:welcome2: Michigander! Glad you decided to join us. What goes on? Hmmm a little bit of this, a little bit of that. We are just getting to know each other, and finding our way in what kind of support we all are seeking.

Lori :bravo: on the -8 lbs. That is wonderful!

The Silk eggnog was ok. I bought it because I love eggnog lattes and I wanted to see if it would be a good lower calorie substitute. It will be alright, but it's not really the same as the high calorie fatty stuff.:p

:coffee: Good Morning All :coffee:

:welcome: Michgander :welcome:
I have really liked posting on this board. I have found support and hopefully given support. I really feel accountable to and inspired by these ladies.

:cheer:Way to go Lori:cheer:
I had a 7 pound week that turned out to be phantom. The next week, I was up by 4 but I didn't sweat it because I figured the week before was a fluke.

Oliver is 11 months and he has been in and out of teething for around 5 months. He had not been teething for about 2 months then about 5 days ago, wham:( We were in the middle of trying to ween and that has stopped that for now.

Michelle, I have not really told anyone in my family about my new weightloss effort. I just feel if I make a big deal of it and fail, tongues will wagg. Especially, my sister, she be like see you failed at it again.

But not this time, I am on a roll. Walked Saturaday and Sunday and did NordicTrack, abs and arms last night. I am planning on at least 20 minutes on the tonight.

Workout Challenge :strong: :
1 down

Fruit/Veggie Challenge :carrot: :
1 banana

Have a great day,
Amanda

:coffee: Goodmorning. Oh Goodmorning. That's a line near the end of the opening song from Beauty and the Beast. :D

Amanda- :cp: Great job on already workingout today. I plan on working out after school. I'm glad you are going to do both challenges. Remember it has to be 3 servings of veggies, the fruit is extra. I'm limiting my fruit to 1-2 servings a day because the sugar can be a trigger for me. :cb:

Our cat is being a royal pain and trying to lay on the keyboard. I'm having to hold him because he keeps trying to wake my son up. Apparently the cat needs attention this morning.

Have a fit and focused Monday everyone!

:snow4: It's snowing!!!!!!!!!Started this morning. Virginia weather is crazy. It was 60 yesterday.

:carrot: Veggie challenge:
1 serving of celery
some parsnips, carrots and mushrooms in my beef stew, maybe one whole serving.
I need to buy some V-8

Workout challenge
1 workout done
I am personaly aiming for 4 workouts this week

Where is everyone?
Amanda

Amanda- I agree about the -8lbs being a fluke, I just hope to stay out of the 170s this week. I feel like I already gained 2 of the pounds back. We'll see what the scale says on Sunday.

I've been good today, went to Y this morning with two of my little ones and started week 5 of my running program. I plan to start some sort of swimming program on my days off from the running one. Someday I hope to complete a sprint triathlon. Been OP most of the day, only had 1 soda and drank plenty of water. Haven't had any snacks after 8pm and plan to go to bed soon so today's been a good day!! Hubby's out of town, he's in California, and its usually easier for me to stay OP when he's away.

Hope everyone is having a good week!!

Quick check in to say I did get my veggies in today! Rest day for me on the workout schedule. Today was definetly a Monday at work. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Workout completed this morning.

Veggies- 1 serving
Water- 16 oz.

Off to the shower and work now. Have a good day!

:snow:Home today with baby. Daycare closed. We are playing the battle of the nap right now. He is winning.

I ate 3 servings of kale last night so I think my total veggie in take was 5. None so far today.

NordicTrack, ab and arms tonight.

Hungry for lunch, no morning snack being home on a work day really thros me off.

Only 8 oz of water so far.

Amanda

Good God women, we were on the second page of posts!!!!!!!!

:drill: Where is everyone?

Roll Call::drill:
Amanda, here
seriously overweight but seriously motivated
behind on water and veggies for the day
but ahead on the workout challenge

Hello Ladies!!!

Congrats Okie on the 2.5lb loss!!! :carrot: and on the 3 mile run!!! I've been doing the couch to 5k program to get back into running. Haven't been much of a runner since I've been out of the army.

Went to the gym today and decided to swim!! I did 20 mins on the elliptical and then swam for 20 mins which was about .25 miles. I haven't swam laps in so long, that my chest and shoulders are so sore I can't lift them above my head. But, its a good sore!! My stomach still feels a little yucky so I haven't binged at all today. Actually had to force myself to eat dinner because I'm breastfeeding. I just wasn't hungry. I think my little one now has the same bug because he had a little diarrhea tonight. But it might be because he's teething.

