Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

Hello everyone, I hope it's been a wonderful day for you all! I wanted to share some goals. I have joined the "Biggest Loser" competition at my job. Last year, it was just the high school staff, and we were measured by percentage weight lost. I did well until the very last weigh-in. It was right after Spring Break and I remember I was up two pounds :grumble: . This year, I've joined again, but the pressure is on! Now the competition is open to the whole district staff and we're in teams of three! I already started our team off poorly. From the initial weigh-in to the first check-up, I had gained 2 lbs ...which brings me to my goals: for the team weigh in on Thursday, I would like to at least have those 2 lbs back off. Another goal is to be at least 5 lbs lower than I am now by Feb. 28. My last goal for now: to commit myself to at least 45 min in the gym for 5 days this week.

Nettie- For early closings or late openings on school days do count as a full day provided the kids are served lunch so a 4 hour day counts as a school day. Regarding our weather we are currently getting sleet and are under a freezing rain advisory for tonight. Surrounding areas N and W are under a winter storm advisory (ice, sleet and snow). Travel will be dangerous tomorrow morning and we will most likely get a delay. The roads will be to icy in the morning for safe travel.

I skipped the gym today since I ended up working later than planned. I was very tired when I left work today and was going out tonight. No time to do both so opted to go out instead. It was a fun evening out and I found another person to do the indoor triathlon with in March.

I guess I better say good night so I can get some sleep, in case school starts on time tomorrow.

Have a great day tomorrow. To everyone in the path of this huge storm, please stay safe and be careful while driving.

Good evening everyone. I am really late getting on here tonight. I have been so tired lately so when I actually had a little energy I took advantage and got a lot of housework that had been getting just a quick brush up taken care of. I also took the doggies for another nice long walk. Now I am posting this while I listen to my daughter doing Zumba Wii behind me. I love when my kids make healthy choices. I so dont want them to struggle their whole adult lives like I have. My goals for this week are just to stay strong on the not snacking and make sure I get my walks in . I have done really well on food today. If I only kept busy all the time food so wouldnt be an issue but as soon as I slow down I start looking for something to put in my mouth. I kinda miss Zumba listening to her doing it. I might have to try it out myself.

Mel congrats on getting off the meds. That is a huge accomplishment.
Karen yay for the 2 pounds. You have worked hard and definitley earned it.
p1xn1xy grats on the 5 starts. That is hard.

Well everyone have a good night and if you are in the path of a storm keep safe.:flowerforyou: :drinker:

Todays workout per HRM:
70 min
1135 calories/ claimed 650
3.28 miles
8188 steps

@tammy--glad you had such a great day. I only lost 1 pound, but I will try for another tomorrow to make an honest woman of you.

@robin--sounds like a nice weekend with your friend.

@laurie--we are also in the path of the storm, but the forecast is that it's trending south. Up here it's been snowing since about 6pm and is supposed to continue through about noon tomorrow, but it's so light that there's no much accumulation so far. Stay safe driving tomorrow.

Wow! I had a lot of reading to do!!! I haven't been on in a few days, just randomly logging. Kinda half-heartedly, I guess. I have no reason for this. Just a funk-ish type of mood swing that, thankfully, is now over. However, I don't think I'll be seeing a loss on the scale this Saturday morning...ho hum..c'est la vie. I'm back and ready to commit again!

Helena = WOW!!! Congrats on the 200's !!! That's soooo exciting! I remember reaching 299 a few months ago. I was so exciting, I called my mom and she, realist that she is, said, "You do realize you still have a long way to go, right?!" Now, I know she was trying to help, but talk about ruining my natural high! haha! Anyway, I don't want to do that to you, so I'll just say, "Congrats and keep it up! You can do it and I know you will!"

