A No Excuses Week -- Join Us!
 

Robin, Gary, and I were all posting in the weekly thread about our recent struggles with food and weight gain, so we've all committed to a 100% on-plan week with no excuses.

Our mottos are:

Make an effort - not an excuse!!


If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.



Perfection is not required, but anything less than excellence is an excuse.



Anyone is welcome to join in who wants to commit to seven on-plan days, no excuses. :)

And I want to make a commitment to you:

If I choose to eat something off-plan, I will come here first to this thread, tell you what I'm going to do, and tell you WHY it's more important to me to eat XXX than it is to fit into my summer pants. In other words, I have to articulate the reasons for my bad choice before I do it, rather than just giving in to momentary temptation. :devil:

Let's see if I can make it through the week without having to 'fess up!!

I like this. I like this. This really should be one of my "new rules" that I incorporate into my life right now. If I am going to eat _____, I must first come here and explain my reason for doing so.

So of course, I'm in......

Oh, I'm in all right!!!!

I still have just a few pounds I want to lose and I know that if I stay on plan, I can get there!

No excuses!!

I also have been having a terrible time with food. I made this promise to myself earlier this morning to have a no excuses ten days (I'm going away for 5 days after that, no promises for those days ;) ).

Having thought about it all day, I'm now committing to all of you as well.

Mel

I want/need to join. I've had several bad days the last couple of weeks. More bad food days than good food days. Today was a perfectly on plan day, I just need to be consistent and have more of those (seven more of those to start with!).

I'm committing to you all that I will stay on plan, with no excuses!

I'm in! I already have lunches and dinners planned for the whole week and I have no meals out this week, so I have no excuses for not being POP.

I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread just before the beginning of my week. The thought of justifing a handful of goldfish crackers with a peanut butter chaser already has me blushing. I NEED to do this too. Seven days. I can do that. I've already rid the house of all the kiddy carbs. I wish I could say that I threw them out. :rolleyes:

Okay. Workouts for the week outlined, menus in place, iPod loaded with new tunes, post workout drink mixed. I'm ready. :D

I am going to start tomorrow......or Tuesday....or.....

I know we gotta take it one week at a time, but I need 28 days of no excuses.

All right, but we gotta start somewhere and I am very psyched about this upcoming 7 days of NO EXCUSES.

I am commiting to each and everyone of you that I will stay on plan, no extra nibbles here or there (or big nibbles here, there and everywhere) - no excuses - perfectly on plan. I will keep you guys (& this thread) & my commitment to stay on plan -no matter what- in mind all day & night long.

There's strength in numbers, right? And we're all in this together. Let the games begin. :cheer2:

I will try - my work conference starts Thursday night - let's see how I do.

:woohoo:

It's great to have so many people join in! I know that I do much better when I'm accountable to someone ... then I can't play those little mind games with myself. Those "excuses" for why it's OK to eat off-plan: I'm tired, it was a rough day, my knees hurt, I deserve it, the cookie was already broken. :fr: Knowing that I would have to come here and explain my reasons for eating something off-plan really kept me in line yesterday!! I had a funny feeling that my excuses wouldn't sound quite so compelling to someone else. :lol:

So I had a great, A+, on-plan day yesterday. Calories were perfect, got in my hour of cardio. Today is planned in Fitday and the gym opens at 5:30 am. The plan is a shoulder workout and 30 minutes on the elliptical. I'll do 30 minutes on the bike at home later today.

And no BLTs! (bits, licks, and tastes)

It was so weird to get up this morning and NOT weigh myself and write it down! I'm sure I'll be back to daily weighing but I just want to get one good week under my belt first.

How is everyone else doing? :D

Too bad I didn't see this thread yesterday morning before church, we had a meal afterward and ate what I know I shouldn't have, mmm carrot cake. But, today is a new day and I'm so doing this challenge. Great idea!

Meg, our fearless leader - GREAT GOING!

Okay, I'm all rearin' to go.

