*Snowflakes to Sunshine* Discussion Week #9 3.4.11

Krys_T

So Snowflakes....how did we feel about this past week in a nutshell? And the most important question that I want all of us to answer is...Did you give it 100% this week? Why or why not? If you did...how so? If you feel like you didn't...what obstacles were in your way? Be honest and forthcoming. At the stage in the challenge, I want us all to be as honest as possible so other Snowflakes can lend a helping hand!

I know I always say this...but I'm extremely proud of all of you! Thank you for inspiring me everyday! ;flowerforyou:

punkrawkcutie

this week I lost 1lbs... Which isn't bad since I gave it about 65% this week.
Where did I go wrong? Well last weekend I just didn't log, which means I know I was over...
However, i think the rest of the week I made up for it. I re-started the 30ds but will be doing it every other day (so the 60ds?!?) so that I can continue to work on my c25k...
I have noticed i seem to be in all or nothing mode right now... if I am going to work out I want to do it all and am totally motivated. However, if i can't get it all in I seem to be like "meh, tomorrow" which is NOT ok. I really need to remind myself that even 15, 20, 30 minutes all add up, no matter what.
So i think my goal for this next week is going to be focusing on using those times where I am shortish on time to do SOMETHING. I know that even if it's just throwing Wii Fit on for 15 mins, it's better then nothing and that it might motivate me to do more later.
On the positve, my eating has gotten WAY better of the past 3 weeks. Changing things up, making better choices and getting to eat a lot without feeling guilty! it's awesome! The biggest trick that I found for myself is eating like 150-225 cals every 1.5-2.5 hours. It stops me from picking something stupid because I am not hitting that "I am starving and need to eat NOW" wall. And it makes me really think about why and what I am eating. I am finding that i am picking better choices (re: oatmeal, yogurt, snack can of tuna) instead of what is around (chips) because i get to eat alot more of the good stuff for the same calories...
So ya, I think that this next month I am going to focus on my workout attitude as i think I am now much more comforatble with my eatng...
Hope y'all are doing well!
you are all amazing people and don't you forget it!!!
xoxo - S

TeresaSavage

Good Morning!!!


I lost 2 pounds this week!! Im Now 164.8 , YAY! Whoo Hoooo :drinker:

Have A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE :happy:

ChantalC1969

bump

robynrae_1

bump

whittrusty

Bump

healthydoseofglitter

bumping this for when I have time to check in

Steph_135

LW: 180.5
CW: 182.5

It was my birthday, but the cake is IN THE FREEZER now!! :bigsmile: I actually feel really good this morning. I know I've eaten a lot this week, but whatever. It's gonna be a nice day out today, and I'm thinking of going for my first jog of the year!

Didn't give 100%, except for the few days that I ate really well. There was just too much good food and celebrations going around. :bigsmile: Alright now! Back with it! Didn't Shred yesterday, so I'm starting L3 today!!

crystal_sapphire

i feel this week i ut in more effort in watching my eating than any other week, but i am disappointed with my loss. gotta work on my mind set i guess

Positively_Me

I am just not my self. I have way to much going on and overly stressed.

I weighted myself this morning and I am back up to 211..why? not sure. I ate the same (as I did in Feb. : 1200 - 1500cal) but I didn't exercise (as much as Feb.) I wanted to give myself a little break this week..well it backfired. I feel so hopeless because I have tried every and I can't seem to get out of 200s. my lowest weight in Feb. was 206, I worked out really hard that month and thought because I was overly working with weights every single day and that's why my weight has not budged as much as I would like.

I am so frustrated and I don't know what else to do...

I don't think I deserve to be part of this group because I am not losing weight..

Steph_135

punkrawkcutie... Good luck with the Shred!! :drinker: I love it!! Maybe try and find a short workout that you can do, if all else fails. Something simple, and at home (like your Wii Fit!!). My options might be my 20 min pilates DVD, or belly dancing to a drum beat. Neither makes me sweat a LOT, but I can feel a workout from both. Do you have dumbbells? You could just do squats, lunges, and arm curls too. And now that you're doing the Shred, that's another really short option as well! You're gonna triumph over that "all or nothing" mentality for sure! :happy: You're doing great!

healthy_is_best... You can do it! Take a few minutes in the morning to visualize how you want your day to go, and then follow through! At the end of the day, think about what you really liked about the day, and were happy with. If there was anything that didn't go as planned, visualize the way you would have LIKED it to happen. Pretend that's how it went, that you had a fabulous day, and repeat the next morning. :flowerforyou:

Positively_Me... The Shred has been slowing my weight loss down a little too, probably like your weight lifting. It's great that you gave yourself a bit of an easier week though! Now you can come back at full speed! Keep pushing forward! You're almost half way to your goal!! See if there is anything you can cut out of your schedule to make you less stressed. Are there any things taking up time in your day that you can delegate to someone else? Try not to push too hard to get out of the 200's. Just let your body get there, and keep helping it along with exercise and proper eating. I feel the same way about getting out of the 180's, cause I've been here for practically a year!! It WILL happen!! We need to stay motivated and committed! :drinker:

Scubasab

Good morning Snowflakes!!!!! :flowerforyou: T.G.I.F!!

It's still early so, I have not seen many postings yet? I am very happy for everyone who has lost or remained the same and for anyone who gained....WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE!!! Next week will be a better week!

I've been busy all week "spring cleaning"!! My surgery has now been scheduled for Monday 3/7 @ 2 p.m. So, I wanted everything clean. I will definitely weigh in next week but, not sure if I will be up to commenting or posting? :sick: So PLEASE do not DELETE ME!!!!! I also did a lot of walking with my neighbor and good friend Tasha!!

Last weeks weight was 167.2
Today's weight 164.8

So, I lost 2.4 pounds last week!!!! Yeah!!! :drinker:

I hope you all have a fabulouse weekend and week ahead!!! Hopefully I wiil heal quickly and be able to get back to exercising quickly!!!

Sabrina

bhonniered

Good Morning All!

It has been a rough couple of weeks with my arthritis kicking in - I am sure stress is making it worse! Between the pain and meds (which make me have the munchies) I have not been able to exercise as hard as I would like.

Tried to weigh in this morning and got a 20lb spread from the evil scale :devil: ! Gonna have to wait until I can change the battery or weigh in at the gym.

So the goal is to not use my RA as a crutch to not exercise or eat correct and slowly work back up to my regular routine.

Which me luck!

forgiven4life

Good morning Snowshines! LOL, that's because we are about halfway there. :laugh: This week has been kind of difficult for me. No, I did not give it 100% because I had a birthday party for my son on Saturday and a baby shower on Sunday. I did okay at the birthday, but not the baby shower. I've been trying to stay consistent with some exercise as opposed to none. Although I do lose faster when I don't exercise at all. I kind of feel the same as Positively_Me. I don't feel worthy to be in this group who is doing SO well in their weight loss efforts. I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

Krys_T

Good Morning!!!


I lost 2 pounds this week!! Im Now 164.8 , YAY! Whoo Hoooo :drinker:

Have A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE :happy:

You are so awesome! So proud of you...the consistency is amazing!

onlyhalfcrazy

I am down 1 lb this morning and I will gladly take it!! I did not give 100% this week!! I had a couple of days in the earlier part of the week when I just couldnt pull it together!! My trainer tells me all the time that 95% of working out is mental. If you tell yourself you cant and you wont, then there is a 95% chance you WONT. I mentally told myself I needed a break and gave myself 110 reasons why I deserve it. On Monday I recommitted myself to giving this my all everyday. I signed up for my second 5k this year and will be running it in the morning. Hoping to beat my last time of 34:49. Even if I make it in 34:48. I just want each time to be a little better.

Thinking of all of you today as you experience the results of the week, I know some are having victories and others are feeling a little discouraged. We all need to remind ourselves of how empowering it is to take control of our health and lives. Eventually the scale will follow!!

March on Snowflakes ....... Sunshine is on its way!!

Kkmama

So I am down this week, 1.2 lbs.

Increased my water, not for diet reasons, but out of desperation! I have increased my activity... added 30 Day Shred (ouch), continuing with my EA Sports and signed up for a Yin Yoga (stretching, holding poses for what feels like an eternity) and walking. I was hoping that drinking water would help with the pain factor... don't know if it did, but I feel better. I also have been having dull headaches and was thinking I might be a bit dehydrated with muscles holding onto water. And they seemed to have lessened.

I was tempted this month to also lower my calories, actually I did for 2 days and then realized that I could be putting myself in a precarious position of not eating enough and under-eating, which got me into this mess in the first place. And with increasing my exercise I knew I would need the calories.

We are getting close to the halfway point. And I am excited to see all our posted pictures. And am impressed with everyone. You all keep me going and honest with myself. There truly is strength in numbers.

Have a wonderful day!

miss_amy

i am weighing in tomorrow, but i'm pretty nervous too. i felt really burnt out this week for some reason and have only worked out once this week. sometimes your body needs a break i guess! anyway, i'm hoping to at least maintain my loss from last week. i will be happy with that. i'll check back in tomorrow and keep you posted!

congrats to everyone with losses this week!

Krys_T

I am just not my self. I have way to much going on and overly stressed.

I am so frustrated and I don't know what else to do...

I don't think I deserve to be part of this group because I am not losing weight..

Good morning Snowshines! LOL, that's because we are about halfway there. This week has been kind of difficult for me. No, I did not give it 100% because I had a birthday party for my son on Saturday and a baby shower on Sunday. I did okay at the birthday, but not the baby shower. I've been trying to stay consistent with some exercise as opposed to none. Although I do lose faster when I don't exercise at all. I kind of feel the same as Positively_Me. I don't feel worthy to be in this group who is doing SO well in their weight loss efforts. I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

Ok, you two need to stop it right now (I am having a mother moment) Deserve.....you guys don't feel like you deserve to be in this group...I did not create this challenge for people to feel inferior at any point. Everyone is different and everyone's bodies are different. I will put it like this...NEVER feel that way. Look at me, since the beginning of this challenge I have only lost 9lbs....and there are people tripling what I lost...and I am ok. I am still here everyday, pumping you guys up because I know that this is hard and I just want everyone to give 100% everyday, because we all deserve to be happy and healthy. DO NOT LOSE FOCUS!!! YOu guys can do it, I have seen you guys do it. Make sure you are eating things that are good for you, burn those calories everyday....stay active and positive! We are in this together.....to the end!!! :flowerforyou:

leandread

Good morning Snowshines! LOL, that's because we are about halfway there. :laugh: This week has been kind of difficult for me. No, I did not give it 100% because I had a birthday party for my son on Saturday and a baby shower on Sunday. I did okay at the birthday, but not the baby shower. I've been trying to stay consistent with some exercise as opposed to none. Although I do lose faster when I don't exercise at all. I kind of feel the same as Positively_Me. I don't feel worthy to be in this group who is doing SO well in their weight loss efforts. I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

Forgiven--We will get there...What about those intervals you kicked out? How about the C25K that you are hitting hard? We have to give ourselves the pep talk that we give to others. You and I are traveling on a similar path, up down up down, but in the meantime, we are scoring some major points in getting our fitness levels up. I actually have come to dread weigh-in days because even though I am working out 5 days a week, and feeling amazing most days, Fridays are the days where i have to pick myself up off the emotional ground level and remind myself that this is not a DIET. Forgiven...Positively_Me, we are not on a diet...We are on a journey. I am so proud of you both for facing these struggles. And know that we are here, to earnestly and actively empower ourselves and each other! We are awesome

leandread

I saw a gain of 2 pounds this week. But I refuse....REFUSE REFUSE REFUSE to allow myself to wallow in self-pity. Honestly, the emotional roller coaster is exhausting. I don't like weigh-in days because I give that %^^& scale too much power. I have to take it back. I really do. What often happens is that I have a big loss of 2-3 pounds, gain half the following week and then lose again. So slowly but surely the scale is moving down and my clothes look a whole heap better with not as many bumpy bits under the fabric :laugh: :laugh:

So my progress this week is that most of the week, I drank well beyond 10 glasses of water.:drinker: And I am going to keep it up because my TOM is coming in the next few days and I don't want to be sidelined by bloating.

This past week I broke a wall I've been having. I have a 12-14 hour day on Tuesdays and even though I pack all my meals, I usually end up coming home and getting into my little ms snacky pants mode. Well, this past Tuesday, I didn't go there. I kept myself in check and stayed in my calories!

Guesss whattttt ladies???? The Zumba-Thon is this evening and I've even rallied a few people to go with me. You all know I am going to be back in the thread tonight to detail how it went.

So my work out goals for next week is to be active at least 5 days out of the week.
My food goals are to stay in my calories and avoid overindulging in evening snacks.

Ladies...Know this, we are beautiful and wonderfully made and this group reveals the powerful energy of women! You inspire me and encourage me.

Have a great weekend

forgiven4life

This group is soooooo awesome. It's because of you encouraging ladies that I press on. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I really just needed to hear a little encouragment today. ((((HUGS)))

leandread - Good luck at your Zumba-thon and have fun!

SparkleShine

Everyone is doing so great! I am so embaressed. I actually weigh more now than when I started.:sad: I feel like I should get kicked out......:blushing:

Krys_T

Everyone is doing so great! I am so embaressed. I actually weigh more now than when I started.:sad: I feel like I should get kicked out......:blushing:

Stop stop stop...read my earlier post in response to forgiven2life and positivley_me

netter43

I am down 2 pounds this week - YAY!! - but of course that is after gaining 1 last week...don't look behind, right?!! - getting my train back on the track and full steam ahead - no way was my mind into this journey the last 1-2 weeks or I should say my heart, but with the help of all my MFP friends I'm back on track...suffering through a sinus infection and so sick of winter I could literally puke!! - I need SUNSHINE!!! - Hang in there everyone and don't ever give up because WE ARE ALL WORTH THE EFFORT OF THIS JOURNEY TO BE HEALTHIER, HAPPIER AND GET UP AND GO!!! -

I also reflected that at my heaviest weight in approximately 2009 I weighed 292.4 pounds. I started MFP at 270 and this morning I weighed 247 (that is 45.4 pounds lost since my heaviest weight when I was actually being worked up for gastric bypass).

I take nothing away from anyone that has had surgery or contemplating surgery if you feel that if your only way to go, but I was worked up twice and each time something happened that de-railed going through with it (medical and/or family issues). The MFP website has given me the tools and the support of the buddy system to keep me moving in the right direction and I am so thankful for everyone going through this journey and inspiring others to get started on their own journey - So take that moment to reflect on where you once were, where you are now and where you are headed...Together, we will all succeed!!! - :flowerforyou:

jamaka1

Hi every1, this week for me was probably my biggest loss. I have been burning more calories, & i've ben eating more also; just to clarify, 5 istead of 3 meals. This week i set 5000 cal burns 4 the week and as of today i have 700 more to go. It is alot of work but i love to see the results and the way it makes me feel about myself. To those who think they're not seeing any results or enough I would say to you find what works 4u & keep trying different things. My best exercise is walk, i just keep moving. I hope to lose another 10 by the time this challenge is over.

Val_Gets_Fit

I'm happy with this week. After having that awful 2.8 pound gain last week, I was down 3.6 this week!! I know that I had been doing the right things the week that I gained, and the fact that I had such a big loss verfies it. It was water retention. It really wasn't until MFP that I became so aware of how many factors can affect that scale! Even though I was logically telling myself that it was a normal fluctation, I admit that I was bummed last week. After getting some words of encouragement from my MFP friends, I renewed my focus. I'm so glad that I did. I'm in the 150s. I'm very excited about that!

For the most part, I did give it 100% this week in terms of exercise. I'm doing JM workouts and Zumba and trying to get back to the gym for some other cardio. As for food, I was under my calorie goal, but I'm still not happy with my sodium levels. I need to try harder to reduce the sodium and up the water.

Congrats to everyone for sticking to this challenge! For anyone who had a gain, don't let it keep you down. Stay focused and be as logical as you can about it. After my gain the previous week, I tried on a pair of jeans from my heaviest weight to remind myself what I've lost. I slipped on a pair that had been too small for me a few months ago and smiled at how comfortable they felt. I then pulled out a pair that I hope to fit into one day to remind myself that I will get there. It's so motivating! Of course, having such a great support circle on here helps in those moments, too.

We're doing this!!:flowerforyou:

LJ0508

This week I didnt give it a 100% to my excercise because I only exercised once but I did manage to stay within my calorie range. I did reach my 10lb goal so I'm estatic about that! Physically, I'm not seeing a difference in the way I look, I need to do some comparison pics though. I did try on a pair of jeans this morning (which I have yet to take off) that I couldn't even get past my hips last year. Besides having a muffin top while wearing them, they look good. I really wish he fat around my stomach would melt away but that an area that I need to target more, which I don't.

Anyways, everyone in this group should be very proud of theirselves and for those that aren't seeing the results they want: never belittle yourself to thinking you're not deserving of something. Stay positive and keep pushing!

Was there a particular date that we were suppose to post out starting and current pics?

IsMollyReallyHungry

bump!!

taletreader

LW: 180.5
CW: 178

One month in Alaska to the day, moved from London (UK). Big changes etc -- and I couldn't be happier about the weight loss having gone on just nicely. Today marks:

- 10 pounds down from the day I arrived in Alaska
- 20 pounds down from the start of the year (and the challenge)
- a pound shy of 50 pounds down from the start of the journey in October
- 2.5 pounds shy of leaving the "obese" label behind

So of course I'm happy! What's really helping is that my partner, who I moved in with, while having different preferences for food that I would have, isn't a big eater, so portion control at home is relatively easy. I cook most evenings, and am having less protein than I used to, but small portions. We eat very well overall. During the day, I've eaten out in various campus cafeterias (I work for a university), and that's a little more challenging. Portions are huge. There's an excellent noodle place, but I'll need a lunch container first before I buy lunch there: half should go into the fridge for the next day immediately. I've also had a very tasty but also incredibly oily portion of shepherd's pie -- a mess of ground beef, carrots and mashed potatoes -- of which I ate half and counted that as 600 calories. Given this state of things, I count calories very approximately and try to over-estimate. This may be the reason I've continued to lose so much: I probably eat fewer calories than I used to in London.

Because what isn't working yet is the exercise bit. I've been to the gym a couple of times, trying to get used to the different set of weights and machines they have. There's a very convenient fitness center on campus I have yet to try.

Otherwise, the lifestyle change may be helping. I'm just pretty active. There's physical stuff to do, like shoveling snow, and even my walk last weekend -- 4 miles with about 6 or 7 very short bouts of jogging in-between -- was done in hiking boots and a parka in the snow, so surely burned more calories than 4 miles on the treadmill in gym clothes. Tomorrow: ice fishing.

dinareed

Well ladies, I must confess I cried when I stepped on the scale this morning. I feel like I am working so hard and not losing the weight. I worked my tail off this week...every day at least 30 minutes on the treadmill in addition to weight lifting 3x per week. I just switched from Curves to another gym so I can work out with my husband and do everything in one place. I keep losing and gaining the same pounds back--I just don't understand it. I feel healthier and stronger for sure, and when I measure the inches once a month a am losing but I don't see it. Maybe I should get rid of the cheat days? I still track the calories and I rarely go over but my cheat days are when I eat the junk food I miss. I just don't know. Any suggestions?