Goooooooood Morning RED TEAM!!!!

I awoke bright & early before dh's alarm even went off, and I am raring to go!! I've done a BL workout (had to see Bob) and then I did 15 min. on the elliptical afterwards. I may have been able to do more but my legs felt a little bit like j-e-l-l-o! lol

I am way psyched for our new exercise challenge, I think this will help alot of us stay inspired to keep working hard on it. Melissa thank you for all your creativity and time you put into our team!!!

Not entirely busy today for a change, just housework and laundry. Blech! Totally looks like its gonna rain here too, yay! Altho, 90+ temps with rain isn't always fun, but having the sun "hide" for awhile is relief in itself!

Have you all been keeping up with our RED WINS challenge? I made one whole day, the others have been really close. But then, "close" only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades, eh? I do love this challenge tho because it forces me to focus on all aspects of the journey, and my hardest one is self affirmations...but it's getting easier! Maybe we can do this again next week????? Hint! Hint!

Have a lovely day ladies, I'm off to eat breakkie and get a shower. Be good to you! ♥

Danielle...you amaze me every single day!!! Excellent job this morning with that exercise!!! I'm simply in awe of what you've done today!!! Girl you rock!! Hey I'm all for extending the RED WINS challenge if anyone wants to. Or we can wait till someone reaches 500 minutes. I dont want to overwhelm anyone. I think Chellez was gonna start the tour exercise challenge this week so that'd be 3 challenges going. I think I might just extend my week and if anyone else wants to thats great!

~melissa

Aw, you're so sweet Mel. I just feel really motivated and inspired to run (so to speak ) with it all. I'll tell you what is uplifting, not to mention a load off, is to finally find a WOE (way of eating) that makes you feel really good. Knowing that you can eat that way forever and never feel deprived or disatisfied. Feels like the pressure's off in a way because I now look at this as a lifestyle and not so much as a "way to lose weight" and then go back to eating like I used to. The weight loss is the bonus for me at this point as I acknowledge that this lifestyle fits me mentally & emotionally. So refreshing!

I will be following right behind you for another week of Red Wins..I love this challenge. The more I got going on the less likely I've got time to get in trouble elsewhere! LOL

Hun - Ahhh yes the first few weeks of being on plan then usually come off swiftly. I kinda miss those days. I've been at it since May so mine are starting to slow a wee bit. In fact despite being down earlier this week this morning my weight was the same. Argh. Hope that's just salt/water and I'll be back down again before weigh in.

Coffee Beans - No I haven't tried the chocolate ones. We usually just use syrup in our coffee either sugar free or the normal, but I've cut back to less then a tablespoon so the calories aren't really more then 40 or so. We invested in a espresso machine and grinder a few years ago because we were spending too much at Starbucks. If you do try the choc. beans let us know how you like it.

Mari - Thats awesome. What a fabulous job you've done! I haven't yet reached those #s I haven't seen in 15 years... once I get below 220 I'll start hitting that territory.

Speaking of which despite having lost 46lbs already since I'm back down to the size my body is normally being at i don't feel very thin yet. I do feel less puffed out and more comfortable but i cant wait till I get to the point when i look in the mirror and don't recognize what I see.

Happy weekend everyone!

Sorry I haven't been on all week. DS has new friends from school so we've been spending most of our day after school over at their house. Then, we come home, I cook and clean, maybe get to exercise, then go to bed as I have early work hours. Part of my trying to get healthier is staying away from the PC as it's very easy for me to spend 2+ hours on it in a single day if I sit down even just to check email or my bank balance. Sitting in front of the PC negates all the hard work I've done since April. Up until now I've relied 85% on the exercise to lose my weight and haven't changed my diet drastically yet. When I do get down time I have to prioritize my PC time with what needs to be done if I don't end up choosing to read instead.

With that being said, this is my BL time since DH is home to occupy DS.

First let me say that it seems like almost everyone is doing a spectacular job so far!

As of this last weigh in at work I am STILL the only one who is trying to improve myself and getting a loss (no matter how small) on the work scale. None of the other women seem to be trying OR trying to get back the motivation that they say they've lost. There are only 5 weigh-ins left for work and I am going to "win" by a landslide it seems.

This Wednesday I walked 9 miles. Took about 2hr 50 minutes which is great for me. So far I've managed to bring my walking pace up from 3mph to 3.25mph since I started all this walking. Of course my poor feet are paying for it. An old blister I never popped turned into a blood blister and I got another beauty of a blister to add to it. Not sure if it's the new shoes or just the amount of time walked? I did 6 miles today and it didn't feel to great walking as the bottoms of my feet were tender. I did get some funky inserts that are supposed to help the 'burning' sensation I've been getting. The weird sensation has only been with these new shoes. They are walking shoes but maybe I should spend more on them next time? I keep loosening and tightening my shoes. Too loose and my feet don't burn, but then I feel like I'm shuffling. Too tight and they burn and I feel like I'm mincing along. My old shoes are way too broken down to use and I can't afford to buy a new pair. Can anyone recommend a good brand of walking shoes that aren't more than say $55?

I'm going to have to crack down on the diet part of my weight loss now that we are slowly shifting into colder weather. I've got gloves etc so I can keep walking outside as it gets colder but as soon as it starts snowing, that will stop. I'm trying to convince my mom to use her CC to buy me an elliptical before then and I can pay her back month to month.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Sorry I have been a scarce team-mate. I'm still trying to get used to our new school schedule with tons of activities and also working part-time. Plus I have been eating so crappy and not exercising at all so haven't had anything good to report. I *do* feel motivated though so I guess that is something- it's just getting there to making those better choices!!
So- I will commit here to a much better week this week! I know I just need a few good days in a row and I'll be good to go.

Good rainy morning Red team!!! And when I say rainy I mean POURING!!! Been going at it all night long! Its most assuredly fall! LOL!!

I'm up and at it this morning attempting to get 2 chapters of cost management read before the Bronco game! Hard to concentrate when its so dark out though!

Muse...I did go ahead and get the chocolate beans and they are AMAZING!!! I'm in heaven with my little cup of coffee. I invested in an espresso machine myself so I have to make em americano(water down the espresso), I add some cream and 2 packs of splenda and OMG!! SO YUMMY! I'm really looking forward to trying some other flavors...who knew I was such a coffee lover LOL! I love that you dont have to buy a whole bag of something too, you can just get a little bit to try out.

cbmmom....There ya are!! I was getting worried we'd lost you! I can understand about getting sucked into the computer. I tend to do it myself, but I look at it this way...at least I'm not standing at the fridge eating, or mindlessly snacking. It keeps my mind busy and its really ME time. Way to go on those walks!! 9 miles in one day!!! Holy sore feet batman! LOL!! As for shoes I would strongly recommend Saucony (pronounced Sock a knee) Danielle actually turned me on to these shoes. They did wonders for my feet. They were really light and really comfy like walking on clouds. I know you can usually get really good deals on last years models, I think I got 2 pair for around $80...they were last year models. The other one that gets recommended to me alot is New Balance, much cheaper shoe but they are good quality, I've had those too and they were nice but not as comfy as the saucony. I think I've had my saucony's for 3 years and they are still in good condition just really dirty. I would strongly recommend to stay away from Walmart though, i got some walking shoes there, and while they are comfy they drive me insane because they squeak all the time, as if they are wet on the bottom. Other people I've talked to said theirs do the same thing. Good luck and let us know what you come up with!!

Jelyn....getting into that grove of a new schedule can be rough but you'll get there!! I'm so glad to hear you've stayed motivated! I think what our teammates need to understand that being an active member of the team is going to do so much for your motivation and stamina. Some may thing its just wasted time, mindless...but its not! When you've got someone to report to you make better choices because you know someone out there is watching. And when you feel like slipping into the background you've got your team to think about. Do a little experiment and just watch our team and the other teams, you'll notice that when people start struggling they arent active with the team. What you'll see ALOT is....sorry I havent been around, I've been bad or I'm struggling (things like that). Trust me, I'm no new hat to this. USE your team! thats what we are here for! Okay I promise this isnt a lecture to you LOL!

Stop procrastinating Melissa! I hope everyone has a fantastic day today!! Go Broncos! LOL!

