Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

February Challenge sounds good to me Robin and Karen. Another friend had a challenge for January, which was staying under your calories all month. This could be an idea for a month ahead.

I saw this story on yahoo news and thought I would share--it's about a couple who lost weight using WW and maintain using MFP:

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/39-lost-254-pounds-39-174500608.html

Hi everyone! :flowerforyou:

Welcome to the newlings!!

@susan--glad you are out of your funk and have had a good week!

@mel--yuck about the cold being back! :grumble: Get some rest!

@nettie--4 inches is a great loss!! :drinker:

@kelley--sounds like you have another busy day today--hope you make it to the grocery store!

@p1xy--isn't it amazing how we can sometimes just go go go on autopilot and not realize how worn out we are until we have a chance to sit still for 2 minutes? I've had a similar week. Glad your daughter is on the mend. :flowerforyou:

@robin--I am so happy you can put those fears to rest about the tumor!! :bigsmile: Now that you know that's not an issue you and your doctor can focus on the mouth/tongue pain. I hope the increase in meds gets that all cleared up very soon.

@laurie--I can completely sympathize with you about the late work. With my 11th and 12th graders, it's usually the kids (rather than their parents) begging to turn in late work with similar excuses. I have an AP student who never turned in her last paper and then on Wednesday told me she did turn it in. I said "I've graded and handed back everything I have, so no you didn't turn it in." She didn't argue but asked if she could email it to me. I said "grades are due at 9am tomorrow, so if I get it in time to grade it, I can give you late credit." She emailed it to me at 9pm with an apology that she had just gotten home from work and that she understands if I can't grade it in time. I glanced at it and it was clearly just thrown together at the last minute. Needless to say I did NOT grade it. Sheesh!

@madeline--I'm right with you--I can't wait for spring! At least the forecast for this snowstorm downgraded to only 4 inches or so.

@hayley--congrats on the weight loss!! I don't think you were over-sharing at all. One of the nice things about this thread is that we can chooses to share however much (or little) we choose. I'm glad you got to the water aerobics class.

@amanda--congrats on being offered that role!! What a great motivation!

Robin asked me to explain the monthly challenge, so here it is:


February Challenge aka Groundhog Day Challenge:
The challenge is based on the movie "Groundhog Day," where Bill Murray wakes up to the same day over and over again.

We each pick one healthy habit and repeat it every day for the entire month. It could be a nutrition goal (drink x cups of water, eat x grams of protein, eat x servings of vegetables) or a fitness goal (x amount of steps/miles/push ups)--whatever you want to do over and over to make it a habit.


Saturday Success:
Well, I weighed in this morning and I'm still down the 2 lbs I lost from the holiday gain of 6 lbs. so I'll take that as a success. I was really hoping to be back down to my low of 185, but no such luck. I know part of my problem is still my nutrition, so my personal February Challenge is going to be to focus on my protein intake. I looked at my reports and I'm fairly good at getting between 80-100g of protein, but it's rare that I'm above 100g. My goal for Feb. is to hit 100g every day while still staying under my calorie allowance.

Tomorrow is the Superbowl so I'm going to make white chili. I've never done it before, but I've been wanting to try it for awhile. My DH is working all day, so I will have the kitchen to myself. :happy: Today I need to find a recipe I like and go grocery shopping for some ingredients.

We aren't get nearly the amount of snow predicted, but got enough that I needed to shovel. I also took gunner for a nice walk since the temps are finally warm enough. He really enjoyed himself, romping through the snowdrift! :laugh: Now he's sleeping by my side as I type.

I've got just a bit of grading which I will probably get started on later today.

Groundhog Day Challenge:
x/28 days at 100g or more of protein

Grading goals:
1. x/52 JRP thesis statements

Exercise goals:
Mon--gym (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Tues--gym (circuit training + HIIT) DONE
Wed--walk gunner NOT DONE (it was still way too cold!)
Thurs--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner + gym (cardio)
Sun--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT)

Exercise & Weight:
Bench press = 85
Dead lift = 90
Squat = 90
Overhead press = 55
Upright row = 60

Overhead tricep extension = 25 (dumbbell)
Bicep curl = 15 (dumbbell)
Lat pull down = 100
Tricep pull down = 90

