Lots2Lose & over 40 (CLOSED GROUP)

Daily Inspiration for March 22, 2011
Katie Jay, MSW

Exercise.

Perhaps you would prefer not to exercise. It takes time, it's hard, and you don't like to sweat. But even though you can think of a thousand excuses why you do not want to (or think you can't) exercise, you know in the long run it will make you feel better.

At first, exercise can feel like torture, but if you stay vigilant you will find you become stronger and have more energy. Exercise also relieves stress. Working out your tensions with sweat helps to unburden your soul. And you just might find yourself feeling more cheerful. Prioritize exercise like you prioritize brushing your teeth, drinking water, or taking your medicine. For long-term weight loss success and maintenance, it is as essential.

Action for the day: In your journal, make a list of activities you like to do that involve moving your body. These activities do not have to be formal exercise. Pick one activity and do it today.

Claudia, thanks for the recipe! It looks and sounds yummy. I have to start keeping some bread crumbs on hand. A lot of the meat recipes I find call for them but I have never bought any. Just not something I ever thought about when at the grocery. :happy:

Mollie, thanks for replying to my question. I guess the reason I thought I should eat all the calories is all the info I read on MFP that says to eat at least 1200 net per day. When I typically eat 1500 in food and then burn 500, that leaves me at 1000 net - 200 under the 1200 minimum. The folks on the site also say that if I do not eat enough, the body will rebel and hold onto the weight. Since i have not had much change on the scale the last 3 weeks, I have been wondering if I am eating enough, so I was thinking of trying to eat all my regular daily calories (1770) plus some of my exercise calories to see if I can get things moving in the right direction. Since I have an underactive thyroid, thought eating a bit more might help improve the metabolism. I have only been dong the calorie counting thing for 4 months though so it would all be experimental as I certainly am no expert. :ohwell:

Please read below link and advise if you know or can shed some light on below thread. I guess I just want to make sure before I start cutting back on raw spinach that this is accurate information. Thanks.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/203697-question-on-spinach-being-bad-for-thyroid-t-or-f

Hi everyone...its Monday check in day. I had an ok week. I didnt exercise as much as I had planned on, 3 days a week was all, and I didnt stay as close to my calorie range as I wanted to. Ive had a lot of personal stuff going on this past week, but now I feel like I am back on track. We will see how that reflects on the scale on Wednesday. I don't really feel like Ive lost any. But I imagine it would be worse, if I wasnt paying attention at all. I just feel like I need to pay more attention to things this week. I bought a pedometer today, so we shall see if this motivates me to move more. Thats the plan. Have a great monday everyone!:flowerforyou:

Hello friends!
Happy Monday! Last week was terrible for me exercise-wise (as in I didn't do any) and so so as far as food. I got back on track with exercise yesterday and I'm back on track with the food - I don't always make the choices I should but definitely better than the "old days". I was just thinking today as I was in the convenience store looking at the Reeses peanut butter cups just how often I mindlessly picked up "snack" before that was likely as much or more calories than some meals I eat.

Katz - congrats on the smaller jeans. Don't you just LOVE that feeling?? You will love having an accurate scale.
Claudia - I'm planning a trip to Vegas in October. It will be my first time ever there. Yay that your clothes were too big!!
Mollie - I laughed at your post. I found out at the doctor this week I am 5' 21/2" instead of the 5'4" I always say. I had the exact same thought...this makes my BMI higher so in my mind I'm still 5'4" :bigsmile: at least for now. I change my ticker weekly.
Christy - my husband is a "water snob" too and refuses to drink tap water even just to take his medicine. We bought a filter pitcher that he swears tastes better but I can't tell much difference. I do like having the cold water in the fridge and not dealing with the plastic bottles. Now me, I am an ice snob. I can't stand the ice from our ice maker and love bought/bagged ice.
Darn! I forgot to write down who got the big refund but hooray for you!!

For the record, I don't intentionally eat my exercise calories. I think of them as a buffer. I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I am going to have a crazy week at both jobs. The first because I'm covering for people who are on vacation and the second because tax season is starting to wind down.
Cathy

MJ - I forgot to say, I struggle with having too many calories left at night too. I think I'm afraid of running out of calories before I run out of day. Having my big meal at night is a hard habit for me to break.

me too Cathy. If I don't eat my big meal at night I find myself looking for snacks all evening and eating way more

@Claudia,
Thanks for recipe!

@Jackie,
Congrats on pedometer!! and 3 days of exercising is better than zero......:-)

@Cathy,
Good job getting back on the horse! BTW - I went ahead and changed my height. The last time I shrunk it was correct so I will just assume they were right again.....:-)

Thanks you all for replies on changing your tickers! I will give myself 2 weeks to get back to ticker weight which is April 13th. After that I am going to make Wednesdays the day I change my tickers and as Christy stated I am going to change it no matter what it says. If I am up I will reflect the gain. Hopefully this will help me stick with my program better.

Good night all!!:flowerforyou:

Good morning all.

Tuesday Test: My biggest overall challenge is staying motivated. Lately, with so much support from all of you, my family and friend (the select few who know I'm trying to loose weight), it's been a lot easier to stay motivated. Also, the small successes I've enjoyed, such as the smaller jeans from my closet and being able to do a really long walk, have been motivating in and of themselves. It amazes me though, that there are still days that I struggle to stay on my plan.

One consistent problem I have is that pesky inner voice in my head that is so very critical. Even after that six mile walk on Sunday, that voice was beating me up about how slow I walked compared to some of the others in the group, and how I had the hardest time going up the hills. So I think my next challenge is to work on that inner voice. I am doing a phenomenal job working on a tremendous undertaking. That in itself is reason for me to be proud. I'm going to work on re-programming that voice. Even if I can't silence it, I can certainly turn the volume down!

Have a great week everyone!
katzpawz

Absolutely, katzpawz. Amen sister! This is exactly my problem also. I am never happy with how much I am doing and always feel I could do more, then I get discouraged and fall off the wagon. *sigh*

Good morning all.

Tuesday Test: My biggest overall challenge is staying motivated. Lately, with so much support from all of you, my family and friend (the select few who know I'm trying to loose weight), it's been a lot easier to stay motivated. Also, the small successes I've enjoyed, such as the smaller jeans from my closet and being able to do a really long walk, have been motivating in and of themselves. It amazes me though, that there are still days that I struggle to stay on my plan.

One consistent problem I have is that pesky inner voice in my head that is so very critical. Even after that six mile walk on Sunday, that voice was beating me up about how slow I walked compared to some of the others in the group, and how I had the hardest time going up the hills. So I think my next challenge is to work on that inner voice. I am doing a phenomenal job working on a tremendous undertaking. That in itself is reason for me to be proud. I'm going to work on re-programming that voice. Even if I can't silence it, I can certainly turn the volume down!

Have a great week everyone!
katzpawz

Absolutely, katzpawz. Amen sister! This is exactly my problem also. I am never happy with how much I am doing and always feel I could do more, then I get discouraged and fall off the wagon. *sigh*

I'm sure there is some deeply rooted psychological reason we do this to ourselves. It would be nice if that voice in my head would just shut up! LOL!

Good morning all.

Tuesday Test: My biggest overall challenge is staying motivated. Lately, with so much support from all of you, my family and friend (the select few who know I'm trying to loose weight), it's been a lot easier to stay motivated. Also, the small successes I've enjoyed, such as the smaller jeans from my closet and being able to do a really long walk, have been motivating in and of themselves. It amazes me though, that there are still days that I struggle to stay on my plan.

One consistent problem I have is that pesky inner voice in my head that is so very critical. Even after that six mile walk on Sunday, that voice was beating me up about how slow I walked compared to some of the others in the group, and how I had the hardest time going up the hills. So I think my next challenge is to work on that inner voice. I am doing a phenomenal job working on a tremendous undertaking. That in itself is reason for me to be proud. I'm going to work on re-programming that voice. Even if I can't silence it, I can certainly turn the volume down!

Have a great week everyone!
katzpawz

Positive self talk is a hard one, but the more you practice it the better you will feel about the whole process. We can re-program ourselves to find the positive in any situation. This brings us peace of mind and makes the journey a pleasant one. This does not mean their will be times we will struggle but if we look for the positives we will get past the bumps in the road without giving up. I am pleasantly suprised at how good I feel this month even though I have gained weight this month and have definitely been struggling. I am looking at all the positives and rejoicing in the many NSV's. That takes my mind away from the let down of scale moving in the right direction.

The more you practice postive self talk the easier it becomes. Keep up the good work everyone! We can do this! One day at a time, one pound at a time......:-)