Passover is OVER!!!!! Not that that was an excuse of course, ;).

Yogurt's in the freezer. Tea is cooling down and will be ready to drink momentarily. Fully stocked with veggies, veggie burgers, chicken breasts, salmon. No junk lying around.

And I will not be buying grapes this week. I tend to overeat them. I have no problem overeating healthy stuff - but not this week.

And I too can not face the scale. I definitely still consider myself a daily weigher, but it is not happening this week. I'm not putting my head in the sand, mind you. I'm fully AWARE of my "overweight-ness". No scale needed. I've got - oh no - (cue the scary movie music) MUFFIN TOP!!! I haven't had that in a loooong time. And ya know what, I don't care for it much.

Very much looking forward to this 7 day "challenge". The idea of having to tell each and every one of you (so glad to have you all here with me) my "reasoning" for an extra this and that is really going to keep my in check. Right? Right!

Meg, and yup, it's those darn BLT's (LOVE that expression, well the expression, not the actual doing of it) that do me in. But not today.....

TTYL folks.

Good morning. Yesterday was a good day for me. No exercise, but my food was perfectly on plan. Whew! It's been several weeks since I could say that. Today is a state holiday, so I'm off work. I'm about to head to the gym, after I drop DS off at school. My cupboards are stocked, but I haven't planned today's meals yet. I've never really done that, but I may be more proactive this week and do it to be sure to stay on plan.

Have a great day ladies. I sure hope you don't see me on here in a few hours explaining why I need that spoonful of peanut butter. :)

Joining in. Heaven knows I've got alot of excuses. Maybe reporting them before hand will help.

I would say count me in, but I'm going out of town Thurs-Sun and while I'll try to make good choices I can't guarantee anything. Can we do this again next week? :o

I'm In
 

I'm in. I started today thinking of why I wouldn't make my planned walks and gym sessions, so I throw them in along with eating on plan.


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Completed Beck Program-day 42. You’ve met your goal. Congratulations!

I'm in! As some of you know I've cut out sweets & alcohol for April, and have otherwise stayed OP (that is, on losing plan!) for the month food and exercise-wise. I'm finally budging some of the weight that crept up a year ago, then I couldn't get off when I tried earlier this year. It's been coming off slowly but my food motivation has been lagging a bit this week, with 2 overeating episodes this past weekend. I need a "no excuses" week to rev up my motivation. For this week, I pledge to:

- Get in 3 NRLW strength training workouts
- Do 4-5 cardio sessions
- 1-2 full rest days, or 1 rest day + 1 yoga day
- Eat at a "losing" calorie level, keep it up to 1700 a day. Can have 1 day under 2000. Follow my usual eating plan - lean protein, veggies & fruits, dairy, fiber, minimally processed food.
- Since April is ending, if I choose to have a drink or a dessert this weekend, it must fit into my calorie goals.
- Get enough sleep each night.
- Try to deal with stress in a healthy manner.

I think my main issues to deal with from this past weekend are boredom from being so strict for a month now, BLTs, BLTs turning into snacks turning into snacks with many courses, a little bit of the usual roommate stressors, and peanut butter.

Tammy, I don't need that peanut butter, and neither do you! Let's stay out of the jar together. Mel, you too! :p

Meg, great job yesterday! I hope today goes just as well.

Keep it up everyone! We can do this! :carrot::carrot::carrot:

Good morning,

Just having my coffee - then heading for 25-30 min on the elliptical.
Planning out my menu in my head for today.
Think I will put it all into fitday 1st and see how it all pans out.

Congrats to all you POP folks.
-S

I'm in.

Come see the food and exercise accountability thread -- it really helps.

Stay strong everyone!

Can I join?

I had a slip on Fri & Sat but managed to get back OP yesterday, so I'll count yesterday as my 1st day. Today is going well, breakfast & lunch & snacks are planned for the day (just finished munching on my baby carrots). Dinner plans already going in my head so I can start cooking as soon as I get home. :)

I will also make all of you a promise... drum roll please. I will work out 3 times this week :eek:, I have a weight training video and I'll do 30 mins of that 3 times this week. This is a HUGE deal for me b/c unfortunately the exercise part of my new life style is non-existent :o, I honestly hate working out. So there, that's my promise to you all!

Never too late to join...I'm in!!!

Breakfasts and lunches are never a problem--dinners can be, but I've written down a meal plan for the week and everything should be good. Since I'm having varicose vein surgery tomorrow, I'm "forced" to walk an hour a day (don't know if I'll run or not for the first 7-10 days) but I will get the walking done. DD suggested I lift some hand weights while watching TV. Anything to overcome my bat arms!!! Oh, and I'm still working on getting DH to join a gym with me.

No excuses on food? Or no excuses on exercise? Because FOOD I can do!! I KNOW I can! Exercise is another story. I wanted to work out tonight but I really am so tired and I have a headache... I don't think it's a great idea to push it and make it worse. Is that an excuse? Or am I in the right way of thinking? Be brutally honest with me, I can take it!

I started my week off with a 6 point deficit. Plan is to save 1 - 2 points each day, plus exercise at least 2x this week to make up. I LOVE my eating plan, I eat just about anything I want and for 4 weeks now I have stayed w/in plan except for my Sundays where I allow a few extra points (I w/i on Sunday and I face a LOT of food challenges during the week - I work at Starbucks, need I say more???).

So count me in on NO EXCUSES. It's my motto :)

you know what? I'm just going to get on my elliptical and see how far I get!

25 min on the elliptical my chickies :D Thanks to you guys I "just did it" :carrot:

Renee, you rock!! You're my inspiration for today! :yay:

Thanks Meg! How's that for tables turning? :lol: Normally YOU are my inspiration!

Only 3.5 points deficit now! whoo hoo!

I just made 8 dozen cookies. They are calling me..... OK, I feel better just admitting that. Time for a cup of tea instead.

Okay, here we go!

Monday

b - 1/2 cup Nature's path pumpkin flax granola, Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey

S - 1/2 pack of strawberries

L - salmon salad (lite mayo, onions, pickles) on 2 pieces toasted whole grain bread

S - 25 calorie cocoa (since I can't give it up, I found a 25 calorie version without transfats - Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets)

S - tangelo

S - Baby carrots

D - Big salad with spinach leaves, red onion, shredded carrot, roasted corn, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, bbq sauce

Glory, that's the cocoa I drink too! For 25 calories, it satisfies my chocolate craving and because it's warm, it fills me up more. The 30% of calcium RDA is a nice bonus too. :)

My day:

M1: Protein shake w/frozen blueberries

M2: Turkey sausage and oatmeal

M3: Apple and natural PB

M4: Omelet w/veggies, cheese, and an oz of lean ham

M5: Shrimp and roasted asparagus

Optional M6: Fage 0% yogurt

Hi :wave: We were without electricity part of Sat, and the rest of the weekend I did stuff away from the computer - amazing! :lol: Anyway, I saw the discussion in the other thread, and I NEED to join!! I've had an okay day so far, but I'm out to dinner tonight (as someone's house - hope there are some good choices :crossed: ) so I'll officially start tomorrow. I'm not a daily weigher - only at WW weekly, so the daily fluctuations don't get me too badly. My clothes still fit okay, but after 3 weeks away from home, and the next two fighting to get back to my "normal" routine, I need to have some better accountability.....

Glory - I don't envy you the battle with the conference food. I go to one every October that's the same way. I've learned to bring my own yogurt and hard boiled eggs, and eat the fruit off the breakfast buffet. But lunch and dinner are sooooo much harder.

Two days....
Yesterday was grocery shopping and batch cooking day. my usual Sunday. No formal exercise, also usual.

Today: 45 minutes on the elliptical before work, 45 minute chest and back workout at the gym.

Food came in at 1330 calories, so I have room for a half cup of yogurt if I want it later.

The Sam's Club where I do my "batch shopping" has the most delicious fresh salsas! This week I bought black bean and corn salsa. Only 30 calories for 2 tablespoons and it adds a great punch to salads, chicken breasts, etc. More than 2 tablespoons and it becomes a carb serving ;)

I will not stress eat, I will not stress eat....

Mel

I'm gonna start tomorrow.....

Okay, day one is almost history. And it was GREAT.

I just got home from work and my eating is not over. But I've got it all planned. I still have a yogurt and an apple remaining to eat. And I'm looking forward to it.

Not to beat a dead horse, but it's the weekend I'm worried about. But ya know what? Having this thread, telling myself that there is absolutely NO EXCUSE whatsoever to stray - has me - hopeful.

I did think about buying grapes today and I said, nope, not gonna do it. I must set myself up for success and if I'm having an issue with grapes right now, well then, hellloooo, I shouldn't be buying grapes. My kids do love them though. Well, hopefully in a few days I'll be feeling better about things and we, make that they, can have grapes again.

And 25 calorie hot chocolate???? I will definitely have to get me some of that. The stuff I drink and only very rarely has 50 calories, which is why I drink it so rarely. I'm going to look for it. Yummm........

Another good day for me and I'm off to bed. There honestly were several times today that being accountable to all of you kept me from doing some of that mindless, "I don't care" eating. And now, at the end of the day, is there a better feeling than knowing it was a day of good choices? Would I trade this feeling for a cookie? Not on your life!

OMG. Splenda diet cocoa!

I haven't found splenda-sweetened ones anywhere and have genuinely missed it. Yay!

Thanks for the tip!

Oh, and I'm in...day is POP so far.

Mmm Cocoa. I envy all of you who allow for the last meal later in the evening. I probably could do 1/2 cup of FF cottage cheese warmed in the microwave mixed with cinnamon and splenda :drool: but I have this mindset that I really shouldn't eat after 7:00pm. ~sigh~ So, unless I am pass out hungry and have to stay up later or it was a really heavy workout, I pass on that last meal. I'm thinking about it though. :crazy:

Exercise was decent. I did 45 minutes on the AMT, two sets of 12 back squats and 3 sets of 12 in deadlifts. My knee was troubling me this morning, must be the rain today so I decided to spend the rest of my time doing core work.

Food was great! Mostly because today I went to the grocery and came home without any kiddy carbs. It wasn't as tough to do today. Often I convince myself that the kids would love to have the graham crackers with their peanut butter and apples. Truth is, so would I. So the thought stopped the action today. All about being truthful isn't it.

So, this is what I had today:

B: 1/4c oats cooked in water, mixed with 1/2c ff cottage cheese, splenda, cinnamon, and a scoop of protein powder

S(post workout) 1 c milk steeped with a chai tea bag, splenda, and scoop of protein powder

L 4 egg whites and 1 small apple

S 1 Fruit at the bottom yogurt mixed with 1/2c of ff cottage cheese, frozen pineapple chunks, small splattering of sliced almonds and cinnamon

D Italian salad greens mixed with 2 tbs of dried cranberries, tbs of blue cheese crumbles, 2tsp of pinenuts, and 3 ozs of grilled chicken, handful of grapes and half of an orange.

Evening. Sleepytime Tea.

I made it.

Hi everyone, Today went well. There were two times today that I almost "cheated" but then I thought, oh no, I don't want to have to confess about this, so I resisted.

No excuses, I've got to get to the gym again tomorrow morning! See you all after that.

OK, I start tonight...

I ate a healthy breakfast ~ I had been skipping it and eating a lot more un-healthy lunch!

I made some healthy soup for the week, which I had today with a turkey sandwich on wheat and a yogurt for lunch.

Fish sandwiches and baked fries for dinner...not that great...could have been worse!

1 more beer than I "allowed" myself...2 more than Angie "allowed" me...oops!

Going to do better tomorrow!

Keep up the great work gals!!