FIT LIFE CHALLENGE - REVAMPED (CLOSED) Week 8

Having a great day so far today. Good breakfast, good lunch, and I'm on my third 32 oz cup of water. I ordered a HRM and it came in today, so I'm kinda excited to exercise tonight and see the actual amount of calories I burn! Hope everyone's having a great day!

Checking in for today. I managed to get roughly 2.5 hours of sleep last night. Not exactly the best preface for a motivated and healthy day. I'm already in workout clothes and when I get home around 4:30 I plan on FINALLY preparing all of the fresh foods I bought last sunday, enjoying a light salad for dinner, working out, and the CRASHING in my bed around 8:00pm.

Unfortunately the boys in the office brought in coffee and donuts and I couldn't resist myself.

I WILL NOT GO OVER MY CALORIES TODAY! :bigsmile: It doesn't help that T.O.M. will be here tomorrow...so of course I'm craving all the wrong things.

Anyway, best of luck everyone for today. I'll probably check in later.

How much do the HRM's run? Do you have to order them or is there someplace you can find them in a store? Already got my 8 cups of water in today Don't know if I'm gonna get the exercise in as I've got sinus problems and a sore throat Hope everyone is having a good day

monet,

I got mine off of Amazon and it's a Polar FT4--it came with a chest strap. It was right around $100, so thank goodness for birthday gift cards from a friend!

Hello Everyone!!! Logging in and drinking my 8 of water is now a habit just like facebook for some peeps :laugh: Today was my second session with my personal trainer and I can say she kicked my butt with free weights for a whole hour almost made me :sad: , but I did it and followed through, she was actually impressed and kept on stacking heavier weights :grumble: , I think I'll be majorly sore tomorrow and just to think I left with her saying next session will be much harder :frown: , but as they say NO PAIN, NO GAIN :happy: Good night FLC members :yawn: CHeers to more success to come :flowerforyou:

Hello everyone! Just wanted to check in and see how everyone was doing! It's great seeing such an active group participating in the conversations. All of the support will make success easier!
I have done well this week. Would have liked to fit a bit more exercise in....but got in some weight lifting last night and a TurboFIre Hiit 15 tonight. Been keeping up with my water intake....and made myself a batch of Tuna and brown Rice Pilaf last night. Yummy!

As I was reading over some of the posts from "newer" dieters....I noticed something. I only noticed because I have made some of the very same mistakes when I was starting out on my weight loss journey. I just thought I would mention them, maybe save someone the set-backs that I have already experienced.

First, eat all of your calories for the day. I know reaching 0 is almost impossible (arithmetic-wise)....but within 100 of your goal should be do-able. There are days that I am not too hungry and I have 500 calories left to eat and I know I have to do it because I need to. Eating enough calories is JUST as important and not eating too many. I know...it sounds weird....but basically, look at it this way: if you do not eat enough, or often enough throughout your day, your metabolism will slow down (or shut down) and you will start to GAIN weight no matter how few calories you eat because your body starts to conserve every calorie you take in. It's commonly referred to as "starvation mode". This is the real deal. Eat your alloted MFP calories and try to eat every 2-3 hours if possible. It will do wonderful things, trust me!!

Second, if you are doing any exercise....you must not only eat your alloted calories....but those that you worked off! I see some new people mentioning their trips to the gym, but their diary doesn't show that they have entered those calories they burned...which means they have deprived their body of much needed fuel! Don't look at food as something to be afraid of....it is fuel for your body to keep you ALIVE! This journey is about changing the way we view our food....not being afraid of food, or of eating. Eating keeps us living....food is good for us!

Third, FOOD. If you have 1500 calories to eat in a day....filling your body with empty calories from a day of junk food is going to do you more harm than good. You would be better off to eat an additional 1000 calories in that day of healthy food and go over your calories for the day. Your body can not survive off a day of donuts. It needs protein, vitamins, and minerals to keep you going. I cringe when I see a food diary where someone has stayed below their calories for the day, yet all they ate was donuts, soda, and potato chips.....and yes, I saw exactly that. And please, do not get me wrong here....it is okay to have a random splurge day to eat some junk food if that helps you to stay on track the rest of the week! (I do it! Plus, it actually gives a little rev to your metabolism to shake it up once in a while) BUT, even if it means going over your calories for the day....fit some fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins in there. You cannot sustain otherwise. Plus, if you are working out...be sure to get all of your protein in for the day. Your body needs the protein to build your musles...more muscle means higher calorie burn! So pay close attention to that in your diary if you are looking for better results. If you don't take in the proper carbs, protein, etc.....You will get tired, lose energy, get sick, feel lethargic. And that is the opposite of what you should feel!

Done correctly, this new "diet" should make you feel the best you have ever felt! You should have more energy, not get sick as often, and just feel darned good!
I hope I have not rambled on too much here....and I hope I did not say anything out of line (it is late and I should be sleeping). But after reading the posts tonight I was, frankly, quite worried about some of what I saw. I am sharing because I know what it is like to just be starting out here. I remember all too well the 100's of questions I had.....but I have learned A LOT! And I am very willing to answer any questions anyone has. If you need help or are not sure about something....please feel free to ask me!

Just a quick note that I wll not be here this weekend. I will wait to weigh in until next Friday because I know this weekend will not be that good.

@katcena: Thanks so much for your reminders! Even for those of us who have been at it for awhile, these reminders on how we got where we are today are greatly appreciated!

Yesterday, I was under calories, but I was just listening to my body and I realized that I've not had enough veggies in the past few days. I mean, I'm getting a serving or two, but I try to shoot for three to four. And I can just tell that I'm not getting that! So...today, I had my "power breakfast sandwich" (see diary-so yum!) but then I brought a two cup container of raw broccoli that I'm going to munch on with lunch, then eat two or three cups of steamed veggies with pork tenderloin for supper. Hopefully, I can give my system a boost! OOOOO, and I'm going to have spinach in my smoothie tonight. That should get me about six servings of veggies today, and two maybe three servings of fruit with some complex carbs and lean protein. Healthy day of eating? CHECK! THEN, some exercising with my HRM this evening.

Hope everyone is doing great! And thanks for letting me ramble about my day. It really does help me to be more accountable! You MFPals are WONDERFUL! :glasses:

Merlanda

Hey there, checking in for the day,

I had a rough morning with indigestion so I did not go to the gym. Just feeling a little under the weather but nothing serious.
Plugging along here and happy that the week-end is coming quickly. Tomorrow the kids have a day off from school which means I can stay a little longer at the gym in the morning. I am planning to!

Kat - thanks for the reminders ... it is really hard to not see the days when I don't have couple of hundred calories left as a "bad" day. But I completely agree with your suggestion to make sure to include good calories in the diet. It's the only way we get our body fuelled. If not for weight, we need to think of our health. When the body is depleated of esential nutrients, it can't fight disease. Donuts are not fuel!

Michelle - good job on the workout! Can you walk today? If not, than that's a good sign! Keep doing it!

Merlanda - the more I read your posts the more I want smoothies. Oh, I will get into action soon - fo sho!!

Judy - you crack me up!!! You know, I do the same thing!! I usually fall asleep on the couch while everybody else is watching something. Then when it's time to go to bed, half asleep, I stop in the kitchen and grab something. Thank GOD we are done with the Haloween candy!!! It sucks because next morning my scale shows it ...
To answer your question - one of my favorite snacks are sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. I like to have a slice of raisin bread (no butter) with coffee in the afternoon. BUT, the absolute favorite is sweet tea with toast and feta cheese. The sweetness of the tea with the saltiness of the cheese on a crunchy, crispy slice of bread .... yumm!!!!
I need to try that toasted seaweed. We don't have a Trader Joe's in town but I will make sure to stop when we go to Chicago ...

Everybody is doing excellent as I can tell and can't wait to see the progress tomorrow.

I forgot to read my afirmation book this morning but I remember one I saw the other day which I think is very significant for us that are taking this journey: TODAY IS THE FUTURE I CREATED YESTERDAY.

Have a good evening ladies (and gents)!

Loredana

Hello Everyone!
Checking in for the day I am under my calories did get my 8 glasses of water spent a lot of time in the bathroom .lol Tonight after I put the kids to bed I will be able to workout .I have the next 3 days off so I will be able to work out longer during the day while the kids are in school. Thanks for the good advise about consuming the calories .Hope everyone has a good night.

Finally starting to feel better. Fine time to joining a group stressing exercise. I did keep walking the dog, she does need to get out even when I am not feeling well. I have been drinking quite a bit not quite 8 glasses a day. I did do my wii active today and when i did wii fit it finally told me I am normal! At least wii thinks I am normal, after having gone from obese, to overweight now normal, no more groaning. Yay