Day 4 - successfully completed all 3 challenges. :)

How did you do today, Derry?

How did I do?
Well, we did go out to dinner, but this time I did not order a dessert like my husband did. That is a huge adjustment for me, I always feel bad and like I should be "entitled" to somehow work it into my WW points. I do it, and then run out as the week progresses. I only had ONE drink (alcohol) instead of two, which was good for me as well. Instead of just wine, I had a wine spritzer which is club soda, wine and lemon. It was good and refreshing and I could extend it for most of the evening.

Derry - Great job on skipping dessert and having only one wine spritzer...that's a great calorie savings! :bravo:

I had a good weekend...and successfully managed to complete all my challenges so here's where I'm at:

Day 5 (Friday) - successfully completed all 3 challenges.
Day 6 (Saturday) - successfully completed all 3 challenges.
Day 7 (Sunday) - successfully completed all 3 challenges.

I'm 1/3 of the way there! :woohoo:

Hi everyone -

It's pretty quiet in here. Apple? LLL? Red?

Derry, I know you're still around. Hope you're doing great!

Day 8 complete for me:

3 servings of veggies every day - 8 days complete, 2 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 8 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (gardening - OUCH!) - 8 days complete, 1 pause left


Okay...maybe it wasn't the *best* idea to help DH plant annuals and perennials in the beautiful new planter ring he built. The stabbing pain is my back's not so subtle way of saying, "nope, you shouldn't have done that." :(

3 servings of veggies every day - 9 days complete, 2 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 9 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 9 days complete, 1 pause left

Great to hear from you, Red!! I hope things are improving for you! :hug:

3 servings of veggies every day - 10 days complete, 2 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 10 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 10 days complete, 1 pause left

Red, Derry, Apple, LLL - Hope y'all are doing okay.

At a job now....long day yesterday. I was out in Yamanashi Prefecture to see my horse and there was another earthquake, this time in Matsumoto and environs. Quite big. So, trains were down and then later in the day lightning knocked out a train signal so all the trains back to Tokyo were down. Quick thinking allowed me to get an expressway bus back but it was late....and I'm tired.
You're doing really well on your challenges, diyana. Almost over the hump! :cheer2:

Hey Red - great to hear from you! That sucks that you're still getting big disruptive earthquakes. Good thinking to catch an expressway bus back home. :hug:

Okay...sorry that I was away for a few days. My niece was visiting and we were going from sun up to well past sun down .

I dropped her off at the airport and slept for 12 hours!

Luckily even on days when the veggie eating wasn't the best, I was still walking more than my back wanted to, and drank lots of water.

Here's where I'm at:

3 servings of veggies every day - 12 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 14 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 14 days complete, 1 pause left

Apple, LLL, Derry, Red and everyone - I hope y'all come back soon. It's gettin' lonely here. I hope you're doing well.

Here's where I'm at:

3 servings of veggies every day - 13 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 15 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 15 days complete, 1 pause left

Helloooooooo Helloooooooo Hellooooooooo :(

3 servings of veggies every day - 14 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 16 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (ball Zumba) - 16 days complete, 1 pause left

3 servings of veggies every day - 15 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 17 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (45 min of physical therapy, and 1.5 hours of yardwork) - 17 days complete, 1 pause left

Back to basics for me. The thread notifications for 3FC do not seem to be working well for me. When I do not get the notifications, I lose track and don't come back here as I should.
Sorry if I have been absent.
Trying hard. Went back to a WW meeting on Tuesday and GAINED 1.4 pounds this past week. It was a holiday weekend and I was in control earlier in the week and then blew it towards the end of the weekend, even showing up at a Chinese Food buffet place on Monday night. What was I thinking??????

I have been back fully on my WW plan and within my points range since Tuesday. So, today is day 3 of being "on plan" and "tracking".

Yay, Derry, you're back!! Chinese food can cause so much bloat...and a buffet is synonymous with weight gain (at least for me). Good for you for doing 3 days on plan!! Keep up the good work!

3 servings of veggies every day - 16 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 18 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (30 min. Ball Zumba, 25 min. recumbent stepper) - 18 days complete, 1 pause left

Good job to you, as well, Diyana.

A challenge for me tonight, we are going out to dinner. I have reviewed the menu and am planning ahead.

Today is day 4. I'm hoping I can do it well.

You can do it, Derry! Great job on reviewing the menu before dinner! Start with a yummy salad (dressing on the side).

Day 5.
I did OK last night. I ordered with my plan in mind. Weight Watchers gives you an additional 49 points per week that you can use at your own discretion. I have been, lately, saving them for the weekends. That seems to work best for me. I'm pleased that I did well, ordering.

I have to add in some exercise today as well. Going to be a hot day, so maybe a swim?

Red - So glad to hear you're getting to the gym a lot! I need to get there more.

Derry - I'm SO proud of you for planning ahead and staying OP at the restaurant. Yes, the 49 WW flex points do come in handy. :bravo:, Derry!!

I did NOT have an OP weekend so far and the scale was not kind to me. I GAINED 2lbs. WTF? I know my eating wasn't 100% perfect, but I did burn more calories than usual. I have had more salty foods than normal the past few days.

I think I need to make my challenges tougher next time around. Hmmmm.

3 servings of veggies every day - 18 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 20 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 20 days complete, 1 pause left

Good job!
Waiting for my family to decide where we are going out to dinner. We eat out frequently. I'm hoping it's a "safe" place. So far today, I've done OK.

So, last night, I didn't do all that well but I could have done worse.
I'm considering today Day 1 again for me, though.
Why do I get carried away when I eat out? We eat out so often that I should be in better control.
I want to do this, I try so hard, but it backfires on me every time. : (

I feel like a broken record and that you all are probably sick of listening to me.

Are you re-starting this thread, Red?

Derry - We definitely want to keep listening to you! That's what we're all here for...to give and get support. This weight loss/fitness gain thing is NOT easy so it's important to have support. As you said, you could've done worse, so that's a plus. I agree with Red. Make a plan before you go. Since you eat out often, maybe research "safe" (and yummy of course) foods at the not so safe restaurants your family likes to go to. Then if you can stay on plan for a week, find some kind of non-food reward (a new book, a manicure, pedicure)...whatever. It doesn't have to be expensive.

Red - All or nothing...that's me too. I used to have a tendency to push myself so hard that I re-injure myself...and I really have to watch that now. Last night, I was so sore I could hardly walk...just from being on my feet too much and doing too much during the day. And of course, when I'm laid up and not able to exercise...do I watch my calories like a hawk? No, I overeat on "comfort food" to "ease" the pain and also the depression of not being able to exercise. You know how to succeed...just pick one or two things that you can do each day. Set yourself up for success. :hug:


Here's where I'm at:

3 servings of veggies every day - 19 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 21 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (walking) - 21 days complete, 1 pause left

Here's where I'm at:

3 servings of veggies every day - 20 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 22 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (30 min. Zumba, + recumbent stepper and 3 30second planks) - 22 days complete, 1 pause left

I will start new challenges tomorrow.

I've lost track of myself and where I am with this. So, today is a fresh start, yet again, for me. I feel like a broken record, but I am worth the effort.
Part of this fresh start is starting a brand new 3 month tracker (food diary) with Weight Watchers. You can buy these booklets to journal your food and exercise in. The last one provided me with 5 pounds of weight loss in 3 months. Not exactly marathon weight loss, but it's still a loss.
So, for today, I make this day 1 of tracking what I eat and staying true to my plan. I'm really tired of day 1 happening again and again for me, so I hope that there is a day 2 and so on for me tomorrow.
At least I'm still here and still trying.

Yay, Derry! A brand new 3 month tracker is a great way to have a fresh start! Day 1 is a start, and I'm looking forward to reading about Day 2, 3, 4, etc. :yay:

I have completed the following challenges: :yay:

3 servings of veggies every day - 21 days complete, 0 pauses left
64 ounces of water every day - 23 days complete, 3 pauses left
15 min of activity - (30 min. Zumba, + 30 min. strength training, including 2 3 30second planks) - 23 days complete, 1 pause left

I'll be back later today once I decide on new challenges. :)

Day 2
 

Pretty happy that I made it easily through the day yesterday. Tracked my food.
I had the "hungry horrors" in the afternoon and going to my WW meeting saved me. Instead of a fast food fix that would have added extra points to my dinner, I went home directly from the meeting and went through my veggie drawer in the fridge. Prepared cut up peppers, squash and onion and coated them with olive oil and cooked them all on the grille alongside my fresh fish. It was such a fresh and great meal that was satisfying for me. Just lemon on the fish (living in New England has it's advantages, fresh fish can be had at a reasonable price and it's never day old from the market I use) and it was so very good.

I ended the day with a chocolate WW smoothie made with non-fat milk. I was not all that impressed with the aftertaste of this product, but I got by. Not sure if I would buy them again, but will use up what I have.

It was so hot yesterday, it was tempted to eat the wrong foods, but I stuck with my program and did well. 96 degrees here in NH and so muggy. It was like living in a sauna.

Does anyone else not like how 3FC has changed the format here? Might have been awhile ago, but I've been back and really trying lately. I do not care for how the most recent posts appear at the top vs. the bottom. I'm having a hard time with it, for whatever reason.

At any rate, I am now on day 3.
I tracked everything and stayed within my points range. I'm kind of proud of myself as I had some bad news about a friend's son passing away and a few other things going on. I did have a piece of chocolate and some cookies, but journaled them and sacrificed other food in order to have those things.

Today, I hope, will be a better day emotionally. But, at least right now, I do not feel out of control.

Derry - Glad to hear you're doing so well on WW and fending off the hunger horrors and the urge for fast food. Your fish and veggie dinner sounds so yummy! I'm not seeing the new format...Hmmm...My most recent posts show on the bottom as always. I'm using IE8. Maybe the browser makes a difference. Congrats on doing so well with the tracking and staying within points despite the bad news. My sincere condolences to your friend. :hug:

I still haven't defined my new challenges. I've been so busy at work and after work that I haven't had time to think straight. :dizzy: But I'm staying OP with my eating and getting in at least 1/2 hour of exercise every day.

Derry, I think you can change how your posts appear. Go into the User CP at the top left of the page and then go into Edit Options. Near the bottom you will see how to choose how your posts appear.
Try that. If that doesn't work then maybe it is a browser thing, but I don't think it is..... :)

Hi everyone -

Red and Derry - How are things going?

I still haven't formally declared my new round of challenges...but I'm staying OP with calories, eating fruits and veggies, drinking water and exercising.

Had a great PT session yesterday. I can tell my strength is improving. Then after PT, I ran a couple errands then went to Zumba class where I did Zumba on an exercise ball. Today, I've got a little yard work to do, I'm hoping to go to the gym and walk against the current in the lazy river at the gym's waterpark.

Red - With all the stress you've got going on, COMBINED with all the extra stress Mom Nature is piling on you with the quakes and such...it's no wonder you're having trouble staying OP. Rather than focusing on calorie reduction or counting calories...can you try substitution? In other words, choosing nutrient dense, low fat, low calorie foods rather than higher calorie/fat foods with no nutritional value. I don't know what you eat/drink, but you'd have an easier time staying under 1,500 calories (for example) if you cut back on booze and other "empty calories".

For me, I started adding more fruits and veggies...rather than eliminate stuff. That helped me take off 12 pounds. Now I'm going to add even more, and try and eliminate one of the biggest sources of empty calories for me...sugared soda. That way it doesn't seem like a lot of effort...nor is it time consuming.

Good luck, Red. I know you can do this!! I know you want to do this, and I know you can!

Okay....here are my next round of challenges:

64 ounces of water daily (0 pauses allowed)
4 servings of fruits/vegs daily (2 pauses allowed)
30 minutes of exercise daily (3 pauses allowed)
No sugared soda (3 pauses allowed)

Wow - yesterday was an emotional rollercoaster for me...very difficult.

I had to work hard to steer clear of the yummy, fattening foods in the cafeteria and opt for a salad (so I didn't go over my calorie limit for the day). The salad was really yummy too.

Then when I got home from the gym...there it was in the frig...a regular, sugary, Sunkist Orange Soda all cold and inviting and calling my name, I swear. But I thought to myself, "Do I really want to take a pause on the first day of the challenge? Seriously? Do I really want to DRINK my calories?"

So I resisted and Day 1 was completed successfully:

64 ounces of water - 1 day complete, 0 pauses allowed
4 servings of fruits/vegs - 1 day complete, 2 pauses left
30 minutes of exercise (30 min. ball Zumba, 30 min. strength training) - 1 day complete, 3 pauses left
No sugared soda - 1 day complete, 3 pauses left