WISHing Away the Pounds - 2015 Edition!! Everyone Welcome!

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

GAH, been sick for a week with a good ol' head cold, still congested but with the weather finally breaking and getting some sunshine for the first time in over a week, got a 5 mile walk in this afternoon. Gonna have a real good weigh in tomorrow

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey guys!
Just a quick drop-in for me again ... one day I will take the time to stop in and chat, but today I didn't really have time for anything much. And I want to try to get to bed by 10:30 ... and I've got 17 minutes to write this, change into PJs, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed.

Not a great week here, and I'm expecting bad news on the scale. As long as I'm not up more than 2 lbs, I'll be okay. If I'm up more than that, it'll be hard for me to handle. I'm really struggling right now and while I know what I'm doing is wrong, it's hard to stop.

Next week will be an interesting one for me. Fiber is never easy for me ... don't know why, because there are foods that have fiber that I like, I just never get enough. The good news is, my parents are out of town Sunday - Thursday, so I get to cook/reheat dinner every night! I do have to pick food that is brother-friendly (although he may also be out of town one night), and he's not the healthiest of eaters (and if you put the healthy food in front of him, he won't usually eat it), but I can try to also make sure there's enough healthy filling food for me so that I'm not tempted to eat the junk I serve him. I may also do some baking ... depending on if I can find any recipes that I like. I'm almost out of granola, so I may make more of that, and I'm thinking about some sort of healthy muffin that I can freeze and then defrost when I want a fast breakfast.

Anyway ... I'm down to 12 minutes, so I should stop. Hopefully I'll have time to chat next week.

I hope everyone has a good weigh-in tomorrow!

 

[Flossbolna]

My Mom also told me about a study she heard about recently. Essentially two groups of mice were given the same number of calories every day.... but one group was limited to eating them during a 12 hour span and the others could eat any time they wanted during the day and night. The group that was limited to eating for just a 12 hour span stayed a normal weight.... the group that was allowed to graze day and night became overweight.... all on the SAME NUMBER OF CALORIES! Food for thought, huh??!!

Wow, that is fascinating!!! I think there are still so many things that are unknown about the metabolism and I find it interesting how research is just now starting to figure things out! Remember the study that got me to drop diet soda - because of it changing your gut bacteria. They were talking about how they are really just starting to find out how big of an influence your gut bacteria have on your weight - and they were talking about the possibility of stool transplants for weight loss. Sounds disgusting, but maybe it will indeed help people...

First of all, I have no problem talking about FIBER!!

Sorry you had a bad day yesterday (and glad today looks better!). Today I am feeling lousy as well.... the day at my house started with a melt-down from DS about some exam coming up and how he doesn't understand truss calculations (for engineering class) and DH bellowing at him about not studying enough. Sure, DH is probably right.... but getting on DS's case just as he is walking out the door for this exam and he is obviously already upset was NOT a good choice.... and of course, when I ask DH to let it go, I become the bad guy!! Sorry.... just venting. But I will say, it is definitely affecting my mental status today and I truly want to eat cookies.... any kind, all day. But since I know this is just my emotions talking and not true hunger, I am trying to ignore the bag of WW chocolate chip cookies that are in my bag. Sipping hot tea continuously today.

I sometimes can ignore my cravings when I know it is just for emotional reasons. At least I am at the point where I won't use emotions as an excuse for a frozen pizza anymore. But I have better and worse days. And funny that you mention the tea: a cup of tea is exactly one of the things I get to help me ignore my craving for treats!!
************

Hey all! The computer I am working on is about to die and I don't want to lose what I already typed, so I am posting this and then will go back and edit and do replies where I missed them!................P

Okay.... found the cord for the computer!! And finished up my replies!! And I have students in 2 minutes, so I must dash! Just one NSV to report...

yesterday after school all I could think about for the whole ride home was warming up my feet (they had been cold since recess duty at noon) and taking a nap!! But instead I hit the TM for two miles. I know, not much, but considering I wanted to nap it was a victory!! TTYL..................P

Well done!! And I am sure that walkting two miles also did the trick of warming up your feet!!

Pamela -- great job on hitting the TM instead of the pillow and blanket! it's cold cold cold here too and it's definitely harder to get the steps in when there is snow on the ground

and thank you for the kudos, truly....it is hard and when you encourage me it means a lot I'm in an online group of like-disease folks and the majority do not get activity in their daily lives nor do they see how it will benefit. it reminds me of my DD juvenile RA, the more you move the better you feel even though moving is usually the opposite of what you feel like doing. another thing that motivates me is I remember how much better it feels to be in a smaller body, to not have the extra weight, and so I refuse to give up on that being my reality again

today is day 10 of my first mini-goal to food journal and get my steps in for 10 days in a row I made it with the journaling, I had one sick day that I didn't get my steps in. I'm really proud of myself for journaling for 10 days in a row...that is huge for me! tomorrow night is my cheat dinner for DH birthday, we are going out to eat. not a fav restaurant of mine so I think I can keep my portion from being obnoxious. then Saturday I will restart another 10 days of OP

have a great day everyone!

I think it is wonderful that you keep working for your goal and are not just giving in to the illness!

Congratulations on the mini-goal! Hope you had a great cheat dinner! So, the plan is to be OP for 10 days and then have one day with a splurge meal? Sounds good to me!