Tomorrow I go back to the gym to do the bike and do the 2nd part of my week 5 run.

I just found out that there's a MOMS club where I live so I'm pretty excited about it. Haven't met many other moms since moving here and have been feeling kind of lonely at times. I plan on joining next month when things begin to slow down after my husband goes to Afghanistan.

Hope everyone is doing well!!!

okie- Congrats on the 2.5lb loss, I'll add it to the group ticker tomorrow. I'm to tired tonight.

I did get my 3 servings of veggies in today. I drank over 100 oz. of water, and as I posted this morning I did workout today. I will be able to check in with you all more completely tomorrow.

You would think a snow day :snow: off would be great but stuck at home with a teething baby is not so fun. I handled the stress pretty well as far as not overeating but I did not get my ab&arm workout done. He didn't go to bed until 11:00!!!!!!!:(

I did get off the bus early today and walked very fast and walked all 4 flights of stairs. And tonight, ab and arm and if the little bugger is up Daddy will have to take him.

Way to go Okie, you are on the cusp of Onederland!!!!!

I have been thinking of doing the Couch to 5K as my New Year's Resolution. I need to get a new pair of running shoes but I am thinking of doing trail running. I think I might not be so bored. We have a vitacourse here that is on a soft gravel path and has mile markers so I think I may take advantage of it.



Veggie challenge yesterday: another 3 servings of Kale:carrot:

Amanda

I updated the ticker to include okie's weight loss, I got to include the 1/2 pound I couldn't count for Amanda earlier. Whoo hoo we are well on our way to a collective -30 for the month!

Okie- Wow 3 miles jogging that is impressive to me!

Lori- I've looked at the Couch to 5k, it looks like a great program. Congratulations on sticking with it! Sorry your tummy still feels yucky. Hopefully you will feel better soon.

Amanda- Great job getting off the bus early and walking!

I will have to get my workout in this afternoon/evening. I was to sleepy/groggy to drag myself downstairs and workout.

Have a great "hump" day everyone!

How is everyone doing today? It's very quiet here! It's been a good day for me. I came home early and workout, and now I'm enjoying some alone time before the kids get home from school.

I know, where are all the other gals? I so need to check in every so often. Typing keeps me from using my fingers to eat.

O.K. the baby just fed the dog bits of paper he tore out of the phone book.:lol:

I am expecting Aunt Flo so I am surprised I am not ravenous. But they do say keeping your diet and insulin in check controls signs of PMS..

My child loves paper, now he is eating it. :lol:
I did the stiar 2x today and on to the NordicTrack tonight. I purposely did not let ds take an afternoon nap so he will go to bed at a decent time. He is a night owl and a morning glory. Poor mom and dad.

We had our flu shots today. My arm is sore but I think working it on the Nordic Track should help break the shot up.

I got 2 compliments at work today. I am psyched. Fuels my diet ego.

:drill:Roll call, all lurkers front and center :drill:

Amanda

Hi Ladies!!
I went to the gym this morning and did my run, wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through it. But once I finished, I felt great. DId the elliptical for 25mins too. Tomorrow I'll do the bike and try to swim some more laps. DH has been in California all week so its been pretty quiet here.

Amanda- my baby's favorite pasttime is trying to eat the dog food. At least its dry. I remember when my daughter was a baby and she would eat the canned stuff!! YUCK!!

Does anyone watch Lost?

:ginger: Did you all see the new holiday smilies? :clause:

Lori- :bravo: on getting your run in. My DH watches Lost but I don't, in fact he is watching it right now!

Amanda- :high: Congrats on the compliments at work!

:candy: Only 7 more days of school until vacation! :rudolph:

I swear I didn't die!!!!!
 

Hi ladies!!!! Well, I am soooooo sorry that I have not been in touch but finals week is upon my household (both dh and I are in school), plus piano recital for ds and his bday party planning!!!! Enough to make anyone :dizzy:

So I went to the gyn yesterday to deal with all my girlie issues and found out I lost 1 pound. I know it isn't much but considering I haven't had time to get any exercise in since I joined this group, I was pretty darn happy. I swear that I am going to start my exercising on Monday....all the events in my life will have settled down and I can actually breath! I am going to do my treadmill, weights and tae bo tapes. DS likes to do those with me. lol

In January, the family is starting the DASH diet.I don't think that it will be much of a change from how we eat now, just a little more structure. When we have money, we eat out instead of at home so I am hoping that this will curb some of that. If you are curious, here is some information about the DASH diet http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/
DH's parents both had bad heart disease and this diet has been proven to counteract that so we are giving it a go....under much duress from him, I might add!:lol:

Well, I will update my ticker and then get back to work...well, not taking care of my patients as they are all behaving and sleeping, but working on the final details of ds's party. We are so not ready for his party on Sat!!! We have 2 more days....

