stating the goals....
 

Good morning, all! :sunny: Actually, it's an overcast morning here in Tokyo, with rain predicted for the next 4 or 5 days straight. It is the rainy season, so I guess I have to accept that...it's not fun though.

mscat, thank you so much for your warm welcome. What a compliment coming from a fellow thread organizer and one so dedicated as yourself! Truly, thank you! :thanks:

Well, here is what I wrote down for goals yesterday.

1) Get to the gym AND train 4 times through Sunday. Now, this will be quite hard and maybe impossible because people are looking for me to go drinking with them this week and if I do that I can't train early the following morning. Which is it going to be? I have to buckle down and decide! :mad:

2) Stay away from all deep-fried foods!

3) Go easy on or totally abstain from cheese on my veggie stews and curries etc. This is one of my favorites, but it adds up and it's just a bad habit. I'm always looking forward to the cheese more than the vegetables and that shouldn't be. Have to get my taste buds away from wanting fat again. I went for years with like no fat in my diet and it made a huge difference! Same with sugar but I'm not cutting that out just for now though I will do weeks with that. Promise! :yes:

4) Clean an area in my room for an exercise bike, so that I can hop on at any time for a quick 10-15 minutes. This is vital! Right now, this involves major work in my room, however, so it's going to be tough as I don't have much time.

5) Take my measurements, record and post them here! :yikes: Yes, I know, that's super embarrassing (I'll do them in centimeters.. ;) ) but I have to see the difference and better to post them just so you know I really took them!

6) Stay on track with my 21-day challenges, which are:
a. 10 sets of 20 rep crunches and b. journal all food/drink and exercise (don't have to add up calories but this will give me an idea if I study it.)

7) Try to do little bits of movement during the day. It DOES add up. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, doing a bit of calisthenics in my room, whatever, just move instead of sitting there like a log!

OK, now, I'll see where I go with those!! Wish me luck!!

Now, this other thing... a way of "being"....ok, I'm going to go with being AWARE, CALM and COLLECTED. Powerful and things like that I'll reserve for when I want to focus on my exercise, but the above three are what I need to do to stay my hand from mindless munching, which is very easy to do when I'm stuck in front of the computer and nervous and anxious about my work. Deep breaths! Calm! The mind may ignore things, but the body won't! :nono:

Don't worry folks. I'll translate Red's measurements into inches and pounds. :rofl:

Bonnie, good to see you here. If you don't feel like posting, I hope you'll lurk enough to get occasional little messages from us! And come back soon. Maybe you can just try for maintenance for the time being? (If you don't plan to lurk, could you maybe PM me your email address so I can drop a line from time to time?) Take care of yourself. :hug:

Yay, Tryin'! Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the gym with all your daughter's suitors. ;) You go girl! Enjoy it.

Mscat, I've finally come up with a watchword for this week: determination. Which means an end to whining and moping and compensating with hi-cal goodies. So far so good on the compensating, dismal on the positive attitude.

Total all-night insomnia last night, for no apparent reason. A colleague who had the same experience claims it's because of the full moon, but I thought I was too old for the moon to influence me? :dizzy:

Bye all.

Don't you dare! carla! :nono: And as for the full moon, age has nothing to do with it. Yes, that is probably why I am such a basket case right now...emphasis on "such a." :lol3:

Hello all. Just a report for the day. Looking at my challenges, I'd say I did what I could. :yes: I forced myself to go to the gym, almost turned around, then went even though I didn't have much time. I jogged 3K and did the crunches. I really would not have gone but I didn't think it would be possible to go four times if I didn't go today. So, I am still in the running! I did go easy on cheese. Am just having 2 slices now. I had NO deep-fried stuff, though soon after writing that the landlady came over with some rice crackers, the deep-fried kind! I have NOT eaten them! :nono: The little bits of movement I did too, walking down to the next train station for some noodles. Actually, I really needed it and wanted to move, because sitting in front of the computer for hours is really bad for the circulation in my legs. I am having trouble with it. :(

carla -- How's the determination working?

