[workinglikeadog]

Riestrella, My exercise program is very simple. A Minimum of 25 situps per day, lifting for a minimum of 20 minutes twice a week and getting an average of 10,000 steps per day. As simple as this is, there is a lot of resistance to the lifting. I got it done this week and today was a 30 min lift. Now to fix my diet -- and losing could be possible. I am up 5 pounds from summer, darn it. Will try to check in more and account for both food and activity.

[Wannabehealthy]

Originally Posted by Riestrella

wannabe - I definitely need to focus on protein and vegetables, so that's why I'm trying to slowly phase out grain focused lunches. Eventually I want to be able to have protein + fruit for breakfast, a vegetable based lunch and then a protein/vegetable/a little grain dinner.

Riestrella, I understand about wanting to focus on protein and veggies, because that is my goal, too. I was just making suggestions in case you were looking for a way to fit the bread in, but not trying to change your mind. I try to keep most starchy carbs out of my diet except for dinner, when I cook for DH. He likes carbs and I do eat some of what I cook for him, but try to limit it.

I don't count anything, but do occasionally enter my food into an online tracker to see where I stand. Right now I am trying to break the habit of eating when I am not hungry and hope that weight loss and better health will come from that. It's important to me that every bite I eat has nutritious content. No empty calories.

I like how you post your "thinking" about your goals. It helps to inspire me to stick to mine.

Your job sounds like fun!! Not the boring 9-5. I think that's why you have the knack of making these challenges so interesting and fun!

Thank you!

[Riestrella]

Hey guys!

Tomorrow we start the challenge! I can't wait to get going, I definitely perform my best this time of year when the weather is colder and I can exercise outside more. I just to need to make sure that this year I don't treat my Christmas holiday back home as a all you can eat buffet. I know it'll be a challenge, my Mum is definitely a feeder. BUT, with you guys around kicking arse and taking names it will make it easier for me to stay inspired to keep up the weight loss efforts. I'm gonna do my best with these goals I have in mind and along with exercise I'll do my best!

Oh and it is SO HARD for me to take measurements around my stomach!! I always suck in my gut instinctively and I have to yell at myself to give it up and to let it all hang to get an accurate measurement

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wannabe - I appreciate it! I will keep eating the bread I have, which is admittedly really good bread, and wean myself off of that. I've always said I wanted to get rid of my sandwich for lunch habit so I don't want to leave room in my life to add bread! I won't get rid of pasta or rice, because I think in moderation it's not terrible (and hey, the Japanese eat rice 3 times a day and look at their obesity rate!) for you, and I don't want to deprive myself of anything! I always think "what habits can I sustain for the rest of my life" and cutting out carbs/grains completely isn't one of them. I'm so glad I have counted calories in the past, because it's given me the knowledge of what is too much food for me, but again - it's not something I could do for the rest of my life. I think my whole weight loss journey has been building to this moment in a way! Without the knowledge I've earned throughout the years I wouldn't know what habits I need to break and how. I do love my job! I spent 5 years doing things that I wasn't passionate about and towards the end of that 5 years I got very fed up. Now I'm actually getting somewhere with this career it's making me so happy. I'd love the healthy body to go with it

[Nightowlrn]

re - sandwich for lunch. What sorts of sandwiches do you make? I LOVE canned chicken and tuna. Instead of bread, I just mix the protein up in a bowl with some greek yogurt (sometimes a little mustard in the tuna), lots of pepper and way more celery thinly sliced than is necessary. In the summer, garden tomatoes and a bit of onion. Sometimes sliced almonds. Sometimes fresh apple bits/cherry bits/cut up grapes. I very rarely eat bread. My husband loves the really nutty breads and has a peanut butter sandwich almost every day. Every few weeks I have a slice of his bread and peanut butter if I am planning a ride over 25 miles.

[Wannabehealthy]

I just stopped in to take a look at the chart, to see my starting weight. It just so happened that I had had an unexplained whoosh then, and now I'm bouncing back up. I'm going to wait til the end of the week to weigh in. I really hate to show a gain the first week of the challenge. And I'm determined to make a difference this time.

Good luck to everyone!! We want to see some

Nightowlm, I really try to avoid bread. It does nothing good for me. I also love canned tuna mixed up the way you do. Very yummy, and it's inexpensive. In time, you don't miss the bread. I am also getting very good at eating a burger without the bun. The only reason I keep my sprouted grain bread is for an occasional slice of toast with my morning eggs. Kept in the freezer, a loaf lasts for months.

[Nightowlrn]

Good morning Christmas losers! I hope this week goes well for all.

[Riestrella]

Hey everyone!

Challenge is a-go! When I Skyped with my Mum and Dad last my Mum was all up for doing a race over Christmas. The previous time I brought it up she hesitated, so it's wonderful to see she's changed her mind. We're going to do a 5 mile Rudolph Red Nose Race, so I have something to train for over the winter months! It's on Christmas Eve, my Dad thinks it'll be a disaster but we're going to have fun with it! It's a small race, only 250 people are allowed to enter, and we're going to dress up and probably be the only ones there not taking it super seriously! I think it'll be a laugh.

Yesterday I started my 10K training, which will tie in nicely with the race over Christmas, I did 2.12 miles yesterday just with running/walking intervals. I'm trying to really stretch out my stride since I have a bad habit of just trotting along and not really stretching my legs out. Today I'm going to do yoga after tidying up the apartment.

My boyfriend and I ended up going to Trader Joe's since we were nearby thinking we'd just get a couple of things. Ended up with a basket full of snacks...oops. We ended up abandoning our dinner plans that night in favour of just snacking. Yesterday I had a hard time resisting the treats around the place - we got these oatmeal dunkers that are amazing. Thankfully my weight hasn't been affected, I'm still 170.something lbs so I'm happy I've not shot up or down. Need to be careful though!

Today I ate breakfast at the dinner table as part of my plan to stop eating breakfast in front of Netflix.

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Nightowl - Sounds like you get fancy with your sandwiches! I get a bit weirded out about buying meat/fish in cans, so I just have peanut butter on my sandwiches! Sometimes I get turkey meat from the deli if I'm feeling fancy and have it with lettuce, mayonnaise, cucumber slices and hot sauce. Yum! But I'm trying to reduce the amount of meat/animal products that I eat so I stopped buying meat from the deli. I love bread, I grew up in a bread focused house, so it's going to be a challenge to wean myself off from eating it but I definitely know it'll make a huge difference.

wannabe - I always use my lowest weigh in of the week. I think it helps my motivation to do so! You should too if you're feeling discouraged

[stronggal]

I know some people don't like it, but the most reliable and simple measurement form for me is the scale.

I am trying to weight myself everyday, but have been bad in the last few days. My sister finally went home, now I can focus on it, that is until Thanksgiving, when my other sister comes ha ha...

My mom is a feeder too, and that's why I avoid eating dinner at her house. I usually don't eat at hers, except when we have family.

I have been pretty good at controlling my weight, I must give myself some credit. Only those ever lasting remaining pounds that are so hard to get rid of...

I avoid starchy carbs too. My carbs comes from veggies, I eat a lot of protein (all kinds of sources, meat, egg whites, yogurt, soy beans...), and all the veggies you can think of (except for potatoes).

[munchey]

HEY EVERYONE!
I'm in for the new challenge. Sorry I didn't post much at the end of the Halloween Challenge. I've been struggling with some Fall/Winter depression. During the Halloween Challenge, I lost my appetite for most of the challenge, so I had a good pace going for weigh loss. I've gained some benefit from bright-light therapy, and my appetite is back. I've mixed feelings about that, lol. But I think I'll embrace a hearty appetite with a better mood (and less stress and worrying).

For the moment I'm in a stall at 213. It's a stretch to think I can get to 199 by the end of this challenge. Better to stretch for a harder goal. I plan to get back to the grindstone to tame my tendency to eat after dinner. Right now, I have to make friends with the time change.

Well, got to go vote. Want to get that done early. I'll come back later to catch up with others in the challenge.

[munchey]

RIE:

The Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer race sounds like fun. It's great that your mother is joining you. It's a good goal to eat mindfully and away from distractions. I know that mindless eating can be a problem for me. It's too easy mindlessly eat things while watching Netflix (or something similar), and then be surprised that you ate so much.

[Riestrella]

Hey guys!

Yesterday was a bit of a fail day for me. The boyfriend bought me a box of Skittles and I ended up eating most of them in one sitting. Terrible! I really should be careful about sugar, not only for my health but for my teeth! We don't have dental insurance... eep! Needless to say I am DONE with Skittles for a long time. I ended up going into a sugar induced stupor and just lay on my bed for like an hour or so.

I ended up Christmas shopping yesterday too, which I actually love doing when I have good ideas on what to get people. Unfortunately it took up most of my morning so I had to skip out on yoga and start work, but today I'm going to go on my run and get back on track. I figured if anything I would end up skipping out on yoga days, though I don't want to make it a habit.

I can't post and not talk about Trump being elected president. I think in times like these we have to think WHY he won, people are fed up with career politicians who promise the world and don't deliver. Still, I can't believe that monster of a person ended up being president of the USA, which just goes to show how fed up Americans are with the current system. If anything I hope the next election will produce more independent candidates who actually are upstanding citizens...but the issue of funding is ever a problem. I'm trying my best to remain positive, to think that the world still turns, the sun still rises, the birds are still singing and that what will come in the next 4 years we will deal with. It can no longer be a case of us vs. them, of democrats vs. republicans, but rather coming together as a nation and taking care of each other. Fear is the most dangerous emotion, Trump was tapping into the fear of the people and he won. If we can stop being scared of everything and everyone, of each other and just work together then this world really could be an incredible place. People voted out of fear and anger and under the influence of those emotions people do stupid things.

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stronggal - I understand relying on the scale, it definitely helps me when I have a bad day and weigh in the next morning and see the consequences to my actions. I think measurements are a wonderful form of tracking weight loss for those moments where your weight stays the same but your body is making big changes. Whenever I eat my Mum's cooking I focus on the healthy part of the plate first and eat all that slowly, before moving on to the other parts of the plate that are not. By the time I've finished up the good stuff I'm usually too full for everything else, which she sees as a huge waste of food and gives me a hard time but I need to stand my ground! Sounds like you're losing weight the right way

munchey - Sorry to hear you're having a hard time with the changing of the seasons. Yeah, I agree, I think really sitting and chewing food without distraction allows us to listen to our bodies. Good luck with the challenge and getting to onederland, you're so close you can do it!

[Wannabehealthy]

Munchy, I too have a problem with mindless eating. I try to differentiate between mindless eating and compulsive over eating, or binge eating. When I read the descriptions, I really don't feel that I am a compulsive over eater or binge eater, but just seem to eat things without thinking if I'm really hungry. I have a bad habit of buying things that I think would be a good, healthy snack, but snacking is a big problem for me, so I should be eliminating it, even if the snack is healthy. I need to buy things that are for meals, only.

[Riestrella]

Hi everyone!

So yesterday I finally got hit with my boyfriends cold, he brought it back with him from Colorado. Boo! We went on a wonderful walk with a friend on her birthday, it was beautiful and great to get out. The walk was actually pretty tough in places, lots of scrambling on the edge of the river! At one point I could feel my cold really hitting me but kept trucking on. Got some great pictures too, like this one!


I love Autumn! Unfortunately my cold hunger took over in the evening when my boyfriend left to workout. I called him to say to get himself some dinner since I couldn't be bothered making dinner, then I ended up having 2 peanut butter sandwiches (wtf?). When BF did come home with takeaway curry I had half of that too! Need to be careful since whenever I get a cold I'm always treated with a bottomless pit of a stomach. Needless to say my weight went up from 170.4 lbs to 171 lbs this morning. Not terrible, just going in the wrong direction!
I'm gonna pass on my run today and focus on fluids and good eating. Whenever I have a downward trend something comes along to push me in the wrong direction so I'd like to very much avoid that with this cold. I can take care of myself and not eat myself into a bread coma!

My plan today is to do some laundry, pick up a package, work on the Christmas project and aim to finish it and then chill! Oh yeah, I'm Skyping with my best friend too. I love her, but she's a pain in the arse to get a hold of! I have to book time with her literally months in advance!

[munchey]

HEY EVERYONE!
I hope you are all having a good week with your diet and exercise efforts. Good luck with your weigh-ins!

It has been unseasonably warm in my neck of the woods (in the 90's most of the week). Got to be flexible. A couple of weeks ago, we had a few days of rain, which is a good thing for California.

I'm still trying to adjust to the time change and the shorter days. I'm making progress with getting up and moving earlier in the day, but struggling with wanting to go to bed a 7:00 p.m., lol.

I've purchased some cool and unusual lighting devices. So, like a kid with a toy, perhaps they will coax me into enjoying the dark evenings more. I have a couple of decorative, solar lights outside, so I'm working towards doing a few laps outside in the dark, along with playing ball with my dog. Just something to keep me moving and perhaps get in an extra mile of walking later in the day. Better to keep moving, than to loaf in front of the TV set. With the longer days, I was generally round and about in the yard, doing a little yard work and playing with the dog, until 6-7 p.m.

RIE:
I'm glad I don't have someone buying me tempting food, that would blow my diet. I definitely don't need any help in that area, lol. Is it possible that your boyfriend doesn't want you to lose weight? I'm just thinking it would be easier for you, if you could get him on board with supporting your diet plan.

Originally Posted by Rie

If we can stop being scared of everything and everyone, of each other and just work together then this world really could be an incredible place.

Well said. I'm amazed at what attitudes colleges are fostering these days. I heard that at Yale, one professor cancelled a midterm, because some students were crying in class over the election. Others have "Safe Rooms" where students can go to use PlayDough and get away from microaggressions (had them before the election). How will these students ever exist in the real world or in a job. Employers in the real world won't retain employees who need to go home crying or to a safe room with PlayDough, whenever something happens that they don't agree with. Also, there will always be people in the workplace who don't like you for any number of reasons.

Wannabehealthy:
I think at different times, I could wear the label of binge eater, compulsive eater and mindless eater. I've come to the conclusion that I will always have to work at being a mindful eater and not an emotional eater. I'll never a 100% mindful eater, but as long as I keep coming back to it, I can reach my goals. Sigh, I wish good habits were as easy to develop and stick with, as bad ones are.

[stronggal]

Every Friday they bring food in for lunch at work. Today I went to do a small workout during lunch as usual, and when I came back, all that was left was carbs (Noodles & Company), loads of pasta, and some bread and lots of salad. The protein was all gone. There is still dessert sitting on the table: cookies, rice crispies treats.

I had 2 slices of bread and the salad, which had tiny bits of protein (bacon??) and some corn, tomatoes, onions. I had 2/3 small bowls of salad.

I am very happy that I didn't eat the pasta or any of the desert. Thanks for sending the Will Power Dust, rebelle!

Rie: Tell your boyfriend you are on a diet, and he has to help you by not bringing you anything that would spoil it.... And keep reminding him, so he won't forget... Have you thought about going to work out with him? I would love if my hubby would work out regularly on his own, he goes sometimes, but he's got the couch potato mindset, I have to give him a push...

Have a great weekend everyone!!!