Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

Checking back in here! I'm 11 lbs. down and heading strong towards the goal of losing 100! Add me on here for support! I log regularly and love to motivate those on a similar journey!

Today was a busy day in many ways. First I found out that my aunt who was 96 years old died last night. I am relieved that she is now at peace. Then, I walked over to Special Olympics stayed for a little while then took a scenic walk back home so some exercise today. Did yard work for a couple of hours while watching a dove sit nearby. They really like our porch this year. Then a friend needed a ride to the ER, so I took her and waited until she was done. Luckily it was only 2 hours. I did want to ride my bike but that did not happen since I still had laundry to do. A long day and now I am ready to ready to relax and chill out.

Karen good luck with the grading.
Annr-the soup sounds yummy.
Tom- interesting facts about the earthquake scale.
Kelley- Yeah for finishing the bathroom.

It is time for me to get back on track and get a plan so here it goes
Monday- Trainer
Tuesday- gym
Wednesday-swim
Thursday- rest
Friday-climb (I hope)
Saturday- swim

@kaye--great advice about the pictures. Scenic photos are pretty, but you re right--it's the photos of people that are really special. Whenever I travel, I go to a souvenir shop and buy a bunch of pretty postcards. They are much better pictures than I could ever take. Then I try to focus on taking pics with people in them.

@kelley--yay for getting the painting done!

@ann--great way to utilize leftovers!

@MKknits--glad you are feeling back to normal.

Welcome to the newlings and welcome back to those who've returned.

Sunday Share: (again b/c I was a day ahead of myself yesterday )
I had a much better day today foodwise. Still not on target for protein, but managed to break perfectly even despite birthday cake and ice cream. It was my great niece's 3rd b-day, so we drove to my SIL's to celebrate nf visit with my nephew and niece who are in town. Our nephew leaves Tuesday for a 1 year deployment to Qatar, and my niece and grand niece will stay with the niece's mother in Mississippi.

Our other nephew is also back home, so we got to see him for the 1st time in several years. He's the one my MIL treated so badly that he stopped coming to family gatherings just to avoid her (his grandmother). We also got to see my BIL for the 1st time since the DH and his mom had their big blow up a year and a half ago. There's no bad blood between the 2 brothers, but my BIL used to live with his mother, so he would always drive her to holiday gatherings and as a consequence we would always miss seeing him. My MIL chose not to attend today (she's also fighting with my SIL), so we all got to see each other without any drama.

As nice as today's visit was, it would be even nicer if my MIL could work through her issues and be a part of the family again. Sadly, she still blames everyone else for her broken relationships.

As predicted, I didn't have much time for myself today. I did get in a nice long walk with gunner before we went to the birthday party. Then, once we got home, I went to starbucks and graded a few more essays. Not as many as I wouldv'e liked, but every little bit counts.

April Challenge:

Nutrition = At or over 90 grams of protein 5/7 days a week
Week 1: At/over 90g of protein 6/7
Week 2: At/over 90g of protein 5/7
Week 3: At/over 90g of protein ?/7 didn't keep track
Week 4: At/over 90g of protein 3/7

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

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. 8/60 Junior research papers
2. 40/64 Yeats journals
3. 8/64 Lit theory papers
4. x/60 Hemingway annotations

Exercise Goals:
Sun--walk gunner DONE
Mon--dentist and podiatrist appts
Tues--walk gunner + gym
Wed--walk gunner
Thurs-- walk gunner + gym
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner + gym

2015 Mantra = Just 15 minutes

Well, I'm back again. Boy, do I let "busy" sideline me...GRR. I know how to avoid it, just don't take the steps to do so.

@Robin...so glad you decided to stay. You are such a supportive person...I hope we can all be as supportive to you. Congrats on the new car. Love the name!!!

@Karen...what a pretty little girl. She looks like she loves the dress.

Like I said above, busy has sidelined me but I can't let it anymore. I have go to do something. Better time management and less TV time. I know it's a state of mind. So far, I've had a single BBQ rib for breakfast (my husband said it's his best so far -- eh, not sure about that). Still hunting for just the right rub. But it gives me a good start on protein. And I have my water bottle filled. At lunch today, I am going to go for a short walk and then fill a basket with all the snack foods that need to go away from my vision. I don't care where they put it, but I need it away and I need my family to be supportive. But ultimately it falls on me - I'm just going to get rid of things that I know I sabotage myself with.

Monday Check-in ...My weight was up this morning by a couple of pounds, and given that I had a major carb binge within the past couple of days, I am not surprised by it. Maybe I'm wrong in cutting so much fruit from my meal plan ... (non-meal plan, I should say), because the fruit does satisfy my carb craving in a healthier way than cookies, ice cream, and candy bars.

@Morgori-Tom, I love the pictures of you and Amy ... she looks like she has reached her goal and is beautiful. Your journey (I went and peaked at your photos), and Amy's were duly noted in my 'inspirations' folder.

I've learned a new recipe that is so very good and comes together in less than 15 minutes. Saw it on Everyday Cooking ... This is to feed 4

Chickpea, Sausage, and Dark Greens Pasta
Ingredients
1/2 pound short pasta (I used sea shells)
3/4 pound hot italian sausage (links, patties, or bulk)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons thinkly sliced or minced garlic (abour 5 cloves)
1 can (15-ounce) garbanzo (chick peas) drained and rinsed
5 cups (packed) greens ... ribbed and shredded kale ( I used baby greens mix of spinach, kale and chard)
1/2 cup grated cheese ... parmesano regiano or pecorino romano
lemon juice - from 1/2 lemon, for drizzling

Directions:
Cook the pasta till al-dente, then drain.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage meat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until opaque, breaking up with a spoon. Add the garlic and cook abour 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas and cook 3 minutes. Add the greens and wilt. Add the pasta and toss it all together in the pan. Top with the shredded cheese and drizzle with lemon juice. You may want to drizzle on more flavorful olive oil as well.

Folks ... the first time I made this, I forgot to add the chickpeas and made only half the recipe ... which was a good thing because it was so good I ate almost all of it. Since I love chickpeas, and have a lot of home-cooked ones in the fridge to make humus out of, I'll be making this dish with the chickpeas in it for dinner today or Tuesday.
It was so very, very good.

As a matter of fact, I think it was the greens that I liked so much. This morning I made a power breakfast our of some sauted mushrooms and garlic clove, wilted down a big 2 cups of the greens and added beaten egg to make a frittata. Yep ... the greens, baby style, are delish.

Follow-through
Niki

Good morning everyone. Sorry I haven't been posting but I have been reading and cheering you all on. I still need to lose that last pound to get out of the threes. For some reason I always stall right here but I am at least not gaining anything back this time. My food has been all over the place but I have been faithfully recording it all so I cant make any excuses for why that 1.1 pound wont disappear. Robin I just had to say thank goodness you changed your mind about leaving us all. You are an important integral part of this group. Oh yeah and congrats on the new car. Everyone else as always I am super proud of all you guys are doing in all the different aspects of your life. Well I have to go start the organize the shed and garage project...ughhhh... but its not going to do itself and keeps me busy so I am not snacking. Have a great day everyone.

mmmm that recipe sounds yummy @NK1112 ! I use beef kelbasa or turkey kelbasa to give a great base to saute'ing up veggies, and adding stock and a pasta or a rice item. I love to layer flavors, each building on its own, and making the dish wonderful. I could sooo live in Italy, with a villa, and a herb garden....(Ok I just watched 'Under the Tuscan Sun' for the umteenth time).... Yesterday I also watched, 'Life is Beautiful' and cried like a baby.... Such a happy funny utterly sad movie...

Monday Check-In: I saw HumbleHeart’s post right after mine on 4/15 and I could copy it word for word. “I am happy (and a bit embarassed) to say "here I am again". I have been so lax with MFP for a while......I come back a while and poof I get lazy. I love this thread..... so many inspiring people here!” My Thursday Truth is early, but I’ve gained back every pound and then some. I’m so upset with myself that I still can’t believe it.

With the move back to GA, I had to set-up a new PCP. No big surprise, but her biggest concern is my weight. Plus, my EKG showed some little blurbs and she wants me to see a cardiologist. It looks very minor to me, but I guess better to be safe than sorry. Dermatologist is on the list too. Due to my years of sunning as a stupid teen and young adult, I’m covered in freckles now. Plus, I think we’re starting to see some pre-menopausal crap due to my emotions being so high and low plus Aunt Flo’s monthly visits so she wants me to see the gyno too. Just lovely. I’m still having some major pain in my ankle so the exercise has been null and I know it’s due to the weight I’ve gained. Sigh. I’m not sleeping well at all, which definitely means I should be using the CPAP and I’m not.

I really love my job and it’s almost been 5 months since I’ve been back, which I can’t believe. With that though, I’m definitely a bit more stressed with everything going on. Our divisions have finally merged meaning overnight we’re taking over the OH & MI divisions, which is about 80 HoneyBaked Ham stores. The months ahead are going to be brutal. Most of their vendors, distributors, etc. . . will all go away and fall under GA. This is my life though and it’s not going to change. I need to figure out how I’m going to manage work life with my personal life including my daily food choices and exercise. Eat less. Move more. I’m going to just focus on my food choices first. The doctor wants to see me again in 3-months to check on my progress. Food first and tracking. Start some minimal exercise and hopefully with some weight off the ankle problem will subside then I can increase the exercise intensity. I need to stay focused. One day at a time.

@Hansea – Loved the asthmatic penguin addition. So funny!!

@NK1112 – I guess with my post above that’s going to be my focus. Food first. Exercise will come.

@ Laurie – I’m so proud of you!!! Thank you for sharing your day with us. I’m just in awe of where you were and where you are today. You’re such an inspiration and I continue to learn from you every day. I know your still on this journey as well and continue to learn things yourself, but it’s accomplishments like this tri that should keep pushing you along. You rock!!!!!

@Onederbaby – In the past and it worked better for me, I use to meal prep on Sunday’s. I pretty much had 3-4 meals cooked ready to go. I’m normally pushing for time during the week so the more I’m prepared and less stressed than I make better, healthier choices. It takes some work that’s for sure, but for me it really seemed to help. The pictures are so much easier now. In your thread, there's a little icon with a folder and drop down arrow. Just select that and you can download from there. The old way was so hard. This is a huge improvement on MFP's part.

@Tanya – I’m very proud of you. You really tackled your fast food in March. So you had one little visit before Easter no big deal. The fact you owned up to it and moved on is half the battle. I’m so glad things are getting slowly back on track. Keep it up!

@cblue (Lori) – I can’t wait for you to complete your first tri!! You’ve been working so hard and should be so proud of yourself. I’m glad the court hearing went OK for your son and hubby is back to work. I know both of these things are added stressors for you so hopefully they’ll both keep pushing to the positive. It sounds like you had a productive weekend and a strong week ahead. Keep your chin up!!

@Kah68 (Kelley) – I’m always a little jealous when you mention your parents coming over. I’m glad we’re closer again versus being on the west coast, but still not quite close enough. Are you a bold or more warm kind of person? They say to paint a square for a week or so just to see if the color is really what you want. You’re going to paint over it anyway. I’m always so nervous with color and have a tendency to stay with the neutral/warm colors myself. More soothing I guess.

@Melifornia – Girl, you’ve been busy! Doesn’t it feel GREAT though to get those things done. I finally rearranged my closet fall/winter to spring/summer. I also had some filing, paperwork that needed to be done. It’s not quite finished, but should be in another setting or two. My garage is the finally thing to get reorganized. Also, hope you’re feeling better. Hate you were under the weather last week.

@Jtconst – Bees? Oh my. What a mess!! I’m so glad things are working out for your son. I know in the beginning it was a “little” rocky, but he pushed through. Good for him!

@Morgori (Tom) – I saw your post about Ellis Island. Have you been? Lori, Karen and I stopped by when we did the T2T 5K. It’s truly a sight to see and to just stand there trying to even fathom what it was like. Thanks for sharing the bit of trivia. Also, loved the pics of you and Amy! You’re both sweethearts and lucky to have each other.

@Kaye – Boy, your post was all over the board. So happy DH is cancer free – answer to prayer! Sad to read about the arthritis though and no driving. I know that’s extremely difficult for someone to lose that bit of independence. I haven’t used my CPAP in well over a year. Unfortunately, I think I need too. I probably don’t want to admit it, but it’s probably the reason I’m so sluggish all the time.

@Skinny (Karen) – Fogo de Chao is so good! We have one in Atlanta I’ve been too a couple of times. Also, Zed451 in Chicago is the same concept. I’ve been there a couple of times during my NRA visits. Definitely more protein then you’ll ever see. I’m glad the trip was productive. I know there’s been a lot of folks involved and your advocating for such an important topic.

@RobinsEgg (Ellen) – I can totally relate. I’m right back where I started with MFP back in August 2013. NOT happy about it either. Back to day one for me, but I continue to learn and it’s because of YOU and the support of this group. We just have to take that step forward. We can’t change what’s happened, but change what happens going forward. I need your support too! Also, congrats on the new car!! Enjoy riding Cherry Cherry. LOL!!

@MNwalkingqueen (Holly) – I’m so glad your son is inquiring about college. I know things were a little rocky there for a while, but he’s seeing the bigger picture. I’ve been thinking about you and keep praying the right door opens. Any company would be very lucky to have you.

@laurie--I was thinking about you when I saw the news. Good to hear you are safe. It is such a sad situation--I hope things are under control before more people are hurt or more damage is done.

@susan--You can do this, and your plan is solid to focus on nutrition. Plus, you've done this before, so you will be back on track sooner than you think. I'm also struggling--weight has been up for the past week or so and I've not done much to turn it around. I also know better and just need to DO IT.

@ann--right above the text box where you post your replies, there are a bunch of icons. One is a little dog-eared document. If you click on the arrow to the right of it, it opens a box where you can choose a photo from your computer, or paste in a url (I suppose that's for if you use photobucket or a similar web-based photo site).

@tammy--glad you stopped by. It's great that you are so close to twoderville--just keep pushing and you will get there!! Good luck cleaning out the shed and garage.

@niki--the recipe sounds yummy--thanks for sharing.

@tracy (tlh)--I'm also guilty of letting everything else get in the way of me, and you sound about 10 times as busy as me with your kids and all of your church activities. Nevertheless, we both need to make ourselves the priority if we want to be our best selves for everyone else. And yes, my niece loved that dress (her grandmother gave it to her), but it was the wand that she truly coveted. We were concerned that she might be a bit to enamored of power. LOL

Monday Check-in:
Dentist today was not great news. I think I mentioned that I made the appt b/c a couple of teeth were hurting upon first waking and also any time I bite down. They are my very front teeth (incisors)--one top and one bottom, and the dentist said it's b/c my roots are too shallow putting them at risk of getting knocked out very easily. He's referring me to an orthodontist. I just hope whatever I need to do to protect the teeth doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Podiatrist appt was just to get my feet re-scanned for orthotics. The orthotics manufacturer said the ones I got a few weeks ago weren't good enough and wanted them redone.

I'm still swamped with grading. I got very little done today b/c I spent most of my open periods fielding questions about the contract. Even tonight I've had to respond to several emails. I brought home some journals, but I'm honestly too brain-dead to attempt to grade. Tomorrow, I'm going to spend the 1st 30 minutes of every prep grading, and leave the last 15 minutes for email. I must prioritize this grading above the members' questions about the contract.

I've also already adjusted my workout schedule b/c I know I won't have time for the gym tomorrow. I must return these journals on Wed. before my students have their unit assessments.

April Challenge:

Nutrition = At or over 90 grams of protein 5/7 days a week
Week 1: At/over 90g of protein 6/7
Week 2: At/over 90g of protein 5/7
Week 3: At/over 90g of protein ?/7 didn't keep track
Week 4: At/over 90g of protein 3/7

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

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. 8/60 Junior research papers
2. 40/64 Yeats journals
3. 8/64 Lit theory papers
4. x/60 Hemingway annotations

Exercise Goals:
Sun--walk gunner DONE
Mon--dentist and podiatrist appts
Tues--walk gunner
Wed--walk gunner + gym
Thurs-- walk gunner
Fri--rest day
Sat--walk gunner + gym

2015 Mantra = Just 15 minutes

Had dinner really late (11:30pm) and it had pasta, so I was feeling kinda overstuffed. So after I got off work at 12:30am I went over to the Omni and did the Elliptical for 15 minutes - had the fan on me and it really helped with my breathing. I was surprised I didn't have any probs with that long, I can tell I'm getting a lot stronger and building my endurance! Tomorrow I will weigh in, I'm looking forward to the results- I've done really well staying at or below my REGULAR before exercise calorie allotment, so all my exercise should be going toward fat burning - yay!

I don't know what's happening with this site this morning--my post double-posted. Ugh!

Tom- In honor of Poetry day a haiku, a poem written by me in honor of Spring
Karen- Good luck with the dentist. Are you grinding your teeth at night? That could also make them hurt and a night guard may help with that. Good luck with the grading.

Kelley, Kaye and Susan- It is a shame that people think violence and looting is okay when they don't like what is happening. I am just glad that the TV coverage has finally stopped tonight.

Susan- Wishing you the best, you are on the right track.

Today's problem: Whether or not I want to do an open water triathlon at the end of May? The major question for me is will I be able to handle an open water swim without panicking during the swim. The other issue is that the water will be cold and I will need a wet suit. I don't want to purchase a wet suit but would prefer to rent one. The distance for the tri is a 750 yd swim, 15 mile bike and 5K run. Part of me wants to do this just because I can and it will help me to overcome my fear of open water. The swim is in a harbor instead of the bay or ocean so it is more protected.

@Lauriek70 - If you have time to prepare for the open water swim, and people to help train you, I say go for it. Push yourself to overcome that fear! But I'm proud of you just for considering it!

Good morning everyone.

Happy World Wish Day
It was the wish of seven-year-old Leukaemia sufferer Chris Greicius to become a police officer. When police heard about this they wanted to help and granted his wish. Young Chris was a police officer for one day on the 29th April 1980. Others heard about this and thought that granting wishes for sick children was a good idea. So, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded and became one of the best-known children’s charities in the world.
This led to the birth of World Wish Day – the anniversary of the day the police granted Chris’ wish. There are now 48 countries involved in World Wish Day. People celebrate wish-granting across the globe by making dreams come true for sick children. Anyone who wants to get involved in this celebration can spread the word using social media sites, donate money to the charity or refer a child they know.

Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us. ~Stephen Covey

Tom