Today Show Club! (Everyone Always Welcome)

shari253

Hi Everyone,

I would love a challenge too. I have not been drinking my water, so the water challenge is a good one for me to start with. I know from past successes that once you get into the habit of drinking your water it comes really easily. But if you are not in the habit it feels awkward and forced.

I'm stuggling a little emotionally this morning due to not doing so well yesterday. Eating too much yesterday chipped away at my confidence and also set me up for cravings today. Plus it is the weekend, so my routines are not in place. I will have to be extra strong.

We will be painting the posts (trim) on our new covered deck today. It will be good exercise, but I will have to watch out for the "I worked so hard I need a reward" syndrome. I'm thinking now how to handle that, and I think my reward could be a nice fresh fruit smoothie.

I hope people post a lot this weekend. I could really use the support.

Shari..

familygirl37167

Great with the water challange, I only drink water with crystal light in it so I am saying it counts.. I went and got my new running shoes today was gonna run this morning but was to excited for shoes, thinking gonna run in a few but its like 98 outside maybe I will wait for it to cool off..

Went to lunch with honey at applebee's today since we are kids less and I ordered a steak off the 550 calories or less menu which comes with steamed veggies and red roasted potatoes..I traded the potatos out for a salad with only lettuce tomato and cucumbers no dressing and I gave half of my steak to my honey..I small victory for me because when we go out I like to spulrge but didnt andfeel awesome..thinking I need to go food shopping before I run...

Hope everyone is getting their water in!!!

SharonsJetSet

Shari I totally know how you feel. Just know that if it weren't for you starting this thread, I don't know if I would be as focused as I am now. Not trying to put any added pressure on you, but you really have helped me commit and I hope I can do the same for you. I've been where you are about eating too much on one day. Try to think of it this way, you've been honest with yourself about what you ate and you are moving on to more successful days. Its always difficult in the beginning because we don't see the results right away. Take me, for example, I actually showed a GAIN of 2lbs this week. I don't officially weigh-in until Monday. Instead of being disgusted and giving up, I'm even more motivated to stay on track and not eat poorly. I truly believe that my poor eating choices on Wednesday is what lead me to gain. Its probably mostly water weight.

I believe in you and I hope you believe in yourself too

:flowerforyou:

weaklink109

Hello All,

Just a quick comment to those who like Applebee's--Another great option from their is the grilled shrimp and spinach salad, with a few changes. No bacon, ask that the shrimp be cooked without oil or seasonings (reduces sodium), and you can ask for dressing on the side, or better yet, just get some lemon wedges. If they will subsituted fresh red pepper for the roasted ones, do it, otherwise, those peppers are prepared with oil, so I hold them as well. I don't use salad dressing at all when I go out now, always ask for a bowl of lemon wedges and just squirt a little on the salad as I go. Fantastic!!

shari253

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. When I finally logged everything I ate yesterday, I was 600 cals over. That is quite a bit. However, I am reminding myself that it was only one day. If I hold it to one day, no harm done. So far today i am doing well, so I will say I'm back on track.

Next week I will be starting to exercise. That will help. Right now I'm psyching up for it, lol. I plan to start the Couch to 5k program Monday, and I will be dusting off my bike.

Thanks again for the encouragement!

Shari.

familygirl37167

Hey everyone checking in, Fixin to go to bed its almost 7 here but I have to be at work at 530 which means 3 am rise..

Was gonna go running outside just as it started to thunder, so stayed inside to do my 5 mile walk at home with leslie, it really is a great workout one hour and 500 calories burned..

Well hope all has a good night and will chat with ya;ll tomorrow I dont get off work until 3 pm so it will be late when I check in...Have an awesome sunday everyone!!!

shari253

Tamara, thank you so much for caring about us and joining our club!

Everyone, you do know that "familygirl" is THE Tamara from the Today Show, right?! She joined our thread and is here to help us! Yay!

Shari.

shari253

I was sending messages to people to check in and stay in touch, but I got mixed up and I think I sent duplicates. If I sent you more than one, I apologize. I'm not a stalker, I promise!

Shari.

familygirl37167

Checking in everyone. how is the water challange going??? I am doing pretty good, I usually get 96 oz of water in and thats only because I crave it. Fixin to make my lunch and breakfast and head to work..

Have an awesome sunday!!

sagesitter

I have been missing so many posts! silly me I was looking only at my home page, well I have missed all the others posts. I am getting with the program now. Awsome job to all I missed. Everyone is doing a great job keeping track.

sagesitter

That is great Tamara. You have an awsome day also.

SharonsJetSet

Hey all

I've met and exceeded the water challenge for 2 days in a row. I've also been within or slightly below my suggested calorie range. Today I modified my settings to increase my protein and lower the calories a bit so I can lose 1.5 a week instead of 1.

I have a question. If I'm a host at a restaurant and work approximately 5 days a week for 4-6 hours a day, does that mean my lifestyle is slightly active? That's the setting I chose.

Another question for Tamara, I see you run. I want to get back to running again. Did you gradually get to the distances you're currently at? How did you start out?

Shari - thanks again for creating this thread. So far, its the only one I've been active at daily. The others I read and sometimes comment but this is my most regular club/thread.

Getting ready for work - see you all when I get home.

:flowerforyou:

carcar63

Like everyone else here, I saw the Today show last Monday and was re-motivated by Tamara to rejoin the sight and try yet again to stick to losing weight. I've been thinking about it lately for the last few weeks and when I saw the Today show I thought, that's great, I need to start this and really stick with it.
In the past I never really used the community boards ,just pretty much stuck to myself and semi-logged my food and exercise. This time I am commited to doing this daily and joing the mess.bds.
Tamara was a real inspiration to me and after reading everyones elses posts I'm even more inspired. I have almost 200#s to lose and need all the help and support I can get.
Thanks to you all for helping me to remotivate with changing my eating habits and exercise habits.

shannon_miller

I'm finding this thread a bit late, but I too joined after seeing the Today show segement with Tamara! I am LOVING the site so far.

I work long odd hours at the hospital and had let my eating habits slip over the last few years and this was just what I needed to get back in shape. My resolution this year was to do more for me, to make myself feel better and more healthy. Thanks MFP for such an amazing free tool.

Starting at 201lbs, as of the 13th i was down 2lbs to 199lbs! yay!

Keep up the great work everyone, reading everyone's posts is so motivating. Especially for me who is still struggling to find when to incorporate the exercise into my days

jenoverton76

This site is so amazing!! I am so glad that I happened to click on the Today Show article.... am staying in my calorie goal but the water has been a challenge for me too... I will try to do better and the physical challenge would be great....

I am so excited

Thanks everyone

shari253

I love our thread, and thanks again Tamara for joining us! I'm so impressed with how you take care of yourself even with kids and a job! It makes me think, "What's my excuse?!" LOL! ( empty nester)

Oops, I didn't know the water challenge started this week! OK, I will start it today. I'm terrible at water. I think the challenges will be good to help us stay focused and to post daily.

Speaking of posting, I like how our thread is active. I check in a few times a day and I like to see new posts. Everyone keep up the great work. Be sure to "friend" each other and send messages as well. It really helps to have the connection with others going through the same thing.

My weigh in day is tomorrow and I took a sneak peak this morning.. I'm on track to lose if I stay good today.

Keep up the great work everyone! This is wonderful!

Shari

diet4amy

I have to admit, the weekends are going to be my worst enemy. But I want to focus on the good I did. Even though we went out to dinner, I made an effort to eat smaller amounts of what we ordered. Before I would eat everything on the plate. I just need to exercise a little more today to make up for the binge.

SJT75

I have 30lb to loose so need all the motivation i can get! :bigsmile:

coolstacey6

I am here because of the show too! Good luck everyone!

debra80

I didn't see the show until today. I hope this will help me do it. I need to lose 50 for my health and because I just cannot stand to look or feel like this anymore. I made it yesterday within the limits and I will keep trying. Thanks for the support.

sanrog

Hi Everyone,

I also joined because I saw the Today show. I had started walking 2 weeks ago to help with stress - but I was still eating alot. When I saw the show I decided to look up the website and found it very user friendly so I joined. So 1 week ago I starting eating healthy and I'm still walking. I will be 50 at the end of September and really need to be healthier and feel better about myself. I weigh myself tomorrow so I'm hoping for some good numbers. Best of luck everyone!!!!!

familygirl37167

Welcome abaord all the new comers, I am super proud of each and everyone of you who decided to take that step and do something for you, something to better your life..No one will do it for you..If I dont take care of me how can I take care of my kids?? I couldnt I was way to big and unhealthy..

Stick with it..you got this we are all here together, just got off work 10 hour day done made good money..I am a waitress at cracker barrel, now heading to jcpenny to get me some more work shirts since I washed a pen with my other 2..

The Person who asked me about running, I just ran until i couldnt anymore then I would walk then when I caught my breath I would take off again..You gotta build your stamina.. I am runnign two half marathon one is sept 25 and the other is oct 16..

Well hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!!!

Kincar

The week since I saw the Today show segment has been great just because I feel so great! I started the C25k running plan last week and I joined this site. I have not been so motivated to lose weight and to exercise in years!

This coming week will be a challenge as I go back to work to start a new school year. I expect to be tired, but I am going to push myself to work out. I feel to good from it to let myself skip.

tlyoung115

I am another Today Show/Tamara devotee! Way to go girl! Like you were, I am at 273 right now and have felt for so long that my goal was way too out of reach to even try for! When I saw you on the Today Show, and how you lost all of that weight on your own with only the help of this site, I knew that I could do it too. So, here I am!

My name is Tammy and I am 38 years old and from Connecticut. I have been unemployed since January, which has not helped at all with my eating habits or exercise for that matter. Plus, eating healthy is pretty expensive! I have a little Morkie (yorkie/maltese) mix that loves to take walks, so I have been taking him out more often for exercise. Other than that, I have been pretty sedentery and blame it on my various health issues - hurt back, bad knees, sore hip and bone spurs in both heels. I just know that if I push through the pain, those things will resolve themselves once I lose weight, but I lean on them as a crutch to hold me back.

The great news is that I love most diet foods -- all vegetables and fruit, etc. so there is no problem incorporating those things into my diet. The bad news is that I also love bread, pasta, potatoes, bagels and all things BAD for you. I don't microwave food (don't like how it tastes after) and I will not eat any artificial sweetner like Splenda or fructose. So, I have to stick with things I can cook fresh (which I don't always feel like doing) and real sugars.

Should be fun though!!!

Can't wait to follow everyone's progress. Oh - and Tamara -- congratulations and thank you for being such an inspiration to all of us!

shari253

Welcome to the new people. This is a great group. Please post a lot and let's all support each other!

I am ending my day well - 30 cals under my goal. I am having 3 hardboiled eggwhites (no yolk) served as deviled eggs but with hummus for the filling instead of yolks and mayo. Very healthy alternative. Did you know the white of the egg is only 17 cals and contains all the protein? My snack is 3 cups of kettle corn. Only 170 cals, 70 sodium, and 6 sugar. Not bad for something I LOVE that fills me up!

Tomorrow is my weigh in day. I'm pretty sure I will lose at least 1 lb.

Shari.

mymeow

I haven't had the best of weekends, but tomorrow is a new day!! My goal for the week is to journal everyday, exercise 5 days, and I'll do the water challenge!! We are going to Disneyworld in 2 months. Do you think it's unreasonable to set a goal to lose 25 lbs by then? I am 249 lbs, and I would like to be around 225 by the time we go. Any hints or suggestions? My biggest fear is being too big for the rides (

Tamara, thanks so much for joining our thread. You are such an inspiration for all of us!!

familygirl37167

Thats a big goal, but work really hard,you should only be losing about 2 pounds a week. But since your going to dinseywrld work really hard....115% dedication...

I am super tired this morning, but up and eating and drinking coffee then off to the gym, working 8-1 today, gotta get kids ready for school then I am off the next 2 days..yippee..Lifting weights with my trainer those two days..

Everyone, anything is possible if we put our minds to it!!

Have a fabulous Monday everyone!!!!

brashear_2420

Good morning everyone! It is very hard for me to post on the weekends. I sit at a computer 8 hours a day during the week and I try to stay away from them on the weekend.

I am sorry that some of you had a rough weekend. I had a rough day yesterday too. I stayed and my in-laws this weekend and had a great time, but after church they wanted chinese buffet. Buffets are definitely not the place to go if you are counting calories. I didn't do to bad though. I had some salad with very little dressing. I had grilled chicken and shrimp with mixed veggies off the hibatchi grill. Then I had some fruit and a spoon of banana pudding. This set me up for cravings. I had to go to the grocery store for the week and while there I gave in to temptation. I bought a cupcake from the bakery and that was my dinner. It wasn't my proudest moment, but it is definitely not my worst. After everything I ate yesterday I consumed about 1900 calories and my daily goal is 1220. I was over by a bunch, but I am not going to dwell on it. I made a bad choice and today I start over.

The point is that we all make bad choices no matter how long we have been doing this. The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up about it or eat more bad foods. You made a bad choice and that is okay. Today just make better choices. It will be a daily battle, but in the end it is worth the fight.

Most people don't realize that food is an addiction just like anything else can be. Food can be a comfort or a coping mechanism. It is very hard to retrain your body and your mind to rely on food for nutrition and not comfort. Before I was a major stress eater, but now I work out when I am stressed. Working out makes me feel better and helps me to think and let go of my stresses. You have to find a new outlet to turn to instead of food. Let me know what you guys think will help you to cope with daily stresses instead of food.

I am doing good on the water challenge. I have gotten all my water in all weekend.

Today is a new day. The weekend is over and it is time for a new week. Happy Monday to everyone! I am not feeling the greatest today, but I am going to stay on track. I just had my breakfast...1.5 cups of cereal and half a cup of skim milk. Tonight is walking group with Tamara. Today will be a good day.

brashear_2420

I haven't had the best of weekends, but tomorrow is a new day!! My goal for the week is to journal everyday, exercise 5 days, and I'll do the water challenge!! We are going to Disneyworld in 2 months. Do you think it's unreasonable to set a goal to lose 25 lbs by then? I am 249 lbs, and I would like to be around 225 by the time we go. Any hints or suggestions? My biggest fear is being too big for the rides (

Tamara, thanks so much for joining our thread. You are such an inspiration for all of us!!

I completely understand that fear! That is the whole reason I started losing weight. I was at 289 in October of 07 and I went to Six Flags for fright fest with 3 of my friends. I was having no problem getting on the rides and wasn't thinking anything of it. After standing in line for 2 hours for the Batman ride, I could not ride it. I got in the seat and the harness would not close. I was horrified. I had to get off the ride and I wanted to cry right there. It was the worst feeling for me. I knew I was big, but I guess I didn't see myself as that big until then. The following week was when I started my weight loss journey. I have yet to be back to an amusement park. I know I will fit now, but I guess I don't want to go through all those emotions again. I am down to 191 and 6 pounds away from goal weight. I guess I shoudl reward myself with a roller coaster ride when I hit goal weight.

Good luck on your goal! Work extremely hard and you will definitely see results.

SharonsJetSet

New week starting today. I'm going to make my own personal goal of remaining 100% on target.

I'm going to commit to 64oz (or more) of water each day, do some sort of exercise at least 4 days of the week and stay within my calorie ranges all week long.

I'm pledging that to myself!!

I'm also going to make a commitment to come to this board every day to be encouraging and supportive

:flowerforyou: