5 Pounds A Month April 2010 Challenge

Morning all,

I am so pleased with myself today because last night I felt like I wanted a snack (I even had the snack cabinet door open) but then I realized that I didn't want a snack. I wanted to be healthy and in control of my eating. I wanted to be thin, active, and a good roll model. I DON'T want food to control my life anymore! So I started moving around the stuff in my cabinets and cleaning out junk I don't use. Well I ended up having a great idea! I moved my healthy food into one cabinet and the kids snacks and treats into the other. On the snack side I posted my measurements:blushing: and on the healthy side I posted a list of my goals! :bigsmile: Now when I go into that snack cabinet I will see my numbers up and that should help me stop and realize I am in the wrong cabinet. Plus I now have my own cabinet of healthy eats so I wont see any fruit loops when I go to grab a healthy snack.

Everyone is doing amazing even with the set backs we are still learning about ourselves; and what we can do to push through! We are working towards that lifestyle change of choosing healthier foods and becoming more active.

"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before."

Happy day everyone!

Great idea, Jenn. Some people live a lifetime struggling and never come to that epithany. You are truly an inspiration to ua all. I wish a few of my friends would take that ownership.
Keep it up.
Jacque

Hi PALS,
End of the day here. Just got back from a dinner with a couple teacher friends. we needed to talk and catch up on each others lives. It was great fun. Had such a yummy sea bass in lemon and garlic sauce. I walked to the restaurant so that I could burn calories going and coming back plus swam this morning too so altogether burned 750 calories today.

After school we had meetings and they always have un healthy snack so I took my sliced carrots and cucumbers along. One teacher made a comment to me while I was munching away... she said "WHY DID YOU BRING HEALTHY STUFF!" As if I was the weird one for eating healthy. I thought it was funny. I just munched and crunched a little louder!!

Ainslieglen _ WELCOME! Never too late to join in on the fun. Glad to have you with us.

Shivaun_So nice to have you back and giving comments all the time. you are an inspiration to me too.

Terri, You are so good to be committed to ride the bike in between dirty diapers and naps. Kids naps that is. Good luck when the new little one starts up. I am srue you will figure a way to squeeze in the spinning.

Jenn_ I loved your idea too for posting your measurements in the closets to remind you of your goals. Good for you too remembering that you didn't really want that snack. My two friends at dinner shared a gooey chocolaty dessert and I passed up those calories and didn't feel deprived at all. I don't really care to have that extra weight hanging on my hips and boobs!!!

Well my poor hubby is calling from the bed room. I think he feels neglected tonight since I was out for the last 3 hours. plus ALL DAY. so I better go give him some attention..MEN!???? Good night. Phyljen

good morning Pals,

Terri - you inspire me to workout. If you can do it with a cold, I can do it with little sleep ( I couldn't sleep last night at all):yawn:

Phyllis- I giggled when I read that you crunched louder.:laugh:

Shivaun (siobhann)- I would love to know more about ab exercises with bands.

Jenn - congrats on being such a great role model for you kids.

S0 I am in a weird place of denial. I am still finding it very hard to find anything worth apply for job wise and I realize I will be in serious financial trouble in a few months but I have such a deep instilled sense that it will all work out. I don't know how or why but I just know that it will. Its kind of strange. Almost euphoric. Maybe its the exercising acting like a drug. ::smokin:

I hope today is another good exercise and food day. Since I touch under my goal on Saturday I have ridden right above it ever since and I really want to get below it officially on Friday.

Have a great day all.

-

Hi everyone,

Last night I bought a new stepper, this one is much harder for me then the one I have been using (which is good) because it has Hydraulics and my weight pushes it down so I have to step faster! Last night was Biggest Loser so I started stepping and quickly realized that I wouldn't make it the whole two hour show. I only stepped for one hour but I was covered in sweet and my legs burned! I ended up not burning as much as I have in the past doing the old step but that is because I reduced the time I think. 4075 steps burned 443 calories. Not as high as I would have liked but it gives me a goal for next week, I want to work up to doing the full two hours so I think I'll add a little more time each workout until I am there.

My 3500 numbers so far...

Sunday:552
Monday:605
Tuesday:687

---

1844 (a bit over half way)

1,656 left to do this week!

Hi Pals,
I am so sad tonight. I was at aerobics class tonight and did a wrong move. It was just too much for my old knee I guess and as I moved I heard a POP and my knee immediately started to throb. I couldn't even stand on it. another teacher went and got me some ice and I iced it for about 15 minutes and then hobbled to my car and drove to the doctor office. Got an x-ray... NO breaks. Thank goodness. Went to the Orthopedic specialist and he says I need an MRI tomorrow but it appears that I have torn my minuscus. Don't know it that is the correct spelling. anyway has suggested I stay off my knee for about 3 days. SO i am making sub plans and won't be going in to school tomorrow. Just as I was on a roll getting fit now i am injured! DANG DANG DANG! I guess I can still possibly do yoga and smooth moves that don't hurt my knee.
anyway. I will see what I can do while I recover and get my knee back. ICE packs and elevation and a knee brace will be my life for a few days anyway. BOO HOO
Going to bed. Phyljen:yawn:

Do I have enough time? I will give it my best shot. Count me in!!!

Phyljen, $#%$&&%^%^^!!!!!! and also %%$$##&(*&*)&*^*$%!!!!!

Well I agree with everyone else - it's more than annoying - no choice but to slow down,do breath work for a strong back and strong abs to support your knee through your recovery. Another part of life.

Well, I seem to be creating my own little group all by myself called the "half pound a month" I only had to put a decimal before the 5 so it wasn't too much work for me. I didn't do the official weigh in, but I was hanging in steady at 129.

It's really okay with me right now.

There was a fascinating article about exercise and weight loss in last week's NY Times magazine. I just went looking for it to quote to you guys but my husband seems to have thrown it out. (Pause here and imagine my cold and accusative stare) Anyway, it should be online and it's worth reading. My post-menopausal brain won't allow me to remember much specifically, but one thing was that when we women work out our bodies send signals to tell us to eat more because we are programmed to retain more fat for reproduction. Men do not have the same hormonal/chemical signals and do not feel as hungry - in fact they mostly feel less hungry - if they work out more than their BMR requires. We tend to be ravenous.

Another thing - and this was hard to get my head around - was that exercise actually doesn't play a major role in weight loss, but if one has established a habit of exercising over a long period then it plays a major part in sustaining weight loss. So it's not so much (according to them) that we are exercising to achieve the weight loss now, we are doing it because once our bodies are conditioned to it, when we lose the weight we will have a much better chance of beating those hormone pulls.

And the last thing I remember - they said that people who stand burn off way more calories than people who sit. Oh, and also they once again stressed moderate exercise and walking.

I think that's it. My brain is now empty.

You go work out, Jenn! You won't regret it and you will feel GREAT! Just remember, it's worth it. Trust me, you WILL regret skipping the workout tomorrow I hope that is motivation for you! Good Luck! :happy:

Phyljen - So sorry to hear about your injury. :frown: My husband tore his running after a kite that my 2 yr old let go of on a very windy day! A week later he had to have knee surgery and the recover was a bit long. Try to keep dumbells next to you on the couch and the pain meds even closer. I heard there's a dvd out there for couch aerobics. It was designed for medically overweight people as a stepping stone to getting fit. It offers a great upper body workout. Chin up, you'll bounce back in no time!!! :flowerforyou:

Phyllis, I was so, so sorry to read your post. At least you got it properly taken care of right away & are following Doc's orders. Am ditto-ing what others are saying about sitting exercise,etc. I am certain thatbyou having the indomitable spirit that you do, this will end up being a small blip in the general scheme of things! Am sending many good wishes your way this evening.

Jenn, how did your exercise go?

Karinf - thank you for sharing that info from the NYT - will have to look it up online - it's really interesting and very reassuring in some strange way.

Elokyn, I'm sure that you are right in attributing your weight gain to your TOM.

Rj - I will see if I can find the link to the abs workout on Fitness Magazine online and post it tomorrow.

So had a good day - ended up exceeding my 600 calorie goal for exercise, too. My sweetie said something very sweet to me tonight after I finished my evening circuit training - that he loved watching my body in movement. I always feel so clumsy when I work out, it was a wonderful thing to hear.

Tomorrow, am taking the afternoon off to go watch the Yankees play the A's. Never seen the Yankees play in person before so am really excited even though I will still be rooting for the a's. Am taking my own food with me so as not to be tempted by the ballpark food (although may go ahead and get a light beer).

Anyway, here's hoping everyone has a great day tomorrow!

Shivaun

Bethinagain, a couple of things....big congrats on the weight loss for the month. :drinker: AND you mentioned the DVD couch aerobics, I'd be interested to the name of that. My hubby is handicap and can't do much standing. He has Parkinson's and his balance is serverly compromised along with a bad knee. This sounds like something he could do from his chair. AND lastly, but not least, good luck on surgery tomorrow. I will keep you in my thoughts. Do take it easy and go slow even if you do feel much more energetic after a couple of days. It's so easy to overdue. I know, I did that. I thought I had enough energy for a 2 1/2 hr. car ride to see my mom. Boy, that was a mistake. So do take care.

Phyllis, take care of that knee. You teach and touch lives forever, those kids need you in good shape. :wink

Sign me,
Wonder Womean arms in the making,
Jacque

Hi all,
So my exercise numbers so far
Sun - 304
Mon 1209
Tue 825
Wed 1181
Today 1299

total so far 4818 I am so hoping it shows up tomorrow on the weigh in. although I made my goal last Saturday I have puffed up this week so I am hoping that the official weigh in still shows the goal met.

Terri your pix is awesome

to all of you rockin it out - great job!!!!

to those injured or recouping - speedy recovery!

Even though I don't know what life holds for me and I could be scared ( some would say "should be" scared) I just have an uncanny feeling that it is all going to work out and be great. the feeling keeps getting stronger everyday when I should be getting more worried. It seems kind of surreal but I will take it over being stressed out any day.

As Always