Sorry I have been MIA this week, for some reason I was letting the blues get me. Not even sure why, just been down in the dumps. But feeling better now after a relaly good workout actually.

I've had to make some choices this week and while I am confident about it I am a bit sad. I am giving up my Weight Watchers, I have been unable to follow plan and haven't even tracked in a long time. I haven't even been to a meeting in over a month. Plus with me going over on the food budget we could use the extra $43 a month.

I am gonna hop back on Sparkpeople for journaling and tracking.

As for the sleep thing, it is somethign I am sort of struggling with too, since Christmas break really screwed up my schedule. My husband and kids were all home for 2 weeks, now I don't get a lot of time with my husband most of the year (Works 2nd shift) so I found myself staying up way later then normal, then sleeping in. I am however getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I need to remember to keep setting my fitbit for sleep

Sorry that you feel sad about cancelling Weight Watchers! But as you know, there are other ways to track your food and exercise - and for the support, we are happy to provide that! I am doing Weight Watchers online, so this group here is my weekly meeting!

GAH, been sick for a week with a good ol' head cold, still congested but with the weather finally breaking and getting some sunshine for the first time in over a week, got a 5 mile walk in this afternoon. Gonna have a real good weigh in tomorrow

Sorry that you were sick, hope you are feeling better! And yeah for the 5 mile walk!! Well done!

Hey guys!
Just a quick drop-in for me again ... one day I will take the time to stop in and chat, but today I didn't really have time for anything much. And I want to try to get to bed by 10:30 ... and I've got 17 minutes to write this, change into PJs, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed.

Not a great week here, and I'm expecting bad news on the scale. As long as I'm not up more than 2 lbs, I'll be okay. If I'm up more than that, it'll be hard for me to handle. I'm really struggling right now and while I know what I'm doing is wrong, it's hard to stop.

Next week will be an interesting one for me. Fiber is never easy for me ... don't know why, because there are foods that have fiber that I like, I just never get enough. The good news is, my parents are out of town Sunday - Thursday, so I get to cook/reheat dinner every night! I do have to pick food that is brother-friendly (although he may also be out of town one night), and he's not the healthiest of eaters (and if you put the healthy food in front of him, he won't usually eat it), but I can try to also make sure there's enough healthy filling food for me so that I'm not tempted to eat the junk I serve him. I may also do some baking ... depending on if I can find any recipes that I like. I'm almost out of granola, so I may make more of that, and I'm thinking about some sort of healthy muffin that I can freeze and then defrost when I want a fast breakfast.

Anyway ... I'm down to 12 minutes, so I should stop. Hopefully I'll have time to chat next week.

I hope everyone has a good weigh-in tomorrow!

Hope you got to bed on time!! Sounds like you are going to have a nice week taking over the cooking! Hope you can find stuff that your brother likes as well and that is still healthy!

 

[Flossbolna]

Weigh In for Week 2!!

I hope you will all send me numbers that make me happy! As always, you can send me your updated weight via PM until Monday and I will update the current list by Monday evening!

I was happy with my weigh in this morning. I am down 1.5 pounds and thus have lost a little over 3 pounds this month. For me this is a great success. All of last year I battled with my weight and really had problems to get it off despite being very conscious of what I was eating.

In the end, I think I ate too little for far too long. I do have a rather active lifestyle. Most days I walk to work and back (that's 4 miles), my fitbit often tells me that I walk between 90.000 and 120.000 steps a week.

On the other hand I was always scared about eating too many of my points and tried to live with the 26 points I get on WW and not eat the weekly extra or my activity points. As I said, the week before this, I had made the decision to track, but still found it difficult to keep within my points. Instead of stopping to track during the day, I just kept tracking. I kind of lost it on Wednesday and Thursday (my WW week starts on Friday), but overall I felt that while I had eaten what seemed too much, I just ended up eating all of my weekly extra and some of the activity points (I had 36 that week). So, I decided this week to eat more as a conscious decision. So, I ate my daily 26 points, I ate all 49 weekly extra points and I ate 24 of the 40 activity points I had earned. What happens? I lose 1.5 pounds.

I will keep to a similar pattern (eat all my points and half of the activity points) this week and see what happens going forward. However, I hope to be able to use my points more on healthy food instead of blowing a lot of it on candy and stuff like that. One of my plans is to incorporate more healthy fat in my diet!

I think there are two key elements to my success: With the vacation and with Christmas I gave myself a break from eating so very little for quite a long time. Yes, I put on quite a bit (I guess I was suffering from the typical yoyo-effect), but I am thinking that that period helped my body to get out of the hunger mode I might have put it into. And the other one is that I gave up diet soda. Looking at my weight loss success for the first half of the year when I got into a bad habit of having quite a bit of diet soda on a daily basis and the second half of last year after I gave it up in August is quite eye opening.

 

[Flossbolna]

Healthy Habit Week 3 will start tomorrow!! I will post details tonight!

