2018 - The Year of " I AM "

Time2LoseWeightNOW

The lake is gorgeous, Suzy!! I toolove the bench and the water spouting..... I know there is a better way to describe it, but my brain is soooootired , I can't think...

Thanks Snooze. She is actually well enough to come home, so I hope she is better. They said she was severely dehydrated. So the drips did their job.

.....headed off to bed before I lose this tired feeling and my night owl syndrome kicks in..

suzyqholland

I’ve actually been doing really well this week. I feel motivated and on track. However....tonight we’re going downtown to see our son who is in town on a show and tomorrow we’re taking our son-in-law and daughter out for dinner for his birthday. I have no way to plan for dinner tonight because I have no idea what to expect. Tomorrow we’re going to Fogo de Chão, which is an all you can eat Brazilian grill type place. I feel like I’m doomed to put these two pounds I’ve lost back on in a 24 hour period. Ugh!!! My plans and motivation tend to fly out the window when faced with this type of challenge. So....I’m going to do my best and not go into either situation hungry (hope that helps!).

Snooozie

Suzy - stick with protein and veg if you can, and maybe take a doggie bag home - but no matter what enjoy your time with your family! Brazilian grill sounds fab right now as after 4 nite shifts my body is starting to move away from pb and toast to wanting more...substantial...I know there are plans afoot to order in tonite so I am leaving my $ at home on purpose and packing my lunch but will add 2 wee cookies as a treat so i'm not tempted once the food arrives... fingers crossed!

Suzy - I wanted to thank you for your post and photos.. because it inspired my lazy *kitten* to get up and down to the lake when I woke up around noon. It was lovely and sunny but very cold, but I bundled up and it was soooooooo nice!! I totally enjoyed it and went a little further than I thought I would.....
\
up until all the rocks ... suddenly started to look like iced cinnamon buns !!! omg.. everywhere I looked all I could see were iced cinnamon buns... so I got the hell out of dodge and came home LOL.... but ya gotta admit... all u see are iced cinnamon buns too right??

suzyqholland

Oh my gosh, that looks so cold!!! My southern blood would never make it! Good for you for getting out there!!

We had a wonderful, if brief, visit with our son. We ended up going to a restaurant right across the street and I had the most delicious 600 calorie meal of trout, asparagus and broccoli. I did great!!! I am proud of myself!! Now on to tomorrow’s challenge! I’m going to go for a hike in the morning (before the rain starts) to get some calories in the bank.

Snooozie

awesome Suzy!!! 600 cals and sounds totally delicious!! yum yum yum!! and brilliant idea to do the hike tomorrow to offset tomorrow's challenge - def IPOM moment!!

im happy to report that after getting away from the cinnamon roll rocks i lost the urge for one.. cause i remembered ONE had about 500 calories last time i checked... i'll have the rock instead lol

i changed my vacation dates last night; i decided to work my next night shift and take the one after cause then i'm done with them all til november...rather than working one inbetween vacation dates... being old has some advantages at least when it comes to vacation weeks!

Time2LoseWeightNOW

oh my gosh!! hahaha They do look like iced cinnamon buns!! I can almost see the brand name....lol

suzyqholland

Uh oh. I didn’t do very well at the Brazilian steakhouse. I didn’t eat any bread or potatoes and I ate a salad and some veggies but I ate too much meat and then had a glazed pineapple ala mode for dessert. No alcohol though. It could have been worse but I’m so full right now that I’m uncomfortable. Live and learn.

Vailara

Beautiful picture, Suzy! It's so good to be outdoors, I think, but all the better if you have some lovely views, and there's something about being near water (lakes, river, sea) that is special.

I hope your mother's OK, Gail. It does seem to be a bad winter this year - so many people coming down with things. I hope she's home now and recovering.

I'm laughing at the exercise equipment, though! I have been through various stuff over the years. I only have a small house, and I moved all the exercise stuff to the living room to make me more likely to use it. So one corner of the room is taken up with weights, kettlebells, a step and so on and pride of place goes to an exercise bike. And I have actually been known to hang things on it. I do use it occasionally for its intended purpose, I don't like it being there, but getting rid would mean admitting defeat - lol! I have got rid of bouncer/mini-trampoline, one of those giant ball things, a hula hoop (I'm all for the latest exercise crazes - temporarily, but the other stuff is staying for now. I'm probably using the step more than anything.

It sounds like you are doing great, Snoozie, very organised with your frozen meals. I do think tea is better than coffee too, although I try to limit it (I could chain-drink tea all day).

Snooozie

Suzy - I totally get what you mean about being so full you're uncomfortable; I did that at the Jamie oliver restaurant a few weeks ago... I finished the entire bowl of pasta even tho I could have easily taken half of it or more home for another meal... I was stogged and sluggish the rest of the night... but kudos on getting in the veggies and the greens and skiping the alcohol.. so def a positive !

Vail omg I larfed at your bike/closet.. anytime I had a bike that's exactly what it ended up being.. a clothes hangar !! and if I even thot of using it for its intended purpose, I realized i'd have to drag everything off it first which of course... made it easy to say nope lol. I still have the giant ball in my sunroom..i just keep rolling it out of the way here and there... I keep telling myself i'll use it in the living room when I'me watching tv or something.. but i'm such a klutz I can see myself taking a header off it and knocking myself unconscious on the table.. altho I have carpeting so maybe I should rethink it... lol

I hit the lake again this aft; it was gorgeous and sunny when I woke up but by the time I laid around and finally got dressed and out the sun was gone.. wah.. and I forgot it was a sunday so it was crazy busy with people out and about as the temp was about 4C .. and we're headed for another deep freeze tomorrow so I guess everyone was taking advantage of today... but I was slightly miffed they were taking up my space lol.

LAST night shift tonite yee haw... i may do a small celebratory dance in the morning before bed .. and with my luck... tomorrow i'll finally sleep more than 4 hrs and totally mess up my switcharound LOL. ah well.. big picture not exactly a crisis!

Hard to believe january is almost over.. i dunno if it's because as they say the older you get the faster time goes but holy cow.. !

suzyqholland

I know! Hard to believe that we’re almost on to our second month of the year. It took me way too long to get my butt motivated this year. But I am now and that’s what counts! I’m happy to report that my Brazilian steakhouse overload didn’t do too much damage!! Yay!!

I’m getting a late start today so I can relate to your Sunday, Snoozie. Yesterday it was cold and rainy and I stayed indoors but I’ve got to get out there today. I’m determined to go to the gym and then for a walk. Wish me luck because this couch is awful warm and cozy.

Snooozie

Well I was in my happy place having finished midnights this morning.. THEN I got an email from MFP saying "Happy 6th anniversary - six years ago you joined MFP .. now is a good time to recall what motivated you blah blah"..

and all I could think was omg... 6 years.. seriously .... and i'm still trying to work towards my goal weight? NOT impressed with myself right now.. ya I know i'm much better than I was in my eating and choices and I've learned a lot... but 6 years has gone by while I've been blatting and blathering about it... on the plus side? you wanna talk about motivation now.. ya .. I will NOT waste another minute let alone another 6 years getting what I want for myself!!!

Suzy - so glad the Brazilian steak didn't leave a dent !! And kudos girl on getting prepped and pumped and ready to tackle your goal!

there's a huge snowstorm going on outside right now so gonna head for some indoor chores to burn off some cals and i'm thinking scrambled eggs are on the menu for dinner tonite!!

suzyqholland

Yep. I got that message from MFP for my four year anniversary. I was pretty bummed as well. Good for you for turning it into a motivational tool! Go get em Snoozie!!! This is OUR year!

suzyqholland

I had an IPOM victory tonight. I bought two dozen bakery cookies for my husband’s lunches. I separated them into ziplocs for his daily lunch and put them in the freezer without eating a single one!!! Go me!!! Yay!

suzyqholland

milove1029

Good morning ladies, glad to read and catch up.

I am glad your mom is doing better Gail.

I AM very slowly taking the pounds off now to make it through Mardi Gras trying to stay away from the famous delicious very sweet King cake.

I think that we are all doing well I have not gained the weight that I started at however the difference is also working on this for my health. Trying to get my cholesterol down not just lose the pounds.

I know it might not sound healthy but I stop eating my breakfast in the morning and I save it for lunch. That way I have fewer hours to go over my calories. I have been drinking a cup of tea in the morning instead. That was one of my techniques when I first started on here. We will see. Have a good week ladies.

suzyqholland

Milove, I’m glad you’re seeing some progress. You’ve got to do what works for you. As long as you’re striving for healthy then stick with what works.

I went to the gym again today (twice this week...whoo hoo!) and tried the stair climber. I was able to go seven minutes instead of five and (it said) I climbed 12 floors! Baby steps but at least it’s steps! I’m still disappointed that the scale isn’t moving much but I’m not giving up.

I also tried the Oikos triple zero Greek yogurt today and it was pretty good. Have y’all seen/tried it? Zero added sugar, artificial sweeteners and fat. 110 calories, 15 grams protein and pretty tasty.

cbmcphillips

Suzy....tried it but not quite right

I like the Oikois in the blue containers. Better taste for me.

Well, gotta get back on the wagon. Fell off and it took off without me.

I can't wait for spring. Winter is killing me. Hate the gym thoughts, changing 3 times plus the hour drive home after in traffic is torture.

Talk to everyone later

Carol in Jersey

Snooozie

Morning Hatters..

Did my weigh in for the start of this month; I'm down a bit for January but still haven't broken though the "fluctuation" numbers; which for me is about a 5 lb range. But I AM going to break through it and will work harder this month to get what i want for myself and as Suzy reminded us, we need to be proud of every little step we take towards getting that so IPOM!

Milove - as Suzy said.. as long as it works for you, go for it! And I also agree that having more of a primary focus towards improving health overall rather than just losing weight is a good motivator. Having my A1C # and my "what do you want MORE?" signs on my cupboards actually does help remind me of the bigger picture quite often.

** brief interruption; lost my post when my battery died.. will i get it back?:

Suz - WELL DONE on the stairmaster and specially on the extra 2 min! wowsa.... that two minutes is a whole bunch more stairs so kudos to you, as well as taking yourself to the gym 2x! I will keep fingers crossed the "woosh" factor will kick in soon to reflect your hard work on the scale!

We're heading for another deep freeze tomorrow.. sigh.. i'm pretty much done with winter now.... mother nature needs to take a step back!! At this point i wish i had booked a trip somewhere warm lol. .but only 6 weeks to spring so will hang in there... not that i have any choice ha.. \

I only have one more night shift to do the end of this month, then i'm on vacation for the rest of them til october.. so i am going to go online and look at our rec centres and seniors centres to see about maybe doing a 3 month membership ... paying as i go would be more expensive, and i'm hoping with a committment financially it will help me actually go... but will have to make sure there are classes that i will enjoy ... until then i have committed this month to going down to the gym here .... and to starting up the wee strength moves with the little weights i have at home while i'm sitting on my *kitten* watching tv... during commericals will not only stand up but will incorporate a few minutes of those exercises ....

BTW.. do we want a new thread for each month this year? or just keep to the one for the whole year?

Snooozie

Was flipping back thru some old recipes and got some boneless chicken boobs on sale, so gonna do a simple greek marinade in olive oil lemon juice oregano then pan cook the pieces and have a bunch of roasted veggies on the side.. will make enough for lunch tomorrow.. bought a pre made tziki sauce but should be a nice change of pace (just sharing in case anyone looking for ideas for simple and easy and healthy)

Time2LoseWeightNOW

Chicken sounds yummy, Huge congrats!! on the loss, Snoozie.. I enjoy having It all in one year and then seeing if we beat the last years posts at the end...just my thinking.

Suzy, Awesome on lasting more minutes. won't be long before you are rocking it like a rock star...you already are in my book....with all the hikes!

Milove, Awesome loss!! You are doing great! ......especially through Mardi Gras!!

Best wishes Carol. I am still trying to find my wagon.

Pounds Up a bit on my end and I think that is where it is all going...to my end!! Sweet desires are diminishing...could be that I finally don't have Chocolate lying everywhere.
Making it to the Gym to do Leg crunches . Haven't worked up to bike or treadmill again...working on strength...to add a bit of muscle... fingers crossed it will work.

Have an awesome rest of the week
& weekend!!
G

Time2LoseWeightNOW

Thanks, Vail, She is out and doing better, I think I need to call her.
Yes, we are kindred spirits with the exercise equipment.

suzyqholland

Carol, I’ll check out that other yogurt. I just really liked the high protein in the triple zero.

I think my wagon has lost its wheels and is being pulled in the dirt by very tired old horses. Still no movement on the scale and it’s so disappointing. I was looking online at my BMR and BMI and all that initial stuff. I wonder how much importance we can really place on all that. I finally just figured that if I’m going to lose a pound every two weeks then by this time next year I’ll be 26 pounds closer to my goal. I just don’t want to get discouraged and go on a brownie bender. I’ve got to change my mindset to that of showing a loss of three pounds a month is a success....embrace it and keep trying.

I am soooooooo ready for spring!!!! I want to get back out there and do some hiking without freezing my tushie off!!! It’s all I can do to make myself leave the house! And I live in Atlanta!!! I can’t imagine living where some of you do!! Brrrrr!!!

I hope y’all have a good weekend! We’re hoping to hike tomorrow since it’s supposed to rain on Sunday.

Snooozie

Suzy I'm pretty sure I read somewhwere that the whole BMI BMR thing has pretty much been thrown out the window now.. especially for women I think the big culprit is simply belly fat for us as it indicates fat around the organs or something.. I honestly can't remember the exact particulars so not really much help, eh? sowwy lol..

I totally get what you mean about the mindset change... I am averaging for January 3 lbs lost.. and I was thinking the same thing in regards to my birthday month cause I want to be well on my way in losing this by then.. but when I counted out the weeks It will take me to lose everything I AM going to, at 3 lbs a month that's only going to be 15lbs gone by July.. BUT.. I did exactly what you are talking about - I changed my mindset to I'll be at least 15 lbs down by then.. woo hoo!" rather than focusing on the final goal i'm just thrilled that i'll be able to see that 15lbs gone by then...

and honestly having those damn signs on my cupboard? stops me in my tracks all the time now... (it doesn't work mind you when I grab the bag of cookies and eat them in the living room so I can't see it haaaaa) but I will say seeing that "What do you want MORE" sign as soon as I walk into the kitchen is definitely helping..

on a completely boring and useless piece of info tho... i use the oatmeal packets a fair bit in the winter for brekkie at work.. easy to carry etc.. and i've been buying a brand here called blue menu which is a steel cut oatmeal yu just have to add water and nuke.... it's 3.98 for a box of 12 packets right? but today i thot crap thats expensive for oatmeal.. and i started looking at the labels of other oatmeals to see if any of them compared to the fibre and protein ..... well i'll be damned.. don't i find the cheapest "no name" brand of oatmeal... which is $2.29. well..... the cheap one actually has LESS carbs (like almost HALF the carbs for the same size serving) 20 carbs in the cheap one and 33 in the spensive one.. there is only slightly less fiber in the cheap one (3 vs 5) and almost hte same protein .... and the cheap one has only HALF the fat of the steel cut instant ones.. AND 60 calories less......!!!! what the hell??

soooooooooo needless to say i bought the no name cheaper brand... less carbs, less fat, less calories, same protein and almsot same fiber... and almost 1/2 the price .... honestly it's no wonder many of us struggle when we are duped into believing the advertising that something is good for us!!! and i could buy 2 boxes of the cheap one which is better for me... for the same price as 1 of the spensive.. !! grrr

suzyqholland

I had a similar “gotcha” moment at the grocery store today but with the opposite effect. The store was offering a “buy one get one” promotion for the juice that my husband drinks....however....the one with no added sugar was NOT included in that deal. So, if you wanted to save money then you had to buy the unhealthy version!

We didn’t go hiking but we did get a 5+ mile walk in. It was a bit chilly but not too bad.

suzyqholland

A LOSS!!! A LOSS!!! MY SCALE SHOWED A LOSS!!! WHOO HOO!!!

Snooozie

and yay yay yay!!!! your consistency and sticking with it made it happen Suzy - huge congrats!!!! keep the faith!!!

milove1029

Good morning Ladies, Congrats on the loss any decrease is good. I use to work nights and it was always good to get a break.

I thought I had gained this weekend because I went out two evenings in a row and just ate to my heart's content. I did pretty well yesterday. And on the scale this morning I was down. I AM so happy with myself.

suzyqholland

I can’t tell y’all how many times I’ve walked into the kitchen, thinking of eating a cookie and then said to myself, “which do you want more, a quick cookie or a long term loss?” I make myself stop and think about how dang hard it’s been to lose any weight lately and then I decide against the cookie and drink a glass of water. I consider this a victory. Now if I could just get myself to exercise more regularly. I feel like I’ve become a hermit!!

Snooozie

Total score Suzy!!! Way to go!! These are my signs on my cupboards - no matter which door I go thru there's one to remind me why I'm here....and what I want for myself !

suzyqholland

Well...bummer...I went off the rails these past two nights. Last night we went out to eat with my nephew and tonight was pizza. Add to that little fiasco the fact that I didn’t exercise at all this week. Ugh!!!!!! I want a do over!!!! Back on track tomorrow!!