W.O.W. Healthy through the Holidays~Thanksgiving
 

It is so hard to lose during the Holidays. This challenge is to help us support each other during those tough times. This challenge will be broken down into three segments: 1. Thanksgiving 2. Christmas 3. New year.

Welcome to the first part of this challenge!

For any newbies, the traditional copy and paste:

Women on... WHAT??

Okay, let me explain that "Women on WEED" is not what you might be thinking. During previous challenges, a group of us formed a great bond, and we've been challenge buddies ever since. We use the word "WEED" as a mnemonic device to set daily goals, an easy and very specific way to remind yourself during your day to take care of your body, and to nurture your Mind, Mouth and Muscles... it really does help. After all, we are all taking this a day at a time, right?

If you join this challenge, you will see it often - and you are encouraged to give it a try. Here's what it stands for:

W - Water intake. Set a daily goal for how much water you're going to drink. Although there is conflicting research as to how much to actually consume in a day, we all agree it is important to drink lots to stay healthy. So make it a goal!

E - Exercise. Efficient, healthy weight loss isn't going to happen unless you incorporate some kind of physical activity in your life. Everyone does it differently; some go to the gym, some work out at home, and some find ways to sneak in little bits of exercise all throughout the day. Set yourself a goal, even if it's small. Little bits done often WILL add up over time!

E - Eats. Being that we all have different eating plans and weight loss philosophies, this is sort of a wild card. Whatever plan you're on, set yourself a plan-appropriate daily eating goal for the day. Don't forget to make it specific!

D - Daily goal/Daily affirmation. This is another wild card. It doesn't even have to be weight-loss related! This is the spot where you list something you want to get accomplished. Or, you can use "D" for a a daily affirmation - it's an opportunity to say something good and positive about yourself. Sometimes, when we fall short - and we ALL do sometime - we are tempted to berate ourselves. Although it's good to recognize when we don't reach our goals, it's also good to remind ourselves of the awesome parts of ourselves. So go ahead and remind yourself of that in the "D" part of WEED.


Well here it is! Jump right in, tell us about yourselves, your goals, your home lives, your healthy plan, etc. We LOVE newbies! And we LOVE our regulars! Welcome back

:wave:

I'm Jeni. I have been doing WEED for 4 years now. I have had my ups and downs. Right now I am up, so I am avoiding the scale, but I am back to working out consistently so I am happy about that. This challenge for me I hope to lose 4 pounds. Its tough for me to lose especially at the weight I am at. So I am going to get it together and cut my calories!

I've got 2 kiddos and a DH. I work weird shifts and I have put on at least 15 pounds since June. Today I am going to get my stuff back to gether and get back down to where I want to be. I have my challenges, but I will pull myself back together.

W~I always drink 64-100 oz of water depending on my schedule.

E~I like to fancy myself a runner. Its my main cardio workout. Although I do LOVE the AMT at the gym. My normal workout routine is 35 cardio 10 row 15 weights 15 cardio. I injured my shoulder in August (which has added to my weight gain) so I haven't been running much.
E~I have had real trouble getting back to calorie counting. My life is so busy with swim lessons, and swim team that I am finding it really difficult to get my dinners back in control. I have been sacrificing healthy for quick.
D~My normal daily goals are housework related. Ive been having a terrible time keeping up with my daily chores, workouts, work and everything else.

Hey everyone! I'm Kasey and I just started a new job a little over a month ago which created a huge issue for my weightloss. I went from being a zookeeper and getting all of my exercise in at work, to being a special needs teacher assistant and having to try to work exercise into my schedule again. I also just started Grad school this semester and am a full time student (first time working full time and going to school full time). So my eating had gotten way off as well. Time for me to get back on track.