bonnie -- Hi there! Nice to meet you! :wave: I checked out the Stanley Cup just because you had written about it. I never imagined it was still going on! The season just seems to get longer and longer, doesn't it!? Well, I hope your team wins! Hurricanes, I take it, right? I'm sure you can "buckle down" before September! Come on, just don't buckle so tight! :lol: I suggest you start looking for non-food/booze ways to celebrate. It IS possible you know, just takes a bit of creative thinking! ;) Well, good luck and I hope to get to know you better. :goodluck:

Hey Ladies
Wow, so much action! :) That's lovely to see. :) :grouphug:

Not much time - it's after 9 pm already, and I need an early night because I'll be heading out very early tomorrow (and driving downtown, so I really do need to be awake! :lol: ).
Water was a disaster today, less than 1 bottle! :eek: I was on the go all day. Tomorrow will be similar, but I'll do my best to do better.

Take care everyone! :grouphug:

Oh, by the way, Red, how tall are you? There aren't many people shorter than me... ;) :p :lol: Good luck with all your goals, very ambitious! :)

Whoops, Sushi, you're right. I had misread your height, was mixing up centimeters and inches, thinking 5' 3" when it was 153 cm! Ok, you are shorter than me, but only by 4 centimeters! Cheers! We short people rule!! :queen:

Just to set the record straight, the Edmonton Oilers will rise like the phoenix in tonight's hockey game and CRUSH those American upstarts. Hurricanes? Ha! (tongue firmly in cheek - please hold all remonstrations...) ;) ;)

Had to work late -so I didn't make it to the gym (you can bet the daughter went without me - mostly to check out the guys!). Water has been good this week, I've managed to go over th 64oz everyday. I'm a huge coffee drinker and am trying to substitute water after the first cup instead of the constant cup of coffee. Hard time getting away from the desk but did manage a 2 mile walk during lunch.

Red - good luck on your goals! You've got so many & I'm still struggling to get a word for the week. I can't believe you are so far away! the lifestyle differences must mean a whole different set of obstacles than the rest of us -good luck!

and Sushi - exploring Australia! Can't even manage what thats like! What downtown where you headed for? Good luck to you to - finding your way today and drinking your water!

mscat - I like to watch for your word, hope you don't mind; I'm not to original. I really like unstoppable! i haven't explored much - but is the 21-day challenge another forum with challenges set by the moderator?

Hope all have a "moving" day!

Hi,

I'm new around here and looking for groups to join. I have 6 weeks until my 49th (:yikes:) birthday on July 25 and have a mini-goal to lose 10 pounds by then.

I've started the Slim in Six exercise video as of today [6day/wk for 6 weeks--it seemed to fit the bill] and am doing an 80's version of Weight Watchers.

Could somebody fill me in with how you do your challenge? I like the no-nonsense sound of your group!!

My word for my first day of this project: No Retreat, No Surrender!

:sumo:

Diana

Diana, :welcome2: to our little crew! If you go back to the first post of the thread, you'll find Mscat's clear explanation of our challenges. We all set our own goals, specific or general, and try to meet them. But there is no such thing as failure around here - just varying degrees of success.

So, Mscat, did I get that right? :hug:

Bonnie, I hope you didn't drown your sorrows in martoonis last night... or extra helpings of turkey stir fry. :lol: (Why do they call themselves "hurricanes"? Because they blow big time?) Let's hear it for the true north strong and free!!! :rofl:

Well, gotta go. Time to sing "O Canada" now... ;)

Over joyed!
 

Hi Ladies - Wow - I am all tingly, INSPIRED and happy to see so much life in this thread!

Diana :welcome2: to our group! Carla did an outstanding job of summarizing our thread (:thanks: carla!) I love your challenge mantra - everything you are doing fits right in. We are happy to have you.

Bonnie Lass - 6 workouts in 10 days??? You are DA BOMB! Enjoy your celebrations :woo: You are not a monk - continue doing what you are doing - eating a little less than normal, limiting portions GO HURRICANES! :cheer:

Tryin' :bravo: Awesome job on getting that water in and squeezing that 2 mile walk in. You can Do it Again. Red is the hostess of the 21-day challenge - check it out! It's great especially for challenges you are trying to master (it takes 21 days to form a habit). You can borrow challenge words at anytime. However, you ARE original - there is only one of you and you are a magnificent creation, whole perfect and complete just as you are. :hug:

Carla - I LOVE your word - I might have to borrow that today. GO OILERS! :cheer: Okay I am straddling the middle ;)
Sushi :strong: you WILL do better today! You and I must be symbiotic - I didn't do great with water yesterday either. So let's affect each other's karma positively today - I am complete with 16 oz (50 ml?) and working on the second bottle now. How much can you get down by the next posting today?

Red - :thanks: for being here - Your presence has made a profound difference in my life and I am sure in the lives of the others here :grouphug: Your goals are so inspiring and I love your "being" words. Being Calm, Collected and Aware can be very powerful -especially when we are focussing on our well being.

I met with a trainer at the gym last night - more than I can afford, but maybe what I save on junk food will make it a little easier! Exercise has never been a part of my vocabulary; so this is all new! I had to get on a scale and am happy to report I am back down to where I was before my GIANT step backwards! But, keeping with the Monday morning postings; I'll officially weigh in then and make the change on my signature. My words are that I am COMFORTABLE with my life-style change and CONFIDENT I can succeed!

Red - "being comfortable, calm and aware" is a fabulous way of describing it when you finally realize you are going in the right direction and will be successful!

mscat - I've looked at other forums and found the excuses for failing to be discouraging. You've really helped me focus on the successes no matter how small and not to look back - just keep moving on! Thank you!

things are going well...
 

Hi people. Just a little report here before I go out the door. I will probably be able to make 3 x at the gym, but not four, just because there are no more days. Still, I am going to walk more outside so that will help. Have two days done in the gym, along with two riding sessions. I stayed clear of cheese and deep-fried stuff 'cept for one thing... Let's see, what else, 21-day challenges are on track....I took the measurements but don't think I will post them here...worried about carla ;) ...but I will be posting the losses from next week. As far as the little extras of exercises...well, it was only yesterday I didn't move around much. Will do that more today. The cleaning the area in the room...no, haven't done that...really it's much too involved and it's really annoying me. What I really hate is that my work involves NO movement. To me, it's like the entire day is wasted. I HATE sitting in front of a computer! :mad: Well, just wanted to report in...calm, awarel and collected I have been! :yes: It kind of seems to take the fun out of things...but only the stupid things...drunken nights in bars...a lot of it is only fun because you're drunk and when you're being "aware," well, you just can't have fun. Better off without that kind of fun!

Well, I'm off! Ciao tutti!! :sunny:

Oh, Bonnie! Tonight (it's already Saturday here) could be it for the Hurricanes, right??!! :dancer: carla, whaddya say? Oilers goin' to make 'em wait another game? :eek:

Just saying hi. Water was good on Monday and Tuesday, disastrous on Wednesday, better Thursday and Friday, but today it's downhill again. We went hiking, and for me it's really difficult to drink lots of water when I'm going to new places that might be a fair distance and in the middle of nowhere - and besides, I'm doing all the driving there, and I'm far from a confident driver, so I don't want the persistent need to go to the toilet to distract me from the road... and no, there aren't many stop-points along the highways, and most of the time we're on back country roads anyway...

Today I only drank a little bit of water and actually got a headache in the afternoon - typical for me when I'm dehydrated. So I'm doing what I can, hopefully I can have 2 bottles finished well before bedtime.

Sorry, I'm too tired to read up and respond to everything said... I've been having trouble falling asleep the past few days, and spent a good while jumping around rocks today, really tired. I'll catch up next time. :)

Fyi...
 

RedB: HOOT!!!:lol: :lol: :lol: You had me there, I was reading along wondering how all those women could be happy with their heinies......

Happy Weekend! Got my exercise video done already this morning and have the days meals planned out. I'm finding that having my birthday as a goal and having it be fairly soon is a goal that actually holds my interest. I guess I'm feeling cocky today--I'm even beginning to wonder how I'll reward myself on my birthday if I make the 10# loss!

I had a terrible time last night after work. Got so hungry I felt nuts and frantic so I broke my "no late night eating" goal and ate a baggie of pretzels so I could get past the FIVE late night drive-thrus with no damage. I did manage to make it home without a cheeseburger but it was dicey there for a while! Whew! That is my most awful habit and I need to break it. I guess it's good to keep emergency rations in the car for those occasions.

So today I get to stay home and work on the Father's day quilt. And try to stay on plan for the rest of the day.

Have fun today!! :beach: Diana

a good week!!!
 

OK, it's Monday morning here and I am reporting in on last week's accomplishments....

GOAL REVIEW for LAST WEEK

1) Get to the gym AND train 4 times through Sunday.

Got there 3x, but also had a day with a long walk scheduled just for the exercise. Also rode twice.

2) Stay away from all deep-fried foods!

Ok here except for one transgression and not a huge one.

3) Go easy or totally abstain from cheese on my veggie stews and curries etc.

Yes, this was good!

4) Clean an area in my room for an exercise bike,

No, no time as usual...not upset about this in light of the other successes!

5) Take my measurements, record and post them here!

Done and am happy to report a 9-cm loss total over 8 measurements! How is that?!! I knew I had lost but if I hadn't taken them and written them down I would have nothing to gloat over! :dizzy: ALSO, my weight is down 1 kg to 72.6 kgs. I have a drinking date with a buddy at the gym that says when I break through 70 kgs we're drinking at the Irish pub! :cb:

6) Stay on track with my 21-day challenges

Yes, all days notched, NO pause days!! :spin:

7) Try to do little bits of movement during the day.

Well, this is hard to judge. I'd have to say I had only one somewhat slothful day and even then I did try to get out and walk around more than I normally would at lunch. So, OK!

********

AWARE, CALM and COLLECTED were my words...how did I do?

Got this one too....in fact, one night out in the pub I would have perhaps stayed on, but NO, thinking of my words, I did a steely (perhaps slightly wobbly) walk to the station and got the next-to-the-last train home! Yowzah!!! Also, during the week, instead of getting down about all the work ahead of me, I simply said, deep breaths, calm, collected!! AND, I stayed very aware of what was going in my mouth. The journaling from my 21-day challenge helped there a lot!!

Missed You - Missed Me!
 

Sorry ladies for being MIA - I didn't get a chance to post I was going out of town for the weekend and would have no internet access! Thank you to all of you for keeping things going. I love you :hug: Will post big and catch up with you tomorrow.

mscat

Hey ladies :)

Monday again... brrrr, it was so FREEZING in our room this morning... As I blabbled on another thread, my boyfriend's family has a strange (to me) habit of having the heating on during the day but off at night... and not having heating in the washrooms at all. Even if someone is up before me (hasn't been happening the past few days), our room still takes a while to get warm. Red, that reminds me, I forgot to answer on 21-day challenge - we do have a heater, but it's not smart or sophisticated enough to know to turn itself on half an hour before I wake up - and it's too backwards technologically to have an option like that built-in.

I think I didn't try hard enough with my water last week - there were a few days when I came close to meeting my goal of 3 x 600 mL but didn't push to actually meet the goal. And days when I drank very little water and didn't quite try to drink more.
So I'm continuing that challenge for this week, and I'm happy to say that Monday is a success - I'm well into my 4th bottle at the moment! :)
I'm also thinking of two more things - making an effort to get to bed earlier (this has improved a lot recently, but I'm far from satisfied) and having no treats/sweets/desserts other than fruit, vegetables and maybe nuts. I'm doing a "no chocolate" 21-day challenge and that's going great, but I there have been other occassional threats, and I'm interested in seeing whether forgoing those will make the scale go down. I'm very eager to get down to 58 kg/129 lb and claim my reward! :lol: Not sure if I mentioned this, but I decided to put a reward system in place, hoping that this will provide the boost and extra motivation which I've been struggling with over the last few months.
I'm even more eager to get down to 55 kg and get my second reward - my heart is set on getting it before I leave in Australia, and that's just 9 weeks away, so I better get cracking! And I better get moving, doing some real exercise real lots and real soon. Yesterday I found out, to my desmay, that my wonderful yoga classes won't be held for the next 2 weeks... :( It's school holidays here, and numbers always go down during holidays, and they won't be able to even break even. Sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks. What sucks even more is that it's so HARD to do anything right now - it gets dark by 5:30-6 pm, doesn't get bright until 7:30 am, so I can't run outside at all (I have a new temp job, so daytime is out). All I have left is the awful stationary bike... Well, and the skipping rope... ;)

Red, well done with your goals last week! :cheer: I forgot to tell you that since we're almost a full day ahead, I do my weigh-in on "thread Mondays", not on actual Mondays - so on Tuesdays for me and you, when it's still Monday for everyone else, and this way it's the same day. That's what I do, but of course you're free to do your own thing. :)

Bonnie, don't leave us! I've had weeks, many of them, when I felt the way you're feeling right now - that there is no point participating in the thread if you can't do what you promise. Well, maybe it's time to scale back a bit, and declare some small, achievable challenge - something not too daunting, just to get yourself started again. :) Give it a go! :)

Trying, good luck with the personal trainer! :) I'm in Australia right now, have been since last September, but I'm going back to Can-land soon.

Mscat, come back! :)

I'm back!
 

Ughhhh! It was torture not being able to post with my BB buddies :grouphug: The weekend course was phenomenal and I got breakthroughs that have already had an impact in my life. I didn't keep my promises while I was away - no excuses. I let go of being UNSTOPPABLE which would have kept me in the game. So I am declaring getting my BB out of the stands and getting on the court! Taking on being UNSTOPPABLE and POWERFUL - keeping in mind at all times that no one can do it for me - I AM THE ONE!

Sushi - I applaud you :cp: and stand with you - I am working on my first bottle now and will complete my second by beore 1! You love yoga - so take on doing what you love as much as possible on your own. I read on my treadmill - try that with your bike.

Red :bravo: on making a signficant dent in meeting your goals and congrats on the measurement! The study report had me rollin :lol:

Diana :carrot: great start to the day - We are pulling for you make your birthday goals.

Tryin' - :thanks: for your kinds words and especially for being a part of our group. AWESOME words for who you are this week.

Bonnie - we love you :grouphug: and we are here for you whether things are going well or going tough.

carla - where are you now???? Don't let the hockey results keep you away from us!!!! stop drowning in your beer and get back here! :drill:

mscat

Between girls night out on Saturday and Fathers day yesterday - food was not good this weekend - minor setback, but only temporary! This week I'll continue downing the water everyday and go workout at least 4 times. This week my goal is Maintaining Focus!

I hope everyone has a great week moving forward!

No joy in Mudville.... the mighty Oilers have struck out. :( Actually, I haven't watched a hockey game since my prince turned back into a toad, so I can't comment on the present state of violence in the game. But it was never something I admired. So, Bonnie, I agree with you that fights on the ice are stupid. But boys will be boys, I guess...

Last week I was semi-successful in my goals. My DETERMINATION slipped a little as the week wore on, and there was again little exercise done. But the no wine rule was a breeze, and the only chocolate was a free sample at Costco. (Okay. Two free samples.) :o And speaking of Costco, I'm not too proud of the many samples I inhaled. At least here in Canada there are not very many sample stations, and the portions are minute. When I was in a Costco in San Fran last year I was blown away by the quantity and variety of free goodies.

