Hufflepuff Common Room
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I did survive my run today! Just about 11 miles in very cold weather. It was about 7 F with winds around 10MPH. So, cold. But it was good to run with my running partner again. It's so much more fun with company. I was tired when I got home, but had to head to work anyway.
I'm excited to give the challenges another go. But, let's perhaps improve upon them - by making things a little more clear. I looked around for a minute or two on the web to define what is a serving of fruit or vegetables. This is a bit dated but I think it's pretty simple and clear. Actually helpful to me. Check out this link for a definition of a serving of fruit or vegetables. If I go by this, I'm eating more than I was counting before! Although, I do protest the claim that avocados don't count as a vegetable! Humph!
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/5_Day/5_day_serving_sizes.pdf
Does someone else want to clarify the OWL challenge since there was some confusion on that?
Bum - what do you mean "where is everyone"? Looks like most folks are playing along! We need weights from Danielle and Jen - and points and weight from Queeda. Other than that, we are looking good! We averaged 275 minutes of exercise this week! Good for us!
So, I'm off to eat my beans, rice, Brussels sprouts, salsa (which is NOT a vegetable) and avocado - which IS a vegetable - or possibly a fruit?
Anybody else have a yummy Sunday dinner in the works?0 -
For clarification on the Owls challenge
1 Owl for each 10 sets of calisthenics, and 1 Owl for each 10 minutes of cardio.
For example, 20 pushups (2 Owls) , 20 sit ups (2 Owls), 10 jumping jacks (1 Owl), followed by 40 minutes of cardio (4 Owls)
would earn you 9 Owls.0 -
Bum - what do you mean "where is everyone"?
I meant on the forum. I kept checking back because I guess I had a slow weekend but not much was happening on here. Obviously I think Hufflepuff is the best house in Hogwarts; we've been killing it with the house points... *runs around the common room doing hi-fives*0 -
Hi all!
Glad the Owls & Newts stayed the same.
Amber - I ended up eating way to much at the party! I made the mistake of going hungry. Oh well guess I'll have to work that much harder to lose back what I gained! :sad:
Glad you were able to complete your run. 11 miles is quite an accomplishment!
Molly - Congrats on the loss. Hope you enjoy your girly weekend.
bum - I agree with you about Hufflepuffs! That's why I chose this house!
Have a great week everyone!0 -
Nikki- happy early birthday!
Amber- I haven’t had a chance to check them out but I did get the quinoa out of the cupboard and put it on the counter, one step at a time but I have to say I’m ashamed of what I ate this weekend.
I had my sister help me re-arrange the house/swap rooms and make an office in the extra room. It was a musical chairs of moving rooms and furniture this weekend. It was a super busy and physical weekend but I didn’t make very many good choices and I didn’t get a chance to walk my dogs. They were very upset.
Avocado is fruit, I can’t remember the reason why but the US gov’t classifies tomatoes as veggies even though they are a fruit, it’s political. You should try it Filipino/Asian style in a smoothie.
so the owl/newts challenges are the same? this might be a radical suggestion but why don't we keep the same owl/newt challenges for the month?0 -
What a nutty day for me!
I totally fell off the logging wagon and went wacky with my eating. Not that I ate anything "bad" though. After work (and running group) I went to the grocery store because I needed ONE thing but ended up going crazy and buying a bunch of food from the deli. I was at the local hippy healthy store, so the deli section is full of veggies and tofu... But I just started grabbing stuff. I got a beet salad (it was FANTASTIC), Spinach dip, veggie pot stickers, and a puff pastry filled with spinach and fetta. AND I got a big package of freshly made croutons. Like the kind they make from day old bread. I broke into the package in the car and ate a TON of them. Then, I got home, ate bits of my purchases, got distracted and talked to a friend on the phone for a while and got some computer correspondence taken care of. Then, I got really thirsty even though I'm already over my water goal for the day. Just downed about 20 oz of water... I gave up on logging past lunch because I don't even know what I ate, really...
Oh well.
Start again tomorrow.
Dani - unless you've been eating people or something nasty like that, no need to be ashamed of your weekend. Own it and move on. Make better choices today. Just don't give up.
