April Chat - Week 2

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Good Morning Everyone!

Welcome to the second week of April – can you believe it? Let's stop and share a moment to thank our Heavenly Father for bringing us all together from such distances to share in this journey! We all have our own unique challenges and I am truly so proud of everyone of us for taking the steps we have.

So in honor of the US Income Tax day, I'm wishing I could calculate the “taxes” we have paid collectively. Meaning, the amount of time we have all paid this year in exercise, in logging, in taking the time to find healthier foods and recipes, in encouraging one another.. I know that's got to be an awesome number. You know why? Cause here's what we're getting back in return to date:

Collectively, we've lost 119 pounds!!!

Isn't that awesome! And that number only reflects those of us who entered goals in last weeks' forum.

I'm sure there's other great numbers to reflect our “ROI” like
-inches lost
-clothes size changes
-energy level

I can take a guess at a few more:
I bet KJ can zip down those slopes and get back up them faster
I bet Cece can chase her Grandson around the house faster
I bet countrybell7 can stir those big pots of food for the church events like nobody's business
For me, I give my dog Cayce quite a run for her money in a good game of “sockey” now :)

Barb, MAC, deb, Libra – I bet you can add to the list.

I thought it would be good to see our April Goals in one place. I encourage everyone (me included) to assess if we still feel they are the right goals, if so, are we doing what we need to achieve them, and adjust as needed. If you haven't added any and would like to, just join in now! Remember, NEVER, EVER let guilt keep you from going forward. The commitment we've made is to Progress – NOT Perfection. So let's keep making steps forward and do this thang!

Joanne:
- lose 4.9 lbs. to reach 28.5 total lost
- increase Elliptical to level 5 by end of month
- Incorporate new routines into my workout regime

debloves2ride:
- loose 5 lbs

2BFitby52:
-lose 5.5 to hit 25 pound mark
-45 minutes of exercise a minimum of 4 times per week
-develop a travel routine because I have a lot of business travel coming up
-Celebrate my birthday! CHECK! - I believe this one is complete ;)

countrybell7:
-continue journaling each day
-exercise 5X each week for 30 min
-write an encouraging thought every day
-find new ways to reduce stress in my life besides eating
-learn to recognize triggers that cause me to eat

cecehite19:
1. Lose 7 lbs overall which puts me at 25 1lbs lost.
2. Start a new DVD workout to add to 30 day Shred off days (overall do DVD's 5 x week)
3. Run for 30 minutes 2 days per week
4. Walk 20 miles per week
5. Allow myself a no count calorie day on April 28th my anniversary!

Libro55:
-Work on consistency
-Walk every day and wear my Fitbit to record it
-Focus more on making it a daily habit rather than "catching up" to a specified number each day
-SIMPLIFY …. my life (AMEN Sister!)

KJLIII:
1) Finish my Couch to 5K program
2) Lose at least 5 more pounds
3) Exercise more on days I'm not running

MACNana2:
-Go to a 6:15am Zumba class
-See some lower numbers on the scale

So how is everybody doing?

Replies

  • cecehite19
    cecehite19 Posts: 56 Member
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    Hi,

    Joanne you are exactly right we should take a moment and give thanks and pray for the strength to continue fighting our individual battles! I personally did something I have done in the past in previous weight loss efforts. I set myself up for failure. I do this because I have so many things I want to do and I am in a hurry to get there. So I think I can do more than in reality than I can. That is not to say I should not try to do them but I need to be more realistic. I still want to do all of my goals but maybe it was too much to do within 1 week. What was this week like for me? So this week I had a bad case of the flu. I am still getting over it and in fact I was up all night on Saturday not able to sleep and coughing. But now I look at my list I did get in some workouts. This was very hard considering I was not as strong as I was before my flu let alone ADD all of these new goals. So what am I doing about it? ..............I am doing the best I can and I just have to accept my daily life as it is for now. Today (SUNDAY) I started with 3 hours sleep from last night and decided to start my day with a workout. Great right? Yes well, after my workout I fell asleep for 2 hours and woke up coughing. So I ask myself " what am I doing?" ...... I am doing the best I can and I have to accept it. This is very frustrating because I feel so far behind. What a dilemma, why do I set myself up to feel like a failure? These are the times that in the past I would just say what the heck I cannot do this and give up but I am NOT going to do it THIS TIME. I am going to forge ahead and fight on trying to get my act together again. I know my goals are unrealistic at this point but the way I am going to look at it is they are goals to be reached and I may not get to all of them but the are ways to improve my lifestyle and things I can try to make changes in my daily life and things I did not do at all before.

    So on to my happy thoughts! I did workout during a week that was filled with sickness. That is something I have never done before. I did focus on getting myself healthy and I did not comfort myself with bad unhealthy food!!! That is a good thing!
    Hopefully this week I will try to do a few longer workouts to build up my strength so I will maybe be able to work towards running and walking more in the days ahead in April. I try to look at the happy side of things and believe me I am a much happier person than I was on January 1st!!! I have come far in just a few short months and I will keep on my overall goal of staying on this healthy way of life for all 365 days this year! This I know in the end will be a journey that I will be proud of in the end, even if there are a few bumps along the way!

    So to everyone in this group lets continue to plug away and cheer each other on because I know we all have our own situations and problems but in the end with each other WE CAN DO THIS and please know I am there for you as I know you are all there for me, so THANKS to all of you!!!! CECE
  • KJLIII
    KJLIII Posts: 225 Member
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    Hi everyone ! !

    Joanne, you are right about so many things ! ! I will do just what you said, and begin with giving thanks...

    I thank God for so many great friends like all of you, who have been so supportive to me on this MFP journey. I'm thankful that even though we all live in different parts of the U.S. (I even have some MFP friends in different parts of the world!), we can come here and be encouraging to one another ! ! I also thank Him for being able to lose as much as I have (so far) and to get more fit. I'm SO thankful that my knees and hips are holding out ! ! AND I'm thankful that I've learned a little bit more about losing weight in a healthy way, and how to eat better, and how to make lifestyle changes that I can continue on for the rest of my days that are not burdensome - that I don't have to make this a "diet" that will end and then balloon back up to the weight I started at ! ! And I thank the Lord that I'm not alone on this journey...

    And as far as my "Return on Investment" goes - I have to say that you are right about being able to zip down the slopes and get back up ! ! I can really tell the difference in my strength AND endurance when skiing. I have much more endurance than I've had in years ! Also, I'm able to "Run" for the first time in YEARS ! ! I'm able to fit into my old clothes (and I'm SO excited about that ! ) - you know, the ones I kept around in the closet for years, just waiting until I lost weight and could fit into them again ! ! And I CAN ! ! WOO HOO ! ! It's like I have a whole new wardrobe ! Plus, I went shopping for clothes for the first time in AGES - and I was amazed that it was a pleasant experience. In the past, it was rather unpleasant, as I would try on cute clothes and realize that I would need a larger size because nothing fit right and then they wouldn't have it in a larger size. I would be sickened at the problem with my reflection in the mirror, and with the way clothes fit (or didn't fit!). This time, though, I felt much better about things. I know I still have a ways to go, but things are definitely improving. My husband is excited about the changes he sees in me, and encourages me. He's even signed up and trying this out ! ! (He has trouble keeping up with it though, since he's a truck driver and doesn't always have coverage with his phone or computer...)

    Cece - I hear you on your struggles. Just want you to know that I'll be here to cheer you on - YOU CAN DO THIS ! !

    We're all here to improve, and as long as we're trying - we'll learn what works and doesn't work and we'll all benefit from it. Keep up the great work, everyone ! !
  • debloves2ride
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    Good Morning everyone!
    I do thank God for all of my friends and the wonderful life that I have. This past month and the one before has been up and down as recovery has been hard. BUT - well on the the way. I lost some during this time, but not what I want. I have lost 2 lbs so far, not the 5 I want, but working on it.

    My returns are just beginning to come in. In general feeling better and the loss is starting to show. My best return is from co-workers and friends asking how I am doing it! My clothes are baggy and they said I need to go shopping :) love it!

    The total weight loss by the group is AWESOME! we can do this, it is now or never. I look forward to our posts every day and the support for each other just makes my day. I figure it has taken me awhile to get where and am and it will take me a while to get where I want to be, but with everyones support it makes that journey so much better.
  • IamProudofMe
    IamProudofMe Posts: 37 Member
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    Hello Everyone!

    I'm behind on replying to this post, but just as with my eating and exercise goals, I will do what I can when I can and not (as I used to) say "Oh it's too late" and give up. So here is my "better late than never" post :smile:

    I started this month out well, although both my son and I had birthdays right in a row so I did a bit more eating out than usual. Then week two I also had the flu like CeCe which knocked me down for three days. This past week I was on a business trip. I would say I did "half good". I made pretty good choices in food. I did appetizers for dinner and they were quite filling enough. (A little too much wine though). I started the week out exercising in my room, and had always the best intentions of going to the hotel gym but never, ever, set foot in it. And I had plenty of time to do so. I still have "other priorities first" syndrome. Meaning, when I could have worked out I would write one more email or one more report. The thing too is my boss or job does not pressure me for this (my boss is a great health and fitness advocate!). This is still me being lazy and finding excuses. What I also lack is consistency. When I am consistent, the pounds drop away.

    On the positive side ( and I believe we always should see both sides of the road on this journey), I do feel more energy. I did recoup from the flu faster than ever, I wake up with more energy, and really enjoy moving in any way!. My clothes are getting looser (hopefully I can fit into that box of summer clothes that every year I move in and out of the attic for no reason!) I had three people in the last week alone see me and with their first words exclaim "Wow- You look great Barb!" Love that positive reinforcement from others.

    I am a optimist, and I believe optimism for the future is critical in this journey. Allow me to share with you The Optimist's Creed. I hope you can benefit from some of these words:

    The Optimist Creed

    Promise Yourself ...
    To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
    To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
    To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
    To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
    To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
    To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
    To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
    To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
    To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
    To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.


    :flowerforyou: Barb
  • IamProudofMe
    IamProudofMe Posts: 37 Member
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    Well - April is over - How did we all do with our goals? Here are mine and my comments:

    -lose 5.5 to hit 25 pound mark - I STILL HAVE 3 MORE POUNDS TO GO
    -45 minutes of exercise a minimum of 4 times per week - STUMBLED A BIT DUE TO ILLNESS
    -develop a travel routine because I have a lot of business travel coming up - PLANNED FOR TRAVEL EXERCISE BUT DIDN'T EXECUTE IT WELL. DID BETTER ON NUTITIONAL INTAKE WHILE TRAVEL THOUGH!

    Even though we are in MAY, I know we CAN do this!

    :bigsmile: