If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It! - WISH October Lifestyle/Weight Challenge

My Woohoo today is that My daughter is all healed and off crutches and out of the boot. Also, we had parent teacher conferences last night and they went really good.

I am also feeling a little bit better today. I didn't eat much yesterday and was asleep by 9 maybe sooner. I still have a head ache that is lingering and still a little congested but better then yesterday.
 
Woohoo! And OMG... the last Wednesday in October? I've been trying to figure out how to sink in and really soak up the season - autumn is my favorite and this year we are having such stunning color, plus overall the weather has been really good. We've had a lot of rain in October, but it mostly came in three back-to-back storms that lasted for just half a week.

My big woohoo... I cooked last night and brought food with me to work: breakfast is overnight oats and fruit and lunch is salmon and rice...no dairy or gluten in either. Sunday is the neighborhood Harvest Festival, they add booths to the Farmer's Market that local businesses sponsor where there are activities for kids, plus there's a costume parade and trick or treating. My Sister is having a booth and I'm going to be working with her, playing tick-tac-toe with the kiddos. This is where I was thinking I'd make/wear a Joan of Arch costume, but instead I'm just going with a fancy headband that has antlers and fall colored flowers. Oh, maybe I'll make myself some fall colored finger-less gloves as well.

Yesterday's accountability:

Steps: 6348 - so again, didn't make it.
Water: around 75 ounces - so goal met
Sugar, gluten, dairy: very little dairy and much less gluten and sugar, so better but - goal not quite met
Kindness and Gratefulness: again thought about it but didn't live it - goal no quite met.
 
WooHoo for day is just getting more of my usual todo list checked off. I picked up another small item for Christmas gift, have the candy ready for Halloween, got more yard work done....nothing very exciting though.

Today is the first day in many, many months that the high is in the 70's and I could open the windows and not use a/c. That is exciting-I think that should be my woohoo.
 
I meant to come back yesterday and check in but forgot. Oops! I really liked the question though!

I feel like everyday is a blank piece of paper -- almost literally. I have my WW app all blank and my activity on my Apple watch is all at nothing. So I can either fill it up with things that make me proud or just not. There are definitely days where I just don't fill up my activity... and some days that the WW shows that I did NOT use the blank page to it's best potential.... but it's a new start each day to make progress. And to keep reminding myself of my new mantra... Progress not perfection; progress not perfection!

As for woohoo Wednesday: I was feeling a little under the weather yesterday and missed the first day of the biggest week at the gym ("Heck" Week)-- if you go to 5/8 of the classes leading up to Halloween you get a t-shirt and bragging rights LOL! But woohoo, I feel better today and am going to get in my 5 classes this week after all!

Today is the first day in many, many months that the high is in the 70's and I could open the windows and not use a/c. That is exciting-I think that should be my woohoo.

And YES to this! It may be dreary, but it's cooler and I love it!
 


Has this ever happened to you? How to you keep yourself committed to do the hard work required to meet your goals?

Bonus QOTD: What's your favorite Disney memory?

I have the opposite problem. I never seem to see that "easy" loss early on, so the challenge is staying committed long enough to see actual results. One thing I'm trying this time is tracking measurements as well as pounds. I'm not sure how well it will work because I only started with this week's check-in, after realizing I'm using a new notch on my belt and fastening my bra on the next set of hooks from usual even though the scale is not giving me any love at all (down 2lbs - less than I fluctuate in a normal monthly cycle). And of course, continuing to focus on distance, pace, and effort, though the last is subjective and harder to track in any meaningful way.

Bonus: My very favorite Disney memory is watching my youngest twirl on Main Street on her very first trip. We had a hard time having her and had actually given up trying before she came along as a surprise (which we found out about just days before a big Disney trip - another favorite moment, though in a sad way, was watching Wishes on that trip and wishing with all my heart that the pregnancy would "stick"). We were too broke to do Disney with our other kids when they were small, so being able to share it with DD9 right from the start was pure magic to me, and watching her excitement when she was 16 months old and seeing the castle for the first time was overwhelming.

So things for me have been off this week. I am not sure what is going on but since Tuesday I have been light headed and dizzy. I am also just feeling off. I am going to give it a few days before I head to the doctors.

I’ll admit mine is not great. I cought a cold early last week which turned in to bronchitis. So I haven’t done a true workout since last Monday.

