Wagon Jumpers - January 4 - 10th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available)
Welcome
(We are currently transitioning to 20 members (from 30). If you are interested in being on the waiting list, knowing that it will be a longer than usual list, please read below and e-mail me.)
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 loose, but what you need to do on a daily basis to meet your long term goals.
There are two rules for Wagon Jumpers:
1. All members must post once per week between Sunday and Friday.
2. All members must check the thread for members who have not posted by Saturday (a short list is posted on Thursday) 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.
If you would like to be a member of this thread please see the guidelines below and send me a PM if you are still interested (there may be a waiting list).
Medium Size Group = Some Time Commitment
The original idea of Wagon Jumpers was to create a close community where participants could get to know each other and hopefully form virtual-life and perhaps even physical-life bonds to create a support network as they attempted long term weight loss.
We quickly discovered that this was impossible with an 'always open' group as there were too many people coming and going. For this reason the group is capped at 30 participants.
A medium sized group means that we have an active thread that produces between 40 - 60 posts per week. Members do not need to read / respond to every post every week. I do notice that those who respond regularly do tend to keep their goals top of mind, and have a better chance to achieve them. I estimate the average time spent by an active member on Wagon Jumpers to be between 1-2 hours per week.
If you are looking for an always open group on CC there are several that operate by different weight criteria, similar motivational patterns etc... There are also many small groups that cap their numbers between 4-10 people to keep the group more intimate, and easier for members to keep up with.
Interested in Joining?
General Guidelines for Joining
1. Are you a wagon jumper?
Do you know how to loose weight, you often have success but then you find yourself loosing interest in your plan, or sabotaging your plan. It's not the "how" to loose weight that is the problem, it's the "how" to stay motivated.
2. Do you have a long way to go?
This group is designed so that members can get to know each other and support each other. Ideally you are planning to be a CC member and part of this forum for at least 6 months or more to achieve your goals and hopefully stay in motivation for a further 6 months or more.
Yes. This is, a long term plan.
3. Do you have the time?
This is a medium sized group, the thread does move fairly quickly each week. If you do not have regular internet access this is likely not the group for you.
Still interested?
Send Supersized a PM. (Please do not reply on the thread)
An overview will be sent to you, you will have a chance to ask questions and an invitation will be sent to you once a spot is open.
Wagon Jumpers Participants
Week 35 Riders:
Supersized (myself)
Week 32 Riders - Congratulations on 8 Months!:
Week 31 Riders:
Week 28 Riders - Congratulations on 7 Months!:
Week 26 Riders:
Week 25 Riders:
Week 24 Riders - Congratulations on 6 Months!:
Week 21 Riders:
Week 20 Riders - Congratulations on 5 Months!:
Kyashiis - traveling to January 10th, 2009
Week 19 Riders:
Week 18 Riders:
Week 17 Riders:
Week 16 Riders - Congratulations on 4 Months!:
Week 15 Riders:
Week 13 Riders:
Week 11 Riders:
Week 10 Riders:
Week 9 Riders:
Week 7 Riders:
Week 6 Riders:
Carryonandon - Vacation Dec 15 - Jan 8
Week 5 Riders:
Week 3 Riders:
Missing In Action:
Missing In Action - 1 Week:
Missing In Action - 2 Weeks:
Current Membership: 25
Current Waiting List: 1
Outstanding Wait List Invites: 0
12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS
(as set w/o October 19th, 2008)
By January 11th, I will be...
At least 8 weeks successful on my 12-week consistency plan. That is 8 weeks at an average of 1500 cal/day (weekly avg) and gym 4x/week 2 hrs/session.
Working out 5x week. I will be eating 1500-2000 calories a day dependng on exercise.
Sticking with the NROL nutrition (40%-30%-30%) and working out 3x/week. This should have me almost complete with stage 4 of the program.
Consistently drinking 4 500 ml bottles of water per day and working out 3 times a week, this can include running, weights, etc...
Maintaining walking 10,000 - 12,000 steps a day and adding both Wii Fit exercise 2-3 times per week, while achieving a calorie deficit of 500 cal/day.
Exercising 5 days/week (cardio + strength) and eating 1500 calories on exercise days and 1200 on rest days.
Be eating 1450 cal/day, except on non-exercise days (1300) and exercising 6 days/week on a stationary bike, increasing the distance each week by 1/2 mile with a goal to reach 10 miles/session by the end of 12 weeks.
Journaling my food on CC everyday, and getting 30 min of exercise 2-3 times per week.
Adding interval training - Fartleks - to my running to reach a goal of running a 5K at 6 min/km. While maintaining a 600 cal/day deficit.
Eating 5-6 fruits and vegetables a day, and working out 5 days a week.
Eat an average of 1700 cal/day and exercise 4x per week, according to my plan
Eating at 1600 cal/day and walking for 1 hour 3 days/week.
Exercising two times a week for 60 minutes at the gym or at home, and logging all of my food.
Maintaining a complete food log on the CC website daily to remain on track. Exercising 2x a week for minimum of 45 minutes.
Going to the gym 4 times per week (maintenance). Drinking ATLEAST 2 litres of water per day.
Previous Threads:
Wagon Jumpers - December 28 - January 3rd, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - December 21 - 27th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - December 14 - 20th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - December 7 - 13th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - November 30 - December 6th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - November 23 - 29th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - November 15 - 22nd, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - November 9 - 15th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - November 2 - 8th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - October 26 - November 1st, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - October 19 - 25th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - October 12 - 18th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - October 5 - 11th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - September 28 - October 4th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers - September 21 - 27th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers September 14-20th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers September 7-13th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers August 31 - September 6th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers August 24 - 30th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers August 17 - 23rd, 2008
Wagon Jumpers August 10 - 16th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers August 2 - 9th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers July 27 - August 2nd, 2008
Wagon Jumpers July 20 - 26th, 2008
Wagon Jumpers July 6 - July 21st, 2008 (another, two week special!)