My goal is to lose at least 5 lbs by Thanksgiving.
SW: 183.6
GW: 178.6

WEED for today:
W - 64 oz
E - strength workout
E - 1200 calories
D - get schoolwork done for my behavior managmenet class

Oh I love this concept, so I'm totally in even though we've already had Thanksgiving in Canada. I went from being on a contract at work to getting a full-time position and a promotion all in one, which was great except that I work all the time now. I'm also taking French classes (one per semester) through continuing education to get a proficiency certificate as I specialize in communications. Between all of that, ongoing issues with my thyroid and my hubby of one year (who works weird hours), I've been stalled in the 190s for almost 3 months, so I really need something new to get my butt in gear.

Daily WEED:
W: 64 oz - I used to be really good about my water, but not so much lately. Need to build this back up.
E: About a week or so ago, I cancelled my Goodlife membership and signed up for the pretty decent gym in the community centre behind my house (it's a 5 minute walk). But then I got really sick and haven't been able to go. Today will be my first day there.
E: Hubby and I have been eating out a lot lately. I will make a healthy, homemade dinner, with enough left over to bring to work tomorrow.
D: I have a French take home test due on Wednesday plus normal weekly homework. I will make a good dent in that today.

Excellent! My birthday falls just before Thanksgiving each year, so this thread will hopefully help keep me accountable for both.

kukkie, hi and welcome!! i took french all through high school and into college, but i’ve lost most of it. makes me sad... how cool that you’re taking a class!

zoochick, what’s your workout routine like? it’s rough going from a highly active job to a much less active one!

I've been on my weight loss journey since Nov of last year. I’ve been at weight loss about a yr, although i slipped up huge around the Holidays last yr. Got serious in Jan, lost 23lbs by May, and then I maintained at around 150lbs for a month and a half. I inched back up to 153 in july and that's when I recommitted to my life change. I've only lost 5-6 pounds since mid-July. annoying. I’m weighing in at 147-148 everyday now (although today i hit 149--curse u sodium-drenched movie theater popcorn) so i have 17-18lbs to lose to hit goal, and I'd like to get there before the end of the year!! I believe it’s possible, and that I simply need to be consistent.

Last challenge I worked on changing my mind set about “cheats” they’re no longer cheats, I’m making choices about what I want to eat. Some days I make much healthier choices, which is what I always want to strive for, but some days I fall short. Either way, I keep trucking. This month I am working to increase my flexibility. Lots of stretching!

SO! my WEED:

W: I try to drink at least a gallon a day (128 ounces)
E: I calorie count, and my magic number is 1500
E: I work out with a physical therapist 2x a week, and do my own gym routine 2x a week
D: I like motivational affirmations. My current one is: I will lose 10 pounds!!

:welcome: kukkie

:wave: shasha and Kasey.

I had a great workout today :) I was planning on swimming and hitting the steam room but I had to get back to my new dog. (I'm not sure we can keep him :( he snapped at a kid yesterday while we were trick or treating :( plus he is attacking my cats. (not chasing them). Anyhow I did my reg workout plus I have physical therapy today.

Jeni - thanks for being so punctual in starting the new thread. I'm back in!

My radiation treatments are finishing this week, so I can start tackling things with more fervour! I see American Thanksgiving is Nov 25th, and by that time I hope to be back on track with my nutrition and exercise. I had started losing steadily in Sept/Oct, but then my oncologist wagged his finger at me and asked me to maintain until rads were done. I seem to be doing that, with the odd weigh-in of around 241.2 lbs the last three Mondays, but going as low as 237 lbs in between. :?: I'm aiming for a steady 232 lbs by Nov 25th.

My WEED:
W: 64 oz
E: walking - starting with 5000 steps/day, and working my way up from that
E: keeping to my calorie/sodium content
D: Decluttering!

Hello again Ladies!! Welcome Kuukie!!