So, if I don't get a chance to post in the next couple of days, know htat I am trying to organize the most awesome CSI bday party for 30 kindergarteners plus finishing up my final for microbiology.:shrug: sympathy anyone????

Talk to you soon!!!!

:cheer: Yah Cheel, good to have you back :cheer:

School, work and a family. Hard work. Any particular area of nursing you are going in to? After the birth of my son I thought it would be interesting to go back to school and get a M.S in Nursing and become a nurse midwife. Great money and lots of opportunites and I know I could teach a birthing class better than the one I took.

Lori, you are a workout fool. Running and elliptical. :tread: You and Michelle are my role models.

I got in my workout last night. I felt great afterwards. There really is something to this working out and feeling better thing.

:goodscale:tomorrow is weigh in for me. I am feeling a little bloated due to the approaching Aunt Flo so I will not be bummed if I have stayed the same.

Michelle, I work at a university and we have only 7 days until break as well:tree:

Have a skinny day,
Amanda

The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!

Okie,Are you addicted to your scale? I resist and only weigh myself once a week. I do sometimes peak for reassurance or a kick in the butt but I don't count it until Friday morning.;)

Amanda

Okie I'm getting ready to update our group ticker with my 2lbs and your 1lb gone!

We had rehearsal tonight so it's already very late and I have to get to bed. I will check in better tomorrow!

Only 6 more school days!

Group Ticker updated!

Sorry Michelle but you have to subtract a pound and .5 (I know you can't due the half) from that ticker!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Felt bloated this morning so I was prepared for the worst but :goodscale: 184!!!!!!!

I am so psyched. I am closer to 170 than 200. My hard work is paying off and the best part is I feel I am making so good choices and even better habits. This may just work.

Lori, I watch Lost on and off but I find that I get frustrated with the answers leading to more questions. However, I am in love with Jin. I have been Nordic Tracking to while watching it. A CSI party (like the show). Do they all get fingerprinted? Oliver's party is loosely around the Snowman Theme. I am making a snowman cake and am in the process of making snowflakes for decorations and I am going to make snowman cupcakes for everyone to take home as their favor. It is going to be very small just family and a few close friends. During the winter you really can't afford to feed a ton of people a full on meal when hotdogs and hamburgers are taken out of the equation and their is the issue of space. Our house is a good size for us but it is an old row house and on the first floor 30 people will be tight. I hope we have one of those freak sunny in December Days that Virginia is famous for so people can go out on the porches.

Freezing rain here today so no outside activity for Olive and I. Maybe a trip to Target. I do love Target.

Amanda

Amanda I updated the ticker with the -1 lb and I'm banking the -.5 lb. Congratulations on another pound and a half gone! I've got my eyes on the 180s myself.

We are really charging away on our group goal, only 10 lbs to go!

TGIF! Let's stay focused and strong :wl: for the weekend!


:coach: Think: Motivation! :cheer: Goal! :cheer: Plan!:cheer: Action!:cheer:

Chelle- a birthday party for 30 5 year olds? Are you nuts? :crazy: Did you invite the entire class? I weigh myself every morning, too. I think I do it to keep myself on track. But my official WI is on Sunday morning.

Amanda- Congrats on your loss!! :dancer: The party sounds like its going to be very cute!! I miss Target!! The town we just moved into doesn't have one, although we did just get a Kohls and a Bed Bath and Beyond within the 2 last months.

I woke up this morning to about 4 inches of snow. And its still snowing. I'm pretty upset about not being able to go to gym. I was really looking forward to finishing up Week 5 of this program. I had myself all psyched up for the 20 min run. Also, the time to myself without the kids. We went yesterday and I did the bike for 20 mins and swam laps for 20 mins. I have tickets for the Nutcracker Ballet for tonight. I hope the roads clear enough that the kids and I can go. My daughter is taking ballet and tap and is so looking forward to seeing the ballet. My husband's plane lands tomorrow around midnight but we just realized that he'll only be home for a month before he leaves for afghanistan. :cry:

Hope everyone has a nice day!!!

:snowglo: Lori, we just missed the snow. We had freezing rain instead but now it is chilly but sunny. :( Sorry about missing your workout and very sorry about your husband going to Afghanastan. We will be here for you.

