Kicking *kitten* In Our Twenties - April Challenge!!

Options
1…6791112…15

Replies

  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    Spell-thanks!!

    Bethany-I am certainly sorry to hear about all of your dilemma...sometimes things just seem to go down the **** tubes!! :cry: What you need to remember, is to pick your head up, find a way to work past it, and know that everything will turn out in the end...one way or another!:ohwell: As far as the diet and exercise...my recommendation would be to start with baby steps again...start logging your cals...no matter what, and slowly start changing your unhealthy choices into healthy ones! Once you start doing this, your energy will go up, and your willingness and readiness to workout will start to come back! And remember, you have to focus on ALL aspects of your life(including yourself) to be able to ever truly be happy!:flowerforyou: I will keep ya in my thoughts, and my fingers are crossed for ya girly :)

    Cait-way to keep on keepin on!! Good luck on your 5k this week!!! :wink:

    Meag-I cannot believe that you have never been to a wedding!! Weddings are soooo much fun, you are gonna have a blast! You should be very proud of yourself that Ty wants to show you off..make him proud girly!! :tongue:

    ????so...when/where is this warrior dash again?!?!?!? I WISH that I could go, and now with the reminder that it is exactly 4 months away...I think I may actually be in NY at that time!! I am going to meet my bfs family there this August, so there would be a slight possibility that I could at least root y'all on (if it's sold out that is)! SO....I want dets people!!?? and who from MFP is all going??? :happy:

    AFM-I pushed myself very hard on my WO today...and ended up almost pukin...oops!!! :embarassed: I didn't though, and I will have to tone it down just a wee bit to be sure that I don't have a repeat tomorrow morn! LOL I ended up giving in and buying a few new clothes for myself...everything that I owned was looking like bag lady clothes!!:noway: I grabbed the size 8's since I knew that they would fit now...and ended up with 3 pairs of size 6's!!!! I am totally pumped by this...seeing as the last size I can remember is a size 8 from 7th grade!! Yah! :smooched:
  • mkingraham
    mkingraham Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    Hey everyone!!

    Sorry I have been absent the past couple of days. I have been so busy at work that I just haven't had a chance to post. Yesterday I had an all day conference and I can't remember if I ever actually logged in, which wouldn't be a big deal except that I want to keep my days logged in ticker going. I just hit 100 days earlier this week and I wanted to keep building that up. If on Sunday it says 105 days then I know I did log in at some point, otherwise looks like its starting over :(. Silly thing to be bummed about I know, but I am a little bummed none the less. Also due to the craziness at work I wasn't in the cooking mood the past couple of days so on Tuesday night the hubby and I had chinese food and then Wednesday I cooked a super healthy and delicious clean meal, then followed that up with Pizza last night. Needless to say when I took a peek at the scale this morning it was up about 1.5 lbs. I know its probably just sodium so I am going to drink a ton of water and make myself eat really clean the rest of this weekend with a few outdoor runs and hopefully I will see maintenance. That's really all I want to see!

    I have read everyone's posts but I just don't have time right now to respond to everyone but I will be sure to stay on top of things from now on. Hugs to all!!

    Megan
  • finncmh
    finncmh Posts: 290
    Options
    Quick Warrior Dash post. Tara it is on the 13th and 14th of August. Check out the site http://www.warriordash.com/register2011_new_york.php As far as I know Meag, Gonks, and Spell are doing the 3pm wave. Anyone else I missed from the vets that had signed up for that? I went to register a few months back and all of Saturday was completely booked out. So I was going to do Sunday but then realized I would be able to take Saturday off to cheer on my MFP gals and get Sunday off to race. I just went back to the site yesterday to check out Sunday and saw that they put in a whole new wave at 5:30 on Sat.

    Signing up RIGHT now!!!!! It may not be as cool as running all together but that just means I will come early to cheer you ladies on and then you will have to stay and cheer me on :tongue:

    EEEK! So excited now!!!!

