Wagon Jumpers Aug 27th - Sept 2nd

Welcome to the Wagon Jumpers weekly thread! We are a group of CC members who have identified that one of our main challenges with achieving our weight loss, maintenance or general health goals is consistency.

This thread is designed to encourage long term commitment to our goals by publicly declaring them and asking the other members of this thread to hold us accountable. The primary focus of Wagon Jumpers is not how much weight you have lost, or need to lose, but what you need to do on a daily basis to meet your long term goals.

The idea of Wagon Jumpers was to create a close community where participants could get to know each other, creating a virtual support network as they attempt long term weight management.

This is impossible with an 'always open' group as there would be too many people coming and going. For this reason we have capped group membership numbers to 20 participants.

** If you would like to be a member of this group please contact our wait list manager: Sarah_ann_artist

There are two rules for Wagon Jumpers:

1. All members must post once per week between Monday and Sunday.

2. All members must check the thread for members who have not posted by Saturday (a short list is posted at the end of the week) or are on the MIA list on Sunday and send them a polite and positive message to stay involved in the group and on track with their goals.

Wagon Jumpers Participants: 20

CURRENT GOALS

By Sunday, September 16th I will...

• beccaanic - New: Exercise 5 days/week for 10 of 12 weeks.
• Bleedtoblue (Blue) - Maintenance:  Exercise 3/week for 9 of 12 weeks.
• Claire314 (Claire, Co-Moderator) - New: Log food 4/7 days for 9/12 weeks. Maintenance: Exercise 1000 mins a month.
• crazigerl (Lorea) - Log food for 5/7 days a week.
  
• Defrog3 (Denise) - To get a work out in 3x per week for 10 of the 12 weeks.
• ezrod - Maintenance: Exercise 30 minutes/day for 5/7 days a week.
  
• Feljones (Debbie) - New: Log 3 days/week for 12 weeks. Maintenance: Exercise 200 minutes/week.
• Figurethefat (Laura) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• Islandscribe (Val, Co-Moderator) - New: Log 5 days out of 7, with a goal of 1400 calories a day. New: Exercise 6 days out of 7, for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.
• kmstearns - Workout 5 days/week for a total of 300 minutes/week.
  
• Kyashiis (Kathy) - New: No eating after 9 pm 5 days/week. Maintenance: Do yoga 5 days/week for 11/12 weeks.
• mhNYC (Mari) - Maintenance: Complete all of my Calorie Camp goals for 12 weeks. New: Wake up/get out of bed at 5:30 am 5 days/week.
• nekko_cat (Linda) - New: Keep a food log 3 days/week for 9 of 12 weeks. Maintenance:  Exercise 500 minutes a month.
• newdock (Donna, Co-Moderator) - Not participating in this round.
  
• Ranchobernardo (John) - Exercise at least 20 minutes a day for 84 days. 
• Sarah_ann_artist (Sarah, Co-Moderator) - Maintenance: Workout 1000 minutes a month. New: Leave meat out of my diet 1 day/week for 12 weeks (Meatless Monday unless something comes up, hence once/week)
• stillwatergirl (Jacqui) - New: Work out 45 times per week
• the_dragon (Hilary, Co-Moderator) - Maintenance: Log food 5 days/week. 
• tiegurl (Tierra) - New: Exercise 3 days a week. New: Log food 3 days a week.
• x-lawrence (Lawrence) - Log daily for 12 weeks.

MIA one week:

MIA two weeks:

MIA three weeks   & will be removed from the list if there is no contact by the end of this week:

•  beccaanic

Wagon Jumpers on Hiatus:

Waiting List: 

• NicBoo1
• germaica
• gertie1birdy
• nothinfiner
• katressa
• sadye115
• livsmom37
• sharkythesmurf
• erina09890
• mcer571118441
• marcekd (Dana)

Wagon Jumper threads now have a separate host for each week, as listed below:

• 1st Monday in month: Sarah_Ann_Artist (Sarah)
• 2nd Monday in month: Newdock (Donna)
• 3rd Monday in month: Claire314
• 4th Monday in month: Islandscribe (Val)
• 5th Monday in month: the_dragon (Hilary)

• Mid-Week Reminders: Claire314
• Waitlist Management: Sarah_Ann_Artist
• Thread Issues: If there are any issues with a thread, first contact should be the thread host for that week. 

Previous Threads

Wagon Jumpers August 20-27

Wagon Jumpers August 13 - 19

Wagon Jumpers August 6 - 12

Okay topic for this week - do you get support from friends and family?

I am very lucky in that my husband is also trying to lose weight AND he does all the cooking . so yes I get lots of support!

Oh Sarah_Ann - can you contact the next potential member? I have removed Jenny from the list now.

Hillary - Thanks for getting the thread up! I'll contact the next member of the waiting list. 

I'll post my response to the topic later :)

Hillary, thank you for keeping everything going.

Do I have a network around? No not really. I have to do the cooking for my sons and they're specific, unfortunately high carb, diets and since they were on pureed baby foods, I have virtually never made separate meals for my kids.  Truthfully too, I love those particular foods.  I do avoid foods like fries, snack foods and the like as I don't make those for my kids. My kids do love homemade bread and ask for it daily when I have them every second seven days. On my weeks off, I never make it.  I do sometimes make Japanese rice which is the most calorific of the rices and my kids ask for it everyday even if they're eating potatoes. My siblings are all slim as is my father so I get no support from my family.

I'm actually a few pounds from my ultimate goal weight but I notice that people are always lecturing me on dieting. I always find it a little strange they lecture me on dieting as I don't share the fact I'm dieting. I love Wagon Jumpers because a) it's a dieting board of like minded people and b) people do research which I appreciate. 

Well, I usually fiend for myself so I don't have to worry about family. If I tell my family and friends  that I am trying to be healthy, they support me fully. They will ask me how I am doing, etc. to check on my progress.

Hillary - Could you add mcer571118441 to the bottom of the waiting list. I sent NicBoo1 an invite, but she hasn't logged on since May, so I think I am also going to send stillwatergirl an invite. If we happen to get a response from both we'll just be one over our limit, oh well.

Topic: unfortunately, I do not get support from my husband. He has many wonderful qualities but his attitude about food and exercise is very negative. He needs to exercise, lose weight and get healthier as much as I do, but he's very resistant. His parents are both still alive at 86, and they never exercised or ate healthy, so he doesn't have an example to motivate him.  He's kind of fatalistic about it, saying he doesn't care about eating cardboard now so he can get an extra month at the end of his life.

He loves junk food and is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He can go along with salads and healthy food for just a few meals and then he's ready to quit.

One of his endearing qualities is that he thinks I'm beautiful, no matter how much I weigh. 

He also is a better cook than I am, but (surprise) not healthy meals. Doesn't like whole grain anything. In the 25 years we've been together, I've seen him eat a piece of fruit only a handful of times. His meals have lots of sauces, and always include at least one starch. He's very heavy handed with butter.

So I have to do it for myself. It would be sooo much easier if we could work toward this goal together.

That's why I'm on WJ! 

Debbie,

The boys and I have been making some super rich sauces by reducing some pureed soups and then serving them over various foods. If your husband loves deep fried chicken and fish and pork and beef for that matter, we've been making a flour or a panko coating which we fry first to brown in olive oil as it has a higher burning temperature and then we bake it. We then pour the reduction over it and it's super rich. You can also make the richest wine reduction sauces and they taste so incredibly rich.

Also, if you really need to add butter or salt, don't add them while you're cooking if it's at all possible, add them to the foods afterwards. You can also grate parmesan cheese (not pre-grated) for added richness. 

It's not just the extra thirty days. If he eats like that and learned that from his parents, just what is the quality of his parents' lives? My 83 year old father is building a Japanese garden and with the help of hydraulic jacks, has been moving enormous stones up and down his very steep yard by himself. He also paints, walks up and down the steep steep hill to my sisters and just looks incredibly healthy. My 81 year old mother goes to the gym and does Zoomba 8 times a week. People think they're still in their late 60's.They're both as sharp as can be but the quality of their life is still so high despite their age and because they're so ambulatory, they still travel to places they only once dreamed of going when they were kidsand do a tremendous amount of walking in those countries. Their house has four levels to it so they have to walk up and down those steps several times a day.  A lot of younger people have difficulty doing those sorts of things

Here is a link to some rich sauces. You recognize that even if your husband is a better cook, you have to do the cooking if you want to better your lives. It doesn't mean that you have to eat bland foods, just that you have to cook differently. Also I love how rich cauliflower recipes can be and cauliflower is cruciferous which is great because it's far more filling without the carbs. Why don't you whip some cauliflower and mix it with some potatoes to see if he can tolerate it:

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=the_s ecret_to_healthier_cream_sauces

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/colle ctions/healthy_cauliflower_recipes

Sorry to be missing in action last week.  It was a hard week on the work and home front, and I was coming down with something...  Thanks to all who sent me reminders.  I appreciate it.

I did well on my goals though.

This week's topic:

My husband supports me a little, I guess.  Generally speaking though, I just make different food for myself.  My hubby doesn't think he has eaten if there is no Japanese rice on the table.  

One of my downfalls in the past would be to eat and drink after 9 pm when we would go out for a drink.  In Japan, that means a bite to eat also.  Depending on the tavern, the food can be very light or fried things.  I used to eat something, but these days, I usually have a glass of wine or freshly made lemonade made with soda water.  It isn't the kind of thing you order seconds of, so I can nurse it for an hour or two.  

Another thing has changed me also.  I made a commitment to practice yoga six times a week.  The best time for me to practice is at 6:30 in the morning, so I am always conscious of what happens the night before.  I don't do a practice on Sunday morning, so Saturday nights are free to get wild if I like .

Just knowing that Saturday nights are available keeps me on the wagon most of the time.

Thanks for the great tips Lawrence!

Hi everyone - My name is Jacqui. I have been on the waiting list for Wagon Jumpers for a couple of months and just got the invite from sarah_ann. Thanks for having me!

I joined CC a few years ago and have lost over 20 lbs. by using the site, eating healthier and exercising. Since then I gained and lost 5-8 pounds a couple of times. I am hoping to break this yo-yo'ing once and for all - I just need to stay consistent.

By September 16th, I hope to be working out regularly 4-5 days a week.

As for the topic this week - my husband is wonderfully supportive. We walk together in the mornings and sometimes in the evening as well. We golf together. He sometimes tells me that he thinks I am going 'overboard' when I start doing my Jillian Micheal's dvds, but he knows that I feel better when I exercise regularly. My 13-year old daughter is supportive - her and I run together and she will jump in and do a TurboJam workout with me. We have set a goal to run a 5k next June. I also have a supportive brother who often compliments me on how fit I look.

Looking forward to being a part of this group and thanks again for inviting me!

Okay - I guess I don't need to do this. Sorry folks ... system shut me out last night so I got frustrated and left it until I had a clearer head early this morning. (I'm on the wet coast so it is still before work my time.)

So I did log on this morning, sort out the problem and then found the thread was already up. Thanks Hillary.

I was also called away to work in Vancouver this past week, which is why I didn't post. Then a few days in, the project was cancelled so I'm back home unexpectedly. (Long-term planning in the 21st century is knowing what you're going to have for lunch.)

Speaking of - the switch left me in an odd place foodwise. I'd pre-made a bowl full of quinoa salad, a batch of bean soup with ground turkey, some chicken breasts, and a batch of chili with ground turkey so I would have healthier, microwave choices while away than eating at restaurants.

THEN I ended up back home a few days later with a bunch of frozen chili/soup/quonoa so that's what I've been eating.

This week's topic: I live alone so I don't have family support - except in a generalized at-a-distance fashion. Ditto for friends...I think everyone I know (including myself) is so busy that we hardly connect.

Not going to the gym a the moment. I had anticipated being away for this project so I cancelled my work-out sessions until September... now my trainer is suggesting two hours a week at a cost of $350(ish) for the month - I'm not sure if I want to do that or not. Input?

On the down side, it seems like a lot of money although it isn't on a per hour basis...on the plus side, it might kick-start me into action.

I also snagged a used wii in an attempt to find another exercise option that I might like and therefore start doing... At the moment, I'm feeling a bit discouraged and angry with myself.

Keep well,
Val

Welcome stillwatergirl and Islandscribe - glad you are back

Hi Jacqui, welcome to the group!  I lived in St. Paul from 1979-2007 and have biked to and thru Stillwater in the past.  Lovely place!

Topic:  Yes, my wife is supportive although we both struggle with many of the same weak points, so we tend to help each other mostly but often when one of us trips we both take a fall.

Greetings, Jacqui!

I get support from my husband, although sometimes we are co-dependent (sound familiar, John?).  Especially about eating out.  I have several restaurants I enjoy that have the calorie counts on-line.  It's the ones that don't that I don't do as well at.  Especially mexican food restaurants.

I like the support I get here on WJ and on CC. :)

Topic:

Although my support system is small, it is pretty good. My husband is a healthy weight and very active, and encourages me with make better decisions most of the time.

Like Linda's hubby, mine likes to go out to eat every once in while, and won't object if I suggest places that are not in my best interest some times. Most of the time, though, he'll say, "are you sure you want to go there? Why don't we go here instead." Meaning a place with healthier choices that have the nutritional information online.

He is an avid biker. He rides his bike to work, even through most of Minnesota winters. He only has 2 mile to go where we live now, but we lived in Minneapolis recently, and he'd ride his bike 30 miles round trip to work & back with enthusiasm. I am not at this point, but I have been biking a lot more like I used to, and he suggests & encourages bike rides often. Along with swimming it is exercise that I truly love to do. I wish I lived in a warmer climate for this reason.

My parents like a tad over an hour away, but I talk to my mom all the time. She knows I am working at it. She means well, but sometimes has the tendency to speak before she thinks. When I am not doing well she somehow knows it and doesn't say a thing. When I am doing well she'll say mean or rude things that she somehow thinks is supposed to help me. She thinks I should be eating nothing but rice cakes. Lame. My dad usually will tell me I'm looking good no matter what. Silly dad :)

Debbie - I feel for you. I could never survive not having support at home. He sounds like a sweetie pie towards you, though! My hubby's the same with me even though I am as unhealthy as I am.

Jacqui - Welcome! I'm a Minnesotan, too. From northwestern MN, but lived in Duluth, Minneapolis, and now I'm back in the NW region. Stillwater is a nice town. I recently had an exhibition at the Phipps across the river from you in Hudson, WI.

Oh! Almost forgot.

It is my turn to start the thread on Monday. I'll be camping Friday-Monday. I should be home in the afternoon, but it could be later. 

I'll either post the thread by Monday afternoon/evening, or maybe Donna or Claire would be willing to switch weeks with me. Let me know.

Sarah

My family makes positive comments about my weight loss or about exercise. I am satisfied with that! I have a friend who encourages me to exercise.  I don't make separate food for myself. I have learned portion control and avoid a lot of high calorie foods. I never say that I am dieting, only that I am trying to eat healthy. Right now I am happy with my weight even though I'm seven pounds from the goal I set for myself. I just want to maintain that!

I'm still not meeting my exercise goal. I don't know what it's going to take for me to get back to the gym. I know I feel better when I go. I keep saying I'll go tomorrow and then I don't. I don't know how to get back on that wagon!

I've got a great support system, from my husband (who has started following a primal eating pattern with me), to my parents (who I talk to everyday), to friends and coworkers. 

Because my husband gets home earlier than I do, he makes our dinners.  Time was when he would insist on having grains, a (usually starchy) vegetable, and meat on the plate at every meal.  In January I stopped eating the grains (we had more than a few, "You can make them, I just won't eat them!" conversations), and over time I've been eating fewer of the starchy veg, too (e.g., corn, beans).  Because I've had so much success in slimming out (not really losing pounds, but body composition is changing!), he has started to follow my routine, which has been great.

My coworkers used to tease me about my daily Big A** Salads and protein shakes (that I make in the break room).  Now they're asking me about my eating and exercise habits, which is a nice feeling.

Last night's workout included:

Full kettlebell get-ups with 8kg bell (10 times each side)

77lb, 83lb, 87lb front squats (5 reps/time), mixed with mini hurdles

30lb one legged standing rows (15 reps, 2 sets)

55lb Romanian deadlifts (2 sets / 15)

pushups (two sets of 9 half pushups, one set of 20 kneeling)

among others.  I am feeling awesome and strong today!  While on the phone this morning, my 72-year old mother said, "Just don't turn into one of those body building she-males, OK?!?"  LOL, OK, Mom...

Defrog, are beans starchy? It's my understanding they're really not as potatoes for instance are.

Original Post by x-lawrence:

Defrog, are beans starchy? It's my understanding they're really not as potatoes for instance are.

Beans are starchy. There also not a veg, but a legume :)

I LOVE beans :)

Denise - Your mom's comment is funny. Body building she-male, lol.