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).