Posts by supersized

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: EXERCISE Q&A

Post a question you have about exercise. Try to provide an answer to the question above yours.

TWO DAY REMINDERS

Hello Everyone, here is our list of members who have not yet checked in this week, please send them a polite and positive message to stay on track with their goals and involved in the group.

Kyashiis

Merimeriqcontrary

Bleedtoblue

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix

White_Sakura

Peera

Lam7

Missing In Action:

Germaica

Rspefley

Missing In Action - 1 Week:

Vcruicky

Dove I've noticed that the "receive reply notification by e-mail" has in brackets beside it "Limit once/visit" which I've figured out sends me a notification the first time someone replies... then if I post again I get a notification the next time and the time after someone replies... I don't think it's the best system. I suppose they are trying to strike some kind of balance between alerting people and not bombarding them with notices. Personally I would prefer a "one notice a day" system... but... ehn, they don't seem to offer that. Something for the suggestion file to CC.

Dothehokiepokie The pattern you identify about getting very excited before starting something new, lots of planning and setting lofty goals is VERY typical wagon jumper behaviour. I think we all still struggle with this one. It's a form of self-sabotage to set goals we are unlikely to achieve without total dedication. When life happens and we are not able to fulfill the goals it reinforces our idea that we can't do this and validates the negative which we will then wallow in until our next burst of inspiration to get back on the wagon and continue.

This is the main reason I do the 12-week goals. I apologize in advance for being a goal-bitch but I will be the first few times you set them simply because when someone actually accomplishes a goal the difference they feel is outstanding and eggs the rest of the group on.

By biggest tips on goal setting are leaving room for error. Anything that you must do every single day without fair for 12-weeks or every single week without missing a week is an excellent recipe for failure.

Laura Feel better soon!

Carry Getting to that 80% can be a big deal!

MsMeg I think you had more foresight and patience that I did. I'm still working on how long this journey actually is. I know what you mean about the fluctuating commitment. I struggle with that too. But as I keep saying in the 'congratulations' messages if I just put this on my radar once a week it is at least doing something. For me that something is maintenance. I spent the last 4 years yo-yo dieting my way up to 260 lbs. I haven't lost much this year, but last year I successfully lost 50 lbs, and this year I've - for the very first time - held onto that loss and this group is the reason for that.

Carrie Trying to dismantle mountainish molehill now. I hope you had a good time in NYC! Weird on the running, sorry I don't have any ideas there especially if you are hydrating.

Carol Crappy on the size increase. Good job with the mindful eating, if you can keep that at maintenance next time if you are having an easier time with controlling your intake rather than your exercise you could put more demands into what you are eating and how you are eating to help get your weight under control.

Vicky I'm also sans-strategy for the holiday season. I need to get there. What do I do about all the baked goods that appear. Do I tell myself I will completely abstain and then end up in a vat of chocolate once I take a tiny brownie and decide if I had one it's all over so I may as well dive in? What is moderation with food that is fundamentally counter-productive to weight loss, but is such a huge part of our cultural socialization around the holidays?

Laura42 Good job , it sounds like you are pulling  yourself back onto the wagon. If you aren't 100% this time you can set yourself up for success next round.

Julie Yes, I think I remember that line about numbers somewhere. It's so hard for me to remember when I'm a numbers junkie - and a selective numbers junkie at that. I'm focusing this week on keeping the routine going and setting a three level goal

1. Work towards not letting myself off the wagon to such an extent that I loose my 213.2 lb success - at a minimum stay below  that and be happy if I am.

2. If I loose the 0.2 lbs I gained that's great!

3. If I do make it to 210 lbs then I really need to celebrate.

I need to get to the eating being second nature. I like eating health, the food is good, I enjoy making it, it's tasty I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Still there was a bag of chips left behind by guests this weekend and of course I ended up snacking on it the whole time I made health dinner. Bad Sara! I'm also still on the "I will do the exercise if it kills me" mode, I am so much better at exercise in the warmer weather maybe someone has some tips for both of us?

Neva I think the advice I have gotten in the past is to put the activity level at sedentary and log activities. Of course that creates more logging, so if your activities are consistent (like walking every day) then you could go light activity and not bother logging the activity. You are right though if you are on track with 1 lb per week what you are doing is working. Keep going!

Welcome Dothehokiepokey

Taking a moment to say welcome to our newest member Dothehokiepokie! Don't worry too much about the rules of posting, they are pretty simple: post once a week and offer encouragement to those who have not posted by the end of the week.

You are far from alone both on the success = I can take a break now... and the lack of consistency. The lack of consistency especially is why we do the 12 week goals here. I continue to be amazed how ridiculously hard it is for me to keep a simple goal like "exercise 3 times a week" for 12-weeks, even when I do give myself some slide room! Anyways we muddle through this together. Welcome to the group!

THIS THREAD IS CLOSED, PLEASE POST ON OUR NEW WEEKLY THREAD:

Wagon Jumpers - November 15 - 21, 2009

I like that idea, I'd likely lean towards the randomizing pairs and letting the pair decide if they participate or not. This is less co-ordination for me as I could just e-mail a question and the list of pairs to everyone and leave the decision on opting in or out in peoples hands... if I collect opt in's or opt outs there is always the chance of human error, and it means me being quick on my feet with coordinating and following up with folks who reply late.

What do others think?

I'm getting the impression that the getting to know you topics aren't going to be very popular when I re-do the "topic of the week" selections in a few months.

Meg The results thing is certainly the kicker for me. I think you have the right idea, when it's harder to see pounds and inches come off, looking for increased strength and speed is a good place to start.

Meri I think we all have those weeks, one of the patters seems to be the "super motivation" that most wagon jumpers have at one point, it's accompanied by detailed planning and lots of enthusiasm. Then other stuff happens and we get distracted, demotivated and discouraged. Our plans seem too much to fit into a day and it just seems easier to tell ourselves we'll got back to the drawing board next week, or maybe the week after. I find that's a really good reason to use the 12-week goals. While they seem very simplistic at first, they really do show us what it takes to be consistent, even on the little things.

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED, PLEASE POST ON OUR NEW WEEKLY THREAD:

Wagon Jumpers - November 8 - 14, 2009

TWO DAY REMINDERS

Hello everyone, here are our members who have not yet checked in this week. Please send them a polite and positive reminder to stay on track with their goals and involved in the group.

Merimeriqcontrary

Peera

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix

Vcruicky

Austiemg

Rspefley

Missing In Action:

Opanci

Caroline Look forward to you joining the challenge next time.

Julie I bring my dogs on my night / early morning walks. I've put little flashing bike lights on their leashes. Having them makes me more committed to walking since I know they are now expecting the walk.

Laura 85% is still very good, hallowe'en candy and all. I think the one-day-at-a-time approach is likely something we all need to embrace. When the road looks like a never ending path of self denial is when it's easiest to give up. Seeing the changes as small and manageable and something you can do today really does make all the difference.

Marcekd Great job on 31 lbs! And wonderful on the amost out of morbidly obese BMI it will be a great feeling when you make it there! I find the trick to exercise is to simply start. You really do get energy from it.

Carol I know what you mean about needing the structure. The nutritionist I went to gave me a wide variety of options for foods, but I stick to the same breakfast, same lunch and almost the same dinner Monday - Friday. Why? Because if I don't have to think about it I just do it. Same for the exercise. All that being said, I know when life gets crazy I am sometimes over ambitious about how many hours there really are in a day and I don't leave enough time for things like the transportation necessary to get to the gym so although I may have the 30 min to work out I end up not doing it because I don't have the 15 min on either side to make it to and from the gym. All I'm saying is watch out if you are in that crunch where you have set goals that you don't have the time for.

Although on the mindful eating - great job on the chocolate bar! SO been there!

Julie Great to see you back! I have no idea where that mojo comes and goes, I feel like I lost mine Jan - Sep and have just found it. I have no idea where it went for so long, but now I'm all fired up and ready to loose another 50 lbs, and I can't believe I've wasted all this time!!! Ack! oh well all I can say is ... onwards!

Carol Sounds like you are barely hanging on there. I think you had very ambitious goals especially considering your extra school workload this time round. I think if when asked "is your goal achievable" and the answer is accompanied with a "but" as in ... yes, but my life is so stressful... then that is a "no". Another person may be able to accomplish those goals easily without your added pressures, you can accomplish those goals easily without the added pressures... so the question becomes not what is achievable for you when your life is "perfect" but what is achievable for you now? What can you realistically expect from yourself now so that you feel good about what you are doing for yourself and not like it is an added stresser?

Carry I find the setting a meal plan one of the hardest to keep since it involves much more discipline than a numeric goal. Watch for me to give that a go next round (maybe). For the cooking veggies try roasting them. First off it's easy for a baker, they also taste great that way, and even if you burn them they taste really good with a light char, in fact it's pretty hard to screw up roast veggies. I road red peppers, zucchini, red onion, mushrooms and garlic (that's my standard mix) and then toss them with a Tbsp of olive oil and one of cider vinegar.

BigBitty Good job new mummy! Hopefully the breast feeding is helping as well.

Vicky Great job on the walking. And I'm with you on the motivation.

Laura The good thing about goals is that you learn from them no matter what. The other good thing is that you can always do better. Make this second half a real success, and if you do, consider if you can put some of the successful weeks in the second half towards the first half.

One thing to consider with fitness goals is the 'what if' ____. In your case it was injury. I try to set goals like 'go to gym' because at least if that is the goal, even if I can't lift I can still likely walk. Might be something to think about in future goals.

Dove Yes, the busy times kill us. Today is another chance to get back on the wagon and see if you can bring that 0% up to 4 weeks = 50% for the last half.

Kathy Good job! Keep it going! Get your smiley face!

MsMeg I can see a group of marathon runners in our future ;) Great to hear you have another physical activity you love. Keep us up to date on your progress.

Neva Good job! I think weekends and holidays - or anytime that we aren't in our structured environments are hardest for us to control. I'm struggling with that a lot myself. Planning helps, but I still need to learn how to make good choices on the fly.

Carrie Wine has grapes in it, just like beer has that nice whole grain barley in it :) Keep going on that running!

Lee-Anne A pound (in a week) is a great. I keep reminding myself that 2lbs/week is a fast loss, 0.5lbs/week is an average loss so at 1lb you are at a good start to a healthy rate.

Sakura I can relate to the skipping good food and ending up with bad food. I think at various points as a wagon jumper you will need to figure out your own rhythm for when numbers are helpful and when food-focus is helpful. Sometimes you need to get away from the numbers and concentrate on 'what' you are eating, and sometimes you then need to go back to the number to make sure of 'how much' you are eating.

This Week's Topic: Goal check In - Half Way

We finished 6 weeks of our 12 week goals on October 31, 2009. Time to update the group on your progress! - If you were not with us for 12-week goals, or if you did not set one feel free to update us on your personal goal progress.

Are you on track for achieving your goal?

If so:

How will you ensure that you stay on track?

What is Motivating you?

If not:

Can you get on track?

If so:

What is the plan?

If not:

Why not?

What can you do next time to set achievable goals?

Will you still work towards doing as much of your goal as possible?