"Every-Day" 21-Day Challenge -- A-COUNT-able through the holidays!

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  •   #91  
    derrydaughter's Avatarderrydaughter , 01-14-2011 07:20 AM
    Personally, I love oatmeal.
    Cosmic, why not vary the breakfast if you are repulsed by the oatmeal? I think there are some great granola bars that would be more like "candy" to you and not as dull and overly filling, but have the same kind of nutrients. Maybe one of those with a piece of fruit would be better?
    I love breakfast, but I try to have something different every morning as I get bored, boredom is my enemy as when I am bored, then I get off track.

    Red, sorry about that lady you knew. I can kind of relate today. Today would have been my dad's birthday, Jan. 14th. This is his 5th birthday in heaven, I sure hope he's there and that I do see him again one day and what they all say is true. I try hard to believe that. But, I have to say I do have doubts. It's something we humans grasp onto as death is so final.
    As for a better subject, today is Round 2, Day 7.... on a roll. I plan to find some uplifting songs to dance to as I am sad today. Dancing does truly help. I can start off sad but the movement and music is helpful.

    Have to plan ahead for dinner tonight. I wonder if we will eat out or in? I need to lead the family along sometimes and often I am just as clueless as they are. But, a healthy meal is in order.
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  •   #92  
    redballoon's Avatarredballoon , 01-14-2011 07:32 AM
    derry, I'm so sorry to hear this is a painful day for you. I know how you feel. I lost my mother when I was 23. She was younger than I am now. And though it's been far longer than 5 years, her birthday always brings moments and minutes of sadness.
    Your father is with you no matter what if any afterlife there is. He is with you because he gave you life of course and because of all the time you spent together and all the things that you learned from him. Celebrate his memory and try to laugh as you would have laughed were he here....but of course, crying is fine too....it's natural, totally. If at some point you can laugh and if he can see you, good, if not, you honor him and cherish the he that is part of you. Hugs to you.
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  •   #93  
    Apple Blossom's AvatarApple Blossom , 01-14-2011 03:11 PM
    Walk a dog, Day 11 complete, 1 pause left.
    Stick to exercise schedule, Day 4 complete, 2 pauses left.
    Calorie bank: 2260
    I need to add 15 min of stretching to my challenges, but I might stealth it for a while. That might be as hard as the no beer challenge. I am not a fan of stretching, but I was REALLY stiff after running yesterday. I feel like such an old lady.
    Cosmic, the reason that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day is that there are so many delicious and easy things to eat! Bleh on oatmeal! (I spent a month on a backpacking trip and I could not eat oatmeal for a long time after that.) And it's also important to eat different things, like Derry said, to avoid boredom.
    Derry and Red, sorry for your loss. Enjoy the memories you have of your loved ones.
    Red hope your light bulb is a CFL! But shame on those people who think of you differently just because you weigh 25 pounds less!!!!
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  •   #94  
    redballoon's Avatarredballoon , 01-14-2011 08:10 PM
    Holy Moley! I was going to say -- We do NOT, I repeat, we do NOT have liftoff.....ah, well, that is, not in the sense I wanted to begin my challenge. BUT, on second thought, I realized I am getting ahead of myself.
    We DO have liftoff but the challenge is changing. After yesterday's tally I realized I have no sense of calories anymore. I mean, I know how many are in things, but I have this unbelievable sense of denial about what I am shoveling in my mouth! I have become so used to eating calorie-dense foods that I doubled!!!! my target calorie limit. Unbelievable. And to think that, though I knew I was over, I never thought I was that far over. It's no wonder my weight goes up/stays high. Damn! I even rechecked my figures twice because I thought I had screwed up the math. Nope.

    So, I am going to enforce calorie counting (something I despise) because if I don't get over this point, I am doomed, or rather, my weight-loss plans are doomed.

    So, yesterday stands as my first day of AWARENESS...where all change begins! NO pauses are allowed. Approximations (on the high side) are fine. Of course, the goal is to keep calories under 2,000 (with exercise!)

    Calorie Awareness Challenge -- Day 1 completed

    **************

    Apple -- I didn't even know what a CFL was, but I looked it up and I suppose that's the better kind! Thanks for the condolences. I have decided to go to the wake today to pay my respects but NOT pay the usual 10,000 yen ($120) that is expected from people. This will involve some embarrassing avoidance of the reception table but I just can't afford it.... And I know the deceased would understand. She loved horses and my horse and wanting to not have her sent to the knackers means a big expense for me. I justify it since I don't have children (except for four-legged kinds).
    Apple, you and I are similar with the aversion to stretching. I am so tight and it is a vicious cycle. The more you exercise, the tighter you get, unlike what many people think. So, at least we're ahead of the game there, but it is important. Jockey friends of mine take yoga and stretch religiously to avoid injury if they fall. And since you and I fall off the wagon a lot, we had better gain some flexibility, right?!

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  •   #95  
    derrydaughter's Avatarderrydaughter , 01-15-2011 08:59 AM
    Round 2, day 8.
    Thanks for the kind words, guys. I'm doing better today. It's only 2 degrees here in NH and we have so much snow. That is also contributing to my mood. I changed my facebook profile and other photos to summer and spring photos today. : )
    Red, do you have what they refer to as a "smart phone"? I have an iPhone and there is a really cool application that you can do calorie counting with. I liked it when I was not doing WW and it was really quite convenient. I can find the same thing on line for you if you do not have a phone like that, if you wish. It's a nice way to track.
    I do hate tracking food/calories but I am resigned to it now (heavy sigh) as a means to finally accomplish this goal. I've been playing games for so long, trying to avoid it. I hope that makes sense. I "pretend" to be good and then after making an excuse and eating the wrong foods, I can be good for a few days and then wonder why I have not lost the weight? I know who is responsible - me. Time to grow up and be responsible and live the program that is there for me to follow. You can't do it half-assed and expect results. I'm saying this about me, not you, but I sense we are very much alike?

    So, live the life today. Be the person we are striving to be. Have an apple or banana instead of that junk food. Include some protein and drink some water with it. You'll feel so much better in the end.

    Hugs
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  •   #96  
    PinkSnowDays's AvatarPinkSnowDays , 01-15-2011 01:53 PM
    Sorry its been so long since I posted I'm still trucking along, but work has been crazy.
    Took a pause day but other wise still goin!

    Level 2 - Track All Food Eaten On FitDay - Day 13 Completed, 1 pause taken
    Level 3 - No Fast Food - Day 12 Completed, 2 Pause Taken

    Hi all!
    Reply
  •   #97  
    redballoon's Avatarredballoon , 01-15-2011 08:49 PM
    Well, I went to the wake and met all the people from the riding club I haven't seen in a year. It was so nice to see them. The setting was all wrong of course, but the deceased I think would have been happy. There were photos of her and her horse all over, and a slide show like thing going on next to the altar (or whatever it's called here). Her show outfit and riding notebook, everything was there as a type of shrine to her. It was very touching and, had I not been very good at totally shutting down emotionally so as not to break down, I would have broken down. The family was utterly distraught. So sad. I heard from the riding club people that she was at the club for the new year party in a wheelchair and on IV. Died nine days later. She so loved her horse and riding and I think it's what kept her going as long as it did. Damn, I better stop writing because I'm starting to cry and have to leave for work now.
    Anyhow, wakes are strange things here, somewhere in between an Irish wake and a solemn one. There is food and drink, but the family members stay in the room with the body and there you have to do lots of bowing and lighting of incense or touching it to your forehead three times etc. So there is this sudden switch between moods all within one room or hall and it's hard to know what kind of face to put on.

    Well, on the challenge front, I was very aware of the calories and wrote everything down and made some good choices among the usual junk and calorie dense things. It's very hard to eat right because there is nothing to eat and nowhere to eat it here. Or, and this is more often the case, the low-calorie things are so unappealing to me. Well, I guess it's time to retrain my taste buds. I used to be able to do it. I will just have to come up with some compact brown-bag type of lunch and -- this is the hardest thing --- NOT feel "entltled" to garbage because I've done the stuff I don't enjoy.

    Calorie Awareness Challenge -- Day 2 completed

    **************

    derry -- I had to laugh at what you wrote. Yes, we are very similar and it looks all the more ludicrous when you see someone else writing it all out, the things I do as well. I especialy had to laugh at the "I can be good for a few days and then wonder why I haven't lost weight." Yes, those days are HARD, that's why, because we are so out of line normally. It's kind of like someone going through the motions at the gym and acting utterly exhausted and I think, what the heck?! But, of course, for them, at this point, it no doubt is a huge effort. Got to up the level.
    I need to get a good philosophy for this, something I can use as a slogan or something, a reminder many times during the day that will keep me on track. "Growing up" and being "responsible" don't do it. I need something that speaks to me personally....probably something twisted and perverse...
    No, I don't have a "smart phone," but am not into digital things much at all. I prefer notebook and pen. And that is working. I can always approximate the calories till I look them up. I have (from decades of calorie contemplation) a good idea. When I don't know, I am just saying, DON'T eat it!
    And you're right about not being able to do it half-assed. Half-assed means double-assed, doesn't it!? (btw, take note, derry, the word "half-assed" gets through the mindless computer check but its derivative "a$$" doesn't. That's why yesterday I had to write "arse." Considering the mindlessness of it and illogic, whoever came up with this must have been Japanese....)

    Pink, Good to see you and good to see you're still doing your challenge. Come in and chat more often if you can!

    Reply
  •   #98  
    derrydaughter's Avatarderrydaughter , 01-16-2011 06:12 AM
    Round 2, Day 9. Dancing days are here again challenge! Dancing is good for me, it's exercise, it is not boring and it lifts my spirits.

    OK, Red. Today is Day 1 of a new thing for me. It's an attitude challenge and it's hard for me to explain. I shall call it.... No more halfassed attempts challenge. Wonder if spell check will eventually kick in and kick that out? : )

    What this challenge means to me (and it might be hard for me to define and "grade" myself) is that I have to actually do this thing (Weight Watchers where I am concerned) with an attitude and not in that HA way. That means actually weighing food and not just skipping writing down something if it wasn't all that much, etc. It means to take the ball and run with it. It means squaring my shoulders and making it work.

    So, today is an "interesting" day to select to start, but it's kind of like that old saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life". It's now or never. I am in charge of coffee hour at church, that means I have to be around food all morning. I will eat my own healthy breakfast. I know there will be fruit and cheese there and just 'cause I'm the one who baked those brownies and has to put out trays of cookies for a few hundred people, that doesn't give me permission to stand around eating it, especially the leftovers. It's my JOB not my chance to eat it all.
    Let's hope day 1 is not a "bust".
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  •   #99  
    CosmicGal's AvatarCosmicGal , 01-16-2011 01:15 PM
    Round one Day four. (that was yesterday. I couldn't get on last night)

    Well I did the breakfast and drank my water. But this morning I mess up wtih the breakfast. I slept late. Really late and woke up just a bit before lunch. THat is okay. I will just get my water in today and start over wtih the breakfast thing tomorrow!
    Reply
  •   #100  
    jollygirl's Avatarjollygirl , 01-16-2011 05:06 PM
    hello all. Jumping back in here. Things got a little crazy around the holidays. I had to say goodbye to my dear little dog May. She was 14, and very very tired. I also realized things had gotten very chaotic, so took a long weekend to get away from everything, and just read and journal and such. It helped.

    So, now to move forward and be healthy. My challenges, which will start tomorrow, are as follows:

    1) Daily 3FC logging - level 1. 1/1 pauses left
    2) Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily - level 3. 3/3 pauses left.
    3) Follow my workout schedule - level 3. 3/3 pauses left.

    A little belated, but happy holidays to everyone, and here's to a fabulous 2011.
    Reply
  •   #101  
    girlieyorkie's Avatargirlieyorkie , 01-16-2011 07:25 PM
    Jolly- I'm so sorry to hear about little May. I'm sure she had a good life. It is always so hard to say goodbye, but you had 14 years together, so that's good. Remember the good times and that she is in a good place where she can rest and have no pain.

    I have been on "pause" mode myself, but thinking of starting again.

    Red-Happy New Year
    Hello to everyone.
    Reply
  •   #102  
    jollygirl's Avatarjollygirl , 01-17-2011 07:15 AM
    Thanks Elyn. It was hard, but I didn't want her suffering. I miss her, but have made some contacts, and have pix of a potential baby mama and daddy. Might bring my Belle home a baby brother this summer.

    Here's to getting un paused, and off to a rocking start on day 1!
    Reply
  •   #103  
    jollygirl's Avatarjollygirl , 01-17-2011 08:29 PM
    1) Daily 3FC logging, day 1 complete - level 1. 1/1 pauses left
    2) Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily, day 1 complete - level 3. 3/3 pauses left.
    3) Follow my workout schedule, day 1 complete - level 3. 3/3 pauses left.

    I came, I logged, I . . . well, can't say conquered. Feeling a bit overwhelmed. The pre-class assignment for my advanced legal research class has me stumped. Can't remember how to do any of it. I feel like an idiot.
    Reply
  •   #104  
    redballoon's Avatarredballoon , 01-17-2011 09:14 PM
    Barely was aware, but still more than before on one of those days, so I'll allow it. Going to do better today....

    Calorie Awareness Challenge -- Day 4 completed

    Wow, the doorbell just rang with a delivery. I'm thinking...I didn't order anything. And it was a box of cat food. 72 little cans. This is the second time it's arrived and it's from some lady I've never met! She is yet another godmother to the two young cats I took in. Wow....if that doesn't lift my spirits, I must be dead!! ....I'm not dead.

    **************

    jolly, welcome back!

    girlie,good to see you!

    Cosmic!

    derry, how did day one of the new challenge go? I totally understand your challenge and think it's a great one. It is SO much about attitude. If you can get the attitude down right, you can usually do the rest. I mean we certainly all can because we're not new to this dieting thing. I guess it's a "get serious" challenge. You know, you can goof off and pretend you can't and you're busy and you're stressed and your're WHATEVER, but what it really comes down to is you're (I'm!) not SERIOUS. I think this is where my serious friends lose faith in me, because that's what it is really. It's about not really caring. I'm going to try to incorporate your challenge into mine, derry, or I may even copy it! Great going and good luck!
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  •   #105  
    Michellelee's AvatarMichellelee , 01-18-2011 04:07 PM
    Hello! I hope it's alright to join in...I've been only following my eating plan half heartedly since Christmas and was still up 3 lbs on Saturday at my weekly weigh in. This is the kind of challenge I need to kick things into gear.

    *level 1 challenge--journal all food eaten every day day 2/1 pause left
    *level 2 challenge--stay with my daily alloted points day 2/1 pause left

    Looking forward to chatting with you all as we work through our challenges.
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