Healthier Lifestyle Thread 29th Dec till 4th Jan

[Miscka]

Happy New Year HLTers!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful NYE/day! I had a good time, and am really looking forward to this year

Not much to report on the HL front, but I am looking forward to continuing this journey with you all

 

[Lorelei]

Happy new year Miscka!

 

[lliang_chi]

Happy new year everyone! Back to work today

James is snoozing in bed right now and I''m so jealous!!!

Anyway, this week I''m going to *hopefully* start with yoga again. I''ll check with my sister if she''s up for it. Other than that, I plan to do some home exercises on my off days. Squats, push-ups etc. I really miss being in a gym, I haven''t lifted in FOREVER. I do use Therabands and have some resistance "lifting" but I dunno it just doesn''t feel the same...

Yesterday I spent almost all day in bed or lazying around with James. Then we left to drive out to the suburbs and hang out with some of his college friends. On the way there, James said he was really craving McDonald''s. So we drive over to the Chicago McDonald''s monstrosity that is the renovated Rock and Roll McDonald''s. It''s a $10 minimum to get free parking. So for the first time in over 10 yrs, I ate a meal at McDonald''s. It wasn''t so bad, I ordered chicken and I didn''t finish my fries & drink.

MerryMunky, you have such an amazing goal for this year! We''re right here with you cheering you on. It''s all about the baby steps.
Dee, which place has the best fries in town? YOu''ve definitely perked my interest.
Tinkerbell, welcome!! We''re here to help you with your goals. Everyone here is such a great inspiration and it''s great to have someone to hold you accountable.
Tacori, 50LBS is an incredible achievement!!! That''s amazing!

 

[Lorelei]

Happy new year llaing!

 

[tinkerbell]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome Lorelei and Lliang. It will be very helpful to me to have others that have/are going through the same thing to be there for support when I''m having a "blah" day/week/month. And it really, really helps to have others to be accountable to . And just seeing my weight out there for everyone else to see is a big motivater. I DO NOT what to see that number on the scale ever again...unless it''s for a diamond

I have finally come to realize that if I give myself a deadline for weight loss I set myself up for failure. Give me any other deadline and I can rock it but not for weight loss. LIke you Lorelei, I''m just going to make healthy choices everyday and let my body get rid of this excess fat on it''s own time. It may take longer than I would like but at least I know I am doing it the right way. And the fact that you''ve managed to keep with it for four years is an inspiration to me! If you can do so can I !!!

I''m now off to cook dinner. We are having chicken stir-fry with carrots, celery, red pepper, onions, chives and wild rice. That''s the funny thing about me. I really like to cook and I''m a big fan of fruits and veggies but I can be super lazy. That''s where all the junk food comes in. It just *seems* easier to make but in reality it doesn''t take that much longer for me to cook a healthy meal. Making Kraft mac&chesse takes just as long to make as stir-fry or whole wheat pasta. I''m still trying to get used to it. Has anybody mixed it with regular pasta? Like a 1/2 & 1/2 mixture? I''m wondering if that will be easier for me to used to. I am a huge carb and cheese lover. And anything sweet but I''m tyring to cut that down to just 1 or 2 really tastey sweets per week instead of 1 or 2 crappy sweets (store bought cookies, muffins, ect) per day.

 

[lliang_chi]

Tinkerbell,

I''ve made mac & cheese with regular pasta and it comes out just fine. I''d also suggest getting the reduced fat cheese and making it with fat-free/reduced fat milk too. It''s pretty easy, and you can just freeze portions so you can heat it up later. Just a thought!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/2/2009 11:41:51 AM
Author: tinkerbell

Thank you so much for the warm welcome Lorelei and Lliang. It will be very helpful to me to have others that have/are going through the same thing to be there for support when I''m having a ''blah'' day/week/month. And it really, really helps to have others to be accountable to . And just seeing my weight out there for everyone else to see is a big motivater. I DO NOT what to see that number on the scale ever again...unless it''s for a diamond

I have finally come to realize that if I give myself a deadline for weight loss I set myself up for failure. Give me any other deadline and I can rock it but not for weight loss. LIke you Lorelei, I''m just going to make healthy choices everyday and let my body get rid of this excess fat on it''s own time. It may take longer than I would like but at least I know I am doing it the right way. And the fact that you''ve managed to keep with it for four years is an inspiration to me! If you can do so can I !!!

I''m now off to cook dinner. We are having chicken stir-fry with carrots, celery, red pepper, onions, chives and wild rice. That''s the funny thing about me. I really like to cook and I''m a big fan of fruits and veggies but I can be super lazy. That''s where all the junk food comes in. It just *seems* easier to make but in reality it doesn''t take that much longer for me to cook a healthy meal. Making Kraft mac&chesse takes just as long to make as stir-fry or whole wheat pasta. I''m still trying to get used to it. Has anybody mixed it with regular pasta? Like a 1/2 & 1/2 mixture? I''m wondering if that will be easier for me to used to. I am a huge carb and cheese lover. And anything sweet but I''m tyring to cut that down to just 1 or 2 really tastey sweets per week instead of 1 or 2 crappy sweets (store bought cookies, muffins, ect) per day.

Of course you can do it!!!! I had so many years of misery with yo yo dieting, fad diets and every wacky weight loss scheme known to man, and was never successful long term. Until I realized that I was going so wrong in trying to crash diet the weight off each time, but that in future I would do it slowly and just let my body adjust naturally FOREVER and let it shed the excess in its own time.

 

[panda08]

Happy new year, everyone!!!

NYE and yesterday was pretty uneventful. Well, sort of. Over the past several days, we started wedding planning. It''s exciting but stressful. We originally thought about eloping but I want my family to share our day. Now that we''re planning a wedding, I''m wondering whether we should just stick to an elopement. Sorry, I''ll whine over at BWW. Either way, I''ve GOT to get on the bike with the diet and exercise!!!

Tacori, YAY for 50 pounds gone! You can totally lose another 10! T''s new pic is darling!

Rod, sorry to hear Roy''s was disappointing but at least you enjoyed your cake! I am drinking the regular V8. I know it''s loaded with sodium but it was the only kind at Costco. When I finish this case, I''ll just bite the bullet and get the low sodium version at the grocery.

Hi Marcy! Mmmm... french toast and cornbread! YAY for a clean house! I love playing scrabble!

Lorelei, your new avatar is SO cute!!! YAY for your workout, even in a freezing gym!

Miscka, YAY for finding a cute NYE outfit! I''m leaning towards doing a DW in Maui but that may get derailed with family drama. UGH... I knew there was a reason I didn''t want a wedding in the first place!

Lliang, I''m glad you''re enjoying yoga. I have a friend who was totally addicted to Bikram. Don''t feel discouraged because you haven''t lost weight, especially if you look better. You have a lot of time until October to reach your goal! I''m planning on getting married in August and also want to lose 20 pounds so let''s encourage each other!

Apple, YAY for being so good with your workouts! Your cake decorating class sounds fun!

Skippy, I''m glad to hear you''re enjoying your Wii. I tried it for the first time over at my FI''s friend''s house last night and thought of you. The Wii said I''m 50!!! LOL! Thanks for sharing your discussion at WW about making permanent lifestyle changes.

Linda, awww, the party with your daughter, SIL and your grandkids sound so fun!

Merry, you can do it this year!

DeeJay, ooh, I hope you enjoyed your fries! I know you''ll get right back on the wagon!

Geckodani, YAY for making better food choices and tracking your points!

Steph, MMmmm... chocolate covered strawberries! YAY for your 3 mile run!

Welcome, ILE and tinkerbell!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

panda, I''ll be happy with just 5! Maybe 10 would be my DREAM goal but I like to me realistic. Have fun wedding planning. Best day of my life!

tinker, welcome! I posted a lowfat mac & cheese that I am in love with. I know Lor has tried it. I find I can eat the SAME foods if I make BETTER choices. Last night I used ground turkey instead of ground beef for burritos. Could hardly tell the difference.

lliang, at least it is one day and then the weekend again!!! I too am in love for fries.

I could eat them everyday, ALL day.

Miscka, happy new year!!!

Lor, thanks friend. Feels good! This thread helps so many people. You should be proud.

geck, I know even T was eating them. So yummy!

Rod, glad the cake was good! Cake usually is!!!

marcy, with the giggles comes the whines though! I am sure the brownies are good!

Dee*Jay, Mmmm fries!

Not much new with you. I was playing on our wii and was SWEATING. Haha. It is either a good workout or I am really out of shape.

 

[merrymunky]

Hello everyone.

I hope you are all well. I had a day out with my Mum shopping. It was nice but exhausting. I am looking forward to Monday, getting back to work and getting back on track with weight watchers points counting on my food tracker. I am trying to stay positivr but after events with my FI lately I feel a bit battered emotionally. I hope I can keep up the motivation though.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/2/2009 3:21:20 PM
Author: merrymunky
Hello everyone.

I hope you are all well. I had a day out with my Mum shopping. It was nice but exhausting. I am looking forward to Monday, getting back to work and getting back on track with weight watchers points counting on my food tracker. I am trying to stay positivr but after events with my FI lately I feel a bit battered emotionally. I hope I can keep up the motivation though.

You can do this MM, do it for YOU! I can''t promise that it will be easy but I can promise you it will be worth it!

 

[appletini]

My mom does WW and when I was at her place last night I saw she had a WW cookbook that had the pages divided into 3 sections: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner all of the recipes looked fairly simple and contained all the points and nutitrional info. I asked her to pick up a copy of me so maybe some of you can find one those too.

 

[merrymunky]

Date: 1/2/2009 3:23:38 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/2/2009 3:21:20 PM
Author: merrymunky
Hello everyone.

I hope you are all well. I had a day out with my Mum shopping. It was nice but exhausting. I am looking forward to Monday, getting back to work and getting back on track with weight watchers points counting on my food tracker. I am trying to stay positivr but after events with my FI lately I feel a bit battered emotionally. I hope I can keep up the motivation though.

You can do this MM, do it for YOU! I can''t promise that it will be easy but I can promise you it will be worth it!

Oh I know it will be worthwhile.

Oooooh, your avatar has changed!! THUMPER! How cute.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/2/2009 3:53:30 PM
Author: merrymunky

Date: 1/2/2009 3:23:38 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/2/2009 3:21:20 PM
Author: merrymunky
Hello everyone.

I hope you are all well. I had a day out with my Mum shopping. It was nice but exhausting. I am looking forward to Monday, getting back to work and getting back on track with weight watchers points counting on my food tracker. I am trying to stay positivr but after events with my FI lately I feel a bit battered emotionally. I hope I can keep up the motivation though.

You can do this MM, do it for YOU! I can''t promise that it will be easy but I can promise you it will be worth it!

Oh I know it will be worthwhile.

Oooooh, your avatar has changed!! THUMPER! How cute.

Heehee! I seem to be drawn to bunny avatars for some reason! He is sweet isn''t he???

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Okay...my wii said my fitness age is 53

 

[KimberlyH]

Hi HLTers and HAPPY NEW YEAR! We''re back from our trip and I''m doing a lazy recovery day, tomorrow it''s back on the bandwagon (exercise, clean the house, etc.). J is out running errands, giving me the opportunity to spend the day doing nothing. A nice relief after much bustling around.

We ate a lot of amazing food on our trip. Luckily the scale didn''t show much of a reaction last night. I have a pound or two to lose, but that never seems to be difficult.

Someone mentioned the average amount of weight gained over the holidays, it''s actually much lower than we think at somewhere between 1-2 pounds, the problem is we, the collective we, tend not to lose the weight after the holidays are over, so cumulatively it makes a difference.

It''s great to see old faces and new. Here''s to a happy, healthy 2009 for all of us!

 

[Rod]

Hey.........It''s me from work, if you could call staring at my computer screen work. The phones aren''t ringing and the parking lot''s empty. Half our office took the day off. Unfortunately, since I hadn''t been here a full 6 months until today, I didn''t have any vacation hours. Effective tomorrow, I have 5 days to use (or lose) by May 30th. I will use the time off. In my last job I rarely if ever took vacation and look what it got me after 16 loyal years........LOL Tonight is Sushi night, then we''ll go home and have coffee and I''ll finish the rest of my chocoate cake. I can taste it already........YUMM! Charlie''s working tomorrow, so I''ll likely go to the gym tomorrow and then he''s off Sunday, so I''ll go again. I don''t really have anything else to do this weekend anyway.

I luv Emerald''s and Tinkerbell, welcome to our healthy family here on the HLT. I hope you get as much from this thread as I and so many other''s do.

It was nice to see that Mara had popped in last week to wish all well. Mara if you see this, we miss you, but know that you are doing great. Congratulations on the new house. Give my best to Greg!

Yummm to triple ginger cookies Tacori! Congratulations on the 50 lbs!! WOO HOO!!

Happy New Year DeeJay. I hope french fries were worth the caloric splurge!

Marcy, I''d rather have cocoa brownies over gingerbread anyway! I hope they turned out great!

I''m so sorry it''s so cold and damp over there Lorelei. I hope it warms up for you soon.

Hey gecko and Miscka!!

Sorry you had to go to work today too lliang. Yay for planning on getting back into your yoga this week!

Panda, how exciting that you''ve starting wedding planning.

Hey sweet Skippy!

One more hour to go, then it''s off to meet Charlie for dinner. This day just can''t end soon enough..........I''ll check in again later.

 

[steph72276]

Hey, guys. Wow, this thread is bumping! I hope everyone had a great new years day. I have been a busy bee today. Went grocery shopping for some healthy foods, took down all the Christmas decorations and the tree, cleaned the house, did laundry, just started dinner and after dinner, I plan to go for my 3 mile jog! Whew! Hope everyone had a lovely day!

 

[panda08]

Date: 1/2/2009 3:59:12 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Okay...my wii said my fitness age is 53

Don''t worry, it thinks everyone''s old. Wii thinks both FI and I are 50 and we''re 39 and 34, respectively. LOL! I don''t quite understand how it reaches the fitness age.

 

[HollyS]

Okay, today is the first day of my resolution to eat healthy, exercise, and lose weight.

DH and I discovered a fitness center less than 3 miles from the house! Yeah! And it isn''t one of the large chains, so it probably won''t be mega-crowded. I''m gonna go check out the facility and its rates.

Started my day with a Kashi bar, 6 oz. low fat milk, and a whole grain English muffin half with a tsp peanut butter.
Mid-morning snack was a prepackaged Daily Dose Cranberry Trail Mix (no sugar, sweetners, salt, but tons of fiber).
Lunch was a Quizno''s Black Angus and Bleu Cheese Salad with fat free balsamic dressing -- their website says it''s 380 calories if you don''t eat the flatbread. I had one piece of the flatbread, tossed the other piece.

Also, since I am still a Nikken consultant, I have dietary supplements which I''m taking. Included is a "Liver Support" pill for aiding liver function in processing fat, etc. Another pill is a probiotic "Digestion", which provides digestive enzymes that most food today lacks.

So, I''m off to a start. My goals are simple, eat better and excerise more. I know they will be hard -- at first. But they are non-negotiable.

Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That''s my first goal, in a long list of goals.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/2/2009 4:58:01 PM
Author: HollyS
Okay, today is the first day of my resolution to eat healthy, exercise, and lose weight.

DH and I discovered a fitness center less than 3 miles from the house! Yeah! And it isn't one of the large chains, so it probably won't be mega-crowded. I'm gonna go check out the facility and its rates.

Started my day with a Kashi bar, 6 oz. low fat milk, and a whole grain English muffin half with a tsp peanut butter.
Mid-morning snack was a prepackaged Daily Dose Cranberry Trail Mix (no sugar, sweetners, salt, but tons of fiber).
Lunch was a Quizno's Black Angus and Bleu Cheese Salad with fat free balsamic dressing -- their website says it's 380 calories if you don't eat the flatbread. I had one piece of the flatbread, tossed the other piece.

Also, since I am still a Nikken consultant, I have dietary supplements which I'm taking. Included is a 'Liver Support' pill for aiding liver function in processing fat, etc. Another pill is a probiotic 'Digestion', which provides digestive enzymes that most food today lacks.

So, I'm off to a start. My goals are simple, eat better and excerise more. I know they will be hard -- at first. But they are non-negotiable.

Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That's my first goal, in a long list of goals.

Definitely possible and doable Holly, thats a great and achievable goal!!

I just wanted to mention the water factor, try to drink 2 litres a day if you can manage it, this is great for keeping you feeling full and fat burning apparently. I used to hate it but manage it easily now, I do feel better for drinking more water.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/2/2009 4:58:01 PM
Author: HollyS
Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That''s my first goal, in a long list of goals.

It''s definitely doable, Holly. Not sure when your b-day is, but mid-April (the 15th) is about 14.5 weeks from now. Average and healthy weight loss ranges from 1-2 pounds a week. If you''re someone who might give up if you don''t quite meet a goal I''d aim for 15 pounds and be happy with whatever more you might get, if you prefer a bit of a challenge and won''t beat yourself up for not quite making it, go for 20. It''s typical to lose more per week in the beginning, and then loss decreases over time, but you''ll still see major changes to your shape and inches off if you''re adding exercise and strength training to your routine.

SOunds like you are off to a fantastic start!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

This morning I did a gentle 65 mins on the dreadmill, two sets of arms, and 32 flights of stairs. I'm adding two flights a day because I signed up to climb to the top of the Aon Building on January 25th for charity and this is 80 flights so if I add two a day I should be in good shape by then.

Weight wise I should not have climbed on the scale this morning (as a matter of fact I made a deal with myself that I wasn't going to get near it until Monday, but being OCD I couldn't help it). Up FIVE total for the season.

Oh well, I enjoyed every bite of it, and now I will just work on getting it off.

Liang, my favorite fries are from Bistrot Margot on Wells. I swear, I could live on those things (and when we lived over there I practically did, LOL!). I order them extra crispy.

I also have my first session with the PT on Monday at 8:30. I'm so excited!

That's all for now. See you all later!

 

[Linda W]

Date: 1/2/2009 4:32:24 PM
Author: panda08

Date: 1/2/2009 3:59:12 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Okay...my wii said my fitness age is 53

Don''t worry, it thinks everyone''s old. Wii thinks both FI and I are 50 and we''re 39 and 34, respectively. LOL! I don''t quite understand how it reaches the fitness age.

Oh Good Grief!!! I hate to see what my wii fit is going to say. It will probably say my fitness age is 80 years old.

!!! I will let you all know, when I receive the dang thing.

It is pouring rain here today, so I didn''t get in any walking today, but did eat healthy for breakfast and lunch.

Have some errands to do, so will check in later.

Linda

 

[HollyS]

Date: 1/2/2009 5:09:45 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/2/2009 4:58:01 PM
Author: HollyS
Okay, today is the first day of my resolution to eat healthy, exercise, and lose weight.

DH and I discovered a fitness center less than 3 miles from the house! Yeah! And it isn''t one of the large chains, so it probably won''t be mega-crowded. I''m gonna go check out the facility and its rates.

Started my day with a Kashi bar, 6 oz. low fat milk, and a whole grain English muffin half with a tsp peanut butter.
Mid-morning snack was a prepackaged Daily Dose Cranberry Trail Mix (no sugar, sweetners, salt, but tons of fiber).
Lunch was a Quizno''s Black Angus and Bleu Cheese Salad with fat free balsamic dressing -- their website says it''s 380 calories if you don''t eat the flatbread. I had one piece of the flatbread, tossed the other piece.

Also, since I am still a Nikken consultant, I have dietary supplements which I''m taking. Included is a ''Liver Support'' pill for aiding liver function in processing fat, etc. Another pill is a probiotic ''Digestion'', which provides digestive enzymes that most food today lacks.

So, I''m off to a start. My goals are simple, eat better and excerise more. I know they will be hard -- at first. But they are non-negotiable.

Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That''s my first goal, in a long list of goals.

Definitely possible and doable Holly, thats a great and achievable goal!!

I just wanted to mention the water factor, try to drink 2 litres a day if you can manage it, this is great for keeping you feeling full and fat burning apparently. I used to hate it but manage it easily now, I do feel better for drinking more water.

Yep, I intend to. I haven''t today, only because I''ve had two unsweetened black teas in front of me. I know caffeine isn''t what I should be ingesting just because of the way caffeine can heighen your appetite. It''ll be tough, but I''ll start drinking more water, and less tea. I never have been a soda drinker. Tea is my vice of choice.

 

[HollyS]

Date: 1/2/2009 5:31:36 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 1/2/2009 4:58:01 PM
Author: HollyS
Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That''s my first goal, in a long list of goals.

It''s definitely doable, Holly. Not sure when your b-day is, but mid-April (the 15th) is about 14.5 weeks from now. Average and healthy weight loss ranges from 1-2 pounds a week. If you''re someone who might give up if you don''t quite meet a goal I''d aim for 15 pounds and be happy with whatever more you might get, if you prefer a bit of a challenge and won''t beat yourself up for not quite making it, go for 20. It''s typical to lose more per week in the beginning, and then loss decreases over time, but you''ll still see major changes to your shape and inches off if you''re adding exercise and strength training to your routine.

SOunds like you are off to a fantastic start!

Thanks for the encouragement! I have a goal of 20-25 lbs, but will not be disappointed in 15 and inches lost. I refuse to let plateaus, or anything else dissuade me from the ultimate goal of a significant, very visable, weight and fitness change by the end of 2009. Eyes on the prize!

By this time in 2010, I should really enjoy the gym! (I hope.

)

 

[Linda W]

Date: 1/2/2009 5:55:31 PM
Author: HollyS

Date: 1/2/2009 5:31:36 PM

Author: KimberlyH

Date: 1/2/2009 4:58:01 PM

Author: HollyS

Is it possible to lose 20 lbs, and some significant inches by my 50th birthday in mid-April? That''s my first goal, in a long list of goals.

It''s definitely doable, Holly. Not sure when your b-day is, but mid-April (the 15th) is about 14.5 weeks from now. Average and healthy weight loss ranges from 1-2 pounds a week. If you''re someone who might give up if you don''t quite meet a goal I''d aim for 15 pounds and be happy with whatever more you might get, if you prefer a bit of a challenge and won''t beat yourself up for not quite making it, go for 20. It''s typical to lose more per week in the beginning, and then loss decreases over time, but you''ll still see major changes to your shape and inches off if you''re adding exercise and strength training to your routine.


SOunds like you are off to a fantastic start!

Thanks for the encouragement! I have a goal of 20-25 lbs, but will not be disappointed in 15 and inches lost. I refuse to let plateaus, or anything else dissuade me from the ultimate goal of a significant, very visable, weight and fitness change by the end of 2009. Eyes on the prize!

By this time in 2010, I should really enjoy the gym! (I hope.

)

Holly: We can fight this together. We both have big birthdays coming up this year. You will be turning 50 and I will be turning..... ugh.... I can''t even say the word...... 60.

I refuse to be flabby and 60

 

[HollyS]

Linda: 60 is the new 40! That''s what they say! I''m gonna be better at 60 than I was at 40; slender and fit!

If you need inspiration, look up Helen Mirren in a bikini. . . . whoa, mama!

There''s my goal! Are you game?

 

[Linda W]

OK Holly, you just made me feel better. YES, I am game. It will take a LOT of work for my thighs to look like hers though. I need a lot of lippo.

 

[steph72276]

I just got back from my run and Andrew and Adam are having a big bowl of cookie dough ice cream...my favorite! I am hiding out in the office until they are finished. So far, no sugar except a few grapes after my lunch. Are the no sugar people eating fruit?