Missmanda = I had the same problem with the "hell"iptical machine at the Y with my friend/trainer. I loved the bike. I went about 2 miles in about 12 minutes, which isn't great, per se, but it was just my first time. Then, we went to the elliptical and I thought my legs were going to fall off! I only lasted 7 minutes there...haha! I'm aiming for 10 next time, but I think it's more realistic to say 8! Also, low-impact is basically all I can do at this level right now. I'm loving water aerobics, but be prepared to be the youngest one in your class! I'm 30, and the next youngest is 58, so I feel really young. It's great exercise, too!

Stephanie = Congrats on TBL challenge. A challenge like that is great motivation, and I have found if there are rewards, I'm likely to work harder (i.e., hit me in my pocketbook and I'll work my butt off!)

RobinE = I'm so happy for your good medical news (i.e. no tumor!!!) I have heard of Cushing Syndrome. It can also affect weight, so when I went off of my Zyprexa, they tested me for it, too. Fortunately, I didn't have it, so I just have to lose weight the ol' fashioned way...diet and exercise. Don't you wish there were an easier more permanent way? I haven't found one yet, but once you start treatment for Cushings, perhaps you'll lose more...? Not sure. It's a nice thought, tho! lol!

Mel = Congrats on getting off your BP meds!!!!! That's AWESOME news!!!! I'm praying for that day, too...well, praying and working...

Tom = I have that same problem with unhealthy snacks. I have the feeling that if I'm not actually doing something (cleaning, taking care of pets, working, etc.) I need to be eating. And I ALWAYS go for the chips! I finally told my husband to take them to work with him (He works at a factory, so he can put them in his locker and eat them at lunch) and then when he gets home, he leaves them in his lunchbox. That is a "No-Hayley Zone" so I know I won't get into them there! haha!

Nettie = this is old news, but it cracked me up that as a vegetarian, your favorite grocery store is called Meat Farm!!! haha! That's great! I know what you mean about being hourly versus salaried teacher. My mom is in the same situation. She retired after 38 years of teaching and moved to MI. The cost of living was higher there, so she took a "permanent substitute" job for a lady who had a baby. It lasted all year from the week before school started to the last report card day. However, in MI, they have A LOT of snow days, so even though she's a great teacher and does exactly the same things "real" teachers do, she only makes Sub pay, which is MUCH less than contracted teachers and if they miss a day, she doesn't get paid. That really stinks for you, I feel your pain...

AFM = I've been in a funk and one day this week, I didn't even wake up to eat breakfast or lunch, then pigged out for supper. I hate beating myself up for that, so I'm not going to do that here. But I'm back and ready to begin again.

I went to the library and got two new books, "Cooking yourself Thin" and "The 5$ Dinner Mom Cookbook". Cook yourself Thin was featured on Lifetime (or so the cover said) and they had some pretty good recipes. For those of you with a sweet tooth, check out the chocolate pavlova recipe. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, but it does take 2 hours to cook...

The other one, "The 5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook" was really informative about coupons and sales and things like that. Then there are the recipes...! They are cheap, easy, healthy, and many of them are delicious! I highly recommend this book for anyone on here on a budget, like me!

We've been having some bad weather here in Iowa, too. Between last night and this morning, we got about 7 inches of snow. Tomorrow, our high will be 3F, with lows of -15 and windchills of 30 below. That's. Really. Cold! My hubby still had to go to work, but I don't have to go to work. If school is cancelled, the gymnastics gym at the YMCA shuts down. School hasn't been cancelled yet, but I doubt I'll work tomorrow (I only work Tues. and Thurs.) esp. if it's going to be that cold. We don't want anyone breaking down or getting stuck on their way to gymnastics, ya know!? Totally not worth it!

Well, friends, I'm glad to be back, and I just want to mention that a 17-yr-old girl from my hometown has contacted me and wants to be workout buddies. She also wants to lose about 100 lbs., so I recommended this thread to her. Hopefully she joins. She sounds really committed, too, so it might be good for me, too!

loves,

Glum.