~melissa

2 reminders:

PLEASE GET YOUR WEIGHTS POSTED BEFORE DEAD LINE!!!

and

Today is Day 1 of the exercise challenge (Catch me if you can) start racking up those minutes!!

I started the exercise challenge off on a good foot. I went running/walking with a friend and she just started jogging, so we took it slow. We did 15 minutes total jogging and then walked 45 minutes around a lake. It was a really nice day today. I've got my food all planned out today. Yesterday we went to DH's parents' house and of course there was nothing but sugary junk food everywhere. I only ended up eating a couple of bites of vanilla ice cream and 4 small cookies. That's why junk food is NEVER in my house.

I hope everyone has a happy sunday!

Way to go Renee!!! How great to have a new running partner too!! See you CAN sample a little bit of treats and be satisfied, you did GREAT!!! You've got a very healthy lifestyle going on!! Only success can come from it!!

~melissa

Greetings Red Team!

cmbmom, I can certainly relate to internet time taking up lots of your time, I hope you're finding a balance so that you can continue to post here regularly your team needs ya! Saucony are the best shoes IMO, they're pretty pricey regularly but most athletic shoe stores always have stacks of older models for really great deals. Definitely check into clearance areas you will find some killer deals. Addidas has a good line too, just have to check for sales on those.

Melissa, I hope the homework is almost done so you can finally enjoy part of your weekend. Nose stuck in a book for 2 days straight. Sheesh! We had rain for about 2 seconds, of course it flooded everything and now looks like it never rained. Gotta love desert living! How's the coffee this a.m.? Hope it's just as yummy!

leedarenee, you're off to a great start with the challenge. Good for you!!!

Well Leslie Sansone kicked my arse this morning with a fast paced 3 mile walk! Holy cow! I'm so proud I did it, at first I wasn't so sure I'd be able to finish, but by 2 miles I was rockin! 45 min. done so far today! YESSSSSSSSSSS!

Hoping everyone has a great Sunday and are revving for another great week with the RED team!!!!

Just a quick check in while the oven is heating up. I will definitely go check out the athletic stores and look for those brands of shoes. I'm not much for keeping up with the latest styles so older models won't bother me a bit.

Feeling kind of lazy today. I think it's a mental thing knowing that today is the first day of fall. I love fall but it just inspires laziness and the feeling that it's time to sleep sleep sleep.

I'm going to either walk outside or do my WATP after dinner. Right now I just want to unwind from work.

Thanks for the help ladies!

I haven't posted in the new challenge thread because I have this fear that I won't exercise. The fact that I'm fluctuating bw a 1-2 pound loss should be motivation enough but right now it isn't. I'm just not there with it yet.

I had a little slip up with food last night but I'm back OP today.

cmbmom, good to see you today. I do hope you find some good walking shoes. Nothing hurts more than bad shoes, especially when you've got a goal you're trying to accomplish. I certainly feel tired and sleepy when its overcast and rainy..can't really say it gets "cold" here living in the valley but definitely when that sun disappears I'd like nother other place to be but under the covers reading a good book or watching a movie! lol

likenoother, boy can I relate to fear of exercise. And trust me, when I say I relate. In a BIG way! Huge! I was always so afraid of it, to the point that thinking about it would paralyze me. I had a little minor scare with blood pressure, not life threatening (yet) but enough to put a fire in my tush to get going with weight loss, and for me that most certainly includes exercise. I got an elliptical for my b-day, its all I wanted much to the shock of dh. I am finally in a place where exercise is not so bad. I won't lie and say I love it, but it's "ok", there are a zillion other things I'd much rather be doing, that's for sure! LOL I know that its doing good things for me inside and the energy I feel afterwards has been well worth the sweat. I guess what I'm trying to say in a not so short-winded way is you gotta do what you gotta do only when you're ready for it. No matter what kind of prodding I got from family or friends, I could never bring myself to do it and hearing everyone harp at me only made me dig my heels in more about it. Unfortunately for me, it took a health issue to make me wake up, I'm just thankful that it wasn't serious enough before I had the chance to fix it on my own. Listen to your body and you will know when you're ready! In the meantime, focusing on food & water is an excellent way to stay ahead of the game. You can do this sweetie, but all in your own good time, I know you can! Maybe watching others on this team will inspire you to start trying? Short workouts, baby steps!