Motivated Mama's ( Closed Group)

amyelizbradley

So I want to get everyone involved in preparing the challenges so for next week I need:

Momof2_0710 & amyelizbradley to come up with a cardio Challenge

LoveNevrNds & Linake11 to come up with the Strength challenge

sisa2324 & SunshineKB to come up with the Food Challenge

circusmom & mom2caelebncasyn to come up with the emotional challenge

Send it to me on my profile in a msg and I will put it together and post it, every week I will assign teams to come up with some part of the challenge, I think this will help keep it interesting.

Thank you in Advance ladies!

GREAT idea; I definitively agree! Okay here's my contribution for next week:

Cardio challenge ideas = for a minimum of 3 days, do a different cardio exercise AND maintain a range of 60% - 70% of your maximum heart rate (optimal for fat loss) for 20 minutes minimum, not including a warm-up & cool down, (this can be a collective total, i.e. you can do intervals). Check out the link for a Reference Guide to Aerobic Exercise and a "Target Heart Rate" calculator.

Hope that this is what you are looking for!
Thanks Karie!

amyelizbradley

Here's the banner for the group!



I have actually never measured myself before, so I don't even know how to go about it...lol. I regret not measuring myself 40lbs ago but it is what it is!

My name is Kristin. I'm 29(for 2 more days anyway) married for almost 10 years with 3 hilarious children

I'm loving it!! I will post the link for everyone so they can just copy and paste this; (Oh and make the I's in img lowercase so it will show up in your siggy! )



I have missed the weekly challenge and needed the break at the same time! LOL! I was down to 161, but did not do well over the weekend with the hubby home and then getting sick that I am back up to 162. Only 1 lb gained and that will be gone in a week! I hope! LOL! Looking forward to this! yay!

Me too!

amyelizbradley

INTRODUCTION:
My name is Amy and I am a 39 year old stay at home mom of two "special needs" (as defined by the state of California). My son is 9years old and my daughter is 6 1/2 years old. I have had an incredibly stressful few years and being an emotional eater... well, let's say I wasn't in the best of health. I found MFP by accident, cal it divine intervention or just the "right" time but I began my journey to wellness. I am currently working to get my personal training license and of course keep up with my kids. We live in a rural area of Napa County, in Northern California. I love animals and being outdoors. I have signed up for a crazy race called the "Warrior Dash" as well as my first 1/2 marathon, the inaugural Tinkerbelle 1/2 Marathon.

I want to be an inspiration to others as well as to my family/ friends; most of all, I want to be an inspiration to myself. I love this challenge and the amzing people that I have met through it!
:flowerforyou:

amyelizbradley

Reporting in...

WE. 9/21 (posted on SAHMU regroup thread & on spreadsheet)
CARDIO:
Input calories burned? did on Th.
Points: 0/7
STRENGTH/ FOOD:
Nutrition: Under carbs? yes (barely)
Exercise: Hip flexor? yes
Points: 2/14

TH. 9/22 (posted on SAHMU regroup thread & on spreadsheet)
CARDIO:
Input calories burned? yes
Points: 1/7
Nutrition: Under calories? yes
Exercise: Pushups? yes
Points: 4/14

** I'll input my measurements this weekend (I have them on file at the gym)

** EMOTIONAL: will post tomorrow

circusmom

@ Lynda, When I read your post and read #3 I thought, yeah maybe that's why I've been so tired the last few days(I even took a nap with my son the last two days), but for me nope thats not what it was.
Two weeks ago all three kids and the hubby were sick, sore throat, nasty stuffed up nose, body aches. It never fails I get sick a week after they all get better.
Got up this morning at 5am, started to do leg extentions at 70lbs, and couldn't lift it. Best I could do was 50lbs, I was like forget it!! I'm going back to bed. If my body can't lift the amount I built up to them I need rest. I'll try again when the kids lay down for nap. Maybe I'll feel better after I'm up and moving for awhile, and have taken some meds.

Oh and I have to feel better by tonite or tomorrow nite, we have passes to go to Howl-O-scream at Busch Gardens, and I'm not missing that!!! The hubby can push me around the park in a wheel chair before I miss that!!

♥Amy♥

Hi everyone. I'm just reporting in

I've been really hungry lately and tired, too. Every afternoon I seem to just randomly fall asleep for anywhere from 10-45 minutes. I guess I need to start getting to bed earlier or something.

I am excited to share about my morning. My DH had to get to work earlier this morning, so I told him last night to annoy me to make me get up because I'd want to just sleep in, but I really wanted to exercise. So he woke me up at 6am. I ended up going for a walk with some running/jogging in there. I went for 45 minutes and went 3.5 miles (avg speed of 4.7 mph). This is a HUGE accomplishment for me because I am not a runner or early morning exerciser. I was proud of myself that I did it and especially that I did some running/jogging in there!

I have been good about logging onto the chart, logging my food, and doing the exercises daily. I haven't been posting on here each day, though, because our computer is being extremely tempramental and I've had to do a lot of my stuff from my phone.

Hope everyone has a great Friday & wonderful weekend

losinit_4_good

Girls I love ya!

Thank you so much for allowing me to express all my concerns and doubts last night. I felt like such a weight was lifted from my shoulders. And I am so glad that I asked you to keep me accountable this morning because sire enough when that alarm buzzed I did not want to get up. but I did. And I worked out hard! And I feel fantastic! And now thatI remember how much better I feel post am-exercise I know I can keep it up.

Sidenote: I'm doing JM No More Trouble Zones. Has anyone done it? It is super intense! I require a short workout in order to get to work on time so I my plan is to split the circuits into 2 workouts. I've also decided that every week I'm going to allow myself one day of rest from heavy exercise. That way I complete the full video 3 times a week, in addition to my walking and other exercises. I'm super motivated today! Thanks again so much gals!!!

bella_babe_86

I have a question for all of you that is constantly on my mind and everyone has different answers for! Do you ladies try to eat the calories that you burn from your workout? For example my goal is set at 1350, and I usually burn about 400-600 calories a day which gives me anywhere from 1700 to 1900 calories for my day, but I really have trouble even getting to 1200 on most days. I've been told to try eating a protein bar after my workout but my mindset is isnt the point of working out to burn off some of the things I eat so if I eat back all the calories I burn...whats the point! Im so confused! Plus im not really a snacker, even at my biggest and least healthy if Im not hungry im not going to eat, so its even harder for me to get to the calorie goal. Any ideas ladies? I really think that this issue is the biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight.

circusmom

I have a question for all of you that is constantly on my mind and everyone has different answers for! Do you ladies try to eat the calories that you burn from your workout? For example my goal is set at 1350, and I usually burn about 400-600 calories a day which gives me anywhere from 1700 to 1900 calories for my day, but I really have trouble even getting to 1200 on most days. I've been told to try eating a protein bar after my workout but my mindset is isnt the point of working out to burn off some of the things I eat so if I eat back all the calories I burn...whats the point! Im so confused! Plus im not really a snacker, even at my biggest and least healthy if Im not hungry im not going to eat, so its even harder for me to get to the calorie goal. Any ideas ladies? I really think that this issue is the biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight.

Some say eat them back, some say don't eat them back, just don't drop below 1200 calories. Don't forget that MFP already has a calorie deficit factored into your calorie goals, so if MFP set your calories at 1350, then you are already at a 500 cal deficit. If your weight loss stalls out I would say try eating some of the calories back (maybe half). I wouldn't eat them all back, due to the fact that you could have under estimated the calories you entered in your diary, or over estimated the calories you burned.
I just raised my calorie goals, and I've dropped a few pounds, then gained them back, then dropped them again. But in my case I have greatly increased the amount of weight I use when strength training, so my weight will fluctuate till my body gets use to this new routine.
Also something as simple as adding a protein bar or drink will up your calories by about 100, which could be just enough to spark some weight loss. I've just started using Pure Protein plus, 130 cals per scoop 23 gram of protein and only 5g of carb. Plus it has omega-3's fiber and calcium. The taste is pretty good too, I got french vanilla, if you mix it in a cup don't use a spoon, use a fork, you'll get less lumps.
It's hard for me to get enough calories some days too. Since I eat low carb, most low carb food is also low cal. I eat tons of veggies, which fill me up (just ate a whole plate full actually), but not much to them in the way of calories.
I'd say try the protein bar or drink for a week or so, see how it works for you. Don't forget this is a journey, lots to learn along the way, and what works for one person may not work for the next.
Hope this helped a little.

Edited to add: Last week I was watching a video, Jamie Eason on bodybuilding.com, she said something that might help, it was in reference to eating 6 small meals a day and almost 1900 calories a day, " Although it seems like your eating a lot of food, once your body sees that it is getting healthy food on a regular basis it will feel safe to let those extra pounds go."
When we diet and reduce our cals too low, our body thinks there is a famine, so it will hold on to the fat that it has. When we eat enough to give ours bodies the fuel that it needs to do the workouts that we are pushing it to do, it thinks it is a time of feast, no need to hold on to that extra fat since there is plenty of food to go around.
Hope i made that easy to read???

bella_babe_86

I have a question for all of you that is constantly on my mind and everyone has different answers for! Do you ladies try to eat the calories that you burn from your workout? For example my goal is set at 1350, and I usually burn about 400-600 calories a day which gives me anywhere from 1700 to 1900 calories for my day, but I really have trouble even getting to 1200 on most days. I've been told to try eating a protein bar after my workout but my mindset is isnt the point of working out to burn off some of the things I eat so if I eat back all the calories I burn...whats the point! Im so confused! Plus im not really a snacker, even at my biggest and least healthy if Im not hungry im not going to eat, so its even harder for me to get to the calorie goal. Any ideas ladies? I really think that this issue is the biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight.

Some say eat them back, some say don't eat them back, just don't drop below 1200 calories. Don't forget that MFP already has a calorie deficit factored into your calorie goals, so if MFP set your calories at 1350, then you are already at a 500 cal deficit. If your weight loss stalls out I would say try eating some of the calories back (maybe half). I wouldn't eat them all back, due to the fact that you could have under estimated the calories you entered in your diary, or over estimated the calories you burned.
I just raised my calorie goals, and I've dropped a few pounds, then gained them back, then dropped them again. But in my case I have greatly increased the amount of weight I use when strength training, so my weight will fluctuate till my body gets use to this new routine.
Also something as simple as adding a protein bar or drink will up your calories by about 100, which could be just enough to spark some weight loss. I've just started using Pure Protein plus, 130 cals per scoop 23 gram of protein and only 5g of carb. Plus it has omega-3's fiber and calcium. The taste is pretty good too, I got french vanilla, if you mix it in a cup don't use a spoon, use a fork, you'll get less lumps.
It's hard for me to get enough calories some days too. Since I eat low carb, most low carb food is also low cal. I eat tons of veggies, which fill me up (just ate a whole plate full actually), but not much to them in the way of calories.
I'd say try the protein bar or drink for a week or so, see how it works for you. Don't forget this is a journey, lots to learn along the way, and what works for one person may not work for the next.
Hope this helped a little.

Edited to add: Last week I was watching a video, Jamie Eason on bodybuilding.com, she said something that might help, it was in reference to eating 6 small meals a day and almost 1900 calories a day, " Although it seems like your eating a lot of food, once your body sees that it is getting healthy food on a regular basis it will feel safe to let those extra pounds go."
When we diet and reduce our cals too low, our body thinks there is a famine, so it will hold on to the fat that it has. When we eat enough to give ours bodies the fuel that it needs to do the workouts that we are pushing it to do, it thinks it is a time of feast, no need to hold on to that extra fat since there is plenty of food to go around.
Hope i made that easy to read???