Hello everyone. I hope we are all enjoying our weekends. Mine is off to a decent start. Today is my sons 20th b-day. He had a party with his friends last night that his sister threw for him and now tonight we are having a big family dinner for him. First thing this morning I ran to the store to pick up some of the things I needed. I am actually just making a bunch of savory snacky foods that he really likes instead of a sit down dinner. When I got home from the store I went to take the dogs for our daily walk. That was not as fun as usual. I dont understand why other people cant keep their dogs on leashes or restrained in their yards. There were several neighborhood dogs roaming around and by the end of the third lap I was done dealing with all the crap that can produce. Oh well I have a lot of cooking and cleaning to do so I guess I needed to come home and get busy. My fitness overall was pretty good this week. I missed a couple days but still came in well over the 150 minimum hours I want to reach every week. On the whole it has been a decent week for food and exercise. I am not going to try to log today since I am to lazy to input every recipie I plan on making but I plan to pace myself and except for a protein shake will probably wait till eat until this evening since I am keeping so busy this afternoon.

Robin I am so happy to hear your good news. That has to be a huge releif for you.

Nettie congrats on this months measurements. I havent done those in several months. I shoud really check that out.

Kelly and Laurie my mom and I often talk about things that have changed in school from us to my kids. Late work is on of those things. I nevre understood excepting late work. That doesnt prepare kids for the real world or real expectations. If my kids didnt get something done and there wasnt a real good reason they caught hell at home. I wasnt calling the teacher trying to make excuses for them.

Hayley grats on the loss thats great.

Susan happy to hear you are getting your groove back. Those slumps suck bu the key is not letting them lead to quitting so kudos to you.

Well I guess I better get off the computer and get my butt in gear. Have a great day everyone. :flowerforyou: :drinker:

Todays workout per HRM:
45 min
826 calories of which I claimed 500
1.93 miles
5261 steps

Bump-
Robin- YEAH for the good NEWS.

Heading out to dinner with a friend I think.

I am back from dinner. I ended up trying a new Mexican restaurant in the area, which was very good. I am sure I ate way to much of the burrito with the rice, cheese, beans and chicken. The good thing is that the food is freshly made at the place but I am sure the salt content will play havoc with my body tomorrow. I guess I was just craving Mexican tonight so tomorrow I will do an extra hard workout to make up for it.

Welcome to all the new people and welcome back to some old friend who are reappearing. It is great to see you all again.

Success this week losing about 4 lbs this week. This is the first time the scale has moved this far in one week in a very long time. I am just praying that the weight does not return next week since TOM is scheduled to make an appearance. Regretfully, I tend to gain it back once TOM strikes. I started this week at 197 and currently stand at 193. I like seeing this number on the scale and I really want it to stick around.

I like the Feb. challenge. My goal will be to eat at least 2 veggies every day. This means more veggies snack- ie carrots, broccoli etc.

Question for those who make fruit flavored water, Do you just slice the fruit and put it in the water pitcher to sit overnight or for a few hours? Is there anything else you do with the fruit? Do you freeze it? I mentioned this to a friend tonight and I did not want to leave out any key information.

My exercise plan for the week
Sunday-walking DONE
Monday- trainer (1/2 hr) plus my own workout, climbing maybe DONE no trainer but her workout
Tuesday- gym maybe or rest REST
Wednesday- Trainer DONE
Thursday- Rest DONE
Friday-Rock climbing DONE
Saturday- Swim/ aerobics DONE

Hi everyone!

@naomi--I tried using the MFP app on my DH's tablet and I hated it! I'm so used to the website--it took me forever to even figure out how to add food to my diary. :grumble: A trip to Singapore sounds like a great motivation, and don't let the scale frustrate you (I know, easier said than done ). As long as you are doing what you should nutrition-wise, it will eventually reflect your effort. Sometimes other factors (sodium, water intake, hormones, sleep patterns) can stall the scale even when you are eating under your allowance.

@laurie--CONGRATS!!! A 4 lb loss is great! :drinker:

@briends--welcome and congrats on sticking with MFP for a month! :flowerforyou:

AFM--I spent the evening doing laundry and prepping some food for the white chili I will make tomorrow. Didn't get to anymore grading, but I will get to that tomorrow.

