[Beverlyjoy]

Here is place where you can find some accountability, write down your food plan, or excecise and other helpful things.

Please feel free to join in!

[TXMary2]

I decided I want to join in on this - I have been here before off and on. Once for a good stint- lost about 44 pounds but I gained 34 back. Now I have a net loss of 15 after getting back on track.

Yesterday I stayed under calorie goal and I exercised Mon through Friday. I am going to take a short bike ride today with my son so that will be today's exercise.

Today's food so far:

B: Coffee and a mango smoothie

L: Chicken Salad and grilled veggies

[mj5]

Hi everyone! I'm still here!!! Things have just been super hectic.

TXMary--Welcome back!

Today I went to kickboxing and since it was really nice out I decided to walk outside. I walked 5.11 miles. It felt GOOD! Tomorrow I will hit the gym.

I am dealing with fluid retention AGAIN...grrr, my trainer is helping (again)..poor guy, kinda feel bad for him, he is almost as frustrated with it as I am.

Hope you are all doing well!

[Auty]

I posted in the other thread a few days ago, still new so I didn't realize there is a new one for every month

First I want to mention yesterday, it was a challenge. Since I have started it was the first day I went over my calorie intake all because of one meal. I was still 500 calories under but thats only because I burned off 900 calories doing my C25K and using the Elliptical machine. We went to Anchorage so that we could attend the ceremonial start to the Iditarod, something we do every year and we wanted to go out to eat for a treat at Qdobas, which I thought was a healthier choice than most fast food joints, and I kept my order to a moderate portion size and thought I was doing good, but when I got home and checked the website and figured out the calories to my meal it came out to 850. Not something I was prepared for but I just counted my calories and went on with my day. It didn't feel good, it kinda mad me sad, and honestly the meal wasn't so great that it was worth feeling like crap. I spent the day thinking about how I felt, and after talking to my husband I realized that even if it is a set back, its part of the changing process. I have to learn in order to grow so I am moving past it and getting over it.

A few good things have happened We went through our kitchen and took out the foods that were extremely bad for us, and while we cant afford to throw away everything we did eliminate the "worst". I don't know what to do with this food, I certainly don't want to throw it away and thought about donating it, what do you think about donating food that I wont eat because I think its not healthy for me? I also tried fresh basil for the first time and I love it! We had it on a sandwich and it was wonderful. I didn't like the avocado on the sandwich but I think its because it wasn't ripe, I will try it one more time. I found a store that sells produce for cheaper, its Walmart and not really somewhere that we shop a lot but the Walmart in Anchorage expanded and now has a produce section with reasonable prices and I am pretty happy about that.

I am 7 workouts into my C25K program and I have been able to force myself to workout everyday. I love the treadmill and the elliptical machine, I just use my nook and watch netflix and it helps me not get bored. Last night I watched Dance Moms (don't know how I feel about that show) while I was on the elliptical, I was able to be on it for a full hour and went slow and steady and according to my heart rate monitor I burned 600 calories. Slow and steady for me is better than sitting on the couch, and hopefully as I get in better shape I will be able to speed things up a little.

I really hope everyone is doing well and I am looking forward to March!

P.S. sorry about the long post

[mj5]

Good Morning! I have my surgery later this morning, which will be good to get over with.

Auty--That's great that you found Walmart w/ cheaper produce! And congrats for cleaning out your cupboards. Every little bit helps Great job sticking with your workouts!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

I'll check back when I can.

[Beverlyjoy]

Mj- I have very limited access to internet this week. Wishing you well with your surgery... hoping for the very best result.

[Auty]

Yesterday was good and I was able to workout steady for 80 minutes Today I go back to the doctor for a checkup, kinda nervous/excited and really hoping the scale moves!

mj5- Thank you so much and I hope that your surgery goes well! I will keep you in my thoughts today!

[suzukigurl]

Awesome workout today!!! I love working out now, who would have guesses!?!?! LOL 45 minutes of cardio between the elliptical and recumbent bike, followed by some weight training, worked on Arms & Abs!
I really can't wait to get back to the gym tomorrow.

[charzhazha]

Congrats Suzukigirl! You are making amazing progress!

I am just starting this again. I used to eat healthily and regularly exercise unintentionally. The only food in the house was usually leftovers from my family's vegetarian restaurant, and I often walked home from school because it was faster than waiting for the bus to come. When I moved away, I didn't make any effort to maintain my good habits, and I started to gain about 30 lbs a year. (For a total of 90 lbs, to 270, over 3 years.)

Now I am trying to return to those habits. I have planned every meal this week, and yesterday I went shopping and spent waaay too much on groceries (I guess next week's meal plan will be relying a lot more on beans and rice).

Yesterday, I stayed completely on goal! I made Walnut Asparagus Soup, and I will eat the leftovers today as part of my lunch. Total calories for the day: around 1700.

This morning I had black tea (no milk or sugar, because I like it that way), 1 piece of toast with almond butter, and 10 strawberries. I am making a fennel grape salad for lunch with the soup, and Gallo Pinto with scrambled eggs for dinner. Yum!

[Jinxy]

mj5 - on your surgery.
Auty - On doing a 80 min workout. I hope your scale starts moving for you soon.
charzhazha - Sounds like you are making great stride in getting back to where you have been.
suzukigurl - I flop back and forth on liking workouts . Great Job on the workout.


As for me I have just finished my longest workout time 60 mins today . Only bad part about today is that my weight went up a little that this isn't a trend for me I hate up hill battles.

[Kitcherella]

Hey all!