My holiday goal is just to keep losing at a slow steady pace. I have been stuck at the 274-276 area for a couple of weeks but have noticed that I am firming up in areas and my stomach has gotten slightly smaller so i am not going to freak out. I am currently unemployed but will be back to work next Monday when the new restaurant opens. surprisingly I havent done any stress eating though money is a serioius serious concern right now. Anyway -

W - just under 64 oz
E-work work work - I must have stained and moved 100 2x4's today - I am hurtin' no gym for me tonight i can barely move.
E - at 543 calories and it is already after dinner - need some high protein snacks in a minute
D - i am in survival mode today :-)

Work today :) Ok not to happy about that. I did not get enough sleep. We broke the news to my kids we were not keeping the dog. It broke their hearts, but it just is not fair to the dog to keep him crated all day and night so he doesnt terroize (and destroy) the cats and my house. I just didn't think it through when I said yes.

I am debating whether or not to sign Tommy up for our short sports program at the Y. This is his last chance and the class is so fun. It just doesn't end until 630 so on my work weeks it will be very hard.

W 64 oz
E extra laps
E 1400 cals
D have a good night.

Jeni, sorry about the dog....I would sign Tommy up, it's only a few weeks long, right? I ran again last night, knee is killing me today, but trying to stick to our getting consistent again goal. Elliptical tonight to give the knee a breather!

Seawave, yay to the end of radiation!!!!

WA, I've been stuck too, lets get out of the rut!!

Zoo & Shasha, nice to see you!

Kukkie, welcome!!

I am Mavis, 44, mother of 2, both away at college, married to a wonderful man, my HS sweetheart and our 22 anniversary is Friday!! I have 2 jobs, 2 dogs (an old dog, almost 10 who is an insulin dependent diabetic and then a beast of a puppy who is 6 months old) I fight an ongoing battle with depression, but I am winning.

W 100
E Elliptical, maybe some crunches
E Only what I pack/plan
D One step at a time, right now, want to get out of the 150's
Long range is 136 by NYE!!

Hey Ladies!

My name is Emily, I'm a 30 year old working mom to two boys (Connor, 4 and Desmond, 21 months) with a third on the way due in June 2011. So, for now my weight loss is on hold and just trying not to gain too much!

5 weeks: 164.0
6 weeks: 165.2
7 weeks: 166.0

Jeni - sorry to hear about the dog :(

Seawave - yay for the end of radiation!!!

Zoo, Wills, Mavis - hi!

Kukkie - Welcome to the group

Thank you for the welcome!

Jeni - sorry to hear about your dog. But I agree that it's not fair to keep him boxed in all day.

Shasha - did you lose the French because you had nowhere to use it? Because I live in Canada, these days so many employers are calling for fluency in French as an asset, and I just think for the future it would just help my career progression if I could have it, not to mention that I do actually enjoy learning new languages.

My WEED for today:
W: 80 ozs
E: Gym is a must - disappointed with myself as I didn't make it yesterday. No excuses today!
E: Healthy, homemade dinner.
D: Laundry and French homework.

jeni, that is such a bummer about the dogs! poor kiddos =/ but in the grand scheme, that’s a small price for sanity.

seawave, glad radiation is nearly over with! it’s nice to be able to get into a routine :hug: hope you reach that 232

wills, i feel ya on the slow and steady! gotta love firming up, but man every now and then i get super annoyed that the scale isn’t dropping more. way to curb the stress eating! better than me, definitely.

mavis, hs sweethearts?! incredible! happy anniversary :)

emiloots, congrats on the pregnancy! i guess i don’t pay enough attn, i had no idea. how exciting!!

kukkie, yes exactly, no one speaks french around here, and i have very little opportunity to go to france, haha! but i’d love to brush up, especially if it was needed for a job. someday... ;)


My sister comes into town today, I’m excited to see her! Hope to get lots of girl talk in. and luckily, she’s an exerciser, so i’ll have a partner.

W: gallon+
E: 1500cals
E: stretching for the back + stability exercises and hopefully some cardio w my sis
D: I will lose 10 lbs!

Shasha, enjoy your sister!!

W 100
E Running after work
E Plan!!
D One day at a time!

ugh had a stomach bug the last few days, between that and work renovating the restaurant I feel like crap

Yesterdays weed
W - only 40 oz :-(
E-1000 cal.
E - bed
D - try to get in a light workout tomorrow