OVER 200 CLUB NEW YEAR NEW BODY (OPEN GROUP) Part 2

Good Morning Girls, I just returned from dropping 2 of my 3 girls off at school. Hubby took 1 girl for me. Now the little guy and I need to get ourselves ready for our day. I try to work with him everyday. Yesterday we were working on holding a pencil. I do NOT know if he is right or left handed. He switches off, but seems to favor the left. I have NO idea, if I should encourage one hand or the other. Maybe some of you teachers can give me a suggestion. Anyways, he fought me so hard on the issue and I mean he got really defiant about it. Momma, said Listen here I am in charge and we are going to write with a pencil today. I figured if I sit down 1 hour a day and build to 2 hours, he will start getting ready for Kinder which is 4 hours. He is just not ready right now. I do not make him just sit at a table and do 1 hour of work. We read a book, we sing a song, we practice our letter recognition, we go over flash cards, we dance, ect... Anyways I rambled on about my son, but it is a daily thing for us right now. I am teaching him to memorize things, does anyone remember the little prayer "Now I lay me" ? I got him to memorize that. That may not be a big deal for your average 4 yo. but it is a big deal for my little guy. He seems so smart to me, yet he struggles. I am a confused mom!

Back to weight loss mode. Even though I stayed under my cals yesterday they were lousy calories. I felt it last night too. Today I am off to a healthy start. Thanks for listening sometimes I just need to vent a little then I feel better

Momma2four: I think what you are doing is great, you talking about your son and what you are describing “the use of using his right/left hand” that is called “ambidextrous” it is a gift of using/processing things using both his left and right side of the brain. When my son was in preschool…9 years ago…he was doing the same thing. He would switch the pencil, crayons, and even the scissors from one right to left or vice-versa.

I am not sure if this might be any help…I am studying to be a teacher ( all that is missing is my certification)..and during this process I did my share of observing classroom(s) for some required courses. I did observe an Autistic (ABA) classroom and a lot of other "normal classrooms." the ABA classroom focuses more of a one-on-one lesson. The instructor would do small increments of a lesson. If she was working on shapes..she would only do about 2 – 3 shapes at a time…not to overwhelm the student with the lesson..and to make it more fun and engaging she would use reinforcement ( fruit snacks, a toy, tickles, or a game) things the student liked and how to maximize the learning for a short period of time. Because this is all new for the student, she did not want to do too much all at once. I think she would sit with the student for 30 minutes…give him a break (5-10 minutes) and then back to work for another 30 minutes…the students needs time to process all this new information. A lot of preschool teachers use this model...breaking up the lesson to sute the student(s) once the information is process it is time to move on but review previous lessons to make connections wiht the new lesson..or the other way around.

Like I said I am not sure if my advice might help but I do use this with my four year old son…he can’t sit doing something for a long period of time…he gets bored very easily.

I wish you the best. It is, and it takes, hard work - keep it up what you are doing - you are on the right path..hopefully, you will see positive results…the fruits of you labor…..and on a last note, please have patience…I can’t stress this enough…Good luck!

Good Morning Girls, I just returned from dropping 2 of my 3 girls off at school. Hubby took 1 girl for me. Now the little guy and I need to get ourselves ready for our day. I try to work with him everyday. Yesterday we were working on holding a pencil. I do NOT know if he is right or left handed. He switches off, but seems to favor the left. I have NO idea, if I should encourage one hand or the other. Maybe some of you teachers can give me a suggestion. Anyways, he fought me so hard on the issue and I mean he got really defiant about it. Momma, said Listen here I am in charge and we are going to write with a pencil today. I figured if I sit down 1 hour a day and build to 2 hours, he will start getting ready for Kinder which is 4 hours. He is just not ready right now. I do not make him just sit at a table and do 1 hour of work. We read a book, we sing a song, we practice our letter recognition, we go over flash cards, we dance, ect... Anyways I rambled on about my son, but it is a daily thing for us right now. I am teaching him to memorize things, does anyone remember the little prayer "Now I lay me" ? I got him to memorize that. That may not be a big deal for your average 4 yo. but it is a big deal for my little guy. He seems so smart to me, yet he struggles. I am a confused mom!

Back to weight loss mode. Even though I stayed under my cals yesterday they were lousy calories. I felt it last night too. Today I am off to a healthy start. Thanks for listening sometimes I just need to vent a little then I feel better

Momma2four: I think what you are doing is great, you talking about your son and what you are describing “the use of using his right/left hand” that is called “ambidextrous” it is a gift of using/processing things using both his left and right side of the brain. When my son was in preschool…9 years ago…he was doing the same thing. He would switch the pencil, crayons, and even the scissors from one right to left or vice-versa.

I am not sure if this might be any help…I am studying to be a teacher ( all that is missing is my certification)..and during this process I did my share of observing classroom(s) for some required courses. I did observe an Autistic (ABA) classroom and a lot of other "normal classrooms." the ABA classroom focuses more of a one-on-one lesson. The instructor would do small increments of a lesson. If she was working on shapes..she would only do about 2 – 3 shapes at a time…not to overwhelm the student with the lesson..and to make it more fun and engaging she would use reinforcement ( fruit snacks, a toy, tickles, or a game) things the student liked and how to maximize the learning for a short period of time. Because this is all new for the student, she did not want to do too much all at once. I think she would sit with the student for 30 minutes…give him a break (5-10 minutes) and then back to work for another 30 minutes…the students needs time to process all this new information. A lot of preschool teachers use this model...breaking up the lesson to sute the student(s) once the information is process it is time to move on but review previous lessons to make connections wiht the new lesson..or the other way around.

Like I said I am not sure if my advice might help but I do use this with my four year old son…he can’t sit doing something for a long period of time…he gets bored very easily.

I wish you the best. It is, and it takes, hard work - keep it up what you are doing - you are on the right path..hopefully, you will see positive results…the fruits of you labor…..and on a last note, please have patience…I can’t stress this enough…Good luck!

I had been wondering if he was ambidextrous. For about a yr or 2 I wondered if that was the case, but because of his delays I also wondered if it was he just wasn't getting it. Thanks for the advice, I truely appreciate it. I am finding that he is teaching me patience each and every day.:laugh:

My son, who is 13 now, still uses both hand..that is a skill he has mastered...he get tired of writing essays with one hand he just switches to the other...

sorry if i confused you talking about my older son(13y/o) and then talking about my youngest son(4 y/o). I also have a daughter who is older than both my sons. she is 14 y/o..

I think the one thing we learn, as being mothers, is patience...i think it was in the baby's manual that wasgiven to us by the hosipial when we take the baby home:laugh:

Thanks to everyone who said something (there were so many otherwise i would have done it individualy) and i hope you all have a good day

Momma2four- I learnt how to write with both hands then i just picked to write with my write when i got older. As long as he is learning to write i would let him write with both...i mean that takes some talent I wish i could still do that!

Calories: Under
Water: almost there!!
Exercise: great
Proud- I almost fit into my T-shirt i really want to wear!

Check in- calories YES
Exercise-NO:frown:
water- after dinner I will be there

I am proud that even though I have not felt like sticking with it, I am sticking with it.

Here is the new thread girls:
By the way has anyone tried the SixWeekBodyMakeover and if so did it work for you.I saw a commercisl about it but I am sort of skeptical.Any input would be great!!!

I did the challenge a few years ago, it was pretty low calorie, but I did lose a lot of weight on it. You can ask me for any specifics if you like

I would love to be part of your group, you all seem really supportive.

daisy.

Do you remember what types of foods you had to eat?What types of exercise you did? I was wondering if it really did work.How much weight did you lose on it if you don't mind me asking? And sure you are welcome to join our group.Weigh ins are Fridays and are challenges are picked by the biggest loser for that week.We post everyday calories,water,exercise and something we are proud of for that day.Welcome and thanks for the info.

Hi, well as for the foods, it was lower carb and very low fat and low in cals. A lot of chicken and fish and vegetables and some fruit. It wasn't too bad because I really wanted to succeed. They have 5 different body types that have 5 different menus (one for each body type) you have to fill out this questionair to figure out what type you are. The program comes with exercises that your are to do depending on your body type. For myself, I was going to the gym and working with a personal trainer because I was in a competition at the gym. But the exercises that the program provides are pretty easy. I think on one day I caluclated the calories to be around 800. There is a cookbook/menu planner that has many different choices I was just lazy and short on time so I went with the basic (boring) menu.

As for the weight loss, it's hard to say how much of it was due to the "makeover" because I was working out so much for the gym competition. But I started at about 270 ish and after 2 months I was at 222. About 48 lbs lost in 2 months. It was too much to lose in such a short time. Too low of calories for the amount of exercising. About 3 months later I lost a lot of hair. I should have been taking vitamins. I think it is a good program if you follow just that program and dont exercise like a mad woman. He only has you walking and doing some strength training. Nothing crazy I don't think you would even get out of breath doing them. I should really do it again. You get audio cds with it and there are a lot of interesting things that he explains. Plus you got these thermogenic pills to help boost your metabolism. I felt that these helped a lot.

you also get this little booklet that tells you what to eat if you want to lose a size in 6 days. It's low carb/cal, but it works if you are willing to let it.

lemme know if you want me to email you a sample of the diet. Hope this helps

Checking in -

Calories - over
Water - 72oz
Excercise - None
Proud - I fee really good that I am eating right and I am on day 10.

Well thought I was doing really well on my calories until I stopped and bought a Subway sandwich. Didn't realize it would be sooo high in calories and then I had to add my sun chips too!

Subway has done with that to me..i thought i was doing good and was not as low as i thought.

i don't even eat mayo (just don't like it) but the cheese i think is my weekness.

so..i already checked in today, but as i went back to see how bad i did ( i had a piece of chocolate) i realized that i might just have a problem....im getting less than 1000 calories a day...today was only 400. I feel like i eat too much, but then i go back and realize how little i actually ate. I really dont know...is this healthy? what should i do? For breakfast i always grab something little like an apple...and lunch is something like an orange and water .... and then supper is a meal usually (tonight was popcorn chicken) and some water. ...im just wondering if this is healthy...some of my friends say it is alright...and then some say im starving my body from what it needs. ....just any advice????

so..i already checked in today, but as i went back to see how bad i did ( i had a piece of chocolate) i realized that i might just have a problem....im getting less than 1000 calories a day...today was only 400. I feel like i eat too much, but then i go back and realize how little i actually ate. I really dont know...is this healthy? what should i do? For breakfast i always grab something little like an apple...and lunch is something like an orange and water .... and then supper is a meal usually (tonight was popcorn chicken) and some water. ...im just wondering if this is healthy...some of my friends say it is alright...and then some say im starving my body from what it needs. ....just any advice????

Hi Renea, and welcome.

400 is absolutely too little of calories. That is too little calories for grown adults. You will get very sick if you plan to stay on a regimen like that. Because you are 16, you are still needing a LOT more calories and nutrition for growing than the rest of us do here. I strongly suggest you speak with a doctor before beginning your weight loss journey. A doctor can monitor your weight and calorie intake and help you learn more about nutrition for your age. Your enthusiasm is great, Renea. But I am worried about how you view food and how you view yourself at age 16. I am not a doctor, but I have been down that road of anorexia and trust me, you NEVER want to go there. How many calories is MFP suggesting you eat for your age & weight? Just curious.

BTW, I try to only weigh in once a week because I have a history of anorexia and obsessing over the scale aggravates that feeling of desperation for me. But with that said, I did weigh in this morning and found I gained 4 pounds. I am stressed out over this, but I will not write about it now until I review my exercise and calories and see what is really going on. I keep bouncing back and forth with the same four pounds since Christmas. Ugh. I am thinking, just a hunch, that I may not be eating enough calories.

check -in:
cals: under a bit
water: 64
exercise: 40 mins bike
proud: two cafeteria ladies told me today that I am really losing weight. I am NOT giving up! That is NOT an option for me anymore!

so..i already checked in today, but as i went back to see how bad i did ( i had a piece of chocolate) i realized that i might just have a problem....im getting less than 1000 calories a day...today was only 400. I feel like i eat too much, but then i go back and realize how little i actually ate. I really dont know...is this healthy? what should i do? For breakfast i always grab something little like an apple...and lunch is something like an orange and water .... and then supper is a meal usually (tonight was popcorn chicken) and some water. ...im just wondering if this is healthy...some of my friends say it is alright...and then some say im starving my body from what it needs. ....just any advice????

You definitely need to eat more. The minimum is 1200 calories in a day, if you eat less your body could go into starvation mode (your body will think it is starving and store everything and not lose weight, it is a survival thing)

I tried diets like that, lose some weight quickly and in the end I couldn't maintain eating that way, so I would end up gaining it back and then some. After years of dieting that way I ended up at 311 pounds. I am now eating healthy (using the calories this site gives me) and lost 66 pounds in one year, and not gained any back.

I agree here with the other ladies here. That is wayyyyy to low of calories.

Sometimes i think i am not eating enough but that is when I am like 1000 cals.

I went on a diet when i was 20 (was using diet pills too), and I hardly ate, i lost 40 lbs in like 2 months, then it came back on pluse another 100 lbs. I think talking to a doctor may be a good idea. I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but i would think since your body is still growing, like bones and stuff, you may need more calcium too..

so..i already checked in today, but as i went back to see how bad i did ( i had a piece of chocolate) i realized that i might just have a problem....im getting less than 1000 calories a day...today was only 400. I feel like i eat too much, but then i go back and realize how little i actually ate. I really dont know...is this healthy? what should i do? For breakfast i always grab something little like an apple...and lunch is something like an orange and water .... and then supper is a meal usually (tonight was popcorn chicken) and some water. ...im just wondering if this is healthy...some of my friends say it is alright...and then some say im starving my body from what it needs. ....just any advice????

Renea_Kay - Hi and welcome!
I think you'll do MUCH better if you up your calories to somewhere between 1500 - 2000 (ask your doctor or school nurse) - and start some moderate exercise! You need to fuel your body so it's happy to let that fat melt away.

I would try to eat your largest meal early - if you're not a breakfast person eat a large (healthy!!!) lunch. Adding a few yummy things to a spinach salad with grilled chicken will up your calories - maybe olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, olives, cheese, some nuts - in just a few add ons you'll have added 3-4 hundred calories (I know because I have to WATCH that LOL!).

Use your apple and orange as snacks mid morning and mid afternoon. You might have to work at eating when you don't feel hungry just to re-train your body.

Let yourself put on five pounds or so without freaking out while your body gets things figured out - within 3-4 weeks the weight will start really coming off and you will FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!! With the right amount of fuel you'll feel full of energy and with a little exercise you'll be in a much better mood and dealing with all the crap you're going through will seem easier.

We'll hang in there with you - you're not alone!

checking in -

Calories - over 1800 (still didn't eat all my exercise calories!)
Water - a little under
Exercise - 50 minutes on the elliptical and 45 minutes walking at lunch!:bigsmile:

Proud - I had a bad day. But I didn't go nuts at dinner tonight - yeah I ate more than I should have but I didn't take seconds of anything and my portions were OK . It feels nice to be able to say "no" to food.

Happy - I can hear my dog snoring down in the kitchen, from my upstairs computer room . kinda sweet but then I think about lildebbie and my heart aches... LilDebbie - I wish I could loan you some puppy snuggles - so I'm sending out some doggy love across cyberspace tonight!:smooched: (think puppy kisses)

Great advice you all have given to our new teen friend. I just want to add that it is critical that your calories are healthy. Especially your fats. Your brain is still developing and needs the healthy fat from nuts and olive etc. I have never seen a school vending machine with healthy food so take items from home for your school day. Great choice on your pieces of fruit, now add a meal in between them. Knowledge is power. Keep on asking questions and learning.

Calories: yes
Water: yes
Exercise: yes
Proud: that I was able to get back to some exercise. It would have been sooo easy to talk myself out of it.

Thanks snowflakes....the funny is , i am not a skirt/dress kind of gal...I don't wear them alot anyway....I usally where jammies or jeans when working..

I did notice a night gown i put on last night, wasn't tight. It is knit so it fit, but used to be tight to my body, last night , it wasn't it felt good.

Home agin with sick baby....HOpefully i wil at least work 1/2 day today. I am hoping she gets better soon.

HOping this week starts looking better.