OK, chicks, so I'm not feeling particularly creative this morning (read: don't expect this to be an outstanding challenge intro, or title), but I AM feeling rather motivated to get this weight off.

What can I say? Let's use the April showers to wash away all the negativity and start with a clean slate, fresh and renewed. By the end of the month, we'll all be a little closer to "blooming." (Yeah, I'm definitely feeling cheesy this morning, can you tell?)

So anyway, you know the drill: post your goals for everyone to read, be it exercise, diet, water, all of the above, or something completely different. We've got a brand new month to make the best of!

So let's get to it!

My goals for the month are:

1. 30+ minutes of exercise, 5 days per week
2. Weight training 3-4 times per week
3. 1600-1700 calories per day
4. 90-100 oz. of water per day
5. 3-5 vegetables per day
6. 2-3 fruits per day
7. Lose whatever weight I can (hopefully in the 5-8 pound range )

See my new siggy. That way I'll be reminded everyday.

Hey!
This seems like a great idea sign me up! lol
1. Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day
2. Exercise 4 Days a week (at least 4 hrs per week)
3. Try not to binge so much!
4. Become more social without having food around

I'm in. Hopefully for the duration this month

This month, I hope to:

1. Curb nighttime eating by distracting myself, somehow
2. Give up potato chips for the month
and 3. Get back into doing my library laps at work and 1-2 sets of strength training exercises in the evenings

25 days of staying under my calorie limit. Starting today.

I'm in. Sorry, with my computer being up at the new house, and with my work laptop going belly up on me last Thursday, I've been out of communication with everyone- and it's no fun! LOL. Also, I've been spending at least 1 day a week in our processing center, which is close to the new house, and there, I can't get online at all. It's a conspiracy!

The good thing is that as busy as I have been, there's been no time for getting myself into trouble. Still got the no chocolate for lent going strong, and thinking that this may be it- I may need Lent every month, with a different thing I need to master. It's been easy to steer clear of chocolate, even having it in the house, and at work, and on Zone bars, which I haven't touched at all because of it. Hmmm!

Goals to follow- I'll revise this post if I can't get on in the next day to post everything. But, fans are up, chairs are assembled, new glass top table is on the way this week- by the end of this week, it might be moving time!

(((((( Big Hugs to everyone- I miss you all, and wish I could get here more often. As soon as we move, you'll be back to daily annoyances from me! ))))))

Can I join in?
Cardio, build to 45 min a day 5 days a week
Strength train 3 days a week
Yoga 1 day a week
1 day to rest and reflect to stay focused.
1600-1800 cal per day
No eating after 8:30 pm and stick with eating every 3 hours.
6-8 glasses of water a day
Eat my fruits and veggies.
Add whole grains to replace white stuff.
No peanutbutter!
Lose 2 lbs a week.
I have got to keep at it this time.
Kathy

Happy April!

I weighed in this weekend and was down 1 more pound.....that makes down 4 pounds in the month of March! That also makes me incredibly deliriously happy.....the first real progress I have made in way too long1

Elisha.....Thank you for setting up this challenge. Don't worry.....it doesn't have to be pretty, just something to get us motivated!

Joy.....I want to lose 5 pounds in April too! Do I hear a challenge coming on?

Kristen.....Welcome! I love your goal of being social without food.....seems like every social event includes food, now why is that? Couldn't we get together to discuss a book, take a walk, see the sights......whatever....without having to be fed?

Betani......Potato chips? That must be a trigger food for you.....I can have chips in the house (and do!) and never have a craving for them. But.....let there be just half a cookie and it will be calling my name!

TBJ......25 straight days within calorie range! I know you can do it!

Jennifer......Good going on the no chocolate for Lent rule! It shows us how much we can do if we really focus! Woohoo......moving time.....I bet you can't wait!

Kathy.....Welcome! You have some good goals there......bet you are going to achieve every one of them!

Now.....my goals......I am so pumped from my success in March, I feel like I can do anything!
1. Keep calories 1600 or below....not to exceed 11,500 for the week
2. Water.....60-oz per day
3. 30 minutes of exercise...6 days a week minimum
4. Lose 5 pounds by month end

Evening, chickies! Whew- long day! But the lawn is watered, hubby is back at the old house finishing up some work, and I took a break from putting away dishes to come post my goals.

1. Be fully moved before the end of April
2. Some type of cardiovascular exercise every day- 20 minutes
3. 3 32oz glasses of water at work each day
4. Continue with the Lenten chocolate ban
5. Continue with good planning & preparing meals in the new house
6. Did I mention be fully moved & have life in order, and exercise stuff all in one place for ease of use???

Have a wonderful night ladies! Here's to April!

Morning chickies!

Well, it seems as if spring has finally sprung in my neck of the woods. Daffodils are blooming (except for mine, which are perpetually in the shade and still barely have buds), temperatures have been in the 70s for the past few days, and I even took the electric blanket off of my bed.