I've been dealing with the same thing. Feeling run down, dizzy, and just not quite right, which developed into a cough and trouble breathing. And chaperoning a field trip to an apple orchard in the rain on Monday didn't help matters any! Yesterday I felt like I could just sleep forever - I went to bed early but still ended up laying back down after dropping the kids off and sleeping most of the day. It kept me sidelined for a few days, since working out when I was out of breath just climbing the stairs or running out to the car just wasn't happening, but today I woke up feeling almost normal and did get a lighter-than-usual but still reasonable workout in.

I hope you're both feeling better too!

QOTD: When an Imagineer is working on a new attraction, they have to think about how it fits in to its ‘land’, as well as the rest of the park. How do your weight loss/lifestyle goals fit in with the rest of your life? The life of those around you?

Bonus QOTD: Congrats- you just [hypothetically] won a free weekend at a Disney park! Which park do you go to and what are your must do's on this super short trip?

I'm in total control of the cooking and my daytime schedule, so it fits as well as I want it to. Which is a double-edged sword because I know it is all on me. If I'm holding myself to a schedule I have plenty of time to exercise without it getting in the way of anything else, but if I'm procrastinating it is easy to feel too busy. Same goes for planning meals and cooking so that we're all eating well.

Bonus: Disneyland, just because I've never been there but it is still close enough for a weekend trip. And I'd want to do as much as I could possibly pack in, especially their versions of Pirates and Space Mountain and the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride.

QOTD: How do you get yourself back on track and get all your cars running again, so to speak?

Bonus QOTD: I'm a little sluggish this morning so I'm listening to some Disney parks music while I work. What is everyone's favorite Disney park music?

If I figure it out, I'll let you know. I'm trying right now after not feeling well for a few days and it isn't easy. It is mostly an act of will, to haul myself to the gym when I'm still not 100% and put in the time. Even though I know it'll pay off in the long run. Heck, it even pays off in the short run, in the form of breathing easier when I was done than when I started. Still, taking that first step out the door was a struggle.

Bonus: I really don't listen to parks music at home.

How can you take this idea of a blank sheet of paper and apply it to your goals?

I tend to see the blank page as the intimidating thing Sklar wanted his Imagineers not to see it as. Blank pages are my enemy, literally and figuratively (I'm a writer). It isn't a concept that speaks of fresh starts to me. More like things I haven't started but should have, procrastination, planning paralysis, all those negatives. I'm a big believer in ****ty first drafts and just getting something going to let momentum carry it into improvements and adjustments and changes to figure out what works best. So that's where I go. I don't look for blank pages in each new day. I look for ways to make revisions to what I did yesterday, last week, last year, to make the story better.
 
Tuesday/Wednesday
1) Did I do my steps (11000 goal) Yes, I did 18 Tuesday and 10 Wednesday, so technically Yes and No but I feel I can use average!
2) Were my calories in balance Yes/No
3) Did I do my 3 weekly workouts without overdoing it (only T, T and S) Yes but overdid it /N A
4) What did I do great today, what worked well
see below
5) What can I do better
I ate too little and did too much Tuesday, and was too tired, ate too much Wednesday technically in balance both days but I didn't feel very well yesterday. I wasn't hungry and it was busy Tuesday, but I end up on the go a lot and didn't rest refuel properly.

I feel this months is battle for some reason, there is something that is bothering me not related do food or weight, and can't sleep great. I had sore stomach two days, one after prawns, one yesterday perhaps too much fiber. Work is busy and stressful too

I didn't have great day yesterday, but the yey will be form this morning. I ate at balance so far this month, I was hoping for small deficit but not too upset over it. I tracked, exercised, over did it only one and I didn't make big deal out of it. I will have another more gentle workout today.

I woke up this morning and had some time to reflect on things and I feel something clicked about what I need to do.
 
I've been dealing with the same thing. Feeling run down, dizzy, and just not quite right, which developed into a cough and trouble breathing. And chaperoning a field trip to an apple orchard in the rain on Monday didn't help matters any! Yesterday I felt like I could just sleep forever - I went to bed early but still ended up laying back down after dropping the kids off and sleeping most of the day. It kept me sidelined for a few days, since working out when I was out of breath just climbing the stairs or running out to the car just wasn't happening, but today I woke up feeling almost normal and did get a lighter-than-usual but still reasonable workout in.

I hope you're both feeling better too!

I am pretty sure that mine was caused by a change in my birth control pills. I am back on the other ones and I am fine. But I have had a headache now since Sunday and some stomach issues this week as well. I am really hoping that this all goes away soon. I am getting aggravated that i haven't been able to workout. I am so tired by the time i get home I have been falling asleep not long after the kids go to bed.

I have found that after I have been sick I need to easy back into workouts. If I go back to what i was doing before I tend to start not to feel good again. I am hoping by next week I will be back to normal.
 


QOTD: When Imagineers were designing the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, X Atencio (one of the Imagineers) apologized to Walt during a trial run because it was so difficult to clearly hear everything that was being said. Walt's response was, "If you go to a cocktail party you tune in on one conversation, and then you tune in on that one. Every time they come through they’ll see something new."

This is a great concept for a ride- make sure there is too much going on to experience everything in one ride and therefore encourage people to ride multiple times! But this kind of noise can be detrimental in our personal lives. I know we all experience times when it seems like we're constantly in that 'cocktail party' environment- we get so much information and advice thrown at us about how to achieve our lifestyle goals that it's difficult to focus on what's important! Between social media, radio, television ads, friends, coworkers, etc, there is a jumble of information to sort through and not all of it is helpful.

How do you weed through all of the noise to focus on what is healthy and beneficial for you?
 
QOTD: At this point in my life I do have a pretty clear idea of what my body needs, so I'm not as distracted by the noise of latest diet trends as I was earlier in my life. For me the noise is that little sugar monster in my head that says "want" all day long. I can get it to quiet down if I really work at it, but it never goes away. I wish I could get to a place where a little bit is enough, but with an addiction I don't think that is possible.

Daily accountability:
Steps: 7282 - inching ever closer but goal not met
Water: around 75 ounces - goal met
Sugar, gluten and dairy: GOAL MET!!! And I'm already feeling better for it. I'd say the cough is diminished by more than 50%, and I only had one really coughing fit.
Kindness and Gratitude - again thought about it but didn't live it - goal not met

My Rolfing appointment last night was fabulous... she was able to straighten out everything that was out of whack from falling. So between no gluten or dairy and having Rolfing yesterday, I'm actually feeling pretty good today. It seems like its been a very long time since I've been able to say that. I got off the bus a stop early this morning, adding a couple blocks to the walk to the office, and will do the same going home to get my step count up - could today actually be the day I reach all of my goals? We shall see.
 
QI know we all experience times when it seems like we're constantly in that 'cocktail party' environment- we get so much information and advice thrown at us about how to achieve our lifestyle goals that it's difficult to focus on what's important! Between social media, radio, television ads, friends, coworkers, etc, there is a jumble of information to sort through and not all of it is helpful.

How do you weed through all of the noise to focus on what is healthy and beneficial for you?

I just heard today prince harry saying people spend too much time on screens and experience mental fatigue. I thought it's spot on, it really is tiring and yet there is always something involving information that you seldom need.
 
Thursday
1) Did I do my steps (11000 goal) Yes
2) Were my calories in balance Yes
3) Did I do my 3 weekly workouts without overdoing it (only T, T and S) N A
4) What did I do great today, what worked well
I looked at MFP weeks when I felt happier with my meals on less calories and decided to copy the menus. Of course, I adjust them to suit me but try to follow their calories and protein. I was eating a lot less bread, and a lot more regular protein. Not that I was eating more protein, but I ate it thought the day. I felt really positive yesterday. Also I was eating a lot more veggies in all of my meals. I have to say, my portions are bigger now too - of course I am maintaining, I don't try to eat much less but I would like to slim down pre christmas and avoid january diets and remain in my weight range.

5) What can I do better
Great day.

Few more days remaining for this month, I will do things little different next month. There are 8 weeks to Christmas. Next 6 weeks I have 2 nights out with my family, 1 with group of friends. Nothing else yet. For next I will pick menus form my own diary and adjust them to suit the day but try to follow their general step count total calories, type of food and protein. I felt very content at the time that I picked the diaries from, lets see if it works again.

I am shocked how much bread and cheese I added to my day now compared to before. Lol!
 
And while I am at it I read some old diary posts

"I think balance sometimes is overrated. If you are trying to lose weight and if you have eaten your calories for the day eating tub of ice cream or 600+ calories piece of cake in name of balance is silly. Same with cookie - for some people it's easier to say I am not eating this sh*t, it will make me want more, it will cost me battling with myself for the day should I shouldn't I, it will take my goal further away from me. No."

I don't know if I will be as harsh right now. I mean, if you really want that piece of cake, have it. But have is as you really want it, not as everyone else is having cake or you should be having cake. Balance is living in line with your values and goals, regularly eating in excess when needing to lose weight isn't balanced either... Perhaps it sounds harsh. But that's how I felt at the time.
 
And while I am at it I read some old diary posts

"I think balance sometimes is overrated. If you are trying to lose weight and if you have eaten your calories for the day eating tub of ice cream or 600+ calories piece of cake in name of balance is silly. Same with cookie - for some people it's easier to say I am not eating this sh*t, it will make me want more, it will cost me battling with myself for the day should I shouldn't I, it will take my goal further away from me. No."

I don't know if I will be as harsh right now. I mean, if you really want that piece of cake, have it. But have is as you really want it, not as everyone else is having cake or you should be having cake. Balance is living in line with your values and goals, regularly eating in excess when needing to lose weight isn't balanced either... Perhaps it sounds harsh. But that's how I felt at the time.
Thank you for sharing this. I think it's important to reflect on how we change as we go through different phases of life. Maybe you had to be that harsh with yourself at that point and now you are at a place where you are okay with a little more freedom and that's wonderful. It's also great how you can look back on it and process it all.
 
Happy Friday everyone!

QOTD: “Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

In what ways can you leverage the four Cs to meet your goals?
 
It's been a busy past few days -- and feeling under the weather hasn't helped. I went once to the gym, but realized the next morning I shouldn't have. It pushed me back in getting better. I'm better than on Monday, but not 100% yet. I think I'll be able to go back to the gym this coming Monday. Until then I want to rest -- We are going to Disney next weekend, so I MUST be better by then.

The good news is not going to the gym used to terrify me-- "I'm going to gain weight, I am going to be set back, I'm going to derail..." But I kept tracking this week, stayed within my points, and have seen a significant loss this week. Missing the gym did not cause the whole thing to crash down!!! Woohoo!

I had an insight yesterday as well-- I need to work on mindful eating. Someone brought doughnuts to work. I had one, tracked it, and still was within my daily allowance. (Shocking, because before I would have totally thought the day was shot and just kept riding off the rails...). BUT I didn't enjoy it when I thought back on it. I was too busy socializing and didn't even realize until the darn thing was gone that it really hadn't been worth it. I would have much rather used those points on things I know I adore. Oh well -- tracked, moving on, no harm no foul, learning from it. Next time I will be more mindful.

How do you weed through all of the noise to focus on what is healthy and beneficial for you?

Gahhhh, I haven't been able to, that's for sure. I was trying all the noise for a year and failing before I picked one thing I knew I HAD to change (exercise), and the slowly changed it - not focusing on anything else. Seeing success with that helped me tune out the other stuff. With food though, I have been listening to all the diet noise and only recently decided that the holistic approach of WW may be the key to me changing my eating habits. It took a while to get the engine started, but I am seeing that consistency is making progress and that helps me stay my path.

QOTD: “Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

In what ways can you leverage the four Cs to meet your goals?

GREAT question!

Curiosity - Diet: Trying new recipes! I want to get a WW cookbook and start getting a little more adventurous. Exercise: There is another gym I have been eyeing. Orangetheory has been great to get me where I am, but I think I want something different when I start to maintain.

Confidence - Diet: WW is making me be a little more solid in my choices. I CAN eat a doughnut. I CAN also eat lots of veggies and still have a good day. It's my choice how to frame my day. Exercise: Seeing how much stronger I have become makes me eager to get even better. If I can focus that energy more, I am sure even more great things will happen.

Courage - Diet: I'm going to be honest, sometimes I think it takes courage to track everything and really be honest with yourself while owning your bad choices. I need to keep it up and steal a line from Cinderella here, "Have Courage, and Track That!" Exercise: I could have more courage with weight training. I am in a place where I don't want to put in the work to move up from 20lb weights range. But I want to be stronger, so I have to be brave and pick up the 25s one day.