I am able to post my 1st day of meeting my protein goal. Not only that, but I still have 477 calories remaining. This is great for two reasons. 1. It helps make up for some overindulgence on Panera a colleague brought to work yesterday. :blushing: 2. More importantly, it proves that when I focus on meeting the protein goal, I'm satisfied with a lot less calories. :happy:

I also wanted to share that while grocery shopping today, I found some Jimmy Dean's lite breakfast bowls that have egg whites, turkey sausage, cheese, and potatoes. I'm excited about this b/c I tend to use Lean Pockets (sausage, egg, & cheese) as my "convenience" breakfast to take to work. They are tasty and not too high in calories. However, the Jimmy Dean's bowls have more than twice the protein, half the carbs, and they are slightly lower in calories. Crossing my fingers that they taste good and are as filling as the Lean Pockets.

A question for those of you who do a lot of cooking. I'm soaking some beans overnight for my white chili tomorrow. However, I decided to use both Great Northern and Navy beans, but forgot to halve the portion of each type, so I will have twice as many soaked beans as I need for my recipe. Does anyone know if I can freeze them after soaking, then thaw and cook them at a later date? I suppose it couldn't hurt to try. Worst case scenario, I'll have wasted about $2 worth of beans. :ohwell:

Groundhog Day Challenge:
1/28 days at 100g or more of protein

Grading goals:
1. 8/52 JRP thesis statements

Exercise goals:
Mon--gym (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Tues--gym (circuit training + HIIT) DONE
Wed--walk gunner NOT DONE (it was still way too cold!)
Thurs--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner DONE + gym (cardio) NOT DONE (shoveled instead)
Sun--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT)

Exercise & Weight:
Bench press = 85
Dead lift = 90
Squat = 90
Overhead press = 55
Upright row = 60

Overhead tricep extension = 25 (dumbbell)
Bicep curl = 15 (dumbbell)
Lat pull down = 100
Tricep pull down = 90

February 1st goal achieved - 140 grams of protein today. Woo Hoo!!!

Better now, am at the pc...

@kah - I'm an accountant too, but our tax year ends in June, so this month's a breeze, LOL.

@Nettie - 4 inches is great. I'm really pleased for you - it shows that you are really working on this stuff.

@SraCr & @pamelajean - That is great work, congrats on the fab losses. Keep up the positive attitude.

@BriendM & @telegirl & @Mechelmc - welcome, this forum has a great group on it, they are so supportive!

@Laurie - that's a great loss, 4lb! Hope it stays true for you, and doesn't go away with TOM. As a mum I hate that other people's kids turn in late work at school. My kids don't get an extension, because I won't let them. Work must be finished on time, or it obviously isn't important enough to bother doing in the first place. Drives me bananas listening to other mum's excuse their kids in this way. hopefully our kids will all have a decent work ethic in the future.

@Skinny & Susan - great job on the protein! My mum was a nurse in her younger days, and she always told me high protein & low calorie is the best way to get the job done. Just didn't really want to suffer through it before.

@Skinny - thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm blaming the heat here - back up over 44C this week (this time we expect it for 6 days in a row), so while I don't do any planned excercise, the incidental stuff is even down at the moment, and drinking so much water to try to keep hydrated. We had our air con installed on Thursday so the house is much better, but still working hard to stay comfortable. I love MFP on the tablet/phone, but I can't get to the community stuff on the app, I have to be online & it's a pain. By the way, I think your beans will be fine if you freeze them. Hope you have a great Superbowl celebration. My hubby is taping it tomorrow to watch after work.

@Susan - Singapore is pleasure. My Sister in Law lives there at the moment (couple of years is the plan) and we are all going over to see her. Hubby hasn't been out of Australia before & the kids are quite excited about going overseas. And i agree, THE SCALE IS EVIL!!!

@p1x - love the vision of you standing in front of wide mouthed in-laws! I'm with you on this, I'd like to make my sister in law's jaw drop when I see her in August (not that she is ever anything but absolutely lovely, but it'll still be fun to surprise her).

Groundhog day challenge (is from today only, cause I didn't see it until this morning):
1/27 at least one serve of fruit every day.

Good Morning and Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I love the Super Bowl, okay mostly for the ads. :laugh: I love Payton Manning though, so have to root for Denver today. I'll just have organic some cheese popcorn I bought yesterday along with one of those new margarita type drinks that Budweiser has - I bought the Raz-ber-ita to try since it was on sale. They aren't bad, really reminds more of sangria than a margarita though.

