JULY chat
 

July's going fast, but thought I'd start a chat thread for the rest of the month.

best to all :sunny:

So, I decided to try tracking points, just for some method of accountability.
It is shocking the values of some things when you look at nutrition labels!

So for the time being I'm just looking up everything I'm eating, I don't know what my target is under the new program, it's just interesting looking at what I'm eating and what makes the points go up or down.

I think anything that gets me tracking my input and output is going to help my program.

Best to all :sunny:

Kelijpa, Hello :) I also decided to start tracking, except I'm counting calories which I have never done before. Looks like I am indeed under my daily goal for calories in order to lose weight slowly but steadily. I was just spitballing before. I hope it keeps working!

I met the teensiest of goals, which was to start exercising this week. I made it only 10 minutes on the recumbent bike >< but I'm relieved to have finally started. Apparently there is an an out of shape and undermuscled person beneath all of my overweightness; overall it's not a good emerging look, lol. I'm following some examples on here about exercising while losing weight to help my overall shape. :ebike:

Good for you, Toowicky. It has certainly helped me- not that I have a great figure, but it terms of strength and energy, which in turn makes it easier to expend even more strength and energy... But it's also given me much more of a waistline, which is nice :carrot:

Kelijpa, what kind of points? I've never heard of this. Good luck in any case, and thanks for opening the chat thread. I was feeling a bit lost in the challenge thread, since I came in so late! A monthly thread gives everyone the option of a fresh start at least once a month :D

I tried several times to lose weight to only quit a few weeks or months in. This time I am logging all my food intake and all my exercising (through fitbit) and I believe this, along with a change in my thoughts, is the thing that will make it happen this time. I have a whole different outlook on this. I feel so much stronger and in control. It only takes me a few minutes after each meal, snack, and exercise to log things. I now know for sure what my calories burned and calories in are.

Does anyone have any good ideas for snacks? I get easily tired of the same old same old. Currently for snacks I will eat; apples or carrots with peanut butter, carrots with hummus, mixed berries or any type of fruit with a few crackers, Kashi cereal w/skim milk, greek yogurt, cottage cheese with pineapple.

MagicSusan- I was referring to weight watchers points, I've been an on and off weight watcher for most of my adult life. I found an online calculator by googling we points calculator. I'm not sure how many is my limit on the new program, but it got me looking at food labels and portion sizes.

I think any method that gets you paying attention to what you're eating is good, the fit it seems to work for a lot of people, mindful eating, really paying attention to what you're eating, at times I've gotten myself a nice little notebook to keep track in.

Had a good day today, walked the rail trail, 4 miles, sweated like crazy, wouldn't have made it without water and my hat, my face still looked like a tomato when I was done :D

Aspen- I like vanilla yogurt with crushed pineapple, we also have crunchy granola bars and I love popcorn, you can just pop it in the microwave in a brown paper bag, like kids used to use for lunch, this time of year I cut up watermelon and put in containers so I can take it to work.

Looking forward to hearing other snack ideas, I have some celery I have to try it with some hummus.

Best to all :sunny:

Aspen- check out the forum Food talk and fabulous finds, there're usually good ideas for snacks there, too

Thank you, keli!

Ah! Weightwatchers. I have heard of those points. Thanks.

Anybody here from farm country? I really miss big wheat fields; someone go out and take a walk by one for me ;)

:goodvibes:

Susan: Sorry I can not walk by wheat fields for you but I can walk along a lake for someone. ;) I enjoy walking along the lake at different times of the day. Always see something different and the sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous.

Hi again
 

Hi, I am fairly new here. I have to post more often, because I feel that helps me to be accountable! I have not lost one pound since I joined! I went on a short vacation with my boys, and that did not help with my weight loss efforts at all. I am trying to do better this week.

There is a lady I work with who is on weight watchers, and she is doing so great. She says it's tracking the points that works for her, and exercise. She is older than me, and still able to lose, I think she is 57. I'm ten years younger, and have not lost a pound yet.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day! :)

Glad to see a July Chat open!

