Motivation, Success and Frustration Sharing!

HGSmith0920

@Evamutt I sure hope they dont have to do any major surgery! That would be terrible! Hopefully it's just the pacemaker procedure and that it's much less invasive. All the best to you both and you are both still in my prayers!

Evamutt

HGSmith I will be praying for your DH & you as well in my daily prayers. I'm done eating for the day, except I pre log 1oz of veggie straws to have later in the evening while watching tv before I go to bed. Tomorrow my "dog park" ladies meet for lunch. we try to get together once a month at different, inexpensive restaurants. I don't feel like going. I missed zumba yesterday & I really like it so I would miss it tomorrow if I went, plus I don't feel like eating out & it's payday so want to go grocery shopping.(can you tell I'm tired & grumpy?) Maybe I'll feel different tomorrow, I'm real tired today. I've been eating a little different lately, I've eaten larger calorie meals & not had snacks in between, except the veggie straws at nite. I've been eating more protein & less carbs & it stays with me till the next meal. I usually change things up every several months. I've been buying the "steamer" veggies in lite sauce & eating mostly those with some form of meat. Tonight's dinner was a Brussels sprouts steamer in lite butter, one grilled chicken thigh, 1/2 Greek yogurt with 3/4 c cereal & few Tbl cool whip.They do have more sodium than I want but it's just a change for a while. I was really into fresh zucchini for the longest time. I love the plain, non fat Greek yogurt from costco, so that's one of the stores I'll be going to. I hope everyone has a good night & thanks for letting me ramble on

Rachel0778

@clicketykeys 13 hours on your feet?! WOW! I am in awe of your stamina and patience for kids

@HGSmith0920 I'm glad your SO is able to be so active at work to keep his body moving, although I'm sure he must be in a lot of pain!

@Evamutt I can totally understand not wanting to go to things, especially if it means skipping your favorite class. Is there another class you can take tomorrow in it's place, or maybe do some Zumba at home? I like the steamer veggies too, I usually only buy them when they're on sale but they are great for a convenience grab on the way to work!

I was a machine last night! I did the laundry, did the dishes, took the dog for a walk, and cooked a double batch of my thin mint brownies for the bake sale all before pole class! Pole class was rough though. I just couldn't get a good grip and was sliding everywhere and felt like a complete failure. The instructor was great at giving me different things to try but I was so frustrated with myself. I guess that's what I get for taking a month off during derby season! Hopefully next week will be better. Today my day is filled with meetings, wish me luck on making it through with a positive attitude!

HGSmith0920

@Rachel0778 GOOD LUCK!!! I bet the meetings will fly by! Honestly, I've always wanted to try derby, but I'm a bit of a chicken. Lol. And congrats on getting so much accomplished! Normally on my days off I'm like that. Or the days I wake up 3 hours before my alarm! Lol. I dont have off again until this weekend and I'll be busy with my church's womens retreat for most of it.

@Evamutt Thank you for the prayers! They are always appreciated! I use the frozen broccoli steamers because a lot of my dinner recipes call for broccoli, but instead of cutting it fresh which can be a total hassle, I'll just leave a bag out on the counter for a few hours and let it defrost and then it's ready to go into whatever I'm making. Lol

Boy am I tired today! We didnt go to bed until about 1:30am...waaaay past my bedtime. But the DH closed last night and didnt get home until about 10:30pm and then we were watching the Penguins game and the post game show and we just totally lost track of time! So I ended up not getting up until 9am when I really wanted to get up at 7:30am with the DH. I just couldnt. Lol. Plus my cat, Panda, was being a total *kitten* last night. And meowing at the top of his lungs and jumping on us for no reason. I didnt know what to do! But it definitely was a terrible night sleep. So tonight will definitely be an early bedtime for me!

Anyway, have a great day everyone!

PhedraJD

@rachel0778 I know what you mean about tradition. Somethings are worth changing. I loved your derby pic! I hope the meeting went well last night.

@clicketykeys. No alarm, I have a Fitbit that keeps track of activity in an hour. So when I am at work I write my steps down every hour to make sure I get the minimum steps. I usually do squats when I check my steps. I just go to the restroom and do 20-40. 11-13 hours on your feet in a day? Crazy!

@evamutt I can understand him not wanting to check it, but sure can be stressful. I wish you both luck.

@evamutt It sounds like you know what you want. No reason you can’t skip your lunch with the girls this time. Hope you get a good night’s rest.

@rachel0778 Wow, you were a machine. You can come to my house and be a machine. LOL good luck at your meetings. You will feel so much better at your next class. Hang tough.

@hgsmith My BF and I lose track of time when we are together as well. It seems like the time just disappears. I am sorry your cat was being a butt.

I am still not doing good, only thing I have done faithfully the last few weeks is my squats. (Now over.) I think I am going to try and keep doing some though. I like the definition it is giving me. TMI Alert. The BF smacked my *kitten* this am, and he hurt his hand. He said something along the lines that those squats were working and he sure could feel the difference. I also squeezed the air out of him.

Today, I am focusing on figuring out a schedule that I can live with that will work with my new work schedule (I hate it.) Happy Thursday folks!

clicketykeys

@HGSmith0920 - I don't have a Fitbit or anything, but I've got the Steps app and on a short day I'm usually around 15-20k, and on a 13-hr shift it's 25-30k. So yeah, lots of walking! Not fast or anything, so I'm not really getting much cardio/aerobic benefit, but hey, every little bit helps, right? Good luck at the bank! How long have you been there? I take it you're enjoying it?

@Rachel0778 - Grats on such a productive day! Do you use resin or anything like that to help with your grip?

@Evamutt - How are you feeling today? Still tired? Emotionally intense experiences can definitely leave you drained!

Baking some granola crisps today. Fingers crossed! I made up the recipe myself and I'm kind of guessing at... well... all of it, lol! Today's version is rolled oats, egg whites, wheat germ, and sharp cheddar. Oh, and rosemary and sage. That goes together... right? *wince*

HGSmith0920

@clicketykeys That's an insane amount of steps! When I worked at a deli and would walk after work I would usually hit about 18k. But 30k is a bit much for me! Lol. I've been at the bank for about a month and a half. I really do enjoy it. It's just annoying having to relearn everything. But today had been going really well! But too busy, not to to slow and I think I've done everything right so far. Lol

HGSmith0920

@jdelaroy I'm sorry you're having a hard time! Sometimes new work schedules suck! I've worked every kind you can think of and the ones I work now(bank hours lol) are my favorite. Congrats about the kickbutt...butt. Lol. I bet your happy about that. And I would keep doing the squats. If you like the results then keep at it!



So I can tell that I am losing weight. In the last month I've lost 10.2lbs and I can tell when I look in the mirror at work. That's the only longish mirror I have access to. The one at home is shoulder high and the glass doors in my living room ate warped so that's a no go. Lol. But my work pants are getting looser and my belly isn't straining my shirts anymore! Lol it's very nice!

Evamutt

I have to share.... so hubby's HR has been 155 for a few days, so according to him, early this morning while asleep, he woke to a warm radiating sensation going across his chest. He said he knew it was the Lord. So he goes in for his routine ekg this morning, the Dr calls him back before he even arrived home & told him his heart is completely normal, HR 60 and he's out of A fib (which he had since 2001!! I do hope the Lord keeps him like this for a while, or the rest of his life would even be better!! Also I went ahead out to lunch with my friends today. I had a good salad with turkey breast & it was all good.

Evamutt

Rachel10778, I hope the meetings went by fast & you had a good day. I really admire you doing derby, I don't think I can do that, not even when I was younger. Once in a great while I have energy to whisk thru many tasks , but I have to recover from it the next day lol. I don't like to do anything fast any more since I retired. My last job was non stop super fast for 5 years!! Congrats on the loose pants & weight loss, HGSmith, I don't have a full length mirror either. I don't have a fitbit so don't know how many steps I take. I'm on my feet most of the day tho. It would be interesting to find out.

Musaniac

I'd also love to join! I'm just getting back into the swing of things myself. I'm a college student back from school and I'm the heaviest I've ever been, but I am more determined than ever to break the cycle!!

HGSmith0920

@Evamutt PTL!!!!! That is awesome news! I'm so glad our prayers worked! Keep believing that it's a lifelong thing! I bet it is! I'm so happy for you!

HGSmith0920

@Musaniac Welcome! Congrats in starting this new journey of life! It must be hard to be a college student and eat healthy. I remember when I was at school, before my metabolism showslowed down, I wasa a food maniac. But back then, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce. Lol

But welcome! Enjoy out our little group!

clicketykeys

Congrats on the loss @HGSmith0920!

@Evamutt we're so glad to hear that your husband is doing better. That's great news!

Went to Longhorn last night for my dad's birthday. Since it's a chain I was able to pre-log everything, though I don't know how accurate it all was. And then our waitress brought out a sundae because of dad's birthday and I had three spoonfuls of ice cream and whipped topping and chocolate syrup, which probably took me over. Ah well! Totally worth it

Also I took an Enlightened order form to the grocery store we usually go to. Fingers crossed!

Rachel0778

@Evamutt Glad to hear your husband is doing well, I hope his health continues. The body is truly an amazing thing!

@clicketykeys 3 spoonful's of ice cream shows great restraint! I'm glad you had fun celebrating your Dad's birthday! How were the granola crisps? I tried using Dry Hands for my grip but I sweat it off almost immediately (I have sweaty palms)

@HGSmith0920 I hope you were able to catch up on sleep last night! And derby is a suuuuper open and accepting environment. I hadn't been on skates since I was in elementary school and they are patiently teaching me everything. I'd really recommend trying it. It's a great confidence booster and a fun physical activity!

@jdelaroy Sorry your schedule is reeking havoc on your weight loss efforts. Great job keeping up with the squat challenge, I'm glad it's paying off!

@Musaniac Welcome!

TGIF!!!! Yesterday flew by with all the meetings, but that means today I'm playing catch up on all the work. Derby was a blast but I was up waaay too late since I had to help set up for the garage sale we're having today.

The less than happy part of my day yesterday was when I was in a meeting with the entire executive team of my workplace and when I got introduced the president jokingly asked if I was a student....yeah....

Seriously, my first introduction to the executive team and I immediately get (albeit jokingly) disregarded based on my age/appearance. There is no way he would have said that to a male colleague. And now that is everyone's first impression of me. *Sigh*.

Rachel0778

PhedraJD

@hgsmith0920 Awesome job on the weight loss.

@Evamutt That is fantastic. I will pray he continues to have good health. Great job on the lunch. There are several free aps you can get on your phone that track your steps. Just search for pedometer. Only thing is, you have to keep your phone on your body.

@musaniac Welcome, and good luck with your journey.

@clicketykeys. What is an enlightened order? Good job on 3 spoons of ice cream.

@rachel0778 Sorry he took you as a student. However, try to look for a positive. You look young, and you are making great strides at a young age. I am sure he knows by now that young women can do great things.

@shycush6, @janetay01, @bluepoppies777, @ngolden3320 How are things going? I miss you guys and was thinking about you.

Last night was an alright night. I didn’t go super crazy eating, roller skated and that was about all I had time for. While I was at the rink I had to loosen one of my wheels that had gotten extremely tight, so tight that it would randomly stop spinning while skating. I went and borrowed the rinks tool to do it, and was talking to the manager about getting new skates. The ones I have now are for beginners and are pretty crappy/worn out. She ended up letting me try on her skates. I am in love. What was great, is that they weren’t the most expensive kind of skate out there.

Tomorrow is my second 7K of the season. I would like to try and run about half of it. Wish me luck. At least this one, won’t have the crazy hills or elevation.
Have a great weekend!

bluepoppies777

Hi lovely ladies! Wowzers, I had pages to catch up on - didn't read every single thing, but skimmed and got the idea. Happy Friday!! Woo hoooooo!

It's Bike to Work Week this week, and I've been biking every day. I love it, I've definitely noticed a mood improvement at work! Love the endorphins... plus I lost 3 lbs (the ones that I gained last week), so that is an added bonus. I have been yoyo-ing up and down like crazy the last while, talk about frustrating!

The weather has still been yoyo-ing here too, been sweltering hot to pouring rain (sometimes in the same day). There is still flooding happening here too, the lake is at a record level. Thankfully we live up a bit of a hill, so we aren't in danger, but know people who had flooding in their homes. Sad!

I've been feeling a little up and down myself lately. I went and got my hair cut into a sassy style last night and have a little more pep in my step today. Rachel, it's funny, you have the opposite view of your body than me - I go around thinking I'm totally looking fine, and then I see a picture or look in the mirror and go WOW am I that big!?!! LOL! So we all struggle in some ways, and we all have things we have to overcome. Good that we are all together working on stuff!

We are going to a bbq tonight, and hosting a bbq tomorrow, so my plan is to fill the plate with vegetables/salads and steer far away from the chips and stuff. Will try to wrestle the self control into action! Ha!

Nichole - glad you are back. I am up 14 lbs from my lowest loss on MFP. The struggle is real! Don't beat yourself up, I'm a stress eater too. And honestly, when things feel frazzled at home/work, that effects everything for us women/moms. So try to give yourself extra patience and take it day by day. (currently I am taking it hour by hour!)

Eva - Glad to hear that you hubs is feeling much better. It's scary to think about what life would be like without your spouse, but also makes us appreciate them all the more. It's a good reminder for us all to be thankful for our health, and to keep working on getting healthier so we can live longer and enjoy life with our loved ones.

Have a good weekend, everyone! Get out there and get sweating and drink lots of water! Let's stay positive!

janetay01

Hello good people! I'm still here - suffering from a severe lack of motivation this week. I've travelled into the office for 4 days in a row (a 3 hour round trip) which hasn't helped. Going to stop thinking about logging this weekend as we've got friends coming for lunch tomorrow (early celebration for my birthday on Wednesday) so will get back on the horse on Monday and will catch up properly with you all! Have great weekends

clicketykeys

@Evamutt I use the Steps app on my unconnected iphone. It doesn't have a data plan, and you don't even have to be connected to wifi. It just uses the gyroscope. Here's an article that talks about Android apps.

@Rachel0778 They came out awesome! Thin but nice and crunchy so they don't smoosh into nothing. Great for scooping cottage cheese. YUM! Gonna have more today. They're about 140 cals/oz which is a nice snacky size.

@jdelaroy I meant a product request for Enlightened ice cream. You'll see it often mentioned in the Halo Top threads. Our grocery stores have started carrying Halo Top (though I can never find pistachio!) but nobody carries Enlightened, and I'm curious how it compares.

Managed to get to the gym last night for strength training, though I gave myself a pass on the cardio after an 11-hr day that netted me over 20k steps. Today I'll be in for 13, so PROBABLY just gonna come home and shower and go to bed! Tomorrow will be a "short" (9-hr) day, so I'm going to pre-log my exercise and commit to it! yeah!

Evamutt

Hello everyone, Hope you're all having a good weekend. I really appreciate that I can share on here. For most of the past week, as you know, hubby wasn't feeling well at all so I mostly stayed around instead of volunteering at animal rescue & missing some of the gym classes. I've always been a doer. It's always been hard for me during times when circumstances don't allow me to "do" on a regular basis. I get sleepy, life becomes hazy, I have no energy or motivation. Since hubby is doing fine now, I made myself go to the gym today. Went on treadmill, used some of the machines & swam in the pool. It all felt SO good. It's a little harder but very freeing at the same time being retired & having to make your own schedule, no one to tell you what you must do or being somewhere at a certain time. I retired early & am actually still signed up with a company, but I choose to have less $ & not work. My gym has changed. All the classes have been canceled & for an extra $20 or more a month they offer 4 personal trainer group classes a day, 5 on Tuesday & Thursday. Instead of thinking "no" right away, I got a free weeks pass & will check them out. I do like group classes & I don't like exercising at home.
Summer is here to stay, almost100 degrees today, ugh. I hate the heat. I'm so hot all the time anyway, so we went grocery shopping yesterday & bought meat to cook on the grill more often. I don't cook casseroles or anything that takes much time during the summer.We don't have central air so our kitchen is very warm. We bought this teriyaki marinade & it makes the meat taste SO delicious all the way through! DH grilled pork steaks yesterday & chicken just now. I was SO tempted to eat some more pork last night, I had to keep getting up, drinking water, walking around just to resist, but I resisted. I'm so glad, I weighed a pound less this morning!I'm not reporting it until it's consistent for a week. I notice weight loss fluctuates for a while before it "sticks". Nothing much more going on. I do take all my dogs out every morning regardless of what else I do so I don't usually mention it. Walk on weekends & mostly dog park on week days. I don't log that as exercise because it's part of my usual routine. I'm planing to go back to the gym around 5 & tomorrow also & start my regular schedule at the animal rescue. that's pretty much my weekend. Hope all of you get some R&R, Thanks for listening

gymprincess1234

Today I run my personal best+4 minutes! You would think that's only 4min, but that is an entire song, and I was sprinting them like Usain Bolt!
Well deserved rest day tomorrow !

clicketykeys

Tired already. Yesterday was so hectic... I really don't want to do ANYTHING today

But it's a shorter day (9 hours) and it's also supposed to rain, so hopefully it will be quiet!

janetay01

@gymprincess1234 - congratulations on your PB - that's an awesome achievement!

@clicketykeys - hope you get your quiet day! Well done on the 20k steps - I got one of those days in a couple of weeks ago and really felt it!

@evamutt - glad your husband is doing better right now. Hope this continues for many years for you both - and that you can get out and do things again. I sympathise with that so much - I get stir crazy if I go for too long without activity.

So today is my day to attempt to climb back on the horse. Work has been so busy recently and along with being away a couple of weekends ago, I've completely lost the track. It's my birthday on Wednesday so husband and I went for dinner on Saturday night then we had friends round for lunch and cake yesterday - so it's not been the best weekend for calorie counting! But I consciously gave myself the weekend off so I'm ok. And the 16,000+ steps I got in yesterday with a walk after lunch will have offset the cake a bit! I've pre-logged my meals for the day and will just see how I get on. The Hogwarts challenge has finished and I've submitted my application for the next one starting June 19th. I've set myself a mini goal - I want to start the next one at a lower weight than I finished the last one. So here goes - a short, two week personal challenge

Hope Monday treats you all well!

HGSmith0920

Good morning, good morning!

Went away for the weekend to a women's retreat with my church. It was amazing! Friday morning was pretty terrible at work. Did a MAJOR screw up and got pulled into the office for a very frightening, I might get fired tomorrow, kind of talk. So I guess we'll see how that goes. But the DH has promised to stand by my no matter what happens. So if the praying people of this group could offer up a prayer for me, it would be greatly appreciated!

But with being away this weekend, logging my food took a total backseat. I didn't eat tooooo terribly but not great either. I'm kind of afraid to weigh myself, but I'm about to. Just to see the damage I did to myself.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day today!

PhedraJD

Well I had a super busy weekend! I did my 7K, managed to run maybe 1/2-3/4 miles. Not as much as I wanted, but not bad considering I didn't do anything for the last 2 weeks.

That morning, you get a t-shirt when you pick up your packet. I asked for an extra large. Got back to the van and put it on. It felt tight along my back shoulder/bust area. Thought I might have grabbed the BF's on accident. He swears he has his. So I take of the t-shirt, and look inside. They gave me a M. Yes, I actually put on a M! I haven't worn a medium of anything since i was in junior high school. Debated whether to take it back and see if I could get a bigger shirt. Decided to keep it as motivation. I beat my PR by 3 minutes on Saturday. Woo hoo.

Yesterday, did all the chores, errands, stayed under calories, went roller skating and fishing. While fishing I had to borrow my BF's coat, and I could not only wear it but zip it up. It almost made me cry. I never thought I would be able to wear his things. I told him he better watch out I was going to start stealing his clothes. He smiled, and told me any time.

I think I only made about half of my goals. However, I am feeling quite motivated again.

clicketykeys

@janetay01 - Congrats on keeping it going! Yeah I put a cushion under my feet last night - that REALLY helped, lol! What's the Hogwarts challenge?

@HGSmith0920 - Ouch Bummer about work. I'm glad you have people in your life who support you!

@jdelaroy - That is an awesome accomplishment! lol what an amazing coincidence that they gave you not the size you asked for, but just the size you needed. But if that's only half your goals, you must have had a REALLY busy day planned!

Yesterday was indeed quiet. It rained off and on, and the crowds were really light. When it started raining again in the evening, I got to go home early - and I still got 15k steps in! woot!

And today and tomorrow I get my "weekend!" It's been awesome. I went to the pool with my mom this morning, and then I got to meet with the costume designer about my commission! I'm SO excited about this

HGSmith0920

@jdelaroy you're weekend sounded awesome! I'm so glad you feel motivated again! And yay a M! I miss wearing mediums! I'm a XL girl too, much to my dismay. I'm glad you shaved time off your 7k. 4 Minutes is something to be proud of!

@clicketykeys I'm glad Sunday was slow for you and what you got to go home early! That's always nice. Today is my long day. What do you do with costume designing?

Well I'm on break from work right now. I have a whole 35 minutes more. I never take an hour break, but I have to today because between the two branches I work at, the number of hours I'm working this week got all screwy so they needed me to so that they don't go over. I'm working at the branch I actually like and feel so comfortable at today which is good because it's my first day back after a great weekend, but also after my terrible screw up on Friday. Everyone is talking to me like I'm gonna be here for a while, so I'm trying to take that as a positive sign that I'm not going to get fired at my meeting tomorrow. Duo there's hope for that! And once this month is over I'll be at this branch almost all the time. Which I'm really excited for. I love it here. The people are nicer, it's a little busier. I'm not afraid to ask questions or ask for help from my co-workers. I wish I had started here. I bet my issues wouldn't have happened if I had started here. But alas, such is life. LOL!

I would go for a walk right now but it's raining out and I didn't bring a rain coat or an umbrella. And I don't want to get wet since I still have 4 hours of work left. I wish I could though, because it's so boring in this break room.

Also, after my terrible eating and weighing myself after my shower with wet hair, I only gained 1.5 lbs! That was so encouraging! I thought I would have put in so much more. I need to work on my posture though. When I look in the mirror and see that my posture is poor, I have a large belly. When my posture is right, I have a relatively flat stomach, so that's something else to work on! I like looking in the full length mirror at work and seeing that I'm not as large as I thought. So that's a nice boost of confidence!

janetay01

@clicketykeys - I thought the next Harry Potter/Hogwarts term challenge was open to new students now but I can't find it on the forums so I've asked a friend if they have the link. Basically, it's a HP themed weight loss challenge - I've only been in for one term but it was a serious lot of fun, nice and competitive and really kicked my backside back into gear. If I can get the link, I'll post it in here

Evamutt

jdelaroy, that is great. I love when you're not expecting something good & it happens. Sounds like most of you had a busy week end. I didn't but I'm still tired from the week end, lol