Wagon Jumpers May 21-27, 2012

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

12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS - April 2 - June 25:

• beccaanic - Not participating in this round of goals.
• Bleedtoblue (Blue) - Maintenance:  Exercise 3/week for 9 of 12 weeks.
• Claire314 (Claire, Co-Moderator) - New: Log food 4/7 days a week. Maintenance: Exercise 1000 mins/month.
• crazigerl (Lorea) - Not participating in this round.
  
• Defrog3 (Denise) - Maintenance: Get to my trainer 2x/week, and go to the gym 1x/week on my own.  Working out 3x/week will also be success.
• ezrod - Not participating in this round.
  
• Feljones (Debbie) - Maintenance: Log a calorie deficit 4 days/week. New: Eat an all-veggie dinner 3 times/week.
• Figurethefat (Laura) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• hoggy509 (Cindy) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• Islandscribe (Val, Co-Moderator) - Maintenance: Exercising the equivalent of 5 days/week - catch up or double-up days count towards goal.  Maintenance: Log meals 4 days/week.
• kenright1008 (Kathy) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• Kyashiis (Kathy) - New:  Log a deficit of 2,500 calories a week for 11 of 12 weeks. Maintenance: Do 10 - 30 minutes of yoga four days a week for 12 weeks.
• mhNYC (Mari) - Maintenance: Complete all of my Calorie Camp goals for 12 weeks.
• nekko_cat (Linda) - New: Keep a food log four days/week for 9 of 12 weeks. Maintenance:  Exercise 750 minutes/month for 12 weeks.
• Ranchobernardo (John) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• Sarah_ann_artist (Sarah, Co-Moderator) - Maintenance: Workout 1000 minutes/month for the next 12 weeks. New: Log 4 days/week for 12 weeks.
• the_dragon (Hilary, Co-Moderator) - Maintenance: Log food 5 days/week. New: Exercise five minutes three times/week for 12 weeks.
• tiegurl (Tierra) - Not participating in this round of goals.
• travs_girl (Ashley) - New: Jog six miles/week for 12 weeks.
• twindaze (Jenny) - Not participating in this round of goals.
  

MIA one week:

• Figurethefat (Laura)
• Islandscribe (Val, Co-Moderator)

MIA two weeks:

• None

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

• None

Wagon Jumpers on Hiatus:

• None

Waiting List: 

• x-lawrence
• chrisandlara
• favoritebook
• danii0531
• kmstearns
• newdock
• NicBoo1
• stillwatergirl

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

• 1st Sunday in month: Sarah_Ann_Artist (Sarah)
• 2nd Monday in month: Sarah_Ann_Artist (Sarah)
• 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 May 14 - 12

Wagon Jumpers May 7 - 13

Hi! Sorry I didn't get to the MIA list this past weekend. I had a last minute chance to go to Newport with friends this weekend and jumped at it and everything else was forgotten!

Weekly Topic:
What are you thankful for? After all our silly and whiny excuses we came up with last week, what's going well for you? Doesn't specifically have to be weight loss related. :D

Goal Updates:
We are also starting a 7th week in our goal cycle. So we're half way there! How are you doing with your goals? If you're ahead, what has helped you this time and if you're behind, what can you do to correct course?

Claire: Thanks for getting the thread up so quickly! Goals: Well, it was the hardest time of year for me (finals) as well as 2 conferences. I always fall apart on the road (I have it programmed in my head that travel = hotel = let's check out the latest restaurant and eat to my heart's content....) I'm at about 60% all told. But, I've been 100% since Saturday and I already feel better. It's now summer, and I've got 3 months to work on research, get caught up on everything and concentrate on me. Yayyy! I'm working on a series of short-run books and am very excited about them.

What I am Thankful For: SUMMER! What else can I say?

Denise: Great link on walking last week. I gave up my car almost 3 years ago, and it's nothing but a pleasure to walk everywhere.

Kathy: Glad you are enjoying the FitBit so much! Once you have the walking bug, you'll never go back. Walking is as great for your head as it is for your heart. I've thought about Fitbit; I use an Omron pedometer, but the fact that FitBit takes extra things into account is very tempting....

Thank you for the new thread

Thankful for .... my husband, my dog and the fact that I am still only on crutches and not in a wheelchair

Goals, well I have logged pretty much every day food wise, the exercise however is a little more hit and miss , I am starting to get there though and I hope to get that sorted over the next few weeks

I have so much to be thankful for, my kids are happy and healthy. I started taking care of my health before there were problems.

Thankful there are sites like this that are so supportive as my skinny husband doesn't understand.

Thankful I have a good job in this economy, that I don't worry where I'm going to sleep or eat.

Thankful that I love my husband after 25 years and still want him around, lol.

I had a bad May, slid off the wagon in that I got sloppy in tracking my food.

Goal is to log everyday including the small things like sugar free gum etc. and to have at least one day this week of hitting all my nutrition goals.

<Sigh>

Does that tell you how I'm doing during this challenge? I started out the first few weeks really well, but in May I've only logged 4 days -- and haven't completed a full day's log in the last week and a half. In my goal, I took a baby step toward trying to get back to losing weight by saying I'd have a calorie deficit 4 days/wk. Instead, I am eating like a lunatic... candy, cookies, stuff that I had almost entirely cut out. I've got excuses for why this is happening but that was last week's topic, and besides, they're not close to legit reasons.

What I'm thankful for: my son is home for a visit. It's a big relief to see that he's happy & doing well (he's a terrible communicator when school is in session and I have barely heard from him since spring break) and I just love having him here.

I am also thankful that I have a wonderful husband who loves me and thinks I'm hot no matter how heavy I am.

And, although I have been looking for a full time job for a long time without success, I'm thankful that I have a career that I still enjoy after 35+years and a part time job that I really like. Things could be worse. Much worse.

Thanks for the topic, Claire. I've been down in the dumps every time I've posted lately. My goal for this week (other than getting back on the wagon) is to improve my attitude and go positive.

Weekly Topic: What Am I Thankful For?

My family (both human & fluffy) and my friends.

Goal Update:

Not terrible.  I didn't do great the first month, but I am back on track now!

Claire - Thanks for getting the thread up bright and early!! No problem on the MIA list. Sounds like you had a much needed good time with friends!  I have been so incredibly busy for the last week with my garden and some other things that I forgot to look for it. :)

Mari - I am with you! Being from an upper northern climate I really appreciate the warm months.

Hilary - Great job logging!  You'll get yourself moving when you can!

Lorea - You can do it!  I, too, have a skinny hubby, but thankfully he is very supportive/understanding of my struggle to get healthy. I'm glad you found this group, and CC.  It is a wonderful tool!

Debbie - I've just gotten over my lunatic eating period :)  So glad you have you son at home.  I know how much you've been missing him.  Ha, ha, my hubby says the same thing, except he says I'm spicy.

I am thankful for good weather. I have been walking back and forth to work because I figure it is a waster to take the subway. I can save my 3.20. Plus, it has been allowing me to get the exercise that I haven't been getting on my own.

Tierra - Great idea, and great job!!!

Claire - Can you put stillwatergirl (Jacqui) on the waiting list when you get a chance. Thanks! :)

I'm thankful for my family and for all the support I'm getting as I work my way through grad school!

I made my exercise goal this week, but I think it's the first time I have this go round. There's no catching up at this point, just try to meet the goals for the remaining weeks.

More than anything I am thankful for my wife.  On a CC-related note, I am thankful for her support of my health-pursuing endeavors.

I'm thankful that I have a wife that has put up with me all these years, two great kids that have matured and started thier own familys. A grandson who is always happy to see his papa.  I'm thankful that i found calorie count and all my friends here that understand my fight with weight and blood sugars. I'm thankful for the support I get here it helps me stay on track.

I did get back on the exercise bike this week and have made it back up to 30 minutes daily again. I hope to keep that up. and I'm trying to break the snack sweet tooth I have got lately.  I'm trying to get back on track. this 10 pounds has been the hardest of my journey. 

I am thankful for so many things.  To start:

1) a great family that is supportive in so many ways;
1a) a terrific husband who pulls his share of the work at home;
1b) a wonderful daughter who is developing into a strong-willed (but happy and good) little girl;
1c) great in-laws, parents, siblings, and a babysitter who make life easier for us;

2) a job in an industry that I like that is close to home with "normal" work hours at a time when many are out of work and/or underemployed;

3) a rich community life in which I've gotten to know some wonderful people--both online and in real life; and,

4) a beautiful house in a charming town that is convenient (by car, train, bus, or foot) to so many things.

I'm still pounding away on the exercise goal.  I actually did a deadlift set of 5 reps with 150 pounds yesterday.  On the subsequent sets we went lighter (down to 130), and they felt so EASY (six weeks ago I was psyched to be lifting 125!).  I am thankful for my trainer!  :)

I'm always thankful for many things but it's good to force myself to think about them sometimes when the negative feelings start to pile up. It's been one of those weeks and I've delayed posting because I'm finding myself grumbling too much. Even writing these have been tough for me because I keep finding myself saying "I'm thankful for .... even though [insert grouchy grousing issue] makes it hard." Sigh. But here goes:

• I have awesome kids. They're thoughtful and sweet, smart and funny and very understanding of my foibles yet still very much kids.
• On Mother's Day my son wrote, "She is so special because: she is so funny." Considering I'm really not the funny one in my family, I found this very sweet and I'm thankful that he thinks I'm funny. :)
• Financially, I have few worries and have the freedom to do many things that I want to do.
• I'm healthy and active. I have 1 close friend and 1 cousin that have physical limitations that are things they were born with and cannot exercise or enjoy the physical movement that I do. Whenever I sigh or hear my stupid complaints in my head about not wanting to exercise I remind myself how lucky I am that I can walk, run, play tennis, do yard work, ride a bike, etc. It is never something I should take for granted.
• I have great friends who are always there for me. 
• I'm thankful for music which can be so magical in pulling me out of a funk.

Goal update:
I checked on my progress the other day. I obviously should have given myself a 9 out of 12 week leeway on my food logging because I've only logged 4 days/week for 4 out of 6 weeks already. Not doing so well on that this week either. I'm just going to have to keep plugging away at this.

On exercise, I was a bit off on my last month but not by much. This month I'm on target though again faltering this week. The exercise scheduling has helped me a lot and I plan to continue that. And with that, I'm going to get in some pilates now. :)

Mari: I'm glad your time to relax and enjoy summer is here! Yay!

Hillary, Debbie, Sarah Ann, Blue, John, Ezrod: it's so wonderful to hear that so many of you have supportive spouses and family. :)

Debbie: Yay for your son being home. I know how much this means to you. :)

Tierra: Awesome idea to get exercise, fresh air and save money! That's great! :)

I am thankful for my wonderful husband.  I'm also thankful that I have a job and a house during this terrible economy.

Goal-wise, not good.  I haven't been keeping up on either my exercise or logging.

Checking in:  Finally completely back on track, and it feels SOOOO good.

Something I sometimes forget to work on with my WJ goals is that achieving my goals leads to a fitter, leaner me.  I am on track, and have lost back the weight I gained through less diligence in making my WJ goals last year.  I have found that carefully choosing my WJ goals is very, very powerful.

Topic:

I have a lot to be thankful for (despite some difficult problems on the home front right now).  

•  
  • a loving family
  • an interesting life
  • work I enjoy
  • intelligence (most of the time)
  • a body with all parts working more or less
  • digital books (don't laugh - living in a country with no access to English books for decades is not fun)
  • the Internet
  • my Internet friends - who would have thought that the Internet could bring about such wonderful relationships with people
  • CC for helping me out of my He//-ho/e of a chronically fat person
  • a peaceful nature 
  • the ability to find something good in any given situation
  • yoga
  • sunrises and sunsets

It is easy for me to list at least a hundred Things I am Thankful For within minutes.  Life is often not easy, but I am blessed.

Claire - Could you add germaica (a former WJ member to the waiting list). She's been off CC for a while, but is back and would like to get into WJ again.

Sarah

I'm thankful that I'm working full time and earning a decent wage.  Also that I'm doing an interesting job typing clinic reports for the Renal Department at a large hospital in Auckland.  I feel good about that.  

No goals this time for me but next time for certain.  Hope everyone is on track with their goals!!

Edit:  Nice post Kathy!  And thanks for the reminder to check in :-)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend, a long one for many of you I'm sure considering it's Memorial Day weekend aka "start of summer".

Spending the weekend at home myself, and just got back from garage sale shopping. Got my daughter her first fishing pole along with other goodies for myself :)

Thought I'd make the MIA list, so if ya'll find yourself a few minutes could you send out reminders to the following WJ members that they haven't participated this week:

• beccaanic
• hoggy509 (Cindy)
• Islandscribe (Val, Co-Moderator)
• kenright1008 (Kathy)
• travs_girl (Ashley)
• twindaze (Jenny) 

Thanks!

I am thankful that my husband finally got a new job.  That and I feel committed to my weight loss goals again and have had 2 good days.

Hi everyone,

Yes - I've been distracted. I'm still buried in work plus the volunteer job I took on ... building the catalog for the regional agility trials. But I figure I'm now down to the last 16 hours on that task.

I'm a bit peeved that it took almost four weeks from the close of entries to get the running order to me, which means that I now have to somehow squeeze in about 24 hours/50 pages of layout into 3 days or we won't have it ready in time. *snarl!!*

Yes - I remember I'm posting the new thread tomorrow and I've put a note to myself on my computer.

AND HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS: I HAVE MY NEW PUPPY! She arrived Friday afternoon and is a total sweetheart. She is CC-related because my original inspiration to lose weight was to run agility with my bi-black Sheltie, Shade. Due to his epilepsy, he can no longer compete - so I either had to acquire a new agility partner or give up the sport.

This little girl is a sable Sheltie from agility lines with moderate drive - meaning I will have to work with her somewhat to bring it out - but it also makes her easier to live with day-to-day. She is a super-slender girl and looks like an elf-dog - golden with slanted almond eyes and a pointed little face. She is also very sweet, intelligent, willing-to-please and focused.

I am going to be soooo broke ... she's a pricey little indulgence, but worth it to help me stay on track towards a healthier lifestyle. I've learned I need inspiration to do this and what works for me is agility. Given that, I decided to acquire the best teammate I could find - and that is exactly who she is.

Her breeder is an agility judge and professional dog trainer, so she has already had all the baby-obedience and agility-dog foundation work done. She is six-and-a-half months old and came with a list of 32 commands that she already knows plus a formal temperment/physical assessment. She's also a show prospect.

Even in the first two days, I can see she's a dream to live with. BTW, just getting a dog from this breeder is an accomplishment ... she does not sell her treasured dogs lightly. I had to complete a detailed application and go through a comprehensive screening. Made me think humans should be required to do as much before they have children. ;-)

Keep well,
Val