As always all members are encouraged to tag this thread so that it is easy to find.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: CONSISTENCY GOALS, 2 PARTS
PART 1: DID YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL?
For all of our members (listed below) who set a 12 week goal on October 19th, 2008 this is the last of 12 weeks. Now is the time to self-evaluate if you achieved your goal. I would like to thank everyone and congratulate everyone who did attempt a 12-week consistency goal. That in itself is an achievement. Reaching the goal is very difficult, I think the most difficult thing for wagon jumpers, in the first goal round we had 21 people start, 11 people finish and no one reached their goal entirely, but we all learned a lot along the way.
This round 22 people started and 15 have finished, congratulate yourself for seeing it through for 12 weeks!
If you did not set a goal with us on October 19th, 2008 but have been following along with your own goal please also let us know how that is going.
Goal evaluation is self-evaluation, only you can decide if you think you have achieved your goal. The following is the list of participants for the 12-week consistency goal challenges started on October 19th, 2008
Supersized - 50%
Tiegurl - no
Msmeg1984 - 50%
Raven21 - 50%
Letsgetitstarted - 50%
Sarah1090 - no
Rpete144057 - no
Wenchie58 - 33%
Kyashiis - 50%
Amber1l - yes? or very good!
Nannygabber - 83%
Unlimitedana - 50%
Defrog3 - 75%
Lam7 - 50%
Bigbitty - 66%
PART 2: PREPARATION FOR NEXT WEEK'S GOAL SETTING
Next week I will ask any members who want to participate in a 12-week consistency challenge to post goals to the thread which will be incorporated into the main introduction post (similarly to how part one participants were). There are always a lot of questions around consistency goals, what I will and will not post as a goal. This is the week to ask those questions. I apologize for being somewhat heavy handed with the goal setting. The reason I am is to keep the goals focused on issues of wagon jumping (lack of consistency) and to keep them simple for remembering, reading and measuring.
If you want to set a goal read below:
1. Final goals posted NEXT WEEK This is a week to ask questions about the guidelines, to test out a few goals. If you want your goal included you must post the final version of the goal on next week's thread after Sunday January 11th, 2009 and on or before Friday January 16th, 2009.
2. Consistency based goals only We all have final results based goals which revolve around how many pounds (kilograms), dress sizes, inches (centimeters) we want to loose. I refer to these as results based goals. To achieve our results based goals we need to consistently achieve changes in our eating and physical activity. No results based goals will be posted (there are MANY other challenge groups that address these).
Examples of a consistency based goals are:
"I will be posting in my food log X days / week".
"I will be exercising at the gym X days / week". "I will be eating X cal / day".
3. Goals must be measurable At the end of 12-weeks you are going to need a way to measure the success of your goal. A goal that says "I will eat healthier" is an admirable objective but very difficult to measure. It does not tell us what better is. On days tat you are feeling positive you will say you are eating better, on days you are feeling negative you will not. Every goal must be accompanied by a success measurement.
Example: If your goal is to exercise more, then quantify that with how you are going to exercise and how frequently.
"I will run, walk, bike, hike or go to the gym at least 3 days per week".
Now you know which activities you are including, and how many times a week you need to do them to measure success.
4. Prioritize your goals: limit of 2 This is often the hardest part for wagon jumpers, many of us being the all or nothing types. I have also reduced this from last session where we did 3 goals (limit 2 new 1 maintenance).
If you have more than 2 goals, great, fantastic, wonderful, excellent... over achieving is never bad, however I am still only going to post 2 of your goals here for now. I will not prioritize your goals for you, if you post more than 2 goals you will need to let me know which 2 to use, or they will not be posted.
As someone who has now had difficulty meeting 2 rounds of 12 week goals they are very hard. The trick is to keep them really really simple. Much more simple than you think they need to be. My recommendation would be to post one new goal and one maintenance goal.
A maintenance goal is something you are already doing well. So, if you are good about consistently logging everything, or keeping your calories down your maintenance goal may look like this:
"I will continue to eat no more than 1,700 cal/day".
A new goal is something you are trying to add. I suggest pairing new goals with maintenance goals, because when we add new changes to our lives that is where good habits already developed can tend to slip. A new goal may look like:
"I will exercise at the gym 3 days / week".
If you do not have a goal right now that is a maintenance goal I will post 2 new goals, but I do strongly encourage you to consider focusing on only one goal until you have it under control and then pursuing 2 goals next time.
5. Keep It Simple All goals must be easily articulated in one or two short sentences. I will not post paragraph length goals. If the goal cannot be said in one or two short sentences it likely is too detailed and contains too much information. Remember you are not limited to the goal posted here, I have many other goals that I am working on, this is an area to work on consistency as it relates to your relationship with food and physical activity, goals will be limited to those topics.
6. Ask Questions Now! This week is the week to ask questions to test-post your goal (note you will need to post the final version next week). There was a lot of back and forth on almost every goal in October, expect that you will want to adjust it. Ask this rounds participants what they would have done differently, or what they feel they did right. While I will be able to answer questions next week, if I have questions about your goal at the end of the week (i.e. I think you've posted 5 goals, I can't find your success measurement, it reads to me like a results goal not a consistency goal) I will need you to answer them before the end of Friday. Any goals with outstanding questions at the end of next week Friday (Jan 16) will not be posted.
Finally, no member needs to set a 12-week goal, it is not a condition of being a member of the group, it is meant for motivation only.
Have Fun,
Sara.
Weekly Check-In
This week has not been good for me, I've been off the wagon for 2 weeks straight. When I have logged my calories I'm back to 3,000+ calorie days. I think it's safe to say I've fallen hard, and I haven't been to the gym this week.
I need to get back on the wagon and take a hard look at what works and what doesn't work for me.
Done Well
I need to congratulate myself for being almost a year (in February 2009) into a life-style change and still sticking with the idea week to week. This has kept me on the wagon most of the time.
I have successfully broken my pattern of loosing 20 lbs from January - March and then gaining back 20+ lbs from April - December. I am officially smaller than I was when I started back in February 2008.
Wagon Jumpers, and everyone who has been part of this group has been an immense source of motivation and support for me. I started this group in May 2008 when I fell off the wagon and really felt like I could not get back on. Having this group to turn to, to share the challenges of consistency with and to hold me accountable is the reason I got back on the wagon in May, and while I have fallen off the wagon from time to time it as not been my historic dives of months and months off the wagon and undoing all of the work I have done.
I stick to my calories very very well when I am grocery shopping and cooking.
Once I start going to the gym I can be consistent if I schedule it.
Need To Improve
I have a new trigger for falling off the wagon, it's 'the week after'. I'm good at planning for the high-stress week, it's the week after that I let everything fall apart now that I have made it through the crisis.
I need to grocery shop and meal plan. I'm excellent at sticking to calories and feeling full, when I am grocery shopping and cooking for myself, as soon as I stop doing that I get take-away 4-5 times per week, and while it is not 'fast-food' it is still high-calorie and it takes me a long time to get back into cooking. I like cooking, I have time to cook, I need to do it.
I am bored with my workout. And, I am finding that it is taking me too long. I need to reduce the time I am working out (2+ hours/day) and increase the efficiency of the work out by introducing effective muscle building techniques.
Sara.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
PART 1: Did I achieve my goal?
I will say that I made it 50% of the way to my goal. This is an improvement over the last session where I missed completely. I did manage to get to my 8 weeks of consistency eating at 1500 cal and exercising 4 days per week. However, when I hit the Christmas season I let too much slip and then completely dove off the wagon. According to the rules I set for myself I need to deduct half the weeks achieved when I miss on a week, and I missed on two weeks, and I have missed this goal on that basis.
Part 2: Preparation for goal setting
I think at this point I need to modify my plan a bit. My plan has always been a three part plan where first I get my calorie intake and physical activity levels where they need to be for improved health and fitness, then I work on keeping them at those levels for a set time period to achieve results, then I repeat that with a scale.
At this point I'm going to drop the second part of the plan which I have failed at two times now. After a year of being without a scale I am going to introduce the scale from the beginning this time. The scale also includes a body fat measurement and a body water measurement. I will also use body size measurements to ensure that I am not focusing on pounds only.
Here is where I am asking the group to hold me accountable. If, now that I am using a scale, I start to report weird behaviour (i.e. drastically cutting calories, skipping meals intentionally, exercising for 4+ hours per day) because I am freaking out about a number on the scale, make me promise to put it away.
To date my falls off the wagon have been food based. Once the food goes, then everything goes. So while I am going to on my own attempt to keep the gym in the routine, I'm going to use these 12 weeks to try out some new gym activities, namely weight lifting, according either to NROLFW or interval training as explained by Health Habits. My goal focus for these 12-weeks will be food based.
For April 4th, 2009 My goals are:
1. To continue to log my calories everyday.
2. To be eating a weekly average of less than 2,000 cal/day greater than 1,500 cal/day.
Thoughts?
Sara.
Weekly Check In
This week has been a good one food wise. I have stuck tight to 1400 - 1500 calories a day, journalled well and kept my meals balanced and entertaining. Consistency is the killer. Now I need to get stuck in this mode!
This Weeks Topic
I would have to say that I have been 33% successful this 12 weeks. I had that 5 week bump in the middle with my surgery. Journalling works great for me as long as I take the time to do it. Exercise is still hit and miss. I know I need to make it a priority and not let it go at the first glimpse of boredom.
Preparing to Set Goals
I am going to take time, think long and hard about this. I want and NEED to be successful in this second 12 weeks. I still think the keyword for me is going to be consistency! UGH! 
Hi all,
Congratulations Sara on loosing 20 lbs and keeping it off. You are a great motivator for me. Someone who succeeds and maintains is truly motivating to see. I was at 184 lbs about 5 months ago and now I'm at 192 lbs. Keeping the weight off is a big achievement! For me last week had mixed blessings. I caught a bad cold with fever and was no able to exercise, but the good part was that I lost my appetite for 2 days and only ate soup. This made up for all the restaurants and Chinese take out of the past week.
I would love to do the consistency challenge, I will look into the goals that I could set.
Sara, Like Germaica said you are a great motivator! Keep up the good work and I know that you will get back on the wagon and continue with your success.
This past week was a good one. I went to the gym 3 times and mountain biking and hiking while camping yesterday. It's been a long time since I exercised 4 times in one week. Usually I only manage 1-2 times. I am also happy to say that I went to spin class 2 days in a row. It's hard but its the type of workout that I need. Just using a regular stationary bike just doesnt cut it.
Even though I wasnt part of the 12 week goal group I can say that I did not meet my goal that I set in early November. I am going on a cruise at the end of this month and I had hoped to be down 20 lbs. However, I have only managed to maintain my current weight. I still have 3 though to lose what I can.
My new 12 week goals:
1. To log my calories everyday. I have abda habit of logging everything until I eat something bad and then I just stop for the day b/c I tell myself I blew it. I need to get over that!
2. I want to go to the gym atleast 3 days a week.
With the support we give each other I know WE CAN ALL DO IT!
Since joining this group, this last week has been the best for me. It's hard to get to know everyone and follow along in the weekly threads, but I think I can do better if I'm more consistent with it.
Eh, Sara, I agree with everyone that you are a great motivator and it's nice the way you run this group. I've been considering setting a 12 week goal, something to do with I'll weigh only Monday and Friday of each week. Would that be something acceptable?
As a second goal, I would like to make it: I'll ride my bike at least 4 times per week.
As for posting my daily intake, I'm like jessicaann, I'll log, but when I go overboard and start eating stuff that's not in the plan, I'll not log! That's probably when we need to log the most.
Weekly Check In:
I am back on track with food. I was off the wagon for a long time, and the only support I had was on this website. I now have support from my mom and my best friend who are also both trying to lose weight. Instead of me having to worry about cooking my own dinner, my mom said that she will cook dinner for both of us. I bought two healthy, low-calorie cookbooks and we are planning to have dinner together at least four nights a week. We planned all our menus for the week yesterday and today we went grocery shopping. I am very excited to eat more of a variety for dinner and I don't have to cook it, which is great. I am also excited about my new support network, because I had been hiding my healthy eating habits from my friends and my family, which obviously became very very challenging. I feel good about food now, and I just need to focus on exercise. I have track practice every day, but I need to work a little harder because I always seem to slack off. I went to the gym with my friend yesterday, which was nice..I haven't gone to the gym with a buddy in at least a year. I still think I prefer going alone though, but at least I know I have others that support me now.
Goal Evaluation:
I failed. I don't think I had one full good week of sticking to my plan in the last 12 weeks. There was a big bump in the road when I was in the hospital and I didn't get back to my healthy lifestyle until a few days ago, a few weeks after I had been discharged from the hospital. Even though my goals seemed simple and easy, they were certainly not. They were demanding, too demanding, and my plan is to give myself a little more breathing room for the next 12 weeks. Since I have track to keep me in line with exercise, I think my goals will be centered around food and a weekly calorie average instead of a daily average.
I am thinking: Continue to log my food everyday, eat dinner with my mom at least 4 nights a week, and have a 1500 cal/day weekly average. How does that sound?
Agreeing with the others above me, I agree. Sara, you are such a great motivator. I am so glad to have been part of this group for over 4 months, even if there have been many many bumps in the road. The best way to learn is through experience and from mistakes.
No, I didn't make my goals!! 
It's okay I finished and that makes me happy. In the time that I lost some inches although not necessarily weight. Inches makes better for lost than weight anyway. I feel more refreshed and I enjoy it.
I don't think I'm going to set any goals this time around. I guess I'm going to keep my same goal.
I wouldnt say that i fell completely off the wagon... but as i said last week, an foot injury and a bout of the flu totally threw me out of my routine in mid nov and i am just now feeling pain free in my foot. I am happy to report that i didnt gain weight over the holidays, but i lost (i havent logged anything since November either)! For my 12 weeks - i am giving myself a 50% again.
Not logging was a real test for me... To see if i could apply what i have learned in the past year (i started with CC on January 17th 2008!) and either maintain or lose... at first i went a little crazy and gained a few lbs, but then in december i pulled it together and lost about 3.5 lbs.
I'm probably going to do the same as tiegurl and try to hit the same goals again. I'll contemplate that over the week. At the end of 12 weeks i'd like to pull up my food logs and see a 40-30-30 split on my analysis chart...Thats really when my body responds the best and looks the best. I'm going to re-start NROLFW also. It killed me to stay away from the gym, but i didn't want to risk hurting my foot more than it already was hurting.
My new puppy enjoys taking walks - actually she loves to run on the leash right alongside me - so there is some motivation to get my running back on track :)
Have a good week ladies!
Good Morning Everyone!
Weekly Check in: I am so proud to say that OVERALL I did not gain any weight over the Christmas season...and I was off work for 2 weeks due to a factory shut-down. It was not the easiest being here at the house, with all the time on my hands and of course we all know how I would rather have teeth pulled without novacaine than exercise....but I managed to actually lose 2lbs..
Did I achieve my goal? No..not by a long shot. I still exercise 5-6 days a week and for at least 30minutes but not on that bike...but I must say if I am doing the bike thing that day I do stay on it for at least the 30mins and/or 6miles. I dropped my calories down to 1250 when I stopped going to the gym every other day as well...because I only get about 30mins of exercising here.. so I am not going to say I got any of my goals....I am going to have to think very carefully on the next round of goals....maybe it is time and the heel has healed enough to break out the mini-tramp again..I also was looking into buying some weights for here at the house.
Preparation for next 12 week goals: I really believe that I need to include exercise as part of my goal....to be consistent and challenge myself..I still have so much weight to lose...It isn't like I am going to be at my finished goal weight in the next couple of months..but I need to make sure that I don't go like gangbusters at the 1st couple weeks and then get injured/or bored then switch to something in mid-stream. I don't have issues with not eating so I never thought of the scale as an obstacle to me, I need to know weekly if I am on track of my weight goal, and if I do gain (which I do sometimes) I know that something I am doing isn't working and need to revise my lifestyle a bit..I know it is a personal preference and we all need to go with what works for them.
I bought a new weight watcher cookbook this last week since I was getting really in a rut as far as cooking goes and that is not a good thing with me..I love to cook and started to slip back into my "comfort" cooking...but I am determined to try a new recipe a week...I am really getting into this meal planning for the week.
Things are going to be a bit more stressful for me the next week or so my company where I work said it was going to have a layoff this week or next and my hubby and I both work there along with some others in my family so I am praying that we can survive another round of layoffs...The VP told us before the Christmas break that it was coming and he wanted to be "upfront and honest" with everyone...but not how many or exactly when, so I am not sure if knowing beforehand is such a great thing...it has stopped any nutty shopping impulses that sometimes attack me, but the dark cloud looming overhead...yuck!
I hope everyone has a great day!
Robin
RE: WEEKLY TOPIC -
Part 1: My goal was posted as follows:
"Eat an average of 1700 cal/day and exercise 4x per week, according to my plan"
For the first 9 weeks, I followed this plan consistently, including logging all the foods I ate. For the past 3 weeks, which included the holidays, I confess I failed to log very much. I do know for sure that I made healthy choices, and really watch my alcohol consumption. I don't know for sure whether I was in range of my 1700 average or not during that time. So on that, due to not being certain, I will accept 75% success. With the exercise, I am definitely on target. I hit the mark every single week except for one. SO, I am about 91% successful there as well. Averaging the two success rates, overall I achieved 83% success in reaching my goals.
