Posts by pelkeyjm

Here I am!!! Sorry for the late post.. it's been a craaaazy week! My 12 week goal was 68% successful. It's a weird number I know but it's been a really good 12 weeks despite not logging barely any food on cc. I have lost inches off of my waist and become incredibly active. I've pretty much made activity mandatory in my life which is a huge success. My eating habits have not been perfect but I've adopted habits that are 110% better than myself 6 months ago when I began using Calorie Count and joined this thread. I'm not sure if I should adopt new goals right now because I really should focus on the old ones. Maybe I could tweak the ones I have so that I can achieve the later part of my goals better.

I will be posting some more later!! I have yet another busy day...

I hope everyone is having a great day!!!!

Jen

I've been MIA for a bit. I had an intense 8 day summer class that was an upper credit class condensed with TONS of homework. But that's behind me now thank goodness. I have 5 weeks off to really spend taking care of me and spending time with my family.

12 Week Goal Check In 3/4: So I've been running. I feel really good. My boyfriend and I have started eating healthy together and really putting a conscious effort into it. However, I haven't been logging my food at all on Calorie count. That was a huge part of my goal last time and I haven't been doing it at all. I am proud of myself for keeping up with exercising and also for thinking about food differently. Food is less of a way to make me feel good but more of a way to nurture my body and make it the best machine it possibly can be.

So the class I took was Foundations of Personal Health. I am an art major but took this class on purpose to learn about health and see if I could extract anything from the class that could help in my every day life. I've started taking vitamins and Fish oil with Omega-3's and eating much better. The text book for the class was YOU The Owner's Manual. This book was really easy to read and I learned so much about my body. Anyone who is serious about getting healthy should have a basic knowledge about how their different systems work. The book gives pointers on how to live a healthy life and how to incorporate good habits into every day life. I recommend it for sure. I'm going to let my friends borrow it. In the back there is a diet plan and exercise program that I don't think I'm going to follow because it's one of those diets where you have to be a gourmet chef to be able to follow it but I read the suggestions and am applying the ones that make sense to me into my life. I definitely benefited from taking that class. I am sorry for falling off the wagon and not posting but the information I learned was sooo great for improving my well being and creating a healthier me.

Jen

Hi Everyone!!!

I chose a delicious recipe that's not technically a salad.....I usually eat pre-made salads from the grocery store and add fresh veggies to it. So instead I chose a chicken salad recipe. It's easy and it's full of protein and can be put on top of salad and did I mention it's extremely easy? Enjoy!

Check-In:

This week has been ok. I'm not logging...at all. I'm exercising and that's going well but I need to get going on the logging. It's been rainy off and on here so I've been going to the gym instead of running outside. I prefer running outside than going to the smelly gym. I really should start adding a lifting routine to my exercising so I'm going to look into it. Any suggestions? I have some magazines that I've tried before so I might try to do those again.

Thanks Sara- I got a little ahead of myself.

New Goal: Log ALL food on calorie count.

I'll make it a personal goal to cut back on the fast food, and I think that the logging will help me be conscious of what I am consuming. kyashiis and Meg- I love that you guys reward yourselves for acheiving your goals. I think it's something I'm going to think about doing...

Possible Rewards-

1. Get my hair done

2. Buy a new book

3. Day trip

4. New shoes

5. New item of clothing, etc.

This is going to be a great way to motivate me since I love presents....

THanKs GuYs!!!

Jen

You're right Sara! I'm going to get a bit more specific about my NO FAST FOOD goal. I think that I will prepare 2 meals per day at home 5x per week and allow for 2 meals per week either at a restaurant or on the go. This will allow me to not feel guilty if we go out to dinner with friends or if I forget my lunch at home, etc. Maybe I'll limit the restaurant part of the goal to only allowing myself to eat half of the portion served, as restaurants often give you waaaay more than you need. Looks like I've got some thinking to do. Thanks sara for helping focus my new goal.

Kyashii- I just read your posts from earlier this week and it too made me realize that I have developed a lot of motivators that keep me going. Like Nannygabber I noticed that many of yours do revolve around positive self talk. It made me think of my own motivators and I realized that I do this. Instead of being so negative about my body I've become my own advocate for success. I don't let myself get depressed or hopeless... Thanks for helping me realize this step in the right direction mentally!!!

I hope everyone had a GREAT week!!!

Jen

Denise- HI there. I wanted to share my pregnancy weightgain with you. I gained 40lbs with my pregnancy, 5lbs more than I should have and my son was born at an average/normal weight of 7lbs 8 1/3 oz. Much of the weight is fluid. I left the hospital at 170lbs and within 3 days had lost nearly 20lbs of fluid. Once my son was born and I'm sure you'll find this as well, you are so busy that your not thinking about food, you're thinking about the baby, bottles/breastfeeding, diapers, diapers, diapers....It didn't take me long to get back down to my pre-baby weight. I made the mistake of freaking out a few days after I was home and tried to do some pilates and ended up pulling a muscle...I definitely didn't give myself enough time to "bounce back" and heal. 9 months on and 9 months off is definitely the way to go.

Sara- I think that you're right on with your assessment of this thread.

Doing some abs today and back to the gym tomorrow!!!

Jen

Welcome Silverstar!!!! I am one of the mom's in the forum, we are pretty close in age, I'm 23 and have a 4 year old son so if you ever need to vent about mom stuff or anything else feel free...

4 Month Check-In: Thanks Sara for the congrats on 4 months with Wagonjumpers. This thread has been the only thing that I've been consistent with as far as weight loss is concerned. I've been trying to keep up with a routine but I haven't been consistent enough. I have had some pretty good stretches where I've done well with a routine but haven't followed through. I guess that's why I belong in this thread. I've had some minor setbacks like a tonsilectomy, the end of the semester, and recently moving....ugh. Right before we moved I was going to the gym 4 days per week and doing pretty well focusing on cardio since I have some fat to lose...who doesn't right? But then moving set me back and it was easier to grab a quick bite instead of cooking something that would be soooo much better for me. I'm aware of all of this and I think that knowing that I need to change is always a good place to begin the change. So here I go again with a re-commitment to my 12 week goal!! Wish me luck.

Sara- Thanks for the info on the Mac....I'm pumped to get my office area set up in the new place and order my desktop!

This Weeks Topic

The idea for motivating us to motivate eachother is wonderful. I think that motivating eachother to do better will help us to achieve our goals.

Good luck this week everyone! Stick with it!!!!!!!!

Jen :)

I am also 50/50 on my goals. I've been making it a point to go to the gym and have been doing a lot of cardio lately. This week however we are moving apartments and didn't go at all, but lifting and all that stuff has been quite a workout itself.

Despite my good effort in the workout department, my eating habits have been so so. Like I mention we're moving and convenience food became more accessible than good home cooked meals so my caloric intake has been through the roof. I plan to resume my gymtastic schedule at the end of this week. I just have to keep on keepin' on and focus on my improvements, especially in exercise.

I hope everyone has a super awesome week!!!!

Jen.

So, school has had the best of me lately and I'm swamped with papers, projects, portfolio stuff, and studio time. So sorry I've been MIA for a bit, but I'm recommitted and ready to dive back into fitness. The weather here is starting to warm up a tad..so i'm getting excited to get outside.

As for my half way check in: I haven't been logging. Not a single thing. I've been conscious of what I eat but have cheated a bit. I haven't lost weight but haven't gained either. I've been going to the gym when I can and find that I can spend longer amounts of time on the elliptical than before. I've also been hearing that people think i've lost weight so maybe I'm losing inches. I was recently fitted for a dress for my brother's wedding and my measurements were 38", 30", 42". I think I 'm going to use that as a springboard to guage my weightloss instead of weight lost. So, I'm ready to get going....

Weekly Check-In: So far, so good. Despite my weight creeping up, I've stuck to my goals. I have started back at school and the stress is starting to increase but I've created time in my day for activity to make up for excuses like stress. Today i did legs at the gym, a friend and I were going to go to a kickboxing class but it was cancelled because we are getting a lot of snow right now. I bought a magazine and it has a lot of exercise tips in it. I can't remember the name of it but i'll get it and let everyone know!!!

Weekly Topic: I think we should stick with our plans set at the beginning of the year because it will keep us in check and remind us that we are dedicated or were dedicated to a goal!!!

I know that I'm not succeeding very quickly because I am not eating the best. It's something that I need to work on and I struggle with it every day. Some days I feel like food controls me. I don't want to feel like that. I never had any weight problems until about 2 years ago when I put on 20 pounds. It doesn't seem like a lot but to me it feels like a ton. I've always been the thin girl who could eat whatever....now every morsel I eat goes to my love handles...lol. I want to overcome this and be fit and healthy with healthy habits.

I don't think that there is a fast or easy way to lose weight healthily. It's just making great choices every day.

I hope everyone has a great and healthy week...I need to get some sleep!!!

Jen

Weekly Check-In: This week hasn't been too bad. I'm not losing weight but not gaining. I haven't been logging religiously, however I am NOT gorging on crappy food. Next week school starts again and the stress level will be much higher and hopefully I'll be able to maintain my good habits through the stress!!!

"What exercise are you currently NOT engaged in that you would like to do in the future, why are you not yet doing it? What are the roadblocks? How can you overcome them?"

I'd like to get into weight lifting. I've been reading the thread and am intrested in this NROLFW that everyone keeps mentioning and I'm going to look into it. I need to get into a routine to build some muscle.

What I have been doing for workouts are more outdoors activities. As I mentioned in last weeks thread is that I went snowshoeing last monday and loved it. This monday I went cross country skiing. I used to go every winter quite a bit but got out of it after I began college. It was amazing to go and be out in the fresh air and be sweating and feeling really good. I must say that I enjoyed going skiing better than snowshoeing. I guess maybe it's just different. Snowshoeing is fun when you break trails in the woods and skiing is best when there are groomed trails and slopes to break up the straight paths. My mom and I are going to try to go once a week. I've also been doing a 30 minute ab workout once a week from home but would prefer something with other people. I'm going to renew my gym membership TOMORROW! and get back to the weight training and am going to try to take a class once a week.

sara- I definitely recommend trying snowshoeing. It's super fun with a friend or if you have a dog. I poured sweat but was having a fun time. Breaking trails had so much resistance. I would recommend borrowing someone's before you buy your own just in case it isn't for you. Good luck!!!

Good luck EVERYONE!!!!!

Jen

Weekly Check-In: So, I feel like it's been forever since I've logged in. I've been consumed lately with the Holidays and was down for a bit when I had my tonsils out on 12/17. I lost 5lbs total after not being able to eat more than a popsicle for  about a week. I haven't been logging my food but I have been trying to mentally make good food choices. I'm re-committing myself to the site and to this thread in order to really get on track for the new year.

12 Week Goals:

I will log my calories daily on calorie count and try to only consume a maximum of 1600 calories.

I will exercise at least 3 days per week including outdoor activities as well as going to the gym.

This is do-able.

Another goal of mine is to stop indulging in sweets because that for me is the kicker. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate is my downfall. I'm excited for the new semester because my schedule allows for a consistent pattern of exercise days!!! Routines for me are crutial to my success. I'd like to drop a pants size by the end of the 12 weeks. I've loosened up on what my weight goals are. I just want to be healthy and lose 10lbs instead of the 20 that I initially wanted to lose. I want to be a healthy person who has healthy exercise habits and healthy eating habits. I want to be described as active!

Good luck to everyone on their goal setting!!!!!

Jen

Hey Everyone...

Weekly Check-in:

So, I got my tonsils out yesterday so I'm not feeling so hot. I can't eat anything at the moment so I suspect that I'll probably lose a little weight. After I'm feeling better however I've decided to try the couch to 5k program and add a weight lifting routine to it as well. I've been a tad absent from my gym but am going to resolve that as well when I'm feeling better.

Jen

Introducing Ofelecia-

I also thought this was a good idea! It gave me an opportunity to reach out to other members and as a first time thread poster it was a positive experience.

Felecia grew up in NJ and has lived in NYC since the mid-1980's. She works in book publishing and sews and knits as well! This career woman is married with THREE kids!--an 8 year old son and 6 year old twin girls!!!

This week was ok. School consumes me as always but my calorie counting has been pretty good. I'm drinking the amount of water I need, but I'm still not seeing any results. I definitely know it's because of my lack of gym time. I have vacation this week and I only have a few finals and I'll be back on track!!! Next semester I chose to only take 12 credits so I have more time for me and more time for my son. I think it's a good choice. I'll be able to budget my time more efficiently and meet my goals. Good job on seeing some results sara!! I always read yours and you meet your goals and now it pays off. I'm motivated to get on track with my exercising so I can list some results too.

Anyway....on to the homework.

I often don't log bite size amounts of food that I have. Whether it's a bite size amount of pie, or what really kills me is bite size chocolates, leftover from Halloween....!!!!!!!!!!?!@#$! I love my son but yikes on the candy! Other than that I try to be as honest as I can. Robin...I totally hear you on the coffee mate thing! I love coffee with it and it's not quite the same without it....but I log it. I use the individual single serve boxes of creamer that are each only 40 calories instead of dumping a whole boatload of creamer in from the refrigerator bottle. It helps me to keep track of how many creamers I use and helps keep the exact measurement without actually having to measure.

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-coffee -mate-french-vanilla-i84830

Each package is exactly one serving. I love it.