DOWN for the Holidays! (Page 6)

Cool!  I'm really hoping I can coordinate everything tonight to fit a yoga class in at a new place in my hood.  My body is so tight right now!  Did my run - will swim on my lunch and will try to get a core workout in tomorrow before work.  Have a good day everyone!!

Wow, that's harder for me than doing any workout. lol!

I'm a substitute teacher (Displaced) and yesterday was one of the worst ones I've had in a LONG while.  I did manage to get to the dry needling clinic and sit outside and enjoy watching the Illinois river and the trees changing colors.  I was also there to watch the beginning of sunset.  No core work for me, but I can definitely look for some peace.

In the past few weeks I've started a bedtime routine that includes some easy stretching.... I turn off the TV, turn down the lights and that's my "quiet" time.  Makes for a good going-to-bed transition... my body is happier for having been stretched and my mind is happier for having been given a moment to not concentrate on much of anything.

Hi everyone, I am late (as usual) but would love to get in on this challenge! Need to read back through the posts but here's my info:

NAME: Anne, 51 y.o.

CURRENT WEIGHT: No idea since our scale broke about a month ago (not from someone standing on it) and we haven't replaced it yet. Probably somewhere in the 156-160 range.

GOAL: Eliminate my flabby menopausal belly.

NUTRITION: I try to eat fairly paleo/clean although do allow myself the occasional indulgence. For the month of November I am going to try gluten free (Thanksgiving being a hall pass kind of day) to see if that has any impact.

Hi Anne! 

Also, I finally changed my avatar (was a wedding photo, but I don't think I need that on there almost 6 months later) and I just put one up of myself with a piece of pie. HAHA. Key lime pie in Key West on my honeymoon.

Hi Lauren!

Lots of familiar faces in here! And it's always great to meet new BTers!

 I FIND THAT THE 20 MINUTES OF YOGA IS THAT QUIET PLACE AS LONG AS i DON'T HAVE A CAT CLIMBING ON ME AS i LIE IN THE REST POSITION.

We eat as much with our eyes as any other part. Just cause we're on a journey to weight loss does not mean the food needs to be unappealing or boring.  Eat lots of colors and textures.

I know this in my head.....but was reminded again last night as I made dinner with my exchange student.  Made a Vietnamese chicken & pepper stir fry with pineapple.  Just seeing the red pepper, bright pineapples and the chinese chives in the pan made me appreciate it's goodness.  Add in the flavor from the lemon grass and ginger root and watch the explosion of good food 

We eat as much with our eyes as any other part. Just cause we're on a journey to weight loss does not mean the food needs to be unappealing or boring.  Eat lots of colors and textures.

I know this in my head.....but was reminded again last night as I made dinner with my exchange student.  Made a Vietnamese chicken & pepper stir fry with pineapple.  Just seeing the red pepper, bright pineapples and the chinese chives in the pan made me appreciate it's goodness.  Add in the flavor from the lemon grass and ginger root and watch the explosion of good food 

I was able to get my core work in yesterday, it was tough with the tail end of an
illness, but I managed.

I don't think I will be able to get the mini-challenge in today. I have projects
to work on for a few showings of our house, kids to play with, help my wife
with cleaning and am already behind in my studying. Tomorrow at work I may be
able to give it a try.

Does anyone here use Trainerroad? I just received my ant+ stick but haven't signed
up yet. Are you able to do group rides with other people or have races with
other people? If it is possible that sounds like fun.

A little late, but would love to join!

Name: Darren

Basics: 37 (on NY Eve), 5'9", married, no kids

Current: 202. Was 233 but got down to 192 last fall, have since gained some back due to a knee issue that kept me from doing much training and the friggin holidays.

Goals: 175 by start of my first HIM, April 7th. Keeping up with my training. Do a much better and consistent job with nutrition...my nemesis. Logging all my nutrition on BT. Currently use My Fitness Pal, but want to start logging more on BT. Thanks for helping with my accountability!

yay!! I'm in!!  Love that its only a change in 7 pounds. There is hope for me yet!  I know weight is just a number...its always the size of my clothes that matters. 

I have a sweet tooth and the palate of a child, thus food is hard for me.  Oh, and I don't cook. I barely cook. I hate it, and I don't know how to. I try to learn, have my food go horribly wrong, get frustrated, then go back to frozen pizzas. 

so, I have quite a challenge ahead of me.  Starting with drinking a ton of water. Small steps!

Name:  Amy

Basics:  single living with a cat (Toonces) and lease a horse (Boxster).  5'5, 152 (ugh, highest ever!)

Training:  just did my IM the same day as Abbie, just in Louisville!  Did a half, an Oly, and a sprint after. Got two trail 5 milers and a road 5 miler coming up. Other than that, something cardio every day (at least 30 min-1.5 hours) and strength 1 -2x a week (I include my yoga in strength, its a lot of body weight stuff).

Diet:  help.

Name: Shaun

Basics: 38, 6'3"

Current: 295

Goals:  Long story, short; I went from 340 in April 2005 to 218 in Sept 2006 with the help of BT.  Since then, I have moved in a stepped pattern up the scale; gaining 10-15 pounds and holding for a while before going on a depression-induced eating binge that moves me up to the next plateau.  I was especially active on BT from 2005 until 2008 and I really miss the camaraderie and motivation.  My current goal is to focus on my nutrition and get my eating under control, begin to add in some cardio and see where things trend.  A great result for 3 months would probably be dropping somewhere around 30 pounds.  If I can get started on that path going into the winter, I may be able to keep the momentum going and actually enter the Spring in good enough condition to train for an event.

Confessional:

This week, I haven't done any cardio training since Saturday.  It's not a function of "I don't have time" but more of a function that I don't seem to make the effort to string enough free time together to move my a5s.  That's the bad news.

The good news is that I have really done well with my eating and have hit my own goal of drinking close to a gallon of water each day.  In addition, I have started to recognize my own weaknesses and work to recover from them. 

Last night, I was going to Walgreens and, during the entire drive, I was going through an internal argument that I really wanted to pick up a pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I really wanted that taste of chocolate and I had been so good about eating all day that I felt like I had 'earned' it.  Then I started realizing that, if I have been so good to that point, why did I want to throw it away at the last minute?  It was really just the desire for a taste of chocolate and mild sweetness. 

I feel like I won my internal argument when I left Walgreens carrying only my prescription.  I still had the same craving for chocolate so I went home and had a handful of chocolate chips and an apple.  Overall, I will chalk that up as a win.

The biggest news in my quest is that I have not had a soda in 5 days.  For anyone that knows me, they know that I am a massive carbonated beverage junkie.  I have found that drinking green tea helps to alleviate the cravings for a sugary drink.

Got a swim in on lunch hour and since I usually sit in the steam sauna for a few minutes afterwards anyway, decided I would use that time as my Mini Challenge time.

Which would have been perfect except that the Aqua Aerobics class had just let out and some of the participants were also in the sauna.  And they're a friendly but very very chatty bunch. 

So I moved to the dry sauna and got my 5 minutes of peace and reflection there. And you know what, I'm not nearly as irritated and grouchy going into a busy work afternoon as normal. I am sure my coworkers will wonder what's up.

Welcome!  I've gone about 6 weeks now without any soda... and I'm used to starting off my day with a 24 ounce Diet Pepsi and going from there.  One thing that's really helped (I'm still surprised at this) is drinking seltzer water with lemon in it ... the fizzy goodness does a good job at replacing the soda and I've found after an initial get-used-to-it period, I now actually enjoy the bite it has as opposed to being sugary sweet.

YMMV, of course, but this is the first time I've given up soda and don't crave it ... for the first time it's not taking up oodles of willpower to stay away.  Kind of a different feeling for me.  

That's a huge win for you Shaun. Nice work!  One good choice leads easier good choices in the future.

One thing I've found that helps with the chocolate attacks is to fix a cup of hot cocoa using the 25 calorie package mix.  Its just enough to get me through guilt free.