Motivation thread...

So, I know there are a bunch of us here who are doing Weight Watchers or some other sort of fitness/weight loss plan.....so I thought I would just start a thread to keep us all motivated. I'd love to hear about everyone's small victories this week. Here is mine:

I just had my MIL here for a week and it was REALLY hard staying on plan. My MIL is awesome and we love to shop and eat out together. And with all the going out to eat and whatnot, I am proud to say that I counted EVERY SINGLE meal and ordered all the low calorie options that I could (mayo on the side, no fries, no soda, no cheese, etc.). I am just so proud of myself for making ME a priority and not caving in to easy temptation. I even dragged my 63 year old MIL with me to the gym one day. She walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes while I worked out.

And finally today, I really worked hard at the gym. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes doing serious laps in the pool. I am exhausted....but I just feel so good about myself!

I would love to hear your stories from this week!

Susan

Congrats Susan!!! Even though I'm STILL stagnating at 37 lbs down..I'm training for a 5K 3x a week and it makes me so proud to be running!

Good for you Susan! It is so hard when you are with other people and they sometimes just don't get that you need to watch what you eat or going out to eat, etc. So good for you for sticking to it! And for going to the gym. :thumbup:

I started WW online in January and I'm still doing it. I am down 17 pounds since then. But I lost about 50 before that with having a baby 12/08. I still want to lose about 35 more to get to the number I have stuck in my head. But I seem to only lose about a pound a week. I know that's still good - but I want to look good this summer. (In my eyes - something I've never experienced.) Anyway, it's hard and I commend anyone for trying to lose weight!

Well, I just started "back" on my weight loss journey on March 11th. I have been starting the journey and falling off the wagon for the last 6 months or so and I am just tired of it finally.

I felt so good when I was at 135 three years ago and I just want to be there again. I think my weight gain that has put me back at my heaviest ever, 172 is seriously affecting my depression and even my agoraphobia to an extent.

I did not do great last week as I was at my Mom's for the week and I just failed at being strong and refusing the fattening dinners and desserts she made. But, I am back home since Friday and on the right track. DH and I went and picked up groceries today and got all healthy low fat foods for the week. And in about 30 minutes we are headed out for an hour workout.

My goal is 30 lbs. by June 11th...which comes out to about 2 to 3 pounds per week. I know I have to work really hard for that but, I also know that mentally I think I am ready for it. I did 4 years ago and I am ready to do it again but, this time...I want to feel that good for more than just one short year.

Like NeeNee, I've been on-again-off-again for a long time (2 years). I found my journal that had my weight & measurement tracker in it, and I realized that I was the same weight I am now 3 years ago! I'm still at the same spot, and I'm so sick of it!!

So last week I finally buckled down and started eating properly. I have stopped drinking pop, stopped eating sugar and refined foods and am trying to eat balanced meals (and more often during the day). In a week I've dropped 4.2 lbs and I'm feeling so much better about myself!!

I hope I can continue being strong & motivated. I am sick of being fat, frumpy & disgusted with my body & myself.

You girls are awesome!

I joined the current Skinny Jeans Challenge in January. My "little" celebration is that I hit my goal of losing 30 pounds this week!!!!

Hopefully I can keep it up- it seems to get harder and harder each week to eat well and get those workouts in.

Wow, great idea Susan. You girls are doing so well, just having the desire to do something! That counts for something you know.

I joined WW at work and have missed the last three meetings due to an insane schedule and moving. But I'm going to rejoin. I can't wait to start exercising to my DVDs in our basement...lots of room now. And I'm going to start to really use the treadmill too.

SmallMoments said:

You girls are awesome!

I joined the current Skinny Jeans Challenge in January. My "little" celebration is that I hit my goal of losing 30 pounds this week!!!!

Hopefully I can keep it up- it seems to get harder and harder each week to eat well and get those workouts in.

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AND I AM SOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!

I was so stoked for the Skinny Jeans stuff, and I have NO idea why, but I dropped out. I think it had to do with not being 100% determined and "there" mentally, you know?

Wow you ladies are definitely inspiration...I went back to WW Thursday...OMG I almost fainted when I got on the scale...I've been doing really good since then...I even made time to go on a walk yesterday and today...I'm totally committed because if I gain another pound I'm going to go in a state of depression...But reading this thread I know it can be done...

I started WW meetings a week ago, online wasn't cutting it for me.

I lost 4.2 pounds at my first weigh in. I need to work out tonight, this thread helped me because I was going to blow it off for tonight, I guess now I won't.

Thanks girls!

Kristin, that is fantastic! Congrats hon!!

I've been working out for 8 weeks or so, running 3 days a week for 3 weeks now. I'm only down about 5 lbs overall (but down 15 from last summer), and I want to lose another 15 total. This, is where the rubber meets the road for me. This last 15 lbs is going to be HARD, and I know it. But, I'm actually really enjoying running and doing the Couch to 5K program, so I'm feeling good about things.

My motivation is that dress that didn't fit last week. I'm fairly certain it was the cut of the dress, but I don't care. That sucker practically fell of me, and that felt awesome. I also feel leaner, especially in the legs, which is cool because I always thought I was just stuck being on the "thick" side.

What a fantastic thread to start! I'm really enjoy reading everyone's stories!

I started Medical Weight Loss Clinic back on January 15th and kinda came to a plateau a couple of weeks ago with it - I kept on plan and this past Friday they moved me to a different plan (basically eating 200 calories less than what I was) and my scale has already gone down. I go in tomorrow morning for a weigh in with them so we'll see! About 8 weeks on plan and I'm down 8.8 lbs. I've got about 40 more lbs to lose!

I agree - this is a great thread! We could all use a little encouragement and support!
Kristin really has been the star in the Skinny Jeans challenge! There's a number of us gals still plugging along there, including myself. Since we started about 10 weeks ago, I've lost 13.6 pounds. (No, I haven't updated my siggie)
All I've done is change some of my eating habits - adding more vegetables as a proportion of my food and recently moving towards gluten-free - and trying to walk more (though that has become challenging with foot injuries and brand new orthotics).
I'm taking the approach of small, slow changes to the "diet" and exercise because I plan on losing for a long time - I have still about 125 pounds to lose - and I hope to make them permanent changes, something I can keep up for the rest of my life. I'm making goals for myself - I signed up for a half marathon at the beginning of May; though at the rate I'm going, I will not be ready but I will at least give it a try.

Great idea, Susan. And thanks to everyone for their updates.

Tomorrow is the big day for me. I'm darn near the heaviest I've ever been,
and my percent body fat is really high! I start tomorrow in a work sponsored program that incorporates good nutrition, cardio, and strength training. I'm joining along with two work buddies, their support will be great. One of the two is really similar in size and shape to me, and we've always shared our struggles. Now we're ready to share our success!

I've pigged out all weekend. I know it's stupid, but I did get it out of my system. I am so ready to get started, and I feel like I have more support than ever. Plus, I get to work with a trainer for 5 days a week for one month. Can't wait to get my butt kicked by him.

I look forward to checking in with you all. Any support we can give each other will be great!

Well the running hasn't been going well. But the toothache mouth issues I'm having at the moment has my calorie intake way down. (Not good, but still the only good news I have) I can't really eat veggies, or anything crunchy. Which means no cheetos, so that's good. I'm hoping to walk some today with the family. Hopefully it goes well. The weather really needs to get warmer. Hard to walk with two small kids in the snow!

I just jumped off the scale and am down 35 pounds. I was stuck at 30 pounds for 3 weeks. But the inches lost mean more to me than the pounds. I have dropped a clothing size and bra size.

I am recovering from the stomach virus (again) so I won't be working out this morning. I have increased my normal workout, added weights and am doing the couch to 5k program. I am not doing WW or other diet plan but am doing a program guided by my doctor. I am on thyroid meds and have an extremely sluggish metabolism so we are working together to get that all sorted out and working correctly.

That is awesome Amanda! Way to go!!!

I am just starting Week 3 and as of yesterday I'm down 5.5 lbs. For me, a new medicine helped me put on 15 lbs over the winter and it just has to GO! I'm not doing anything organized, just cut out soda, snacks and eating after dinner. I'm typically eating Special K for lunch and then a normal dinner... which is a HUGE cut-back from what I have been eating all winter long.

I'm hoping to start incorporating the treadmill this week... wish me luck!

Gosh, I love reading everyone's stories! It is awesome to see how small changes can make such a big difference. Let's keep it up!!