I gotta say though, I'm not too happy with the color pink all over the radar this morning. :mad:

Yesterday was really productive. Zoe had a clean bill of health at the vet weighing in at 16.8# and she isn't done growing yet! :noway: Vet said she was healthy though, just a big cat. All the techs loved her and got a big kick out of her hiding in my shirt. I thought for sure she would be ticked, but was very clingy after we got home. After that I got to the gym and did a hill program on the dreadmill, my knee was bothering me too much to run. :frown: Then it was off to the vitamin store and after weeks of looking and pondering a piece of furniture for my bedroom I bought it yesterday - even though it was early they let me take advantage of their annual one-day sale coming up on the 13th, so I saved some dough. :bigsmile: I did get to the grocery store but didn't get any of the other shopping done I wanted to do, there is always next weekend.

@Naomi~Singapore, what great motivation! The scale can be your best friend or worst enemy, I'm hoping to lose 20# (but will be happy with 12-15#) by vacation so am limiting myself to the scale twice a week, maybe then if it doesn't move I won't be so discouraged. We all have to learn to patient sometimes, we'll get there.

@Susan~I'm making the Paleo chicken and sausage cacciatore today too, making a spaghetti squash to have with it. That's all the cooking I'm doing this week though.

@Karen~I don't have much experience with dry beans, but I think after you soak them and you allow them to completely dry that they would freeze well. I've tried the Jimmy Dean Delights b'fast sandwiches but not the bowls (I don't like potatoes in b'fast dishes).

AFM~I'm Kelley, 45, and an accountant in the healthcare industry and live in a Dallas suburb with my Maine Coon, Zoe. I love to travel (cruising is my favorite way to vacation), love to cook and since starting this weight loss "journey" have become a gym rat - mostly due to the encouragement and motivation of my trainer that I work out with 2-3 times a week. He keeps my body guessing and constantly challenges me. Work is going to be crazy the next 6 weeks, leading up to vacation in March, with a conversion of our operating system (currently working from two PCs) and then a huge upgrade on our accounting software. Hopefully, none of this will cause late hours at the office and keep me from my exercise goals.

For February my goal is to lose 10# and for the Groundhog Challenge my goal is to eat at least 140g of protein a day and up my water intake to 16 glasses (always my goal but I need to be more consistent).

@kaye--I am rooting for the Seahawks as well (sorry Broncos fans!), but my reason is b/c I like to root for the underdog if I have no other connection to the teams. However, I really do like their uniform colors as well, so that's a bonus!! :laugh:

@kelley--glad to hear zoe had a clean bill of health! I've also had the JD bfast sandwiches, but never the bowls. I would prefer it without the potatoes as well, but we'll see.

@nettie--thanks! I think I had that picture as my profile awhile back--it's me sitting on a statue of a goat in Lucerne, Switzerland. I'm not sure why I was inspired to take it, but I saw the statue and just thought "I must sit on that goat!" :laugh: I'm also pretty good at getting close to 100 g of protein, but only rarely go over which is why I picked it as my minimum.

@naomi--that is some very hot weather you are having. I know when it gets that warm here in the summer, I try to avoid too much outside activity. I won't run outside if it's over about 85 F, and when it's over 90 F I try to get gunner's walk in earlier in the day, or I wait until the sun is going down in the evening to avoid the hottest part of the day.

@p1xy--that's a great GD goal. I don't eat out that often during the school year--maybe 2-3 times/month--but it might be a challenge I give myself for one of the summer months.

@susan--I've seen recipes for those egg cups and they look yummy. I will probably try them at some point, but I already spend a lot of my Sunday afternoons preparing my work meals for the week, so that would be another task for me. My Lean Pockets are my go-to when I don't have time to cook/prepare enough meals for breakfast and lunch at work, so I'm hoping the breakfast bowls are a good replacement. Great job on that protein goal yesterday!!

@everyone with bean advice--thanks so much! I actually ended up using almost all of them, so it didn't end up being as issue.

Sunday Share:
Nothing really new here--weather stinks and the groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter--shocking news, right? :laugh: At least things have slowed down a bit at work. This next AP unit is a long one which means no essays from them for about 5 weeks. However, my juniors are just getting started on their big research papers, so that will replace the AP grading. At least they don't overlap.

Groundhog Day Challenge:
1/28 days at 100g or more of protein

Grading goals:
1. 8/52 JRP thesis statements

Exercise goals:
Mon--gym (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Tues--gym (circuit training + HIIT) DONE
Wed--walk gunner NOT DONE (it was still way too cold!)
Thurs--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT) NOT DONE
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner DONE + gym (cardio) NOT DONE (shoveled instead)
Sun--walk gunner + (lift + HIIT)

Exercise & Weight:
Bench press = 85
Dead lift = 90
Squat = 90
Overhead press = 55
Upright row = 60

Overhead tricep extension = 25 (dumbbell)
Bicep curl = 15 (dumbbell)
Lat pull down = 100
Tricep pull down = 90

Hi everybody sorry it has been awhile since I have posted anything.:embarassed:

My Groundhog Day challenge is going to be walk at least 2 miles a day. I just realized that I missed that by .05 miles yesterday. If I do not get 2miles I’ll be hitting the dreadmill until I do. Walgreens gives me 10 balance rewards points for each mile and I would like to get the points every day. That is really a small amount but they all add up. If my math is correct that is 1 penny for every mile. So that is 2 pennies a day. So starting today I will make 54 cents for February. With all the prescriptions Amy and I get their (500 points per Rx) and other stuff we get there we will get a lot of points. I can get motivated by the strangest things.:bigsmile:

I have not figured out a better way to log restaurant food that you do not know all the ingredients and amounts of each ingredient so I will keep entering something that sounds close from a place already listed in the MFP database.

JNettie- I have not been to Serendipity 3 yet but have been considering it. There are some really tempting sounding stuff on the menu http://www.caesarspalace.com/content/dam/clv/Dining/Casual/Serendipity/Serendipity-Menu-LV-2013-2.pdf it will be tough to get something healthy there.

I am getting more interested in Paleo style eating. I have not been doing it but am considering trying to go part way. I am going to see how the paleo bread comes out since it uses no grains or dairy. Hopefully Amy comes home from the store with the ingredients to make it. I am going to try the recipe Susan posted The Best Ever Paleo Chicken Cacciatore but Amy had left for the store before I could give her the ingredients.

Here is my hockey post so you can skip reading it if you do not like hockey. Friday we went but did not go to the Pub for dinner as we would probably be late to the game because the Wranglers were thrown out of the Orleans Arena for next year. They were told with just weeks before the ECHL dead line. They had to have submitted their venue to get on the ECHL schedule or not be in the league next year. So the hockey fans of Las Vegas came out to show some support for the team and sold the place out! That is 7,786 people there. They usually only get 3000-5000. The team has been playing really bad this year and we were hoping for the best. They won 5-2! Every time they score 5 goals in a game at home Del Taco gives everyone there a free taco. That is 7,786 free tacos they had to give out.:laugh: Adam Huxley got a Gordie Howe hat trick (1 goal, 1 assist, and 1 fight). The Roxy Gunn Project is a band that plays during the game right from a little section in the stands with the fans. They play funny stuff like to the tune of “I love rock & roll” I love hockey fights, and to the tune of “I like candy”- We want tacos.:laugh: It was a great night. Since it was so full of people we did not want to go get into the traffic jam of everybody trying to leave at the same time. We did not want to spend money in their casino since they were not only not letting the Wranglers play there next year but did not tell them until so close to them having to list where their home rink would be to stay in the league. We did go into their casino to kill some time. I lost $50.00 but Amy won $200.00 so we got out of there $150.00 of the Orleans money.:laugh:

“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”
― Herophilus

Tom

Well TOM made it's normal appearance and the weight re-appeared this morning- up 3 lbs in night. I know that is not realistic but it is still disheartening. I will give it a few days to see if it readjusts. Right now, I am even, but still wishing for an overall lost.

I did make a good veggie pasta salad tonight and it was extremely easy and relatively low in calories. It is a keeper. Ingredients: 2 oz of whole grain pasta, 10 oz of frozen broccoli, thawed and drained, 1 c. tomato (diced), 1/3 c. of oil free Italian dressing ( I used the light), 1/4 c. radishes and served on a bed of lettuce.

Challenge- I did eat at least 2 fruits and veggies (tangerine and the pasta salad).

TOM- Sounds like a great goal to walk 2 miles a day.

Kelley- I have also become a gym rat since starting this process.

Have a good week. I hope we don't get anymore snow this week.

@Robin- That's great that you were cleared of no brain tumors.

@SkinnyJeanz- Great idea about February Groundhog goals.

AFM- My groundhog goal will be to drink 10+ glasses of water to ensure that I stay hydrated. I sometimes forget to drink enough water. This morning I woke up not feeling so well so I stayed in bed all day resting. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Awesome game. The first football game I have watched all the way through. it was alot of fun just me and my two kids:bigsmile: