Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

@kah68 -- Ease into 5k is an iPhone app by a company called BlueFin. They originally called the app C25k, and it had the same intervals as the original C25k plan. They've now rebranded the app, and the intervals are slightly different. The main changes are that it starts slightly slower than C25k, and the 20 minute run is a week later (W6D2 instead of W5D3). But in overall intent it's exactly the same thing -- an interval training plan that gets you to 30 minutes continuous running in eight weeks. I like it because you can use your own music playlist.
@Lin -- Hope you're keeping on top of things. 37 miles in a week is loads!
@Tina -- so cheered to see that you're back on the wagon and enjoying your losing!
@Aubeatle -- I've been looking at the NerdFitness beginner's bodyweight circuit. I haven't actually done it but I've thought about it. Does that count?
@ButterflyWood -- it's so great having the notes every few days from the site saying 'x continuous days'. I'm up to 75 now! It just feels so reassuring. I did miss a couple of days when I was on holiday, otherwise I'd be well over 100 now. Logging is the key to success here, I'm certain.
@Christine -- I hope you fill your visit to Topeka with thoughts and memories of the happy times you had there with your family. And a huge WELL DONE on your doctor's trip. That's such wonderful news. I am really looking forward to getting down from 'morbidly obese' to 'obese' (BMI 40 in the UK) and I'm sure it can happen quite soon for me. And getting off a BP med is brilliant too. And loving walking is good too; it didn't take me long to go from loving walking to loving badminton and dance to, er, well not exactly loving running... but doing it.
@Maddalen -- congratulations on walking a mile! If you can do it three times a week, you'll really notice your fitness improving all the rest of the time.
@Liz -- I used to love that sort of hour on end board game -- I miss them and I hope to do some gaming later in life when my kids are grown. Is Idaho not in the Midwest? My US geography is a bit dodgy... I love the fact that MFP is free; it really just removes that excuse of having to go somewhere or spend money.
@ShrinkRapt -- just turning up here is a start. You know you want to do this, and I understand exactly how much mental pressure people get from this 'lowest adult weight' thing. I have a little bit to go before I get to that point, but I've bounced hard off that 200lb mark a couple of times in the last 15 years.
@Robin -- I hope the prednisone keeps on working for you; when I had morning stiffness it took about an hour to wear off, and I really wasn't much good for anything during that hour. Now (with the methotrexate) it only takes me a couple of minutes to loosen up enough to get into the shower. Which is fantastic.
@Tom -- glad you're staying off the smokes -- I hope you really enjoy your whisky!
@Angelika -- well done on that belt! I eBayed one of those Western belts last year because I reckoned I'd never fit into it again; now I'm wondering.
@SkinnyJeanz -- I don't tend to regret stuff; things might have been different if I'd made different choices, but I don't know if they'd have been any better really.

Saturday Success was that having been unmotivated earlier in the week, I nevertheless managed to stick to plan (it's that underlying resolve that it does work, I think), and then I had a couple of great days at the end of the week -- upshot is that I'm expecting a nice SV to update you on tomorrow when I weigh in. And today I felt so well and happy after badminton that I did tomorrow's run early. That's W5D1, and included 18 minutes of running! That just seems amazing to me.

A bit of Sunday sharing -- I'm Alison; I'm 47 and I took a redundancy package in March from a place I'd worked for 24 years. Rather than get another job right away, I'm studying and getting healthy, and thinking about what I might do next. I'm married with two brilliant kids; one teenage girl and one nearly-teenage boy, and we live in a fairly grimy bit of East London in the UK.

I'm doing a edX course, Software as a Service, that is *SO HARD* that I have been grumpily shouting at my kids because they have the temerity to hang out in the same house as me while I'm stuck on homework, and do evil things like toast breakfast or ask for cookies. I am feeling a bit better about it now because I've got about 75% of the marks (the deadline is tonight) and I still have a few hours to finish off. But gosh, it's hard and I need to learn not to be mean and grumpy when I'm stuck.

Thanks to Robin for mentioning the holidays. I once lost nearly 50 pounds, and then gained ten pounds over a long weekend and gave up the entire thing. What a shame, really. But I wasn't doing it as sensibly as I am this time; I love the fact that I'm eating real food and plenty of it! So I'm hoping, fingers crossed, that I can make it through the holiday season by taking Christmas Day as a single, special, no logging day (though -- shhh -- I might log anyway; I just won't have a target, or beat myself up if I eat and drink 6000 cals), and otherwise log my way through as usual. I'd be grateful if old-timers can share their holiday season strategies.

I won't be doing a run on Christmas morning, because I'm chief turkey-baster and I think we will be twelve for Christmas lunch. But my guess is that hours of cooking is actually pretty active; I'm always fairly worn out by the time we all sit down to eat. So my tentative plan is to do a run on the morning of Christmas Eve -- my family will be arriving mid-afternoon, dance out with the Morris on Boxing Day (it's what we do!), and then a second run on the afternoon of the 28th after everyone has gone home. I might talk people into the odd game of badminton if the sports centres are open, or a forest walk. No Thanksgiving here of course, though I did get invited to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner by an American pal last year.

Hope you're all looking forward to lovely things coming up next week!

-- Alison

Miss my MFP friends, but am trying to complete some big projects before going to visit my grands in UT this week. I'll check in from time to time to keep self on the straight and narrow.

Halloween Challenge--I probably won't meet my goal of 400,000 steps by the 31st due to foot problems, but have made it to 261,679 steps to date. It would help if I'd remember to wear my fitbit every day. (Then again, when in UT I run around with the kids so much, perhaps I'll miraculously exceed it.) Keep trying, folks!

Taught a Kitchen Witches Halloween treats class--and took all the leftovers to the gym. The staff scarfed up everything! Think I'll do that with every class. :laugh: Saves me lots of calories.

Still pushing the SAME few pounds up and down the scale. While in UT daughter and I are going to focus on healthy eating, fun and fitness. Let's see if I can make it over that stupid 100 hump. (I was within a couple of tenths and then slid backward. What is wrong with me?)

Have a healthy, positive week all.:flowerforyou:

Hi All,
Happy Sunday and I hope everyone had a great weekend. This weekend was nice and I enjoyed my time relaxing with a friend. I did exercise both days by bike.

This week will be busy but it will be okay. I will work my way through it and do my best to stay on track with making the healthy choices and reducing my carbs.

Halloween challenge 103/ 200 miles. Most likely will not make it based on biking along or other easy form of exercise to measure. If I counted all the walls I have climbed then yes, I most likely went beyond 200 miles. Some days I forgot to record distance as well. Grammy I love your miles/steps challenges. They help to keep me motivated.

Fall Yummy Treat

Pumpkin Smoothie- amount for 1serving
1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup sliced and frozen bananas
1 cup Pumpkin
Pumpkin pie spice to taste

Blend in mixer til smooth and drink about 160 cal if you use the unsweetened almond milk.

Is it 8:00 p.m. already??? Where do the weekends go???

@Butterfly ~ Good for you on having only a quarter piece of cake! Portion control is the key. We CAN'T cut out everything!

@Angelika ~ That 3 pounds will be gone in no time! That's what happens to me when I weight every day. I'll be up a couple then back down. Congrats on tightening the belt!

@Liz ~ LOL on the bedroom kitchen! I didn't catch that either until Skinny commented on it! Funny! I was born and raised in Idaho. Where is your hubby from? I'm from Winchester, a very small town in northern Idaho near Lewiston/Clarkston...140 miles south of Coeur d' Alene. After reading your story, I just have to tell you that you are doing AWESOME! You seem to just keep losing and losing! Wish I had the same success. Mine is coming off S-L-O-W, it seems. I have been having issues with willpower, lately. :embarassed:

@Susan ~ I have an obsession with weighing every day. I'm obsessed about it, but not to the point that it drags me down. I write my weight down on the calendar on Saturdays so I can compare week-to-week (and month-to-month). If I get discouraged, I flip the calendar back to a month ago, and that helps.

@Christine ~ WOW! You lost 60 pounds since July 1??? :noway: I started MFP on July 6 and have only lost 22! I'm happy for your improved health!

@Butterfly ~ I'm so happy you found a man that appreciates you! My daughter was in an emotionally abusive relationship for 3 years, and he destroyed her self-esteem. It's been 3 years since she dumped him, and she is just now beginning to feel good about herself. She is so beautiful and fun but anytime a guy seems interested, she shys away, afraid of getting hurt again. I keep praying that some guy will come along and sweep her off her feet and treat her the way she deserves to be treated! P.S. I've got to try that Pumpkin Smoothie!

@Katrina ~ It was interesting reading about your childhood. My dad was poor growing up. He often told me that they wouldn't have had anything to eat if the neighbors hadn't brought over a pot of beans. My husband's family didn't have a lot of money either. They ate "beans and taters" every night. Wednesday was a special night, because the beans were made into chili. When they ran out of beans, they ate bean broth and bread.

@Jana ~ the Sweet Potato Dip sounds yummy! I'm afraid I would eat the whole lot in one sitting! Portion control, portion control, portion control! :grumble:

Sunday Share: I am so stressed out with the class I'm taking. I need to get rolling with the homework, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated with all the teacher stuff I always have to do; however, I'm not letting anything get in the way of getting in a little exercise every day! I have been skinny all my life! I weighed 125 pounds in college. After I got married (at 18), I added a few pounds every year and especially packed on the pounds after I started having kids. Not sure why. Just love to eat and didn't care. Now I'm trying to lose weight after having had two total knee replacements. I have arthritis in my feet, and the added weight doesn't help that at all! I joined WW about 10 years ago and lost 50 pounds, then quit and gained it back. I joined a Fitness Center about 6 years ago and lost 70 pounds, then gained 30 of that back! Hence, here I am at MFP. I will NOT let my weight plateau stop me this time! Have a good week! Let's all keep on keepin' on! Good luck to us! ~ Cath

I am going to have to get back on the WII, after five months of great weather it has started raining and even though there is still Petanque being played I have been fighting an end of summer cold and every time I go out to play I spend the next three days in bed. :sick: phooey. I think I will concentrate on a good Fall cleaning this coming week, get a bunch of stuff ready to go to goodwill and get our guest room/office ready for visitors (I am hoping that the people who have promised to come and visit during the holidays actually will.)

Sunday Share:

I have been having a problem finding yummy and low calorie foods that I can make quickly and enjoy. A friend of mine suggested a 30 day recipe challenge and I jumped on board. Basically, what you do is you find a recipe once a day for 30 days. You can try it or not, but you post it and share it with everybody. I am always in search of new recipes, so this helps add to my cookbook. The recipe I posted for Day 1 is called Sweet Potato dip and it is AMAZING! I thought I'd share it with you today.

Sweet Potato Dip

1 8oz bar of Cream Cheese softened (You can use low-fat or fat-free)

1 can of sliced sweet potatoes (or pumpkin if you prefer)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar (feel free to substitute Splenda if you prefer)

Mix everything together in a blender until well distributed. Once well mixed, put in the fridge for 30 minutes or until cold. Serve with Vanilla Wafers (or any kind of cookie you prefer) for dipping. Enjoy.

This is an amazing dip and has become a favorite of mine and my friends. My friend Callie does the pumpkin version and she says it is amazing. (BTW, thanks Cal for this recipe!) I hope you all enjoy.

Until tomorrow...Jana

Yum!! Thanks for sharing. I love fixing Hungry Girl's Caramel Pumpkin Apple Dip. It's got a few more ingredients, but so good as a quick snack. I like using Hungry Girl because most of her recipes are pretty simple.

Sunday Share: My name is Susan and I'm 44 (as of yesterday). After almost 10 years of marriage, I made the decision to leave to give my son a better chance at life so I became a single parent with a 2-year old. I now have an amazing 10-year old son, but my focus has been completely on him and not taking care of myself. After living in Atlanta for 18 years, I just moved to Las Vegas 5 months ago. I took on a new job in a somewhat different industry, but needed the challenge and ready to take that next step in my career. My weight has always been a challenge for me. I've always been a big girl, but had the curves to carry it off. I was able to be somewhat active even at a larger size, but I know diabetes and other weight related issues are knocking at my door. It's time for me to take control and take care of myself.

I started the year at 325. I lost 25 lbs pretty quickly with Medifast and made the move for the job. I spent 2 months living in a hotel and eating every meal out. I was able to keep off 16, but gained 9 back. In August, I was introduced to MyFitnessPal and down 32 lbs. I'm at 278 right now - Woo Hoo!!! I found this board and it's the only one I follow. Plus, I've found some amazing friends and look forward to encouraging them every day as I know they're here for me too!!!

Hello,

@Alison -- No Idaho is in the Northwest. Its an easy mistake.

Liz

Hi everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for a new week! Despite having a difficult food weekend while visiting friends I was still able to maintain and for that I am thrilled.

Today is my toughest day of the week as I go straight from work to an hour personal training session followed by a 45 minute Spin class. Like I said it is tough, but boy what an accomplishment when you get it done!

I hope you all have a great week and I'll be checking in again! Hugs!