MMH's: REVAMPED

Snooozie

It’s a new year and as always, a great time for new beginnings, new goals, fresh starts and first steps.

For me personally, this group was an integral part of my initial success in starting to lose the excess fat and weight I wanted; seeing others succeed, learning from other’s experiences, and being surrounded by others working towards similar goals was not only inspiring, but motivating and kept me from jumping off the proverbial ledge on occasion!

I want to continue moving forward towards my goals for this year; losing the rest of the excess fat, moving more and getting to my goal weight. And I would very much like to have those of you who are also working towards a goal along with - to support and encourage and WORK together.

The newsfeed is a great place for general chit chat, occasional comments and a social connection, but I am revamping this group for 2015 to be a place for focusing on our health and fitness goals for ourselves: whether it be weight loss, fitness, overall health - whatever it is you choose to work on and towards. A place to share what we're doing to get to our goals, what’s working, what’s not - our struggles, our successes - and our progress. A place once again to find and give support and encouragement, and to WORK together to get to where we each want to be.

So I’m taking the liberty of revamping this group for 2015: I realize this change may not work for everyone, but I’m truly hoping there are other Hatters who want the same and will join in, ready to participate and move forward. If not, I completely understand - everyone has to do what works for them. But if you’re reading this and ready for a fresh start and a true commitment to a group support method, lets get going!

MY first short term goals:

1. Lose 10 lbs
2. Move 30 minutes a day 4x a week

Steps being taken to achieve goals:
1. Eating smaller portions
2. Making healthier choices each time I eat
3. Using treadmill 4x a week for 30 minutes.
4. Weight in once a week only (Wednesdays)

cbmcphillips

Thanks snoozie.. as always you inspire...

Goal 1:

Lose 5 lbs at a time.... will only weigh in on Saturdays....

Zumba twice a week
Every Monday unless work is closed (Federal Holiday)
Every Friday unless the day before a Federal Holiday - no class or other appts for myself

Walk outside every Saturday morning - since the track is open again... (unless weather)
Walk the treadmill every Wednesday....

Let's see how this goes...

I will also be more mindful of my eating habits... chocolate is going to be minimal - just because it's in the house or at work or whatever ... doesn't mean it also has to cross my lips...

Carol

Snooozie

Carol:

EXCELLENT goal on the 5lbs at a time; and on the specific steps you plan to put in place to get to that first goal! And with the statement about being more mindful of eating habits.. well said about the chocolate, too - rethinking of it as an occasional treat rather than a daily staple is a superb step! Glad to have you aboard, and I can't wait to hear what progress you make putting those changes into place! Well done you!

suzyqholland

Okay, here goes...

Short term goals:

Exercise:
Walk three times a week
Circuit training 30 min twice a week
Hiking every weekend
Rest on Saturdays (or use as a make-up day for missing a day during the week)

Food:
No eating after 8:00pm
Drink at least 8 cups of water per day
Be aware of portion sizes (start weighing/measuring if necessary)

I'm not setting a goal for how much weight to lose by a certain date because I don't feel like I have a lot of control over that. Some weeks I feel like I've done a great job and my weight doesn't move, other weeks I feel like I've really not tried very hard and I lose two pounds. I'm not sure what's going on with that! So, I'm trying to set goals for things that I have complete control over. I don't expect to meet these goals right out of the gate but I'm determined to get there. My long term goal is to be able to wear a swimsuit comfortably by my beach vacation over Memorial Day. Now to find a cute swimsuit that I can buy and keep in the kitchen as an inspiration!

Snooozie

Suzy.. huge kudos on your food and exercise goals - I think you have chosen very realistic and attainable steps to get the results you want, and personally I think setting short term specific goals is great; it lets us experience and celebrate successes on our way to our long term goals - and I LOVE your long term goal - wearing a suit COMFORTABLY!! Honestly, that's similar to my long term goal - which is simply to get to a weight where I feel GOOD about me, and comfortable in my skin LOL.. (and in clothes!)

I really think you've set super smart goals for yourself and can't wait to see your progress! Congrats!

Snooozie

Today is my weekly weigh in day - I've chosen Wednesdays simply because of my shifts - it's kinda always the "middle" day for me most weeks. I didn't show any loss this morning on the scale for this past week, but I FEEL good about my choices this week, and the changes i'm making mentally and physically..... most days the majority of what I eat are good choices, and I continue to work on making better ones each meal.

I am also trying to keep it simple this time - practice the KISS factor so to speak lol.. rather than stressing all the time about what I can and can't have, I am instead just looking at what to make for each meal, and changing it as I go to try and choose better options. Making sure I eat healthier things I really enjoy has helped a lot too...

I know that loss isn't linear, hence why I'm only recording weight once a week now and Im not worried there's no loss this week because I know there WILL be because of the steps i'm taking to make it happen. I'm also using Wed's as the day to reflect on my choices for the past week - and i'm happy with my progress for the past 7 days - getting back on track and more comfortable with the smaller portions and healthier options.

I still hop on the scale intermittently between official recording once a week, but that's more a result of the 18lb regain I experienced I think - I saw the few pounds I was up last year on the scale, but waved it off as "just a couple"... no biggie.. but the couple seemed to turn to 18lbs suddenly overnight! (It didn't LOL.. but I was happy to keep my head buried in the sand a la ostrich, convincing myself it was just a little bit here and there .. and no need to weigh myself. So for me, the intermittent hops on are more insurance I don't let the ostrich resurface!

Have a great day everyone, and lets not forget to celebrate our successes every day! little changes here and there add up to big results, so be sure to let us all know your triumphs day to day! Whether its making a daily goal, or adding an extra 5 min to an exercise, or consciously making a better choice one meal, we wanna celebrate with you! Here's to all of us recognizing we're worth taking care of!

Snooozie

Suzy - I just saw your post asking for opinions about the 50% calories in the evening...
-
well, here's my opinion as asked lol..

While I don't think calories can tell time, and I DO believe that 80% of weight loss occurs in the kitchen, not the gym, and that weight loss does come down to simple math (calories in vs calories expended during the whole day); I also believe one thing my kinisiologist guy said to me last year: it takes about 3 hours for your body to work at digesting any food, and your body is kinda like a man (giggle snort) it can only do one thing at a time well... (unlike women who excel at multi tasking!!)

The way he explained it to me was that for that 3 hours after eating, your body works hard at simply digesting what you've eaten. And when we sleep is when our bodies work on regenerating all the things we need to keep going; sorting and storing the vitamins and minerals we've taken in to where they're needed, cells growing and dying, moving stuff around as needed, blah blah blah.

If we eat a lot of our daily intake in the few hours before going to sleep, our bodies have to put the whole "regeneration" thing on the back burner til it finishes digesting . an it has to work harder while doing both at once. (he also said that's true about exercising within 3 hrs of eating too.. your body can't properly work at digestion if you start exercising within the 3 hrs.... it has to switch from digestion to providing the energy you need to do the exercise).

We are designed to take in and burn off fuel all day, our bodies need the fuel to function as we go rather than just "filling up the tank" at night. Kinda like taking vitamin supplements - technically we should be taking any supplements ALL thru the day rather than just in the morning or at night, mimicking the fact we would normally be getting vitamins and minerals at every meal rather than just once a day; but reality is for most of us nobodys gonna be popping vits every few hours so we take one in the morning and call it a day lol.

So, all that being said.. personally I think yes, perhaps eating over half of your daily intake of cals in the few hours before you go to sleep could be stalling your loss by not letting your body have time to burn off what it doesn't need before it goes into regeneration mode. I don't know enough about your lifestyle to know why you're finding you eat most of them after 6pm; I know with my shifts there are times where I do the same (mostly on midnights) but perhaps you could try making your lunch your main meal instead of dinner or whatever it is that you're eating later in the evening? is it snackage you're finding mostly? or dinner? Maybe collectively we can come up with some options or suggestions depending on why you're finding most cals are taken in after 6?

That's all I got for the moment.... opinion wise that is lol!

Time2LoseWeightNOW

My goal is to get back to taking ownership of what keeps me from losing any weight.… and put these good habits in place, so I can accomplish it this year. Here is a few of the things I want to get started with. I believe I can be successful ,if I follow through with these at least 80% of the time

1. Water -6 to 8 glasses.
2. Protein Shake- for breakfast…( so no fried chicken tenders)
3. Sugar- limited to naturally occurring in food.
4. Carbs-in moderation ( mostly limited to naturally occurring in fruits &veggies.)
5. Exercise- 4 days a week 30 minute minimum
6. Reduce STRESS , have more ME time.

cbmcphillips

Love it! Let's do this!

Snooozie

wowsa Gail!! Fabulous steps to take to get to your goal!!

Time2LoseWeightNOW

Thanks, You all have some wonderful goals, too. I am finding the carbs , the hardest one to keep up with.

Snooozie

LOL I actually meant to type more Gail... but the phone rang just after I started and a certain body part hit the keyboard when I reached over it and "sent" the post!! Those are all excellent things to strive for and i'm very proud of you for setting them out and sharing them with us!! And in response to your other post over on the "timing" thread - absolutely agree 100% with gotta keep trying things... trying is the first step to accomplishing something!! well done you... hugs!!

milove1029

Hi ladies, I am back to counting my calories which means eating less. Work is exercising for me, I do a lot of moving around and walking.

Snooozie

Hiya ML - lovely to see you here and welcome!!

cbmcphillips

Morning ladies....

Gym clothes are in the car for treadmill, elliptical and bike after work at the gym....

Carol

Time2LoseWeightNOW

1. DONE!! Water -6 to 8 glasses.
2. DONE!! Protein Shake- for breakfast…( so no fried chicken tenders)
3. DONE!! Sugar- limited to naturally occurring in food.
4. BUSTED Carbs-in moderation ( mostly limited to natural occurng in fruits &veggies.)
5. DO Exercise- 4 days a week 30 minute minimum
6. Reduce STRESS , have more ME time.

Yesterday was a bomb as far as Carbs and over eating, but every day is another day to get it right. I feel I did a lot of good things for myself, so today I will strive to under eat. Have a great day!

Snooozie

Gail - you achieved so many of your goals yesterday - huge congrats!!!!!!!!!! That's AWESOME!!! It's about progress remember - and you made HUGE progress in just one day - so proud of you!!!! And I'm SO glad to see you write "I feel I did a lot of good things for myself" - YOU SO DID!! truly im doing the happy feet dance for you cause you did GREAT! big hugs and kudos!!
-
Have you set a certain amount of carbs you want to max out out per day or just wanting to lower your amount in? and I'm guessing you're referring to "simple carbs" (the white stuff basically - pasta, bread, rice, blah blah) since you said mostly limited to natural occurring ones) i'm not sure if this will be of any help, but I discovered the Dempsters (I think its dempsters) THIN slices.. I was buying the WW bread because it was much lower carbs than regular bread, (almost half the total carbs in two slices!) but the price was insane - and the thin slice ones just a little more than the reg ones, and I buy em on sale and freeze em LOL.. now it's funny when I look at a regular slice of bread I think cripes that thing is too thick!! (never would have believed i'd ever say that since I'm a bread lover!) But using the thin ones lets me have a BLT for breakfast, or a sandwich to take to lunch and keeps the deprivation demon away (you know what I mean.. the feeling you CAN'T have something) so I can indulge in white or whole wheat bread with the thin slice loaves and not feel deprived - so just an idea to share !

Snooozie

On track with the steps i'm taking to get to my goals; replenished the groceries today and tried to find ways to make better choices; doing up a shepherds pie chock full of veg and just a little meat, and doing a mashed sweet potato topping instead of regular mashed potatoes.. and doing up a big turkey chili to freeze as well for upcoming dayshift.. switching out white potatos for the sweet potatos and replacing beef with turkey in the chili are changes I was comfortable with, and both things I love so its a win/win!

seehe

Oh my goodness, just saw this post - yay!!! Thanks Snooozie for the revamp and focus!!

Love everybody's goals and committment

My short term goals are;
1. Stay hydrated (7-8 glasses of water daily)
2. Stay within designated calorie goal 6/7 days a week
3. Eat a minimum of 25% of my calories in protein 6/7 days a week
4. Exercise 3-4 days a week

I'm having a little more trouble than I expected jumping back on the wagon this week, but making progress. Next week I think I will readjust by focusing on one or two goals and then adding another one each week.

So glad we have each other for support again on our journeys !

Snooozie

Yay Susan!! So glad you're back from vacay, and jumping into the revamped us!!

Fabulous short term goals you listed - attainable, doable and absolutely excellent steps to take to make yours happen! I really like #3; (I like em all - but #3 quite resonates with me!)
-
I appreciate the honesty about having a little more trouble than you expected getting back into better habits; I'm struggling myself with getting into logging everything again; I know it's important for me personally so we can all work on our areas that need a little help together, and celebrate the successes we've made each day!

Happy camper to have everyone in!

Snooozie

Good morning Hatters, and TGIF to those to whom it applies LOL!

I was thinking that Fridays being the end of the typical week for most would be a good time to remind ourselves what we've done WELL with over the past week, before heading into a weekend.. I realize we haven't technically been up an revamped for a full week, but I think it's important to look at the progress and successes we've all made since laying out the steps we're taking to get to our goals..

I'm very pleased with my hydration this week!! it's something I struggle with, and as Gail said, if something isn't working its important to keep trying different things til we find something that does! I started using a large water bottle my sister gave me probably 2 years ago for Christmas lol... its been sitting in my cupboard and I dug it out and have been using it all week; it holds 3 cups so my goal has been to fill it twice a day, and every day I've succeeded! I've done well with my portion control and healthier options goals, but I can do better and will continue to strive to do so every day. My exercise goal is not 100%; I did some new exercises a few days ago and somehow messed up my knee, hobbling around quite badly this morning but will compensate with lowering my calories for the next few days til i'm mobile again. All in all, I feel good that I HAVE made progress this week toward my goal, and that's a nice feeling!

hope to hear from everyone today with your own successes from this week!!

Snooozie

Started a new discussion topic for any articles or reads we come across that we might want to share with each other as we go forward ... thought it might be a good idea to keep em in one place for browsing at will

Time2LoseWeightNOW

1. DONE!! Water -6 to 8 glasses. ( Better with the water)
2. DONE!! Protein Shake- for breakfast…( nothing fried this week. YEAH!!)
3. DONE!! Sugar- limited to naturally occurring in food. ( excellent on sugar cutback)
4. DONE!! Exercise- 4 days a week 30 minute minimum( 1 hour on bike on Friday)

5. BUSTED Carbs-in moderation ( a bit of processed along with naturals)fruits & veggies.)
6. IN PROCESS Reduce STRESS , have more ME time.( I will use the weekend for this one)

It's the End of my work week . 5 good days with moderation planned over the weekend.
No change in weight, but like Snoozie , I am sure it will follow if I continue to make better choices.

Sorry about the knee , Snoozie. Great idea about the larger cup. You have made great progress. IPOU!!

I am so excited about this 2015 year being the one that I will show great losses...
Thanks, Snoozie, for reviving us!! It helps to have somewhere to be accountable!!

Time2LoseWeightNOW

Wonderful goals, Snoozie, Carol, Suzy, Milove and Seehe. We are going to do it!!

Welcome to the Hatters, Milove.

cbmcphillips

Exercise completed for the week. ....the weather is going to be miserable in Jersey. ...but the upside is consignment on Saturday. ...getting a check and dropping off more big girl clothes:) continue to rock on! I remember the

cbmcphillips

Don't know what the heck happened at the end of the last post. ...lol

seehe

Oops- missed the TGIF post by a day, so I'll do TGIS
Hmmm what I've done well this week.....well, I've been taking steps to getting back to a healthier routine such as planning meals and cooking some dinners vs eating out, went to yoga even though I didn't want to, walked the dogs even though when I went outside it started to lightly rain and I wanted to go back inside, but I didnt, and resisted buying sweets and high caloric snacks at the market yesterday.
Thanks, Snoozie for helping me to realize that I am doing at least some things well this week lol. Great job on the water bottle and so sorry about the knee. Hope you're hobbling less today!
Carol- great job with the exercise!
Gail- looks like you are going strong!!

Hope everyone is having a healthy and happy weekend!
~ Susan

Snooozie

Susan - love the "TGIS" - excellent lol!! but loved something else you said more... all the things you DID do, despite the "didn't want to's!" How fabulous is that???? seriously... we all know how easy it is to slough off something when we don't feel like doing it... so major kudos to you on all FOUR successes you had - truly, those are major YAY YOU's, even more so because you did it even when you didn't want to!!! IPOU!!!

Snooozie

Snooozie

Gail!! Lookit all those DONE's!!!!! huge congrats - what a fabulous week YOU accomplished; seriously you were consistent and committed to those goals and by god, ya did incredible!! So proud of you!!

Snooozie

Carol - huge congrats to you as well for completing your exercise goal for the week - super great week!