I am not having a good week. I am very busy and I am starting to feel a bit tired of it. I am entering my third month so I figure this is normal. Anyway, I am not quitting anything else but smoking. I am giving it a go on Monday so fingers
I had cuttlefish with spinach yesterday which was great. Today boiled beans with lots of onion and parsley, olive oil and lemon. This is a great salad-like dish.
TXMary - Welcome back!
Auty - Great idea to donate the food. Glad you're doing well with c25k, I love basil too. Hope you'll have great results.
Suzukigurl - Great job
Charzhazha - walnut asparagus soup sounds interesting, elaborate please
Beverlyjoy - Thanks for starting the new month - hope it's a good one
Jinxy - You've got tickers! It's great to see your line going downhill
Mj - to you - hope all is well, waiting for your news

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. ~African Proverb

[charzhazha]

Creamy Asparagus and Walnut Soup, from Cara's Cravings. It was good, especially on the second day! But I tried another asparagus soup last year that I liked even better: Roasted Asparagus Soup with Spring Herb Gremolata. My post count is too low to add links, but I'm sure you can find them easily online.

If I feel the urge to make an asparagus soup again, I will probably try to make a hybrid, because roasting the asparagus made it soooo tasty.

From this post you would think that I am some kind of asparagus maniac, but I really don't eat it often. In fact, these two soups are the only time I can recall cooking it myself. But for some reason nothing says spring like asparagus

[mj5]

Good Morning! Thank you for the positive thoughts yesterday! The surgery went well. They actually ended up taking me in early (when does that ever happen?? lol!), so it was over before I even thought it would be. Yesterday I pretty much slept and took pain meds, but that's what I needed to do. So far, pain is much better already, but I'll take meds if I need them. Today it is going to be gorgous here (upper 60's, which for March is unheard of!), so it will be hard to stay in and rest....but my DH has put a comfy chair on our porch, so I can take my personal training books out there and relax and study.

Beverlyjoy--Thank you my friend!! Hope you are doing well.

Auty--How did your appt go? GREAT workout!!! Thank you.

suzukigurl--Awesome!!! I know..I say the same thing...last year I couldn't find my way to the gym, now I am lost when I can't workout!

charzhazha--Welcome!! You are off to a great start! Love tea (plain as well...that's how I like it). I never liked asparagus much until I roasted it, now...YUM!!! I am vegetarian (pretty recent), so I look forward to any recipes you share. Always looking for new things to try.

Jinxy--Silly scale! I am battling the scale as well with fluid retention...very frustrating!!!! Thank you!

Kitcherella--Hang in there. You can do this! YEA for quitting smoking. I never smoked, but my dh did. From living with a former smoker, I saw how hard it was for him, but SO worth it. It won't be easy (as I'm sure you already know), but you will feel SO much better!!! Thank you! I don't know if I have told you before or not, but I love the quotes you share with us!

I am dealing with a lot of fluid retention. Some from before the surgery, and of course now it is worse. I will eat well and drink lots of water today, so hopefully that will help. My Dr told me I can walk Wed or Th if I feel up to it, but nothing more strenuous than than until Monday. I'll miss my gym time (NEVER thought I would EVER say that....), but it's what I have to do. I have a massage scheduled for Saturday afternoon, which I can't wait for! I'd like to get my nails done later in the week as a treat, if I am up to it...but we'll see. I don't want to rush my recovery and over do it.

Have a great day everyone!

[Kitcherella]

Hello all.

It is a nice,rainy Saturday morning and I am enjoying my coffee, cheese sandwich and kiwi before I go to work. I am feeling much better after the couple of days that were a bit difficult . I weighed myself (unofficially) and am glad to report one pound lost. I hope it will still be away on Monday - official weigh-in. Maybe this pound can be joined by a friend too.
My wedding anniversary is on Monday and I chose this day to quit smoking as I visualised myself saying (in a few years time) 'I quit smoking on my 4th anniversary'. I have tried once before so I know that the first three days will be a bit rough, the first two weeks somewhat difficult but the real trip starts after that.

charzhazha - thanks for the info, nice recipes there, I don't particularly like asparagus but I was intrigued by the walnut-part as I love them.
Mj - so nice to hear all went smoothly. I just love the picture you "painted" -comfy chair on porch,relaxing and studying. Thanks for the support and your kind words for the quotes, I have found that they help me in many different ways. Bite-sized wisdom Wishing you a speedy recovery so you can start kicking again.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” Og Mandino

Well, that's all, have a great weekend.

[Auty]

So it has been a few days, but it has been a few *good* days Been super busy.

mj5- the doctor went really well, she graphed out my weight-loss and was really happy with the progress. I was 296 around the 1st of January and then 288 on the 24th of January and I weighed in at 267 on the 6th of March. I cut out as much gluten as I could on her recommendation and it has helped the symptoms of PCOS and I am actually going through a relatively normal monthly, first time in years! I hope that you are doing well and that you are resting and I hope you enjoy your massage!
suzukigurl- awesome workout!
charzhazha- Walnut asparagus soup sounds delish!
Jinxy- great job on the 60 min workout!
Kitcherella- Yay! one pound down isn't one pound up! and congrats on making the choice to quit smoking! I think you can do it!

I am still doing the C25K, I have done it 14 days in a row and I really enjoy it. I actually jogged outside yesterday, my husband went with me and we did an old C25K workout, outside. It was awesome and amazing, 0 degrees but still really liberating. I keep having dreams of me running outside!

I started freezing yogurt so I could have an "ice cream" like snack that is portioned and it has worked out really well for me. I was able to get into an old pair of jeans that I bought and then couldn't wear, and now they are too big that was a super nice feeling.

Adding a picture of my first run outside