Ravenclaw Common Room

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  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    Hmmm - Penny, I hope it is really Thursday - otherwise I'm in for a big letdown tomorrow! :laugh: Glad your hubby is doing well. Men can be such babies though.

    Welcome weezieishness! Ravenclaw is the absolute best house! You'll love it here.

    Gotta run - have homework to do! Have a good night everyone!
  • kellyisloved
    kellyisloved Posts: 434 Member
    Hi guys, I'm Louise and I've just joined this group, not in a house yet. I would love to be in Ravenclaw if I can, I'm a beta tester on the new Pottermore site and I was sorted into Ravenclaw there. Just started here on MFP, I don't actually own a pair of scales yet so I have no way of weighing myself at the moment, but I think I'm about 90kg or about 200 pounds. Hopefully will find out exactly soon.

    I love Harry Potter so I'm pretty happy there's a Harry Potter community here on this site.

    By the way, since you mentioned you don't have a scale yet, don't get nervous about not being able to be part of the group without that piece. A big part of the inter-house challenges involves the weigh-ins, but you can also just participate in just the House Points (exercise minutes) until you have an official weight or you can just hang out in the CR and chat and participate in challenges until then as well.

    You can also check out this page for more general info, but you've already completed most of the steps, so it might not be as helpful for you ;) www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/kellyisfat/view/hogwarts-january-inter-house-challenge-ravenclaw-house-193681

    Definitely glad to have you with us!
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    Hmmm - Penny, I hope it is really Thursday - otherwise I'm in for a big letdown tomorrow! :laugh: Glad your hubby is doing well. Men can be such babies though.

    sorry about that!! it's been a strange week...it is really friday now :bigsmile: . quick checkin before work.
    definitely agree about the men being babies!! he can't believe he was discharge "so soon" (3 day inpatient stay for what is actually outpatient surgery).

    did 30DS last night...i really hate jillian :tongue: !!! looks like i might be doing some shoveling for house points this weekend.
    that's ok...a snowy weekend is still a weekend!! hope it's great for everyone.
  • lottee1000
    lottee1000 Posts: 447 Member
    Hi Ravenclaws...

    For those of you weighing today, here are your challenges for next week, to start on the day you weigh in...

    Exercise: The core is important. The stronger your core, the better you will perform all exercises, and the less likely you are to injure yourself. Aim to do ten minutes of core exercises every day. These can be built into your usual workout, or as an extra. You can get some ideas here:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047
    One OWL for every day you do ten minutes of core exercises.


    Food: This is one I need help with, so I'm inflicting it on the rest of you!! The challenge is to stay within your fat macro for the week. If you always do this, pick a different macro which is normally problematic and aim to keep that under instead.
    One OWL for every day that you meet your chosen macro.

    Happy Friday, Ravenclaws!!
  • I did take that bag of pretzels I'd gotten for the kids' snacks and portion it out - put the zip lock baggies back into the pretzel package tho, so they wouldnt' slip all over the counter! lol.

    I have been fairly good with the eating (not ideal - need more veggies for instance, but around the lower calorie mark), SO hard to figure out how many calories I'm actually eating when we go out, though. We had pizza one night at a local pizza place, not a chain - do I use the 591 calori slice of Sbarro or the 245 calorie slice or some other pizza chain when I'm figuring out fat and calories?? I had two slices so I compromised and put on one of each, but - how do you tell? I have no idea how Frank's pizza compares to national brands...

    So good on calories yesterday till dinner - husband cooked and served, and he uses lots of cooking oil (hard to even judge how much) and doles out a lot of pasta, etc. Can't say anything though, he'll take anything as a criticizm and refuse to cook for a month, and there are nights I'm just not home...so I just tried to put in the calories as accurately as I could. Good thing I was light till dinner at least.
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    I did take that bag of pretzels I'd gotten for the kids' snacks and portion it out - put the zip lock baggies back into the pretzel package tho, so they wouldnt' slip all over the counter! lol.

    I have been fairly good with the eating (not ideal - need more veggies for instance, but around the lower calorie mark), SO hard to figure out how many calories I'm actually eating when we go out, though. We had pizza one night at a local pizza place, not a chain - do I use the 591 calori slice of Sbarro or the 245 calorie slice or some other pizza chain when I'm figuring out fat and calories?? I had two slices so I compromised and put on one of each, but - how do you tell? I have no idea how Frank's pizza compares to national brands...

    So good on calories yesterday till dinner - husband cooked and served, and he uses lots of cooking oil (hard to even judge how much) and doles out a lot of pasta, etc. Can't say anything though, he'll take anything as a criticizm and refuse to cook for a month, and there are nights I'm just not home...so I just tried to put in the calories as accurately as I could. Good thing I was light till dinner at least.

    @ WhatsEatingYou - You've made good efforts this week! If you don't finish everything on your plate, will your husband get upset? I have the same problem with mine, but he has finally figured out to let me serve myself. I've been at this for almost a year - so give it some time but be persistent. As for pizza, I try to judge which chain my pizza looks most like. I've eaten at just about every chain in the past, so I pick the best "match" and go with that.

    I have be SO hungry this week! I don't know what in the world my metabolism is up to but I have managed to avoid the candy bowls for the most part this week. Having my pre-packaged snacks has really helped and I hope I will see some progress on the scale on Sunday.

    Have a great Friday everyone!
  • alohashley
    alohashley Posts: 78 Member
    Bad day yesterday! I am the worst dieter ever! Didn't record my food and ate terrible but today I will not stray!
  • mish3131
    mish3131 Posts: 276 Member
    Hi everyone. It's been a good/bad week lol! Tonight my MIL is making lasagna so I have budgeted for it. Today has been a good day for me. I am hoping I will keep it up for the next few days. I did check the scale this morning and was unpleasantly surprised. But, I am not discouraged.
  • I finally looked up the coffee/glucose thing. Apparently, IF you have diabetes, it may raise your glucose levels.

    http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20080128/caffeine-risks-may-rattle-diabetics
  • lottee1000
    lottee1000 Posts: 447 Member
    Happy Saturday Ravenclaws!

    I love being productive on Saturday mornings (when I haven't had a drink the night before...) This morning have been swimming, been to the bank, shopped, and cleaned the house. A bit worried about weigh-in on Monday though, we'll see...

    Have also done some research about strengthening the core for this week's challenge. Swimming is great for the core, as is using the elliptical, WITHOUT arms. So if you use the elliptical in your workout, think about completing ten minutes on it with your hands clasped behind your back. THis means the pressure is on your core to balance while your legs are still moving top speed. try it!
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    good morning Ravenclaw. i am sipping my coffee contemplating shoveling the snow from my driveway. should be a good workout...looks to be about 3-4 inches. hope everyone is safe and warm after the recent weather. having a so-so eating and workout week. i need spring and my bike!!!
    Have also done some research about strengthening the core for this week's challenge. Swimming is great for the core, as is using the elliptical, WITHOUT arms. So if you use the elliptical in your workout, think about completing ten minutes on it with your hands clasped behind your back. THis means the pressure is on your core to balance while your legs are still moving top speed. try it!

    lottee-thanks for this info!! i do like the elliptical so i will give this a go this week.
    have a great weekend everyone, i'm off to shovel!! :ohwell:
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    Happy Saturday Ravenclaw! Today will be a cleaning day for me - bleh! I am a lazy housekeeper and dread cleaning days - mostly because cleaning kicks up so much dust and sets off my allergies. I am almost guaranteed a nasty headache in the morning :( On the bright side though - I'll have a nice calorie burn today!

    Good challenges this week! I will have to do a little research for core exercises - I don't have access to an indoor pool (too cold for my outdoor pool!) or elliptical, so it will have to be something different for me.

