Healthy for the Holidays Challenge - 9/06 - 11/22

Weighin for this week-180.0. I'm not surprised it's up .4- I let myself splurge a little on my birthday :blushing: I'm hoping that this next couple of weeks I'll have enough gas to get back to the gym, and get back to the regular routine there.

10/11 weigh in: 162 :sad:
working extra hard to get back to 160 this week. If I get to 160 I think I'll be in the yellow, which I can live with. Getting things under control!

Exercise: at work today I parked in the far away lot, which isn't all that far away, but a few extra steps here and there add up! I'm going to get a little extra burn by shuffling my feet/jogging in place while cleaning (my tiny) kitchen tonite and vacuuming. Got in a workout video from exercisetv.tv (whoever posted this recommendation to Ellen, thanks, I'm loving the fast, but good burns), so that in addition to the cleaning is a good boost.

Food: day 2 of no beer. I miss it, but not the extra calories! I'm going to treat myself to picking up a bottle of wine on Thursday/Friday if I stay the course.

You can do it and things under control. Good for you on day 2 of no beer.

I have a challenge at work b/c my boss keeps chocolate on her desk. I dont think about it until lunchtime. I'm going to try not to eat any tomorrow.

Another challenge for me is ti get my water in. I drink way to much diet dr. pepper in a day.

Here's to a great week and meeting my daily challenges

For my exercise part of this weeks challenge I'm going to take the stairs. I live on the 4th floor and my parking is actually in the basement so I've got 5 flights to go up and down every day.

So yesterday was an epic fail. Another department in my group had panera brought in for lunch and they way over ordered so they offered it to us. Well, I grabbed a half a veggie sandwich which I knew was fine and a half a turkey sandwich....and a cookie. I knew the cookie would be bad but I figured I'd go for the splurge since I rarely eat sweets. When I entered it all in my journal between the half turkey sandwich and cookie it was 900 calories, what the !@#$? What do you do to a turkey sandwich to make it so high calorie?! I should have known, there are only a couple things I order at Panera for this very reason. So of course since the day was just ruined anyways I went completely off the deep end and just ate everything in site for dinner as well ending my day with more than double the calories I'm supposed to have. This is going to be a rough week, they're getting lunch brought in every day so this could happen again. I'm going to try my best to stay strong and avoid it today, though. Everyone send me your willpower vibes

For my exercise part of this weeks challenge I'm going to take the stairs. I live on the 4th floor and my parking is actually in the basement so I've got 5 flights to go up and down every day.

So yesterday was an epic fail. Another department in my group had panera brought in for lunch and they way over ordered so they offered it to us. Well, I grabbed a half a veggie sandwich which I knew was fine and a half a turkey sandwich....and a cookie. I knew the cookie would be bad but I figured I'd go for the splurge since I rarely eat sweets. When I entered it all in my journal between the half turkey sandwich and cookie it was 900 calories, what the !@#$? What do you do to a turkey sandwich to make it so high calorie?! I should have known, there are only a couple things I order at Panera for this very reason. So of course since the day was just ruined anyways I went completely off the deep end and just ate everything in site for dinner as well ending my day with more than double the calories I'm supposed to have. This is going to be a rough week, they're getting lunch brought in every day so this could happen again. I'm going to try my best to stay strong and avoid it today, though. Everyone send me your willpower vibes

maybe you can just do the 1/2 veggie and then find someone to split the cookie with for a little treat without feeling deprived. Or maybe this week Panera is your trigger food and you should just avoid?

We're all different with our triggers. For some of us, if we avoid something completely we over eat in other laces to make up for it and for other of us if we have a little we have to have a lot. Know your style or push yourself to rise above.

Ellen, you can do it!

Helen, One day is now in the past and you will be fine! We all slip up occasionally, it is how we deal with it long term that matters. I have a saying that has been running through my head lately. "Win today and Repeat" If we only focus on today it makes every bit of difference. I hope your 5 yo is feeling better--and once TOM goes you will be much better! Have you tried chewing ice chips? I would chew them on my way home from night shifts it made a difference. Also sometimes a brisk walk or jumping jacks will get you out of the tireds enough to thwart cravings. When I quit working nights I lost 10 lbs, just because of my tired sugar cravings...Have a great one and just focus on today!

Thanks, Debbie!

I forgot to mention that I got my new pedometer. I am LOVING it!! A nice, slim design that slips right into my pocket. I'm already at 1700 steps, and that's just from dropping off my daughter at daycare and walking to my office from the staff parking lot. I'm excited to try it out all day today, aiming to 10,000 steps by the time I get home. Nothing like a new gadget to get you up and moving!

I got the Omron HJ-303. Here's a link if you want to check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-303-GoSmart-Tri-Axis-Pedometer/dp/B001IV5ZHS

I'll join the epic fail group. I was not feeling well yesterday so I didn't cook dinner, so my hubby decided McDonalds...

I will never understand why I overeat on foods that don't make me feel good. and why I overeat on it. its like something gets set off in my brain that I have to finish it all! I hate it.

new day though.. I'm going to hit the gym hard this week, work my butt off at home in the evenings... and try and stay on track calorie wise the rest of the week. its all I can do.

Geez, it's like the mere mention of "trigger foods" sends us all over the edge. I didn't post my trigger foods yesterday, but maybe I should have, because last night I went to a bar to watch the Tigers game, and ended up getting fish and chips. I ate way more than I should have, and felt sick afterward. My trigger foods are definitely bar foods like that: French fries, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, cheeseburgers... It's hard for me not to order that kind of stuff when I'm in a situation like I was last night. I think I'll have to start eating dinner before I go out, so I don't feel like I have to order something there. Anyway, best of luck to everyone, and don't let one bad meal ruin the rest of your day or one bad day ruin the rest of your week!

Ok, I am going to admit that my eating is out of control!! There, now I can begin to improve it! I WILL NOT be left behind any longer! My weight for this week is still 212. Next week a new LOWER number WILL take its place!!! I'm not sure what to name as a trigger food but my goal for the week is to stop when I'm full even if others are still eating!

I promised a recipe and here it is. It's one of my favorites: chicken-chile tostadas. If you want to bring down the calories, omit the tortilla and eat on a big huge bed of lettuce or mixed salad greens. I love having it for lunch that way. Bon appetite!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-chile-tostadas-10000001011328/

Wanted to share a little success with you all today. I ate on the run, stopped at Good Times for a bite to eat. I decided that I had to keep it in check even though I was stopping for fast food. So I limited myself to just a chicken sandwich no fries, no shake. It satisfied my craving for fried deliciousness, but also kept my pride in check because I didn't let it take me over the edge. And, I'm going to finish today UNDER calories after my workout and still get an evening snack, even after eating fast food.

Happy day! :happy:

I think there's something about fall that makes us just want to eat! Particularly the nice comfort (aka trigger) foods we all love so much. Yesterday wasa much better day for me, they had Qdoba brought in and I just didn't eat it. I did still go out to dinner with a friend so I'm sure I was over calories but it was nice healthy dinner so I'm okay with it. Yesterday I decided if I'm going to be tempted I'll at least plan for it so I found out today will be Panera again at work so veggie sandwich and salad only. No bread or cookie without looking up the nutritional info first and deciding if its worth it because most likely its not!

We all have bad days here and there and that's why we're in this group to support each other through it. It not worth beating ourselves up about it! I think setting these goals and doing challenges helps keep us moving in the right direction. Its about putting in our best effort and as long we do that we'll all get to our goals eventually even if we do have a cookie or some nachos every once in awhile :flowerforyou:

We all have bad days here and there and that's why we're in this group to support each other through it. It not worth beating ourselves up about it! I think setting these goals and doing challenges helps keep us moving in the right direction. Its about putting in our best effort and as long we do that we'll all get to our goals eventually even if we do have a cookie or some nachos every once in awhile :flowerforyou:

Hellz to the yeah Ellen!

Happy Wednesday – I mean, Thursday! It's time to review our chart! (Sorry it’s one day late…)

Remember, you are only included in the chart if you reported a weight this week. Late weigh-ins are always accepted and will be added to the spreadsheet (link listed below).



A nice improvement over last week! AND, we even crossed the “100 lbs” mark! This is FANTASTIC, considering we’re reaching the half-way point in the next 1-2 days.

Yey for concrete data! WTG everyone!!!!! I promise next wee, you'll see better number from me and this time I WILL NOT SLIDE back to previous weight, but will hold tight and find the 150s holding me with open arms!
Congrats to the following members who moved "up" in the colors (white to yellow or green / yellow to green):

:flowerforyou: ceejay000
:flowerforyou: Huskeryogi
:flowerforyou: inshapeCK
:flowerforyou: kylakesgal
:flowerforyou: LeslieRoyale
:flowerforyou: Michelle228
:flowerforyou: Tissues


SPREADSHEET LINK:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoomF1o6sg6LdEw2NV92dFQ5RDZqbm1Bek5xR1M4M3c&hl=en_US

Hey all...I have been M.I.A. this past week....we had 3 kids here all week here on fall break and we've been going and going...plus I've been working, so I decided to take a week off....I'm late on the weigh in but still holding at 152....hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to getting back on track with you guys!

Been missing you! Was just about to send you a million messages asking where you were. holding steady is a good thing.