Yes, I am certainly feeling refreshed.

Yesterday was a fairly good diet day for me, though I didn’t get in enough fruits and veggies. I am making a more conscious effort to do so today, having already eaten an apple with my breakfast and packed a salad for lunch and fruit and veggies for snacks. Water this weekend was good, for once. Saturday… I think I added it up wrong, because my tally was only 72 oz, but I was drinking water all day and it really seems like I drank more than that. Yesterday I got in about 105-110 oz.

Calories Saturday were high—just over 2000—but I did get in my fruits and veggies. I just felt like munching all day though, hence the high calorie count. But I got in a full 60 minutes on the bike, so I don’t think I came out too bad. Yesterday calories came in at 1462, and that is a bit over-estimated because I counted full servings but often didn’t eat full servings. Exercise yesterday was 30 minutes on the bike and bowling.

I took my measurements on Saturday morning, and it wasn't pretty. But this morning the scale is down to 216.8, so it's moving in the right direction again. Next Monday I want to see 215 or below.

I got all the laundry done (YAY!), but that’s about all I did. I didn’t really try to do much of anything else. I’m not too worried about it. I do need to vacuum, but that will probably happen tomorrow, as I have some other things to do tonight: grocery store (I need more fruit!), visit the grandparents, get some gas, and I would really like to get a haircut, but I don’t know if that will happen.

At some point this week I’m going to make up a menu and grocery list for Easter dinner. My dad’s birthday is the 15th, so I’ll need something special for him too. This is my first family dinner, and it’s also the first time Steve’s family will be meeting my family. I’m a little nervous. And I’ve never cooked for his family before either. We’re not planning anything very formal (mostly because we don’t have a table large enough for 12 people, not to mention chairs), but I still want it to be nice. I want to make some healthy dishes this time. I told my mom and grandma that my goal this year is to find healthy but still tasty dishes to make for family gatherings, so I would be trying some new things, and they seem to be ok with it. We could all stand to be a little healthier.

Anyway, my menu for today:

Breakfast:
3 c. coffee w/FF vanilla creamer
1 packet cinnamon roll oatmeal
1 apple

Snack:
Broccoli and cauliflower

Lunch:
Taco salad:
Lettuce
2 T sour cream
1 T salsa
3 oz. lean ground beef w/green peppers
Crackers
Fun-size 3 Musketeers

Snack:
Dried apricots

Dinner:
Leftover, but I don’t know which kind. We’ve got tacos (or taco salads), pork loin, spinach fettuccine, meatballs, and I’m sure some other random stuff.

Dessert:
Banana
Possibly SF/FF pistachio pudding, we’ll see what I feel like. And how many calories I’ve got left at that point.

And of course, lots and lots of water!

Exercise will be 30-60 minutes on the bike, upper body weights, and a walk with the dog (depending on what time I get home).

Jennifer: Finally getting moved in, how exciting! (Trust me, I know!) We’ve been moved in for a month and a half and we’re still not all moved in! Good job at avoiding the chocolate—you are a stronger woman than I am!

MsRD: WOOHOO! You’re doing so great! Your goals look good, I know you can do it! Keep up the good work!

Kathy: Of course you can join! The more the merrier! Your goals look great! It seems to me that more and more people, no matter what plan they’re following, are incorporating more fruits and veggies and whole grains into their diets—I know I am! Perhaps that is because it works!

TBJ: That is an admirable goal for the month. Can I ask, what’s your calorie limit (just for curiosity’s sake)? And how are your injuries healing?

Betani: Oooh… potato chips are evil! Good luck avoiding them! Usually they are a trigger for me, especially if there’s dip around as well, as I love pretty much anything salty. But at the moment I have chips and dip in my house that have been there for a week and a half and I haven’t touched them! It’s a small miracle, I think. Good luck meeting all your goals!

Kristen: It’s always good to see a new face! Your goals look good! Being social without food is always a challenge. If you figure out the secret to that one, please let us all know!

Joy: The goals look good chickie! I’ll be looking forward to seeing your posts every morning!

And now, here is some to keep us all going strong!

Yeah, ok, cheesyness. Time to stop. Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

Morning...

It's a quickie as it is already 8am and I should start work. Ate out a lot this weekend but managed to keep things at a dull roar Not too much exercize but I finally did start washing the house.

We went to Harrison Hot Springs Saturday and lazed around for a couple of hours in the hot water... was heavenly.

Todays plan looks positive... will get in a walk at lunch and hopefully mow the lawn or walk the dog tonight.

Chow... ladies.

Ok all...

today I am sick ugg
so I am going to eat a litle but I don't feel like eating much so far i had 1 piece of toast and a glass of light oj.

Morning chicks!