And I think keeping at the same challenges for a month might be good. It'll give us a chance to get good at them before we move on! It takes 3 weeks to make a new habit, right?
Bum - Oh, I see! I thought you were looking at some other spread sheet or something. I try to check in - I read regularly, but don't often have access to a good keyboard so don't type as much as I read. I'm here... Lurking...
My exercise plans for the week:
Today: running group.
Tomorrow - 5 miles? Push ups, sit ups and glute work.
Wednesday, run with my friend in the morning, nap, speed work in the evening.
Thursday - OFF! Stretching!
Friday, 5 miles at marathon pace. Push ups, sit ups and glute work.
Saturday, 6 miles easy. Push ups, sit ups, and glute work.
Sunday, 10 miles - which will probably be close to 11 because that's the best route. If I stop at 10 miles, I'll still be .75 miles from home!
If I don't do that strength work - please mock me.0 -
Well, I set my alarm early so I could get up and get on the treadmill, but hit the snooze about 7 or 8 times before I was able to drag myself out of bed (I think I have worked 3rd shift too much of my life and will always struggle with this--or mayyybe I worked third because I am not an early morning person heehee), so no exercise this morning 8 ( I am going to be home really late tonight, but am going to really try to get on the treadmill when I get home. Have a great day!!0
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Hey Huffelpuffs,
This is a longer youtube video, but I think it's very much worth the 10 minutes to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aUaInS6HIGo
Take care of your heart on Valentines Day and every day!0 -
Evening, I am just here to show off really. I got myself some presents and they arrived early. I got a 160GB ipod (because my original one is dying of old age) and a shuffle for the gym (I called it Sweaty Betty), which I am sure will end up in the wash. My poor, equally geriatric laptop is really struggling to cope with it all and I may be up through the night dragging and dropping things and making sure there are no duplicates. It's pretty boring really but once it's done I don't have to worry for another 5 years.
I'm not doing much excercise becuase my foot is still quite bad.. Also I seem to be breaking out in all sorts of spots and hormonal instability at the moment so my eating is also very poor. Still, you guys appear to be up for the challenges this week!0 -
Happy Valentines my sweet Huffles, Hope you all had at least one piece of chocolate 8 )
Hey Bumflap....what did you do to your foot?0 -
Oh - I had my chocolate. And my Love brought me my FAVORITE - banana cream pie - from this great specialty bakery. I just love that man.
Bum - so cool about the new iPods. How long has your foot been hurting you now? Has it been a week? Also, how is your costume coming along? We demand photographs!
I was also not logging today. I did get in some fruits and veggies though. And I skipped my run. AND I did not do my strength work! Let the mocking begin!
Tomorrow should be a busy day. Coaching a runner friend (this involves running WITH her), meeting, interview, track workout. And laundry. Lots of laundry.
The rest of you?0 -
I hope everyone had a great Valentines day. I have just been posting owls and newts and HP to the spreadsheet.
Amber-Don't beat yourself up for missing a workout. Sounds like a great day. About the spreadsheet. I have only been looking at the weigh in here tab until this morning. When I looked at the week one and week 2 stats, the lines seen to be off. I know I don't weigh 161 (yet anyways). Should we be filling the weekly tabs as well as the weigh in tab?
Danielle--I agree with Amber own up to the bad weekend and move on
Suzie--An entire chocolate cupcake...and it was delicious!
Bumflap- hope the foot is feeling better soon. enjoy the new ipod. sounds great!0 -
Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.
Amber - Banana Cream Pie - Yum! Not my favorite but it's at the top of the list! Laundry - UGH!!! Enjoy your coaching run with your friend. I was never a runner in school and didn't realize there was a right way to run. My DIL ran with me and taught me about breathing right. I'm sure there is a lot more to learn about proper running. Your friend is lucky to have your help.
Suzie - I didn't have chocolate but I did have a red velvet cupcake complete with cream cheese frosting!
Bum - Enjoy your new ipod and shuffle. Changing songs is a bit pain in the butt! But as you said once it's done it's done for a while!! Hope your foot is better soon.
Have a great Wednesday everyone!!0 -
*slumps dejectedly into the room*
Evening. What kind of idiot buys really extravagant gadgets for herself days before her car's in the garage for the second time in the shortest month? This one right here :frown: I'll have to start selling things at this rate, That's almost £900 on car repairs this month; it's a good thing my dad collected my car for me because I think I would have flipped the desks and set the place on fire had I received the bill first hand.
Today I went to some training for my "personal and professional development" to help me manage panic attacks and stuff at work, which meant a trip to London and sitting through a lecture where a man basically tried to sell me his books. I can't wait until my time off starts on Friday - I have simply had enough for now.
Anyhoo, Suzie, I think I've damaged my achiles tendon a bit. I did it last Thursday, didn't think and just went to the gym on Friday and it's been uncomfortable ever since. I suppose I ought to see a doctor but right now I just don't want to see anybody (unless they have bags of money of course!)
Amber, my costume is coming on ok although I've stalled to consider how best to make my shorts area look like robot and still be able to comfortably sit down and go to the loo etc. Re. the running, I have found 2 different ways of placing my feet when I run, which is best? 1. heel first (feels satisfying but heavy on my joints) 2. toes first (feels springier like I actually have some lift and I'm unsure if it is lighter on my knees but it feels it)0 -
Oh, Bum! I wish I knew a spell to fix your car.
When running, it's best to land on your mid foot, not your heel. Landing on your heel is pretty tough on your joints like you said.
Take a peek at this brief youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6x2cD6Y8Q
For more, check out the book Chi Running by Danny Dreyer.
And as for your robot suit, I'd suggest some silver tights, or nylons or whatever you Brits call them. Aside from that, I see your dilemma. This looks like it could be do-able: http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/robot-costume.html#c90 -
Arrg!!! Shame on me. I was so naughty with my valentines chocolates and my eating has spun out of control. It's stress, I realize and I hope things will calm down in a few weeks. I hope to rejoin my lovely huffles soon, very soon!0
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Hello everyone, I'm back! I had a truly amazing few days in London with my best friends, for one of their birthdays, so much so that we decided to stay there an extra night. We came home this morning and it's not good to be back! Haha. Back to reality now unfortunately
However, I was pleasantly surprised to see I hadn't gained at all so I've decided that in order to help my weight loss, I should take a small holiday every week
We did so much in the few days I was away and we walked at least 2 miles a day, which explains why I've maintained despite eating disgusting amounts of food! :laugh: I wasn't sure how much to log my walking as, so I've put it as 240 mins which is probably a fair amount as we've walked at least that since Monday. I haven't logged this is my actual MFP exercise diary though, as I wasn't logging food or exercise while I was away. Of course, if anyone feels that the 240 mins I've added to the spreadsheet is an unfair amount, feel free to amend it accordingly. I wasn't sure how much to put, as I said.
Today is my best friend's 18th birthday, so happy birthday to her, even though she won't see this :laugh: She's having a party tonight so I'll burn a fair few calories dancing.
I've added my figures to the spreadsheet. The house points are a pure guess but the NEWTs are accurate. Looks like I need to eat some more fruit/veg!
I think there's only 2 British people here in Hufflepuff, myself being one and Nikki the other, but if ever any of you find yourself in London, I URGE you to go and see Matilda the Musical! Best friends and I saw it on Monday evening and I don't even know where to start with describing it. It was amazing, captivating and generally just jaw dropping. It's the musical version of Roald Dahl's book, and really is amazing. The cast largely consists of children, who are so talented and combine that with a male playing the oh-so awful Miss Trunchabel, you're definitely in for a lot of laughs!
I hope you all had a beautiful valentines day and were thoroughly spoiled. Mine was spent in the spa! Oh what a hardship being single is
Nikki, how is your foot today? Perhaps you should pop to see your doctor, or give NHS Direct a call. They may be able to give you some advice on things you can do to relieve the pain and help with recovery.
Sorry this message is a bit of an essay - I missed you all while I was away!!0 -
Hiya Pals!!
I am in an odd mood now....
Molly - I am super jealous of your single ladies Valentine's Day... And the rest of your trip as a matter of fact!
Bum - Hope you feel better soon and find that money tree! (If you do keep the £ and send me the $!! LOL) And any super fun color of tight/leggings would prolly look good with your party outfit (aka robot-wear)!
Amber - wish you could help me run... I am sure the sight of me trying to would put you into a fit of giggles... which is an excellent calorie burn as well!!
I didn't do anything for V-day... I didn't eat any chocolate, but I did use one of my free frozen yogurt (4oz) to go with my lunch!
Have a great day... It is almost Friday!! Super Yay!!0 -
EUREKA; I'VE GOT IT! robot legs sorted. Now I need an antenna and some gin and tonic. I'll post a picture from the party though because it'll be cooler.
Foot's ok. Not bad enough to bother the doctor with - he doesn't have time for me so I don't like to wait around for him. But in all seriousness, I think rest is definitely helping.
Today I went to see a client at home and I was sat there talking to him and his mum when all of a sudden I felt a sharp blow to my ribs. I looked to my right and there was a small child stood there grinning with a pair of boxing gloves on. He'd crept in and just punched me in the ribs! Then my client started shouting at him (WHAT DID YOU HIT MY YOT WORKER FOR?) and his mother chased him out of the room, took the gloves off him and made him come back and apologise. It was so weird, I can't believe I got whacked! :laugh:0 -
Happy Friday to all Hufflepuffs! Another long week is coming to a close. My hubby and I went to see the Vow yesterday. I cried. Even though it is a chick flick, it is a really great movie all around. Today is a rest day for me. I have been playing around with "brick" (combining cycling with walking) workouts this week, and my body is exhausted...rest up for the alleged nice weekend weather the forecasters are promising.
Nikki--Happy Birthday! I am glad you figured out your costume in time, Looking forward to pictures. Hopefully the gin and tonic will calm down the foot and rib pain Sorry about the car...Are you sure they are not trying to rip you off, by doing work that really does not need to be done? Repairs are outrageous here in the US too...
Amber--Watched the video you posted the other day...it was very neat. I wouldn't be shocked someday when we discover that the endorphins we produce while we exercise trigger the immune system to somehow cure the body of whatever ails it (and the enviroment is the true underlying trigger of most illness and conditions). It is also neat to see that just walking has some great benefits without the high tech exercises, gym memberships etc.. I am going to also check out the video you posted with foot strike
Molly--Glad you had an incredible V-day with your friends. I will have to look for Matilda when I can see it OFF OFF OFF OFF Broadway, the show sounds fantastic. A friend and I are going to go see Wicked in May and I can't wait!
Jenn--Have a great weekend with your mom
Mandy...glad to hear from you, and I hope class is going well this semester!0 -
Happy birthday Bumflap, Hope you have a great time at your party. I am leaving later today and will be out of town for until Monday evening. Hoping to maintain while I am gone, I am visiting my daughter in Chicago--and we always do sooo much eating of such great food while we are there. MSRobinson is also joining us (Yayyy) --she is actually there already-- so we have come up with a basic plan so that we both do well this weekend. The weather is going to be nice, great for walking around outside 8 ). A few years back, we went in February, and it was so warm we didn't even need our winter coats, we actually got got in a thunderstorm and got soaked.
I have started doing the couch potato to 5K training program. Just finished the second week. It feels good to run again. I ran very little last year. My husband and I are planning on doing the Detroit half-marathon in the fall. We love that race. we race over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada, then run along the shoreline in Canada, then back through the underwater tunnel to the States. Found an awesome app for my phone for the couch potato program. 8 )
Well, I've rambled enough, have a great weekend everyone.0 -
Happy Friday!!
Suzie- It is gonna be an amazing weekend here in Chicago!! Great weather!! I am super excited about it!! Have fun eating all the goodies girls!!
Nikki- I am so sorry to laugh at your pain but I really laughed out loud that the kid whacked you one. Sorry! Yay for Birthdays!!
Karen - I wanna see the Vow... And will totally cry. You are so hardcore with your workouts... I need to hang out with you!!
Have a great day & Weekend Everyone!!0 -
Happy birthday Nikki! I hope you're having a great day!
Karen, you will LOVE Wicked. I've seen it three times, the third time being on Tuesday ironically! Best friends and I are huge musical theatre geeks so we've seen a lot of shows in the West End (London's equivalent to Broadway. It's a very expensive interest/hobby :laugh: One of my best friends hadn't seen Wicked, which is why we went. There's a song in the show called For Good, and the lyrics talk about friendship and how the characters singing the song have been changed 'for good' since knowing each other. While the actresses were singing, my best friends and I were crying :laugh: The song is very fitting to our friendship and combine that with it being Valentines day makes for three emotional wrecks! It's an amazing show, my favourite in fact, so I'm sure you'll love it too.
Curiosity killed the cat as they say and I weighed in early today. Pleasantly surprised to see a 1lb loss bringing me down to 147lbs. I've recorded it in the spreadsheet earlier than usual, since I usually weigh in on Sunday, so I am hoping to see the same figure in 2 days time! I was at a party last night and danced the night away. I added 120 mins to the spreadsheet, which I think is a fair proportion of my 'dancing time'.
What has everyone got planned for the weekend? TGIF!0 -
Hi All!
I love the theater and it's probably a good thing I don't live anyplace close to the theater! We visited New York several years back and the only show we could see was Rent. It was quite interesting to say the least. We also saw Mama Mia on a trip to Canada - that was AMAZING!!!
The Vow was very good. I went to see it by myself since hubby was working and daughter was out of town with her boyfriend. I thoroughly enjoyed my alone time at the movie.
Suzie - Glad you are enjoying Couch to 5K. I started it a couple of times but quit because I was past week one but not quite up to week 2 and I kept getting frustrated! I just take off jogging and set goals while I'm on the move - jog to that tree walk to that stop sign, etc. I'm not quite where I want to be but I'll get there eventually. I was jogging the curves of the track and walking the straights but now I can jog completely around once and then curves the rest of the laps. Keep up the good work!
Bum - the car situation really stinks! I bought used car and less than an month later it needs brakes - UGH!!!! I hate spending money on car repairs but unfortunately it's necessary! I had to laugh as well at the boxing story! Not funny but really - who does that??? Enjoy your birthday!! Can't wait to see those photos.
Molly - Valentines day at the spa - how lovely!!! Being single does have it's advantages. Glad you had a great holiday.
Bad week for me - stress kicked in and I let it get the best of me this week. Hopefully it will not show up on the scale. My official weigh in is tomorrow morning so we will see. We have our grandson this weekend so I'll be chasing him around. Supposed to rain but maybe we can make it to the park sometime over the weekend.
Have a good weekend everyone!!!
Kathy0 -
Happy Friday Everyone!
Molly- so glad you have a great trip with your girls. you really needed a break from school and the family.
Nikki- can't wait to see your robot pictures.
Kathy- I'm so excited i'm going to see the Vow on Monday, going movie hoping with my friends.
This week i haven't worked out a lick but i have been hitting over 8k steps on my pedometer. I've been in a massive spring cleaning mode at home, rearranging and getting rid of stuff. i think strained my lower back by over doing it. my sister actually found some cool book shelves on craigslist and i've been organizing the office. i swear my mom and sister are addictied to office supplies. where do you draw the line at having enough envelopes? but one thing is i can't get rid of books. i just feel like what happens if there is book burning again and i have the last copy of To Kill a Mockingbird? irrational fear i know but i'm just saying i'm addicted to the written word.
excited today is pay day and i'm finally paying off my car today. poor little xB been beaten up and driven up and down the west coast, what a survivor. hope everyone has a great weekend.0 -
Just wanted to say WOW - Alaska and Molly are doing really well on the OWLs this week :happy:0
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Happy Saturday to everyone. Thoroughly surprised this morning to see beautiful red tomatoes at the farmers market this morning (about 1-2 weeks early). They are greenhouse grown, but they were good. I already enjoyed tomato cheese and basil for lunch YUM! Had a great hike with hubby and the dog today around Jordan lake (a local man made lake just a few minutes from us) temp nearly 70 today I am planning to get out on the bike today as well as it is supposed to rain tomorrow. Got word my brother in law is going to be in town.this week..I guess I finally have to start cleaning...
weigh in 192--2 more pounds gone!
I agree with bumflap--Kathy and Molly are killing us with owl's this week! Jenn is doing great with HP as well
Molly--I can't wait to see Wicked. I am lucky to live in a more urban area, so the traveling broadway shows make it her every year. NYC is about 10 hours from me. I have seen Phantom, Les Mes and Miss Saigon in NYC when I was in high school. I must admit broadway shows are not a bad habit to have! Congrats on the weight loss this week
Mandy and Suzie--have a great time in Chicago this weekend. Enjoy the unseasonably warm weather!
Dani-sounds like you are staying active even if it is not "official" workouts. nothing wrong with keeping your body guessing. Do you want to start spring cleaning here when you are finished?? Congrats on the car! I just bought one last year...4 more years for me!
Kathy--bad weeks happen to the best of us. No time like the present to turn things around. You can do it. Hopefully your grandson will melt that stress away!
Jenn--anytime you want to come and hang out is fine with me Have a great weekend with your Mom!
bumflap...hope your birthday was a great one and the party was a great success! Can't wait for pictures!
Queeda--been quiet this week. Hope everything is well!0 -
Hi everyone!
I hope you're all having a great weekend! What have you all been up to today? Though of course for most of you you're only part the way through your day! It's 8.30pm here and I'm lying in my PJ's! I worked today, nothing exciting but it was busy, so I was doing a lot of walking and even running at times too! Logged 200 minutes of exercise out of my 8 hour shift An athletic championship was being shown on the TV's in the department I work in which gave me inspiration to move as much as possible :laugh:
I am excited to see what the new challenges will be, if we are changing challenges that is. I am back at school on Monday though, so I won't be able to work out as much - boo! It scares me to think that once upon a time, the thought of not having to
work out made me so happy and I honestly never thought I'd be a calorie counter. Thank goodness for MFP!!
A huge well done to everyone for their OWLs, NEWTs and House Points this week. Hufflepuffs really are the best :drinker:
Dani - To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my all time favourite books. I've never thought about what'd happen if I had the last ever copy of a book, now I can't think about throwing any books away :laugh:
Karen - I adore musical theatre, I'm glad I've found someone else who seems to share my interest in it! I've also seen Phantom and Les Mis. Phantom's sequel, Love Never Dies, was here in England from 2010 to 2011. It was good, but I felt it ruined the original 'magic' Phantom had, plus musicals don't usually come in a series, so I found it having a sequel strange. Still, it was good. I am hoping to see Ghost next, which I hear is soon to open on Broadway. End Of The Rainbow opens soon too, I highly recommend that. It's not your typical show, but is about Judy Garland's life, and is just captivating. I hope the actress who played Judy in London gets to do the show in New York, she was amazing.
Suzie and Jenn - I hope you're having a great weekend with your various family members, you deserve it!0 -
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Quiet for me. Got some laundry, spring cleaning done, and now laughing at the panic. The big "S" word has hit our forecast...time to panic, fill up the gas tank, and buy milk, bread, and the adult beverage of your choice for when the lights go out 1-3 inches is forecast. It has been a cold misty rain most of the day here. My boss has already called me remind me of the inclement weather policy (too bad I am scheduled off tomorrow). I am evil... I told her I was in Charlotte visiting my sister, and hoped to be back by Tuesday "with the weather". She thought I was crazy for going out of town with the forecast... I know, I shouldn't make fun, because snow invokes a real fear down here, but, I just can't help myself :happy:
Molly...I will have to look for the shows. It is a strange year here for shows, because I have seen most of the shows coming to my area. I think next year the newer ones will finally make it around here. I know what you mean about exercise, I now almost go crazy when I DON'T exercise!
My vote is to continue the challenges for another week. If anyone wants to come up with new ones, that is fine. I am flexible.0 -
i agree, keep the same challenges!0
This discussion has been closed.