Red Rockets Week 4 Chat
 

Welcome to the new week ladies.

Don't forget to post your WI before 11:59pm.

I'll be back in a bit with a challenge.... unless one of you want to come up with one and post it.

Ah, a new week!

I didn't lose as much as I was hoping, but I guess 1.4lbs is nothing to sneeze at. I'm still above my starting weight (but just a teensy little 0.4). To make my next mini-goal I have to lose 2.2lbs this week. I've been walking a bit more lately, making sure I'm in shape for my vacation, so maybe I can pull it out (especially if I don't go over board on my "no tracking" day this week).

I have got to say i am over the moon today. When I woke up I weighed 186, I was thrilled with that. Just a minute ago I checked and I was 185.6. I have seen the 185. OMG!!!!! I'll post the 186 for weigh-in, but I am making some actual progress. YAY!!!:carrot:

Week 4 already- at this rate the summer is going to fly by.

Mindy! Yippee on seeing 185!!

Got my run in after dropping the kids off at school and now I'm off to the dentist for a cleaning.

Hope everyone's Monday is off to a great start.

Oh & I forgot to answer the last QOTD: How do you reward yourself when you stick to your plans and lose weight? A lot of us used to use food as a "reward," so what have you put in its place for rewarding yourself when you succeed?

I still use food as a reward (bad me- but I do try to make 'healthier choices') but for a change I just bought my first e-book. I try to use the library as much as I can, but really want to maximize the use of my phone too- so I've bought "Still Alice" to read when we head to MT for Canada Day/4th of July holiday.

I also did not loose as much as I was hoping. I lost 1.8 pounds which did meet my June goal, so that part was great. Now my next goal is to loose 9 pounds and officially be under 200. It has been more than 2 years since I have been under 200. My most exciting new is I finally got my measurements taken and since I began my lifestyle change 14 weeks ago I have lost a total of 22 inches!! Not sure where they went but as long as they are not on me I am happy!! I lost 4 in my waist and hips, 2 1/2 in my chest(could have done without that) and 5" in one thigh and 6" in another(how that happened who knows). I am not down as far size wise as I wish but hopefully soon. I still have a pair of black capris that I bought 2 years ago and I can get them on just not very flattering so when I can wear them I will be so happy. My mom got me a shirt for my birthday and it is a Large I still always go for the XL but this shirt fits nicely and I have gotten so many compliments today, I think I have still been hiding in larger sizes.

So my challenge this week is from an email from Jillian Michaels website.
-lower sodium intake
-no processed foods
-no alcohol
-exercise 5 times this week

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Amy- good challenge:
[q]So my challenge this week is from an email from Jillian Michaels website.
-lower sodium intake
-no processed foods
-no alcohol
-exercise 5 times this week[/q]

Oh- Happy Belated Birthday too!

#2 will be difficult- though it's getting easier...

Lower sodium intake - I'm going to pass on this one since my naturopath told me to add sea salt to my water to help with absorption.

No processed foods - Have already eliminated all of the real junk, and my processed foods consist primarily of frozen or canned vegetables and things like that. Not expecting much in the way of additional progress here.

Alcohol - no problem, I rarely drink anyway. I used to drink more often, but somewhere in my late 30s 1 or 2 drinks started making me feel like crap the next day so the easy solution was to drink less. Now I only have an occasional drink - I'd say it averages out to less than once a month.

Exercise 5 times this week (and the next and the next etc.) - THIS is where I'm going to put my focus for now. I've got the diet on track and am doing well, but am just recovering from being sick for a couple of weeks and that really delayed getting an exercise program started. It's time, I'm ready, I made it to the gym yesterday and I've got my gym bag packed already for this afternoon after work.....Day 2 of my new habit! :)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far!

I forgot to post mine yesterday, but I didn't gain or lose so the team total is unchanged. I apologize to my team members for being late--won't happen again!

WAY TO GO RED TEAM - WE DID IT AGAIN

Congrats to out biggest loser:

mtiger – 4.4 lbs – 2.31%

and our runner ups

Luckybustert – 3.6 lbs – 1.56%

K8zilla – 3 lbs – 1.38%

Wanted to give a shout out to aangel22....

YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!

This sounds like a great challenge to me

Lowering sodium: Ack I have such an issue is sodium, I eat alot of stir fry with with sauces that have soy sauce in them...maybe I can use the low sodium kind.

No processed food: I will try very hard on this one, I cut most processed food out, but I still eat cereal most mornings or frozen waffles...geez this one is gonna be tough, what should I eat for breakfast?

NO ALCOHOL: This really will be a challenge, all of my friends love going out for drinks, or having people over for drinks, and it is so hard to say no. But I'm thinking I'm going to have to start saying no more often. i was offered cocktails 3 times last week, Martinis have alot of calories in them. I wish drinking wsn't a social activity for me and my friends, then it would be easier to turn down.

Exercise 5 days a weeks: This one I know I can do!

Hey Friends!
I guess I'm taking my first freebie this week because I totally missed WI. I even lost this week...Arg! Oh well, hopefully it will end up being a bigger loss next week. As far as life goes things are pretty insane in my world. I swear June is like Christmas this year with all of the graduations, my Mom's birthday, Father's Day and my brother's wedding on the 27th. It feels like I haven't had a free moment since the month began! Not to mention all the "celebration eating" that goes along with each of these events. I have been outdoors though...which is a good thing. I went hiking last evening and it was dark when I was coming down the mountain...and I was running...and I bit it...big time! Really the only damage was a bruised and bloody knee, but it was a little scary when I started sliding off the trail...I swear some times I wonder how I managed to survive this long. Anyways, sorry for the marathon post...I'll catch up with you all later.

Today I weighed 195.2. OMG!!! I'm sure it won't stay, but I am enjoying it while I can.

Just some food for thought. With this new challenge going- no processed foods, alcohol etc. Let me share what I've read today. AVOIC HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. It turns to fat quickly and it makes us feel hungrier.
You will find it everywhere. Crackers, granola bars, everywhere. YIKES!!!

I'm with you on this one! I find the ads that are running on TV lately about how HFCS is as safe as sugar and it's not so fattening to be entirely laughable. I say follow the money trail.....who benefits financially by promoting that view? And why the need to suddenly bombard us with these ads? Because people are starting to wake up and realize it's not good for them, and that means someone in the food supply chain has profits that are starting to dwindle.

Here are a couple interesting articles on the topic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hig...-syrup/AN01588 and http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2...se-corn-syrup/

Problems cited at the second link are as follows:

Problems Caused by Too Much HFCS

* It can lead to higher caloric intake
* It can lead to an increase in bodyweight
* It fools your body into thinking it’s hungry
* It increases the amount of processed foods you eat, thereby decreasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods
* It may increase insulin resistance and triglycerides


I find it interesting that consuming high levels of HCFS can be problematic AND that it's in almost all commercial foods. That is a troubling combination. I think the further we stay away from processed foods, the better for our health. I also think a lot of the illness we see today, as well as a lot of the behavioral problems we see, are the result of diet. When you look at it from an evolutionary perspective, how can we know the chemicals and additives that are pumped into our food supply are all that safe? How long have we been using them when you look at the big picture? What impact are these things having on the evolution of humans? I find it hard to believe that there won't be an impact -- we go thousands of years not eating this stuff and then in the last several decades more and more garbage is pumped into our bodies. Makes me feel like we're all human guinea pigs.

(Stepping down off soapbox now!)

Good Wednesday morning to you all. First of all Congratulations to the Red Rockets for the 3rd week in a Row!!! :congrat:Way to go Mindy on being the Biggest Looser!!!:carrot: Suzanne thank you for the information. Hope everyone is doing well and staying on plan this week. It has been so humid lately exercising outside will probably be impossible the rest of this week so I am going to try to do the biggest Looser Bootcamp DVD some. I did read that it is best to mix up your exercises so that will definately be a change. One thing I have noticed that once I start and exercise I am not watching the clock like i use too. Focusing on exercising not how much longer I have to do this. Next week I am on vacation well I guess it is a staycation as we are not going anywhere but I decided that I am going to take advantage of the time and exercise in the morning and at night. I am also going to try to cook some things and freeze them so I can have more things ready quickly. Anyway that is my vacation plan. I have done well to watch sodium this week and I have been drinking at least 80oz and had no processed food or alcohol so far. Now I will be watching for the High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Mindy... I'm sure that was suppose to be 185.... CONGRATS

YOU ARE DOING AWESOME!!!

Well I didn't confess earlier but yesterday when Mack got home we stopped and got a Blizzard and then when I got home I ate way too many Cow Tails and Sun Chips.... well this morning I woke up at 2am in a full blown gallbladder attack. I had about 2900 calories about 30% of those from fat (almost 100 gr.) and that was enough to push me over the edge. July 9th cannot come soon enough to get this thing out.

Have I told you all how excited I am that Mack is home!!

Cruise- Yep!! you're correct. I posted on all my threads the wrong weight. I am in the 180's, not the 190's. I was stuck in the 90's for so long I haven't adjusted to the new decade yet. I am still in a bit of shock, but loving it.

Ever eat something and later find out how terrible it was? Went to Houlihan's today and split chicken chipolte nachos with my friend. Just looked them up...2200 calories. Good thing I only ate about 1/4 of the order. Wow!! How can that even be possible??

I am really reading packages now looking for that HFCS. Jillian has some other terrible things to avoid too. I'll let you know when I learn some more of them.

It's been so hard for my to exercise lately. I'm working heavy 12 hour shifts 4-6 times a week these past 2 weeks and it'll prob continue like this til end of August.... then school starts of course.

I tell myself I'll go for a run or to the gym after my shift ends, but by the time that happens, I'm drained from such a busy day at work. I no there's no excuses so I gotta start pushing my butt into workout mode. If it helps, today and yesterday was so busy at work that I was running around constantly, did not sit down at all, sweating at times (I work as a nurse if you can tell, haha).

I don't have a problem fitting workouts in my day before going to an evening shift, but its the day shifts that are killing me! Next day won't be until next week but I think I'll need someone to kick my butt then to get me motivated to do some exercise after a day shift!

Ok, I need advice everyone. So at work, my team won a contest and by winning, we get a pizza party tomorrow, Friday. My boss informs that we will have Papa Johns pizza and one hour to "party" and not work. That's the temptation, the pizza. I usually eat a healthy lunch which is about 300 calories and it fills me up for 3-4 hours until my 15-min break later in the day. This pizza will be there 30 minutes after my normal lunchtime and is supposed to be our lunch for the day.
I am so mixed on this. Part of me wants to just dig in and eat 2-3 slices and enjoy the party, the other part says, "no, leave it be." The thing is, I'm SO close to getting down to my goal weight of 125 and losing the last pounds has already been getting harder since my body seems pretty comfy in the 130s. :)

Thoughts? I need some input on what I should do. Yes, I could have just one slice, but you all know that's like 300 calories right there which is a whole workout. Ha. Yes, I could workout more, but I'm already working out 6-days a week for about 5 hours total (I work 6 days a week at this job, so finding more time to workout is not going to happen). Not asking anyone to make the decision for me, but any thoughts/advice you all can give would be great.

Thanks! :)

Shannon, I guess my question to you is do you plan to NEVER eat pizza again? If that is going to be part of your life style change I would say stay away from the pizza. If on the other hand you would like to enjoy pizza on occasion I say go for it.

For me it may take me longer to reach goal with my occasional indulgence but I will not have to deal with the feeling that once I reach goal I can then indulge in all those things I had been avoiding because they have continued to be part of my life style. Do I have my favorites weekly, most things not. I do enjoy a 3.6 oz cup of Ben & Jerry's a couple times a week. Most of my favorites I enjoy one of them about once every 4-6 weeks; things like pizza, Chinese, Outback.....

I'm interested in how others are approaching this; does your life style change include excluding certain food items for life? If not what is your plan to incorporate them back into your diet? If you have exclude certain foods forever what are they and why.

Good point Cruise. I do indulge as I eat Chipotle once or twice a week and do eat dark chocolate... and I don't want to not ever eat pizza again (I have had a slice here and there during my weight-loss). So, it's just a toss up though considering that a party is never the best when junk food is involved. Ha.

I think CAT has a great QOTD:

does your life style change include excluding certain food items for life? If not what is your plan to incorporate them back into your diet? If you have exclude certain foods forever what are they and why?

I think that my lifestyle change is that I will not eat certain food items together: such as burge r s and fries/pizza and beer/cake and icecream. I do not think it is realistic to ban certain foods I enjoy for the rest of my life, I think with the knowledge that I have gained I realize that my body can not handle to many carbs together at the same time, and a reduction of dairy has been wonderful for my digestion. When I meet my goal and go to matience and feel I am ready to re-introduce certain things in my plan I am going to concentrate on portion sizes and food combinations that work best for me. Protein with every meal, limited starches ect. Then If we go out or something do like cat said and limit it to every so often to have chinese or cake or whatever. I probably will never eat pork bacon again. The smell right now makes me feel sick. I use to love bacon but since I have stopped eating pork products and red meat I have not had the digestion issues I once faced by not having a Gallbladder. Since I have not been having refined sugar the thought of eating an entire piece of B-day cake would probably send me in shock. I will probably eat cake again at some point but I think red meat and pork will not enter back in my diet. soda will probably be a forever ban too.

I don't think I've completely excluded anything. There are things now that I don't normally eat, but I can't say I would never eat them. I rarely drink anything with calories anymore. I also don't eat calorie rich things that I don't love. For example, cheesecake. I don't think it is gross or anything, but frankly I'd rather eat saltine crackers, so why waste the calories??

Cheesecake?? I would love some right now.
Shannon- I refuse to totally give up any food I really enjoy. I may limit it, but will indulge at times. I always count it into my daily calories. We do have to live our lives, for the rest of our life.

I worked at cleaning out my horses stall for hours tonight. I shocked myself to see how strong I have gotten....hauling all that poop. My arms are toast though. I feel like a need a sling for the left one. Try that for a workout.

I decided to not exclude any foods from my diet, I actually had pizza tonight, but it had light cheese chicken, veggies and I only had 2 slices. I would have easily ate half a pepperoni pizza before. I also used to eat a ton of pre packaged frozen meals, like pizza, stir frys, and pasta dishes and chicken nuggets, man I love those things. I really don't plan on ever buying these kinds of things ever again...but in the future I may eat versions of these things.

I decided I wanted to make this change as simple and easy to follow as possible, so I decided i would eat all foods, but I choose the most healthy foods I can as much as I possibly can.

Hi All,
Congrats to Mtiger and all the other losers this week.

The only food I have totally excluded from my diet is pop. I am realizing that certain foods are trigger foods and I have to be real careful about eating them because I won't stop once I start, but they haven't been totally eliminated, just avoided.

HFCS, I avoid that stuff if at all possible. I try to cook from scratch as much as I can, but some things I just have to buy so I try to minimize the damage. Bread is the one thing I buy not from convience but for portion control. I love baking my own bread, but tend to eat much more than I do if I get the LC whole grain bread. When I bake we easily got through 2 loaves or more per week, boughten bread a loaf a week.

VBS is over for the summer, I was in charge of music and got a bit of a workout for over an hour each day doing the motions for the songs with the kids, lots of jumping and moving my arms. It was lots of fun, but not those songs are going to be in my head for weeks, I've still got some from last year that keep popping up.
I need to get to work in my garden if it eer stops raining long enough for me to get anything done. My peas are blooming and the squash and cantalope are up. I pulled the last of the radishes out, they didn't do anything this year, just made tops.
I'm having a barbque this weekend at my house on Sunday for dd's birthday, just cooking some burgers and hotdogs on the grill, no fancy sauces.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Bette K

Hi All,

Congrats mtiger,

I am having a hard time this week, on all sides

Hope it won't affect my weight loss too much!!

ugh, its that time of the month for me, and so I'm not doing well - I'm so bloated, and it doesnt help that its so humid here this week either. I seem to get more bloated if its humid.

I'm doing ok, food wise, other than the fries I ate yesterday at lunch, and the 3 cookies ;) My engagement ring is normally too big for me, that I have to wear my wedding ring on top of it to keep it on, just barely fits. Thats how bloated I am! :)

Hi all! Just popping in to say "hello." Hope you all have a good Friday. I've decided to avoid the pizza and just eat my low-sodium ham sandwich on Ezekiel bread for lunch, a yogurt cup and some carrots. Won't be easy, but it's worth it in the end. :)

Good Friday to you all.

Shannon- I would do the same thing. WE have had numerous things here at work and I just eat what I bring instead of indulging. There is cake in the office next to mine right now but I am not going to eat a piece. It has really gotten to the point that this week no one has even offered me anything so I hope this trend continues. There is a girl who works here she lost a lot of weight about 5 years ago and she eats healthy everyday. She just eats veggies while everyone else eats pizza. She says even on Thanksgiving she brings her own food. I dont know if I am that committed but I admire her determination.

This weekend my husband has requested several things for his fathers day meal but I can resist as it is not my favorites but his. We are also going to a cookout at his moms but I will just bring my food there too.

We never eat out and we have eaten out on Wed and thurs nights. I thought I made good choices but I feel so bloated and like I have gained 5 pounds. Lets hope not!! anyway I weigh on Saturday so I am being good as gold today.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and stays on plan.

I can't cut out foods forever- I now enjoy anything in moderation & if I fall off the wagon- I do a self check & then say tomorrow is a new day, because I'm human & boy do I make mistakes.

My arms are dead from cleaning the stall. Unfortuantely I have to do more today. Hey, what the heck. Who needs arms?? I was 185.4 today, good number. I don't expect to lose any more until maybe the begining of July, after TOM. we'll see.

My goal is to be at 125 before I go on vacation to NY at the end of August and then I will indulge a bit! Of course, I'm going to be careful and work off any excess calories I take in. I figure another two months of working hard is worth looking steamy hot in NY and eating that NY pizza and chinese food! :)

Good morning ladies. The scales are up a little for me as a result of fluids I got in the ER yesterday morning.... seems my gall bladder was not finished giving me a fit. The only extra fat I ate was mayo in my tuna and that is something I have always done. I had only 1450 calories and 27% from fat, that is just ridiculous, that is NORMAL eating for me. I'll say it again.... can't wait for them to get this thing out of me.

I'm feeling 100% again and I guess will change my diet to very low fat for the next couple weeks. I'm not a fan of low fat diets or food but I guess that is what I need to do. Have a great weekend ladies. Hopefully Monday I'll be back down and not have to take a freebie for the week.

Here are a couple pictures Mack took today of me and Tyra. Sorry so slow in posting these but I forgot. I'm 5'3" and @ 144 lbs. Tyra is 36" at the withers (shoulder) and 147 lbs.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2.../TyraCAT-1.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ck/TyraCAT.jpg