I am proud of myself for being consistent while I know I could have done better with a little more determination. I am a bit disapointed that I am not seeing more results than I am. However, I will chalk this attitude up to that infamous "all or nothing" mentality. IOW: I want it all now. What's that you say? I can't have it? LOL! Ok, guess I'll keep on trucking then.
Additionally, I am not accustomed to seeing "slow" results. I imagine the image in the mirror isn't quite the same as it was 12 weeks ago, but its too close to what I saw last week or yesterday to notice much change. I should have taken photos. (Hindsight is always 20/20 right?)
Part 2: ANYWAY, enough ranting... On to more positive things! I have every intention of continuing on my NROLFW program, I truly enjoy it. So many things in my thought processes have been reprogrammed! AND, I love the little mini-successes that I am getting... moving up 5 lbs to add more challenge, and feeling stronger because of it.
The program however, does suggest that lifting 3x per week is ample and sufficient, 4x is ok, but could be detrimental if you're not "healing"... which, even at 3x, I am still sore the next time I lift. SO, I will revamp my agenda down to 3x per week, to fit the program, and... with nutrition, I intend to adjust my menu to include more protien, which means my calories will still be at 1700 average. You can't go much less than that, and get the amount of protein you really need.... and belive me it's a LOT. (Check NROLFW, Schuler gives a formula for figuring out how much you need if you are lifting) And while this is going to be a goal, it will not be posted on the thread, because I feel I fell short on the logging aspect of the whole routine. THAT is what kept me from attaining my goal fully.
SO, I will have to do some thinking on the wording, but... it will have something more to do with logging foods. Even though in my mind I want to scream at the thought of logging one more single meal (I get pretty irritated with our database), I know that I truly truly have not LEARNED how to portion or control myself completely without guidance, and that this is the only way I will get it, finally get it... so it must be done. And because I want success, I must make myself do it. I'll post my new 12-Week Goals next week, per your request.
Sara - I am proud of you for breaking the cycle! THAT is a major accomplishment. Regardless of having been off the wagon for a couple weeks, you had a great YEAR! Don't be too hard on yourself for the slip up. And with the trigger, now you know what to do... just schedule a grocery shop right into the chaos of the hectic week, and you'll have what you need on the other side to prevent your take-out ordering.
Also, with the scale, I am a bit concerned for you. I think at a maximum, you should permit yourself to weigh no more than once per week. (Same day, same time, same amount of clothing, food intake, water intake, afrer using restroom, before shower...etc...) I have used the BMI type scales before... you have to be careful not to have drank a bunch of water (or other fluid) before weighing... I even noticed a difference compared to having my hair wet or dry (say before or after shower)... those scales are really sensitive. Which, as intelligent as you are, I am sure you knew all that, I just needed to say it... LOL!
Anyway, I also know I don't need to tell you that as you embark upon a muscle-building journey, the scale can be your enemy. Say for example, on the day you weigh, you had an extra good lifting workout the day before... your muscles will be inflamed, sore, and full of extra fluids. This may come across the BMI scale as added water, which throws off the percentages by increasing the whole. I also don't need to tell you that PMS is a big fluid factor with the BMI scale. I don't want you to be obsessing on that number you see at ALL! If you start building muscle, you will see a huge difference in how you feel to begin with! Have you gotten the New Rules of Lifting for Women book yet? If so, I'd enjoy hearing your take on the whole matter.
IDEA: Any other books folks have read that have good suggestions?
Runoff from last weeks topic: I found this in the new "Men's Health - Training Guide" - "3 Things You Don't Know About Fat Loss" p. 98
1. Squats may burn up to three times more calories than previously thought, according to a new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. They're also great for packing on muscle.
2. Aim to drop 20 pounds this year and you can do it: Men who set higher expectations lose more weight, report researchers and the University of Minnesota.
3. The calories you burn in a 30-minute jog may not matter as much as you think. More important is your calorie loss when you're not exercising. Intense weight training elevates your metabolism for 36 hours. So you lose weight all day, and build bigger muscles.
While this small article was written for men, in NROLFW, Schuler describes that men's and women's muscle tissue is basically the same, only varying in the amounts of the different types of tissues. SO, point being, this definitely applies to us as well. (Disregarding their obvious obsession with poundage, and "weight loss" LMAO!)
Enough for now... I am full of it today. LOL! BUT, the good news I guess is, I don't have to write as often as I used to! LMAO!!
Hope you are enjoying your Healthgain journey! Whatever you may be thinking of yourself right at this moment, you ARE worth it.
MANY HUGS FROM WV,
~Julie
Wenchie Good job on reaching 33% especially considering that you did have the surgery in the middle of the time period. I've scaled back my goals to be able to focus on consistency as well. I hope this will help me meet them in this round.
Germaica I'm actually not sure what the number really are. Originally I started at a size 20, I'm now a snug size 14. I did my first weigh-in this Sunday, and from the weigh-in if I add 5 lbs per dress size then I think I started around 250 lbs which would give me a current loss of almost almost 37 lbs. Not too bad, but I'm still above my highest logged weight from way back in 2006 which was 205 lbs. This is a lot of rambling, but basically to say that 2+ years of yo-yo dieting where I climbed from 180 lbs all the way up to 250 lbs has clearly shown me that being able to maintain or slowly loose is no small thing. So, despite my fall I'm quite pleased with myself for knowing that I am loosing, although I will be here for a long time on that journey.
For the goal challenge I think it's safe to say to keep it small. Typically I find that new members set ambitious goals, which will be extremely difficult to maintain for 12-weeks. I'm not sure if this is part of the planning, all or nothing or self sabotage mentality that wagon jumpers seem to be prone to. Those that have the most success on the consistency challenges pick something that is small, too easy for a day or a week, but that they just might succeed at across 12 weeks.
Jessica Great job on the exercise this past week! Maintenance is no small thing, especially if you have been on a gain pattern for awhile.
For your goals, is logging calories daily a new goal or a maintenance goal? For example should it read: I will log my calories everyday, or I will continue logging my calories everyday.
For the exercise goal this is a bit of an exercise in semantics, but I would encourage you to put a declarative statement in, that is to change it from: I WANT TO go to the gym 3 days a week, to I WILL go to the gym 3 days a week. You are the only person that can make this happen and there is a big difference between saying that you want something and that you will do something.
Laura I hope the group is progressively getting more manageable as we are currently not accepting new members. I find if you can take 20 min 2-3 times per week to read through the new posts then it becomes manageable and you get to know the other members.
For your goals as I am reading them you currently have 3 goals, that need a little bit of re-articulation:
1. I will limit myself to weighing in twice a week (Mon & Fri)
2. I will ride my bike 4 times per week
3. I will log my daily calories
It sounds like these are all new goals, which means I need to ask you to prioritize them. I make priority assessments in two ways, which are the easiest for me to accomplish, and which will give me the most results. If one is easy to accomplish and will give results that is the one I put first. The second one is usually an easy to accomplish one so that it doesn't throw the first off track. Of course you always have the option of picking one only and focusing on that one (not that you would not try to do the other as much as possible as well, you would just not be giving yourself a pass / fail at the end of the 12 weeks on the others).
Limiting your weigh-in's is likely the easiest to do, but in and of itself produces little results. It may however be necessary for you if you, like me, tend to freak out when you see the scale and throw yourself off track.
Riding the bike is likely the hardest to do, it requires the most time, and you need to get out the bike and get going. It will however produce the most results of the three.
Logging calories in my opinion only, would produce more results than the weigh-in, this is only because we tend to limit ourselves as soon as we start to honestly log. It is however more time consuming than the weigh-in.
Sarah That is great that you have friends and family support now! I have been quite honest to friends and family about my attempts in the past year and it has helped me a lot, and many of my friends are now on their own journey's and feel comfortable talking to me since they know I'm going through the same challenges.
For your goals it looks like you have three goals, which I am going to ask you to prioritize to at most 2 goals:
1. Continue to log daily calories.
2. Eat dinner with mum no less than 4 nights per week.
3. Eat to a target of 1,500 cal/day based on a weekly average.
I would highly recommend keeping the first one which is logging your calories as one of the two goals. If you are already successfully logging then you want something that you are already successful at to maintain while you try to add a new habit.
Since you and your mum are newly trying meal planning together you may want to keep the 1,500 cal/day weekly average as a background goal. That is try to meet it but don't put it on a pass/fail level yet. For the next 12-weeks as you and your mum begin this new journey together and try new recipes, enter them here on cc and find out what the calories are then you will be set up in the following 12-weeks to know which types of recipes you like which are both filling and meet your calorie and nutritional needs. My suggestions only of course let me know what you think.
Tiegurl Finishing is important! I keep telling myself the most important. And hey, I'm not at my goals yet, nor have I successfully completed 12 weeks yet, but I'm not bigger than I was last year, in fact I'm smaller, which is the overall point.
On your goals, want to make sure I'm not committing you to something you are not up for doing. Are you using the same goals as last time or taking a break this round?
MsMeg Half way isn't bad! In fact it's pretty good, these goals are really tough. Great job on not gaining weight over the holidays and with figuring out that you can do it without logging, which is a long term goal for us all.
For the goals, I may take out the bit about stage 4 of the program so that you have 2 clearly articulated goals the nutrition and exercise component. Let me know if that works for you.
(I'll still ask you to write it in your own words next week).
Oh, and having a puppy that will run on a leash alongside you is golden! I haven't been able to run with my guys as they still haven't learned the theory of going in a more or less straight line (i.e. not tripping me up when I'm running).
Robin My fingers are crossed and my thoughts are with you for your job situation. That is so stressful. So an all the more congratulations for not gaining weight over the holidays, work stress is the worst kind for me and one of the few times I emotionally turn to food.
I think of everyone you had the most complicated goals in the past 12-weeks. My suggestion would be to simplify. Ideally you want to pick something that you think you can stick to for 12-weeks without modifying too much.
I know you said you don't have issues with the scale, on the other hand then you mention using the scale to modify the program. I suppose it depends on how frequently you modify the program. Results on the scale are very dependent on a number of factors, so as long as you are not drastically reducing calories after a small gain one week then you are likely fine, but if you find you slip into that pattern then some scale management may not be a bad idea.
For your exercise goal maybe consider simplifying it to you will exercise for 30 min X days per week. This way if you are exercising for 30 min it counts, regardless of what it is, and you don't have to worry about getting too bored with the exercise as you are allowing yourself to change it up, which is recommended for best exercise efficiency anyways.
For food, you are at an EXTREMELY low calorie range at 1250, you may very much want to consider increasing your calories. If your weight loss comes from your muscles, the most energy dense part of your body composition and where your body will go for energy first if it feels it is not getting enough then this can make it harder to exercise and maintain long term loss. If you are uncomfortable increasing your calories at this point it may be beneficial to try a weekly average of 1250 so that you are not as concerned about exercise and none exercise days, and it is a number you can shoot for across the week.
Julie You are so precise! LOL from one number junkie to another. I do know what you mean about the results not coming quick enough. Even though when I saw the pictures of myself from a year ago (there's one that will never see the light of day if I can help it) and when I first went to the gym I was astounded at how large I had gotten, and I know that I've lost that size a lot of it. When I finally saw the number on the scale this past week and realized that it was still higher than my previous highest I wanted to scream.
At first I thought it was wrong. Then I realized it was likely right, I had just really been deluding myself on how large I had actually gotten. If I'm honest with myself I am now slightly larger than when I was trying to loose weight back in 2006 and I don't yet fit into my clothes from the first time I started trying to loose weight in 2004. I have a long way to go.
But, I can't let that diminish the fact that I have also come a long way. I don't have the exact numbers to prove it, but I do have the clothes. I'm concerned that if I had ever stepped on a scale and seen 250 lbs that I never would have found the courage to make it to the gym for the first time. So... yes, the face in the mirror is still not the face I want, the wobbly bits are still more wobbly than I would like them to be. However there have been improvements, and the only way to get more is to keep on trucking as you say.
As for the scale I'm right with you, my weigh-in is Sunday morning before I start the new Wagon Jumpers thread, it gets put back in the closet for the rest of the week so that I don't cheat and just step on it quickly. I'm definitely up on the theory of the BMI scales and know that monthly cycles and how much sodium was in Saturday's dinner and if I was at the gym on Saturday will affect the rates.
I think the key for me will be getting enough weeks under my belt to establish a trend line and then to keep that trend line going down rather than focusing on the week to week numbers. I know the scale is a danger zone for me, but I figure it has to come back in at some point.
Sounds like your goals are leaning towards the same as last time with one less day of exercise as per NROLFW. Which I think is a great idea, you came so close to achieving them this time that if you stick with them you can likely do it in this next round.
I haven't picked up NROLFW, I'm hoping that it is available here in Canada fairly easily and will pick it up in the next two weeks if it is, if not I'll have to order it from Amazon.
I think the men's health magazine confirms a lot of what I have learned in the past year. That full body weight exercises (like squats) are great for building muscle, that people who set goals are more likely to see results, and that increasing your muscle mass and thereby your metabolism is more important than how many calories you burn with individual exercises on a daily basis.
My reading tells me that the basic difference between men and women is that men have their muscle tissue right under the skin, and do not have the insular layer of fat that women do, this makes the male body more efficient for building muscle and women's body's more efficient at storing energy. This is why if you work out with your husband or boyfriend he will loose weight and bulk up faster than a woman on the same program. However, this does not mean that the same principals do not apply, they do. Every trainer and most articles I've read suggest that because women's body's hold onto energy much more efficiently than men's that once women see results which takes longer than men they seem them rapidly. While men will see results sooner but hit more plateaus.
Cheers,
Sara.
After some consideration, here are some ideas for my goals. My first goal is to add exercise to my lifestyle. 3x a week is a good start. Walking for 30 minutes or the StairMaster for 10 minutes min. Maybe some weight training. But basically some, any exercise 3x a week will be good. My highest priority is to be healthy and exercise is a great way to achieve it.
My second goal is harder, should I start cutting calories, around 100 cals weekly average, considering I log at around 3000 cals a day on average. Or should I go for a maintenance goal of logging food every day. I'm worried that if I go for too much I will give up when I hit a bump in the road. If I go form 0 to a 100, I may give up when it gets hard. I think I may expect too much form myself.
Any ideas? I'd love to hear form those of you who have done the last challenge.
12 WEEK GOAL:
I think I accomplished 50%. I did the exercise but did not count the calories just as well. I did progress though since I managed to do at least half of the goal and not gaining back the weight I've lost.
WEEKLY CHECK IN:
I had either really good days or just plain bad days (New Year's Eve parties and the last family gatherings of the season) but I'm glad to say it's over and all I have left is a ton of candy I don't want.
NEW GOALS:
I want to reach the 1500cals/day goal, since I'm closer to reach it than before.
GOAL No. 1: Eat 1500-1600 calories/day
I started to get bored as well with my routine so I decided to give a shot to interval training and basic weight lifting.
GOAL No. 2 To exercise three times a week (Interval + Lifting)
Wow, feels like ages since I have had a chance to log on and see what everyone has been up to. I don't really have the time to respond to everyone but I will say it seems like everyone knows where their accomplishments and where there downfalls are and are making plans to improve :)
12 WEEK GOAL:
I echo what a lot of people are saying, 50%. I did drink my allotment of water, and then some in a lot of cases. I did not however consistently workout for 30 minutes 3 x a week. I did notice that when the gym opened here at work I was going at least 3 times a week (and I'll be heading there in about 10 minutes as well, today is my first day back at work).
WEEKLY (last 2 weeks) CHECK IN:
I managed to eat pretty well over the holidays with the exception of chocolates, my weakness. I have however given up a vice I used to indulge in on a daily basis (as of Jan 1) and have noticed that I am able to control my eating much much better, and my sugar craving has seriously diminished.
NEW GOALS:
Same as the old goals. I'm not 100% sure on the exercise time though, so I'm just going to say exercise 3x per week. I have enlisted in the help of a certified personal trainer who is going to help me tailor a program to my needs and goals, I'm pretty excited about it. We're going to work with the equipment I have here at work and design a program. I'll check in with her on a regular basis (not sure how often yet) and I think this will help keep me on track. My ultimate goal (not to be included in the 12 wk goal) is to be back in my size 8s (where I was 2 summers ago) by my birthday at the end of May (I'm currently in a tight 12).
Oh, I just found out from my hubbie that my copy of NROLFW is at the post office, I ordered it online as the closet book store that carries it is 3hrs away (oh the plight of living in a small rural town 
)
Well I'm off to the gym. Happy 2009 everyone and may we all stay on the wagon together!
Sara, thanks for the feedback. Actually I was not referring to the logging as a goal. That would be too much of an ask for me to do. I just wanted to comment that I get put off logging when I go overboard eating :)
I have been thinking about the goals I want to set. Rather than say, ride the bike 4 times a week, I'd rather just say, ride for 4 hours a week. That gives me much more flexibility, I might ride 30 minutes one day, and 90 minutes another day. As long as I go for 4 hours a week I'll be good with that.
As for the other goal, weighing in. Here's my logic: I'm here to lose weight, focus on being healthy. If I'm on the wagon I'm going to be logging, exercising, etc. Knowing that a "weigh-in" day is coming up keeps me focussed. I will want to see a good result. Having two weigh-ins a week should space them out enough to keep me motivated, but still have a good idea what's going on with my body.
Germaica We have run the 12-week consistency challenge two times now, the pattern that I have seen (from myself as well as others) is that at the beginning of the challenge we are very ambitious, by the end of the challenge I am glad to see that we have more people finishing, but I have yet to hear from someone who has managed to complete it to their satisfaction. That is, no one has said they did it 100%.
For your goals sounds like you have two new goals. The question is do you want to put them both on a pass / fail basis? Not putting one on a pass / fail basis does not mean that you don't try to do it, it could mean that you simply test run it this 12-weeks and see how tough it is, which will help you decide if it becomes a pass / fail goal in the next set.
If you do want to run both goals at the same time and are concerned about the reducing calories by 100 cal/day on your weekly average (i.e. 3000 to 2900 to 2800 week by week) there are some ways to modify that challenge. For example in 12 weeks if you succeed 100% each week that will bring you to a weekly average of 1900 cal/day on a weekly average. However, it is not likely to be as simple as succeeding each week. What I did when I was on this reduction was to say if I missed a week (i.e. I was supposed to do 2,700 cal and my weekly average gave me 2,900 that week) then I would repeat the week trying again for 2,700 until I got it. So you could modify the goal and assume a 50% success rate saying that you will try to reduce your calories by 100 cal/day on a weekly average starting from 3,000 cal/day towards a goal of having your calories reduced to 2,500 cal/day by the end of 12 weeks. Basically it makes the goal more achievable by leaving room for error.
Ana Good job on getting 50% of the goal done! Looks like we have a lot more people who made it half way to their goal this round. I have no questions on your goal, don't forget to post it on next week's thread.
Raven Good job on getting 50% of the goal done! As mentioned to Ana looks like a lot more of us made it to the half way mark this time on our goals. Three times pre week with the exercise is good, it's measurable. Let us know how the personal trainer goes. I've not hired one yet as I want to get my consistency up before I do. How long did it take from when you ordered NROLFW for it to arrive? Did you use Amazon?
Don't forget to post your goals next week for inclusion in the thread.
Laura Ah, and that's why we do questions week :) Four hours per week on the bike works, it's measurable and as you said it makes it achievable as it allows you to do more on some days if needed or to space it out across several days. Out of curiosity, do you live in an area where you can bike year round? I'm assuming you do if you are setting this goal in winter. I'd love to be able to bike year round, but I'm not a winter cyclist, my partner is though so I know some people do bike in the snow.
The scale is often a hot topic with wagon jumpers, everyone is very different with their relationship to the scale, some people it motivates, some it send into a downward spiral. I wasn't sure which way you were leaning, since you said only Monday and Friday if you were trying to limit or encourage use of scale for yourself. Either way it works as a goal, it's measurable and achievable.
Looks like you have your two goals, don't forget to post them on next week's thread.
Sara.
Sara - oh, I forgot to say, thanks for the congrats on 6 months! Can't believe it's been that long. On one hand, I'm disappointed I haven't lost more weight, but on the other hand I'm very optimistic as I have stuck with the group and have a much better idea now of what works, what doesn't and how to incorporate exercise and healthy choices into my life. I feel that 2009 is going to be my year 
I actually ordered NROLFW from Chapters.ca. I pre-ordered in early december because it wasn't released here in Canada (according to their site and amazon) until Dec 30th. As promised I got an email from Chapters on the 30th indicating that my order had been shipped and it arrived yesterday Jan 5th. I figure it might have been sooner had there not been holidays or weekends in the midst.
I will definitely let everyone know my thoughts on the trainer once we get started. I hope to hear from her and go for my fitness assessments this week or next. I'm a little nervous but also excited to find out exactly how fit (or not) I am
Raven
Part 2 Cont'd:
I think my goals will look something like this.
"Rules of Lifting Program 3x/Week, and Maintain 30/30/40 nutrient intake on a weekly average. (Carbs/Fats/Proteins)"
Here are my reasons...
Lifting is obvious, I am already doing it, and want to stay accountable.
Nutrition education is my weakness. While I could cut calories all day every day, I think I may have finally figured out that with quality comes quantity. The essence of my own personal nutrition is something I have never really focused on, its always been on calories alone (cut cut cut... not good!!). I learned recently that with the amount of protein needed when lifting it truly is difficult to achieve without some focus! And because I truly do dislike logging my foods all the time, this will be active motivation for me to do just that. A new twist to the old ways, for a different (and maybe even better) reason! The CC "Analysis" tab is awesome, and will be of great benefit for me as I learn to balance 30/30/40... (I do like the easy way of doing things.. heheh)
I went so far as to run the percentages for the past year... (you can only do 30 days at a time... but I have been logging sporadically since last Feb), and the ratio was further from my imagination than I thought. The rough averages looked more like (Carbs/Fats/Proteins) 40/40/20. That all has to basically flip-flop before I see the results I am looking for...That was not nearly enough protein even for a sedentary lifestyle. Its no wonder my metabolism was low, my body was literally living on it's own muscle.
I even have a new "mantra" of sorts... LOL! - Better Carbs, Less Fat, More Protein. Something good for me to post on a notecard in my kitchen. Guess I should really give up my bleu cheese dressing. Ugh. But doesn't it have calcium and... protein? I mean, it IS cheese, right? OH... the fat, the mayo, the buttermilk?? Hmmmm... lol ok.... ok..... OK! (a little self-talk there... lmao!)
Raven, I'll increase the positive energy in your statement, and join you in saying that I feel 2009 is going to be my year also!
Just remember, YOU are worth it.
Happy Healthgain to all,
~Julie
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