    Cait
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Options
    My goodness how the time flies on Fridays.... Eek! It's 20 mins to 1 and I'm still in my PJs and haven't accomplished much of anything this morning apart from breakfast, catching up on MFP, weigh-in, scheduling plans for the weekend, and not a hell of a lot else... Jeeeeez! :noway:

    Super super quick update for me today since I have to get my *kitten* in gear. Weigh-in today left me sitting pretty at exactly 125lbs. Maintenance - *ahhhhhh* Sigh of relief. Feeling good about being less food-crazy and more relaxed about what and when I eat. Yesterday I went totally crazy and ate wayyyy too much food (quantity-wise, not calorie-wise). I still need to figure out the balance there. Since nearly all the food I eat is super low-cal, I find myself over-eating even when I'm not hungry just to get my cals in. Bad news! Balance, Meag... .Balance!

    Work this weekend, as usual, is a whirlwind and makes me cranky/exhausted. At least I know that I only have a few weeks left until freedom! Woooot! :drinker:

    Warrior Dash folks - So far I know that myself (+ Ty), Gonks (+ Tom), Cait (+J) and Spell (+hubby) are going to be there... Not sure if anyone else is running. I could have sworn there was someone else but my memory is failing me right now. I think our race is actually at 330pm, if I'm not mistaken, Cait. I'll have to check my archived emails. Either way we'll definitely be there to cheer you on! Sooooo excited! I know we're going to have an awesome event, a great race, and a really fun time together. Can't wait to meet you ladies. I already feel like I know you so well and you're all such MONEY - our meet-up is going to be EPIC.

    OK so today, trying to eat well but not stressing about protein + carbs. My mom's making dinner for us so I know it'll be a little out of whack (these folks love their damn carbohydrates....blast!). This weekend - NOT COUNTING! Again. I'm going to make this work. I'm determined to find balance and be good to myself. The next few weeks are crazy hectic with packing and moving + working at night so I know that I won't have any time to log anyway. Just going to do my best to eat healthy + clean and hope it all works out. Will be super on track during the week and I assume it will balance itself out. Going to Ty's folks for dinner on Sunday, which could be a disaster since they eat really boring, awful "normal people" food, but whatever. I'll make it work.

    Hope y'all have a great Friday. And ENJOY YOUR WEEKENDS! :drinker:
    Meag :heart:
  • lostalykat
    lostalykat Posts: 683 Member
    Options
    Not much to report....

    Meag- Good job on your maintenance! Sounds like things are really going better for you. How is the job hunting going? I feel so out of the loop. You seem happier and more together so that means things are better no matter what. Loving your arms pic! That is the one thing I really want to focus on for my wedding, getting some buff slender arms. Jillian Micheal's always says its the one naked part of your body everyone sees.

    Bethany- SO sorry things have been going crazy for you. I know it is rough but this too shall pass. Keep your head up girly you can conquer anything.

    AFM- Still feeling a little sick but better overall. I might try to do a little Jillian workout this evening if I am feeling up for it, I doubt I will but maybe some push-ups and sit-ups at least, we will see how I feel. I am hoping to feel super good tomorrow after sleeping in and either do spin(if I wake up for it) or go for a nice run. The weather has been pretty nice so if it continues I might go for a run. I reallly want to do some lifting of some sort, but I kind of want a class so I push myself. I have a meeting with the triathlon coach I am going to hire next week so I am really excited. This weekend is busy, Sat- sausagefest at my friends house, Sunday morning briday fair, then sunday late afternoon bbq farewell party with some teammates. I plan to have fun and hopefully workout both days. Feeling really good about stuff. I wrote a blog post about my recent thoughts if your interested.

    thiskatiskrazy.wordpress.com
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    Megan-we all have days like that...I will hope for you that you have a ZERO on the scale this week! So good luck to you!!! Just keep rockin it girl!!!:wink:

    Cait-OMG!! I should be in NY Aug 11-19th!!! I am gonna check out the site tonight and see if it is close to where I will be!! That would be so cool to run with you ladies...but just to be able to cheer y' all on would also be fantastic!! I will keep you guys posted on my status!! :smile:

    Meag-super excited about the possibility of doing the warrior dash...like I told Cait...I MAY be able to join you guys...if I can swing it! :happy: Enjoy your weekend, congrats on your weight, and try to enjoy the "regular people" food!! LOL :laugh:

    AFM-got in a great workout again today...and still eating well, but planning on spaghetti tomorrow night...so I may take my first day over my cals for the month! :blushing: Super excited about the warrior dash...but also realizing that, although I do cardio pretty frequently, I haven't actually RAN in almost 2 years!! Yikes...I better check out that site tonight and start switchin up my cardio so I can be ready...just in case! :smooched:
  • nausicaa11
    nausicaa11 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Hello everyone, hope everyone is doing good. Haven't had the time to post, school has been a bit tough. I didn't meet all of my goals for March but hopefully I can get back on track in April. So my goals for this month are to lose 6 pounds, exercise 5 days a week and hit the 8km/h mark on the treadmill.

    Wish everyone the best of luck! :)
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Options
    Updating the list with nausicaa11's goals
    smashlee1984-curb fastfood eating, complete ripped in 30 (6x/week for 4 weeks), make an effort to be thankful and happy and make healthy (fitness and lifestyle choices)
    wardiemelissa (Melissa)-continue to maintain weight between 120-125 lbs; exercise routine 5 days running, 2 days strength, 1 day rest (long run 10+miles on Sundays), continue to test out new recipes (including new fruits and veggies), and making more time for my family
    alwhisler-drink 64oz daily, lose 5 lbs, work out 3x/week, no beer.
    halina20-lose 5 lbs, finish insanity, stay away from jammy dodgers, run 30 mins straight, drink lots of water.
    kvr414-Lose 2 lbs, continue limiting fat intake to >45g/day. Increase a low carb/low GI lifestyle. stay committed to this thread!
    mkingraham (Megan)- Lose 7 lbs, strength train at least once a week (we're going to start easy), and run 3 times a week.
    springstorm: Lose 7 lbs, drink water 64 oz/day, exercise 3x/week, No binges, log everything, sacrifice soda.
    crystalfaith: workout at LEAST 4 days a week, continue progressing through the C25k challenge, drink more water!
    ngoat: (nancy) lose 3lbs, work out 3x/week and drink more water
    spellbinder25: (1)Lose 4 lbs, (2) Run 3 times/week, (3) Run 3 miles on the treadmill by the end of April, (4) Do strength training 3 times/week.
    shannonaufman: lose 6 pounds, walk 50 total miles, drink 64+ oz of water daily, continue C25K, run an entire 5K
    meagalayne- maintain between 125-128lbs; continue with YogaFit once a week; increase my H2O consumption to at least 6 cups a day; quit my job by May 1st; take time every day to feel happy and enjoy the journey!
    Rachellynch83: drink at least 64oz of water a day, keep up with c25k, finish 30 Day shred, increase outdoor family activities
    missjaygraham87 (Jay): Lose 7 lbs, do pilates 3x/week, walk the dog daily, start C25K, drink 7 glasses of water daily.
    edryer123-GW 138, and to get in a 10 minute mile by the end of the month.
    tjradd73-to lose 8lbs, drink 70ozs of water/day, 3 days/arms, 3 days/abs, >90minutes cardio/week.
    hroush-break 190, workout 3+ days a week.
    yvalcaraz-(Yolanda)-Complete 30 day shred, Run for 3 miles w/o stopping, 1000 crunches 3x week, Lose 8lbs, Weight lifting class 2x week
