I did it!
 

Two hours later, walk is done. Of course I had to get on my case because instead of giving myself props for walking the 5 miles I was irritated that it took me so long. Hello? Didn't I just start walking again? But of course I am hard on myself and I expect myself to already be running crying out loud. Unbelievable! :seeingstars:

5 miles is amazing! My goal is to make it to 2. I know I can do 1 but pushing myself to walk 2 without stopping feels scary. Gonna give it a go with all of this good inspiration!

Tiger - You need to give yourself a hug and a huge pat on the back for getting back into the routine of walking and taking better care of you! Good progress!

Weighed in this morning, and I have 1 pound to go until I reach my 1st personal goal.
Im having my oatmeal now, and my pre workout drink, and it off to the gym in a bit.

I have not lost one ounce this week but nor have I gained.

Given my current state of mind; I'll take it.

Congrats to all on your own journey through the minefield of healthy eating.

Regards,

I weighed this morning ..the scale said 250 and a very small oz.to the neggative..this is the lightes ive been in a long time.ony 50 more to go from 303 that I started with.Im getting there one pound at the time.

My weigh-in is tomorrow and I'm kinda excited because I know I lost the 2 pounds I gained last week and might have lost another 1/2 -1 lb or so.

Just got back from the Farmer's Market and some yard sales. The yard sales sucked - It has rained off and on for several days so the only folks out were people that wanted $8 for used sweatshirts. :|

Farmers market yielded peppers and onions, yellow squash, jalapenos, plums, and a few peaches. :)

Congratulations on the accomplishments this week. And thank you for sharing the good news on today's weigh-ins and your ability to maintain. As I was reminded in this thread, not gaining is also good thing! :)

And thank you for the encouragement and support.

Someone mentioned those Quaker Oats rice snacks in here, didn't they? I finally tried them and they are SO good. I'm not a sweets-person, I can easily do without dessert or chocolate or ice cream or sweet drinks; but salty & crunchy is my weakness. These snacks are really good substitutes for chips or pretzels etc.

I was feeling pretty guilty at the beginning of the week because I had a 2oz gain. I know 2oz is tiny, and under normal circumstances I'd not have batted an eyelash.......but I had exercised really hard last week and the reason I didn't have a loss was that I went to a party with copious amounts of champagne (my achilles heel :| ) and I undid all of my hard work the week before. Guilt really motivated my choices this week. I've been attempting to be very self-disciplined (a major task in and of itself). I've made good food choices all week and prepared most of my meals.

And I completed Week2-Day3 of the "couch to 5k" program! I had to do a bit of remedial run/walking at the beginning of the week after my hiatus last weekend. I feel great about what I've accomplished -- but I'm really worried about the next step - next week the running intervals leap from 90sec to 3min. :| I'm trying really hard not to be self-defeatist, and think positively. But my god, this is hard!

I'm starting to look forward to the mid-to-late Autumn when I switch to exercising at the YMCA again; and I can get back in to a few classes. I feel like, if nothing else, this interval training is improving my endurance and lung capacity.

Hey all,

I ran into an article today that seems to back up something I’ve been doing that has been incredibly helpful. Have a look if you are interested.

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives...in-weight.html

Just to share how I came to using the fewer meals strategy:

When I began my series of experiments to find what would work for me I bought into the concept that 6 small meals per day would help keep my hunger levels down, energy up, and give my metabolism a jump start. This must be true for a lot of people or it wouldn’t be such a popular tool. I found the opposite to be true for myself; physically I was always hungry and never got to be satisfyingly full, it had no effect at all on the scale and I thought I was just getting it wrong. Psychologically, I couldn’t ever get my mind off of food; between planning, preparing, cooking, eating, and cleaning up after 6 feedings a day it seemed like that was all I was doing, and it pretty much was.

I finally decided that based on self-testing I would eat two large satisfying meals and if needed for hunger management a third smaller one as well. It worked like a champ! I have time to do other things in life, really enjoy my meals instead of being afraid of how soon it would be over and how I was supposed to be happy with my meager portion, and it actually boosted my performance both in terms of energy and on the scale. For me the mind game was sort of like it would be quitting cigarettes while hanging out in the smoking section. It helped to just get away from it and move on.

Naturally there is a caveat.:readfineprint:

My portions are very controlled but basically meal sized instead of snack sized, same overall amounts but eaten half as often twice as much type of thing. A really key issue for me has been nutrient density as the article points out. When it comes to satiety 200 calories of something like lite ice cream does not fill you up like 200 calories of lentils or eggs or berries, an absolute world of difference.

I’m sure many of you will think I’m nuts and that’s okay. This is in case there is someone else in here that struggles with this the way I did. It’s okay to try things even if it seems counter-intuitive (or counter current trend) to help yourself make good life changes. I heard somewhere that "you're only as good as your last meal", and for me that is true.


:balloon:

I gotta share!

I grabbed a bag of these a few weeks ago at Sam's Club:

http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/sams..._size_200x200$

It's a frozen mixed berry blend and is AMAZING as a smoothie! I have been ignoring it in the freezer since I bought it and decided that today would be the day. I loaded up about a cup of berries (only 80 calories!!) and put in about 1/2c of vanilla greek yogurt, and then added a splash of OJ. It was SO SO good and thick! The only thing I would do differently is that I'd probably use half as much of everything because I ended up making too much and it took me all day to eat it :)

Most of my smoothies lately have been "white" smoothies with a banana base and this was a nice change with it's deep purple color and thick texture!

Good Evening Everyone,

I went to the gym in my apartment complex tonight and I did a total of 45 arm curls between working out on the exercise bike and treadmill. I burned over a 100 calories on the exercise bike alone!

I'm going to switch it up between power walking and doing the arm curls...

Have a good night,

Zimmy

Holy crappola!
 

Weigh-in day today revealed a 5.2 pound weight loss!!!!

I got the nasty little note from WW telling me that I was losing too fast and to slow it down. Hey, that's the 2 pounds I had gained last week plus another 3-pound loss. I have been watching it pretty hard this week and put into action all of the stuff I said I was going to do last week.

Moved more.
Drank more water.
Got more sleep.

It worked!

WHOOOHOOOO!!! That is awesome Medusa!!!! Congratulations! Keep them coming or I should say going! lol

Well...I made the decision and took the plunge...

Yesterday was day one of the new eating plan....much more lean protein, non-starchy veggies, healthy fats and whole fruit....much, much, much less grains and starchy veggies.

It was an exercise in thinking differently and making different choices.

Scoote and I went out to breakfast since she had been told to eat a very hearty breakfast before her 2 day "liquids only" fast before a medical test and was craving sausage gravy and biscuits. We went to Bob Evans....where I would usually indulge in sausage, biscuits, hash browns, etc. Instead I had sirloin steak (small) and eggs, subsituted fresh fruit for the potatoes, and limited myself to half a biscuit (just enough to sop up the egg yolks). It was delicious, and easy...just not what I'd usually order.

Lunch was a big salad with lean turkey, tomatoes, carrot, lettuce, cucumber....very easy on the dressing.

Dinner was a slice of very lean ham...in a shallow pan with an extremely large serving of broccoli and a little carrot...in enough water to steam and heat it all up.

Snacks were yogurt and fruit.

My fasting blood sugar this morning was 106...a good number.

This while be a big change, but it's a very healthy step for me, particulary with regard to the diabetes. And, I'm sure it will result in some weight loss as well...always a good thing. :)

This sounds terrific, it sounds like you are using something like the glycemic index as a guide; though I do not have diabetes I understand this can work very well. I know that when I dropped grains from my eating my energy went through the roof and losing weight became much simpler. Re-educating the palate takes time, no doubt about it, but the results can be dramatic.

Congratulations on the new plan. :thumbsup:

Um, I have a confession.

I haven't eaten a plum in over 30 years because my Granny gave me one when I was a kid and it had a worm in it.

I saw a lady eating one at work on Friday and the deeply bluish/purple skin looked so good that I had to go out and get some. Well, let me just say - NEW FAVORITE!

And I checked the nutritional content and plums apparently only have 30 calories each? Also, they are chock full of antioxidants and Cancer-fighting goodies!

YAY for the PLUM!

I am back from vacation and back in the gym! Protein shake for breakfast this morning followed by an hour with my trainer in the ring. Going to be spinach salad with grilled chicken for lunch, then back in the gym this evening for a conditioning class. The serious training has started. A little over 60 days to get ready for this fight. I so DON'T want to get my ass kicked!

Continuing to focus on healthy eating, rather than the scale. Fixating on the scale is never good for my head. For me, too easy to get discouraged.

Our weight does fluctuate, even when eating and sticking to our plans.

I was happy to not have gained last week and to not succumb to going off the eating rails.

I appreciated all the posts about not gaining being as important as losing, though it does feel a tiny bit more exciting to lose!

Postscript: I did lose a pound:)

Hugs,

Good Morning Everyone,

I went power walking lastnight and really enjoyed the cool breeze! I have to work until 10p tonight, so I won't be able to hit the gym or go power walking. So tomorrow morning, I will be up and early to hit the gym...

Have a great day! It is my last day in the PBX department, woohoo!!! :chocolate: for all of us!

Zimmy

My Monday morning mini-triumph:

This morning I was getting dressed for an interview and put on a pair of suit trousers I've not worn since the early spring ... and for the first time in (at least) a year they fit beautifully! Hoorah!

(shame the job wasn't so thrilling, but I'll take triumphs where I can get 'em)

Would folks mind sharing their daily menus and point counts? I think maybe it would help us all see new ways of eating and get some new ideas from one another.

This was my breakfast today:

1 banana - 0 points
1 plum - 0 points
1 5.5 ounce Spicy hot V8 - 1 point
16 ounces of water


This was a pretty light breakfast for me because I usually do a smoothie and a handful of mini-wheats but I was feeling lazy this morning and in a hurry. I also have to kinda graze on this because it usually takes me until 10am to get all of this down. Still, a ONE POINT breakfast and lots of nutrition. :)

For lunch, I have this:

Amy's Light and Lean Black Bean Enchilada dinner - 6 points
Fiber One bar - 4 points
More water!

Afternoon snack -
Blue Diamond 100 calorie pack of roasted almonds - 3 points

Pre-dinner snack -
Fuji Apple - 0 points

Dinner tonight -
3 of my very good turkey meatballs - 6 points
1/2 cup whole wheat pasta - 4 points
1/2 cup of my homemade sauce - 1 point
1 cup steamed brocolli - 0 points
lots of water

After dinner snack if Im still feeling it -
1 of those very good WW raspberry chocolate popsicles - 2 points


I'll caveat this by saying that I do not usually have a pyramid like this where more of my points are at the end of the day. I usually try to get more of my points at breakfast and lunch. I also mostly have more dairy in my plan since I often make smoothies with almond milk or have a piece of cheese with lunch.

I am currently allowed 43 points per day for my weight range and everything above comes out to 27 total. That's pretty normal for me to stay in the less-than-30-point range. I know Im supposed to be getting more points a day but it's hard.

Now, show me yours since I showed you mine!

Hello everybody. Thanks for the tips and eating options! Today I'm on day 2 of loading up and tomorrow I will start on my diet plan. I will post what I eat and keep everyone updated on my progress from then on out. Happy Monday and healthy eating! :chef:

I'm allowed 35 points per day.

This morning, so far, I've had...

coffee - 1 pt.
Greek yogurt (plain, non-fat) with blueberries & granola - 4 pts.
V8 (low sodium) - 1 pt.

On days when I lift, I also add in a whey shake (vanilla w/banana & strawberries) for 3 pts.

That right there is a pretty standard morning for me these days. It'll change back to pancakes or oatmeal when the weather gets cooler.

At some point during the day (sometimes twice), I will have 2 servings of tuna (2 points) on a toasted thin bun (2 points) for a total of 4 points.

In the evening I will have another V8 for another point.

The rest varies. I like a beef patty on a thin bun (7 points). I do chicken breasts on the grill a lot (3 points per breast). I also like to grill the 97% fat free Hebrew National dogs (1 point per frank). Sometimes I have it without a bun and add chili; sometimes I have the bun instead.

Like Angie, I rarely use all of my points and that is something I'm working on.

Breakfast:

3 cups of coffee, with a small amount of cream and a tiny squeeze of agave nectar light. 4pts

1 cup of non-fat plain greek yogurt, 1 cup of fresh blueberries, 1 tsp of agave nectar light. 4pts

Lunch:

3 slices of low sodium deli turkey, 1 flatout whole grain wrap, 1/4 avocado, tomato. 6pts

32 oz. of water throughout the course of the day

We LOVE these hot dogs and a favorite in our household. They taste just like the regular hebrew national.

a day in the life
 

Currently I am allowed 33 points for the day. On a typical day this is what goes down my gullet:



1 banana (before working out)-0 points

breakfast

1/2 cup egg beaters-2
3 slices of turkey bacon-3
1 slice ww toast -2
1 TB of strawberry jam-1
1 mega cup of coffee-0
2 TB creamer-2

snack at work
(I do change this up but currently this is my kick)
1 large apple-0
2 TB almond butter (carefully measured as this stuff is sooo bomb)-5


lunch at work
watermelon or another kind of fruit at least a cup-0
3oz of turkey breast-3
mixed salad greens, carrots, cukes, etc-0
1oz feta cheese-2
2 TB low fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing-3

afternoon snack at work
(anyone of these items)
laughing cow cheese 1 wedge-1
or low fat baby bell-1
or more fruit-0

dinner
3 oz grilled turkey burger-4
(or Boca Burger-2)
Bagel thin-3
a large amount roasted or grilled veggies-0

evening snack
watermelon
air popped popcorn
greek yogurt

(not a big night snacker so the points I have left determines what I will eat)

Another great snack (1 wedge) laughing cow low-fat garlic & herb or french onion is 1 point. :)

Those Laughing Cow wedges are amazing!

I sometimes spread them on a whole-wheat tortilla and fill with baby spinach, grilled chicken, avocado, and black beans and it makes a VERY good wrap!

Also, you can drop a wedge or two over hot cooked pasta and add some veggies and its super yummy!

I'm not super big on tea (talking about iced tea), but when I have it at home it is the Crystal Light raspberry green tea.

If I eat out and they have raspberry tea, I'll usually get it.

Other than that, regular ol' unsweetened iced tea is good enough for me.

My favorite tea is Earl Grey, hot or as iced tea! I like to add a teaspoon of either Irish Creme or French Vanilla creamer to it..

I try and drink a minimum of four large glasses of water everyday.

Zimmy

Breakfast: one cup of steel-cut oatmeal ( have to have something to chew, can't stand the pablum of instant oatmeal) with about 20 raisins, one pint of non-fat milk and one cup of coffee with a teaspoon of Half-and-half with Spenda.

Yum.

Going to walk up 4 flights of stairs right now. Have a great day all!

I love this thread:)