WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - 7 Weeks-10#'s

[kjay]

Sorry, I meant to say thanks to Flybye for that great cheer, but I thank you, ibcycling, for including it again.

[ibcycling]

GREAT cheer, ibcycling! I just finished my breakfast (blended: one cup of canned pumpkin, whey protein, liquid calcium, Omega oils, cinnamon, water) to be following by a bike ride if I can kick myself out. I didn't take part in this weight-loss challenge, but am motivated now. Finally! Thanks, everyone, for your motivating messages.

Good for you! I didn't get out on the bike today but plan to tomorrow. I've been fighting a cold but I think I'm over it enough to get back on the bike! Crazy thing is I hit an all time low this morning at 160! The scale tried to go to 159.5 but couldn't quite manage it. LOL!

Lora

[Kano]

173 today -- more gone! I think it was 175 last time I posted?

I'll just keep on keepin' on with what I'm doing, I guess!

Karen in Boise

[NoNo]

I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and was at a low of 122.8 This morning it was 125.6 Oh well, it was totally worth it! I did bring my work-out stuff to work, so I'll be hitting the elliptical later. Anyone else stuck at work today?

[Tuckervill]

I'm not stuck at work, but I am stuck at home with a houseful of people and the sewer system clogged up!!!

My poor hubby dug it up yesterday and he's finishing it up today. What a way to ruin a 4-day weekend.

I ate like a PIG yesterday, but I enjoyed it a lot! I cooked everything all by myself because of the sewer and I decided to cook a lot of healthy food. I still had my MIL's recipe sweet potatoes which classify as a dessert, really, but it's only once or twice a year, right?

Pie for breakfast, which my 14 yo son made--he's becoming a right fine cook.

I weighed this morning and up a pound, but hey...it's Thanksgiving.

Karen

[solobiker]

Still at 149, at least it is not up from Thanksgiving. Lets see what happens after this weekend. I too, like some of you have thyroid issues. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 1989. The older I get the harder it has been for me to drop any weight. It gets a little discouraging as a few of my co-workers can drop weight very quickly and they dont even know what the word exercise means. While I ride, run, walk or lift weights on a daily basis Oh well, I will eventually find something that will work. I do keep a positive attitude in that I say to myself would I rather be the size that I am and be able to ride the distances that I can, or, would I rather be skiinny like my co-workers and get tired from a 10 min walk. hmmm tough choice. not really

[deidre]

Weigh in for Sunday 11/18:

I didn't post my weight because I was so frustrated; I don't think I even read this thread at all last week I stepped on the scale and was UP to
171.

The week leading up to the weigh-in was a good week from a workout perspective. Food is another issue because I don't think I am eating enough. I wake up for my 5:15 am morning workouts and don't eat breakfast until 8 am. By then I am so hungry and then it feels like I am hungry for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I have set a goal to run at a couple of miles every day (this is something that I felt I needed to do to get back to running consistent). So that I give my knees and legs and joints a break, I usually do treadmill runs during the week and outdoor runs on the weekends.

Though the scale didn't make me happy, I didn't let it get me off of my program. I will keep running and biking and eventually my body and the scale will respond accordingly.

Congratulations to everyone on your progress and thanks for the encouragement.

[Tuckervill]

I know some people can't eat before they work out, but I suggest you eat before it or immediately afterwards. I eat a small bowl of oatmeal, raisins and walnuts every morning within a half hour of waking up, which means before my workout on those days. If I don't eat, I run out of fuel during my workout, and I'm so hungry after that I eat too much.

I heard an "expert" say once that eating within an hour of arising stokes up your metabolism and pays off all day. There's a good reason it's called "break-fast".

Karen

[snowtulip]

I'm still holding at 115, no change, hoping the change starts to come soon! DH and I are going to start a eating and exercise challenge that will end on 12/31. So I need to kick his butt!

[deidre]

I know some people can't eat before they work out, but I suggest you eat before it or immediately afterwards. I eat a small bowl of oatmeal, raisins and walnuts every morning within a half hour of waking up, which means before my workout on those days. If I don't eat, I run out of fuel during my workout, and I'm so hungry after that I eat too much.

Karen

Thanks for the great advice. I can't believe I have to be reminded (again) of the importance of breakfast.

Any ideas on quick/healthy things to keep on hand to eat in a hotel room? I try to keep fruit with me (bananas at least). When I am away on business, I usually rush back to my room to shower, get dressed then head out of hotel to the office.

I keep packs of instant oatmeal with me. I know these are probably not as good as the real thing but since I am an oatmeal newbie, it works for me. Maybe I'll use the coffee machine to heat up some hot water and I'll have a pack of instant oatmeal right after my shower. Instant oatmeal and a banana sounds like a good start.

And on that note, I must go and eat something. I have been up for at least 2.5 hours and haven't eaten anything yet.

[Tuckervill]

I think there's a whole website on what you can make with the hotel room coffee maker! I just googled and there are LOTS so I'll let you peruse at your leisure.

HOWEVER, I do not like the taste of coffee--I drink hot tea instead. Whenever I used the hotel coffee maker, my tea always tasted like burnt coffee. So, I went and got myself an electric tea kettle and I take that with me when I travel. I almost always travel by car, so it doesn't matter how big it is to me. If you fly a lot, maybe a cup-sized one would work for you. Or a few cycles through the hotel CM would get the coffee taste out?

For oatmeal on the road, I mix what I like in my oatmeal (walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, and even a little powdered milk sometimes) into a ziplock bag--then I can take as much or as little as I want, knowing there's nothing artificial in it. I bring my own tea bags and raw sugar for that, too. All of that usually fits right into the kettle so it's no extra space. (I take my favorite mug--but hotel mugs are fine.) You could even set out steel cut oats to soak overnight in the hot water and they'd be ready in the morning.

You can make cup-o-soup and rice and raman noodles and all kinds of things with the hot water from the tea kettle.

The important thing is to eat right away after your work out. Happy problem solving!

Karen

[kelownagirl]

Whoo hoo, down to 118.1 this morning. I doubt it will "stick" but at least I know it's possible! Makes the suffering this week worthwhile...

[bambu101]

OK- the holiday weekend is over. How did everyone do?

I weighed yesterday morning, and was down .8 pound- I'll take it! After the cookie baking yesterday afternoon, I am not sure it'll stay off, but I'm a happy camper for now.

BTW, anybody weigh more than their significant other? I outweigh mine, who is 6'3" and 150 pounds, by a good 25 pounds- how humiliating is that?

[sandra]

I did not eat dessert over the holiday until Saturday. It was my son's 27th birthday. I ate a small piece of apple pie that he requested. Today I weighed 151. Down 1/2 a pound, I think, but anyway I'll take it. At least I made it through and did not gain.

[Tuckervill]

I ate this weekend--not the last 2 days, but the first two I ate a lot and didn't log any of it. We had my son, wife and grandson over for the weekend, plus the relatives for dinner.

God love him--my grandson is a really easy toddler to get along with and I do adore him so, but I had enough of the littering that toddlers naturally do by the time they left. Normally clutter doesn't bother me, but the relentlessness of the way a toddler does it--I'm no longer accustomed to that. My house is small, and we had 5 dogs here, too. Plus, I'm about to start my period and I don't tolerate noise well during this time, and I didn't get to really leave the house for 4 days, while everyone else came and went.

PLUS, our sewer system got clogged on T'giving day and my hubby had to dig it up over two days, but thankful that we didn't have to call a plumber!

By the time Saturday night rolled around, I was feeling emotionally hungry so I suggested pizza and everyone jumped on that and I ate THREE pieces before I felt happy again. Emotional eating. I used to be so immune.

/whine

I did exercise 2 of the days--did the Master Your Body program that the guys I work out with created,

http://fcs.tennessee.edu/masteryourbody/index.htm (the website where you can buy the booklet is down right now.)

One day I pushed the grandson in the bike trailer/stroller for 45 minutes.

So my weight is up a little (part T'giving, part bloat), but my measurements are the same, and I went to my fitness class today (the last week before it breaks then starts again in January--bad timing). I'm feeling good about my fitness because I could lift and throw and play with the boy without even noticing his weight. Now I need encouragement to keep going through December even though there's not a class.

:::sigh::: rain, rain go away....

Karen