Weekly chat March 13-20
 

I thought it might be fun if we had a chat thread like some of the other forums do. There's really not that many regular posters on this board and it might be nice to keep up with each other/report back on WIs without starting new threads/get support and encouragement, etc. A fun way to get to know each other better and be a good support system.

If you guys think it's a dumb idea or if nobody else wants to do it we can just let the thread die.

I've had a pretty good week. Have used some weeklies but not all of them and have earned 38 APs which I think is a record for me. I lost 1.8 lbs last week so I'm not expecting too much of a loss this week (I WI on Monday evenings).

Today I went to my first Zumba class! At first I was anxious because I didn't really have the moves down but other people were messing up too. Once I realized that I sort of calmed down and had fun. At about 15 minutes in my friend Tracy and I both looked at each other and weren't sure we could make it to the end (it's a 55 minute class) but luckily we had breaks in between songs to drink water and towel off the sweat. It was fun but a really hard workout and I can feel it in my arms and legs already.

I think Zumba might be my new thing! :carrot:

Hoping to make it to 10 lbs lost this week. I was only 0.2 away last week so hopefully I can lose at least that much and get another sticker.

How about you guys? Having a good weekend?
I need dinner ideas! What are you having?

Also we have a tradition of going out after our WI and this is my week to pick. I'm going with sushi. So I have to figure out what is most points friendly and how much I can have before I go.

:D

I love Sushi...and most is relatively low in points. You can have a decent amount for like 8 points or so. I love it.


I'm pretty much back on plan today after being sick. I gained back a few pounds of what I lost from being sick, but I knew that would happen. We'll see what Wednesday brings as far as weigh in. I'm feeling pretty good though, so hopefully I'll be over this plateau. I'm waiting for the Momentum supplies Kim is sending me...I'm pretty excited.

I like the thread idea :) Thats awesome that you tried Zumba, i had been mentioning in another thread about the Zumba... that i want to try it too. I have a friend who i have been doing the WW with, and she wants to try it out. She loves to dance, however... I do not know how to dance... i am that person who was always sitting at the table all alone sipping on a drink while the others were having fun. This was partly because i didnt want to embarass myself! ugh. Anyhow, for her (and myself too) i am going to try it and see what trouble i can stir up :P Do you think it is something where you get all out of breath when you do it? cause i am also worried about my asthma. Last night I tried the eliptical and almost killed myself panting out of control.

Hmm dinner? i am in Canada, and we have a grocery store called Farm Boy, so i went there so i could pick up my dinner for while i am here at work... but i cant wait to eat it! This store rocks because its all fresh food...There is no processed foods there... so you dont have the option of buying it. which i really like... cause im not tempted. I am forced to eat healthier there... with an emphasis on organic choices. I got this awesome fresh salad with egg, ham and cheese, their own home made italian dressing... and a small chicken wrap.

Ideas for dinner? you know... i really like the Kikkoman Teryaki Marinade and Sauce. When i use my calculator it is zero points. It is fantastic in a stir fry with veggies and chicken. That right now is my favorite dinner.

we usually go out after WI too. Last week we went to this awesome little british pub in the country... it was so beautiful there. great atmosphere. Food is incredible :) I had a turkey burger with feta cheese on a whole wheat bun, with french fries (not the best, but i so wanted them!)

Zumba is fun. I've just started working out consistently so I am pretty unfit. I was feeling it after the warm up and about 15 minutes in I wasn't sure if I would make it through the hour. The good thing is that there are people of all shapes and ability levels and our instructor was really good at showing modifications (making the arm and leg movements smaller so you're still working hard but it isn't impossible). Also you have a few seconds in between songs so you can drink water and wipe off the sweat and that helps you catch your breath a bit. There was never a time when I was in pain.
Group fitness classes are awesome, for me, because the instructors push me much harder than I would push myself. I even ordered a heart rate monitor so I would know my HR and how many calories I'm burning in these classes.

Please let us know how you like Zumba!

Thinking I will have maybe 3 or 4 rolls tomorrow night with a seaweed salad. Probably mostly good, healthy rolls with one specialty.

Ya i am pretty much sure i am gunna rock out some Zumba. Everyone loves it who has tried it. I worry about my asthma tho, however i know i can stop anytime i need to. I was in the ICU and almost intubated a few years back because my asthma flared up. I am not supposed to aggravate it. Which is very difficult when i need to get excersice. That elliptical did kick my butt last night lol.

My dinner was good tonite, but i have to say... i am getting sick to death of salads lol! ugh. I am thinking i want to cut out bread all together too. One of the meetings the other week was about adding variety to our daily meals, but i feel like i eat the same stuff every day. I know also that for the last week or more i have skipped breakfast all together which is terrible im sure. I work full time evenings so i get home at abut 1230am, i stay up watching tv until about 3am. I get up its close to 11am the next morning and then i have to get up, jump in the shower and head to the store to get fresh stuff for my dinner and lunch before i head to work. Is that a hinderance to this eating plan? Skippin the breakfast?

oh ok.. so ALOT of people mess up on zumba too then? XD i tried it yesterday.. just 20 min express, and the one thought that kept going through my head was "my hips cant move like that"

i've yet to pick a meeting day (even though i have the unlimited option)... it will be mom and me on tuesday, or a midmorning wednesday or thursday if i can coax my husband into looking after our daughter


I found a really good wrap in walmart the other day. It's by Josephs. Flax oat bran and whole wheat lavash bread. there are 4 wraps, and there are 8 portions, but they're HUGE... cut one in half and its only 1point ^_^ add lil mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions... today i also added a turkey burger cut into strips. SO GOOD.

Hey guys!

I joined WWO tonight, so now I am all set up on my plan with PointsPlus. I used the old system a few years ago and dropped 50lbs., but I've gained that plus more back since then. So now I am trying to actually be committed to this and live my life healthier.

Today I bought the DVD "The Biggest Loser Workout Boot Camp". I don't go to a gym because I don't drive and there aren't any by my apartment or by my work. So I will be working out at home, which is fine, because it means no one can see me! Hehe. I did the first level of the DVD, which kicked my *** because I haven't worked out in so long. I'm hoping to get to the 3rd level of the DVD in a month or so.

I also just enjoyed some Crispy Minis Ketchup flavour because I was craving chips and those are just as good! And much less points!

welcome

I would work out at home and all... but i fear for the objects around me! :carrot:

The crispy mini's look good, but i havent tried them. Ketchup chips are my all time favorite chip in the world... and dill pickle! Mmm. I would take those over any other food. Just stayin away from it all. I like the flavour shakers popcorn tho. Its a pricey 10-11 pts+ per bag, but its so good.

Also... i am trying to add up my points in my head from the day while i am here at work, anyone know off the top of their heads how many points a 1/4 cup of regular icecream is worth? (choco if it makes a difference).

that is a legitimate concern! luckily i manage to keep myself safe. not sure what my guinea pig or my downstairs neighbours think though!

they also have dill pickle crispy minis... yummers!

don't know exactly about the ice cream but 1/2 cup (regular) is 4 according to my WWO.

if you give us numbers? fat, carbs, protein, fiber, we/i can calculate it for you.. or you can google it.. sometimes you get a number for "weight watchers points chocolate ice cream"

Thanks guys. I think 4 points, there was no info listed on the container... it was some stuff in the fridge i found at the hospital, you know those little styrofoam cups with the cardboard tops? one of those. I just felt like having something on my strawberries for my evening snack. It was incredible too i may add. I was just trying to rack my brain so i could figure out if i could have popcorn now that i am home, since i had the icecream.

I started using the gym at my work. I did the eliptical.. which i am trying to build up some tolerance on. It kills my lungs. I am able to get the most time in however on the recumbent bike. Do you guys think that 30 min on that recumbent bike at a fast pace would be enough excersize if i did it 5-6 days a week. I cant seem to fit in much more than that right now. I hate the gym so much but i can do the bike, its not terrible.

i think that is sufficient exercise, mercury. i am aiming for a 25-min workout 4 times a week right now which is hard to adjust to because i NEVER worked out before. one day i hope to enjoy exercise but that day is not today!

i have my lovely TOM now so i'm feeling that i'll probably see a gain this week, but i'm going to try not to let that discourage me.

Hi Everyone!!

Glad this thread was started! I didn't have a very good week, unfortunately I over ate on Thursday and Saturday. My home scale was up 5lbs due to water retention which I'm still trying to work off! I found myself slipping more than usual and almost to the point of giving up once again but I know I can't. Sometimes I wish this process was easy - Eat healthy, exercise and see the pounds melt off. The mental aspect of trying to lose weight is a challenge and some days I can't deal with it.

So today I'm back on track, going to track carefully and head out to run 3 or 4 miles.

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend and has a great week!

Wow, Kim! I know weight loss is a difficult journey but look how far you have come! From your before pictures to going out to run 3 or 4 miles. Your physical fitness alone is a huge accomplishment you should be proud of!

I WI tonight. I have a scale here and it drive me BANANAS because it says something different every single time I step on it. And I don't mean at different times during the day. I mean at that exact moment. I wish I could give up weighing myself at home but I just can't help it.

Today is my rest day from the gym. Right now I'm having my usual breakfast (special K/banana/coffee). I have a doctor's appointment later and I'm waiting to hear back from *another* doctor's office. Then later is WW and dinner afterwards.

Phae: Welcome! I hope you love the points plus program!

Mercury: I think the recumbent bike is a fine exercise. As long as it gets your heart rate up and you are getting a benefit from it I think it is good. Beats sitting on the couch doing nothing!

Jinksie: Yes! on the people messing up in zumba. Even the regulars weren't perfect. Half were going one way and half were going the other way lol.

Have a wonderful day, all! Hoping for a good WI tonight. :carrot:

i saw/read somewhere that you burn 3 times more weight on an epiliptical then on a bike machine.. it was like 430smething vs 130something but dont do the machine if if hurts you. work your way up, like everything else.

i cant not weigh myself either... but i think i do it obsessively=p (like everytime i go pee, & when i wake up and go to bed - i like to see how it fluctuates) I dont take the number to heart, cos i know the one at WW is different, and actually the number is lower at my house than there.... (its 210 here, and 212 there.. well was...)

My scale is the opposite. I'm usually about 3 lbs lighter on the WW scale than I am at home. Which is a *good* thing and it sort of takes the sting out of weighing in the evening (when of course you will weigh more than in the morning).

my scale is a digital scale... a glass one, i feel like im going to shatter it every time i step on it LOL. The numbers are all over the place for me as well. And i too cannot stop weighing myself. I am at the point where i need to ask my boyfriend to hide it on me haha. Atleast it gives me a heads up when i do go to weigh in that if i am in a lower range than i was the week before then i lost weight most likely. If its close to the same or above... then i have myself mentally ready for the WI.

I still think i should get him to hide it :P

I love the idea of a weekly thread. :) You know what else I think would be cool? A progress photos thread for WWers - I love looking at everyone's progress photos and think it would be cool if we had our own here in this forum, too. What do you all think?

I used to do Zumba and really enjoyed it, too, once I got over the initial embarrassment and stopped worrying that I wasn't doing all the moves exactly right. The key for me was not to look at myself in the mirror. :D I haven't been able to go in a long while because the class times either don't work with my schedule or they are full by the time I get there. :( There's a spin-off class that's started at my gym called Funk Fitness, where it's the same basic concept but leaning more towards hip-hop style dancing over Latin. I am hoping to be able to try one of those classes soon. It amazes me how crazy popular Zumba has become! :dizzy: I see all these women at the gym in their Zumba gear (the pants with the tassles on the butts take more chutzpah to wear than I've got!) and it reminds me of the Jazzercise craze of the 80s. My spin instructor (who I think was a goth girl in a former life, haha) calls it the Zumba cult - only half joking, I think.

Right now I am getting ready to run a half marathon on Sunday and so a lot of my training over the past several weeks has been focused on running. I ran this race last year (it was my first endurance type event) and finished in 3 hours, although I'd injured my hip and had to walk a good portion of it. This year I will hopefully be able to run injury-free and would love to make it in under two and a half hours. We'll see. :)

Food-wise, I have been doing good this week. I haven't had the huge yo-yo swings in weight that I was experiencing earlier this year, although I haven't lost a whole lot in the last couple of weeks, either. Getting to closer to goal is great but it makes it harder to lose. I'm still calorie counting along with tracking my points and that's helping me be more aware of my food choices, where my nutrients are coming from and what foods help or hinder me.

Spooky, I hope you make that 10lbs this week! It's such a great feeling to hit those milestones. I love sushi and eat it once a week or so - focus on sashimi or nigiri; avoid tempura items and rolls that include mayo-based sauces. Dinner ideas, huh? Well, tonight I am having roasted asparagus and salmon. Last night I had tofu with spinach and mushrooms. Tomorrow night I am having turkey burgers and sauteed kale. If any of those sound appetizing to you, let me know and I'll be happy to send you the recipe. :)

Marianne, glad to hear you are feeling better and hope that the scale is kind this week. :)

Mercuryblue and jinksie, don't let your fear of not being able to dance or move a certain way get in your way of trying Zumba. I am the most uncoordinated person I know and have no rhythm, but even I can do it and it's a lot of fun! Just don't worry about getting the moves perfect, as long as you are moving, that's what's important. And take a look around, you'll likely see plenty of people who are no Michael Jacksons, either. :)

Mercuryblue, I don't think skipping breakfast would necessarily be a hinderance, as long as you don't find it makes you overeat the rest of the day. Some people prefer to have three meals with one or two snacks and others eat more mini-meals. It's up to you, really. The important thing is to track what you're eating and don't set yourself up to be too hungry.

Phae, welcome and good luck! That DVD sounds like a real kickbutt workout. I am an expat Canadian and ketchup chips are my very favorite. :love: It's a good thing they don't sell them down here, although those crispy minis sound like a good substitute.

Kimberly, your weekend sounds like my weekend prior. :( It took me a week to get rid of the water weight from the sodium. I read one of your other posts somewhere where you mentioned having splurge days and finding that harder now that you're closer to goal. That's me, too - I am finding that one treat meal can really do some damage, even if it's just short-term. When we finally get to goal and are maintaining, that probably wouldn't be such an issue, but when you're trying to lose weight consistently every week, it's a different matter - and frustrating! I hope this week is better for you. Enjoy your run!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, I'm going to get off the computer and go make a healthy and delicious supper. :)

Before weight watchers for me, breakfast befor 10am made me over eat all day. I know they say it kicks your metaolism going and boy did it for me.. I'd be hungry ALL day; but with WW, i have the points avaible to eat, and obviously i can eat all the fruit i want without guilt.. so thats an added benefit.

as for showing progress photos.. sometimes they only work a little .... not everyone wants to show off their photos... I know i dont.. cept maybe the photos from my heaviest years ago in comparison til now...and heaviest was only about 20lbs heavier... (HUGE difference)

Ive only lost 12 lbs in the last 7 weeks since starting this journey...i dont notice any changes in my body yet, but i cant wait to start seeing it happening. I notice my work scrubs getting a little looser for sure, but i cant afford to buy more yet, i will have to wait till they look rediculous to change them... but they are getting to that point, and they make me look heavier since they are so boxy!

Oooh! I'm not very far in this journey yet but I'd be happy to show before and during!

And I lost 1.4 this week so I surpassed my 10# goal and have only ounces to go to meet my 5%! I really hope I can do it next week.

congrats on your loss this week spooky! a pound is a pound!

have you ever held a 1 lb. something and thought about that used to be on you? sometimes i hold my 5lb. weights and think about that. it's crazy!

i am doing well so far today. still have 9 pts left for the day so i might have a little night time snack in an hour or so.

i am addicted to crispy minis! i'm so glad there is something like chips that i can eat for not too many pts. what i do to control my portion is count out how many are in the portion on the label and put them into a bowl and then put the bag away so i don't over eat. it makes me savour them more.

i am also loving fruit! i bought strawberries, pineapple, bananas and apples today... yuuuummmm!!

TOM is bringing me down a bit but i'm hoping my exercise this week will make me feel better.

Really interesting to read everyone's posts. Grats on the 10 pounds Spooky.

I lost a pound this week. Not sure how this week will go. I ate out Saturday (my weigh in day) and used 7 weekly points. Wednesday is my mom's 87th birthday so we are driving 4 hours to take her out and then driving 4 hours back home...not sure how that day will go WW-wise.

We have to drive back that same day because we have inspections the next day for our house that is under contract to sell. We are going to be living in very small quarters while our new house is being built so I threw out a lot of clothes. I threw out all my clothes that are too big for me (better not gain any weight) and even some that will fit me now or almost fit me now. I thought about packing them away until the new house is built, but that is close to a year away at best so I hope those clothes would be too big for me thin.

Very hectic this week and the next couple of weeks getting ready for closing so not much time for exercise. On the other hand...I wonder if I could count box packing as activity?

Good luck with your busy week Koshka!

I got shoes in the mail today that I ordered, and of course the right one is soooo tight and will have to take some wearing before it stretches out (they're canvas). Made me wonder if my feet will shrink when I lose more weight! Haha. I have such big, wide feet. It's so annoying! (Size 11W if anyone is wondering.)

I have wider feet also, but what pisses me off... is that i cannot ever find a pair of knee length boots to fit me. None of them fit at the calf, it sucks! Anyone else find that too? ***shakes fists*** :(

I wish i could design clothes... atleast these days there is some choices in plus size clothing that is a little more "hip" , when i was a teenager i had to wear old lady clothes, always felt i couldnt be who i wanted to be due to lack of clothing for larger sizes. My mom used to hear all about my frustrations. Now its not too bad, but still kinda sucks!

i have a pair of zip up boats i LURVE... cos they wont go over my calf (right now - before i got pregnant, i could (with the weightloss i'd had then); right now i just slouch them down, zip them and pull them up as high as i physically can =p

also, i did zumba 1hour tonight. Cardio party... and i was sweating my *** off.. breathing heavy through some of it, but i kinda felt like i didnt do anything. Maybe i was sweating cos the room was hot? (i live in Fl and dont have the ac on right now despite 80s today)... and honestly... i kept thinking "i hate skinny people, cos they can do this, and i cant" =p but it takes practice... this i know.
allow me my one evil thought ;)

Hello chicks!

I take Zumba classes at least once a week--don't stress about the moves, just keep moving and have fun! The steps will come eventually!

LitChick--your story is amazing! I keep saying I am going to train for a 1/2 marathon, but I still haven't done it...maybe now is the time. We have a race in the fall in my city..Good luck!

Ugh my boyfriend wants to go and get stuff to make nachos tonite after i am done work and watch a movie. I think nachos are probably one of my favorite things to eat in the entire...ENTIRE world. It is sheer torture to watch him eat them. I am going to try to satisfy myself with some popcorn lol. blah!

He has been following the plan with me, but i find he gets grumpy... so i have to sweeten him up with a few cookies every now and then! Anyone else have men at home who like to grumble over eating well? its like we are torturing them lol.

I want in on this thread! I think the consistency of posting daily really keeps me accountable. I could use some of that as I ate a super lot this weekend and need to get back on the wagon.

For all you zumba ladies, I am with you. I take 6 classes per week, and wish I could do more!

6 per week!! your a trooper! Good for you!

I wish my gym offered 6! Only 3 for me and on the days I don't go, I run and do a 90 minute Spin Class.

I had a pretty terrible week as as as tracking is concerned and I'm scared my focus is diminishing. Tomorrow is the start of a new week for me and I can't wait because my goal is to have a perfect week and to track EVERYTHING.

Last night I found myself dipping pretzels in the peanut butter jar and while I only had a few, I didn't track them. Thankfully I ran yesterday and it balances things out but the scale isn't moving because I'm in maintenance mode. Maybe I'm too comfortable with myself right now and am becoming lazy because I only have 15lbs left until I reach goal. These last 15lbs are frustrating to say the least!

Hopefully I will have a better week starting tomorrow!

mercury my husband doesn't eat well.. he and i eat separately, and generally always have. he's like 170lbs tops and can eat pizza, drink soda all day, breadsticks. anything and look the way he does... (not to say there probably isnt any diabetes at this point).. so he and i just eat separately - but i still prepare most of this food

Kim: I hope you find something that helps you get back on track. This has been your focus for so long maybe you need to take a little bit of a break? Or reward yourself in another way?

My wife and I are both on WW so that's nice. We go to meetings together and usually go out to eat afterwards. We don't always make the same choices, though. She has more daily points than me and she works in a restaurant with very rich food and will often eat things that I'd never dream of eating. She also loses at a much faster rate. It's frustrating but I try not to compare our weight loss. My successes are still successes even if it's not as fast, right?
With my loss last night my points went down again. Now I'm at 33.

We also only have Zumba offered 3x/week. I think I might go tonight (there's a class called Zumba sculpt, can't imagine what that is) and a friend and I are talking about going to a spin class on Thursday (ack!).

I hope so too because this has been difficult! In the beginning I was so focused and determined, now I'm becoming lazy with my tracking. I still workout almost everyday and pretty hardcore but all the work I'm putting in at the gym isn't going to matter if I keep over eating.

I'm too comfortable with myself! Not sure how to reward myself but I did say when I reached the 100lb mark I would get a new tattoo. The only issue with that is I'm going to be working EMS and I already have 3. Don't want my patients thinking I'm a freak!! LOL! Maybe I'll make a trip to the salon and treat myself that way instead, seems safer!

You could always get a tattoo with less noticeable placement? I have only one on my right shoulder (but it's an awesome one -- a haunted house with 'Spooky' underneath in big drippy letters lol) but definitely want more. I am definitely rewarding myself when I get to my 10%. It has been everything from a new Coach bag to a kindle to a bicycle lol. I can't decide what it is that I want.
You've accomplished a lot. You are an inspiration to many people here. It's ok to loosen up a bit and be comfortable at the weight you are now before you buckle down and lose the rest. Is your goal weight the maximum WW weight for your height? My leader suggests going for that and making lifetime and then maybe deciding if you want to continue losing after you maintain for a bit.

As an aside, to Kim (and others): who is on facebook? I need friends that post about things other than how much pizza and beer they had last night (or how drunk they are going to get on Thursday). Let me know who you are and I will send a friend request!

I gained 2lbs this week, but I knew it was coming and was totally prepared for it, so when I stepped on the scale yesterday I wasn't disappointed but, instead, felt motivated to work even harder this week! I think that actually says a lot about the change in my attitude this time around, since in the past I'd always get super upset and bummed about a gain like that. But not this time! It's just an incentive to be more careful watching my points and exercising!

I've never done Zumba, but my sister bought the Wii game and loves it. And I have co-workers who do it twice a week and seem to enjoy it. I just signed up for a modern belly dance class (I guess it's "modern" in the sense of the music they use) and I'm SUPER excited! :carrot:

Here is my link! I post my weekly weigh ins and post pictures in my 'Weight Watchers' Album. www.facebook.com/kimberlyandbrianp