I think that's the best word to describe where I am right now. No weight loss. The weather is lousy. Work is stressful and I hate the project I'm currently working on. DH got the info for the company trip to Cabo in early March and it consists of 2 full days (like leaving at 6am and getting back at 1am) of travel to spend 2 days with coworkers at company "discussions" and dinners. Ugh. Not at all my idea of fun. He said there was an option to tack on days before or after (at our expense of course), but I'm certainly not willing to pay to spend additional time with his coworkers. DH doesn't even like most of them in the office and when you put them in a place with alcohol nothing good results. Is it wrong to pray for a small case of the flu?

I know this too shall pass, but in the meantime, I just feel low. Hope everyone is in a better frame of mind than I and has a great day!

Good morning everyone!

Susan- I get the Kiki’s Burger or BBQ Bachi Burger 8oz Grass-Fed Wagyu at Bachi Burger. I like the Kurobuta and Arabiki Sausages with Honey Basil Mustard also. The pickles were really different but not my favorite. I live pretty close to there and now I may have to go tonight for a BBQ Bachi Burger 8oz Grass-Fed Wagyu. I am afraid to try the Pork Belly Steamed Buns because I think I will probably love them and they cannot be good for me health wise. I have never had pork belly anywhere. My favorite Ramen place has pork belly bowls and I have resisted them so far. Monta Chaya is also near my house and if you want to try some noodles this is the sister restaurant to the one in China Town http://www.montaramen.com/ I love it.

Calhoun- Welcome to the group!

I finished the chips and salsa so now I can try to snack less and more healthy.

Groundhog Day challenge 3.12 miles 2/27

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” –Arthur Ashe

Tom

@Susan~Yes, very excited – 39 days and counting! :laugh: I still need to finish stuff in the cruise personalizer, keeping putting it off. All of our excursions are booked, except Costa Rica – hopefully will have that figured out this week. Have you ever purchased any of the drink packages? I haven't but I'm thinking of doing the coffee card this time.

@Mel~Fantastic news about the doc taking you off BP meds! :drinker: Sorry you couldn’t go see your GS, hope you’re over the crud that is going around quickly.

@SraCr8on~Awesome on joining in on the challenge at work, good luck! Just stay focused on your goals and you’ll do great.

@Karen~I’ve just started doing the programs on the treadmill to change things up a bit. I’ve never done the “weight loss” one but did “random hills” on level 8 the other day, it kicked my hiney! :laugh:

@L2T~I’m right there with you! No loss, but no gain – so guess I should be happy with that, but I’m not. :explode:

@Alupinsk~ I finally got it down to an hour including intervals. I’ll do 2-3 push/pull weight exercises each for arms and legs followed by 5-minutes on a cardio machine and then repeat 3 times – my workout isn’t as extensive as when I workout with my trainer but I feel like I hit all the “hot” zones.

AFM~I got stuck at work late yesterday because of software issues during month-end, so yesterday turned into a rest day from the gym for me. Today I have a session with my trainer – month-end is complete so should have no problem getting out of work on time. My trainer and I need to discuss a plan of attack, I’m tired of playing around with losing and gaining the same 5# over and over again – may be time for another resting metabolic rate assessment. My RMR may have changed, so I’m either not eating enough or I’m eating too much. :grumble: GD goals were a little off base, so I’ve decided on getting 16 glasses of water a day – a goal I’m often short of by 2-3 glasses. If I remember to drink water when I get home (something I almost never do) I should be able to reach that goal.

Monday~Gym, elliptical or running on TM DONE! (Combo of the two)
Tuesday~Gym, arc trainer or training session None, stuck at work late. REST DAY
Wednesday~Gym, training session
Thursday~Gym, treadmill/stairmill or racquetball
Friday~Gym, elliptical
Saturday~None, shopping
Sunday~Gym, training session

@robinB--I hate it when meetings have unhealthy food, and it's always a guessing game. :grumble: You are right to chalk it up to a bad day and move on.

@kelley--I can't believe it's less than 40 days until your cruise! I do "random hills" all the time on the elliptical and stationary bike, but I've always avoided hills on the treadmill. I'm trying to branch out and challenge myself. Increasing my pace wasn't working, so the incline seemed like a good alternative. I still hate the hills but they aren't quite as terrible as they used to be. :laugh:

@alupinsk--when I lift, I do it in circuits mixing in ab work as well. So for example, I will do 1 set of squats, 1 set of benchpress, and one set of hanging crunches. Then I repeat that circuit until I've completed all 5 sets. Next I'll move to 1 set of deadlifts, 1 set of upright rows, and 1 set of roman sit-ups. You get the idea. That way, my muscles have sufficient time to rest between sets, but I don't waste a lot of time sitting around between sets.

@tom--glad those pesky chips and salsa are out of the house. I'm not a salsa fan, but I've heard it's one of the healthier dips if you can find something healthier than chips to pair with it.

@ushkii--happy to hear you got a scale that's now honest--even if you don't "love" the story. You're right though, now you can really start tracking your progress.

@L2T--is there any way to tack on a couple of extra days and NOT spend it with the co-workers (like you and your husband plan your own excursions away from them). Or, could your husband fish around to see when most of the co-workers are tacking on their extra days (before or after the company trip time) and then you guys could do the opposite?

@calhoun--welcome! :flowerforyou:

@hayley--those books sound great--I hope you get some really good meal ideas!

@amanda--great job joining the gym and getting there to work out--even with your busy schedule! :drinker:

Wednesday Wish:
My wish is that this is the last big snowstorm followed by sub-zero weather of the season. It's getting really old! We got about 5 or 6 inches, but it was also really windy so a lot of drifting snow which made for a messy commute this morning. I didn't have too bad a drive, but one of my colleagues coming from the city took over 2 hours to get to work! :noway: Grateful I only work 7 miles from home.

I'm really proud of myself today b/c our yearbook staff had their late-night deadline last night and there was a bunch of left-over Panda Express in the fridge today. I LOVE Panda Express, but the calorie counts are astronomical. I knew I wasn't going to the gym after work, so I ate my healthy lunch I brought from home. Even though I made good food choices, I'm going slightly over in order to meet my protein goal. I'm trying not to stress about daily limits as long as I make up for it within the week. Tomorrow I am going to the gym, so I will just make sure I don't eat back all of my exercise calories.

I'm also happy b/c I had a little bit of grading which I could have put off for a day or two, but instead I went to starbucks and got it all done. :happy: Tomorrow I have curriculum writing all day which means we will probably go out for lunch--we tend to pick someplace with healthy options, so I'm not too concerned.

Groundhog Day Challenge:
5/28 days at 100g or more of protein

Grading goals:
1. 52/52 prose annotations DONE

Exercise goals:
Mon--rest day CORE WORK INSTEAD
Tues--walk gunner DONE + gym (circuit training + HIIT) DONE
Wed--walk gunner NOT DONE
Thurs--walk gunner + (circuit training + HIIT)
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner + gym (cardio)
Sun--walk gunner + (circuit training + HIIT)

Nettie- My school opened two hours late today. Luckily, the ice in my area was not to bad and the roads were okay by drive time. It actually hit 40 this afternoon. However, it will not last as the cold air is due back again.

Low impact exercises- anything in water-swimming, aerobics (deep water to reduce impact on knees but regular is good too), The AMT and ellipitical machines at the gym. Try the different styles of of the ellipitical to see if they feel any different. Walking is also an option.

Great workout tonight. It involved slow jogs and intervals consisting of running drills then sprints. The sprints were fun because my trainer was sprinting next to me. So of course I had to run faster to keep up with her or better yet pass her. That will be my goal to pass her during the sprint. I really was not that far behind her and she started after I passed her. After the run we focused on weight lifting with a focus on the abs, arms and core. We did mix up-right rows and bent over rows tonight, that was a good workout. Fly's were also mixed tonight using the bench and the ball- I really liked this combination as well. After this workout, I climbed all three rock walls at my gym tonight.

Wish-That I sleep well tonight. I was almost too hyper last night to sleep well especially with the expectation of the phone call this morning. I also want to find a balance for all the different exercises that I do.