Welcome to the newcomers. Swtgila-I'm in Ocean Springs. We're practically neighbors!
Had a better day today which means I got home at 6:30 instead of after 7. Hopefully I'll have a good night too and actually get some decent sleep tonight.
The guy who died wasn't really a "friend." He was the administrator at one of the nursing homes I go to. It was just really shocking. He was younger than I am. A reminder that we never know when our last day is. I'll probably try to go to his funeral later this week when they get it scheduled.
Newleaf-why not buy audio books and download them to your ipod? That would be even easier on the elliptical. I think you can check those out of the library too.
djo-I'm a big believer in food journals. I keep one called weight-by-date. Its a computerized journal sort of like fitday. It has a section for keeping personal notes but oddly I rarely write them. Not sure why. I've also thought it would be good to do that but I've never been able to get into the habit. I'm obsessive about writing down everything I put in my mouth but that's the only part I obsess about.
Marie-a Wii is less than $200 at my local Walmart and I"m sure you can find it less than that on ebay. AND you can ski in the summer! I'll tell you what I think after I try out my new games. I have to get a balance board for some of them-the snowboarding ones in particular. They look like great fun. I'm all about exercise being fun.
Hi Everyone - Wow! I love reading all the posts, everyone seems to really be getting into their game! So far I am having a good week, journaling my diet has been an eye-opener and work outs are going well so far. No pounds lost yet (need to update my ticker), but I know if I keep up the pace I am doing right now, it will happen.
Petra - so sorry about your friend, terrible news. And, FYI I LOVED the band Petra, I was a huge fan in high school, Stryper too.
Welcome DJO!
Everyone else - sorry to be so generic but I am doing a drive by post tonight, I am tired and sleep tends to elude me sometimes so I am hitting the hay while the getting is good!
Petra, we ARE neighbors! WHoo HOO! Ocean Springs is a lovely place. We will have do lunch girl!
I am also encouraged to make a change today and make the extra effort to get in the 10,000 steps and make a healthier food choice for lunch. It was nice to wake up and open up my laptop and feel eager to come to this thread to read any new posts. :-)
I also have thought about the wii. I'll be interested to see the report on it as well. I think it might be fun to use. Yall have a great day!
PeanutsMom – Wow, a 5-year-old, that does require a lot of energy!! You can do this! Oh, and the reason why I can walk away from 2 Hershey’s kisses is that I don’t particularly like them LOL! So, I can have the 2, say “oh, yeah, they’re okay, nothing great” and move on…
AnnieDrews – good luck on your office competition! I hear you on seeing the calories on paper. I don’t count calories very often, but sometimes I do just to make sure I’m on track (I kind of just keep a running tally in my head). Doing what you are doing got me to drop from a large skim latte to a small skim latte on the rare times I get one because the calories in the skim milk alone are pretty high! And I had thought just getting it with skim was enough… but then I saw that getting a SMALL skim made a huge difference. Little changes add up. Re: your Chinese, I know what you mean… I feel that way about Indian food, which I try to avoid at all costs – I love it so, but it is a definite trigger… Good job not going overboard!
Belly Buster – I hear you re: restaurants. We went to one on Monday night, and I just didn’t want a small salad. So I had Frutti de Mare and I was pleased to see that the portion was a reasonable size, not huge like at other places, but still – you know that the calories are super high, no matter how little you eat. We tend not to go out much anymore, or I send DH out with the boys for some crappy meal that they all enjoy. I hope that you are no longer under the weather! Re: the large print on the kindle – check out your library to see if they have a good selection of large print books. I was amazed by how many ours has, and I have read lots of great books this way – books that have always been on my list but I never got to.
TuningIn – I hope things are going better for you, now that you are back to work and back to routine! Oh, I wrote an acronym up above – LOL means laugh out loud. Below I used ILs, which means inlaws.
AZ Manatee – I hope you are finding the consistency you are looking for this week! It’s all a process, with lots of trial and error thrown in…
ICUWishing – I hope things are going well with your son and you’re arriving at a good solution for all… I’m glad that you are finding making the right choices easier… Me, too. Yesterday I needed change for a meter so I went into a convenience store and all they seemed to have were chocolate bars. I just didn’t want one. So I hunted and hunted until I found an overpriced roll of Life Savers, bought those, and felt good.
WeightLossWanted – you are doing great with the exercise – keep it up!! Congratulations on your woosh!! That is awesome!
Djo822 – Welcome! Before I moved to Pittsburgh, I lived in Shrewsbury, so near you! I grew up in Bolton, and do miss Massachusetts! I’ll have to live vicariously through you. It sounds like you are in the same place as the rest of us – one day at a time and fully committed! Good luck!
LambChop – interesting thing about the font size and the kindle… you know that got my attention! I’m glad you’re loving it… good job on the pound, and staying positive while you heal!
Marie – Eek! Re: the power… I hope all is back to normal today!
OnMyWay – LOL re: the candy hearts. Amazingly, they haven’t made their debut in our area yet; it seems late. Although I’m going to Wal-Mart and Target later today and have steeled my resolve. I’m glad you are having good days
SwtGila – nice to see you again! It has been frigid in AL, I hear! (My ILs live in Foley and tell me it has been in the teens recently!) Good luck getting back in gear…
Petra – re: downloading audiobooks to my iPod… um, that would require having an iPod LOL!! Actually, I don’t really like audiobooks; I prefer reading with my eyes than with my ears… LOL The selection of large print books is pretty good, and if there’s something I really want that my library doesn’t have, chances are I can get it delivered from elsewhere in the county.
As for me, I’m doing well. My weight is going down, I’m happy! Nothing new to report, I’m just focusing on eating right and exercising. Boring but reliable!
Hello to all. No big news to report today. I did have a minor victory last night as I was able to fight the urge for a bowl of cereal before bed. (Note-Night before last I measured the serving size [1 cup] for store brand Frosted Mini Wheats. It turned out to be 17 pieces of cereal! Lots more than I would normally put in the bowl.) Paying attention to serving sizes and calories is going to help me keep track of what goes into my body. Trying not to focus on "denying" myself, but focusing on the long term benefits of losing weight/being healthier.
AnnieDrews congrats on your positive outlook and keeping track! As you get further into this, you may want to consider getting a food scale. I think they cost about $20 - $30, so that may or may not work for you. But the benefit is that then you can measure the food in grams and get much truer calorie counts. Imagine that cup on mini-wheats. Were any sticking over the brim? How big were the gaps between the pieces? These are rhetorical questions, but you can see that 1 cup can have a big variety in weight. Same goes for everything. Imagine a banana, you have to eyeball is it small, medium, or large. If you weigh it, then you know.
On the other hand, this can be going way overboard for some people, so just take it with a grain of salt. But I found getting a scale was really eye-opening. And even though I don't use it much anymore, it was really helpful so now I know whether something is a small, medium, or large, just by looking at it. So my ability to estimate has gotten better. And, I pull it out once every month or two, just to spend a day measuring again, to keep me on track.
Just some food for thought, no pun intended!
Last edited by newleaf123; 01-13-2010 at 10:23 AM.
Annie, work place food is a temptation that’s hard to avoid. You will persevere.
Kim, Yeah on a pound going away. Every one of those buggards is a cause to do the happy dance.
DJO, healthy is the best reason to lose weight. It sounds like you’ve got a well balance plan in place.
OMW, enjoy your pre-planned dinner out. I agree that making the food choice in advance is safer. That way the smells don’t play into the choice.
Swtgila, welcome back. You’re back before your waistline returned to its original size. That is awesome.
WLW, sounds like you exercise day was fun. I hope the back stays healthy.
Petra, perhaps after my plastic surgeries I can afford a Wii. For now, the $$$ go to the PS piggy bank or to real skiing. I can’t give that up.
AZ, you will lose as long as you stay focused. You can do it.
Newleaf, stay away from the Valentine’s Day aisle at Target and Walmart. Then the hearts can’t jump in your cart. And it was so nice getting ready for work with lights today. I also love my food scale for all the reasons you mentioned. The variation in a measured cup versus the number for grams is amazing.
Well, you will be happy to know, the candy hearts had no opportunity to jump in my cart! In fact, I have no idea whether they were in stock or not because I just kept telling myself that I have no business in that aisle, I have no business in that aisle. I am so determined not to put on weight for Valentines Day like I did for Halloween, especially since I am still working off that weight! Ridiculous, and certainly not worth it... I'm an adult, or so they say.
Marie - yeah, adjusting the font! that's what finally sold me...ooh, I love audiobooks too - i've gotten quite a few from audible over the last 3 years or so. -- sorry to hear about your power outage - glad the lights were back on today
Annie - have a plan in place...and just know all those little bites will add up, so it's probably easier to just avoid them. A little trick I use sometimes is I try to "change" a memory in my mind about something...ex - I try to think like i'm allergic to a food, or in my mind pretend like a certain food will make me sick if i eat it...since it's got a sauce or is greasy, or whatever -- i know it's a little zany, but it's worked at times in the past...like, man - that looks great, but ugh - i can't eat that stuff, makes me sick 2 hours later...(almost like reprogramming my thought process)
Kim - I don't use my Kindle on the treadmill...though I think Heidi reads large print on her machine -- downloads, purchased from amazon. (there are other places, some free books, mostly paid) sony readers I think you can download free library books - i think at some libraries. As for the big rewards - I've had a lot of ups and downs in life...this just happens to be an up time..so i'm grateful when i have them, and when I have down times I remember there will be better times ahead
Djo- getting off the junk is a great way to start, and having a plan will really lend to that. Good job on the portion controlled snacks, fruits and veggies...
OnMyWay - love that you're checking the menu online to be prepared...smart move on your part, and hope the concert is a smashing success
Gila - Hi and welcome - good for joining the Y - and having a friend there will help you stick to it. Emotionally eating, i've recommended this book before but it has helped me in the past, Eating in the Light of the Moon - in case you haven't heard of it...one day at a time! one day at a time!
WLW - ooh...hope the scale moved for you!!!! hope it sticks!!! keep moving
Petra - yeah, really hits you on the mortality front when something like that happens...makes you just realize how fragile life is
Natalie - I hope you were able to rest. I'm glad keeping a journal has helped you have a clearer vision of things...keep the pace, one day at a time and you'll get there.
Heidi - boring and reliable are good things in my book -- I'm not a big fan of drama and stress, LOL -- good news on the weight loss. Marie does audiobook (i do too, ipod), you do the large print, and now i do the kindle...ha, all our different styles (answering the Petra part) - what you said about the scale, etc for Annie, I agree - I had an eyeopener awhile back when I saw the different between what I thought was a single serve potato -- 1 baking potato, and what hte reality was...--1 small red potato...haaahaa, IT was a REALITY CHECK TIME -- good job on the candy hearts
---
I stopped at McD's for a diet coke, and everything in my body (pity party day) wanted to say...could i get a big mac with that...but I didn't. I just said to myself...you're 5 mins from home...get your darn soda, then go home and have a shake. I did - but the conversations in my head at that moment... --- i was like, don't you DARE say those words at the little speaker box/menu board...
the pity, party thing...yeah, just bummed still - going to be an emotional week - then i should be fine...One of my biggest fears is with NOT running right now, will i end up breaking a habit - will I just STOP and not restart. I know in my heart I will start when I can - but there's that piece of me that knows in the past I've stopped and not restarted before...anyway, just going to rehash these feelings all darn week..it is what it is. Time will heal my body, time will heal my brain.
Lamb, good job on leaving McD with just the soda. It's hard leaving the tasty but bad treats at the fast food places that we like (for me it is Starbucks/coffee huts because I could have a mocha 10X day).
My audible library is over 420 books. I am obsessive about books - I just can't sit and read. I could when I was on my ADHD meds but not anymore. Now I can "read" and do other things. Much more accomplished.
Marie
Lamb/Deb, You WILL start running again, because you are so conscious of NOT running...AND all of us will be here to cheer you on!! Just keep healing and know will start from a stronger point than you started last time!
LambChop, as Chubster said, you will, indeed, get back to the running. And with renewed vigor and urgency since you have that 1/2 marathon on the horizon. That will keep you going, without a doubt! Good thing you've got that all lined up! When I hurt my knee during my Peru trek training, I definitely got right back on that horse; I had no choice. You will do the same. Good job resisting the Big Mac! Funny what drives different people, mochas for Marie, junky sugary candy for me, Big Mac for you! I could probably count on 1 hand how many Big Macs I've had in my life, and the last one was probably 30 years ago! Now, junky sugary candy on the other hand... I have to say no to it every time I go to the store!