I have made it one whole week back on the diet wagon. Food has been good and I have gotten most of my exercise in. Had my second water aerobics class last night. I am sure I don't burn a ton of calories but I am moving and its fun. I did my regular morning exercise today and working on a good food day.
I am going out of town this weekend and need to keep my motivation up so I do not go totally off track while we are gone. It is so easy to overeat and indulge in junk food when we are gone on the weekends.
Susan- Most of the wheat in the fields has been harvested or cut now except for winter wheat which I don't see a lot of. Now corn fields, they are everywhere in Neb and SD.

Aspen and NEMom, They've just taken in one field's worth, here. A nice place to walk is quite motivating.

I was oddly not hungry today- might be the heat and dryness. Since the rest of the family is having lot's of ice cream, i made myself some frozen yogurt. Much healthier and just as yummy!

You guys are making me hungry with your snack ideas! I love whole grain rice cakes, smoothies made from fruit (nectarines!) and quark, a hard boiled egg, banana/milk smoothies...

LoriDawn, hang in there. It's sometimes just a matter of juggling diet and exercise until you find that sweet spot that works for you.

LoriDawn: Welcome, it's nice to have you join in!

Hi Loridawn- welcome!

NEMom- good to see you again! I was off and on for awhile, I'm finding it's an indicator of how well I'm doing.

Magicsusan- I live in the mountains, I'll take a walk around my garden for you...lol

Had a good day today, did my walk, my exercises and paid attention to my intake, feels good so far!

Best to all :sunny:

Feeling hungry today, looking at food labels and tracking my intake is helping me fight it...
:sunny:

Managed to get through work, had a nice salad for supper, along granola bar for dessert., feeling pretty good.

Hot as heck here, supposed to be a 5 day heat wave, we're in day 3 I think, this is the longest our air conditioner has been on nonstop!

Best to all :sunny:

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone!
 

Hi again, well, I am doing good with exercise, but diet, not so much! I am counting calories, but getting so hungry, and then ending up going over my calories! Not a good thing, I know. Anyway, thanks again for all the warm welcomes, and I will continue to read/post. Lori

It's hot over here, too, so I try to get my exercising in as early in the a.m. As I can, especially since my walking buddy has gone away for a couple of weeks.

Struggling a bit at the moment to keep comparing myself to how I looked 6 months ago instead of how I think I should look. On the whole, though, not dieting for the last 10 years has done a lot towards stopping my binge problems and setting the stage for what I hope will now be a permanent and final life-style change.

Hope the rest of you aren't melting to badly!

Was a hot, hot weekend, finally cooled off a bit and humidity left.

Had a couple days off program food wise, but managed to get in my exercise, so counting as a positive.

I'm weighing in on Mondays now, I was lower Sunday but took Mondays weight, so up .2 which is like staying even, which is good BUT not my objective. Back on track today, hoping to get in a good week and see results!

Best to all
:sunny:

Generally I try to be intuitive with my eating and pay attention to how hungry or how full I feel. This has worked really well for a while. BUT ....The last few weeks my weight has been moving in the WRONG direction. First I was discouraged by TOM fluid retention, then I had a number of excuses to dine in good restaurants. Last week I consumed a bit much on the alcohol side. And I have been eating snacks and indulging in ice cream. So the weight gain post-TOM is no mystery.

The little coach voice in my head is starting to nag "Failure to plan is a plan to fail."

I need a plan. I need to menu plan. I need to go back to my one alcoholic drink per week rule. I need greater commitment. Planning and commitment go hand in hand.

Got a break from the high heat here, too, but it's been raining off and on all day - totally dreary! I would say the weather has prevented me from exercising, but I prefer to exercise inside and use the recumbent bike... which I'm currently using to hang my purse and I also put more laundry on it, lawd! I've only been on it once. For 10 minutes. I'm determined to get on it tomorrow and start some semblance of a routine.

My eating has been fine and I'm doing well on calorie consumption, whew.

junem, I like to have wine on occasion and I was aghast to see how many calories it has. Additionally I assume the cheese cubes and olives I would have with the wine is likely inadvisable -.- Your post was a reminder to me to plan for when I want a glass of wine or two, and to nix my usual accompaniments.

Failure to plan, indeed! Good words, good reminder,! Last week I was journaling like a little scribe and enjoying it, got off one day and can't get back into that mode even though I know it helps me a lot. It makes me pay more attention to what I'm eating, hopefully to get me to mindful eating without having to write down every thing.

Doing good on the exercises, OP today, so happy for that.

So I have my iPad here, make myself do some planks in between reading/posting! Crazy...c

:sunny:

Had a little win yesterday, was going to skip my exercises, but didn't, ended up same weight as day before, so feeling pretty good.

Going to a AA baseball game tonight, so that could be a challenge...going to try and get everything in before, if not I do get one day off so might take it today.

:sunny:

Popping in to say "hi". So HI :D

July has been a terrible month for me. Weather, hubby back to traveling....I gained some and now I am trying to lose some. Hopefully I will end up where I started at, yikes.

I've been around 165 for a few days now, 165.2 today so hoping to push through back to 160 and below, this has been the hardest decade for me by far. Hope everyone is doing well.
:sunny:

Getting a bit fed up with my clothes. I spent yesterday sporting a really dubious off the shoulder look- not a good look with a henley type shirt, but I've lost so much weight mostly through my torso that all my shirts are too big. The problem is that in spite of the tricep extensions and the skull crushers my bingo wings are still enormous. Don't know what to do and it's getting me down :(

August is going to be great, right guys? Right?!

August is going to be absolutely amazing! -- I am setting a goal to drop 1.5 pounds each week :eek: I have never done that, but I know I can do it :crossed:

I had a very indulgent meal today at a Mexican restaurant. AND ICECREAM! I know I will be sorry tomorrow :D But the Mexican restaurant we went to, the chef; she is one of the Iron chef contestants and we could not pass this restaurant up. It was fabulous!!!

So not looking back but moving forward. August will be indulgement free month; the lean days. :)

I am posting this here and at the challenge thread.

I am challenging myself and my family to eat and eat well for only $75 per week. I have seen so many sad posts about poverty and not having enough money for food, that kids and I decided to eat for less. This means eating things that are not that palatable, no more grass fed ground beef or organic air chilled chicken, and forget about our weekly milet mignon. -- Anyone interested in joining me?

I will post each day what we ate and the cost.

MagicSusan. Tshirts too big is a good problem. Right?. Sounds like you need to give yourself permission to shop, maybe just for one or two key blouses or tshirts. Haha, bingo wings, I hadn't heard that term exactly, but I know what you mean. I have that problem too.

Sum. You have set out some interesting goals. Your budget should be do-able, as long as you are not averse to factory farm raised poultry and pasta carbs. I hate to buy cheap frozen chicken but I do it; Its economical and cash is tight. Can you do this while dropping pounds aggressively? I wont be joining you on your budget restriction, but I'll be interested and watching.

Day 1 of $75 challenge
Bfast
Homemade waffles, bacon, eggs and grapes
Lunch
Turkey and cheese sandwich (GF) with homegrown lettuce and tomato, home made potato wedges and apple
Dinner
Tuna casserole and green beans
Snacks
Icecream, pretzels, grapes and watermelon

Total cost $9.36 for 3 of us. I am not counting condiments into this mix...they would probably add 20c. I am dividing all pasta, flour etc costs as well-- I shopped all sales items at a local supermarket; not a low end one either. -- Many communities offer garden plots for people who are not well off, therefore I am using my own garden items as free items. So far so good...making crockpot chicken for tomorrow, found some super cheap bone-in chicken.

To be continued.......

ETA; I made my own GF bread

Junem, the shopping isn't the problem, it's that a smaller size will fit my torso better, but not my massive arms :lol: