Visualize This

nehtaeh

Ok, here's our new thread where we can stick together to meet our goals.

Goals:
1) Cardio exercise 3 to 5 times a week
2) Strength training 2 to 3 times a week
2) Review logs, give honest feedback
3) Share one new recipe a week that tastes good, easy to make and kids' like
4) Weekly weigh-ins on Mondays

Sound good? Feel free to add/change anything. I just pulled this from the other thread with a little modification.

Shannon

nisijam5

I think we should add the 2 fruits and 3 veggies per day. It's the recommended minimum daily allowance. You guys are sooooo lucky to have a personal nurse on-staff

How's everyone doing? I have been holding steady. I did 3 bouts of exercise yesterday so I could enjoy some pizza with my family. It allowed me to stay within my daily allowance. It was delicious. I am feeling the soreness today.

I have to go to the grocery store today and reload on the fruits and veggies. I find that eating healthy is time consuming. Last time I went, I made a conscious decision not to buy any more chips. I buy them for the kids to munch on during the weekend. Guess who's hand is in the bag...yep, it's mine.

I would like to pose a question for the week:

What food do you miss the most and how do you compensate?

I love hot wings

To compensate, I fill a La Torilla Soft Wrap made with Olive Oil (very good and 12 grams of fiber) with 1 cup roasted chicken, 1 to 2 cups lettuce, 1 roma tomato, 1/4 cup low-fat cheese and 1/2 T of buffalo wing sauce and 1/2 T of Ranch.

That's 2 servings of veggies and lots of fiber with my delicious hot-wing flavor

Have a great day!! Keep moving!!

XFitMojoMom

wow - good idea.

When you talk about strength, is that strictly weights or can it be core as well?
and as for a yummy meal kids can eat too - mine are still too young and one is too fussy to eat anything but cheesy egg or mac n cheese!

nisijam5

For me, strength in working on all major muscle groups including core...unless, your doing 20 of pilates

Welcome to the group!

XFitMojoMom

Thanks... I'm trying to avoid any real weight training and focusing on my cardiovascular health. I had a health assessment and while I am very strong, my cardio was on the low end. I work out with a PT once a week and we do a lot of core/pliometric work.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

nisijam5

Everyone has different needs...adjust as you need to

sharimarie

Is it too late to jump in with you all?

I am a mom of 4, I work full time and go to school full time. I am almost done with my bachelor's degree, last night of class is December 10th! YIPPEE! Then early next year I will be going into the masters program.

I started mfp May 2008 and lost 8 lbs. Not sure why I stopped, but since then have gained 20

I tried in the last month to do the eating something small every few hours to help boost my metabolism....yeah did not work I gained 10 lbs. Went to the doctor and she said to go back to eating my breakfast / lunch / dinner. I usually don't snack.

I have been doing the Wii EA Sports fitness 4 - 5 times per week and throwing the gym in here and there for the treadmill.

I just feel lost and want to loose weight before May 1, 2010 for my graduation!

XFitMojoMom

AOTD - I love a good bottle of red wine, and although I have not cut out alcohol altogether, I am cutting back. So I will have a glass of wine with dinner and then instead of pursuing with the REST OF THE BOTTLE, I'm drinking mint tea (aids in digestion too!) because mint and wine don't taste good together and I'm less likely to go back to wine with mint in my mouth.

ianconway

Yay! Glad to see a thread for "Visualize This!"

I took yesterday of from exercising (sort of). My Wii Fit was calling my name yesterday morning, so I just HAD to get on there and do 30 minutes of aerobics games.

Today, I plan on jogging 2 miles this afternoon and also doing some cardio/strength on the Wii Fit.

nehtaeh

I would like to pose a question for the week:

What food do you miss the most and how do you compensate?

I haven't really stopped eating things I shouldn't, I just need to keep them in moderation, or only one thing each day.

But, the thing I need to actually get rid of is fast food. I me some Taco Bell. I could eat there all day everyday if it was healhy. Right now I'm concentrating on trying to cut back - to only once a week. I really just need to get past the cravings. If I can get to a point where I don't eat it for a few weeks I think the cravings will go away.

I have cut out pop, but don't miss it.

nisijam5

Try a taco dip with baked chips to satisify your Taco Bell needs

Layer in this order:

low-fat refried beans, low-fat sour cream, lettuce, low-fat cheese, salsa, jalepenos, black olives

Eat with baked chips

Some people use taco seasoning in the sour cream...I don't do that because of the sodium in the seasoning...but, you can add it if you like

Many items can be purchased with no-fat...you can do a baking sheet for a party or a small plate for one person...may kids love it

I cut out pop; but, miss it at work....gives me the sugary jolt and caffeine I need to move from room to room

ianconway

Oh man, I love Taco Bell. And I also like the local Mexican restaurants here in Columbia. I would definitely say those types of places helped me gain most of my weight.

Here's my remedy-

Home Made Taco Salad

6 Old El Paso Hard Taco Shells
8 oz. of Fat Free Ground Turkey
1 cup of canned pinto beans
1 Slice of Kraft Fat Free Swiss Cheese
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Salsa
Lettuce
Tomatoes

Brown the turkey and add in the chili powder. Warm pinto beans and smash. You may need to add a little water to beans while smashing. After a good smash, cut up swiss cheese into strips and stir into beans to melt. Bake the Taco Shells as directed on the box. When taco shells are finished warming, crunch into chips in a bowl or on a plate. Place half of the bean mixture onto the chips followed by half of the turkey. Add lettuce and tomatoes and add salsa to taste and enjoy!

This makes 2 total servings with +/- 400 Calories depending on your ingredients.

mamaturner

Hello all! I'll be able to add a recipe as soon as my little one goes to sleepy and I have time!

mamaturner

Ok, baby's actually napping... MIRACLE. So every Packer game make chili, so obviously I don't make the same old thing. This past game (which was horribly painful to watch by the way) I made a little bit healthier of a version. However if and when I make it again all of the tomato products will either be made by me or low sodium.

1# ground beef
1/2# ground pork
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 jalepenos, minced
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
28 oz petite diced tomatoes
28 oz crushed tomato in puree
large container black beans (I used bush's)
1 cup V8
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t creole (I use Tony Chacheres)
and my secret ingredient, a pinch of cinnamon

I actually have this in our database under Jessica's healthy chili, and you can actually do it by cups, not just meal (I get so mad when it's like that!) Of course if you use low sodium it will be different, but perhaps one of these days I'll be able to make it again! Enjoy!

jeanniedreambtl

Hello Everyone!
So I am really happy to see a new team starting up. Me and mamaturner were actually planning on starting a new one. I dont like jumping into ones that have been going on, you feel like the new kid at school and it's hard to relate. But anyways:
My name is Jeannie. I'm 24. I've been doing really good. I started this journey on August 27th and have lost 17 pounds so far. I completely cut out soda and fast food. And get up religiously everyday and either go for a walk or to the gym, or both. I've changed my whole out look on Life. I figure if you send good energy out to the world, it comes back to you so I always try to remain positive in everything. One thing I know for sure is if you give up, you'll never make it. Thus, I'm NOT giving up!!!! :laugh: As far as what I miss eating, to be honest I havent really quit eating anything I truly enjoy. I definitely dont eat fast food, unless you consider Subway. But i do love Mexican. I've just pretty much either cut my rations down in half or just made wiser decisions with my meals. For instance instead of fries with my steak, Ill go with brocolli. I try to avoid all fried food, fast food, and soda and that about sums it up. It's not necessaily that my main mission is to be skinny, but to just be healthy. And I've never felt better:)
Oh, question. So I dont know how to register strength training on here. I dont really know what it's called, so what do you all do?
Welp, hope this works out great. I believe we could all help eachother a whole lot:)

:flowerforyou:

P.S.- A can of soda equals 140 calories. If you replace just one a day with water, you'll save 51,000 calories a year. Unbelievable but true!
Imagine if that's all you drank was water:)

whitepuredove

Alright Let's do it.......

Already been chatting with Kim about all this. ...... Love this group and look forward to everyone's success.

Davisa


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Chart

XFitMojoMom

I think it would be a good idea to all introduce ourselves as Jeannie did. That way we can forge some stronger bonds here. It may be redundant to some, but there are some new people who have joined.

nehtaeh

Ok, I'll introduce myself. My name is Shannon - I'll be 30 :gasp: at the end of the year. I have twin two year olds that are a blast. Acutally, if I was home with them I probly wouldn't have any problem losing weight. But, I work full time and get super bored. I tend to think about the snack bowl in the break room when I get bored. That, and its just so easy to run out and get fast food for lunch. So, I'm trying to avoid the snacks in the break room and not eating fast food. To do this I plan to bring my food. I am trying to have low cal, healthy snacks on hand for when I get bored. If I can just bring my lunch, or have healthy soups or frozen meals on hand, I will be so much better off. I really feel like fast food is addictive and evil :devil:

So, that's me in a nutshell.

My workout plan is to do my elliptical most days of the week until I can lose a few more pounds. I'm at 155 right now, so 150 would be good. Then, I'd like to add back in the strength training, probly though the shred dvd and Jillian's other dvds. She does some good strength moves - at least for me. Hopefully I can do this by the end of the month. I'd to be at at least 140 by the end of the year. That's totally doable being that its only 15 pounds, but this is just so hard.

nehtaeh

Oh, and I def. think that one of the goals is to add more fruits and veggies. What was it you said Kim - 2 veggies and 3 fruits a day.

I will start out with a goal of 1 of each and work my way up there. Although, I think I usually get more of these than I really realize. I actually lettuce a lot.

nisijam5

GM Everyone,

My name is Kim and I am 43 years old. I have to say that I am so excited today because I received a letter from my son, Ronald, who is in basic training at Fort Knox, KY. He is my oldest of 4 and I have read his letter over and over. I can't believe he is a man now. Seems like yesterday, I was following the garbage dumpster trucks with him cause trucks were cool. Anyway, I have 3 other children Amanda, 15; Kyle, 11 and Nicholas 8. We have several pets to include a dog (Shelby), cat (Bear), turtle (Tommy) and a horse (Buddy). Needless to say, I drive a lot running kids around.

I also work part-time as a nurse on a heart monitoring unit. I see congestive heart failure, diabetics who could not or did not manage their blood sugars and are on dialysis or amputated. I educate people all the time on health issues.

I see a lot of people in my age group coming in with chest pain. Quite honestly, the 40s are the time in your life that chronic health issues begin to build. However, we just don't know it. So, I have decided that I have fell into patterns of eating and drinking that should no longer be continued. In addition, how can I counsel patients if I do not look the part.

I have 3 goals:

Oct/Nov...fit comfortably into the size 12s that I currently own and get rid of fat pants...I own 1 pair that I wear a lot
Dec 2009...165 lbs...son graduates from basic training
Jan 2010...have cholesterol checked...it was high last time
Mar 2010...150 lbs...Mexico vacation

Trying to have baby steps to get to the big picture. It's difficult to fathom losing 40+ lbs. It is literally going to take months of hard work, food prep and exercise. How does someone keep it up for so long? I guess its just a lifestyle change that needs to be made.

I think this is going to be a great group and I hope we can make our goals together. It's great to meet all of you.

Kim

nisijam5

P.S.- A can of soda equals 140 calories. If you replace just one a day with water, you'll save 51,000 calories a year. Unbelievable but true!
Imagine if that's all you drank was water:)

I figured it out...that's 20 lbs loss in one year

nisijam5

Oh, and I def. think that one of the goals is to add more fruits and veggies. What was it you said Kim - 2 veggies and 3 fruits a day.

3 veggies and 2 fruits...fruits are naturally higher cals/sugars
I actually looked up this information...2 cups of lettuce/spinach equals one serving...it's a lot

I like the idea of posting a question that helps in dealing with food, exercise or even fun issues? What does everyone think. We could take turns.

Lastly, how long should this go on for?

Does everyone agree the first weigh-in is on Monday?

Goals:
1) Cardio exercise 3 to 5 times a week
2) Strength training 2 to 3 times a week
3) 3 servings veggies/ 2 fruits per day
4) Review logs, give honest feedback (if someone asks you to do this)
5) Share one new recipe a week that tastes good, easy to make and kids' like
6) Weekly weigh-ins on Mondays

Kim

XFitMojoMom

:flowerforyou: This is nice, learning about everyone.

My name is Pam - I'm 37 years old. I have to demonchildren, I mean angelic daughters: Hunter is 3.5 and Sydney just turned 2, and an awesome dog, Jake (a weimaraner). I'm a stay at home mom, who transitioned from the glamorous world of travel and software. So it's been a huge adjustment for me.

I never had problems with my weight until I hit my mid 30's. I was traveling a lot for work, developed a palate for single malt scotch and steak... and suddenly, swapping one meal for a salad just wouldn't drop the weight.:grumble: I still worked out on a regular basis, but I gained 20 pounds in one year!

Got married and had two kids. +40 pounds.

It's still a struggle for me to lose weight. I recently had a physical and all my blood work came back clear, however there was a "blip" on my Stress test ECG... and because of my Dad's history of heart disease, I will be going for a MIBI Scan (inject a small amount of radioactive dye in my arteries to see if all my heart valves are functioning properly).

So I'm purely focusing on my cardiovascular health right now. I'm putting in a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio daily. I do work with a personal trainer once a week and we do a lot of CORE/PLYOMETRICS/CARDIO.

My Goal weight is 150. I'm currently 199.

That's me in a nutshell.
*********************************************

2 Fruits: I agree - I would struggle to eat 3 fruits only because of the sweet factor. I'm not a big sweets eater.
Let's keep this going Month-by-month. I think it's the best way to track ourselves. I also noticed another thread on posting your exercise times and trying to meet 1000 exercise minutes/month. How do you feel about that?

nisijam5

Hey, I just bought some squash...I have never prepared it before...any ideas

Kim

XFitMojoMom

what kind of squash is it?

Spaghetti Squash: pierce holes in the squash, and microwave for 10 minutes. Slice open and scoop out the seed. A little margarine/butter and seasoning (garlic plus)...

nisijam5

diced butternut squash...has to be kid friendly

thinking a little maple syrup with a sprinkle of blue cheese and bake...not sure if I should mash it

Thanks,

Kim

charcharbec

Sweet. This is great. Can I just ask everyone though--- this is my very first time really trying to lose weight. I don't want to get discouraged, but (and I know I won't see results right away) I can't help wanting to ALWAYS check my weight. We have a scale in the bathroom (my roommates) and I will weigh myself like three times a day. I know I need to just do it once a week to see results. But I am terrified that I won't even see a one pound loss. Is the trick in just making sure I don't weigh myself EVERY day, but like once a week?

Does anyone else feel like they are going to be stuck like this FOREVVVERRRR???

*chuckles* but really, do you?

sharimarie

Weighing your self every day (even several times a day) is like watching a pot of water boil! You will get more discouraged. Weigh once a week or every other day, put the scale under the sink so it is out of sight out of mind. If it is just sitting there, you will be more tempted to hop on it.

We are a instant gratification society and that is why many people don't stick with diet / exercise. We don't see immediate results, so we quit and give up.

We have to change our mind set. Have a support group. Keep pushing along. Take one day at a time!

We can do it together. I am happy to have MFP. As I said I lost 8 lbs a year and a half ago with it. I can only imagine what I would look like now if I had stuck to it! I keep trying to think back at why I stopped, but can't think of any reason. I am thinking it is when we went on vacation for more than 10 days and did not have access to a computer and when I got back I was just out of the habit. Dunno. But that is in the past. Today is a new day!!

sharimarie

When I introduced myself, did not even think about telling about my pets or a little more about my family! You all did so here we go!

Family - 4 kids and 1 husband. We have been married a little over 5 years

14 yr old daughter - mine
12 yr old son - husbands
11 yr old son - mine
8 yr old daughter - husbands


Dog (Britney / Lab) her name is Keagan
Turtle named Marti
Tank full of convict cichlids
Pink Toe Tarantula (my 14 yr old daughters) named Pinky

charcharbec

Yeah. I know, I think I might, and tell my roommate WHY i am doing it. He is like me and likes to weigh himself ALL the time. I guess its a habit we should both get out of.

Anyway, I didnt intro myself either.

I have no kids no significant. I am only 22 (23 next month)--- but I have a kitten named Luna. She is about 11 or 12 weeks now. And then my roommate has a year old cat named Copper.

Glad to be here though. Glad to have this tool.

nehtaeh

Ok, I totally meant the 3 veggie, 2 fruit but wrote it backwards. It's way easier for me to get fruits because I like them, but I believe the veggies are probly better for you - less of the sugars. I've been trying to keep more fruit around because the kiddos love them. So, I eat them too and it helps when snacking. The veggies I need to try a little harder. I love lettuce - as I've said, celery, and cucumbers. I'm not so big on cooked ones though. Really, I just try to buy what's on sale, celery seems to be most times.

As for squash - I don't know the differences between them. You can cut it in half, poke the meat and microwave. Add some butter and brown sugar. Apparently its pretty good although I don't like or eat it. You could scoop out the meat after its cooked and the kids can eat it just like that, either mash it or chunk it.

Oh, and we have a kitten named buddy.