    silhouetted25 (Samantha) -1. Go to the gym at least 4 times a week, but would like to hit 5 times 2. Cut out most white flour products/pastas/breads & eat mainly whole wheat or gluten free 4. Eat more grains and lentils 5. Go on a hike 6. Balance work and working out effectively
    terrilien21 - Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day, get in at least 4 workouts a week, have one cheat day a week (saturday), no beer, stay positive!!
    fitmommy2012- lose 6 lbs, P90x everyday, at least 6 cups of water a day, be happy with self, stay motivated
    Sambloid - Lose 10 lbs and be able to do 50 push ups
    Meggonkgonk- To reach 137lbs, to run my 10k course at least 1x, Run my 4m run at 9:30
    Allie7383- start and stick with ChaLean Extreme, bust out of the 150's, continue to work on my running, cook more often, and stop making excuses!
    Finncmh- loss on scale, get back to lifting, run 2-3 times a week, complete 5k April 17th, walk to work at least 3 times a week, better presence on thread than March
    lizzymaez - eat healthier/watching calories, start riding 2-3 times a week, cardio/running at least 3 times a week, and yoga at least twice a week.
    jennro7781 to lose 10lbs
    lemmyhead: log everything every day, exercise 3x week (this doesn't include my walk to work every day), sign up for and start training for the 10km run that will be held on June 19th.
    WanderLaura: Lose 10 pounds; Eat meat a maximum of 1 time/ day (no pork or beef); Jog 3x/ week for a total of 24 miles/ month! :); Do strength-building exercises 2x/ week! ; Be able to do 5 push ups with no knees by May 1st . :)
    emmarie1630-lose 5 pounds, bootcamp 3-4x/week, more sleep, less stress, tons of water
    shelsab- lose 5 lbs. run 3xweek. limit my sweets.
    JessYas-100 PushUp Challenge and lunges at least 3x/week, and get down to a scale weight of 133. Also, I'm cutting out alcohol again! Yes! :)
    mikmakmom- Get into the 130s (lose 4lbs)
    rai8759: 162 lbs by 4/25, 150 min cardio per week, drink 8 cups of water a day and eat at least one fresh fruit or veggie per day
    Goffb28: Lose 5lbs & job on treadmill for 20 minutes straight.
    kayakawaii- lose 5 pounds; eat fruit EVERY DAY; and not drink AT ALL this month
    fromaquizer- Reach first GW; strength train 3times/week and run 2times/week; ake my food everyday (no emergency takeaways!)
    amandamcphee23- Eat clean; Stay within calorie range; Have interval running incorporated into my walks (up to 5:1's run/walk); Get my partner motivated; Keep coffee consumption to 1 cup a day
    lostalykat- get back to 169(before hawaii weight) get back into healthy eating. Work out at least 1 time a week and do yoga 1 time a week. Be calm and collective for wedding planning!
    nausicaa11- lose 6 pounds, exercise 5 days a week and hit the 8km/h mark on the treadmill.
    Off to work shortly and today has been a moderate success. I didn't do a spectacular job with water. It's back to freezing around here - I guess the warm weather was just a fluke - and the cold just makes it totally unbearable for me to keep up with my water consumption. In the summer I can drink water like a camel but with the temps hovering around the freezing mark there is just not a chance in the world. I'm lucky to get 20 or 30 oz of clear water all day. I try to bump it up with a huge 16oz mug of herbal tea (which is basically water, IMO) at night, but I know that my copious coffee consumption dehydrates me as well. It's a shame. Even when I work out or run I still can't manage to get water into me.... Definitely a struggle. Bring on the warm weather, already :grumble:

    Otherwise, my food was decent. Not the best choices in terms of my protein/fat/carb breakdown and not the cleanest but not horrible either. Mom made us dinner tonight, so that was entirely out of my control. Food was pretty boring all day, generally. Unfortunately my cabbage, roasted squash and black bean salad fell flat last night and turned out totally lack luster. Ate the leftovers for lunch begrudgingly but I really just want to be done with it. Definitely hoping to have some yummy eats this weekend to make up for it! Homemade turkey chili is on the menu tomorrow :bigsmile: one of my faves! Can't wait! It's supposed to be dreary and gross outside so it should be a great day for a big warm bowl of comfort food.

    Not logging my food again this weekend - I think it's a great practice in balance for me - but I will input my chili recipe if I have time and I'll post it for you folks. We don't really have a "recipe" per se at our house. We just toss everything in. So I can't promise it'll be the BEST batch yet, but I know it'll be good. We can all compare notes later :happy:

    OK well I better get ready for work and get all my *kitten* together. Have my finger's crossed that everything goes well tonight. Hope you all have a great weekend. I'll catch up with ya when I can! :heart:
  • wardiemelissa
    wardiemelissa Posts: 365 Member
    Options
    Aly-congrats on the engagment!! Enjoy this "planning" time and remember that this time is for you and your fiance....take some time for just the two of you!!!

    Meag-wondering how the not logging weekends has been going for you? I can't remember the last time I actually logged anything. I have been hovering around 120-122 since the beginning of April, so I'm pretty happy!!! I am SO much happier now that I'm not "stressing" over how many calories I'm eating and am enjoying eating again!!! If I want to go get an ice cream cone...I get it...we will most likely walk there and I'll only have a kid's cone BUT I still enjoy every bite!!! How's the job hunt and the foot??? You asked me earlier about dinners...protein and veggies. I would say most nights we have a lean protein and a veggie some nights we also do salad (mostly on nights when I think the girls are not going to want the main veggie) plus we always do fruit for dessert. Sometimes in smoothie form or with some cottage cheese...just depends on how "crazy" I'm feeling!!!

    AFM: Ran the Healthy Heights 5K this morning...SOGGY race!!! Only about 130 signed up so quite a small race but PR'd so I was HAPPY!!! Ran in 26:04 (according to my Garmin). Placed 2nd in my age group (missed out on 1st by like 6 seconds...grrr!!!) and 41st overall...not too shabby!!!!

    Relaxing in my jammies for the rest of the day getting ready for some Red Wings hockey!! GO WINGS!!!!!!!

    Melissa
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Options
    Hey everyone,

    Just a quick check in- have been keeping up with everyone's posts as much as possible (congrats aly!!!) but work and school and boy are coming to a bit of a crescendo all at once so my time for writing more than is absolutely necessary is a bit limited.

    Had a good weigh in this week - down 3.8 lbs, my biggest 1 week drop yet, but that included losing the weight from a false gain from last week. But bonus, 1.4 of those lbs were additional loss (139.6- 138.2 over the course of April) SO all in all I'm at .7lbs/wk for April, which is right where I wanted to be, and on tap for my goal for April.

    Speaking of goals, I'm coming up on something of a landmark date. When I first started on MFP, the first week of Sept (or last week of august?) I had a goal of losing 39 lbs (to reach 135lbs), which I really thought was kind of impossible at the time. In fact, Tom recently pointed this out to me- "Three more pounds? And you thought it was impossible!" But despite that, I decided to commit to 1 week for each pound- 39 weeks. I promised that no matter what the scale said on any given week I would keep going until May- one School year to improve myself.

    Well I'm just over 30 weeks in, (I think 32 almost 33) - the 39th week ends the last day of May (a certain beginning of summeryness to my timeline)-- and it seems I am perfectly on point to meet that goal. It's very likely I will end up setting new weight goals when I get there (to 135 I mean) but I'm really going to focus on meeting that goal and enjoying that sucess before deciding on what my new goals will be and how to meet them.

    The point is, it feels kind of fabulous to accomplish what felt like such an enormous, unattainable goal. I know I'm not done, but it's a little like the last mile of a long run- coasting a little and knowing it's in the bag, and speed/time isn't really a concern but you know you can turn up the speed a bit too- if you feel so inclined :happy:

    Have a great week everyone! See you next Saturday at the very least!

    Peace,
    Gonks
  • KanCrav
    KanCrav Posts: 439 Member
    Options
    Happy Sunday Everyone!~!~! Im back Im back Im back!~!~!~

    First of all, congrats ALY!~!~!~! I was skimming the posts and got so excited when I saw that you are engaged!~!~! Good for you both!~!~!

    sooooo.... It has been 58 days since I had a drink!~!~!~! (and 3 days since I had a cig, but who's counting?) Im sooo glad to get back on here, I NEED this!~!~! I am also so glad to get back home so I can get back into the swing of things.

    I lost a few pounds while I was away but I dont feel like I did. I need to get back to the gym and back outside with my dog! I feel a little spoiled cuz when I left it was still cold and gross and now it smells like spring and its BEAUTIFUL!~!~!~! I bought a Bikini!~!~!~! I dont really "like" how I look in it, but my husband says I do, so IDK.

    I dont really want to set a goal for this month since I dont have very long to go... but I am going to get back into working out and eating well (its been 6weeks since I had any REAL exercise!~!~!) Everyone tells me to go slow... so I will, I am Im going to try to get at least 14 miles a week, either joging or walking. I weigh 153 right now, so hopfully I am 150 by the begining of May!~!

    I missed you all!~!~!
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    nausicaa-great goals for the month!

    Meag-LOVE turkey chili...can't wait to see what extras you might have for me to try in mine :tongue:

    Melissa-Great job on the 5K!! 2nd place is great...and that just means that 1st place is way closer in reach! WTG!! :drinker:

    Gonks-congrats on the loss...and we will all be there when you reach your finish line girly!! You are doing fab...and no matter what you set your new goals to, you know that you can achieve it after achieving this one!:flowerforyou:

    Kandace-welcome back girl!! CONGRATS on you drink free (and smoke free) days so far!! you are doing awesome!! and to be able to even say that you had a loss while you were "away" is amazing, so great job there too!! Glad to have your positive attitude back here and I am sure that you will kill it for the rest of this month! :wink:

    AFM-short workout today...20 minutes on the wii, and then some time in the sun with my mom and my son! the water was freezing but we still had a great time, and I did get some color...altho it's not the golden tan that I was looking for!! :blushing: Today was my first day over my cals for the month (we had spaghetti) so I was totally good with it!! Other than that...back to work tomorrow and as always, hoping for a loss on Wednesday! :happy:
  • nausicaa11
    nausicaa11 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Thanks tjrad :)

    Feel really good today, did a 30 minutes treadmill workout at 7.2+ (km/h). That may not sound like much but for someone like me who used to find 6km/h like a walk through Sahara, its a great deal.

    Anyway, wish everyone the best of luck for the coming week, hope you all do great!
  • mkingraham
    mkingraham Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    Hey everyone-

    Hubby and I just went for a jog outside, and this one was WAY harder then the first one. I struggled to make it a mile and I think it may be because I have not been eating the best this week- as I previously said, and the past few days I didn't make getting a workout in a priority. But I'm glad that I went because I didn't like feeling like I couldn't do it even though I normally go a mile with no problem. So it has made me realize the impact of choices and I'm glad this week is over with!! Took a peek at the scale this morning and I'm back to what I was last Monday- so I am hoping with a little more water and good eating today I will see .5/1 lb loss on the scale tomorrow am. But either way I am just happy that the jump was water weight. Anyways- going to eat some yummy oats and relax before working on the house some. Hope you ladies have a wonderful sunday!

    Megan
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    nausicaa-that 30 minutes on the treadmill sounds great! give yourself credit for pushing it and sticking to it for the whole 30! WTG!:smile:

    Megan-sometimes it takes a kick in the *kitten*(your run) to see what a few bad choices can do to you!! I hate the way I feel when I eat bad or don't get in my normal workout!! :noway: Although it sucks to do right all of the time...it def is worth it and makes you feel better in the end! Great job getting back on track...and I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for your WI tomorrow! :wink:

    AFM-yesterday I went over for my first time this month...and I am all good with it :) Got in some turbo jam, my arm workout and my ab workout. My goal...to stay as close to 1200 cals for the next 3 days until my WI...so I can see another great loss for the month! woot! :drinker:
  • mkingraham
    mkingraham Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    Good Morning Lovelies!

    Tara- You are kicking some major *kitten* this month, so keep it up!! I am sure you are going to crush your goals!

    nausicaa- sounds like you are really pushing yourself which is awesome!! Keep up the great work!

    Kandace- YOU'RE BACK!!!! I hope you are really proud of yourself and your accomplishments so far! What you are doing for yourself is amazing and I can't even imagine all the hard work you are putting in! I'm glad to see you came right back to us :)

    AFM- Ran outside this morning in an attempt to enjoy the cooler weather before it becomes to hot in the mornings. It was a nice 50 degrees this am which wasn't to bad except when the wind blew. I did the mile loop around our office building plus a little more. I'm still getting used to the transition of running on a flat resistance less treadmill and a hilly roads and trails. I do enjoy running outside, and hopefully if I start doing it regularly it will get better. I know I can do the distance, but since pushing my self to hit the 3 miles I haven't gotten there again. I might start concentrating on running outside to really help myself improve in that aspect- I mean 5ks aren't run on treadmills right! Also had my weigh-in this morning! As I had mentioned I had seen a jump up in the scale earlier this week so I was really just hoping to see maintenance. I actually ended up losing .5 lbs :) so I feel good about that. Now I can keep on trucking and keep seeing the scale move in the right direction for the month of April! Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!

    Megan
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Options
    Morning folks and happy Monday! It's already 9am and no movement on the boards yet... Hrmmmmm :huh: Where is everyone?

    My weekend was pretty good! No logging again this weekend but overall I feel that I made really good choices. I ate a lot and didn't get a chance to workout (apart from bartending), so I won't be surprised if I see a little gain, but all my food choices were really healthy and I feel good knowing that I can eat without binging when I don't log. It seems like it might actually be EASIER, since I don't stress and worry about logging things, or eat things secretively without logging them (which yes, I've totally been known to do). I only have to be accountable to me. So I just work hard at listening to my body and only eating when I"m hungry and it works out. Still a long way to go but it's working... I need to listen to my body more and my food diary way, way less. Eating just to meet my targets/use up cals is counter-productive and leaves me in a place where I can't even remember what feeling hungry is like. That's no good at all.

    Weekend with the "in-laws" wasn't too bad... I definitely struggle with "family" stuff. I am not a family person at all, and apart from my parents and one cousin I really just don't have any fulfilling relationships with my relatives. Even my brother and I are mostly estranged. It's very hard for me to understand why family is so important to Tyler simply because I've never felt that way about my own "flesh and blood". When I see people trying to force relationships with relatives, despite differences in fundamental values and belief systems, causing huge rifts at social functions or just generally seeming dysfunctional and unsatisfying, it really makes me wonder. Don't we all, as adults, have the right to choose to surround ourselves with those people that are positive forces in our lives and that keep us happy? Why force friendships with relatives instead of making family of friends that you love, understand, and find comfort and support with? Just curious if anyone's got any insight on this.... It's not really important, just wondering what other peoples' experiences have been with both their own families and their in-laws.

    Homemade turkey chili! :drinker: OK so my mom actually ended up making it before I woke up :grumble: So I didn't get to pick and choose the ingredients but here's what was thrown in to a HUGE pot. I figure it made at least 10 big bowls of chili (much of which was frozen or kept as leftovers) but I didn't measure it out, so I can't be certain. I'd say about 10- 2cup servings, give or take.

    1lb ground lean turkey
    3/4 cup bulgur wheat, dry
    1- 10.5oz can beef broth (use low sodium if you can find it)
    2 med onions, chopped
    2 large carrots, chopped
    1 bell pepper, chopped
    3 jalapenos, minced
    4- 19oz cans of no-salt added beans - we used white kidney, red kidney, black beans and a meddley but you can add whatever you like - chick peas are great in chili! (We forgot to pre-soak and boil dry beans the night before - huge frustration but what can you do! sub 2-3 cups of dry beans instead if you like)
    1- 48oz can no-salt added tomato juice
    1- 28oz tin no-salt added diced tomatoes
    2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced
    11/2 cups frozen or fresh corn
    1 pkg low sodium chili seasoning (or make your own, for a much cleaner recipe)
    additional ancho chili powder, cumin and whatever else you like, to taste
    cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, etc

    Brown the meat in a very large stock pot. Heat beef broth for 3 mins in the microwave and add bulgur. Cover and let sit until the bulgur soaks up all the liquid. Drain meat well and add veggies. Cook until soft, about 5-7 mins, and then just toss everything else in. Once combined, place into a preheated oven and cook all day uncovered. Season to taste as you go. We cooked ours at 200C in the oven for about 5 hours and then on the stove for another hour or so, tasting and stirring and adding in some cilantro at the end. The oven is a great method for cooking chili because you really don't have to stir it much at all. Once or twice an hour and you are good to go.

    Try to use as little salt/packaged seasoning as you can. My mother isn't quite as concerned with this as I am, so ours was still pretty heavy on the sodium and canned goods. Not the greatest, but beggers can't be choosers, I guess. It still turned out amazing!

    OK well I better get my *kitten* in gear. Drs appt today - finally have a GP! - and then some groceries, job apps, and the gym. This ended up taking way more time than I expected :laugh: As usual! I get so carried away!

    Kan- Welcome back :drinker: And congrats on your personal victories. Glad to have you back in the game!
    Gonks - I love the last mile analogy and know exactly what you mean... Cresting that insurmountable hill and seeing the goal line ahead gives you that awesome sense of relief. You've still got more to do but you know you have the fuel in the tank to finish what you've started and you know without any doubt that you'll get there, in time. It's great because you can actually really just enjoy that last mile in and of itself.
    Melissa - It's going! Thanks for asking :smile: It's definitely a different pace but it feels good to not worry. At first it was very stressful but I'm starting to really enjoy the break. I think I'll keep with it for a while and hopefully won't see too many gains. I know that it'll be easier once I get back to running and working out more - just need to find the time, energy and wait until my foot heals. Really looking forward to it!

    Have a great Monday everyone! :heart:
  • eleanoreb
    eleanoreb Posts: 621 Member
    Options
    Hey everyone,
    I guess it's a little bit late to be posting my goals for the month of April. I'm not sure why but I have been very lazy about posting on here. I have been enjoying reading all your entries, and love seeing the success on here! Definitely helps keep me going when i hit a rough patch.

    I ran a 5k race yesterday morning and got a best time 26.07 so was really happy with that. i was aiming for 27.30. It definitely felt hard. I thought i would get a second wind on the 2nd half, but instead felt kind of discouraged about how much left i had and how tired I felt. It was definitely a mental challenge to force myself to push through and not just give up and crawl to the finish.

    I haven't been overly concerned about my weight. It has been fluctuating a lot between around 132-134. I'm starting to think i may never hit my goal weight of 130. Perhaps my 5 pound weight range should be 130-135.. I would be okay with that. I'm trying to focus more on how I feel overall and how well i can perform in running, sports, the gym. .

    Welcome to all the new people whop joined this month. Hopefully I will be more active in the forum.
  • LoveleeB
    LoveleeB Posts: 560 Member
    Options
    Just an update... Lost 2.5 lbs so I am half way to my 5 lbs for April goal! YAY
  • mkingraham
    mkingraham Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    Meag- Your topic of family hits really close to home for me. Obviously as a child you don't get to pick your family and you are stuck with whomever you got! Now, as you become an adult, you do get to pick and choose and this I am totally grateful for.

    My sister and I never got a long as children, we just way to different in personalities. But now, as adults, we can have civil converstaions and enjoy each others company because I know just not to discuss certain things and that at the end of the day I can walk away from any issue. It has been a long time getting our relationship to a good place, but it definitely is there and I think as adults we appreciate each other for our differences.

    Now when it comes to grandparents- mine totally suck! They have made big promises on many occasions and have subsequently made some big let downs. Long story short- my mom's parents have a hard time getting along with my dad and his parents and instead of being adults and putting their differences aside to support their granddaughter they expect me to "understand". I don't have conversations with them unless they call me, and I don't share a ton of details about my life with them. It's been a distinct choice on my part to limit contact because all that every happens is my feelings get hurt. Actually, since making those changes officially and really moving on in my life in some many different aspects has really helped my stress level.

    I totally agree that adult family is more of friends that I would do anything for! So I completely agree with you Meag!!

Categories