two of these things) 2. If I keep these types of foods in the house, there is no way I can stay away from them. It's hard to admit that I may never be able to eat cake or fudge again, but I know I feel awful when I overeat on it. The food hangover is just awful. Keep drinking up the water and you'll feel better soon. Concentrate on some protein as well.
Crone Hmmm, yes, reframing negative thoughts is very important! This way we're not in denial, yet we're not putting ourselves down either. Something else to use is "Thought Stopping" for those very negative thoughts like: "I'm so fat. I'll never be in control". THoughts like that need to be stopped! When I think them, I think "STOP!" and I have a particular mental picture that I think of instead. For me it's a horse running through a field. That's my thought stopper. Just another good tip I heard once! I'm very sorry about your mom by the way. That must be very hard on you.
Welll, I have news: I'M PREGNANT I'm so excited! NOw I finally understand all the weird things I've been feeling lately. Ahhh. Relief! I'm not feeling weird; I'm feeling "normal"! My husband is SO happy and excited. He's waited his whole life for kids. This is the present I've always wanted to give him. I always told him that "If it's meant to be, it'll happen" and it surely did! I just never thought it would be this easy. Wow. I go to the doctor next Thursday for my first appointment.
I'll still be posting with you since I'll still need to hold myself accountable for my food choices, especially being sure to get more fruits and vegetables. I'm going to let my hunger dictate how many Points I eat and hope for the best. But no more weighing myself! I have to admit it was fairly easy to stick that ol' scale in the closet.
Babette, Joanie, Morrigan helooooooooooooooo??? We MISS YOU!
Have a great day girls. Make today THE day.
Love, Lisa
A BIG Congratulations to Lisa!!! I was wondering how you were going to be able to wait until Christmas to take a test! I'm glad for you, how exciting.
Well, I haven't been posting lately because I'm just not doing well. I'm super busy and not exercising and eating horribly-- I've just lost my motiviation for the time being. LAst night went to a cookie exchange-- have eaten several through-out the day today and most aren't even that good. You think if I was going to eat so bad I'd save it for the good stuff
Fudge too-- I have some in my cold room downstairs and it's slowly going too-- need to give it away.
Anyway, wanted to check in-- haven't gone totally awol. Next week is better timewise and I'm hoping to get to the gym...and soon!
Red & Green 2002 Initiative?
I love the little song at the end of your post.
But you are not me, and reducing your carbs may be what you need. My best advice would be to follow the Food Guide Pyramid. When I really paid attention to it, a serving of breads/cereals is a lot smaller than I thought.
whoo-hoo