Hope everyone has had a great day. We saw temps in the 40's and lots of sunshine. What a pick me up. DD's concert was very good. This is her first year in band and it's amazing how well everyone sounded after only playing 4 months! Managed to make a fairly good choice at dinner and took half of my meal home. The old me would have cleaned her plate, that's a change I have made that I really notice, I have no desire to overstuff myself.
swtgila, Welcome back! You have made some good changes already. Keep coming around, we'll be here for you!
WLW, Congrats on the whoosh! I also had a loss today, if it's still there tomorrow, I'll change my ticker!
Petra, My family really enjoys the Wii. There is not alot my DS20 and DD11 do together, but they do like to play Wii together. My problem is getting a turn!
AZ, Keep doing what you are doing, you will see a loss soon!
Newleaf, Boring but reliable is good! I'm pretty low key myself.
Annie, I also pay close attention to portion sizes. I count out pretzels and put the bag a way. I have been pleasantly surprised to see how many of something I can really have. Also been shocked on some occasions.
Marie, How long do you anticipate being off work after your surgery? Are you getting excited?
Lambchop, Don't worry, we will be here to kick your butt if you don't keep running. I'm sure you must be frustrated but please be patient. Great victory at the drive thru. I can honestly say I have never had a Big Mac.
Sorry if I missed anyone! Looking forward to the end of the week!
Hi everyone, this is really brief b/c I need to get to bed...but just wanted to say thanks for the warm welcome and I am proud to say I have walked 10,000 steps all 3 days this week. Whoop whoop! Mon and today with my friend a the Y and yesterday alone at the park. I feel I am coming out of a rut. Thanks for the much appreciated support! Cya tomorrow!
Annie – funny about the Biggest Loser office pool. I love that show but not sure I’d be willing to weigh in with my coworkers! I’m also a calorie counter – cheap and (relatively!) easy
Marie- I would have loved to overshoot and end up in Oregon, I really like it there! I moved to Denver because the rest of my family had ended up here, which is definitely a nice thing. I’m a single mom so my parents play a really big role in my son’s life. I think your point about posting instead of diet sabotage is a great one!
Bellybuster – I hear you about sometimes the weigh in not being as low as something might have been. I picked Mondays to try to keep me honest over the weekends but definitely more opportunity to go a bit off plan those days.
OMW – glad you are getting some nicer weather, and nice about your DD’s concert.
Tuning In – hello and hope your adjusting well to being back to work. I can only imagine 3 weeks vacation!
WLW – good luck “earning” that MP3 player!
AZ Manatee – glad Fitday is working for you. I’m addicted to using it, I think! I am constantly playing around with it and reading all the different reports.
Chubster – thanks for starting the challenge thread, I really needed the chance to focus on a smaller and more manageable goal right now.
ICU – good luck with the work project and getting your son’s school settled, and keeping those good eating habits on autopilot! And I’m impressed by your swimming races, regardless of how you finish. Hope your neck is feeling better.
Petra – so sorry to hear about your coworker.
Newleaf – YAY about the candy hearts. I mean, candy hearts? What are they?
Djo822 – hello and welcome! Sounds like you’ve got lots of great reasons to want to get fit and healthy, and you’ve come to a great place for help with that! (I moved here to CO a few years back from Boston, nice to see someone from MA!)
Lambchop – great job on the pound when you aren’t feeling so good!! Feel better soon, and I hope you can get back to your running HABIT.
Swtgila – hello and GREAT job with the steps!
Hope I got everyone! I’m still doing well staying on plan – now it’s time to do my 20 minutes tonite
(Note-Night before last I measured the serving size [1 cup] for store brand Frosted Mini Wheats. It turned out to be 17 pieces of cereal!
Lots more than I would normally put in the bowl.) Paying attention to serving sizes and calories is going to help me keep track of what goes into my body. Trying not to focus on "denying" myself, but focusing on the long term benefits of losing weight/being healthier.
