Abu's AWESOME August 2015 - W.I.S.H. Weight Loss Challenge! Any & All Welcome to Join!

[ThistleMae]

How is everyone doing this weekend? Week FOUR starts tomorrow! Oh my goodness. August is on its way out! Don't get discouraged if you haven't hit your goal yet - there is still lots of time to make a difference! And no matter what your numbers at the end of the month, remember - each day you do SOMETHING to work toward that goal is one day closer you get!

Anyone around to chat today?? So looking forward to our September thread, hosted by the awesome @DisPup75. Looks like it's going to be an Under the Sea theme - can't wait!!

In personal updates, I took a couple of inadvertent rest days from my HIIT program this weekend. Friday I came home from work and immediately fell asleep. Then yesterday, we got back from picking up the stuff for the yard sale, and I was exhausted. Getting that stuff wasn't even hard work! I don't know what's going on. But I ended up taking a nap yesterday, too. By the time I woke up, it was time to head to my parents' house for our usual Saturday night visit. Today has been another fairly lazy day as far as workouts, but Sundays are laundry-cleaning-grocery store days, so even though they're a little lazy, they're very full.

I applied to a work-from-home position last night, basically doing customer service phone calls and emails. The exciting part? It's for the DISNEY COMPANY!!! How wonderful would that be?! Saying lots of prayers that it pans out - I updated my resume in a hurry so I could make sure I applied before the listing went away, but I don't think I put anywhere near enough emphasis on all my customer service background, so I'm worried it'll get thrown out. Fingers crossed!!

We're going back to the low-carb/high-protein eating with this HIIT program, and basically throwing out the calculations that came with it. I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do or not, but we're going to try it. We just kind of lose control when we allow more carbs into our diets, and both DH2B and I feel gross from the extra carbs and calories. My biggest fear is this "starvation mode" thing, though! I might feel like I'm eating enough through the day, but according to everyone (my doctor, the program people, etc.) 1200 calories is too low and I'm starving myself. But I don't know how to eat more! Blah. I wish this was less of a puzzle. Someone just tell me what to do LOL.

You've Got Mail is on CMT today. It makes me miss the 90's and AOL and that dial up tone LOL. And it REALLY makes me wish I lived in NYC in the fall.

Stayed up last night and figured out what FP's we're going to try to get! So excited. We get to pick them Tuesday at 11pm my time! Thankfully we're planning to be really laid back this trip, so there's nothing we feel like we HAVE to get.. No mad rush for Anna and Elsa or the Mine Train. Hopefully that makes our selections a little less stressful!

Oh, I really hope you get the new job....that would be fantastic!

 

[ThistleMae]

Well I have to say I have missed these boards and all the encouragement that comes with it. I knew August was going to have me without internet and thrown in the middle of 3 very busy weeks as I enjoyed a visit with my son for the first time in a year. I brought him to the airport late last evening and today the lonesomeness is silently telling me to comfort eat!!! I have resisted but its been a particularly hard day and the fight is not over yet. I just finished the Leslie Sansone Walk at Home and it did make me feel a little stronger. I have been reading the last months posts today and am hoping to be able to join Septembers challenge...Im on a final countdown as my next visit to WDW is Sept 30th for 4 days . Glad to be back. hope everyone is enjoying the last bits of summer !!!

Awe....so happy you got a visit with your son. I have a son who lives a plane flight away and saw him just last month...hadn't seen him in 3 years. So I feel your heartbreak. Glad to have you join us in September! It is really a great site. I look at it everyday, whether it be for the "I feel your pain" messages or for the hard work folks are doing to stay healthy and eat well. As you know, weight management is a lifestyle change that doesn't come easy for us "overeaters".....so we need the extra support, the understanding and the whoohoo celebrations! Stay strong. We are with you!

 

[JacknSally]

How do, people?!

Happy Monday morning to everyone. I hope everyone had wonderful weekends! It was pretty quiet in here this weekend, so I'm going to assume that means everyone did!

Welcome to WEEK FOUR of our August challenge! We're in the home stretch now, so it's time to really ramp it up and give it all you've got this week. Drink lots and lots and lots of water, get in some extra time on the treadmill or an extra session at the gym if you can. Track those numbers religiously. No cheats! Any loss is a good loss, even if it's not 100% of your goal!


QOTD for August 24, 2015
Take a look back over your progress and your journey this month. Whether or not you hit your goal does NOT mean you've failed. What is something you did/changed/accomplished this month that you are proud of? Three consecutive days of eating right? 10 perfect push ups? Fitting into an old pair of jeans? Drinking more water? Cutting back on sweets? Anything that makes you proud of your hard work this month!​

 

[dsnyfn1022]

It's for the DISNEY COMPANY!!!

Good luck!!

What is something you did/changed/accomplished this month that you are proud of?

I've had two weeks of going to the gym pretty consistently which has been great because I don't feel like I've lost everything I'd done the last week so I'm actually building up the cardio and the muscles. I'm hoping that this week is another great week!

 

[courtneybeth]

. What is something you did/changed/accomplished this month that you are proud of?

I learned what has worked for my body and how to maximize weight loss. WW has been a great tool to where I can change up what I am eating daily so I can enjoy the foods I like, but just have some constraints to stay within. I look forward to my twice-daily walks during work (a coworker and I walk .75 miles twice per day!) and then whatever I need to do at night to meet my step goal. The fitbit and WW program are my two guides to my journey.

 

[DisPup75]

QOTD for August 24, 2015
Take a look back over your progress and your journey this month. Whether or not you hit your goal does NOT mean you've failed. What is something you did/changed/accomplished this month that you are proud of? Three consecutive days of eating right? 10 perfect push ups? Fitting into an old pair of jeans? Drinking more water? Cutting back on sweets? Anything that makes you proud of your hard work this month!

I can't really give myself credit for any hard work this month. However, I am proud that through it all, I've kept tracking. I never really thought I ate that much. I mean, I knew that I ate too much and that my choices were sometimes questionable. I didn't wind up 50 pounds overweight eating carrots. But I've spent the past three weeks largely eating whatever I felt like without really any limitations on quantity. And most days, I've blown through my MFP target by lunch time. That isn't great for weight loss but it is definitely great for helping my brain fully understand consequence. Subject to a few adjustments for humidity, hormones, and soy sauce, my weight pretty closely tracks with what MFP and the Fitbit say about how much I eat and how much I walk.

I guess the good news is that my metabolism isn't broken. The bad news is that I've got some eating issues. I'm debating rejoining weight watchers or trying a few sessions with a therapist specializing in weight issues. This has also been an incredibly stressful month for me. Much of the stress should lift in the next few weeks and I'm hoping that will help with eating my feelings. But then I start thinking that I need dealing with stress help. Sigh.

 

[dsnyfn1022]

I'm debating rejoining weight watchers

WW definitely works better for me than MFP. I started seriously doing MFP around March I think? And I lost 11.5 pounds between then and the end of July. I joined WW at the beginning of this month and have already lost 5. Not to say that every month on WW will be this successful but I always struggle with MFP. Also, for fun I tracked a day in WW and in MFP. It turns out that for me 36 points every day is only about 1100 calories which is nothing something I could have done on MFP because veggies and fruits aren't calorie free. I think that's why I'm more successful on WW. I'm more likely to choose fruit over cookies. I definitely understand the frustration though! It's such a process trying to get into the groove.

 

[courtneybeth]

I'm debating rejoining weight watchers or trying a few sessions with a therapist specializing in weight issues.

I will say that without weight watchers I wouldn't be as successful as I am in losing weight. I like that I can eat the foods I want but within constraints and it's like a little Jiminy Cricket whispering in my ear about whether or not I'm making a good choice. I like the online model because it's personal and I can just fill in the app as I go. It's on the honor system and I weigh in weekly to see my progress.

I've also downloaded the Happy Scale app and it uses projections of weight loss to inform when you'll reach your goals! Knowing that there's an end-date in sight makes me want to do more on my path to get there and maintain!!

 

[PTownGirls]

Awe....so happy you got a visit with your son. I have a son who lives a plane flight away and saw him just last month...hadn't seen him in 3 years. So I feel your heartbreak. Glad to have you join us in September! It is really a great site. I look at it everyday, whether it be for the "I feel your pain" messages or for the hard work folks are doing to stay healthy and eat well. As you know, weight management is a lifestyle change that doesn't come easy for us "overeaters".....so we need the extra support, the understanding and the whoohoo celebrations! Stay strong. We are with you!

 

[PTownGirls]

Thanks so much for the nice post - I got an email this morning that my son has reached his final destination so I am feeling a little more settled , its really nice to know that other moms have to deal with this separation also. At least today I don't have the hungry horrors like I did yesterday. It is always amazing how our emotional state can so affect what we choose to eat. I agree with you 100% ThistleMae , this is a great site.

 

[ohMom]

ok gang...I stink. I'm leaving Saturday and will be home Sept 12, I will definitely be on and committed afterwards! thanks for holding my place!

 

[JacknSally]

OK, apologies for derailing the thread a little bit, BUT... Does anyone here use Periscope? I just discovered it last week and I'm addicted. I follow a few users who scope regularly from the parks. It's alllmossstttt like being there! It's at least much more effective than photos or YouTube videos!

Also, Chase released Star Wars designs last week for the Disney Visa, so DH2B had to have a Darth Vader one... Well, it came in today and I have to admit, it's pretty cool. LOL

 

[ThistleMae]

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Eating a light breakfast....pizza tonight....which "ups" my carbs with the flatbread I use for the base....but yogurt and berries in the morning balances that out. I'm starting my day with a "I'm the most important thing I have to do today" attitude. And....it is the most important thing I will do today! It really is a mind shift....and I know it isn't easy to achieve. A major advantage I now have is retirement. I have the time. I know when you are raising a family and working full time that "you" is usually the "last" thing on the list and there just isn't enough time in the day to get it all done. Been there....done that. I admire all of you who are in this stage of life, who are working on your goals. It isn't always easy. At the very least, make sure you have some "me" time everyday....even if you are at the end of the day. Stay strong people, the end of August is a week away!

 

[JacknSally]

Happy Tuesday, everyone! How is everyone's week going so far? I hope we all survived Monday - it was kind of quiet yesterday!

In my neck of the woods, it's apparently going to rain and pour. Last week was the hard drive on my laptop.. This week is my car! I was on the interstate coming home from work yesterday and in the middle of switching lanes in rush hour traffic, it just shut off. Just completely gave up. No sputtering, no nothing. Just quit. All the lights came on on the dashboard and it wouldn't budge. Took three cranks to get it back on, but I thankfully made it home with no issues. DH2B is thankfully mechanically inclined, so he took a look at it, but couldn't find any issues. He figured some dirt just got in the fuel line and turning it off and cranking it up again cleared it out. So we went to run our errands, and didn't have any trouble leaving the house, going to Petsmart, leaving Petsmart, going to Walgreens, leaving Walgreens, or going to the bank. Leaving the bank, though, we pull up to a red light, and it does it again! Another three cranks and it's up, so we take it to Autozone to read the codes and see what the issue is. Do all that, find out what Autozone says is wrong (a sensor has a short in it), and try to go home... Nothing. Nada. Took 10 minutes and 5 cranks to get it to start back up. Thankfully we made it home but I was SO frustrated. This is just not the time for all this.

We needed to have it looked at before we drive it to Florida anyway, so DH2B called in sick to work and is going to replace this sensor and then it's going to the shop today, but now DH2B and I are trying to figure out how to work similar schedules on opposites sides of town with one car. Plus paying for repairs, on top of all the wedding stuff! Yesterday was exactly 2 months out from the wedding. August is just not going to be my month. Looking forward to a clean start in September for sure! I ate my stress last night and I'm definitely regretting it today. Pizza and ice cream were NOT my best decisions. I just feel so gross. It's definitely time to get back to the diet that I know makes me feel better. Grilled chicken here I come!


Let's keep today's QOTD light and fun. Is that ok with everybody? Tonight is my FP+ booking night, so in honor of that:

QOTD for August 25, 2015
If you were booking your Fastpasses right now and could pick three attractions in each park, what attractions would you pick and why?
No tiers in this scenario, so you can pick any attraction, but no repeats, so don't use multiple passes for the same attraction.




​

 

[courtneybeth]

If you were booking your Fastpasses right now and could pick three attractions in each park, what attractions would you pick and why?

Magic Kingdom
Attractions: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; 7 Dwarves Mine Train; Main Street Electrical Parade
Why: BTMRR at WDW is superior to our Disneyland version, so of course it's a must-ride! It's become a running joke that at both WDW and Disneyland that we've never ridden either ride in the stand-by line. 7DMT - obviously because it's a 3 hour wait and I am not patient enough to wait that long for a 90 second attraction. MSEP - love it! My favorite part of summer was staying up late (10pm or later) and watching the parade with my mom. I still get all smiley when I hear the music. While I'm disappointed that Disneyland no longer has it, I'm so happy that MK does so I can enjoy something that brought me joy when I was a child.

EPCOT
Attractions: Test Track; Living With the Land; Seas with Nemo
Why: Obviously Test Track over Soarin' since California Adventure has the same attraction. Living With the Land is such a fun ride and I love seeing the different plants, trees, and veggies/fruits being grown through the ride. During Christmas they make a snowman out of the sand from the green house. Nemo was chosen as a third because the Maelstrom was removed.

Animal Kingdom
Attractions: Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Lion King Show
Why: I get major headaches on roller coasters, so Expedition Everest is a no-go. I also hate getting wet, so the Rapids Ride is off the table... but that doesn't stop me from going up to the bridge and getting everyone wet! It's one of our favorite activities - we time it perfectly so the maximum amount of water hits the people below.

Hollywood Studios
.... there is no fourth theme park at Disney World. This one doesn't exist. (Running joke with husband - we hate Hollywood Studios and stay far far far away from it if at all possible!) There's nothing to do here and we think it's a waste of time to go. So we'd rather spend a day at the water park or relaxing in the hotel!

 

[JacknSally]

Magic Kingdom
Attractions: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; 7 Dwarves Mine Train; Main Street Electrical Parade
Why: BTMRR at WDW is superior to our Disneyland version, so of course it's a must-ride! It's become a running joke that at both WDW and Disneyland that we've never ridden either ride in the stand-by line. 7DMT - obviously because it's a 3 hour wait and I am not patient enough to wait that long for a 90 second attraction. MSEP - love it! My favorite part of summer was staying up late (10pm or later) and watching the parade with my mom. I still get all smiley when I hear the music. While I'm disappointed that Disneyland no longer has it, I'm so happy that MK does so I can enjoy something that brought me joy when I was a child.

EPCOT
Attractions: Test Track; Living With the Land; Seas with Nemo
Why: Obviously Test Track over Soarin' since California Adventure has the same attraction. Living With the Land is such a fun ride and I love seeing the different plants, trees, and veggies/fruits being grown through the ride. During Christmas they make a snowman out of the sand from the green house. Nemo was chosen as a third because the Maelstrom was removed.

Animal Kingdom
Attractions: Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Lion King Show
Why: I get major headaches on roller coasters, so Expedition Everest is a no-go. I also hate getting wet, so the Rapids Ride is off the table... but that doesn't stop me from going up to the bridge and getting everyone wet! It's one of our favorite activities - we time it perfectly so the maximum amount of water hits the people below.

Hollywood Studios
.... there is no fourth theme park at Disney World. This one doesn't exist. (Running joke with husband - we hate Hollywood Studios and stay far far far away from it if at all possible!) There's nothing to do here and we think it's a waste of time to go. So we'd rather spend a day at the water park or relaxing in the hotel!

AW! Such harsh words for DHS!!! It's my favorite park, though I will admit a lot of that is because of the nostalgia I have from when it was MGM and AMAAAAZINGGGG! It definitely does need some love, I will fully agree with that, and I'm not over the moon about the Star Wars and Toy Story additions. Mainly I love it because of the 1930's old Hollywood feel - that's my favorite era in history, and I firmly believe that I should have been alive in that decade.

 

[ThistleMae]

I'll start with HS: Star Tours (thrilling...I go on this over and over), Great Movie Ride (great theming...I'm a huge movie buff), Beauty and Beast Show(Just so darn cute)!
MK: Haunted Mansion (love the ghosts), Pirates of Caribbean (love Johnny Depp), Carousel of Progress (This ride relaxes me and I love the song)!
Epcot: Spaceship Earth (It's like going to another world...so quiet and soothing), Mission Space (exhilarating), Soarin' (Love the smells and the wind effects).
AK: Safari (enjoy the animals), River Rapids (just the right amount of fun), Lion King Show (my favorite show)!
I love all the parks but I do spend most time between MK and Epcot.

 

[courtneybeth]

Such harsh words for DHS!!! It's my favorite park, though I will admit a lot of that is because of the nostalgia I have from when it was MGM and AMAAAAZINGGGG!

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that California Adventure and Hollywood Studios share so many attractions. I'm sure once the Star Wars and Pixar additions are made to Hollywood Studios that it'll be a great park again. For now, we just skip it.

Epcot: Spaceship Earth

I love this ride too! I was torn as to whether or not to put this down, but usually there's no line when we get to the park and this is the first and last ride we do because it's so spectacular. And we ~love~ the "plan your future" segment.

 

[DisPup75]

WW definitely works better for me than MFP. I started seriously doing MFP around March I think? And I lost 11.5 pounds between then and the end of July. I joined WW at the beginning of this month and have already lost 5. Not to say that every month on WW will be this successful but I always struggle with MFP. Also, for fun I tracked a day in WW and in MFP. It turns out that for me 36 points every day is only about 1100 calories which is nothing something I could have done on MFP because veggies and fruits aren't calorie free. I think that's why I'm more successful on WW. I'm more likely to choose fruit over cookies. I definitely understand the frustration though! It's such a process trying to get into the groove.

I will say that without weight watchers I wouldn't be as successful as I am in losing weight. I like that I can eat the foods I want but within constraints and it's like a little Jiminy Cricket whispering in my ear about whether or not I'm making a good choice. I like the online model because it's personal and I can just fill in the app as I go. It's on the honor system and I weigh in weekly to see my progress.

I've also downloaded the Happy Scale app and it uses projections of weight loss to inform when you'll reach your goals! Knowing that there's an end-date in sight makes me want to do more on my path to get there and maintain!!

Thank you both for the WW love! I've given them so much money over the years that I'm reluctant to start again. On the other hand, I seem to need a little more structure. I would actually like to do formal meetings but my schedule right now is making that a near impossibility. But maybe it is time to try online for a month or two.

I also have Happy Scale! I was loving it a few weeks ago - the projections are awesome. My current rate of loss of .08 pounds a week is not so awesome. Although that is my fault.

OK, apologies for derailing the thread a little bit, BUT... Does anyone here use Periscope? I just discovered it last week and I'm addicted. I follow a few users who scope regularly from the parks. It's alllmossstttt like being there! It's at least much more effective than photos or YouTube videos!

Also, Chase released Star Wars designs last week for the Disney Visa, so DH2B had to have a Darth Vader one... Well, it came in today and I have to admit, it's pretty cool. LOL

I was playing with periscope during D23. It was pretty great!

 

[DisPup75]

Happy Tuesday, everyone! How is everyone's week going so far? I hope we all survived Monday - it was kind of quiet yesterday!

In my neck of the woods, it's apparently going to rain and pour. Last week was the hard drive on my laptop.. This week is my car! I was on the interstate coming home from work yesterday and in the middle of switching lanes in rush hour traffic, it just shut off. Just completely gave up. No sputtering, no nothing. Just quit. All the lights came on on the dashboard and it wouldn't budge. Took three cranks to get it back on, but I thankfully made it home with no issues. DH2B is thankfully mechanically inclined, so he took a look at it, but couldn't find any issues. He figured some dirt just got in the fuel line and turning it off and cranking it up again cleared it out. So we went to run our errands, and didn't have any trouble leaving the house, going to Petsmart, leaving Petsmart, going to Walgreens, leaving Walgreens, or going to the bank. Leaving the bank, though, we pull up to a red light, and it does it again! Another three cranks and it's up, so we take it to Autozone to read the codes and see what the issue is. Do all that, find out what Autozone says is wrong (a sensor has a short in it), and try to go home... Nothing. Nada. Took 10 minutes and 5 cranks to get it to start back up. Thankfully we made it home but I was SO frustrated. This is just not the time for all this.

We needed to have it looked at before we drive it to Florida anyway, so DH2B called in sick to work and is going to replace this sensor and then it's going to the shop today, but now DH2B and I are trying to figure out how to work similar schedules on opposites sides of town with one car. Plus paying for repairs, on top of all the wedding stuff! Yesterday was exactly 2 months out from the wedding. August is just not going to be my month. Looking forward to a clean start in September for sure! I ate my stress last night and I'm definitely regretting it today. Pizza and ice cream were NOT my best decisions. I just feel so gross. It's definitely time to get back to the diet that I know makes me feel better. Grilled chicken here I come!


Let's keep today's QOTD light and fun. Is that ok with everybody? Tonight is my FP+ booking night, so in honor of that:

QOTD for August 25, 2015
If you were booking your Fastpasses right now and could pick three attractions in each park, what attractions would you pick and why?
No tiers in this scenario, so you can pick any attraction, but no repeats, so don't use multiple passes for the same attraction.



View attachment 119286
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So sorry to hear about the car! That is not fun!!

Love the FP question. I've been to Disneyland recently but haven't made it back to WDW since FP+. We actually changed a scheduled WDW trip to DL because I was freaked out about planning FP+ (and honestly I like DL and California in general more). Next trip is definitely Florida based though do I've been trying to study up and it is making my little commando touring brain explode.

So....

MK - 7DMT gets the first one because I haven't ridden it yet. BTMRR gets number two because it is tied for my favorite ride. My other favorite, HM, and most of the other must-dos (Pirates, TTA, Tiki Room, LM, Buzz, CoP) shouldn't need them (this is where I start having planning trouble). So I think the 3rd is a toss up between Space and Peter Pan. We don't usually meet characters and can take or leave the evening entertainment do no need there.

Epcot - Soarin' is probably the only one I think we absolutely need. If tiering isn't a factor TT but we are happy to SR that. We will probably use the other two on Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land (it is just hard to imagining having a FP for either). Might consider Illuminatioms.

DHS - we love this park too but it is really hard to know what to do. If no tiers, TSMM, RnR, and Star Stours.

AK - EE and Safari. Maybe Dinosaur since my favorite Its Tough to Be a Bug shouldn't need them and neither of us like Kali.