Constancy - With both diet and exercise: this is the golden key! This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. I MUST continue to do these things, even when things aren't going my way, to be sure to get to the end goal!
 
And while I am at it I read some old diary posts

"I think balance sometimes is overrated. If you are trying to lose weight and if you have eaten your calories for the day eating tub of ice cream or 600+ calories piece of cake in name of balance is silly. Same with cookie - for some people it's easier to say I am not eating this sh*t, it will make me want more, it will cost me battling with myself for the day should I shouldn't I, it will take my goal further away from me. No."

I don't know if I will be as harsh right now. I mean, if you really want that piece of cake, have it. But have is as you really want it, not as everyone else is having cake or you should be having cake. Balance is living in line with your values and goals, regularly eating in excess when needing to lose weight isn't balanced either... Perhaps it sounds harsh. But that's how I felt at the time.

I've started to think that it might not be so important to be in balance everyday, but say a week overall should be balanced. I know we're fed nutritional requirements in daily doses, but I have to think that if I used my calories one day on ice cream but the next day on simple protein and veggies, overall I'm going to be OK. I'm am going to feel like crap the day I ate only ice cream tho...
 
I love this quote

Confidence is the greatest, I agree. Being mean to myself never worked, my weight loss started with me getting my hair done, some new make up and new clothes. Yes, it feels silly to purchase good clothes that will be too big for you in few months, but beating yourself and denying yourself feeling good today isn't very motivating. I had to stop beating myself and regardless of how I felt about my weight, I had to find way to like myself as I am and have fun.

Curiosity - I find you can't get too comfortable with things. You need to be aware of what is going on and open adjusting as things change
Courage - for me it was opening mfp looking at my ups and down and being truthful where the problem is
Constancy -probably the main thing for me it was deciding that I won't view vacations or meals as chance to over indulge. It took courage and confidence, it was hard to say I will let go of on and off plans and focus on what I can happily do long term. I can say I over indulged on occasions this summer, but I can also say I felt better when I didn't for example last October at WDW. on and off just wasn't working for me
 
QOTD: What a great question to wrap up the week with!

Confidence: For me this goes beyond confidence in eating and exercise choices... it's more about being confident in myself and in being visible. Part of surviving an alcoholic household is learning to be invisible because what can't find you can't hurt you. Carrying the extra weight around has always been a form of protection, after all who's going to even look at a chubby girl? I've slowly and quietly been coming in to my personal power the past few years and becoming visibly physically strong, so people see me as something other than soft and mushy, has got to happen.

Consistency: This is huge for me. I seem to have two natural speeds - lightning fast or comatose. When I'm in high-speed mode it can mean I'm moving forward (usually towards instant gratification) so quickly that I forget to execute the plan, heck sometimes I even forget I have a plan. When I'm in comatose mode I'm disconnected from everything, so again the plan falls by the way side. Having daily accountability is helping to keep the goals consistently in my mind.

Courage: Again, this ones goes beyond just physical health for me... the question is, do I have the courage to actually manifest and live the life I dream about - which includes being healthy, slim and strong? So far I'd have to say I haven't been brave enough to do it. Framing the lack of progress up in terms of courage is very intriguing.

Curiosity: For me this one is about trying new things, like having taken Pilates last Spring. Also about going new places, getting out to do hikes and exploring, and as @ladymarie has mentioned, trying new foods (notice I didn't say recipes, tee hee).

Daily Accountability:
Steps: 10,046 - goal met... I was walking in place during Project Runway to get the steps in, and you can see I immediately sat down as soon as my FitBit lit up!
Water: around 75 ounces - goal met
Dairy, gluten and sugar: goal met... I had two coughing fits yesterday, which has me bummed. And one was right after eating lunch which was rice and salmon, so I can't figure out what triggered it.
Kindness and Gratitude: I'm going to say I met this one yesterday, as I was able to feel them and not just think about them.

So I've made my 100% for one day this month!


I worked on my Halloween Headdress last night and am well pleased with it, so I'm pretty well set for the Harvest Festival Sunday, but do still need to make my new orange top for the party at work next week.

upload_2017-10-27_8-16-22.png


Have a happy and healthful weekend everyone!
 
Last edited:

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top