Today is an ok day. Could be better (I could have gotten to sleep in), but it could be worse (after all, it is all bright and sunshiney). I am dead tired this morning and did not want to get out of bed, even though I went to sleep around 10.00 last night (got woken up a few times) and slept in until 6.30. This tired all the time stuff is really starting to annoy me. I’m in a good mood though, so it’s ok I suppose.

Calories came in yesterday at 1704, and I didn’t manage to get in enough fruits and veggies. I ended up with 2 veggies and 1 fruit. *sigh* But at least I keep trying, right? Water was good though, 106 oz ( I just typed 1006… that’s a LOT of water!). No exercise though. It was so windy out the dog didn’t even want to be outside any longer than she had to. She did her business and walked right back to the door, so no walk. I sat down on the bike and started to pedal and my legs just felt like lead. I kept going for a couple of minutes thinking it would wear off, but it just got worse, so I stopped. What did I do instead? I took a bubble bath! Yay for bubble baths!

So last night was pretty relaxing for me. On top of that, Steve did the dishes for me yesterday. And there were a mess of them too! I was dreading going home to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, but they were all washed and dried! (I had to put them away, but he puts them in odd places anyway, so I didn’t really mind!) It was just such a nice surprise, and I felt so relieved. Typing it out like that it seems silly that I got so excited over him washing a few dishes, but at the time it was just the most wonderful thing he could have done for me. Even better than bringing me flowers or chocolate or… well, ok, maybe not jewelry.

For dinner last night I ended up having 3 oz. of pork tenderloin with some mustard, 1 c. of spinach fettuccine (I measured!) w/1 T butter, and some baked polenta rounds with some melted Havarti cheese—man that was good! I wish I had had some diced tomatoes to go on it. I have a bit more polenta that I will probably bake tonight so we have it on hand to easily heat up.

OH, and the best part… the scale said 214.6 this morning. That’s down 2.2 pounds from yesterday! Now, now, I’m not crazy enough to think that I actually lost over 2 pounds yesterday, but I do think my weight could have been up a little yesterday morning because of ToM and my sodium intake. I’m not counting this 214.6 as official (Monday is “official” weigh-in), but I’m happy about it nonetheless.

OK, today’s menu:

Breakfast:
1.5 c. coffee w/FF vanilla creamer
1 c. Kashi Go Lean cereal
1/3 c. LF granola cereal (makes the Kashi taste a little less like trees)
1 banana
1 c. skim milk

Snack:
Dried apricots

Lunch: (I was going to pack a salad, but we only had a tiny bit left. )
2 sl. whole grain bread
1 sl. FF American cheese
1 sv. lean turkey breast lunch meat
2/3 c. Chex mix
1 kiwi

Snack:
Cauliflower and broccoli
Fun-size 3 musketeers (gotta have my chocolate fix)

Dinner:
Hmm… I don’t know. Perhaps a stir-fry with the leftover pork tenderloin and some veggies. More baked polenta with cheese, because it was super yummy. We’ll see what I have the calories available for.

I will exercise tonight, aerobics and weights. I might do my fat-burning yoga tape, or perhaps some Yourself!Fitness. Haven’t decided yet. Probably just the bike and some weights. We’ll see.

Hopefully I can go to bed early tonight. I really would like to get a decent amount of restful sleep.

Kristen, I hope you feel better soon!

Joy, ooooh, the hot springs sounds wonderful! I hope you enjoyed your time outdoors!

OK, I’ve got a meeting to go to right now, so I need to post this and get moving. Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

Morning,

Didn't count calories yesterday, but I'm sur yesterday was okay (under 2000).

• Porridge oats & yogurt for breakfast
  
• Baby carrots, pastrami w/mustard (no butter0 on sprouted wheat bread & an apple for lunch.
  
• 1.5 cup seafood (with peppers, onions & celery & spinach) alfredo for dinner.
  
• Had the munchies so i had about 10 stone wheat thin crackers, 1 cup popcorn and finally about 1/2c yogurt (2% vanilla) which sated the craving.

Exercise was a 45 minute walk at lunch.

Water was about 54 oz.

Elisha WTG on the 2.2 pound loss... you CAN keep it there until next Monday.... I KNOW you can.

KristenElizabeth Welcome chickie!

Jennifer Great set of goals you got there! I'm sure you'll feel more on track when you get all moved and organized.

MsRD Bring it sista!

Kathy Hi, and welcome. That's quite a list of goals you have... NO PEANUT BUTTER.... how could you Do you have a weakness there ????

TBJ I think maybe you're on the right track with one goal..... and you hit the nail right on the head too. How many left days to go?

Betani Missed you chickie! You go girl, those library laps must be done I'm with you on curbing the night time eating..... Seems once I started last night I didn't stop.... but carbs will do that to you!

Well I better get to work... I have an RFQ to prep for a meeting at 10 am.

Chow Chickies