    For all of you in snow country - stay warm and safe! Have a great weekend everyone!
  • kellyisloved
    kellyisloved Posts: 434 Member
    azsuzi - Sounds like we're two peas in a pod, Sue, lol. I end up saving all of my housecleaning for Saturdays, for the most part, and then regret it because I spend my whole day on it. :P That's pretty much the plan for today as well.

    Lottee, great challenges! I definitely have no idea what I'll do for my core exercises, but I think I'll choose sugar for my macro to track. I know I'll probably never stay under (argh, coffee creamers are still getting the better of me), but I will work on it!

    WhatsEatingYou - thanks for the additional links on the coffee topic. It's concerning sometimes how often information will be different- either conflicting or with conditions. Almost seems too much to really track and focus on at once, so personally, I pay attention to the things that matter most to me and try not to overload on the rest, lol.

    psb13 - It's only raining here, although I'm sure I heard reports that it was supposed to snow or freeze. We always get the reports and warnings, but rarely do we actually see anything except a couple times a year. Be safe if you do go out to shovel (but hey, burned calories never hurt!)

    mish3131 - Ack, sorry to hear you didn't see what you wanted to see, but like you said, you can't worry about it. There will be days that you're up and you don't expect to be, but I've seen more days that I was down more than I expected to be, so I think it evens out nicely ;)

    alohashley - Lol, I'm sure you're not the worst ever. You're here, after all, and you're still trying. And you'll do better today! We have faith in you! :)

    Everyone else -- don't forget it's the weekend, so it's time to weigh-in! Hope everyone did well this week!
  • bethanyweathers
    bethanyweathers Posts: 296 Member
    Hi people. Long time to post. I haven't been having the greatest few weeks, so I was embarrassed to post my gains and lack of exercise/good eating.

    But I'm shyly coming back hoping I can figure out how to get back on the wagon again.

    I did work out today; I did the elliptical for 34 minutes, and I used my heart rate monitor that I got for Christmas for the first time. It was pretty nifty.
  • kellyisloved
    kellyisloved Posts: 434 Member
    Hi people. Long time to post. I haven't been having the greatest few weeks, so I was embarrassed to post my gains and lack of exercise/good eating.

    But I'm shyly coming back hoping I can figure out how to get back on the wagon again.

    I did work out today; I did the elliptical for 34 minutes, and I used my heart rate monitor that I got for Christmas for the first time. It was pretty nifty.

    Welcome back!

    Awww, trust me, I think we've all been there. Never worry about that. No need to avoid us, lol, and we're glad you're coming back! And yay for getting the HRM. Maybe that'll help be a little extra push if you need it.
  • lottee1000
    lottee1000 Posts: 447 Member
    Hi guys, and welcome back Bethany!

    Weigh-in for me is tomorrow morning, fingers crossed! Don't forget to weigh-in everyone!!

    Bethany- how is your heart rate monitor working out for you? Do you find it useful? Am thinking of getting one. Anyone else who's been using one for a while, what do you think? Are they worth it?
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    I'm thinking about a HRM as well. I'd like one that's water proof so I can wear it swimming. Anyone know anything about the FitBit that MFP is advertising?

    Weighing in today at 154 - feeling like a yo-yo - I've gone from 155 to 154 to 155 to 154 all month!!
    9 OWLs this week and 260 house points (thanks to my much needed housecleaning spree yesterday!)

    Welcome back Bethany! We missed you!!

    BTW - anyone else notice that Ravenclaws are the only ones posting in the Great Hall? Ravenclaw is the BEST house!! :heart: :flowerforyou: :heart:
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    Just found this great post from MFPer thecrossfitter. Just another reminder of why we shouldn't focus too much on the number on the scale...
    Dear Friends,

    Please, please, please, please, please do two things. 1- Weigh in in the morning after you go to the bathroom for consistency purposes. 2- Only weigh in after a rest day.

    To illustrate my point, I decided to conduct my entirely fool proof, and scientific experiment (that's sarcasm, by the way). I currently weigh 142.7lbs, and have received this number in the morning following a rest day (I've consistently been in the 142s for 2 weeks following rest day, not one fluke low number).

    For kicks and giggles I decided to weigh in this morning, following 3 days of working out (cardio and lifting) in a row. Due to all the microtears I created in my muscles recently, my body is retaining water to repair them. That is why, when I stepped on the scale today (clad in a light t-shirt and leggings - it's cold!) the scale read 145lbs. No I did not gain 2.3lbs of fat in one week. My body is just repairing and getting stronger :)

    Thanks :)

    PS - Lastly, please keep in mind the following if you are NEW to strength training. You, whom I greatly envy, are blessed by being in a magical time frame where your body is able to both build muscle and lose fat. It doesn't last too long, and you won't be able to build A LOT of muscle, but certainly some. Especially if you aren't obese, please put the scale away. There is far too much going on in your body and the scale isn't going to be very useful to do anything other than frustrate you. Pull out a tape measurer and a camera! And whatever you do, do not stop exercising to see if that makes the scale drop! If your eating is in check, you will be fine! The scale may show slow movement compared to those who diet alone. But when you only diet, you are losing both fat and lean muscle mass (which lean muscle mass helps you burn more calories a day by just living). It's better to lose weight slower if it's just fat loss and you can preserve that muscle!

    Best!
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    good morning Ravenclaw and happy sunday!! chilly day here today but got out for a walk with Zoey (dog). we normally do a walk/run, but i have been having some knee pain the past few days so decided to only walk.

    any of you who have done 30DS or anyone else with a thought...i have had bad knees for years and started 30DS last week. doing about every other day. not sure if the pain is from jillian or treadmill walk/run i also did last week.
    question-should i continue 30DS which has lots of lunges (which i always do the easier modification) hoping to strengthen quads thus helping knee strength/stability, or should i forgo the lunges completely...thoughts?

    weekly stats:
    weight 177.4 down .4lbs-better than a gain i guess and it's my first loss in awhile.

    OWLS-15
    *checkin-7
    *snack bags-5
    *new workout-3

    HP-149

    hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    forgot to add-i am choosing carbs as my macro to watch for the food challenge this week. i have a terrible addiction to them i think!! i am usually over by a lot so thanks for the challenge...i needed it!!
  • lottee1000
    lottee1000 Posts: 447 Member
    Morning all, happy Monday, and Happy Chinese New Year! Weing-in at 191.5- down 0.5, not nearly as much as I'd like! Gah!
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    Morning all, happy Monday, and Happy Chinese New Year! Weing-in at 191.5- down 0.5, not nearly as much as I'd like! Gah!

    Seems so funny to me that you're saying good morning and I'm just sitting down to dinner!! What year are we going into?
  • bethanyweathers
    bethanyweathers Posts: 296 Member
    Bethany- how is your heart rate monitor working out for you? Do you find it useful? Am thinking of getting one. Anyone else who's been using one for a while, what do you think? Are they worth it?

    I use the Polar FT-40, and it worked really well. It was the first time I used it, and it was super easy. I liked actually know how many calories I burned compared to MFP's approximate guessing.

    Also, I made a new craft today. My profile picture is of two jars. One says, "Pounds to Go" and the other "Pounds Lost." for every pound I lose, I'll move a glass stone from "Pounds to Go" to "Pounds Lost." I'm hoping having that visual of my weightloss in front of me will help me stay on track and be inspired to move those stones!

    I'll weigh in tomorrow morning... eek!
  • kellyisloved
    kellyisloved Posts: 434 Member
    Also, I made a new craft today. My profile picture is of two jars. One says, "Pounds to Go" and the other "Pounds Lost." for every pound I lose, I'll move a glass stone from "Pounds to Go" to "Pounds Lost." I'm hoping having that visual of my weightloss in front of me will help me stay on track and be inspired to move those stones!

    I'll weigh in tomorrow morning... eek!

    I absolutely LOVE this idea. O.O I'm totally stealing it, too. Thanks for sharing! :D
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
    Also, I made a new craft today. My profile picture is of two jars. One says, "Pounds to Go" and the other "Pounds Lost." for every pound I lose, I'll move a glass stone from "Pounds to Go" to "Pounds Lost." I'm hoping having that visual of my weightloss in front of me will help me stay on track and be inspired to move those stones!

    I'll weigh in tomorrow morning... eek!

    I absolutely LOVE this idea. O.O I'm totally stealing it, too. Thanks for sharing! :D

    I love it too! It would be so easy to make, it's pretty to look at and carries a powerful visual message. Great way to put your Ravenclaw intellect to work for you! :D
  • Matchamatcha
    Matchamatcha Posts: 158 Member

    Also, I made a new craft today. My profile picture is of two jars. One says, "Pounds to Go" and the other "Pounds Lost." for every pound I lose, I'll move a glass stone from "Pounds to Go" to "Pounds Lost." I'm hoping having that visual of my weightloss in front of me will help me stay on track and be inspired to move those stones!

    I really like this idea! I might do something similar. I've been finding it so hard to stay motivated post-Christmas. I think it's also because it's just so damn hot here at the moment. I hate Australian summers. It's so hot that I don't have much of an appetite, so I don't eat regularly and when I do it's the most convenient (usually junkiest) think available.

    I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and start jogging or riding my bike again, at least something. I'm lucky to get a lot of walking hours in at work, but that's not really enough.
  • mish3131
    mish3131 Posts: 276 Member
    Bad, bad weekend. My bil and niece are here from new york visiting. My MIL made lasagna, then we had a normal dinner for the that night, but my lunch was not my norm and neither was breakfast. Then yesterday breakfast was a bust, we went to lunch at this place and the burger were huge (i didn't eat the entire thing) and instead of french fries i ordered mashed potatoes. Then we went to a gourmet donuts shop. Well that really killed the weekend for me. I had one last piece of sweets last night and swore to myself that I am getting back on board today. So far so good. Bad news is I gained 4lbs. Oh well...it's monday and I have until next weekend to get myself in line.

    Thanks for listening.

    mish
  • kellyisloved
    kellyisloved Posts: 434 Member
    mish3131, you'd be surprised how quick that might come back off once you get back on track :) I have my fingers crossed for you!


    As for the weigh-ins, we're currently missing the following information:
    _gwen
    alohashley
    cherubcrnp
    craft338
    emmie_rene
    Korkster
    Pandora55
    Samiwhereareyou
    Weezieishness
    WhatsEatingYou

    I'll try to send out reminders and check through the last couple days of chat in here as well, but I don't recall seeing any weights posted.

    Please remember that we are using our awesome new handy-dandy spreadsheet, though, so you can track your own weights and HP earnings:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnaZ2CBZ3MgTdGxWaWE5OVU0dkQzRE9hRko0S0huT3c#gid=0

    Of course, you can always post in the common room, too, so that we can celebrate with you or give you an encouraging pat. :)
  • bethanyweathers
    bethanyweathers Posts: 296 Member
    Weighed myself for the first time since New Year's. 227.6. Ew. No thank you. I mean, at least I'm still only in the 220's, but at one point I was at 221!

    Also, little baby, tiny NSV this morning. Nothing too major. But last night my roommate brought home some leftover Panera bagels from a meeting she was at, and so this morning I grabbed a chocolate chip bagel. I was about to dig in, but decided to log it first. Good thing I did, because I saw how many calories in it and instead of eating the whole thing, I ripped it in two, stuck the bigger half back in the bag and only ate half of it.
  • blackhawkgirl91
    blackhawkgirl91 Posts: 223 Member
    Checking in (info already on the google doc):
    Weighed in at 269.8--UNDER 270!!! Loss of 2.6 for the week :glasses:
    OWLS: this week was hard--only got 3.
    Points: 175

    I consider that a great NSV, bethany! :smile: