Healthier Lifestyle Thread 27th Oct till 2nd Nov

[Lorelei]

Happy new week all!

Everyone is still doing great - well done everyone!

With that in mind, I thought this week it might be an idea to discuss the importance of being prepared, to help everyone stay on track. Being prepared is a crucial part of your personal game plan, and this goes hand in hand with not letting yourself get too hungry! This is one of the worst things you can do, so try to plan ahead with some healthy foods and meals which are readily available.

I know the protein bars are very popular, and are portable which can be great. Things like string cheese also travel quite well as does some fruit. This time of year, soups often can fit the bill nicely. If you know you are going to be particularly busy and not have much time to devote to meal preparation, some ready meals can be very handy to have, or cooking in bulk and freezing separate portions.

I must also take a leaf out of Storm's book with his use of the crockpot. These can be an excellent thing to have and you can get some good meals out of them.

Here is a thread on crockpot recipes!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/any-amazing-crockpot-ideas-recipes-out-there.33475/

So try to plan if you can for the week ahead, and shop and prepare accordingly. This can really give you a crucial advantage, also remember that frequent smaller meals can be a good thing for the metabolism so this approach can help in many ways.

Have a great week

 

[Lorelei]

Merrymunky welcome to the thread!

I am just adding your post to this week''s thread!


Posted: 10/26/2008 11:43:25 PM |
P: 10/27/2008 6:35:22 AM

merrymunky
Rough Rock
Total Posts: 24
Last Post: 10/27/2008
Member Since: 10/17/2008
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Happy Monday Everyone.

As promised, I am in here to tell you all a little bit more about my current position, my mission and what I am currently doing to achieve success.

Ok, so I have been telling myself for years that enough is enough. However, I finally realise that it is now or never. I am 28 and find it hard to bend over, because of the tyre round my middle. I have trouble walking anywhere because I get excruciating back ache. I have never considered myself to be exceptionally pretty or anything, but now when I look in the mirror, all I see is a disgusting blob. I have issues with getting to know people as a result of low self esteem. No one wants to befriend the fat, ugly woman right?

I am engaged to a wonderful guy, yet I don''t feel worthy. And I certainly do not feel worthy of a beautiful wedding gown, not like this.

I have always been on the chunky/stocky side. My mum is 4''10" and considers herself to be "dumpy". I think she is perfect, but she has issues too. I have her body shape, but luckily I am 5''5", evened out in the height stakes as my Dad is 6''1". He is not a big guy. Both my brothers are slender. So why did I inherit the fat gene? Unlucky. At school I thought I was disgusting, but in actual fact I was just chunky. I was very active and healthy. I was on the netball team, the rounders team, did tennis lessons and always participted in field events in sports days. When I left school I got lazy.

Then university happened and along came the drinking and the bad eating habits. They got worse and through uni I started to put on even more weight. During that time I got into a bad relationship with a guy who stripped me of all my self confidence, he took away all my friends and made me feel like I was going crazy (a long story which I will not dwell on here) But as a result of this relationship, I found myself moving to the other end of the country, back to my Mum''s at the age of 21 in 2001.

I met my fiance in February 2002. I was happier than I had been in years, yet the bad habits refused to dwindle. In that 7 years I have put on even more weight. It has got to the point where I feel horrid all the time. I have lived through 28 years of snide remarks from people in the street, as well as feeling like the odd one out everytime I mix with people. I need to boost my confidence. I used to be very outgoing but now I hate people looking at me.

I have tried to lose weight in the past. The most successful I have been was back in 2003 when I joined Weight Watchers with my fiance''s mother. I lost almost 2 stone and felt great. At that time my starting weight has been 17 stone. I promised myself I would never get any bigger than that, yet since then I put on all that weight again and about 4 stone on top. So once again, faiulre.

I am now left in a state of fear. Fear of failure to lose the weight, fear that the weight my overcome me and I will become very ill. I have little will power and self control.

This is why I am now planning out my food for the week in advance. This time I intend to stick to it. I will be following the weight watchers point system as much as I can for now, till I can join meetings again,

Along with a work colleague, I joined the gym earlier this year. I started with good intentions, attending four times a week. I really felt the benefit, especiialy to my back. I found I could walk much further than I had been able to in ages. However, this dwindled again until I stopped going altogether. I recently changed jobs which makes it harder to get to the gym as the school I work at is a lot further away from the gym and I don''t drive. The gym is only a five minute walk away from my old school. I live in a huge town so it is a long way to any of the nearest gyms to my current place of employment. I could get the bus there after work and meet my old work colleague, so I shouldn''t really make excuses.

