Welcome to WISH-topia! March 2017 WISH Lifestyle/Weight Challenge

[dsnyfn1022]

Is exercise a big part of your journey?
What have you found that you like or don't like to do to get moving?
Do you have any long term physical fitness goals?

Exercise is a big part of my journey. I like to feel the muscles moving when I walk and do other activities. It's a weird statement but before I started this journey I just felt like a bag of skin and fat. I didn't like the way I moved and just felt large. Now that I'm on this journey I can feel my quads when I walk or my glutes when I squat down to pick something up. It's just a reminder for me that I've given my body the necessity TLC to do what a body should and needs to do. I enjoy running but this year I'm taking a break. I can't afford to run in any races and that's pretty much the only thing that motivates me. So I'm focusing more heavily on weightlifting, walking, and yoga. I don't have any long term fitness goals outside of keeping up with the weightlifting and get comfortable enough to keep expanding my workouts in the freeweights area as opposed to just using the machines.

This year is figuring out happy place with exercise, and allowing myself greater flexibility to make it more enjoyable and sustainable

I'm so glad you said this! It was a great reminder for me this morning. I skipped the gym because I'm just flat out exhausted. And I'm beating myself up over skipping because I'm afraid I'm ruining my progress or one day off will just spiral into never going again. Which is silly because a) I enjoy the gym and b) everyone needs a rest day! So I totally agree that you need to make exercise more enjoyable as opposed to looking at it like a chore. Because at the end of the day, it's just a way for us to show our bodies love. Not punish them.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning friends!! Sorry I've been away from the computer for a while! I spent Friday watching my DD dive at the New England Aquarium (she is currently a Giant Ocean Tank intern/diver), and then I spent the weekend at her school with her... we really enjoyed our time together! It was fun and kind of relaxing..... since my previous visit there was to play "nurse" when she was recovering. So I stayed off the computer over the weekend and of course, Monday morning I just plain forgot to come check!

I will go back and try to catch up on the chatter, in case I missed anything important! But I'm in the office at school today, off and on, so I will need to catch up in bits and pieces............P

 

[Lady Marie]

Woo Hoo Wednesday! March 8



You knew this guy was coming!

What's put a smile like this on your face in the past week?​

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Woke up this morning and I'm 174lbs.
I know "they' say not to weigh yourself daily but I have found that my weight fluctuates by 3lbs on any given day even though I weigh myself at the same time of day so I rather see the ups and downs daily vs checking once a week and have it end up saying the same weight both times. To me when I see its the lowest I've gotten it doesn't bother me so much the next day when it says I'm heavier because hey I got to that lowest weight once so even if it takes 2 weeks I'll see it again and that time it will stick!

And while there are going to be days that I can't get my walk in at least I am still "exercising". For example today my friend and I are going shopping all day. Walking the malls and trying on clothes is decent exercise really.
Other days that I don't walk it's because I'm watching a demanding 9 month old so I'm up and down all day and picking her up all day so that's probably more exercise than walking lol.

 

[pjlla]

Can I ask out of topic question please? I haven't done any planning for our California trip, all I know we will do 3 Disney days. Can the California members or guest share with me some of their tips? Anything will be helpful, where to stay, type of tickets to book, onsite vs offsite, where to eat, what rides to hit first, must do rides, photopackages - anything really! Please pm me if you are willing to share any tips and if you have any tips on healthy meal, share here is it's not out of topic!

Hey there! As an East Coaster, DL/DCA are kind of "foreign" to me.... but I took my second visit there this past September and would love to share a bit of what I've learned during my research.

1. You can definitely stay off-site just as easily as on-site. Harbour Blvd is lined and loaded with hotels/motels that are very reasonably priced and are literally across the street from the DL entrance. Just be careful when booking because a few chains have multiple locations in Anaheim and it can be hard to figure out if you are booking one that is walking distance or a bit further. Check maps! That being said, if you are DYING to stay on-site, Grand California has an entrance straight into DCA!

2. Tickets.... can't say much, but be aware that some tickets do come with a "magic morning" entrance (and it doesn't NOT require you to be staying on-site).

3. I'm not a big foodie so I cannot comment much on meals.... but DD and I loved the breakfast at Ariel's Grotto... we got a HUGE breakfast and had some great princess interaction. Sure it was pricey (especially for breakfast), but it was our main meal of the day, so I didn't stress too much about the price. As far as "healthy eating" was concerned, it wasn't a big thought for me, as this was a splurge trip and it was only 2.5 days. But there were definitely healthy options available if you want to look around a bit. Even the crazy kid-oriented Goofy's Kitchen breakfast had some healthy options (like lots of beautiful fresh fruit).

4. WORLD OF COLOR, WORLD OF COLOR, WORLD OF COLOR!! DO IT!! DO NOT MISS IT!! BRING TISSUES! It was fabulous! If you can POSSIBLY afford it, do the WOC Dessert Party! Other than character meals I've NEVER splurged on a Disney "extra" like that. But WOW.... worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY (it was a special gift/celebration for DD's 21st birthday). We felt SO SPECIAL.

5. Photopass there is different from the WDW packages (I know they have all changed recently and I haven't really kept up with the changes). There is a "daily" price if you want to have just one day of Photopass.... or a multi-day package.... that is well worth it if you think you may want photos for more than 2 days. We found that the Photopass Photographers weren't nearly as abundant in CA as they are in WDW... but we managed to hunt them down and felt like we got our money's worth.

6. For DD and I, we were aiming to do things that we CANNOT do in Florida, such as the new Soarin' (with a global theme versus just California), Cars Land (BTW, the Cozy Cone food was reviewed as being just so-so, but we tried it anyhow.... and the reviewers were right. Skip it.), California Screamin', Matterhorn, Under the Sea with Nemo (submarine ride), etc.

Anyhow, I've taken up enough space here.... check out the California and DL/DCA boards here.... so full of helpfulness!..............P

 

[pjlla]

Woo Hoo Wednesday! March 8

You knew this guy was coming!

What's put a smile like this on your face in the past week?​

Lots of things! Visiting DD at the NEAq and seeing her LOVING her internship. A brief visit with DS to take him to go buy his new Nintendo Switch on release day (we went halvies on it for his birthday gift) and seeing the HUGE EXCITED smile on his face (although I hope it isn't distracting him from his school work). Seeing DH exhausted but happy after a weekend spent volunteering for FIRST Robotics.... so many things to make me smile lately! And today's forecast of SUN and warm-ish temps! WINNER!..........P

 

[piglet1979]

I have a few today.

1. I have had several people tell me I look thinner and I am down a size.

2. Yesterday my son voiced his opinion on his dislike for the word Retarded to a classmate who was using the word. It didn't turn out great as the kid then continued to us the word to annoy my son. It exulated and the kid pushed my son and he hit his head. I am proud that he stood up for it though.

 

[Oneanne]

Woohoo to all women everywhere! I'm participating in the virtual women's march today, where you post to social media with your pink hat on, and tag it. We've also started a Breakfast Club for the women in the department and are having a "meeting" this morning. I brought pink roses for everyone, in addition to the fruit. Oh, and the guys at my regular Starbucks treated me with a free drink this morning.

This morning I was thinking about the women who have been in my life and who have inspired me the most. Unfortunately I didn't have an inspirational Mother: she met the basic requirements of providing food/shelter but in many ways our relationship was reversed, with me taking the more adult role.... for instance in high school I got her her first job outside of the home and taught her how to drive. When I lived in Chicago (20+ years ago now - yikes!) I took a college class on Women's Studies and after the end of the class many of the students decided to create a women's group to continue to explore and learn from each other. This was the first time I was really exposed to true nurturing/mothering and it was a pivotal point in my life. So these are the women I'm thinking about today.

In my current world I am inspired daily by the women in my IG wooly tribe and by you all... here's wishing for a day filled with extra Pixie dust for us all!

 

[pjlla]

Question of the Day: March 6

What about you? Do you struggle to keep fruits and veggies a big part of your diet/lifestyle?

Does your town offer any farmers markets so that you can eat more locally?

Bonus: What is your favorite vegetable heavy dish/meal? ​

I love fruits and veggies! I really have NO trouble incorporating them into every single meal..... in fact, I think the trouble would be LIMITING myself to a reasonable portion. Second problem would be buying them and keeping them. We have to travel 30+ minutes to any grocery store, so it isn't something I do daily. I try to stop at the one near my WW meeting on Thursday nights, but since I am often rushing there from my school job and then home for my online job, I don't always have time.

We do have a very tiny farmers' market here once a week from about May-October. They definitely don't have everything I need, but I do try to stop at least a few times every summer. As far as local eating goes, we grow a lot of our own stuff.... tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, beans, peas, greens, onions, apples, etc.

Favorite veggie heavy meals would include my "Heidi's curried chicken" (which can be found on the WISH recipe thread!), broccoli cheddar soup (heavy on the broccoli, light on the cheddar), curried carrot soup (also found on the recipe thread).... and I love to do stir-fries, soups, and stews and incorporate even MORE veggies than called for!.............P

 

[sweetpeama]

Finally got a 10 minute walk in yesterday just before 2 AM. Little girl decided not to mind even after her daddy got home. I was so tired I was about to fall asleep on my feet after being up for 18 hours. I had just wanted the Lincoln Logs moved put away so they were not in the middle of the front room that does not mean get out the Little People Toys as well. As soon as 12 year old soaks her infected foot ( from an ingrown toenail) we are going to be heading to sewing so I had better get my hair put up and my contacts in. Hopefully since we will actually be home this evening I can get some of those daily questions answered.

 

[Zhoen]

Do you mind sharing your recipe for this? Sounds good

I'm not sure it's quite a "recipe," but what you do is pick out a butternut squash, cut it in half, scrap the seed and "goo" out, then roast it in the oven for about an hour at around 350 until it's soft. This deepens the flavor, and more importantly, eliminates peeling, chopping and boiling the squash. Once it has cooled, scoop out the soft pulp and measure it and set it aside. Each cup of pulp will make 2 cups of soup, which is what I use as a serving.

For each cup of pulp you measured put into a pot:
-about 1/8 cup chopped onion
-about 1/2 teaspoon chopped/crushed/minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1 cup chicken broth (I have been using homemade, because I have a ton and it's easy/free to make from leftovers, but bouillon will work fine, just don't add salt later.)

Also add one or two dried bay leaves, depending on how much pulp you have. Yesterday I used two because I had six cups of pulp (from 2 squashes-- I'm putting some in the freezer for later)

Dump in the pulp, stir, and simmer all that together until the onion is soft and you like the strength of the herb flavor.

The last step is to remove the bay leaves and whirr the rest up in the blender. If you're not planning to eat it right away, it's safer to cool it first, but you can blend it hot, just be careful with transferring it. You might find when you measure it all at the end that you've lost some to evaporation, in which case I just add water back in so it's the right "potency" for tracking purposes.

For serving, I just put it in a bowl, add salt to taste (you won't need to if you used bouillon), and also a sprinkle of nutmeg gives it warmth.

For a 2 cup serving this works out to ROUGHLY: 100 calories, 6 grams of fiber, 580 mg potassium, and 1.8g protein. Sodium will depend on what type of broth you use and what you add at the table.

If you're used to the cream-based versions, this probably won't do it for ya, but this is the way I first had it, so it's what I'm used to.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

My day of shopping turned into a lot more exercise than one would have anticipated with 70mph guests of wind making it very challenging to walk and push open the car door lol.
Huge tree branch down on our deck, The wooden fence between us and our neighbors to the right fell down, and the trampoline from the neighbors to the left was hanging out in our front yard!
Today was a good day to go shopping for exercise vs walk around the neighborhood.

 

[ski_mom]

I'm not sure it's quite a "recipe," but what you do is pick out a butternut squash, cut it in half, scrap the seed and "goo" out, then roast it in the oven for about an hour at around 350 until it's soft. This deepens the flavor, and more importantly, eliminates peeling, chopping and boiling the squash. Once it has cooled, scoop out the soft pulp and measure it and set it aside. Each cup of pulp will make 2 cups of soup, which is what I use as a serving.

For each cup of pulp you measured put into a pot:
-about 1/8 cup chopped onion
-about 1/2 teaspoon chopped/crushed/minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1 cup chicken broth (I have been using homemade, because I have a ton and it's easy/free to make from leftovers, but bouillon will work fine, just don't add salt later.)

Also add one or two dried bay leaves, depending on how much pulp you have. Yesterday I used two because I had six cups of pulp (from 2 squashes-- I'm putting some in the freezer for later)

Dump in the pulp, stir, and simmer all that together until the onion is soft and you like the strength of the herb flavor.

The last step is to remove the bay leaves and whirr the rest up in the blender. If you're not planning to eat it right away, it's safer to cool it first, but you can blend it hot, just be careful with transferring it. You might find when you measure it all at the end that you've lost some to evaporation, in which case I just add water back in so it's the right "potency" for tracking purposes.

For serving, I just put it in a bowl, add salt to taste (you won't need to if you used bouillon), and also a sprinkle of nutmeg gives it warmth.

For a 2 cup serving this works out to ROUGHLY: 100 calories, 6 grams of fiber, 580 mg potassium, and 1.8g protein. Sodium will depend on what type of broth you use and what you add at the table.

If you're used to the cream-based versions, this probably won't do it for ya, but this is the way I first had it, so it's what I'm used to.

Thank you so much for posting that! I'll have to try it soon! Sounds good and I'm always looking for something I can make and have on hand.

 

[sweetpeama]

I got 27.5 infamous house laps done in 20 minutes plus 6 minutes of toning exercises today for a total of 26 minutes. Total so far for the month 169 minutes.

 

[4Mickeys]

Sorry I have been missing from the chatter! For some reason I have been super tired this week and have been falling asleep way earlier than usual. I even had a sleep on the couch tonight - woke up and said to DD you kids better get ready for bed - she replied its only just after 8pm! lol - OK catch up time....

What about you? Do you struggle to keep fruits and veggies a big part of your diet/lifestyle?

Does your town offer any farmers markets so that you can eat more locally?

Bonus: What is your favorite vegetable heavy dish/meal?

Veggies I quite like and as long as I am on a roll preparing meals at home I usually do ok. Its fruit I have trouble with - although this week I have been better than usual having 1 a day. There are a couple of farmers markets around but I haven't been to any of them - we have a really good fruit & veg shop nearby - I do most of my shopping there.

Is exercise a big part of your journey?
What have you found that you like or don't like to do to get moving?
Do you have any long term physical fitness goals?

Exercise is a big part of my problem I don't get anywhere near enough - I do like being active on or near the water but honestly I have really dropped the ball in the last few months compare to last year.

Woohoo to all women everywhere! I'm participating in the virtual women's march today, where you post to social media with your pink hat on, and tag it. We've also started a Breakfast Club for the women in the department and are having a "meeting" this morning. I brought pink roses for everyone, in addition to the fruit. Oh, and the guys at my regular Starbucks treated me with a free drink this morning.

This morning I was thinking about the women who have been in my life and who have inspired me the most. Unfortunately I didn't have an inspirational Mother: she met the basic requirements of providing food/shelter but in many ways our relationship was reversed, with me taking the more adult role.... for instance in high school I got her her first job outside of the home and taught her how to drive. When I lived in Chicago (20+ years ago now - yikes!) I took a college class on Women's Studies and after the end of the class many of the students decided to create a women's group to continue to explore and learn from each other. This was the first time I was really exposed to true nurturing/mothering and it was a pivotal point in my life. So these are the women I'm thinking about today.

In my current world I am inspired daily by the women in my IG wooly tribe and by you all... here's wishing for a day filled with extra Pixie dust for us all!

Thank you @Oneanne - I just knew you would be doing something fabulous for International Women's Day! Your 'meeting' was a great idea. I am so glad you have been able to find ways to get what you need in relation to good relationships with women.

What's put a smile like this on your face in the past week?

• Spending time with the kids and my Mum on Sunday - everyone wanted to see Hidden Figures AGAIN that is the second time and we enjoyed it just as much. DD was the first one to say she wanted to go back and see it.
• Doing well with lunches this week.
• Having a piece of fruit for the past 3 days in a row and I have one packed for today.
• DS13 who makes us all laugh here at home having the courage to enter a school comedy competition at short notice (2 hours) and whilst he didn't win got some of the best comments from the local radio station host judges. He and 2 friends were going to do it together but they dropped out - then there was a mix up about when it was and if he could do it or not with the teacher - but she contacted him on the day and said he could do it - so he came up with a little 'stand up' routine in that short time! There was no way I would have done this in year 8 at school! Although it wasn't in front of the whole school but the other contestants.

 

[ski_mom]

What's put a smile like this on your face in the past week?

This week my WooHoo is all about my son. He tried out for the high school baseball team last week and found out on Friday that he made it! Our high school team is pretty competitive, so we were thrilled!

I've always thought he was really good and he has always been one of the best on his team, but he has always played "rec" baseball instead of doing one of the select travel teams. Honestly, the reason has been that I've never been willing to give up summers to travel for baseball every weekend. There are 5 of us in the family and around here, if you play on the select teams, you play in tournaments every weekend. Some are not too far away, but most require hotel stays and then they are in one or two tournaments during the week. I don't get a lot of vacation and that would have been it for the summer.

Anyway, despite not playing select ball, he made the team anyway! Such a relief because it is truly his favorite sport to play and I was afraid I'd hurt his chances since he hadn't been playing with the tougher competition over the years.

 

[piglet1979]

My day of shopping turned into a lot more exercise than one would have anticipated with 70mph guests of wind making it very challenging to walk and push open the car door lol.
Huge tree branch down on our deck, The wooden fence between us and our neighbors to the right fell down, and the trampoline from the neighbors to the left was hanging out in our front yard!
Today was a good day to go shopping for exercise vs walk around the neighborhood.

You got the wind like we did here. Lots of power outages, trees down, and power lines down. It was a crazy drive home from work last night. We have power at our house but houses right around the corner from us don't. He have lost our cable though. It just about killed me last night. I fall asleep to the tv every night. I didn't sleep very well last night.

 

[Lady Marie]

Question of the Day: March 9

Bonnie and Stu Hopps aren't really big on dreams.

Here on the WISH board, though, we are always working towards our goals and dreams towards better health!

But sometimes our inner Stu starts to make us loose faith.

What do you do when you feel like giving up?
What keeps you motivated when the going gets tough?​

 

[dsnyfn1022]

Sad! I missed woohoo Wednesday! Last night was my BFF's dad's birthday. We had a surprise party for him which involved a decent amount of delicious fried food and alcohol. I didn't make it to the gym Wednesday morning and I didn't go this morning but I've packed my gym clothes so I'll be going tonight after work. I gained a pound between last week's weigh in and today. Hopefully tomorrow I see a nice maintenance. Given the circumstances surrounding this week and the large weight loss I had last week I wouldn't be upset by a maintenance or even a slight gain. I'm excited to hit the gym tonight. I feel like I've been seeing some good progress with my weight lifting and I want to keep it going. Doing less of a focus on cardio has also helped me not dread my workout as much.

As I approach the weekend I once again get anxious about sticking with my routine. Ironically enough, last weekend felt so successful to me because I worked backwards. I tracked Sunday because I knew I'd be having a "cheat" meal that day. And then work backwards to Friday. So I've done that again with this weekend. But it's also going to be a constant struggle to me. Not to mention that next week is my travel week at work which I hate because I feel like I'm finally making progress. Basically, it's frustrating to always have "something".

 

[4Mickeys]

What do you do when you feel like giving up?
What keeps you motivated when the going gets tough?

Unfortunately ... all too often I probably give up! For example my exercise has fallen by the wayside at the moment ... Its funny that this is one of the areas that I struggle like this because with most other aspects of my life I dig in and just keep pushing through when things get tough. Like yesterday DS13 right before ready to head to school says he feels sick - we were already late for the bus so that meant driving the kids to school - I had one school appointment scheduled and a teleconference later in the afternoon for work - I needed to edit a document before the teleconference that I couldn't access from home - I decided I really had to much I had to do for work to call in sick.... so off we all head to drop the 2 healthy ones off with a bucket for DS13 of course - so just after the other 2 got after the car DS13 started throwing up ... pulled in to get petrol at a nearby station and take care of the bucket get home he is sick again ... cancel my school appointment - DS goes to sleep on couch - I work here on a report thinking I can get my parents out later so I can drop into the office to edit the document - call them their car is in having some work done on it - so DS has been ok for a while and looks a little brighter but I don't want to leave him alone - so up we pack off to the office - quickly do what is needed - head home grabbing dinner stuff on the way - joint the teleconference from home it goes for about 2 hours - more report writing - other 2 get dropped home by DD - made dinner - fall asleep on the couch! With so many things in my life there is no choice and I have to push through ... I wonder if that is why at the moment that I stumble with my healthy journey as its one of the few places where it can be dropped when life gets in the way (or my lack of motivation) .... although I know I really need to get healthier.

Sorry for the ramble - just thinking out loud I think