That is all extremely helpful actually! Im still in the process of getting used to all of this but that really does make alot of sense. Especially about the 6 small meals a day, Im going to try to get some things to throw in when I go grocery shopping next. Its really difficult to shop and eat healthy when you are on a tight budget! Thankyou for the info!

circusmom

I know what you mean about being on a tight budget, we are a family of 5, and I'm the only one that eats "clean" or at least cleaner. So not only am I adding fresh veggie to shopping list I'm still buying Little Debbie's and chips. The only thing that we don't buy at all any more is soda.
I got my protein powder at Sam's club, it was $18 or $19 for 2.25lbs, it had the most bang for the buck. It also had the best protein vs carb ratio, some had a really high carb and sugar content. The Jillian Michaels was really high on carbs and very $$$!

sisa2324

I have a question for all of you that is constantly on my mind and everyone has different answers for! Do you ladies try to eat the calories that you burn from your workout? For example my goal is set at 1350, and I usually burn about 400-600 calories a day which gives me anywhere from 1700 to 1900 calories for my day, but I really have trouble even getting to 1200 on most days. I've been told to try eating a protein bar after my workout but my mindset is isnt the point of working out to burn off some of the things I eat so if I eat back all the calories I burn...whats the point! Im so confused! Plus im not really a snacker, even at my biggest and least healthy if Im not hungry im not going to eat, so its even harder for me to get to the calorie goal. Any ideas ladies? I really think that this issue is the biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight.

I started with eating them back, and didn't have much success. I ate them back for about two months, and lost less than a pound a week. When I was eating them back, it felt like I was getting quite a bit of food, and I wasn't eating all of them back. I was eating a lot of veggies and very rarely feeling hungry. For the past 2 weeks I haven't been eating them back, or very rarely at least. My diary is set at 1300 cals per day and I am steadily loosing, even though I have been slacking on my exercise. Everyone's body is different. I find it REALLY hard to believe that I should be eating back my exercise calories. Compare the two situations....a) eating most of my calories back and burning 400-600 cals per day and barely loosing a pound a week to
b) keeping to 1300 cals per day, and burning 0-400 calories per day and loosing almost two pounds a week. Situation 'b' is definitely working better for me. That being said, maybe this is something that I won't be able to keep up longterm, but for now it's working. I'm only 5'3", so maybe my body doesn't need all of those calories??? Also, I find that if I allow myself my exercise calories I end up having to look for things to eat and usually end up snacking on something that is less healthy, but not completely horrible. It seems silly to me that I should be telling myself to snack, when I am not hungry and I am trying to lose weight. But again, this is what works for me.

bella_babe_86

I have a question for all of you that is constantly on my mind and everyone has different answers for! Do you ladies try to eat the calories that you burn from your workout? For example my goal is set at 1350, and I usually burn about 400-600 calories a day which gives me anywhere from 1700 to 1900 calories for my day, but I really have trouble even getting to 1200 on most days. I've been told to try eating a protein bar after my workout but my mindset is isnt the point of working out to burn off some of the things I eat so if I eat back all the calories I burn...whats the point! Im so confused! Plus im not really a snacker, even at my biggest and least healthy if Im not hungry im not going to eat, so its even harder for me to get to the calorie goal. Any ideas ladies? I really think that this issue is the biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight.

I started with eating them back, and didn't have much success. I ate them back for about two months, and lost less than a pound a week. When I was eating them back, it felt like I was getting quite a bit of food, and I wasn't eating all of them back. I was eating a lot of veggies and very rarely feeling hungry. For the past 2 weeks I haven't been eating them back, or very rarely at least. My diary is set at 1300 cals per day and I am steadily loosing, even though I have been slacking on my exercise. Everyone's body is different. I find it REALLY hard to believe that I should be eating back my exercise calories. Compare the two situations....a) eating most of my calories back and burning 400-600 cals per day and barely loosing a pound a week to
b) keeping to 1300 cals per day, and burning 0-400 calories per day and loosing almost two pounds a week. Situation 'b' is definitely working better for me. That being said, maybe this is something that I won't be able to keep up longterm, but for now it's working. I'm only 5'3", so maybe my body doesn't need all of those calories??? Also, I find that if I allow myself my exercise calories I end up having to look for things to eat and usually end up snacking on something that is less healthy, but not completely horrible. It seems silly to me that I should be telling myself to snack, when I am not hungry and I am trying to lose weight. But again, this is what works for me.

That is my major issue, I dont feel hungry between meals, sometimes I dont even feel hungry at meal times. I've never seen the point in eating if Im not hungry and dont want to stuff myself just to meet a calorie goal. As long as I dont go overboard and dont feel starved I dont see a problem.

RedheadHen

I'm not eating mine back. But I'm always under for the day because I don't eat them. I'm loosing about a pound a week. I did many different calculators for finding my target caloric intake per day. I found that MFP's numbers were too low. I changed mine. I'm kinda active ... like I don't have a desk job! I have kids and I'm moving around all day long. Up and down stairs, laundry, dishes, errands etc... all of which I consider normal activity. LOL! I'm a shorty too at 5'3" and I try to hit between 1300 and 1400 a day. Now on days I don't work out .. I try to stay on the lower side of those two numbers. Once you add exercise MFP automatically ups you caloric intake for the day. I still try not to go above that number! But that said ... I know I can have a bad day and go over and not gain that week. It's all about tweeking it so it works for you. Just remember ... you gotta hit 1200 daily!

RedheadHen

Friday
Cardio ~ Done
Nutrition - Under Fat ~ Done
Exercise - 50 bicycle crunches (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=12) ~ Ugh .. Done

Logged on the spread sheet too!

LoveNevrNds

Boy oh boy what a day!! I did a lot of cleaning today, and my little man decided not to nap today so exercising was not the easiest thing to do! I was under my fat today, and did the 50 bicycle crunches - ouch! I always forget how hard those are until I start them!!! I am trying to work up the energy to do yoga tonight, hopefully I find it somewhere!! LOL

I have been struggling with getting in enough water, and in turn with water retention. Does anyone have any tips?!?!

lprunty

I eat some of my burned calories back...otherwise i'm only getting like 900 cals a day and MFP yells at me. :-) I've don't the 6 small meals a day, and it was hard for me to do it because of my schedule and stuff. I just don't think it's kosher to eat in front of my kids at school when they can't. I usually get 3 meals and a snack.

I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend! I am about to finally eat dinner, and later get in my crunches and yoga!

♥Amy♥

Friday
Cardio ~ Done
Nutrition - Under Fat ~ Done
Exercise - 50 bicycle crunches (http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=12) ~ Didn't do. Sorry ladies!

Logged on the spread sheet too!

momof2_0710

Friday
Cardio ~ Done
Nutrition - Under Fat ~ Dang it! I was over! :grumble:
Exercise - 50 bicycle crunches Done


Had a good nsv today! My mom bought me some pants last xmas and they didn't fit too well when I got them and then I gained even more weight and they really didn't fit so I just put them up. Well today I tried them on and they fit great! I didn't have no muffin top or anything. Everything was in place as it should be lol. I was soooo happy. I told my hubby and he was happy for me but he really didnt get why i was soo excited. But anyway, I'm glad I'm seeing and feeling the results of all my hard work. Hope you ladies had a good day!

LoveNevrNds

Friday
Cardio ~ Done
Nutrition - Under Fat ~ Dang it! I was over! :grumble:
Exercise - 50 bicycle crunches Done


Had a good nsv today! My mom bought me some pants last xmas and they didn't fit too well when I got them and then I gained even more weight and they really didn't fit so I just put them up. Well today I tried them on and they fit great! I didn't have no muffin top or anything. Everything was in place as it should be lol. I was soooo happy. I told my hubby and he was happy for me but he really didnt get why i was soo excited. But anyway, I'm glad I'm seeing and feeling the results of all my hard work. Hope you ladies had a good day!

Congrats on your wonderful NSV!! That is awesome!!!!!