Has anyone tried the virtual model on http://www.landsend.com/. It is a hoot to see you size now and the size you wish to be. Give it a try. Sadly, I found my size model now to be fairly accurate.

Aunt Flo arrived and I am feeling crappy. Like I could eat a whole thing of potato chips bad but alas I will fix that with some cottage cheese. Anything salty will due. But on the upside if I lost 1.5 pounds with her in town I may be really down by next week.

Amanda

Yesterday was a horrible day at work! :cry: I came home just emotionally drained. DH took me out to dinner to mexican food, and I definetly did some emotional eating! :nono: I knew I was doing it, and I chose to do it anyway. I'm feeling back in control today. I know what workouts I have scheduled for today, and I will make this a lower calorie day, and back to no carbs for a few days.

Michelle, I am sorry about your day. :hug: You have been so good lately that I am sure it did not make a dent and if you are planning on excersizing today you should be fine. Just make sure you have enough fuel so you don't get lightheaded during the excersizes. Protein, Protein, Protein. It is so easy to reach out to food when your are upset. It makes everything feel better temporarily then the next day you have buyers remorse and you actually feel worse.

I have been proud of myself the last couple of days with not using PMS as an excuse to binge eat. Last night the baby was up and down and this morning I could have had a huge breakfast of doughnuts but instead I passed the baby off to my husband grabbed the dog and went for an hour walk. When I got back I had poached eggs, whole wheat tortilla and salsa for breakfast.:carrot:

Amanda

I've finished two workouts today :workout: and burned over 800 calories. I'm keeping my calorie intake really low today to counter balance yesterday! I've already had 64 oz of water today too. I woke up so thirsty after last nights mexican food!

The incident yesterday at work has left me feeling emotionally :( fragile. I hate this feeling, and I'm trying to do some self talk to keep myself strong. I've decided that the next three weeks are going to be about me getting as strong and lean as I physically can. :wl: I guess because I feel more in control of my physical self, than my emotional self right now.

Amanda I'm so proud of you for passing up the donuts! :bravo: Also for not letting PMS :fr: get the better of you. I'm still being challenged in that area!

How did everyone's Saturday go?

Hi all....been awhile. Been crazy and busy/busy...am sure you all know the routine. I just don't handle the stress of everything very well. Amazed how the scales were down after I came in from shoveling snow yesterday, although I hadn't ate any breakfast, drank nothing so as soon as I started that loss was quickly gone. It is possible that I am down some since joining your group, unfortunately I refuse to change my scales so I don't know how much. I have these scales that you can record your weight and of course I only use the save button when I'm down and seeing as I'm up 20 lbs from my lowest, I've got a ways to go before I'll hit that save button again. I know I'm weird, I'll only save when I see the arrow points down. So now if that isn't depressing. Course even more depressing from that weight it said I was when I came in from shoveling yesterday, ha, I'm 9 lbs heavier today. My weight is so darn depressing to me, how I can be that different in less than 24 hours. I know it's got to be water. When I was doing good with all that water intake I do think it helped. As usual, I do good with that at work but when I'm home I don't get the water in. Oh well, can only hope tomorrow am the scales will be down a bit. I know just from this morning they're up 5 lbs.

Need to get that firm system think you guys had mentioned....it's on my Christmas list. Better yet, how about we've had enough snow now, skip fast forward to spring and let's get this pool opened that we installed in Oct (and never got to swim in), fire up that heater and do some water areobics, yeah now we're talking!!!! That put a smile on my face :)

Keep up the good work everyone!

Debbie

Debbie and everyone else who needs to see this!

Why The Scale Lies...

We've been told over an over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can't resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can't bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the

A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it's easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn't have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts. The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content.

That's why, when it comes to eating, it's wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners. Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it's packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it's stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it's associated water. It's normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you're prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it's wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you've had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It's the actual weight of everything you've had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you've finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it's not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, it's likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Generally, it's only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it's physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you're really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale's sneakiest attribute. It doesn't just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesn't necessarily mean that you've lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what you've lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when you're just sitting around. That's one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn't differentiate between the two. It can't tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat. There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current. If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn't appeal to you, don't worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don't be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride. It's a matter of mind over scale.

:coffee2: Good Morning! How is everyone today? It's 6 am, I've been awake for over an hour already! :D

Plans for today- Finish up my costume for Beauty and the Beast. Watch football with DH. Stay op with my food, drink all my water. Possibly get some present wrapping finished? :present:

:strong: My workout is completed for today!

So how did the weekend go for everyone? As much as I'm dreading work tomorrow, I'm also sick of the dreading, and I just want to get back to work and deal with it!