I survived my trip home. I took my mini-DVD player, so I was able to do one good long workout, but most of my time and energy went into shopping, cooking and otherwise working on this party for more than 50 people. I was physically exhausted by Sunday morning. It was good to be home this morning and to get back into my usual routine.
I did very well on the food front, too. I have to admit that one of ther things that motivates me to hang in there is seeing how my older relatives who are overweight struggle with health problems or even standing up from a chair. It made me feel spry, despite my own size and weight. I was able to run back and forth for hours on Saturday, slaving away in the kitchen and rarely sitting down. My sister is also on a long-term fitness journey, and has lost nearly 40 pounds this year. Because she has four kids, a night job and a lot less time and money than I have, it inspires me to see how focused she is on finding the time she needs to work out.
Elizabeth, I'll check out your hot soy drink. Sometimes I drink herbal tea at night, especially when the weather is nippy. I love hot chocolate, but it makes me want to have cookies to go along with...
I am making myself write down my eating, although I missed Saturday altogeher. I leave town again for the weekend on Friday, so I want to take advantage of being at home, making my own meals, etc.
Well. Kudos to you for keeping your cool in the midst of all the chaos! Shopping and cooking for more than 50 people must have been insanely tiring... a nonstop workout in itself. And you must be extremely proud of your sister; it sounds like she remains focused and goal-directed no matter what. I'm pretty sure there's a turning point during one's fitness journey, where dieting becomes second nature, and one assumes an attitude of infinite patience and control. I just haven't reached it yet-- although I'd like to think I'm getting close.
The other day, I bought my favorite deli sandwich and a dessert bar; I had half of each for dinner, and then I actually waited until the day after, and had the leftovers for lunch. That's just unprecedented! So, there's hope for me yet.
Congrats for not doing that Clean Plate Club thing! That's a habit I haven't been able to break yet. If something is sitting on a plate in front of me, I keep eating until it's all gone. There is hope for you!
This week has been okay but not stellar. The weather's turned cold, which makes me want to eat more. A colleague brought a ton of chocolates into the office, and I have indulged a bit, which adds to my "hunger." So I haven't been perfcet, but 90% is nothing to sneeze at. I've worked out everyday, but not walked as much as before because it's just not pleasant when it's cold out.
I leave town tomorrow. I'll be at a conference center with a nice exercise facility. Wish me luck! Keep up the good work, splitting your desserts to last two days will help you reach your goals!
Hi, Judy. I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was fairly busy; I went hunting for a new apartment, baked a crustless, sugar-free pumpkin pie, and engaged in some serious introspection. I will be "elizabeth29" in less than three weeks from today, so a full-blown assessment of life as I know it is in order. Other than that, things are mostly swell. My weight-loss goal for the next three weeks is a measly two pounds, my next weigh-in day is scheduled for Dec. 31st, and our little challenge is finally bearing fruit...
Congratulations on doing so well with the challenge. It must be hard having a b-day just after the holidays. My sister's is 1/5, and by then everyone is sick of parties and presents, so her birthday is just an afterthought. But along with the usual New Year's resolutions, it is a good time to comtemplate where you've been and where you want to be. Good luck!
I have lost a little steam here--traveling every week makes it hard to stay in rhythm, and easy to slack off just enough to stop my progress. Sunday I totally fell onto the sidewalk, and the scrapes and bruises have kept me from exercising. My knee should be recovered enough by tomorrow for aerobics, I think. At this rate I'll be lucky to get halfway to my year-end goal. But I'm still trying.
Next I'll be in Manhattan for a few days, in meetings, and a little time for shopping . I tend to walk for miles whenever I'm thre, so if the weather holds, I'll burn a few calories even I don't formally "work out."
Well. Are you as accident-prone as I am? ... I'm truly sorry about your fall. I hope those scrapes and bruises are gone by now.
Alas, I lost a little steam this past week, too, and I have my ever-considerate, toffee-bearing brother to thank for that. Ah, well. So, a shopping spree in Manhattan, eh? Without elizabeth28? Hmmm. I'm very disappointed in you.
elizabeth
PS. I hereby pledge to report on my progress, or lack thereof, every single day, until this year & challenge come to an end, or till death do us part... (At which point I'll have no choice but to give up the occasional cigarette.)
I would like to join you. I need the daily accountabilty. I wasn't going to have any Christmas goodies but I feel deprived otherwise. I baked cookies the other day and started eating quite a lot of them. I sent the rest home with family. I want to be able to enjoy a treat or two and not over do it. Sunday's Challenge is dinner at a friend's house. I asked her what we are having. Salad first and I will take my own low cal dressing. Roast which I intend to have 3-4 ounces, potatoes, I asked her for plain ones not whipped ones. She is a good friend so I could ask this of her. Carrots and broccoli. I will skip the gravy. Apple Pie, maybe a small piece. Exercise will be walking for at least a hour. I will report in how I did.
Hi, Kokomo! Congratulations at losing so much weight! How have you done it? I hope you're doing well with your plans for dinner! I have also been struggling with not feeling "deprived," although how anyone as overweight as I am can feel underfed is beyond me . But 'tis the season, as they say, and it seems to be our civic and family duty to eat as much fat and sugar as possible this time of year. I usually visit the Daily Check-in thread; the women who anchor that thread are great at keeping the momentum--and the accountability going.
Elizabeth, I don't think I'm accident-prone, but there are times when I'm a a space cadet and just don't pay attention to what I'm doing . I have been walking more lately, 50 minutes today. The huge scab on my knee won't let me do floor exercises, but I should be able to do my usual standing aerobics now, hooray.
Please do check in here every day, Elezabeth. It will help me and Kokomo focus on our own goals. I didn't pig out on my trip, but I've been very careless and thanks to being more sedentary since I fell, I may actually be moving in the wrong direction . There's just two weeks left in the year, so let's make every day count!
I'm here, Judy! I was going to check in earlier today, but was temporarily distracted by my best friend's semi-nefarious schemes... Welcome, Kokomo! Hats off to you for having lost 50 lbs!! Well, ladies, it has been a tough, tough Sunday, and I'm afraid I've no one to blame but myself. Of course, the day is not over yet, and I have taken some positive steps by planning next week's meals and workout sessions; I am determined to make the best of the final two weeks, so best of luck to all of us!
cheers,
elizabeth
PS. Judy, you're NOT moving in the wrong direction... may I remind you that this is a challenge and setbacks are to be expected? I think you're doing awesome, and I thank you for being here.
Judy, I don't follow any diet program.I have lost my weight by reducing the amount of fat I eat, and cutting back on portions and sweets. Eating 3 meals a day and trying not to snack in the evenings. I walk a lot and belong to a group that meets 1-2 times a week.
Sounds like you are walking lots and doing other exercises. Hopefully your knees heals soon. It is harder food wise when you have to be sedentary.
Elizabeth, Way to go on turning your day around. I find it so easy to get off track esp. this time of year.agree lets make the most of the next few weeks. I would like to get past New Years and not have a huge gain.
I did great with my dinner which was made easier with help from my friend. I ate what I planned. It also helps that she knows I'm dieting and is very supportive. She changed the pie to pumpkin pie and I don't like that kind so it didn't even tempt me. Earlier in the day I got in a 62 min walk, the sun was shining and most of the roads and sidewalks were clear.
Are you ready for Christmas? I do lots of decorating and I have my presents wrapped. I don't have to cook Christmas dinner this year. I'm planning on a few dinners here one with family and one with friends probably between Christmas and New Years.
Kokomo, that's great that you have figured out a way to stay on track without worrying about staying on "program." No, I'm not ready for Christmas. I'll be leaving town on Wednesday to visit with my family for a week, but I'll still be buying a few gifts when I get there. Except for making the littler ones happy, my immediate family is fairly low-key about holidays, just hanging out, laughing and having a good time, no major traditions or expectations.
My colleagues celebrated my birthday today with one of those big baskets of fruit "flowers." The pineapples, strawberries, etc., was amazingly fresh, yum-yum! I did my first full aerobic workout in over a week this morning, and it wasn't too bad, and I will head over to Curves shortly. Tomorrow's challenge will be our holiday party at the office. I'm thinking salad, salmon and only one glass of wine....
Good evening, ladies! Today was by all accounts a good day. I had three healthful meals and spent no less than 60 minutes at the gym; I feel plump, yet pumped up, and hopeful. I think TOM may be on 'his' way, which would explain last week's dietary indescretions, without easing up on all the guilt.
Kokomo, I have nothing spectacular planned for Christmas. No cooking, no decorating, and no gift-wrapping either. I'll be a modern-day, female version of Ebenezer Scrooge bearing an endless supply of gift-cards for all...
Happy Birthday to Judy!!! (Be good at the office party tomorrow.)
Happy Birthday Judy. I have seen those fruit flowers what a cool present and healthy too. Good Luck at the office party. Curves and aerobics, way to go.
Elizabeth way to go on your good day. What do you do at your gym, lift weights or use machines etc.
I walked today for 90 min. I didn't do well with my food. . Had breakfast then got so busy that I didn't eat again until 7:30 pm. My husband brought home food from a fast food place with out asking me first. I could of refused it but in a moment I was devouring it.
I spent the day cleaning the basement and sorting stuff out to get rid of. Took me all day but it is done.
Went grocery shopping tonight and got some more veggies and fruit. I wish fruit and veggies lasted longer so I wasn't always going to the store for it. The less time I spend in the grocery store the better.
Heya. I'm checking in really quickly, as I will have to leave town later this afternoon... only to be back tomorrow morning. I just now finished eating my lunch, which consisted of a rather large pear, a cup of black bean soup, and a plain, two-egg omelet; breakfast was a solitary mug of fat-free, sugar-free, hot chocolate. So far so good, but I doubt I'll find the time to exercise.
In answer to your question Kokomo, I tend to alternate between the elliptical trainer and the treadmill; on a good day, depending on my mood, I jog, and twice a week I take a body pump class for strength training. (And on a bad day, I just sit and do nothing. )
Anyway, don't worry about your little fast-food mishap, it's nothing but trivial in the greater scheme of things. We've all had it happen; I've had it happen a million times: just when I start to feel indomitable, someone shows up with my favorite junk food, and my resolve turns into fat. (Blah!)
Judy, I hope you're having a blast at the office party!
The office party was a blast. We had fun exchanging our gifts (I got some lovely earrings) and just being silly. I had a salad, tilapia, rice pillaf, asparagus and a couple of mussels, all very good and not too decadent...but also two glasses of wine and some flourless chocolate cake. So I'll walk 20 minutes extra on the way home, and have a plain protein shake, if anything, later on. And an extra-long workout tomorrow morning before starting to pack.
Kokomo, doesn't it feel good to finish a big cleaning project? That's one of my favorite things to do in the few days before the new year, watch home decorating (and "decluttering") shows on cable and finish big projects. I agree with you about grocery shopping. I actually enjoy it, some deep-seating hunting and gathering instinct kicks in, but I'm a single woman who just wastes money on magazines and interesting bargains whenever I go to the store, so I try to go no more than once a week, and always with a list.
Elizabeth, I like to alternate between the elliptical trainer and the treadmill, but I haven't belonged to a gym in a while, and the exercise room in my building has been out of commission for a while (althouth they claim that it will be up and running in a few months, finally). The bike makes me want to cry with boredom, and the stepper is hard on my knees.
Okay, it's my last day in the office until next year, so I gotta get myself organized...see you tomorrow!
Shopping and cooking for more than 50 people must have been insanely tiring... a nonstop workout in itself. And you must be extremely proud of your sister; it sounds like she remains focused and goal-directed no matter what. I'm pretty sure there's a turning point during one's fitness journey, where dieting becomes second nature, and one assumes an attitude of infinite patience and control. I just haven't reached it yet-- although I'd like to think I'm getting close.
. I tend to walk for miles whenever I'm thre, so if the weather holds, I'll burn a few calories even I don't formally "work out."
. I have been walking more lately, 50 minutes today. The huge scab on my knee won't let me do floor exercises, but I should be able to do my usual standing aerobics now, hooray.
. There's just two weeks left in the year, so let's make every day count!
Welcome, Kokomo! Hats off to you for having lost 50 lbs!! 
I think TOM may be on 'his' way, which would explain last week's dietary indescretions, without easing up on all the guilt.
Happy Birthday to Judy!!! 
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