Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

When will the April goal go out?

Hello All,
Welcome to the newbies. You have found a great place for friendship and support. Stop by and post often so we can get to know you.

Welcome back to the returning friends. Hope you find what you need here.

Monday check in: Today was overall a good day. The sun came out and I got a ton of work done at the store. I am hoping to have more productive days this week.

Tomorrow night is my last swim class. I have learned so much in 6 weeks. I meet with the trainer this week to polish up my training schedule for the next few weeks. I have requested a mentor through the local triathlon club and am hoping to hear from someone this week.

Food went well today and I got most of my water in. I made a batch of soup over the weekend and that will suffice for lunches. I have prepped lots of veggies for this week and have good choices available. So I am trying to make it easier for healthy options.

Anyone out there ever drink almond or soy milk? Any feedback on that would be welcome. I have not tried it in the past and do not know what will happen in relation to my IBS. I am thinking about trying it this weekend.

I am up and to the gym early tomorrow so I am off to bed now.
Love to all,
Lori

Welcome to all of the newlings!!

@lori (cblue)--I've never been a fan of cow's milk (I'm not lactose intolerant; I just think it's kind of gross to drink). I'll use it for cooking, but I always use soy milk if I'm eating cereal. Be careful to get the light variety; otherwise, it has a ton of sugar. I like plain--the vanilla is too sweet for me. Also, be careful to ease it into your diet or you could experience a reaction to too much soy. When I first bought it, I had it everyday, sometimes twice a day (I was so excited to eat cereal again!), and my lips swelled up. I cut back and ate it more sparingly until my body adjusted to the increased soy and never had another reaction.

@onder--I love shopping at discount places like TJ Maxx and many of their stores have a woman's section. If you have a Nordstrom Rack near you they also carry nice clothes in a wide range of sizes. For everyday, casual clothes, Target is also a great place. I think we can all post our April challenges anytime now since we are all choosing our own goals.

@kris (mowmow)--love the pics of your kitties! They are all cute, but Mowmow is really a gorgeous cat! Yes, I'm pretty busy, but I probably teach the most grading-intensive courses of any HS teacher. My colleagues always comment that there's a reason all 3 of the AP English teachers at our school don't have children. I honestly don't know how teachers with kids at home juggle it all.

@garysgirl--Welcome back!! I actually remember you from 3 years ago. Congrats on your twins!

@robinB--welcome back to you too! I was wondering if you had completely abandoned us. Glad you DECIDED to return! LOL

@tom--my husband is getting ready to smoke a pork roast later this week. So yummy!

@kelley (kah)--that's great about the bike! Yes, I did have a nice break. Going back today was hard, but the fact that it's a 4-day week helps.

@tracy (tlh)--Oh my! I would have freaked out if my cable went out before the finale. It was so good, but now I'm sad that it will be so ling until I get to watch it again. Did your DH hear that AMC will be airing a new related series this summer? It's supposed to be set in LA during the early days of the outbreak. I hope it's as good as TWD.

Monday Check in:
Today wasn't too bad food wise. Someone brought delicious jumbo muffins to the office. I didn't manage to avoid them completely. However, I chose banana nut over cinnamon b/c the calorie count was much lower and only ate a quarter of one muffin.

My protein isn't great, but not terrible at 85 g. I looked back over my reports and as usual, I can get between 75-90 g most days but really have to work to get above that. Therefore, my goal for April is to push myself to get 90+ grams of protein at least 5 days/week.

I also decided to scale back the fitness goals. I think I was trying to tackle too much and not succeeding at any of it. It was also frustrating to give myself a strength training goal when I can barely do any lifting due to my shoulder injury. Since I have my Cinco de Miler 8k in early May, I will just focus on running.

I finally finished those dreadful Wuthering Heights journals!! YAY!!

April Challenge:

Nutrition = At or over 90 grams of protein 5/7 days a week
Week 1: At/over 90g of protein x/7
Week 2: At/over 90g of protein x/7
Week 3: At/over 90g of protein x/7
Week 4: At/over 90g of protein x/7

Exercise = run 3 x/week:
Week 1: x/3 runs
Week 2: x/3 runs
Week 3: x/3 runs
Week 4: x/3 run

Next 8k is May 9th (Thanksgiving 8k = 56:49, NYE 8k = 57:47, 1/25 = 55:41; 2/28=55:15, 3/29 = 59:15)

Grading Goals:
1. x/64 AP essays
2. x/16 AP analysis activities

Exercise Goals: (week 1)
Sun--8k DONE
Mon--walk gunner DONE
Tues--walk gunner
Wed--walk gunner + gym
Thurs--walk gunner
Fri--walk gunner + gym
Sat--rest day

2015 Mantra = Just 15 minutes

Checking in. It's official. I lost nothing in the first three months of this year...or, rather, I yo-yo'd around and ended up back where I started on January 1st.

I have spring fever, which is a good thing. It's got me planning my veggie garden and my training runs, both helpful things for weight loss.

This year, we're trying to start some of our own plants indoors. We have a patio garden, and last year we tried an Earth Box. It worked so great that we used part of our tax return and bought six more! On the list to try and grow this year: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, cabbage, carrots, peas, green beans, bell peppers, Hungarian peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, oregano, basil, cilantro and peppermint. This is our first year with an herb garden...since I'm planting my greens in an Earth Box, I'm dedicating my three-tiered "salad bowl" container to herbs now.

I signed up last night for a 10K and a half-marathon, the same ones I did last year. The 10K is in June and the half is in September. My 10K training began with a 1.5 mile run on Sunday, and my first run outside since November was not *as* terrifying as I imagined it might be. I didn't lose much in the way of speed (not that I was ever "fast"), but I felt very wheezy and had to walk a portion of it....checking my malfunctioning phone was a good excuse to stop and walk! I can only get better from here.

I will be working on week-to-week goals since monthly goals seem to be overwhelming me right now.

So, for the week of 3/31-4/6....

Under Calories: x/7

Tues-Run 1.5:
Wed-XT:
Thurs-Run 1.5:
Fri-Rest:
Sat-Run 2:
Sun-Run/Walk 1.5:
Mon-Rest:

2015 Mantra: You Know Better! ~and~ Finish This Baby!

@Karen~Muffins are my absolute weakness. I can turn down cookies, cakes, donuts (especially) but I’m a bloodhound for blueberry muffins!

@Angelika~Ouch, another dislocated rib? I’m sorry. I’m glad the chiro can help but hope it stops happening.

@Amanda~I’m sorry for the yo-yoing over the last three months, I’ve had the same problem. I hope we can turn things around—I need to, I need to lose 40# before my cruise! Did you make your earthbox? They can be pricey. I’ve long wanted to have one to grow my own herbs (having a townhome, I don’t have much of a yard for actual gardening)—I cook so much with rosemary, thyme, basil and chives that I’d like to grow them myself.

@Laurie~I know your nerves are getting the best of you anticipating this tri (mine would be to), but you’re working with a great trainer with experience—I think she is doing everything in her power to prepare you. Also, you’ve done them indoors before, so think you kind of know what to expect. I think all of this hard work is going to pay off and you’re going to do great! Enjoy your Spring Break this week.

@singingqt6675‌~Welcome, I think you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel after just cutting out fast food and soda’s.

@cblue315‌ (Lori)~I’m casein intolerant, so drink almond milk (I can’t have soy because of my thyroid). You have to be careful, some varieties are calorie laden and full of sugar—I get Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk, love it on cereal! It works great as a milk substitute in most recipes too.

@onederbaby~Monthly goals are usually posted in the first week of the month. @Robinsegg (Ellen) or @Niki usually posts it for us. We decided to set our own individual goals for April, since so many of us need to concentrate on different areas of our programs right now—posting updates on the thread on Thursday’s (I think that is what Ellen said in a post last week).

AFM~It’s a busy week for me this week, trying to get my guest bedroom ready to paint (need to donate some furniture/clothes) but think I’ll be able to get to the gym most days. Right now my goals are to just get back into a routine, especially lifting—which I will do tonight.

@jaferjoy…I wish I could tell you magic steps to get out of a funk but then I’d be rich and could hire a trainer and a cook and then this would be easier to lose weight. HA! I know that sometimes you just have to fake it til you make it. Easier said then done. Hopefully you can find work soon and that will help. Great job on 13 pounds in one month!!
@kaye…wouldn’t it be easier if we could all do motivation for each other? Unfortunately, this is something that everyone has to decide on their own. I hope your sisters can find that motivation and become healthier. I say that, yet I still haven’t lost much weight, but I know I’m on the road to healthier and stronger.
@Karen…I’m jealous of all the different places you have. Here in Bismarck, the Target plus size section has about two racks of clothes and TJ Maxx doesn’t even have a plus size. But if I would get my butt in gear, I could maybe get out of the need for plus size anyway.  I did ask Michael if he knew about the related series and he does have it on his radar for July.
@Laurie…I wish our schools would do a formal spring break. We do a lot of longer weekends, but not a week off. It would be nice to be able to have time to get away instead of just sticking around home because it’s too far to go in a short period of time. I can imagine it is nerve-wracking to look down the barrel of a triatholon, but your trainer is getting you ready and the work you are doing will really pay off.
@Tom…Today’s “day” is full of bad memories for me. In science, when we were dissecting clams, my science partner was pushing on the class to report on texture etc. It squirted the formaldehyde directly into my mouth! It was just a drop and I rinsed immediately, but I cannot NOT associate clams with that taste. I’ve tried them as an adult and the association is still too strong.

AFM… A week ago, my husband reminded me (whined to me) that he’s been having to take the kids to music lessons every week and was wondering if I was ever going to take a turn. Water Aerobics are only in the evenings on Mondays and Wednesdays at my gym (several during the morning, but since I work, those are not going to work for me). Music lessons – Monday. I told him I would alternate weeks since my sister can only go every other week. I really wanted to tell him I’ve been doing it all for 12 years, but I held my tongue and said we could split the duty.

My sister and I did still got to the gym to lift but it wasn’t until 8:45. We were hitting new highs for all of our lifts, so we were tired and had to take longer breaks between sets. Ultimately it feels awesome but man!

Today has started out pretty emotional. My husband and I met with the counselor at Jacob’s school. She and the teachers feel he could be an A/B student if he worked at all and could have unlimited options for a future. However, most of the time he disengages in class and totally lacks self motivation. She reminded us that he has not checked out completely so that’s a good thing. Part of his problem is that he doesn’t have to work hard to get Ds and Cs so he just doesn’t. She feels he might suffer from depression and/or attention deficit. She has recommended some outside counsel. Now I’m trying to get through to our insurance to see what can be covered/cost etc. The word depression just freaks me out as we’ve gone through such a roller coaster with Michael’s depression. But I’m trying to think on the positive side.

Now I just got off the phone with the mechanic. Need new brakes and tie-rods. To the tune of $550ish. UGH. Still not as expensive as new car payments, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to cancel our week at the lake since we will have had to pay over $2000 in car fixes and new tires between our two vehicles since November.

Tonight, I’m going to spend my evening getting some cakes baked and some goodies made for Easter. I’m in charge of the veggies, dessert and munchies.

As far as my April Goals go, I’m going to concentrate on two main goals: Protein and water. I’m going to consider it a successful day for protein if I get 100 g (but based on calories, my goal should be 137 but I struggle sometimes just getting to the 100 mark). Then for water it is to get 90 oz in daily. I have a bottle that holds 30 oz, so if I can make sure to get one gone by noon, another gone by the end of my work day at 3:30 and then the last one done by bedtime I should be good.

Have a great day!

You guys are so amazing. Triathalons and 10K's!!! I can't even begin to imagine being at that point. I'm jealous of the week of Spring Break. I can't wait for ours. Luckily, there are only two days left of school, and one is a field trip to the zoo! Good Friday starts our week off. I hope to get plenty of fun exercise in that week.

My big goal for April is to get no less than 30 minutes of walking in daily. With the twins and being a full time working mommy, I'm just not willing to give up time with them to go to the gym. We worked too hard and prayed too long for these sweet girls for me to pass up a minute with them, so daily walks in the stroller with mommy it is. Right now we are doing 1.5 miles every day with two/three three mile days thrown in at some point each week. As endurance builds, I hope I can increase that. By the end of April, I would love to be doing 3 miles daily. Luckily, the hubby is supportive and he does kitchen/laundry duty on the days that he doesn't walk with the munchkins and I.

@garysgirl719 - That sounds like a fantastic goal. Developing exercise habits will definitely help you along the way.

@grandmakaye44 - I never slack on water for medical reasons but I can tell you, it's NOT always easy. There are plenty of days where I don't feel like drinking that much and I have to force myself to drink my 88 ounces. That's the minimum for me.

AFM - Doc (Doctor McHottyPants moved to a new city so I have a new Doctor) called last night with the results of my blood test. Everything is a little worse than the last one (surprise surprise since it's been a free for all for the last year). My blood sugars were WAYYY up. Diabetes is back in full swing. A year ago my A1C was 6.1.. now it's 10.3. She wants me on actual insulin. I have an appointment week after next to discuss it. Yesterday was a grocery shopping day so it all got revamped in a scramble so I could keep my daily carbs under 140. Last time I was able to bring it down to pre diabetic levels in 3 months by doing that. HOpefully it'll work this time and I'll learn to stop eating and entire bundt cake and a 2 quarts of ice cream a week.

This morning I learned that HP isn't likely to renew my contract come January. There is a regular HP employee (where as I'm a contractor) that has been displaced and they want to combine two jobs and put her in the position. She starts the other job in May and if she can handle that and thinks she has the bandwidth she takes my job. It seems kind of silly to me, I have nothing against age but she's 67 and I'm 42. Who is going to be leaving sooner so they have to rehire it ..again. I've also been in this position for 4 years, I've got the training and the other half of the job is just more admin. I already do that. This person is coming off the production line with zero admin experience (Compared to my 18 years).

I've decided if they don't renew my contract I'm going to head to Florida. My mom has a condo there that sits idle for 10 months out of the year, I can hole up and job hunt there. She (Mom) and my oldest brother (and his wife) will be moving there in the next few years so I can be close to family again, plus I already have 2 aunts and a handful of cousins down there.

Just taking a quick break between walking around my house and doing stairs... I'm 2000 steps behind the fitbit leader today but my fitbit battery is low so its charging now. Going to get a meal plan set for tomorrow to figure out how to get the extra protein in and then I'm heading out for a real walk. Again. Walked 30 min after work and got steps at physio too. I just hope my feet don't get sore, I'm way overdue for new shoes.

Angelika- sorry to hear about the dislocated rib. Hopefully, you will get some relief soon.
Tracy- Great job sticking to your food goals this month.
Mowmow- Florida sounds like a great option for you. Once you start logging and monitoring your sugar again, I know you will get the diabetes under control.
Gary's girl- Walking is the perfect exercise, especially when pushing a stroller since you are adding extra resistance. Keep walking and you will build your endurance levels quickly.
tlh- Don't get talked into giving up water aerobics, just because your hubby doesn't want to take the kids to music lessons. That time is very valuable for you and the exercise is great. Great job with the lifting. How long are the lessons? Could one drop off and the other pick up? I love water aerobics and really miss it. I just don't feel like spending 3 hours at the pool on a Saturday morning due to master's swim then aerobics.

Today, I had a lazy day but did manage to buy hiking boots. That will become my new activity this year along with trying paddle boarding this summer. Tomorrow will be very active with a bike ride, run and a swim on the agenda. This will be my pre-race warm up.

Goal- to actively train for the triathlon and not to get freaked out. Thanks for the positive thoughts and encouragement.

I have a job interview on Thursday!!!!! I am so excited and nervous!!! Whenever I meet someone professionally for the first time, I always worry about if I am being judged for my size. I know they probably are not, but its always in the back of my mind. I am going to maintain a positive outlook and believe I will get the job!

Goals for the week: since I have kids home on spring break, excercizing is difficult, however, I still plan to go at least 4 times to gym for 45 minutes. I had been going for 1 hour,but decided that since I was getting sore,and burnt out, I would scale back for a while. Maybe next week I will go back to the hour.

Life is a beautiful gift. Now its time I treat it that way!

Thank you very much to all the people who have welcomed me here. I appreciate it! As a newbie to this thread, are there any traditions here? (Posting goals or whatever?) It looks like A LOT of the members here are teachers, am I right?

As far as my weight goes, I have come to believe that there are a LOT of societal factors going into the weight gain. I think we should not beat ourselves up over it, because a lot of it is caused by stress and poor sleep habits (from trying to do TOO MUCH) and some more of it has been caused by bad nutritional information (I remember a friend stressing to me that "sugar is not the enemy" -- in other words, we need to cut fat, but sugar (for example, munching jelly beans) was fine!) How utterly, completely wrong that was! Then I drank diet sodas, thinking I was making a smart choice! Again, it turns out that that was WRONG! New evidence is that diet sodas cause weight gain!! And the food industry is surrounding us with cheap and hyped junk that is just harming us and making us addicted to that crap. And by the way, all of those same causes of excess weight (stress, poor sleep habits, excess sugar, diet sodas, processed foods) have been show to support cancer growth (as well as diabetes and other ailments). So … we should not blame ourselves. And it does no good to dwell on the past. I refuse to sulk or wallow in guilt or self-pity.

Personally, I'm not focusing on calories right now. Maybe I will later. I'm just shifting to healthy eating, which I believe means: avoiding processed foods and returning to natural, whole foods, organic where possible; healthy fats only (olive oil, avocado, nuts); lots of veggies; lots of fruits (but spaced out and combined with grains/proteins so as to avoid intense glycemic effect); whole grains and whole grain breads & pastas; limited dairy (nonfat plain yogurt, some lowfat cheese); legumes, eggs, fish and occasional meats. I find that eating like this makes me feel better (more positive attitude, great energy), keeps me feeling satisfied (my cravings for sweets have virtually vanished!), and is helping me lose weight! 7 lbs have peeled off in the past week, but I know that pace won't continue long. I'm just hoping that a turn to plain old "healthy eating" will stop the yo-yo process that I've experienced too many times on too many "diets."

I suspect one key will be to stay focused and that's where I'll look for you all and for MFP to help. I want to keep logging in, and keep journaling, to keep focused on my priorities and my mission.

Wednesday Wish: That everyone has a wonderful Easter full of family and/or friends – the people that we love! I also wish that I am able to effectively communicate to my kids the reason for Easter and that it’s not all about candy and the Easter bunny.

@Garysgirl…the pushing of a stroller is a great workout. Many people find success without the help of a gym. I personally love the time away to clear my head and because I work from home, it’s a great opportunity for adult conversation while there (even if it’s just the 10 minutes of getting ready to workout).
@Laurie…I will still be going to Water Aerobics, just not quite as often. I’ll get in every other Monday and some Saturdays. Once summer hits, I will be able to go every Wednesday as well. I will supplement with other gym classes or workouts. It’s an hour total and the travel to get to the teacher wouldn’t be worth two different drives. I set the Monday evening lessons to try to avoid other activities that the kids are in throughout the year but it didn’t quite work out anyway as Jacob had several conflicts. I’ll probably just pick a Tuesday or Thursday for next year. Love that you are adding another activity. Remember to break those boots in slowly so you don’t end up with blisters.
@jeferjoy… good luck with your interview. I agree with Karina. When we hired, while we certainly notice a person’s appearance, we really listened to what they could bring to the table. Our department had a wide variety of shapes, colors, sizes etc. I sometimes think that we, as heavy people, think people are judging us more often than they really are. I used to be afraid of being at the gym for that very reason, yet MFP helped me realize that people (if they even noticed) were happy that I was there trying to make myself healthier.

AFM…Yesterday we had some tough news on a few fronts, but that was yesterday and today we can start working to get those issues resolved. To borrow from Lori (I think), here are some positives happening in my life.

1. I was able to get the van fixed and I didn’t have to use a credit card like I’ve had to in the past.
2. Jacob had his first track meet of the year and while he didn’t place in anything, he enjoyed himself (that’s my hope for track – I tell my kids, keep doing it because it’s hard to stop and try to start again in the future).
3. I was able to get Jacob an appointment to be tested for Attention Deficit and/or Depression. I won’t worry until I know what we have to worry about.
4. I met my deadline for reports at my work and at the same time was able to make up the time I had off to meet with counselors. I love the fact that my boss and my company are so flexible with my time that it allows for appointments and let’s me work extra hours instead of using PTO.
5. The wind is howling outside my window today. As a farmer’s daughter, I know that it is drying out the fields so the farmers can get in and plant their crops. Whenever it’s windy in the spring and hear people complain about it, I think of my Dad who needed that wind to be able to feed people.

Today my choir practice goes back to 7:00 so that means I’m done with Wednesday water aerobics until after Memorial Day. And now that Wednesday night Lenten services are done, we go back to our regular schedule as a whole…5:00 supper at church, 6:00 – confirmation for Jacob, youth group for Emma and Mom’s group for me, 7:00 – choir. I missed this routine!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Hi all! I've been reading, just haven't felt like posting. In a bit of a funk myself, I guess. Had a rocky couple of weeks that got me off track, but I'm working on taking back control. Figured the beginning of a new month was the perfect time to get back on track, which includes posting my goals for the rest of this week and this month.

Melifornia's Weekly Goals - April 1-4

Diet

• Create a meal plan AND DO IT -
• Try at least one of the smoothie packets I made (<---trying new things food issues) -
• Meet protein goal daily - x/4
• Drink 96oz water daily - x/4

Exercise

• Strength training (restarting routine) 1x - x/1
• Cardio 2x - x/2
• Yoga daily - 1/4

Personal

• Genevieve's birthday (oldest niece turns 16 on April 2) - photos for Facebook, finish gift, supper and cake for Saturday -
• Easter - decide what to make for family potluck, including a big salad for me; help set up for Easter vigil at church; take bottle of wine for vigil (suggestions? the vigil meal is Mediterranean themed) -
• Miracle Morning daily - 1/4 (I'll hit 90 days total this week!)

Home

• Spring Cleaning: complete one room -
• Take donations to Goodwill, library, etc. -
• Paint/touch up in living room -

Work

• Finish client #'s 1 website update -
• Finish client #2's website update -
• Complete at least half of edits on client #3's website -
• Complete 4 interviews and send out for transcription as needed - 1/4
• Write and file 3 newspaper stories - x/3
• Write and file 1 magazine story - x/1

April All-In Goals

• Cardio, at least 30 minutes, 4x/week - x/16
• Strength training 2x week - x/8
• Login to MFP daily - 1/30
• Meet protein goal minimum of 20/30 days - x/20
• Drink 96z water minimum of 20/30 days - x/20

Mantra: Live intentionally