Susan

these stories are great - congrats ladies!!

i re-started my diet last wednesday (but am making monday my official weigh-in date) ... i lost 5.5 lbs last week ... and have many, many more to go (i have never lost any of the weight i gained with both kids - arghh) .... i am really motivated right now since i've just re-started, the difficulty for me is sticking to it for more than 2 weeks ....

and i'm SOOOOOO bummed i dropped out (didn't even start ?!?!) the skinny jeans challenge - hopefully there will be another one!!

Today is exactly one week since I decided to make major changes to my diet. It's been hard, lol. I work at a chinese restaurant (with smorg every night), and I normally ate off that for supper (I work up to 5 nights a week), and drink pop there too.

I've started cooking supper at home and packing it to work, along with fresh veggies, yougurt and sometimes a cheese string. I only allow myself to drink water (with lots of ice) while I'm there.

At home I've stocked my fridge and pantry with good, whole foods. Lots of fruits & veggies, whole grain options (kamut orzo, whole wheat torillas & bagels). I even baked my first 2 loaves of 100% whole grain bread AND made blueberry banana muffins (no refined flour or sugar). I've been eating 5-6 small meals a day (making sure to have a source of protien along with a carb - either from fruit, veggies or starch), and *trying* to be more conscience of drinking water.

And today I stepped on the scale to see where I was physically (I'm feeling better mentally and physically on the inside, lol). And I was over the moon excited - and did a little happy dance - when the scale read that I was exactly 5 lbs down from last week!!!

Someone celebrate with me (I'm eating an apple, lol).

Way to go Jae!!!

That's AWESOME Jaedyn!!!!!

Jaeyden, you're so motivated - as you all seem to be!

I need to loose, but I just can't get my head in the right place for it. I've done WW before, and just can't face working points etc out, and I guarentee DH will stick with me for a day and then walk in with take out or a huge bag of something naughty. The thought of preparing separate meals for me & DH/DS doesn't really appeal.

So how do you ladies make it work with your families too? Do you cook something separately, or does everyone eat the same? ...and how do you stop DH bringing home yummy calorific treats and ruining all your good work? Any tips, suggestions would be very gratefully received! I really want to follow in your lighter footsteps, and be as healthy and fit as all of you :thumbup:

Sara - I'm a bit lucky that I have a really supportive DH, who eats what I make, lol. And since our DD is just 2, she doesn't really know much else about eating... she eats what we give her (also lucky that she's never been picky).

BUT, DH does love to have pop, chips, candy, chocolate, etc. As do I. They are my weakness - I LOVE junk food! So I told DH that he could eat that if he wanted to, BUT he was under no circumstances allowed to bring it into the house. He still sneaks it into the house, but he's really good at hiding it, and so far I haven't found his stash. Not that I'm looking for it, lol. Because once I know where it is, I'll be in trouble on a bad day!

I would just do that. Ask DH to be supportive, and not tell him what he can or can't eat. Men don't like to be controlled or told what they can & can't do. So just ask him that you need him to respect you, while you respect him. He can still have his stuff, but he can't bring it near you. It works for me, maybe it will for you too?

My DH is one of the ones that "supports" me, but then asks for pizza or burgers for dinner especially if I'm running late, or brings me home Cadbury Cream Eggs or York peppermint patties as a "treat". We've had to work on the communication and when I can have certain things. For instance I will have Chinese take out and I choose something better on the menu like shrimp and broccoli, but we cannot have it within 2 days before weigh-in because the sodium in it makes me retain water weight for a couple days. And we cannot have a large pizza every week or take out 3-4 times a week.
It helps that DH's doctor told him his glucose levels are a little elevated and he needed to cut out "white" foods - DH is scared about getting diabetes now, so he now has incentive to eat healthier foods and he is asking for take-out less. So there's more vegetables and brown rice - and he's been more open to trying new things (like last night trying whole grain brown rice pasta, which was actually pretty good).

Truthfully Sara, it's a STRUGGLE. But I think the key is being honest with yourself. Jordan is NOT big into eating healthy. He likes his chips, he drinks a lot of soda, he eats like garbage, and he stays the same weight. Whether he's eating super healthy and exercising, or he's eating like poo, his weight only fluctuates a few pounds. So, he doesn't care. (Obviously that will eventually change, and he'll have to deal with that then and I'll support him.)

Not having chips/ice cream/sweets in the house is not an option for me. Jordan would never go for it. So *I* have to learn to control *myself*, and deal with it. Personally, I think that's a healthier way to go about it (but I certainly understand the other methods that people use, no disespect Jae!!). In the real world, you have to deal with those temptations all the time. And the success is that much sweeter for me when I sit down and think, man, I could really some ice cream, and am able to have 1 single scoop of it and be satisfied. Or when I WANT a healthy snack instead of the chips and dip. Jordan's mom gave us 2 big containers of peanut butter bars with chocolate on top, and I can go into the fridge and have just 1, instead of the 5 I use to eat.

There are ways to incorporate healthier eating that you can adapt to fit your needs. For instance, we really love to do grilled chicken marinated in italian dressing. It's healthier than some of the other marinade options, and it tastes great. If Jordan wants to have it with potatoes or something, he can fix it himself. If I want to have it in a salad, I make myself a salad. More often than not, Jordan will have it in a salad as well, so that he doesn't have to do any work himself.
Incorporate more veggies as sides. Your family can eat as much of whatever they want, but you are able to eat more veggies instead of rice/potatoes/pasta/whatever.
Work on portion control. I'm BIG on portion control. If the family wants pizza, then order pizza. But limit yourself to 2 slices (or 1, or whatever). I eat on "salad" plates instead of dinner plates, because it LOOKS like more food than it is, and I have yet to be so hungry that I go back for more when I finish that.

We don't have kids, so that's not an issue for us.

Typically, my DH and I follow the same weight and healthy eating trends. If I get chunky, he does sort of too (you know how men are...they loose faster don't typically have it go straight to their hips and hiney, etc.).

He is following right along with me on this journey and it makes it so much easier! I just told him thank you last night for doing it with me as it makes it so much more motivational.

Luckily, my only kido that is home to eat dinner every night, etc. loves healthy foods too so, we don't buy junk typically for her either. She loves salads, fruits, etc. Thank goodness.

No offense taken Col . I wish I was more like you and could have those items in the house and be strict enough to stay away from them.

Unfortunately, I know myself and I KNOW that if its here, I can't stay away forever. I'll be doing fine, but then Aunt Flo comes visiting, and I'm gorging on the stashed away chocolate & cookies. Once I start on that path, my cravings all come back and I can't stop until I've gained all the weight back and I realize what I've done.

That said, I DO allow myself to do what Col does, and have a small portion of something if I'm craving it. I do better that way than to deny myself until my cravings get out of control. I would rather eat a cupcake when I'm craving cake, than bake a whole cake and eat 3/4 of it myself when Aunt Flo comes or I have a bad day. I've done that before, and its NOT worth it, lol. Not only do I get all my cravings back, I feel sick. Physically and mentally.

Thank you for your tips ladies - I have to do something about my weight, and maybe if I insist DH buys treats that he likes and I don't particulaly, at least to get me kick started maybe, then it may work this time.

I so hear what you all say about not totally denying yourself - thats really where I failed last time. The cravings got so bad that I caved completely with my diet and gave up. So, a little of what you like... - don't you just hate it when the sayings your mother came out with, turn out to be so true!?!

I make separate meals. Yes, it is a pain but worth it. My dh will grill enough chicken for 5 nights on Sunday. We use that for salads for the weeknights. I cook for the kids every night. So really I am not cooking anymore than usual but I am making 2 meals. We seldom eat with the kids anyways (on weekdays) since they eat before baseball and we eat later.

On the weekends we eat whatever we want but don't go hog wild. We have a treat on the weekend- usually ice cream.

The only other junk food (chips and little debbies) in the house is the stuff the boys have for school lunches. It isn't anything I would want to eat anyways.

aggiefamily said:

I make separate meals. Yes, it is a pain but worth it. My dh will grill enough chicken for 5 nights on Sunday. We use that for salads for the weeknights. I cook for the kids every night. So really I am not cooking anymore than usual but I am making 2 meals. We seldom eat with the kids anyways (on weekdays) since they eat before baseball and we eat later.

On the weekends we eat whatever we want but don't go hog wild. We have a treat on the weekend- usually ice cream.

The only other junk food (chips and little debbies) in the house is the stuff the boys have for school lunches. It isn't anything I would want to eat anyways.

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I make separate meals too. DH is not along for the journey with me (I'm okay with that)...even though he should be. Shh! Plus the kids are a bit picky.

I am happy to report that I lost 2 lbs since Friday....so a total of 10.4 so far. (Down a total of 20.4 since Jan 2009). Now only 40 more to go.....