So here I am, looking for some advice, encouragement and support.

Currently I am making up my eating plans for the week in advance. As of this morning I started following a plan. It is stuck to one of the kitchen cupboards. I have weighed myself to get my start weight. I want to take it a stone at a time (14lbs). I will alow myself points left over for a small treat each day. When I folllowed WW before I allowed myself low fat crisps and a fun sized packet of mateasers every day and still lost weight. I CANNOT deprive myself otherwise I will set myself up for failure.

I will also endeavor to start exercising again. For now the Wii Fit will have to do until I get back to the gym!

WOAH, long rant. Sorry to have gone on. Just felt I needed to get some of my thoughts off my chest!

Thanks for reading.

 

[merrymunky]

Thank you for the welcome Lorelei

Thanks you also for reposting my long rant. I was just about to come in and copy/paste it when I saw the new thread open.

I really hope that this time I can be successful.

I AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY ON THE BEING PREPARED FRONT!

As I stated in my post I have to have an eating plan drawn up otherwise I am liable to pick at foods I should not be touching.

I have stuck to it so far today. Bran flakes with skimmed milk for breakfast and for lunch I have just enjoyed Ryvita sesame crackers with philadelphia soft cheese and orange juicy peppers, with fruit salad, a granola bar and low fat crisps. I feel full and will not pick till tea time. Today we are going to a gig so I don not want a stodgy, heavy feeling tonight, so tea is tomato soup with 2 slices of bread.

I am cutting down my bread intake drastically. I used to have at least 4 thick slices a day. According to my food plan for this week I should only consume 8 slices all week. My daily sandwiches for work will be replaced by the Ryvita crackers. They are delicious. Breakfast will no longer be toast smothered in peanut butter, I will only be having that on Sundays as a treat!

I also keep in stock weight watchers cookies and caramel chocolate wafers. Only 1 - 1.5 points per serving so if I get the urge to snack I can monitor it closely and know exactly what I am consuming.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/27/2008 9:07:31 AM
Author: merrymunky
Thank you for the welcome Lorelei

Thanks you also for reposting my long rant. I was just about to come in and copy/paste it when I saw the new thread open.

I really hope that this time I can be successful.

I AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY ON THE BEING PREPARED FRONT!

As I stated in my post I have to have an eating plan drawn up otherwise I am liable to pick at foods I should not be touching.

I have stuck to it so far today. Bran flakes with skimmed milk for breakfast and for lunch I have just enjoyed Ryvita sesame crackers with philadelphia soft cheese and orange juicy peppers, with fruit salad, a granola bar and low fat crisps. I feel full and will not pick till tea time. Today we are going to a gig so I don not want a stodgy, heavy feeling tonight, so tea is tomato soup with 2 slices of bread.

I am cutting down my bread intake drastically. I used to have at least 4 thick slices a day. According to my food plan for this week I should only consume 8 slices all week. My daily sandwiches for work will be replaced by the Ryvita crackers. They are delicious. Breakfast will no longer be toast smothered in peanut butter, I will only be having that on Sundays as a treat!

I also keep in stock weight watchers cookies and caramel chocolate wafers. Only 1 - 1.5 points per serving so if I get the urge to snack I can monitor it closely and know exactly what I am consuming.

Most welcome! I wanted to make sure your post was on this week's thread! You must be in the UK?

Of COURSE you will be successful this time! What we always say here, perfection isn't what will get you where you want to be, slow and steady wins the race, and that also allows for things you really love like toast and PB occasionally! If you slip up, dust yourself off, put it behind you and get back on track - no worries!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning!

Happy Monday to all my WWTer pals.

Welcome, MerryM, it''s a pleasure to have you join us. I hope you find much support here, I know I and many others have.

Marcy, it was so nice to smell my house once we cleaned from one end to the other. We usually clean in pieces so the whole place is never spotless at once, it was this weekend!

Rod, glad you got to spend a whole weekend with Charile! Hooray!

We went to the gym yesterday, and I''ll go again this afternoon (J may or may not join me he said he''s not sure he can "handle so much fun two days in a row", smart ass!). I made a tamale pie sorta thing for dinner last night.

Hope everyone has a fantastic day.

K

 

[merrymunky]

I think I will be living in this thread for now on. You lovely people are making me feel so welcome already.

Kimberly...thanks for the welcome. I sure hope I can be as successful as other PSers.

Lorelei...I think I have always expeced too much too soon. This time I intead to take it as slowly as it needs to be. One stone goal at a time. (1 stone = 14lbs)

And yep, I am in the UK. I live in a beautiful harbour town called Poole on the South Coast of England. It's actually the second biggest natural harbour in the world, next to Sydney I believe. Here's a link to the Wiki page for any eeks out there who want to know a little about where I live!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poole

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/27/2008 9:29:31 AM
Author: merrymunky
I think I will be living in this thread for now on. You lovely people are making me feel so welcome already.

Kimberly...thanks for the welcome. I sure hope I can be as successful as other PSers.

Lorelei...I think I have always expeced too much too soon. This time I intead to take it as slowly as it needs to be. One stone goal at a time. (1 stone = 14lbs)

And yep, I am in the UK. I live in a beautiful harbour town called Poole on the South Coast of England. It''s actually the second biggest natural harbour in the world, next to Sydney I believe. Here''s a link to the Wiki page for any eeks out there who want to know a little about where I live!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poole

I am glad, you ARE very welcome and we are pleased to have you with us!

Poole in Dorset? Lovely part of the world!

No worries about being successful MM - you absolutely will be! Time is what helped me when I first embarked on this lifestyle change. I knew I hadn''t gained weight overnight and that this time I would take time to get it off and keep it off. And this approach worked well for me and many others. Celebrate each positive change, whether is it half a pound on the scales or your jeans feeling a bit looser! It all adds up, believe me!

 

[merrymunky]

Yep Poole in Dorset.

You know Poole? Awesome. Are you in the UK too?

 

[Miscka]

Happy New Week everyone!!!

Lorelei-great opener as always! For me, a big part of being prepared is regular trips to the grocery. I get VERY cranky, etc. when I am hungry and need to eat ASAP. If I have plenty of good choices on hand, it is quick and easy to eat one of them instead of going out for something.

Welcome, MerryM!

Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was pretty great. I ate pretty well, aside from some cookies when I was babysitting, but I was so busy Saturday that I didn''t eat much else so calorie-wise I am sure I was fine. This week I am going to try to be EXTRA good, since Halloween is this weekend and I have a few different parties to go to.

Hi to everyone!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/27/2008 9:49:06 AM
Author: merrymunky
Yep Poole in Dorset.

You know Poole? Awesome. Are you in the UK too?

Thanks Misc!

Yep MM I am indeed, there are a few of us here!

 

[merrymunky]

Although we seem to be a small minority. Where in the UK are you?

I was born down here but moved around a lot and spent a long time in my Mum''s hometown of Bolton.

 

[appletini]

My PT partner is back from her vacation and we were talking and don''t think our trainer will be coming back, but we can''t blame her as she has to do what''s best for her. However my PT partner and I will continue to work out together starting next week, and she''s so hard core that she''s like a trianer anyway.

MerryM! Welcome! Just remember that slow and steady wins the race. And when things seem tough during your workouts remember that you are feeling your body change. Having an eating plan is a great start b/c weight loss is really 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. Plus I''m sure that Marcy will be glad to share her story with you as she is such an inspiration to all of us. You also have to recognize that you are making a lifestyle change, and healthy habits will give you a great quality of life.

 

[geckodani]

Welcome MerryM!

Great opener as always lorelei!

I find that my biggest problem comes when I let myself get too hungry, therefore causing me to go waaaay over board when I finally get food!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/27/2008 9:56:57 AM
Author: merrymunky
Although we seem to be a small minority. Where in the UK are you?

I was born down here but moved around a lot and spent a long time in my Mum''s hometown of Bolton.

I am further north than you! PS has grown so much, I have been here 3 and a half years now, and in that time the community has grown and diverisified so much. There are still mostly our American ladies and gentlemen here, but the Brits are growing in number, we have some Irish PSers and more and more Australians now, so we are covering the globe pretty well!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 10/27/2008 9:52:10 AM
Author: Miscka
Happy New Week everyone!!!

Lorelei-great opener as always! For me, a big part of being prepared is regular trips to the grocery. I get VERY cranky, etc. when I am hungry and need to eat ASAP. If I have plenty of good choices on hand, it is quick and easy to eat one of them instead of going out for something.

Welcome, MerryM!

Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was pretty great. I ate pretty well, aside from some cookies when I was babysitting, but I was so busy Saturday that I didn''t eat much else so calorie-wise I am sure I was fine. This week I am going to try to be EXTRA good, since Halloween is this weekend and I have a few different parties to go to.

Hi to everyone!!

Well, I was in Canada at my sister''s surprise party and managed not to do too horribly with the food. Grilled Lobster tails... so good!!!

 

[Diva0413]

Happy Monday everyone and welcome MerryM!!!!

Lorelei, as usual, thanks for the motivation and great ideas. I''ve started cooking more and being more conscious of what I make and how I prepare it. For example, when I made potato salad last week, I used canola mayo instead of regular mayo. I''m realizing more and more that it''s not just a simple diet. It''s a lifestyle change... For the next couple of weeks, I''m going to start incorporating more fiber. I''ll let you guys know how it turns out.

 

[Skippy123]

Hi Friends!!!!! I am walking this evening and muscle hour tomorrow. We have left over charcoal grilled burgers and chicken for dinner tonight!

Great opening Lorelei; I agree w/preparing!!! Those bag salads and chopped veggies are great too! I love homemade soups!!

Merrymunky, welcome and sparkpeople.com is a great website for figuring out calories (you need) and meal ideas. Lentil and bean soups would be yummy since you are a vegetarian. Slow and steady does win the race; I agree. Glad you are with us!

Have a wonderful and healthy week all

 

[merrymunky]

I have jus signed up to sparkpeople.com! It looks awesome.

 

[dragonfly411]

Good morning everyone.... well afternoon here but just barely!! Well despite me working out very little this weekend, I had a blast!! Gators won..... slaughter was the term I used most... complete and utter slaughter (Sorry if you''re a Kentucky fan). We had fun at the game, I really enjoyed getting to see them play in person again. Saturday afternoon SO and I went to my friend''s workplace and helped her carve pumpkins, then the three of us and her neighbor went to dinner at a great local restaurant where she is and had a nice little meal. Then we went to very lame halloween party. Yesterday Got up late, hung clothes and ran to get SO''s hunting pass (they have limited walk in passes) then went to dad''s birthday lunch (I had a hamburger, and hotdog no bun with a TINY bit of macaroni salad, no cake, no chips and no taters). Went wardrobe hunting but didn''t find anything. OH Saturday I cut my wardrobe in half, got rid of everything that didn''t fit or that I couldn''t make at least two outfits out of. So ended yesterday with a Walgreens savings trip and then homework. Dinner last night was chili. Tonight I plan on jogging on the treadmill and doing abdominal work. I''m severely bloated today and it''s making me miserable but hey, it happens right?

Lorelei - great opener!! I really need to learn to plan better again. I''ve been a little lax. Normally my couscous with blackbean meals tend to be big enough that I can take leftovers the next day. Today I''m having steamed veggies with an orange. Dinner is still unplanned though! I want to get in the habit of doing a weekly plan.
MerryMonkey - Welcome aboard!! I hope you find tons of support and challenges for yourself here. What is the website you just mentioned?
Miscka - I wish I had been as good as you this weekend
Appletini- you have great initiative to keep working out together even after PT left!!
Gecko - lobster = super yummo
diva - you are very right, it is a lifestyle change, and I don''t think I''ll EVER go back
Skippy - how was your weekend ??

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Good Morning, HLTers!

Lorelei, fantastic opener as usual. One of the things that helps to keep me on track is planning my meals for the week. Sunday afternoon is prep time for me, and i''m a busy bee in the kitchen grilling chicken breasts, washing veggies, and then packing it all up for the work week. I stick to the same menu during the day at work which may sound boring, but I''m a creature of habit!

This is my fourth and final week of bootcamp. It''s been a terrific, positive experience and I''m glad i made the commitment. Although I still have a loooong way to go, I''ve seen a difference in my endurance and strength. On the weight loss side, i''ve lost a total of 5 pounds over the last 3 weeks (weekly weigh in was this morning). I''ll weigh myself again on Friday and my trainer will do a body fat % test so we can compare it to the number from day one.

Welcome, Merrymunky! Give yourself a HUGE pat on the back for taking steps to improve your health and well-being.

Sorry for not responding to everyone personally. It''s a busy Monday here at the office.

Have a good one!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/27/2008 11:20:01 AM
Author: Skippy123
Hi Friends!!!!! I am walking this evening and muscle hour tomorrow. We have left over charcoal grilled burgers and chicken for dinner tonight!

Great opening Lorelei; I agree w/preparing!!! Those bag salads and chopped veggies are great too! I love homemade soups!!

Merrymunky, welcome and sparkpeople.com is a great website for figuring out calories (you need) and meal ideas. Lentil and bean soups would be yummy since you are a vegetarian. Slow and steady does win the race; I agree. Glad you are with us!

Have a wonderful and healthy week all

You know Skip, it is getting cold here so I am thinking of my homemade leek and '' tater soup might go down rather well sometime....

 

[geckodani]

ChargerGrrl- I think it''s amazing that you committed and stuck to the Boot Camp!

 

[Miscka]

Dragonfly-UK fan/alum/resident here...but it''s ok, I forgive you

...it was a sad sad game for us!

 

[geckodani]

Oh SDL. ((HUGS)) I''m glad he''s enjoying it- and I can''t blame you for hoping his eczema keeps him out of the war. ((HUGS))

Black widows... ::shudder:: Those things terrify me!!!

 

[dragonfly411]

Miscka - sorry lol. Your band kept up to the very end though! If that helps!

Every team has their days

 

[IloveAsschers13]

Hello All!!

Happy Monday!

I don''t think I am going to make it to the gym today, I am pretty tired. I haven''t been sleeping through the night since I moved to school,

, and I couldn''t fall asleep till 4 am last night!!

Dragonfly- we just had the MSU vs. U of M game this weekend, which the spartans WON!! I was at buffalo wild wings and it was amazing because there were fans from both sides *although more state* and it was sooo fun!!

Merrymunky-welcome! If you are already that prepared with your eating habits, just stay on top of it and hopefully you will be rewarded sooner than later!!

I''m having enchilada casserole tonight... yum! The weather here in MI is awful... yesterday it was hailing- YES- HAILING! The hail was HUGE! It looked like it had snowed and of course I was running errands and was stuck inside a flower shop, it''s supposed to sleet today so YUCK!

Hope everyone has a good start to their week!

 

[dragonfly411]

Ilove - I''m glad you had fun!!! I love football, and the season and going places to eat during the game. We would have been at our favorite hangout if we didn''t have tickets.
Try lavender!! You can get the oils to burn or just the herb! If you can find the herb, you can put it in a pouch or sack or just tie it tight in some cloth and put it under your pillow. I have a lavender moon under my pillow. Lavender helps you sleep!! You might also try some soothing music and look up foods that make you sleepy!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hey kids! Super quick:

Yesterday I got up at 6:00 (yes on a SUNDAY) so I could do 65 mins on the hampster wheel because my first open house started at 10 and I knew there was no way I was going to fit in a workout later (as it was I didn''t even get to bed until after midnight... ).

This morning I got up at 6:30 because I had another early appt, and I did 45 mins on the dreadmill and two sets of arms.

Tomorrow; who knows... ?

Got a zillion client things to do right now, not to mention taking stock of my packing situation for the trip, but I''ll try to be back later.

Hello to everyone, and welcome to Merry!

 

[somethingshiny]

Hi, all!

okay, we''re moved in and getting through some "issues" with the new house, but I have no idea what''s going on here!!

So, what''s the downlow with my HLTers??

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi All!

I was supposed to go to the gym today but my stomach wasn''t feeling well. I think it was the Halloween candy -- I was doing so well ignoring it and then someone had to bring it into the office. I don''t even like whoppers (malted milk balls) or candy corn, but I managed to take in more than my fair share.

I''ll be glad when the week''s over. It''s only Monday and my kids were already bouncing off the walls today. We were all talking at work today about how thankful we are that Halloween falls on a Friday this year. We don''t have to deal with the aftermath of trick or treating. Yay! Friday''s my birthday, and my husband is planning on taking me to the Melting Pot finally. We never went when we said we were going to. I may convince him to put it off longer and celebrate another way. I NEED to get over this (weight loss) slump I''ve been in, and the MP won''t help at all.

Anyway, other than that, not much else is going on. My husband and I are going to the gym tomorrow to swim and/or do the treadmill, and then I have a trainer appt. on Wednesday and Saturday. Report cards go home soon, so I should work on them this week.

I hope everyone had a good day!