 

[pjlla]

Pamela -- great job on hitting the TM instead of the pillow and blanket! it's cold cold cold here too and it's definitely harder to get the steps in when there is snow on the ground

Thanks for the "atta boy"!

and thank you for the kudos, truly....it is hard and when you encourage me it means a lot I'm in an online group of like-disease folks and the majority do not get activity in their daily lives nor do they see how it will benefit. it reminds me of my DD juvenile RA, the more you move the better you feel even though moving is usually the opposite of what you feel like doing. another thing that motivates me is I remember how much better it feels to be in a smaller body, to not have the extra weight, and so I refuse to give up on that being my reality again

Sometimes you have to LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Let your online like-disease friends know how much the activity is helping you!! I wasn't aware of your DD's RA. How sad. I hope she is able to stay active and healthy without too much pain. And what a great example of living the BEST HEALTHY LIFE POSSIBLE her Mom is setting!

today is day 10 of my first mini-goal to food journal and get my steps in for 10 days in a row I made it with the journaling, I had one sick day that I didn't get my steps in. I'm really proud of myself for journaling for 10 days in a row...that is huge for me! tomorrow night is my cheat dinner for DH birthday, we are going out to eat. not a fav restaurant of mine so I think I can keep my portion from being obnoxious. then Saturday I will restart another 10 days of OP

have a great day everyone!

I need to think about setting up my own 10 day mini challenge... maybe start it Sunday? I'll let you know! Thanks for the inspiration!!

Sorry I have been MIA this week, for some reason I was letting the blues get me. Not even sure why, just been down in the dumps. But feeling better now after a relaly good workout actually.

I've had to make some choices this week and while I am confident about it I am a bit sad. I am giving up my Weight Watchers, I have been unable to follow plan and haven't even tracked in a long time. I haven't even been to a meeting in over a month. Plus with me going over on the food budget we could use the extra $43 a month.

I am gonna hop back on Sparkpeople for journaling and tracking.

As for the sleep thing, it is somethign I am sort of struggling with too, since Christmas break really screwed up my schedule. My husband and kids were all home for 2 weeks, now I don't get a lot of time with my husband most of the year (Works 2nd shift) so I found myself staying up way later then normal, then sleeping in. I am however getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I need to remember to keep setting my fitbit for sleep

Can I tell you a little secret (and it TRULY is a secret)?? I lost the majority of my weight doing WW on my own.... at home, no meeting, no online program. I couldn't afford it and didn't have the time to dedicate to meetings, etc. I had the materials from past times I was a member, I knew WHAT I needed to do.... I just needed to DO IT! While I love, love, love the encouragment, inspiration, ideas, accountability etc that a meeting provides, if you cannot be a member that is NO REASON to NOT follow the WW program the best you can on your own!

Tough when the family schedule is "off" and it throws all of your normal eating off track.... even though we LOVE having our family there with us for extra time!!

GAH, been sick for a week with a good ol' head cold, still congested but with the weather finally breaking and getting some sunshine for the first time in over a week, got a 5 mile walk in this afternoon. Gonna have a real good weigh in tomorrow

OH no!! Get better quickly!!!

Hey guys!
Just a quick drop-in for me again ... one day I will take the time to stop in and chat, but today I didn't really have time for anything much. And I want to try to get to bed by 10:30 ... and I've got 17 minutes to write this, change into PJs, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed.

Did you make it???

Not a great week here, and I'm expecting bad news on the scale. As long as I'm not up more than 2 lbs, I'll be okay. If I'm up more than that, it'll be hard for me to handle. I'm really struggling right now and while I know what I'm doing is wrong, it's hard to stop.

Sorry you are struggling. Can you pinpoint what the problem is exactly? What is the "road block"? How can you set yourself up to remove that roadblock???

Next week will be an interesting one for me. Fiber is never easy for me ... don't know why, because there are foods that have fiber that I like, I just never get enough. The good news is, my parents are out of town Sunday - Thursday, so I get to cook/reheat dinner every night! I do have to pick food that is brother-friendly (although he may also be out of town one night), and he's not the healthiest of eaters (and if you put the healthy food in front of him, he won't usually eat it), but I can try to also make sure there's enough healthy filling food for me so that I'm not tempted to eat the junk I serve him. I may also do some baking ... depending on if I can find any recipes that I like. I'm almost out of granola, so I may make more of that, and I'm thinking about some sort of healthy muffin that I can freeze and then defrost when I want a fast breakfast.

Anyway ... I'm down to 12 minutes, so I should stop. Hopefully I'll have time to chat next week.

I hope everyone has a good weigh-in tomorrow!

Give him a frozen pizza and a side salad when he is there and spend the time and money making YOURSELF a super healthy OP meal!! Is there anything new you've been wanting to try? New recipes? New vegetables? This would be a great time to try it!!

Weigh In for Week 2!!

I hope you will all send me numbers that make me happy! As always, you can send me your updated weight via PM until Monday and I will update the current list by Monday evening!

I was happy with my weigh in this morning. I am down 1.5 pounds and thus have lost a little over 3 pounds this month. For me this is a great success. All of last year I battled with my weight and really had problems to get it off despite being very conscious of what I was eating.

In the end, I think I ate too little for far too long. I do have a rather active lifestyle. Most days I walk to work and back (that's 4 miles), my fitbit often tells me that I walk between 90.000 and 120.000 steps a week.

On the other hand I was always scared about eating too many of my points and tried to live with the 26 points I get on WW and not eat the weekly extra or my activity points. As I said, the week before this, I had made the decision to track, but still found it difficult to keep within my points. Instead of stopping to track during the day, I just kept tracking. I kind of lost it on Wednesday and Thursday (my WW week starts on Friday), but overall I felt that while I had eaten what seemed too much, I just ended up eating all of my weekly extra and some of the activity points (I had 36 that week). So, I decided this week to eat more as a conscious decision. So, I ate my daily 26 points, I ate all 49 weekly extra points and I ate 24 of the 40 activity points I had earned. What happens? I lose 1.5 pounds.

WOOHOOOO!!!

I will keep to a similar pattern (eat all my points and half of the activity points) this week and see what happens going forward. However, I hope to be able to use my points more on healthy food instead of blowing a lot of it on candy and stuff like that. One of my plans is to incorporate more healthy fat in my diet!

You are constantly learning how/what to eat!! Good for you!! I also struggle with eating too little. That is one reason I started instituting my weekend splurges. For a looong time I felt deprived and my weight loss had slowed down to a snail's pace. I knew, in my head, that I SHOULD be eating more, but I struggled to make myself do it. But when I do.... BINGO! But it is truly a balance of eating JUST ENOUGH.... and not going CRAZY!

I'm working on healthy fats too!! I have become rather "fat phobic"..... I am a product of my times and environment and I fell fully into the "low-fat" craze of the 90's and it is hard for me to eat fats without cringing. Plus I don't love fats (probably because I am not used to the mouth feel), so I want fats that taste good.... so I concentrate on fats like avocado (yum!!) and nut butters. Plus I enjoy the taste and fragrance of toasted sesame oil (really delicious in Asian cooking), so I try to use a free-er hand with that.

I KNOW (from reading, etc) that fat is ESSENTIAL to brain function, digestion, skin, hair, etc.

I think there are two key elements to my success: With the vacation and with Christmas I gave myself a break from eating so very little for quite a long time. Yes, I put on quite a bit (I guess I was suffering from the typical yoyo-effect), but I am thinking that that period helped my body to get out of the hunger mode I might have put it into. And the other one is that I gave up diet soda. Looking at my weight loss success for the first half of the year when I got into a bad habit of having quite a bit of diet soda on a daily basis and the second half of last year after I gave it up in August is quite eye opening.

Again, I agree with you!! I tend to have a big loss after a holiday or vacation gain. I think it tends to shake up the metabolism to have a short period of time of eating more than usual.

***************************

Happy Friday all! I am NOT working today, but have plenty to do here to keep me busy! I am also running some errands.

Had a small loss today.... was hoping for a full pound, but only lost .4. Not complaining really, as I had too much fun eating some of my holiday chocolates last weekend! (DD bought me two kinds of Lindt salted chocolates!) I may take a sneak peek again tomorrow, but maybe not.

I've got my yoga pants and sneakers on, ready to hit the TM before I start my errands today.

Off to report my loss to the powers that be!!....................P

 

[ohMom]

Magdalene -- on your loss this week!
Pamela -- also on your loss too

I did lose one pound this week, I was a little disappointed b/c I worked so hard and stayed within my eating sooooooo good...but instead of thinking of it as I've lost 4 pounds in two weeks and that is wonderful! three more pounds and i'll be out of this 'decade' that I've been stuck in for over a year! I just hope I can make that happen in two weeks , oh that would be delightful!

Pamela -- my DD was diagnosed with SJIA (systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, they don't called it RA in kids anymore for idk what reason but it's immune disease attacking her joints all the same) anyhow, she was diagnosed 13 years ago she had just turned 6 years old and was in kindergarden. she doesn't remember any different. it's a struggle for her, especially with fatigue and her ankles are most effected. Last year she had both her ankles fused as they were fusing on their own in incorrect alignment she's a trooper! she's been really going to the gym faithfully too for past few months! she doesn't have a job right now which affords her the energy to workout regularly. she's going to have to get a job soon though...she plans on attending college in the fall. her illness concerns me in the college she chooses, some of them are so spread out and all that walking will not help her, some walking fine...big huge campus , no. Her #1 pick now is Univ of Cincinnati which we walked from one end to the opposite in just under 15 mins, so that eases my worry

had a productive day at the gym..beyond 25 mins on elliptical and yoga class that turned into core workout and deep stretching instead which was fine by me I hadn't been to yoga in about 5 weeks! there was only two of us, so she modified today. the class is called "Yoga 101" so I asked, jokingly, if we could do "Yoga 99" today b/c I didn't know if I was up to snuff for 101 anyhow, I also got myself scheduled for a fitness assessment next week, I haven't done one in over 5 years. It includes a BMR (basal metabolic rate) test so that should be helpful. I also asked our instructor if she'd meet with me in next week or so and give me a strength program to do on my own for times when I miss class or need workout at home, etc

happy Friday you big LOSER! hope the WI was a good one for each and everyone here!

 

[MissDisney121]

Hello Everyone!
My name is Sara and I know it's a bit late but I'm joining in. I am doing weight watchers as well and I think this will be a fun motivator. So far in ww I have lost 3 pounds but I weigh in tomorrow so we'll see where I'm at then. I look forward to getting to know you guys and providing support in your weight loss efforts as well.

 

[pjlla]

Magdalene -- on your loss this week!
Pamela -- also on your loss too

I did lose one pound this week, I was a little disappointed b/c I worked so hard and stayed within my eating sooooooo good...but instead of thinking of it as I've lost 4 pounds in two weeks and that is wonderful! three more pounds and i'll be out of this 'decade' that I've been stuck in for over a year! I just hope I can make that happen in two weeks , oh that would be delightful!

We will celebrate with you when you hit the new "decade"! But WOOHOO for now on the one pound!!

Pamela -- my DD was diagnosed with SJIA (systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, they don't called it RA in kids anymore for idk what reason but it's immune disease attacking her joints all the same) anyhow, she was diagnosed 13 years ago she had just turned 6 years old and was in kindergarden. she doesn't remember any different. it's a struggle for her, especially with fatigue and her ankles are most effected. Last year she had both her ankles fused as they were fusing on their own in incorrect alignment she's a trooper! she's been really going to the gym faithfully too for past few months! she doesn't have a job right now which affords her the energy to workout regularly. she's going to have to get a job soon though...she plans on attending college in the fall. her illness concerns me in the college she chooses, some of them are so spread out and all that walking will not help her, some walking fine...big huge campus , no. Her #1 pick now is Univ of Cincinnati which we walked from one end to the opposite in just under 15 mins, so that eases my worry

Oh my.... so much to deal with at such a young age. Good for you for checking out those colleges with her. DD doesn't have a huge campus at her school, but it certainly is ENOUGH walking.... especially when it is cold and windy or blowing rain! Just be sure your DD requests a first floor dorm room!

had a productive day at the gym..beyond 25 mins on elliptical and yoga class that turned into core workout and deep stretching instead which was fine by me I hadn't been to yoga in about 5 weeks! there was only two of us, so she modified today. the class is called "Yoga 101" so I asked, jokingly, if we could do "Yoga 99" today b/c I didn't know if I was up to snuff for 101 anyhow, I also got myself scheduled for a fitness assessment next week, I haven't done one in over 5 years. It includes a BMR (basal metabolic rate) test so that should be helpful. I also asked our instructor if she'd meet with me in next week or so and give me a strength program to do on my own for times when I miss class or need workout at home, etc

happy Friday you big LOSER! hope the WI was a good one for each and everyone here!

I'd love a chance to try "Yoga 99"!! I do some yoga here at home, but it has been a VERY LONG TIME, since I did a real yoga class with an instructor.

Hello Everyone!
My name is Sara and I know it's a bit late but I'm joining in. I am doing weight watchers as well and I think this will be a fun motivator. So far in ww I have lost 3 pounds but I weigh in tomorrow so we'll see where I'm at then. I look forward to getting to know you guys and providing support in your weight loss efforts as well. ��

Welcome Sara!! Glad to have you aboard! Many of us are WW Lifetimers here, so you are in good company! Tell us a bit more about yourself if you would like and then feel free to hop right into the conversation! We've been a quieter group than usual, for January, but it makes it easy to keep up!

*******************

Morning all! The men are up and out the door for robotics and I have just a bit of time to have my coffee and oatmeal and then get started on today's "to do" list! I got a lot crossed off yesterday and that feels good, but still a lot to do! DD returns from Panama tomorrow and rather than have her take the shuttle back to school with the rest of the group, we are picking her up in Boston and bringing her home for two nights (spring semester doesn't start until Wednesday). But that means I won't get anything done on the school holiday on Monday other than DD's laundry and some time to visit and hear about her trip and see her photos. Then Tuesday will be an all-day-in-the-car kind of day when I drive her to school and then hustle home for my WW meeting that evening.

Anyone know how many PPV in a Lindt truffle? I've got a few left from Christmas and I'm good about eating just one, once in a while and savoring it, but I really want to count it properly and the bag/wrapper doesn't have any kind of barcode to scan. I guess I'm just being lazy and don't feel like logging into the WW website to see if it is listed there.

Had another sneak peek at the scale this morning, but there was no improvement over yesterday.... probably because I ate a batch of salty popcorn last night. So Friday's number will be considered official.

Off to enjoy my oatmeal and start today's chores! TTYL...................P

ETA: Hey.... I forgot to tell you all..... I snuck about a cup of chopped kale into last night's broccoli cheddar soup.... and it was absolutely DELICIOUS and UNDETECTED by my men. The biggest change (to my taste buds and eyes) was that it tasted a bit RICHER and it was a bit more "green".... but WOOHOO! I'm ecstatic that I found a new way to get another veggie into my guys!

 

[Flossbolna]

Healthy Habit Week 3: Fiber!

Fiber is something we all have heard of as something that is good for you. But what is it really? And why is it good for us?

So, here is some info (courtesy of Sparkpeople).

What is fiber? Fiber is found only in plant foods. It is found in dried beans and peas, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is a type of carbohydrate that gives plants their structure. Fiber is not digested or absorbed into the body when eaten. It therefore contains no calories.

What can fiber do for you? There are many health benefits to bulking up on fiber:

Aids in Weight Loss - Fiber-rich foods may help your body stay trim. They take longer to chew, which may slow down your eating time so you eat less food. Fiber helps you feel full and slows the emptying of your stomach. In other words, fiber helps you to fill up before you reach the point of overeating. Fiber itself cannot be fattening because it isn’t digested and has ZERO calories!

Reduces Risk of Heart Disease - Studies have shown that people who consume a high fiber diet are less likely to develop heart disease. Certain types of fiber may help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff). Fiber also helps bile acids pass through as waste. Therefore the body absorbs less dietary cholesterol.

Lowers High Blood Pressure - Fiber-rich foods are also a good source of potassium and magnesium. These two minerals are needed to help regulate blood pressure.

Manages Diabetes - Water-soluble fiber also helps to regulate blood sugar by delaying the emptying time of the stomach. This slows the sugar absorption after meals and reduces the amount of insulin needed.

Prevents Cancer - Eating a high fiber diet throughout one’s life may help prevent certain cancers, such as colon and rectal cancers. Fiber absorbs excess bile acids that are associated with cancer. It also speeds up the time it takes for waste to pass through the digestive system, which decreases the amount of time that harmful substances remain in contact with the intestinal wall. Fiber also forms a bulkier stool, which helps to dilute the concentration of harmful substances.

Reduces Constipation, Hemorrhoids, and Diverticulosis - Fiber absorbs water, softening and bulking the stool. This helps it pass through the digestive system more quickly and easily. As a result, fiber prevents constipation. There is less straining with bowel movements so hemorrhoids are less likely to form. Fiber is also a standard therapy for the treatment of diverticular disease. This painful disease occurs when the tiny sacs in the intestinal wall become weak and infected. A high fiber diet helps to keep these sacs from becoming inflamed.

Sounds like pretty great stuff, doesn't it? So how do we get fiber? Well, from eating plants, but there are differences. A cup of wholewheat spaghetti has 6 grams of fiber, a cup of white rice only 1 g. 1/2 cup of raspberries has 5 grams of fiber, a cup of grapes only 2 grams and a cup of orange juice has 0 grams. The rule of thumb is: the "softer" the food, the less fiber is in it. Which makes sense, if you remember what the explanation of fiber is: the part of the plant that gives the plant its structure. So it needs to be a bit hard.

Check out the list in this article as a great reference guide as to which foods have lots of fiber as well as some more info on fiber in general:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/reference_fiber.asp

So, the challenge for the Healthy Habit this week is to make one conscious choice every day for one food that is high in fiber. For example, you want to get some fruit - choose one that is higher in fiber than another. Go for whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Make a meal with beans or lentils (great for getting fiber!)

Don't go crazy if you don't have a high fiber diet yet - it might upset your guts if they are not used to getting loads of fiber. This challenge is not about trying to hit a certain amount of fiber, but about getting awareness of what it is and how to get it!

Have fun - there are lots of tasty food out there that have plenty of fiber. Eating lots of fiber does not have to feel like eating cardboard boxes!!!

The challenge runs from today, Saturday, until next Friday and this time you need to get 7/7 to get a perfect score!

 

[WriteDisney]

Just a quick check in! So far I've worked our three days this week, two runs on the treadmill and one 90 minute hot yoga session today. I'm on track with exercise! But I've had a cold so I'm not sure my weight will be a loss. We'll have to see tomorrow morning.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Well, not to great week for me. I am still "icky" and not sure why. Overall I feel okay-- I don't have that "ugh I am sick and just feel miserable" feeling. But I am having a ton of sinus congestion and lots of drainage in my throat (sorry if that is TMI!). I have allergies so my nose is usually congested but it is actually fine for a change! But my ear is sore and my throat is scratchy and I am having sinusy headaches and intermittent coughing fits. I lost my voice on Thursday-- which is great for a school secretary! Still don't have it back. Me not talking????? That is unheard of!!!

Hard to eat because it is uncomfortable to swallow so sticking to soft foods and most of those are off plan. Drinking tons of fluids! But I am having soda so I blew my 10 day mini goal-- my go to comfort drink is grape juice with gingerale (diet). And of course lots of hot tea and honey.

I am not sure if I am fighting some sort of weird virus or if it is allergies or what. Nothing seems to indicate an infection in my sinuses, ear or throat so hoping it will clear up in a few days.

This also means I didn't manage to get any exercise in this week. Trying to just take it easy and rest as much as possible. I swear that every time I make a plan to start exercising the universe conspires to make it not happen. I get sick, I hurt something, a schedule changes, sudden blizzard in July. . . .

I am going to try to read back and get caught up. I am trying to be mostly on plan today (except for the juice and gingerale). Since I am home I can make protein shakes and prepare soft foods that will be easier to swallow.

 

[SarahDisney]

Hello all!
I was going to do a mass reply, but I just don't have the patience for it, so I'll limit myself to a few comments.

Pamela - Great job on hitting the treadmill and not just heading straight to bed. And I'm sure being on the treadmill helped warm up your feet a drop ...
And congrats on the small loss - a small loss is so much better than no loss!

Charity - Sorry to hear that you were letting the blues get to you, but I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm sure giving up WW will be hard, but extra money for the food budget is always a good thing - gives you more options for healthy food!

Derek - Sorry to hear you were sick, but I'm glad you're getting ... a little sunshine is always nice. I hope you get more if it this week!

Magdalene - Yay for another good weigh-in! I think it's great that you figured out that eating more could be what is necessary for you ... and it'll definitely be good for you to incorporate more healthy fats, which is something that a lot of people don't get enough of.

Molli - A one pound loss is great! It may not have been as much as you were hoping for, but it's certainly better than nothing, and every small loss is a good sign of progress!

Sara - Welcome!

As for me ... it's 1:30 PM and I'm still drinking my coffee, but that's okay, Sundays are days to take it easy. Yesterday killed my 10-minute exercise streak ... I just couldn't muster up the energy. I felt bad, but oh well. I'm going to restart it today as a 15-minute exercise streak, and hopefully this one will stick for longer.
Today is day 1 of controlling all of my meals ... I had greek yogurt with granola for breakfast, and I'm having a veggie burger for lunch. Not sure about dinner yet, but I'm thinking about seeing if we have potatoes and trying to make myself some sort of vegetable & potato hash - I'm thinking cut up a potato into small pieces (I don't think I actually have a grater anywhere), mix it with some frozen peas and carrots, and toss it in the frying pan ... and hope it works out. I tend to experiment with food and not bother with recipes, and it doesn't always come out well. I've got 2 more "healthy dinners" on the menu after tonight (the rest will be leftovers), so I'm spending part of today looking for recipes. My brother asked me which day this week I wanted him to pick up Chinese food ... I told him that he can get Chinese for himself and I'll make myself something healthy. Not a hard thing for me to say, because I don't really like Chinese food much anyway.
As for sleep ... I did get to bed at 10:30 exactly last Thursday, but haven't been to bed before 10:30 since. Hopefully I will this week because things are quieter around the house.
My weigh-in last week was lower than expected. I'm wondering if, like Magdalene, I've been eating too little and need to start eating more. I'm trying to up my calories a bit this week to see how that affects my weight. I've always been a small meal person, so it's an adjustment, but if it's what works, I'll have to learn to adjust.

This week's healthy habit will be a tough one for me ... I tend not to think about fiber as much as I should. But ... when trying to decide which veggie burger to have for lunch (we have 2 kinds that I like in the house), I chose entirely based on fiber content - I went with the one with 6g of fiber (the other one was only 3). So I guess that's today's point.

Okay, I think that's all I've got in me for today. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

 

[MissDisney121]

Welcome Sara!! Glad to have you aboard! Many of us are WW Lifetimers here, so you are in good company! Tell us a bit more about yourself if you would like and then feel free to hop right into the conversation! We've been a quieter group than usual, for January, but it makes it easy to keep up!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to have the company. I've been overweight my whole life and now at 26 I am finally done with it. I've realized I can't be the person I want to be at my current weight so I'm doing something about it.
Some more basics about me, I live in Iowa and I am a substitute teacher. I obviously love Disney but unfortunately haven't been able to go since 2012. I miss it there so much.
Ok enough about me. I hope everyone has a great week!

 

[Flossbolna]

Motivational Monday!!

We are over halfway through the month and some might start to lose the momentum of starting out to a new goal that carried us through the beginning of the month, so I thought this quote would help us to stay motivated for the last 12 days of the month:

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to have the company. I've been overweight my whole life and now at 26 I am finally done with it. I've realized I can't be the person I want to be at my current weight so I'm doing something about it.
Some more basics about me, I live in Iowa and I am a substitute teacher. I obviously love Disney but unfortunately haven't been able to go since 2012. I miss it there so much.
Ok enough about me. I hope everyone has a great week!

I was a chubby child and an overweight teenager and then in my 20s for the first time I was able to get rid of a lot of fat, so I can relate to your situation! While I put on a bit since, I never got as heavy as I was at my worst when I was 23!

I hope you will be able to plan a Disney trip soon - in the meantime the DIS is a great place to get your daily Disney fix.

As for me ... it's 1:30 PM and I'm still drinking my coffee, but that's okay, Sundays are days to take it easy. Yesterday killed my 10-minute exercise streak ... I just couldn't muster up the energy. I felt bad, but oh well. I'm going to restart it today as a 15-minute exercise streak, and hopefully this one will stick for longer.
Today is day 1 of controlling all of my meals ... I had greek yogurt with granola for breakfast, and I'm having a veggie burger for lunch. Not sure about dinner yet, but I'm thinking about seeing if we have potatoes and trying to make myself some sort of vegetable & potato hash - I'm thinking cut up a potato into small pieces (I don't think I actually have a grater anywhere), mix it with some frozen peas and carrots, and toss it in the frying pan ... and hope it works out. I tend to experiment with food and not bother with recipes, and it doesn't always come out well. I've got 2 more "healthy dinners" on the menu after tonight (the rest will be leftovers), so I'm spending part of today looking for recipes. My brother asked me which day this week I wanted him to pick up Chinese food ... I told him that he can get Chinese for himself and I'll make myself something healthy. Not a hard thing for me to say, because I don't really like Chinese food much anyway.
As for sleep ... I did get to bed at 10:30 exactly last Thursday, but haven't been to bed before 10:30 since. Hopefully I will this week because things are quieter around the house.
My weigh-in last week was lower than expected. I'm wondering if, like Magdalene, I've been eating too little and need to start eating more. I'm trying to up my calories a bit this week to see how that affects my weight. I've always been a small meal person, so it's an adjustment, but if it's what works, I'll have to learn to adjust.

This week's healthy habit will be a tough one for me ... I tend not to think about fiber as much as I should. But ... when trying to decide which veggie burger to have for lunch (we have 2 kinds that I like in the house), I chose entirely based on fiber content - I went with the one with 6g of fiber (the other one was only 3). So I guess that's today's point.

Okay, I think that's all I've got in me for today. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Well done for checking the fiber content on the burgers! That's exactly what I meant: just try to THINK about fiber in a first step. This challenge is more about changing one's habit of how we think about food, not yet about what we eat.

Seems like you are all set for a great week of eating healthy!

Well, not to great week for me. I am still "icky" and not sure why. Overall I feel okay-- I don't have that "ugh I am sick and just feel miserable" feeling. But I am having a ton of sinus congestion and lots of drainage in my throat (sorry if that is TMI!). I have allergies so my nose is usually congested but it is actually fine for a change! But my ear is sore and my throat is scratchy and I am having sinusy headaches and intermittent coughing fits. I lost my voice on Thursday-- which is great for a school secretary! Still don't have it back. Me not talking????? That is unheard of!!!

Hard to eat because it is uncomfortable to swallow so sticking to soft foods and most of those are off plan. Drinking tons of fluids! But I am having soda so I blew my 10 day mini goal-- my go to comfort drink is grape juice with gingerale (diet). And of course lots of hot tea and honey.

I am not sure if I am fighting some sort of weird virus or if it is allergies or what. Nothing seems to indicate an infection in my sinuses, ear or throat so hoping it will clear up in a few days.

This also means I didn't manage to get any exercise in this week. Trying to just take it easy and rest as much as possible. I swear that every time I make a plan to start exercising the universe conspires to make it not happen. I get sick, I hurt something, a schedule changes, sudden blizzard in July. . . .

I am going to try to read back and get caught up. I am trying to be mostly on plan today (except for the juice and gingerale). Since I am home I can make protein shakes and prepare soft foods that will be easier to swallow.

Oh, that sounds really bad! Hope your throat will feel better soon! And totally understandable that you did not start your exercise program. But hopefully you will feel better soon and then you can start it!

Just a quick check in! So far I've worked our three days this week, two runs on the treadmill and one 90 minute hot yoga session today. I'm on track with exercise! But I've had a cold so I'm not sure my weight will be a loss. We'll have to see tomorrow morning.

Well done on keeping to your exercise schedule! I often feel that just telling other people on here about my plans makes me do it more than if I just make a plan up in my head. I guess it feels more like a real commitment once you have posted it on the internet! Hope you are feeling better soon!

 

[Flossbolna]

ETA: Hey.... I forgot to tell you all..... I snuck about a cup of chopped kale into last night's broccoli cheddar soup.... and it was absolutely DELICIOUS and UNDETECTED by my men. The biggest change (to my taste buds and eyes) was that it tasted a bit RICHER and it was a bit more "green".... but WOOHOO! I'm ecstatic that I found a new way to get another veggie into my guys!

How funny!! I still am not sold on kale - I guess I am with your men there. But I would not eat broccoli soup either...

Hope you had a great time with your DD after her return from Panama! You are becoming an expert in picking her up from international flights at the airport!

---

I had a successful weekend with lots of step, I went for a lovely run in the sunshine (this time without it turning into a snowstorm within seconds!) and was invited to cake at a friend's where I had a small slice of a delicious cheese cake that I tracked and resisted getting seconds!

My scale moved further down this weekend and today my jeans feel like they are not totally uncomfortable for the first time this year!

Have a great start into the week everyone!!

 

[ohMom]

great motivational Monday!

our gym was closed today so it's going to be a challenge to get my workout in, a challenge mentally that is....my fitbit friends started a weekday challenge for this week so maybe i'll just take the dog on a long walk later. we did yesterday despite the chill and it was so nice to be outside

pixie dust for a great week for us all!!

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

Dammit, been floating around 225-227 for the last few weeks. I feel like I need to see 220 next week or else (even though the plan is 221.5 on 2/1).

If it were consistent even or dropping slightly I'd be good. It's the whole down 2 then up 5 then down 2 that bugs me.

 

[Flossbolna]

great motivational Monday!

our gym was closed today so it's going to be a challenge to get my workout in, a challenge mentally that is....my fitbit friends started a weekday challenge for this week so maybe i'll just take the dog on a long walk later. we did yesterday despite the chill and it was so nice to be outside

pixie dust for a great week for us all!!

Happy to hear that you liked the quote!

Hope you are doing well with your challenge! I have done weekend challenges with my sister and BIL and we had lots of fun constantly comparing who is ahead! That was a very active weekend for all of us!

Dammit, been floating around 225-227 for the last few weeks. I feel like I need to see 220 next week or else (even though the plan is 221.5 on 2/1).

If it were consistent even or dropping slightly I'd be good. It's the whole down 2 then up 5 then down 2 that bugs me.

Sorry for being stuck! I can understand what you feel like, my weight often is like that. I find that trying to focus on one aspect that is not about calories, but about healthy living for a while, it often helps me to get unstuck (like more food, more veggies, more protein etc.).

----

Hello everyone!! I am feeling tired and exhausted today. And already had a far too enthusiastic meeting with the candy box we have here at the office. I try to avoid it most days, but today I was in its presence twice and just could not resist. Yes, feeling tired equals craving for carbs. But tomorrow will be another day and todays candy has been tracked (I have no points left, but that's ok since I am allowed to eat my weekly points).

I have to say that I am starting to get really fed up with winter. I want the days to be longer and the weather to be warmer! And it is only the middle of January!! I think the older I get the grouchier I become about winter...