On weight, a few ups and downs: I was feeling quite euphoric last week to weigh in at 193.4 one morning. But I must have dreamt it, because the next day I was up 3 lbs from that! A very funny joke from the scale fairies... But in spite of Costco I'm at 194.2 this morning. Not much chance of hitting 189.9 by July 1, but on the right track. It was a little discouraging to look back and realize I had hit that number back in January, only to swell back up and get stuck.

So this week is once again no chocolate, and I'm adding in better veg consumption. There's a BBQ tomorrow night with free wine, so I'll try to keep the consumption to that one night. And the word for the week is planning - planning for a future with no ghosts, healthy eating, and (drum roll here) some exercise.

It's off to work for me now - on the verge of being late. Good luck to all the BBB's. Keep on trucking! ;)

Happy Tuesday!
 

Hi Ladies! I got in a 20 minute :tread: workout this a.m. and just completed a 20 minute walk for lunch :cb: Sushi - I am completing my first bottle of water (24oz) and I have 2 more to go. I am promising to complete the 2nd bottle by 3 and my 3rd by 7:30. I am picking up on carla's word - PLANNING and accentuating PLANNING with ACTION

So each morning I am going to PLAN my WORK and WORK my PLAN by scheduling in my planner what actions I am going to take and by when.

Have a great and ACTION packed day Sushi, Carla, Tryin', Diana, Bonnie, Donna (missing you!) and Red :wave:
mscat

Hump Day!
 

No exercise for me this a.m. but I am down with my first bottle of water and I am starting on my second :cp:

I am eating great - snacking on mini carrots, yogurt for breakfast, and getting ready to share a greek salad with my buddy. Hope everyone is having a great day!

mscat

Good Morning!

My first weigh-in shows me 2 pounds DOWN for the first week of my Birthday Challenge. I'll take it!:D

Still out here. I've been down with pneumonia for a couple days. It comes on in a heartbeat because of my asthma...No exercise and not watching closely what I eat, but NO CHANGE in my weight, thank Heaven!

Today I'm going back to work--there are only today and tomorrow left and then I start a new job at a new hospital on Monday. Maybe closing on our new house next week too. I am at least able to think about my eating today and will go back to matching those portions. I'll pick up the exercise again when the lungs clear out.


The rest of y'all keep up the good work--I'm cheering from the sidelines!

Diana

Hey Ladies

It's Friday evening here, weekend at last. I'm so looking forward to the weekend. I haven't been around because I got a temp job, one that included good 3 hours/day on public transit, and in the evenings I was just too tired to look in here. I think I tried once, but the forum was down or something... The job is over, and I don't yet know whether I'll have anything next week. We'll see. I still don't feel like working (though I do admit that once you start, it goes), but I'm still broke. So while on the other hand a few days of doing my own thing would be nice (sleep, sleep, sleep!!!), more money would be nice too...

Challenges have been going good - I've been doing great with the water all week - for some reason working always helps me with that, but it's a lot harder to get all this water in when I'm home! I haven't been having any snacks, only some nuts on Monday and again on Thursday.

But I'm so frustrated and annoyed with the scale! :tantrum:
Remember how not too long ago it went up to 62 kgs for no reason, and then went back down to 61 and then even to 60 kg and then slightly UNDER 60? I had hoped to see it close to 59 kg this week... Instead, it slowly crept back up over the weekend, and I was back at 61 on our weigh-in day. And it hasn't budged from there. I don't understand, and I'm sick of it... I haven't been sleeping enough and I'm tired, and I haven't been exercising at all, simply because there weren't enough hours in the day, BUT I've been watching my food and not eating bad stuff... so why a gain???
It makes me so upset because I had though I was getting close to my mini-goal (58 kg), but now it seems like I will never get there... Add to that the fact that I was hoping to hit 55 kg eight weeks from now... that's 13 lbs to get rid of in 8 weeks, and that's not happening... I don't understand why, but my body seems to just plain refuse to shed the fat. This has been going for months... I set goals, I work towards them, but nothing happens on the scale. I was hoping that setting up a reward system would provide the kick I needed, but it's not I that need a kick, it's the stupid fat. It probably needs a whack, but I have no idea how to whack it effectively.

Okay, I'll stop the rant now... zzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz

I have the hardest time on the weekends or days off with water too. At work it's on my desk, running around or working at home it's out of sight, out of mind. I'm going to have to keep water bottles strategically placed throughout the house!

Exercise is good - walking a mile or two during the day and working out with cardio and weights five days a week. I'm starting to see/feel what I can only imagine is muscle in my legs - Ive NEVER followed any excercise plan in my entire life, so I'm not quite sure!
Last night storms kept the whole city up,so we're all walking zombies today! Glad it's my day off from the gym! Looking forward to Monday morning weigh-in, prepared to not see much on the scale; but I know it's working. Starting to see the difference in how may clothes fit! My goal for July is to Shop my closet!
mscat, sushi, red, diana, carla and everyone else enjoy the weekend! Drink! Drink! Drink! Though I plan on replacing a water or two tonight with a cold draft....or two! :)

Tgif!
 

Mornin' - I was MIA yesterday - Totally did not keep my promises AND I didn't have the courage or the integrity to say so. I am on the job now and promise to keep my integrity in - by doing what I said I would do and communicating with you when I am not keeping my promise!

Tryin' - you go girl! :cheer: You have inspired me to have the clothes I am wearing now fit better and take action to get into the clothes I have outgrown recently. I am going to get off my BB (big butt) and get moving.

Sushi - Take heart :hug: There is something missing in what you are doing or not doing and you can be real honest with yourself about what it is. It's great that you are working consistently on eating right but if you are like me, I know I have to do more than eat consistently to make a significant difference. I have to be CONSISTENT with a couple of other things like getting adequate sleep consistently, exercising consistently, drinking water consistently, not eating too late in the evening consistently.

Today I am inspired about a new direction I would like to take the thread when we change on the 4th. There are lots of Top 10 lists out there for healthy weight loss. I chose to practice 4 items from my favorite tips today.

I will . . .
1. Eat 5 small meals today (3 balanced meals and 2 healthy snacks)

2. Complete my last meal by 8 p.m.

3. Move for a minimum of 20 minutes (the tip is do move 30 min. 4 times a week- working up to this!)

4. Drink a minimum of 48 oz H2O (the tip is 64 oz min. or use a weight/water ratio calculator - working up to this too!

The other tips on my list are 5. Get adequate sleep, 6. Plan your meals each day 7. Keep a food journal 8. Cut portions in half or eat smaller portions (especially for special occasions and eating out 9. Get 3 veggies and 3 fruits in a day and 10. Plan one cheat meal or snack once a week (staves off cravings)

I invite each of you to share your favorite top 10 list here - We'll pick the 10 most common items for the thread and challenge ourselves between the 4th and Labor Day to chose 2 - 4 items from that list to work consistently on each week. Can you imagine the difference it would make in our weight loss goals if we could be consistent for a whole week with 2 or more actions that have been proven to make a difference for weight loss? Who will take that challenge on?

:goodluck: on your goals today!

mscat

YAY! For FRIDAY!:carrot:

Well,

Still really sick. Today is my last day at the current job and I'm going to drag myself in. Haven't been able to exercise, but haven't gained anything as I checked this am and feeling like it'll be easy to watch it today too.

mscat, I can add my Ten Tips:

1. drink water
2. 30 min daily exercise 6 days/week
3. No eating after 8pm
4. Post daily
5. Have a small treat daily [ie ONE chocolate kiss]
6. Limit grain product to 5 servings or less
7. Serve true portions
8. Keep safe "emergency snacks" in the car
9. Don't have binge foods in the house
10. Have a daily little planning/pep rally

Today, I can still do most of those, despite being sick.

And I want to post during the weekend too!

Onward!
Diana

Jump Right In!
 

Great list Diana! I love # 6 Limit grains and # 8 Keep safe emergency snacks in the car. Don't over do with that pneumonia - ease back into things - your health is #1.

mscat

Hello everyone. Sorry I have been AWOL. Things have not been good for me this week, starting Monday when I heard my uncle had died....a lot of other things going on, but I plan to get back on track for next week's challenge. I like seeing those inches come off and want to do more of that! You all take care and I'll be back! :wave:

Saturday Report
 

Just a quickie to catch up.

First of all, Dear Red - My prayers are with you. Take care while you are caring for yourself and your family. We will look forward to your return when you are ready :grouphug:

I just want to report that eating and water were good on Thursday and adequate on Friday. I am getting ready to get on the :tread: and drink some water as we speak. So I can get my day 2 in of exercise. Then Sunday will be day 3. This is a slow start and is not enough consistency to make a difference (practicing INSANITY) so I am stepping up to 4 days minimum next week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend ladies. Looking forward for your tips contributions.

mscat

Another quickie!
 

Where are all my BB buddies:dizzy: I hope everyone turns up for weigh in, horn tuting :woo: and new promises for the week on Monday. Sushi - I know you are already into Monday so I am looking forward to hearing at least from you when I turn on the computer in the a.m.

Have a great Monday a.m. start! :wave:

mscat

Hi Mscat :)

Indeed it's Monday here, already evening actually. I'm finishing the last of my water for today - that went better than expected today.
I went hiking during the weekend, and thus didn't meet my water intake goals. Still, it was 5 days out of 7. This week will probably be harder, as I'm not working again.

Good luck to you all. Not quite sure when I'll be around next, internet access is an issue again. And to be honest, I don't feel like stepping on the scale tomorrow.

:p Hey all. Not the weigh-in I was hoping for, but no increase. July 1 is looming, and only 4.8 lbs to lose by then. :lol: Maybe not? I did actually weigh in at 191.3 on Thursday, but it was the morning after the night before, and the only good part of a hangover is the lost water weight... By Friday I was back to normal and full of :censored: again.

My planning worked fairly well. A couple of walks, and a short run (!). Not so good on the eating... I can control the appetite, but so far not the useless nibbling. Maybe next week?

My top 10:
1. Alcohol = useless calories.
2. Enticing new food products will still be available when I'm thin.
3. ANY exercise is better than none.
4. GET OUT OF BED!!!
5. Avoid processed/fast foods.
6. GO TO BED!!
7. Eat breakfast.
8. Plan meals and exercise ahead of time.
9. Stay hydrated.
10. Just do it!!!!

Now I don't claim to be following any of that Top Ten, but if I did... I think for this week I'll try to do them all!! Which of course would require lots of planning. I'm a little too good at being consistent - consistently underexercising, overindulging, undersleeping...

Mscat, looking forward to seeing which of our tips make the final cut. It sounds like you're really striving for sanity! And by the way - beer is one of the few vices I DON'T have. Wish I could say the same about wine! Or chocolate!

Sushi, when I hike I take a full two-litre camelback-like water bladder to stay hydrated. Maybe you should try that? Unless you drink less water because of the lack of places to pee while hiking...

Red, so sorry to hear about your uncle. I hope it doesn't keep you away from us too long! I have a feeling you'd be pretty good at top ten tips. I loved the *** study!

Bonnie, where are you? Still basking in the Hurricanes' victory?

Trying, did you maintain that focus as planned? (I should have made that one of my tips...)

Chic-chick, you need to look after yourself! Exercise and pneumonia don't mix - better to rest now than to be sick for much longer. (Just ask Mscat...)

Oh yes, I forgot about the list... I have some things, but not too sure whether they'll make ten points, so I'll think about it some more.

Carla, yes, that's exactly why. And also the long drives there and back - while most picnic grounds have some facilities, that can't be said about the long backroads, where even petro stations are sparse (and if they have toilets, they're even yuckier than at picnic or camping grounds...).

Solid 61 kgs on the scale, which is 135.555555556 lbs. :tantrum: I've been weighin in every day for the past two weeks, but I won't anymore, I think.

Come on, where is everyone else? :grouphug: