Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

Good morning everyone. I am happy to hear you all had a good thanksgiving and congrats to our runners with your turkey trots. Who knows maybe next year you will be hearing about mine . I had a nice holiday with my family. Then rather then black friday shopping a group of 10 of us went up into the olympics and went hiking. We had 5 adults and 5 kids and for the first time I wasnt bringing up the rear. I was able to stay easily in the middle of our sprawled out pack and didnt have to be the one requesting rest breaks. I wish I could figure out how to post pics as we got some beautiful shots with the snow/frost contrasting with the deep green of the woods. So much better then fighting crowds and shopping. Well I am off to get my nails done with my daughter then a long day of housework and computer training for the new job. Have a great day everyone.

Had a nice time w my family on Thanksgiving, then thanks to storms & Cowboys game letting out had long drive home (2 hours instead of 1)--lots of traffic. Storms again yesterday (even lost power for several hours last night), so stayed in. Rain again today, Oy I'm water logged!

@Tammy~ what a great way to spend Black Friday! Since it was rainy, Zoe & I napped all day while watching movies. Congrats on the new job!

@Niki~ Recently I had the "blues," something I NEVER suffer from. Come to find out my Vitamin D3 was drastically low, been taking 5,000IU a day since and can feel a huge difference--if you haven't had yours checked you might ask your doc. Almost everyone is low.

Well as much as I don't want to disturb a sleeping cat, I want to get some chocolate muffins in the oven. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

@lori-- good to see you back. Glad things are moving along civilly for you and the husband; that's better than most folks I know who've split. Ouch on the knee! I hope the doc confirms it's nothing too serious. I'm also up a few pounds since the start of the school year when I got sick, but getting back to the gym just a couple times a week has already taken off 2 of the 5 gained. Thanks for the wisdom regarding my niece. I know you are right about her needing to learn to deal with all kinds of personalities. Once she's a little bit older, I don't think it will bother me as much, but at only 3 years old, she barely knows how to deal with herself when she's being difficult. LOL

@kelley-- hope your weather clears up so you can get out and about. Chocolate muffins?!?! Yum!

@niki-- is there any way you can tactfully suggest that some of the younger generation take over the bulk of the holiday dinner? I would think they would offer to do so without prompting, but maybe they are afraid of seeming pushy. A well-placed comment about how the workload seems to be getting to be too much for your sister might give them the hint to take the reigns. Then you and your sis can just contribute a dish and enjoy being guests.

@tammy-- although I love living in Chicago, I do wish we had better options for hiking. We have nearby forest preserves, but they are kind of flat and boring. In order to get any real elevation, we need to drive a few hours north, west, or south.

@faith-- welcome!

@laurie-- congrats to your parents; I hope the party was fun and festive! My parents will be celebrating their 50th in June.

@annmarie-- glad your brother is doing well.

Saturday Success:
As I mentioned to lori above, I had gained a few pounds aver the past 2 months. Not at all a surprise considering my lack of exercise while I was sick. My normal range had been 182-187, but a couple of weeks ago the scale was freading 192--yikes! So one success is that with just a little bit of exercise and mindfulness with food choices, I was down to 190 this morning. I want to be back into my normal range by Christmas, so will be working toward that short-term goal.

DH and I went to watch a flag football game his employers organized for their work crew this morning. By the time we got home it was already after noon, so I moved my planned gym visit to tomorrow.

My other success was finishing grading goal #1 this afternoon. Tomorrow I will finish 3 and 4, and perhaps I'll even get started on those AP essays.

Grading Goals:
1. 59/59 M1948 theme journals DONE
2. 59/59 Scarlet Letter diction posts DONE
3. x/10 Shakespeare analysis activities
4. x/10 Grendel analysis activities
5. x/41 AP essays
6. 2/4 student rec letters

Exercise Goals:
Mon-- walk gunner DONE
Tues-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
Wed-- rest day WALKED GUNNER
Thurs-- Turkey Trot 5k DONE
Fri-- rest day
Sat-- walk gunner DONE
Sun-- walk gunner + gym

Karen-Congrats on getting the grading done. I have also been experiencing the uptick in weight gain. It is driving

JT- Great job on the hike.

This has been a busy weekend with multiple celebrations luckily most did not involve food. I am posting a couple of pictures of my parents on their wedding day and now today. Then photo from the military honor guard that Hospice of the Chesapeake provided for my dad today. It was a wonderful presentation and my dad enjoyed every moment of it.

I want to post this message to all of you who are trying to lose a lot of weight. Losing a lot of weight in fact 100 pounds for most people that are on this thread is a huge undertaking. It is something that for many of us is necessary to our health and necessary to increase our own personal happiness . Even though I have lost only half of the weight that I want to lose( a little over 50 pounds) , it has already changed my life for the better. I feel better ,have more energy and I'm more willing to try new things. To those of you that are struggling I just want to say don't ever give up. You can do it. It is worth it.

@mel-- great message, and so true! I've lost 60 and could stand to lose 20-30 more, but even after the first 30 lbs or so, my fitness level and ability to enjoy activities greatly improved.

@faith-- that's awesome!

@laurie-- love the pictures of your family and the honor guard!

Has anyone had contact with robin? I know she was having computer problems, but it's been awhile and I'm starting to get worried about her. Also, missing some of the other regulars-- kaye, tom, tracy, angelika, and several others. If you guys are still following, I hope you are doing well.

Sunday Share:
A quick share for the new folks. I am karen, a HS English Lit teacher from Chicago. I am married with one fur-kid, my 90 lb boxer/shepherd, gunner who will be turning 10 this winter--double digits for my baby! I started on MFP in March of 2011 when my weight was nearing 250 lbs. I had always been active and didn't eat terribly, I was just eating too much of the healthy stuff. I was resistant to the idea of calorie counting b/c whenever I'd tried it in the past, it was so much work that I became consumed with food 24/7 and quickly gave up. MFP made it so simple that I was able to stick with it without becoming obsessed with every bite I took.

When I started MFP, I had been going to the gym regularly for about a year, mainly doing light weights and the elliptical. As I upped my exercise, I started to have hip issues (common with a lot of elliptical users) by June of 2011, so I decided to start running. I used the couch to 5k program and ran my 1st 5k in August of 2011. Since then I've run many more and a few 8ks as well. I even met laurie and susan (from this thread) in NYC in September 2014 to run the Tunnel to Towers 5k which was so fun! I've also met another friend who used to post here. Brian, four years in a row to do a local 5k (he lives in Chicagoland as well), and I'm looking forward to seeing laurie, susan, lori, robin, and perhaps some others for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k here in Chicago next April.

I guess that share wasn't as quick as I'd planned.

AFM--I slept in a bit b/c I've had some insomnia the past 2 nights, picked up the dog's yard (ick), and then graded this afternoon. DH walked gunner and I didn't make it to the gym, but will go for sure tomorrow after school. I finished most of the grading I had wanted to complete over break. Tomorrow I will grade the Grendel analyses and get started on the essays while my AP students take unit quizzes.

Grading Goals:
1. 59/59 M1948 theme journals DONE
2. 59/59 Scarlet Letter diction posts DONE
3. 10/10 Shakespeare analysis activities DONE
4. x/10 Grendel analysis activities
5. x/41 AP essays
6. 2/4 student rec letters

Exercise Goals:
Mon-- walk gunner DONE
Tues-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
Wed-- rest day WALKED GUNNER
Thurs-- Turkey Trot 5k DONE
Fri-- rest day
Sat-- walk gunner DONE
Sun-- walk gunner NOT DONE + gym NOT DONE

Sunday Share/intro: hello! I'm not new to MFP, but new to, and excited about this thread/mini-group. I hope nobody minds me butting in to this humble space.
Anywho, I'm Zoe. I only have about 30 lbs left but would still accept any support that comes my way, especially since I struggle with a health challenge that leaves me in a not-too-comfy bed until further notice. My health care team is supporting my weight loss efforts by guiding me through a diabetic-friendly diet, with a caloric intake that I shan't mention here due to MFP rules, but is lower than usual because I live in a wheelchair since birth, which takes away a lot of calorie burning ability (can't walk 'em off). When I'm not sleeping my life away, I like to worship my Lord and Savior, read, channel-surf on TV, practice crochet, and interact with as many of the people in my life as possible. Before falling ill, I was a thriving college student (Humanities major, Pre-law emphasis, and Spanish minor) who had dreams of becoming a Disability Lawyer who could share God's Good News with her clients. I still believe that this is possible, though, because I would consider myself a pretty smart cookie, brave and strong enough to weather most storms. Funny background story: the OB/GYN who was taking care of Mom during her term with me sadly recommended abortion on grounds that I wouldn't "have a cognizant thought" if born. Oh, how I'd love to shake his hand now! For one thing, that's the wrong word! We experience "cogniTIVE thought, right? Furthermore, I'm in college (and having a simply wonderful life despite occasional moderate discomfort, thanks anyway). Ironic, no? Thus explains my unique name. "Zoe" is Latin for "God-given miracle of abundant life (as opposed to a run-of-the-mill existence)", for which Mom and Dad very fervently prayed upon hearing my Spina Bifida diagnosis. I apologize for the super-long post, but look forward to joining the party that is Robin's Thread.

@grandmakaye44, thanks for the welcome. I forgot to mention yesterday that, because of my faith, I felt called to study in a good Christian university near me. That brings me to my Monday Check-In: I'm doing well so far today, although the college radio stream into things like our Chapel services, is broken until further notice. Therefore, I'm doing my own thing with a sister-in-Christ each day, then referring to Podcasts of Chapel whenever possible. For example, we studied today about "the good parts" of Revelation, where the apostle John talks about what God and Heaven are like. It gave my friend and I serious Spirit-chills!

Further check-in: I made a mistake. I said in my introduction that my name has Latin origins. I meant Greek. "Zoe" is Biblical Greek for the idea of God-given abundant life. Sorry for misleading anyone! :embarrased:

@Zoe~ My cat’s name is Zoe. She is a 3yo Maine Coon and is definitely full of life! Welcome to the group.

@Kaye~ I, like Karen, sure do miss the big family get-togethers we had at my grandmother’s house every Thanksgiving.

@Laurie~ Happy Anniversary to your parents, thanks for sharing the pics. What a special honor for your dad.

@Karen~ I’m so glad to hear you were able to resume some weight lifting, I know it’s disheartening to see how quickly we lose the strength we worked so hard to build up but I know you’ll be back to those 110# DL in no time. I cannot begin to even think about the reality check I'll have when I'm allowed to workout again.

@Niki~ Glad you are feeling better.

AFM~I think I ate yogurt too late last night, woke up with a stomachache about 2am--happens every time I have yogurt at night. I do have a bit of happy news I forgot to share. My cousin and his wife had their sweet baby girl on the Friday after Thanksgiving. She was a month-early weighing in at 6lb 6oz, she is adorable—I just need to talk them out of placing those larger than life bows on her little head. Why do people do that?! If she’s dressed in pink or purple, everyone will know she’s a girl! I haven’t seen her yet, but hope to around Christmas. So, now they have a house-full of 8 kids--I would need Valium.

Not much else happening with me. Hard to believe but surgery was 6-1/2 weeks ago, if all goes well I’ll transition from cast to boot on Thursday.