Maintainers Chat - Week of January 29 - February 4
Holy ! It's the last week of January! Is it just me or is time just flying?
I was standing out in the driveway at 5:30 this morning, 12 degrees, wind blowing, scraping ice off my windshield just so I could go to the gym. And I asked myself if I had lost my mind? Of course, now that I'm home, all sweaty and stinky, I feel like a million dollars. So I guess I'm not so crazy after all!
We have a crowd of regulars at my gym between 5:30 and 7:00 am and I was thinking about them this morning (passing time on the elliptical). These are the hard-core gym rats who are there when it's snowing or there's a water break or even when the power was off. And, for the most part, they're all what we'd think of as normal weight people ... the kind of people I used to look at and envy for being 'naturally thin'. You know, the kind of people who we see eating pizza for lunch and we roll our eyes and mutter about how unfair it all is as we eat our salads. But ... these people are working out hard every freaking day! I'm sure once they get to work, their colleagues don't realize that they got up an hour and a half early to work out. Hmm, made me think about how wrong it is to stereotype anyone, whether thin or heavy.
And that's my only deep thought for the day! Everything else is going to be frivolous and light hearted.
We had an exciting week here in Maintainers last week - two moms with new ones on the way and Lily's become a calorie counter! So pop in and tell us what's going on in your world this week.
Wow, Meg, I'm sitting here with my coffee trying to open my eyes up all the way and you've already been to the gym and back.
I'm in shock, as well, that the end of January is already upon us.
I hit "Lifetime" at Weight Watchers this weekend, which was kinda fun. That just means I hit my goal (ridding myself of my usual summer gain) and maintained there for 6 weeks (through the holidays, which was quite the challenge). The best thing about being a Lifetimer is that I don't have to pay for meetings as long as I stay right were I am. I like that part! No, seriously... I'm mostly excited about the fact that this is the most stable my weight has been since 2002. I'm declaring my roller coaster ride a thing of the past!
Hope you maintaining mamas-to-be are feeling well!
Ok, Meg, maybe I should alter my metaphor a bit... I'm sure I will be faced with a few rides in my future, but I'm determined to keep those roller coasters to the kind you find in the kiddie section at the park. The rides I'm planning to stay clear of are the ginormous ones that take your breath away and make your heart drop down to your stomach. No more rides like that.
Good morning. I love to start my days with a rip roaring Karynlee, this one's for you. And Meg, if we had gold star smilies, I'd give you one for being up and at em. But this seems to be the best I can do
I was up, but didn't make it out. Instead, I climbed aboard my trusty and then hit the floor for 25 minutes of crunches, pushups, squats, leg lifts and miscellaneous band exercises. I'm feeling pretty good, but keeping an eye on my left wrist and arm. After more than 20 years worth of repetitive stress injuries in the shoulders, for the first time I've got twingers around the left wrist. Sounds suspiciously like a wanna-be carpel tunnel. I'm going to watch it very very carefully and if it even acts like it's going to flare (read: if it doesn't go away pretty darn quick), it's off to a doc for me. I don't have time or patience for this.
My board meets this week so I'm apt to be among the missing, but I'm thinking of everyone. Bundle up everyone 'cause baby, it's cold out there.
Hi everyone, Karynlee, that is great news that you met your lifetime goal at WW. Congrat's.
Meg, it is easy for us to assume that when we see thin people that they are "naturally thin" and we have no idea how they really eat or exercise to maintain that slim body. I've thought the same thing.
Airregrl, I hope your wrist and arm improves and you can avoid having to see a doctor.
I really envy you ladies energy. I am always sluggish in the early morning. I love to workout of the evenings. But, then of course sometimes I get side-tracked and don't get my exercise in. I can't count the times that I hit the treadmill at 1AM because other stuff came up that took priority during my usual exercise time.
Calorie Counting is going great for me. Yippee, Day 6 and I'm not gaining wt. Started last Wed. at 145 lbs. Went up a lb. Now I'm down 2 lbs. to 144. So, I think I'm going to be able to adjust well to this. I did inform all the ladies in the atkins room that I had switched my maintenance /lifetime to calorie counting. I felt sort of like a traitor. But, felt it best to let them know, so that I didn't feel 2 faced for coming here for calorie counting advice and them thinking I was still doing Atkins. Anyway, they are an awesome group and have been totally supportive of my decision and still welcome my advice and support on the Atkins program.
I am learning more about Fitday. I now know how to put in a custom food. Yippee, I'm glad Tara told me I could do that. It will help greatly in some of the foods that we will use on a regular basis.
I feel so good about my decision and changes that I'm making. It really does feel more like a lifestyle change than a "diet". And my tummy feels better already.
Oh, I slipped some ground turkey in my whole wheat spaghetti the other night. No one in the family knew the difference. They just thought it was great.. LOL, they are such beef eaters but things are changing around here. Healthier food for all.
I have just developed an aversion to coffee (which was half decaf and not nearly around in sufficient quantities anyway), which means I'm going to be one unhappy woman for about a week. If you don't see me for a bit, it is because I'm off in the corner, nursing a headache, using very bad language and pouting.
I got off my butt this morning and walked the dogs.
Anne, I know coffee withdrawal would give me a headache.
I made it through my son's birthday yesterday with only a small piece of cake. I skipped on the ice cream. Sent the rest of the cake to work with DH to get it out of the house. The only time I bake a cake is on birthdays. I made one back in November for DH. I ate 4 pieces that time with ice cream. So, I improved.
I was out of town all of last week for a work conference in Myrtle Beach. Rather boring, though I learned some helpful things for work. A lot of sitting around. I was proud of myself for hitting the hotel gym and walking on the beach in my free time, especially after I woke up at 6:30 one morning only to find the hotel gym didn't open until 9 AM because it was below some of the hotel's rooms. I understand that - I wouldn't like it if someone was pounding away on the treadmill below where I was trying to sleep - but I felt it was poor planning on the hotel's part. Our meeting hosts fed us a lot. I made some good choices and some bad, and ended up coming home at the same weight I left.
I'm feeling good about food today, and I actually behaved this weekend. I went for a 16 mile bike ride yesterday and got caught riding against the wind on the way home, which made it quite a challenge.
lilybelle, great job portion-controlling the cake. How do you do that? I love my fitday! I've got a few hundred custom foods in there and add more all the time.
karynlee, congratulations on making lifetime! What an accomplishment.
wndranne, ouch. Sorry.
Airegrrrl, I hope it's not carpal tunnel! Your workout sounds great
Meg, kudos for your gym determination! I also used to be envious of "naturally thin" people, until I accepted that I wasn't naturally thin and wishing I was wouldn't get me anywhere. Last spring someone said something to someone else about how "Megan is in such great shape and doesn't work out." First I was confused. Me, great shape? What? Then I nearly died laughing, and told her I did indeed spend many hours at the gym. That also reinforced to me how I shouldn't make assumptions about how people eat or exercise, and how I should perhaps realize I've spent quite a while in this different body.
Hi to everyone else! Hope everyone has a great week.
Hi everyone! Meg, you are so right, I can't believe it's almost February!!!
We're finally getting through all the hectic wedding planning of the past couple weeks and getting around to finding a new gym. Do most gyms allow you to get a "family" membership if you're not married but live together? It would be so much cheaper for us than two individual memberships but I don't know if they will do it or not.
Lily - I almost always substitute ground turkey for ground beef. I put it in spaghetti sauce all the time and it's great! As for your question about what kind of bread people buy from the last thread, I buy a brand called Rudi's Organic -- they have a delicious wheat and oat bread that is 90 calories and 4 grams of fiber per slice.
I have to admit I have not been able to get used to whole wheat pastas yet. Every time I try them they just taste weird and have a funky texture. Maybe I'm not buying the right brand? What brand do you all buy?
I'm having something of a maintenance crisis. My scale is reading 133. I want it to read 127, so I have had some serious gain lately. I think it is mostly a lack of working out that's doing it since I have been counting my calories lately and I'm only at around 1400-1600, which is what I ate when I was losing before. I have gotten totally out of shape and it's really embarrassing. Friday I walked on the treadmill at 4mph for 30 minutes and was pretty tired afterward. Since my wrists are still screwed up and I have a big splint on my arm, no weights for me at all and it's hard to do any other kind of exercises because of the splint (like crunches). I need to wear the splint on my right arm for two more weeks, then for six weeks on my left arm. Also I'm afraid to do lunges or squats because I have had knee problems in the past (although they've felt pretty good the past couple weeks, despite the cold weather).
Okay, I'm just making excuses now. I need to get my butt to a real gym and go to town on the ellipticals or something!
Anne--caffeine withdrawal has to be the worst! I suffered that with both of my pregnancies, and frankly I think I may be having an aversion myself today. I woke up refreshed and ready to hit the day this morning (the previous two nights I didn't sleep so well). I did my exercising, fixed lunches for DH and myself, got DD up to get ready for school, got myself ready for work and while drinking my second cup of coffee and reading my morning paper, I suddenly felt shaky and icky. I got my DS up for school and fixed us our breakfast. And I kept feeling worse. We got in the car to drive to school and work and I kept feeling worse. I called DH as soon as I dropped of DS and told him I was going back home. I didn't make it. Thank goodness I had packed my lunch--I dumped the lunch on the seat and used the bag to, well, that's just too graphic, but I'm sure you get it. I went home, crawled into bed and shivered for almost an hour. Then got up and fixed some yogurt and banana and I feel fine. Lordy, I hope it's not morning sickness! I doubt it. Anyway, I'm at work now and feel just fine. Very weird.
My weekend diet was the worst. Well, not totally, but for the past several weeks I haven't really tracked my weekend eating. I did this time. Wow--perhaps if I were calorie cycling I could justify this--1900 on Saturday and 2500 on Sunday! No wonder I'm not losing!
Maintainers Chat - Week of January 29 - February 4
! It's the last week of January! Is it just me or is time just flying?
Of course, now that I'm home, all sweaty and stinky, I feel like a million dollars. So I guess I'm not so crazy after all!
(I'm not quite there yet 
)
Karynlee, this one's for you. And Meg, if we had gold star smilies, I'd give you one for being up and at em. But this seems to be the best I can do 
and then hit the floor for 25 minutes of crunches, pushups, squats, leg lifts and miscellaneous band exercises. I'm feeling pretty good, but keeping an eye on my left wrist and arm. After more than 20 years worth of repetitive stress injuries in the shoulders, for the first time I've got twingers around the left wrist. Sounds suspiciously like a wanna-be carpel tunnel. I'm going to watch it very very carefully and if it even acts like it's going to flare (read: if it doesn't go away pretty darn quick), it's off to a doc for me. I don't have time or patience for this. 
