I weighed this am and I am up 2 pounds. Don't usually log the gain, but I wanted to start this year off logging with the correct number so up it went. Then I completed my first 5k of the year. Didn't run the whole thing, but kept going to the finish line. Good start to the year. This is going to be a good year! I can feel it in my (aching) bones! I am commiting to eating less and moving more and getting to my goal weight this year. Hopefully in 6 months (or less). And I know the Hatters are here to support us thru thick and thin. Hopefully thinner and thinner! Happy New Year!

Happy New Years Hatters !!!!!

Hope all are doing well and excited for the journey of the new year. I am excited to experiences of this new year and glad to put the last couple of weeks behind me. Going to get out and do some retail therapy tomorrow then it will be time to finish up school plans before returning to the classroom. Time seems to have gone so fast but I am so blessed to be able to have this time off with my family and get a needed break after this last illness.

Happy New Year!!!! It is wonderful knowing that we are starting the year in the absolutely best place for us to support each other.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? I read that someone declared January 2 to be "What will you gain day" as the counterpoint to all of the January 1 resolutions about what we will be losing this year. So think about it WHAT WILL YOU GAIN THIS YEAR BY IMPROVING YOUR FITNESS?
I will gain STRENGTH
Physically- My heart will be stronger enabling me to undertake any physical challenge. My muscles will be stronger making tennis injuries less likely.
Emotionally- My confidence will be stronger enabling me to interact with anyone without the self conscious and invisible feelings that followed me when I was obese.
Mentally-My brain will be stronger as brains thrive on physical activity.
Spiritually-I will be more at peace as I continue to take possession of my own nutrition and fitness decisions and recognize that my obesity was not imposed from above. (it is difficult to acknowledge the times when I have sat in church and seen fit people and felt resentment.)
Professionally-I will not be subject to unproductive hours when lethargy from heavy lunches and inactivity made it difficult to complete my work.
HATTERS-WHAT WILL YOU GAIN BY IMPROVING YOUR FITNESS?
I am looking forward to hearing of all of your gains as the year progresses.
Your friend, Janet

While reflecting and reviewing my goals for this new year, I was reading through some of my materials from Canyon Ranch and found this to be a nice reminder, so thought I'd share....

Love Yourself While You Lose Weight
Achieve your goals by keeping the focus on how you feel instead of how you look
Written by Canyon Ranch Staff Reviewed by Param Dedhia, M.D.Published: September 6, 2012

Trying to love yourself while you lose weight seems a bit counterintuitive. After all, you’re working hard to change your body, so that must mean you don’t love it the way it is, right? Wanting to get healthy and accepting the body you have today don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Start by thinking of your weight within the context of your overall wellbeing. That means widening your focus to encompass more than just the numbers on the scale, the way your jeans fit and yes, even what you see in the mirror. Embarking on a healthy weight loss program should inspire you, energize you and make you feel proud of yourself. It also takes time and patience. This can be a tall order for many, but remember—when you begin a weight loss process from a place of self-love and acceptance, you are more likely to set realistic goals and allow for the little setbacks and disappointments that are a common stumbling block for many. Below, you’ll find some suggestions to help you remain positive and true to yourself on your road to reaching a healthy weight.
Treat every day as a new beginning. Start each day by affirming to yourself that you will do the best you can—no matter what happened yesterday. Thinking of every day as an opportunity for a fresh start can help you to avoid getting into the cycle of negative self-talk that causes many people to give up on their weight loss goals early in the process.
Give yourself a compliment once a day. It may sound silly, but it can help encourage self-kindness to come naturally (and limit self-doubt, which can lead to self-loathing). Remembering what you love about yourself puts you in the right mindset to want the best for your body, too.
"Honor the journey as you will discover more than a lower number on the scale… you will connect to much health and wellness on the way."
Param Dedhia, M.D.Canyon Ranch, Tucson

Look around you. Self-acceptance is a condition of grace and appreciation for the great range of body shapes and sizes. We are all different, and who you are and what you look like is unique. Remember that your weight loss journey is about achieving better health instead of focusing on becoming someone else’s definition of “perfect.”

Reflect on the gifts your body has given you. It propelled you through your half marathon; it gave you two beautiful children. The body that you may be down on has undoubtedly brought you great opportunity and joy. Reveling in those experiences and all that are still in store for you is an important way to love yourself while you lose weight.
Set attainable goals. Aiming to drop a dress size in time for your high school reunion in six days is an easy path to disappointment and self-blaming. Moreover, coming down on yourself in this way can actually contribute to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which has been shown to increase the amount of belly fat stored by the body, particularly in women. Setting a more attainable goal, such as trying a new exercise class once a week or swapping one sweet treat for a healthier option, is a better way to protect your self-esteem and respect your body’s limits.
Feel the benefits of exercise. You know that exercise is one of the keys to successful weight loss. But what you might not know is that physical activity stimulates feel-good chemicals in the brain that elevate your mood. Research also shows that those who exercise regularly, as part of a weight loss routine, tend to rate their self-esteem levels as higher than those who don’t. If finding the motivation to workout is difficult, enlist a friend to exercise with you. Just as it’s helpful to learn to love yourself while you lose weight, there’s no better cheerleader to take on your journey than someone who wants the best for you and constantly reminds you of how wonderful you are.

burned 280 cals - doing the dreadmill - 45 mins / 1.5 incline / 3.5 speed / 2.6 miles
mad hatters unite - merobi - you had the bike going, janet - you were doing the body pump, snoozie - you were ignoring the geese, tonya - the pup was looking everywhere for "tops" to run around in....everyone else was cheering us on from the bleachers.....we're melting......

snoozie - can only imagine.....

Carol- hmm, not quite sure what you are referring to for a picture, but if you are referring to the bike, the geese, the pup, the bleachers, etc, I'm not sure how I might manage that one-sorry!

I had a *Lego day* yesterday. One of those perfect, solid days that get clipped together to build success. I got some of the holiday stuff put away. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on good choices. I went to the gym. I even cleaned a bathroom. I sauteed yellow squash and marinaded chicken breasts for the George Foreman grill. I FOUND the George Foreman grill!! I hadn't used it for so long, I wasn't sure where I put it! I'm feeling much better after my surgery. June 15 will mark three years since I started this journey. I've lost forty pounds with twenty to go. A lot has happened in between. I want to finish up the weight loss in a healthy way by June 15. Remind me that I said that as often as needed! The holidays are over. It's GO TIME!! Who's with me??

Have a Lego Day!!

Kobie - I'm with you - we can and will do this! I actually have my ornaments off the doggone tree (pun intented):laugh:
first time the ornaments are off in a timely manner - they usually don't come off the tree until mid-January - had a burst of energy on the first.... and even made it to the gym yesterday....

Go Team Go! Last 19 for me.... water water water is my friend....and enemy....:drinker: :noway:

Carol in NJ

Kobe, I like the LEGO day concept. My son used to get giant LEGO sets for Christmas, I would look at the box of pieces and think it a hopeless task. But patiently and quicker than I could imagine the many pieces would become a giant star wars battleship or the statue of liberty. Sometimes looking at the end fitness goal seems so far away, that it can feel like a hopeless task. But if we are patient and put together the good decisions meal by meal, day by day, quicker than we expect we will notice how our fitness is shaping up.
MeRoBi, we know that you will quickly be on track and feeling great about your maintenance. I think it would be easy for people at maintenance to lose sight of how much we look forward to hearing from someone who is living the maintenance life to which we all aspire. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs of that foreign state.
Snoozie, I am so happy that you will have the opportunity to spend a week in a bathing suit. I love being in the water so much that even when I was over 300 pounds I would still go to the beach or pool. My defense mechanism-whenever I was only wearing a bathing suit, i took off my glasses and I couldn't see anyone looking at me.
I am looking forward to my one year MFP anniversary next week and I am trying to figure out how to post my year of progress in pictures in my post, can someone give me a refresher course?
Janet

Janet, this is what I do to post pictures on a the message board or other MFP post:

1. To reduce the photo size (otherwise it comes out huge) I use photoshop and reduce the image size to somewhere around 2 inches by 1.5 inches and/or reduce the pixels to somewhere around 180-250
2.I then upload the picture to photobucket (if you aren't a member of their website already, you can join for free and I find it the easiest way to post images)
3. On photobucket, there is a box to the right which says "Links." You right click on the IMG code, which will then say "copy"
4. On your MFP post, right click on "paste" and the IMG code will paste. However, you must change the Capital letters IMG at the beginning and end to lowercase img or it won't work on MFP.

Then just hit the post reply, and voila :-)

Kobie, Love the Lego analogy :-)