Stew's Crew -- 15-20 by Halloween? CLOSED TO NEW MEMBERS

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p SPnLlFRvr2d78CiporCyWA&hl=en

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pSPnLl FRvr2d78CiporCyWA&hl=en

(This first link is the spreadsheet and the second is the check-in form)

Anyone trying to Lose 15-20 pounds by Halloween?

I have been messing around with this last leg of my weight loss journey for far too long. I'm really going to get serious about this last push and wondered if anyone else is in a similar situation and would like to help motivate each other?

Here are my stats, too:

5'6" female

157

28.9% BF (would like to be 25%)

Goal is 140

Moderate Activity Daily (I'm a SAHM with 3 little ones who keep me hopping!)

40 min. cardio 3-4 times a week, 90 min cycling once a week, 30 min. strength 3-4 times a week

(edit: added links to weigh-in form)

Hi all,

Checking in for last week. Things here have been a bit crazed and I am tardy with the weigh in.

Up a pound which is not surprising as my exercise has been lacking.  You would think all the running I do with the kids would count for something but apparently not

stewmama, momof2 -Congrats!!

Everybody seems to be really doing well and very psyched.  I hope it will rub off on me.

Have a great week!

 - Jen

A bit late with my weigh in, up .6 but then out of the last 8 days 4 ofthem were spent indulging in whatever i want. Back on the wagon for this week.

SW: 178

LW:168.4

CW:169

Must get my motivation back....

This week's challenge:

Add an extra 10 minutes a day to your exercise goals.  If you work out just 10 minutes a day, across the week that will add up to 70 minutes!  

You can do it!  Do 1 minute of jumping jacks ten times tomorrow. OR take a spotaneous 10 minute walk around the block.  However you break it up or add it in -- make it count!  Push yourself a little farther and your rewards will be a little bigger 

Original Post by johgar:

I'm thinking that instead of setting a limit on how much time before I have another drink, it should be a weight goal...I think I should have to hit 175lb before I can have a drink..tink/soraya what do you guys think? I KNOW drinking is sabotaging my weight loss. Mini challenge for myself next week...not going out to eat!!!

Haha thanks johgar for picking out me and soraya as the boozers!!  just kidding...I always notice a big change on the weekends that I don't drink, 1) i can drink a lot, so it's usually 1000-1500 extra calories if i get really drunk! 2) you always end up eating chinese or burgers on the way home 3) all the alcohol and crap food is salty and dehydrating.  even if i don't go over my calories i'll hold on to a couple pounds of water weight.

Take a week off and see how it feels (you'll need to have other things planned for the weekend: farmers market, movies, shopping, go see a band).  sometimes a good week and a good weigh-in are enough motivation to cut back on the weekends.  i'll usually pick one day to drink if i really want to, or hold back to 2-3 drinks over the two days of the weekend...

K. So I was feeling sick all Friday…which gave me a health reason not to drink over the weekend :)
Triumphs over the weekend:
1.       & nbsp; Not drinking alcohol
2.       & nbsp; Not going out to eat
3.       & nbsp; Slept a lot…12 hours on Friday night! (7 on Saturday night, and 7 last night) I feel so great getting that much sleep! I’m waking up before my alarm goes off in the morning…haha
4.       & nbsp; Got over being sick in record time…was already feeling better Saturday morning! It is AMAZING what sleep and some good vitamins will do for you!
5.       & nbsp; Bought 2 new pairs of pants for work, in different brands, both size 12…and got rid of a bunch of clothes that don’t fit any more!
Failures of the weekend:
1.       & nbsp; Ate after 9 pm last night
2.       & nbsp; Pigged out on candy and generally just ate too much last night
I am so proud of myself for not drinking this weekend! Granted, it wasn’t THAT hard, because I felt like crap and I know drinking does NOT help recovery time at all…but still. It’s been a week now, and I plan to go at least 2 whole weeks…aiming for that 175 goal!

tink – haha…don’t feel bad, I just saw some of the trends in you and soraya that I see in myself and figured we could benefit from each other’s support :) I too tend to munch like crazy after a night of drinking…usually a BLTA with fries and shake from Nations, or Jack in the Box (blah, gross).

How was everyone’s weekend?

Hi guys :)

Joghar & tink - I couldn't agree with you two any more! joghar my trends for my weight have been stuck for a long long time and it is the drinking I know it is... tink I gotta tell you girl --- I do the same thing when I'm drinking my cals can sky rocket!!!!

for example -- this wknd I went w/a friend to detroit michigan -- she's a performer and had a show -- back stage we downed 2 huge vodka soda's ...then met some of her local friends at a jazz bar - drank 2 more and had 1 shot patron - then left went to after hours dive bar and drank like I don't even remember! and by 5 am I was getting hungry but kept drinking to not be hungry! it's bad I know -- this week I'm going to stay off the sauce for sure... as far as food though didn't indulge much, only thing that was bad was these chocolate molton mini cup cakes/brownies uh! to die for! and Thai food when I got home last night ... had pad thai feel grosse about it now :( ...

I'm puffy and my face is swollen !!!! some times I like to put salt in my mineral water w/lemon and drink a really salty/lemony drink! it's a bad bad habit - I don't do it all the time maybe once every 2 or 3 months so I know my face and fingers are puffed from the salt... don't even want to know what I weigh I think I would faint! :( back on the wagon and gonna try to eat healthy all week --- salads and lentils here I come! :)

*********ok! where is everybody!? we have 30 days left!!! and if I can get at least 8 pounds of fat off I would be sooo happy!!!! where's all the peeps at...p.s. I am still bloated I think TOM is coming soon hopefully***

On my week 7 I put 7-19 instead of 9-19 don't know what I was thinking.  Can someone fix it.  Thank you in advance.

I'm around, having a bad week emotionally.  So I've pretty much ate at maintenance these last several days.  I hope I haven't gone over by enough to gain this week (since I've just been estimating and not logging), but I'm just not sure.  It's hard to exercise when I get down enough to not want to get out of bed.

I'm just feeling stressed, a little powerless, and really sad that I'll never have a relationship with my sister.  Hence emotional eating, ugh.

My only exercise this week has been walking 40 mins to the rec center to lift weights and 40 back, every other day.  So at least it comes out to 2 hours of exercising for about 400 odd cals (which is far less net burn increase because it's over such a long time span).  I think it only raises my burn meter about 200 cals.

I am hoping that if I have a slight surplus then I'll at least build some muscle.  So it's not all bad I guess.

Hope everyone else is doing better.  I'll start cheering up over the next several days as I finish potting up my miniature plants (I have blooms on a 6" tomato plant and a 4" pepper plant)!  Nothing like living things in the fall/winter to provide a pick-me-up.  Especially colorful and edible plants :)

Hey, Windrinre:  I'm sorry to hear you're feeling bummed.  I sympathize with the familial issues.  I'm getting ready to go visit my family for a week and am disappointed that my brother pretty much refuses to make an effort to see me, despite the fact that we live a plane ride apart and only see each other once or twice a year.  I'll send you warm fuzzy thoughts in hopes you feel better soon!

Soraya – ahhhhhhhh why did you have to remind me that there are only 30 days left?!? Way to put the pressure on! It’s actually ok, because for some reason I’ve been super motivated this last week or so, and I’m starting to see results! I guess I’m kinda in the mindset that “if I’m going to give up drinking, I might as well get SOMETHING out of it!” haha. P.S. it’s been 10 days since I’ve had a drink! How’s it going on your end?

I’m not going to jinx myself for tomorrow’s weigh in, but I’m at the lowest weight that I’ve been on CC so far, and I’ve def broken my plateau! Yaaaaaay!

Windrinre – That really stinks about your relationship with your sister :( I’ve come to the conclusion with family though; that they are still people, and sometimes you can only put so much effort into those who give nothing back to you. It’s sad but true.
Maybe recruit an exercise buddy if you’ve been lacking motivation/energy? That’s what I’ve been doing…harassing my friends into going to the gym with me, or going walking at a nearby reservoir that we have, and last night I went and played tennis with a couple of friends (we all suck at tennis, but it was still fun)…I ran laps around the court while I wasn’t playing (there were 3 of us). Not only does it give you someone to be accountable to if you don’t show up, but you also get quality time with your friends, which for me is a big one since I have a pretty busy schedule. I’ve also been trying to be outside more while it’s still sunny out since that definitely improves my mood!

Hope everyone’s week is going well…see you all for weigh-in tomorrow

Johgar - congrats girl on the plateau shake!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's been 2 days no drinking for me and I'm thinking of taking an advil pm just to knock me out tonight so I don't over eat...

TOM is around the corner I've ballooned nearly 7 pounds! and I haven't been smoking cigs or drinking in 2 days and have been munching eating late night on auto pilot... cashews, hummus, sun chips, carrots, I can't stop and they are all salty! so I feel disgusting I don't think I will weigh in tomorrow for the sake of my sanity because I may pass out seriously and cry... so I'm going to weigh in after my period... hopefully it will come soon...I'm cranky and it sooooo freakin' HOT out here in LA it's 99 degrees outside right now and I can't even think about working out but I will****

Windre - I completely understand what you are going through... one of my sisters, I have 2, we didn't speak for about 5 years maybe longer... we have a lot of family trauma and had a lot of resentment towards ea. other.... it was really really bad... recently I let go of it and gave her a call and told her that I don't care about the past and want to her to be in my present and future as well as my daughters and she has let her guard down and we're sooo much closer and have been bonding after 5 or 6 years of estrangement... NOW my other sister -- we arent' as close as we used to be --- so it's weird you know you go through this life with people who are kin' and you think that it's supposed' to be a certain way but really it's not -- every person is different even our own blood they are who they are, and we can't change them to like us any better or want to be with us any better... it's weird ... that's why there is that saying ' you are born with the people in your family but you 'create your family in life by the friends you chose to have and keep close' ... I consider some of my girlfriends my sisters for real because they have been through it w/me even my own flesh and blood abandoned me at a time I needed them the most... people are diff. all we can do is keep our selves strong and move on w/our life... no one does anything to you, we chose to let it effect us... it's a choice and it wasn't until I realized that I was choosing to hold on to the past that I let it go and things are better and mending and healing now... I wish you the best in that... but girl you gotta get outta bed ... we've got bigger things to accomplish and that's being healthier and happier wouldn't you want to choose that instead? .... xoxo

soraya

Well, I am down to 176.2.  Was at 176.8 when I got sick, so this is a "new low."  LOL!  I got up to 183 while sick.  Blech - I'm sure that didn't help. 

While in for the sinus infection, doc decided my thyroid was enlarged and sent me for an ultrasound.  They did find a few nodules, and I am having those biopsied on Monday.  Keep your fingers crossed for me if you will.  I'm not concerned with the procedure, but with the outcome of the results.  But, I'm a big old baby when it comes to stuff like that.  I don't do being sick very well. 

LW: 150.2

CW: 149.4

GW: 140...

Don't know if I'll make it to 140 by Halloween but want to aim for 143 which would be 30 pounds lost! 

Soraya, don't cry!  It happens to the best of us.  Just drink as much water as humanly possible (without salt!) and maybe try to plan out all your food and calories the day before?  That way you could have better things to snack on late night than salty stuff...think high fiber fruits and veggies: apples, pears, green beans with some low-cal fake butter stuff, spinach, etc....

SW=165

LW=151

CW=150.5

GW=145

Thanks for the support everyone, it really did help :)

I didn't go out to exercise, but I did get active around the apartment.  There was a lot of cleaning to do, so that's what I did thinking I'd work up to going to the gym.  By the time I could really have done that though the VP debate was on, so I pretty much called it a night.  I'm about to head out here in a few minutes though!

johgar - congrats on breaking your plateau!

sorayazada - 99 degrees, ouch.  I don't like when it gets that hot here, thank goodness august is in the past.  I'll send some Kansas weather your way, we've been having highs in the mid 70's to 80's.  Though it can be quite chilly overnight!

ohtobethinagain - hope your tests turn out well!  And congratulations on your new low :)

tink8 and missechelle - you're both getting close, way to go!

Ok, here's the damages this week:

HW: 175 SW: 170 LW: 160

CW: 160 GW: 150

So no change for me, but that's good considering my week.  I'll kick it up a notch this next week as I hop back on the ol' wagon :)

I entered in stats for this week and took a glance at the spreadsheet........ missechelle, you've lost 14.5 pounds!!!  Congrats.  Now, share how you did it.  LOL!

·  Aug 22:  180.6lbs

·  Aug 29:  182.4lb (+1.8!!!) 

·  Sept 5:   183.0lb (+.6)

·  Sept 12: 178.6lb (-4.4)

·  Sept 19: 179.0lb (+.4)

·  Sept 26: 179.0lb (no change)

·  Oct 3: 174.6! (-4.4!)

·  Oct 10:

·  Oct 17:

·  Oct 24:

·  Oct 31:

This is what I weighed yesterday...and I was holding my breath on getting excited! I can't remember who it was, but someone else in this group was saying that they lose in spurts...and it looks like this is my spurt for the month!!! I'm excited because 1) I really did break my plateau (been between 178 and 183 for probably about 2 months!) I don't know what it was, but I was so sick of getting excited about dropping under 180, just to bounce right back over it!!!
I have been eating tons of healthy food, haven't eated out at all this week and almost overloading myself with water since it's that TOM...does this mean I'll drop more next week when it's over? I try not to use that as an excuse...lol. I did eat more candy than usual this week, but kept a leash on myself.
Going out to dinner tonight in San Francisco with the bf and some friends, and am considering treating myself to a celebratory glass of wine, but on the other hand...don't want to break my wonderful trend that I've set for myself. I probably won't drop another 10lb by Halloween, but aiming to at least hit 170!

soraya - you gotta knock it off with the salt girl!!! I've been making myself drink 2 8oz glasses extra of water every time that I add salt to anything or eat anything super salty. You gotta balance it out, or you'll end up with high blood pressure (which is what happened to me when I was 19!) also, alcohol dehydrates you too! you know you can do this! Think about how crappy it feels to be so bloated and puffy every time you go to eat something salty, or drink the salty water.
windrinre - thanks for the congrats :)
missechelle - congrats on your losses...share some tips with us!
ohtobethin - congrats on a new low...me too this week...yaaaaaay!
stewmama - I just wanted to say thanks for your new challenges every week! I may not complete all of them, but they are extra little voices in my head (like this week) telling me to get out there and just do a few minutes extra exercise or think twice about the food that I'm putting in my mouth/grocery cart...so thanks...and it goes a long way towards making this group so active!!!

Have a good weekend all :)

Wow! everybody is doing sooo good! congrats

johgar - congrats on the plateau break! do you really think it is the wine? since you've stopped drinking? I'm really really curious -- if that's the case I must stop for longer than two days here and there and thanks yea I stopped with the salty water / I usually do that when I'm nearing my period and it hasn't come yet :(

windinre - I'm glad it helped, and that your moving forward...

missechelle - how are you doing it? congrats on weight loss

tink8 - thanks girl for the words ... congrats on weight loss! you broke 150 it took me a long time to break 150 and now I'm hovering around 145 so your catching up to me... I've gotten down to 140.0 and then jumped back up so you are doing wonderful!

ohtobethinagain - congrats on the new low! and I will def. keep fingers crossed for you good luck... and feel better

My weight is at 145 still and is holding on to it like white on rice! yuck! Tom hasn't come yet and I'm getting frustrated have cramps and signs of it but not yet... hoping it comes soon and then goes.... I'm having really hard time eating late night still cause I'm up and when I'm stressed I can't sleep and I am up watching tv and eating last night I was eating some sun chips at 1am! plus had way too much wine :( ... I'm ashamed of myself ... no discipline... I need to discipline myself! I have been working out everyday though at least 60-90 min and adding pilates back into the program so I can always feel a difference with a little bit of yoga pilates... have good wknd ya'll

xo...soraya

Congrats johgar!  You and I started at close to the same weight.  I'm hoping to end October in the 160's.  We can do it!

Just a real quick check in...I will write more later

SW-190

LW-182

CW-180.5