Wagon Jumpers - March 29 - April 4th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available)

Welcome 

(If you are interested in being on the waiting list, please read below and e-mail me. We currently have a waiting list of 4 people.)

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 47 Riders:

Supersized (myself)

Week 43 Riders:

Msmeg1984

Defrog3

Week 39 Riders:

Wenchie58 - away April 11th, 2009

Week 37 Riders:

Raven21 - Vacation April 17-28th, 2009

Week 36 Riders:

Tiegurl

Week 33 Riders:

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix

Week 32 Riders - Congratulations on 8 Months!:

Kyashiis

Unlimitedana

Week 27 Riders:

Nannygabber

Week 23 Riders:

Lam7

Week 21 Riders:

Maureenz

Week 19 Riders:

Cawilder

Week 18 Riders:

Carryonandon

Figurethefat

Week 17 Riders:

Pelkeyjm

Week 16 Riders - Congratulations on 4 Months!:

Constanza

Week 15 Riders:

Germaica

Week 14 Riders:

Jessicaanne2001

Week 2 Riders:

Thesilverstar121 - Vacation April 9 - 19th, 2009

Missing In Action:

Missing In Action - 1 Week:

Missing In Action - 2 Weeks:

Current Membership: 20

Current Waiting List: 4

Outstanding Wait List Invites: 0

12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS

(as set w/o January 11th, 2009)

By April 4th, I will be...

Jessicaanne2001 -  No

exercising 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes, and logging my food daily. 

Supersized -  SUCCESS!

logging all of my daily calories and eating in a calorie range of no more than 2,000 cal/day and no less than 1,500 cal/day (calculated by weekly averages). 

Figurethefat -  SUCCESS!

exercising a minimum of 1,500 minutes each month, and I will restrict using the scale to two weigh-ins per week on Monday and Friday. 

Unlimitedana -  No

eating between 1,500 - 1,600 cal/day and exercising three time a week. 

Cawilder -  70%

maintaining a 500 - 1,000 calorie deficit on a daily basis measured by my food log and, working out 5 to 6X per week combo of cardio and lifting. 

Carryonandon -  60-70%

maintaining 300 - 500 calorie deficit daily and, exercising 3x per week. 

Raven21 -  SUCCESS!

drinking a minimum of 4 bottles (2L) of water daily and, exercising a minimum of 3X per week. 

Nannygabber -  SUCCESS!

doing the NROLFW program 3 times per week, and I will establish a 40/30/30 (Carb/Fat/Protein) macronutrient pattern on a weekly average for a minimum of 5 weeks of the next 12. 

Germaica -  62-75%

exercising 3 times a week and logging my food for at least 4 days per week. 

Pelkeyjm -  70%

logging my food daily and exercising at least 3x per week for at least 30 minutes. 

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix - logging my caloric intake on calorie count at least six days every week and, exercising in the gym at least 3 days each week. 

Tiegurl -  No

eating 1,500 - 2,000 calories and exercising 5x a week. 

Kyashiis -  30 - 90%

running 20 kilometers a week and making progress on the number of repetitions in my calisthenic exercises (starting at: 20 push ups, 30 sit ups, 0 chin ups, 2x 30 sec plank, 20-30 jump rope)

Lam7 -  No

Logging all daily calories at least 6 times a week and, exercising minimum 40 minutes 3x per week. 

Msmeg1984 -  No

Following the 40-30-30 diet guidelines in NROLFW and working out 3 a week NROLFW plan. 

Constanza -  50-86.9%

using the CC food log every day and, exercising an average of 4 times per week across the 12 weeks. 

Defrog3 -  50%

eating with improved nutritional quality of food, specifically ensuring that I am getting enough daily protein and carbs and, walking six miles a week weather permitting. 

Wenchie58 - keeping my calorie intake between 1,400 - 1,500 a day and, drinking at least 2 liters of water daily. 

Previous Threads:

Wagon Jumpers - March 22 - 28th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - March 15 - 21st, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - March 8 - 14th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - March 1 - 7th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - February 22 - 28th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - February 15 - 21st, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - February 8 - 14th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - February 1 - 7th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - January 25 - 31st, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - January 18 - 24th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - January 11 - 17th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - January 4 - 10th, 2009

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

As always all members are encouraged to tag this thread so that it is easy to find.

Goal evaluation: I did not reach my goals 100%. For my first goal of exercising 3 times a week I reached 58%. But if I look at the number of times I exercised I did 75%. The point of this goal was to make exercise a regular part of my life on a weekly basis. I beleive I reached at least the spirit of this goal. I am making exercise a priority in my life and it's starting to be fun. For the calorie logging goal ( at least 4 days a week) I did 41%. If I look at the number of times I logged it was 62%. This goal was supposed to be the easy one and turns out to be harder to maintain than I thought. I think that just logging calories without a specific goal in mind became too boring for me.

I'm very happy with this even though I did not reach 100%. Without the 12 challenge and WJ I would probably not have done half as good as I did. I would have given up after 3-4 weeks. Thanks Sara for this great challenge!

I will have to think a bit more about what goals to do next time around.

Have a great week !

Julie Thanks for the spreadsheet!

Germaica Getting over 50% on your first goal challenge is very very good. It took us 2 rounds of challenges before even one person hit 100% and this is the first time we've had multiple people declare successes. 

The reason I put my food logging at every day is that I know, for me, not logging is not a symptom of boredom, it's a symptom of me cheating myself. So, it's a mechanism to hold me accountable. I've also been on CC long enough that I have a zillion tags and tagged recipes so logging food is not very time consuming for me. 10 min a day at most. 

I think the thing to think about if you don't have a goal that you've already got well under way is which goal do you really want to push yourself extra to get done. Leave the rest as stuff you will consciously work towards during the 12 weeks but not put on a public pass / fail basis. Then aim to keep that one maintenance and add another in the following 12 weeks. 

Cheers,

Sara.

Julie Congrats on your success! That's wonderful!

Your thought about emailing the spreadsheet made me wonder if starting up a document sharing site with Google Docs would be useful for the group. Just a suggestion - it might be more hassle than its worth.

Also, Sara, I don't know what I'd do without my calendar. If something isn't on there, it's really not on my radar.

I'm a big google groups / docs fan. I use it for almost all of my volunteer activities. With google docs the documents either need to be private or I need to collect all of your e-mails and send you invitations to the documents. If we want to go the google route what I could do is set up the group, post it in the introduction thread, I'll send you folks my e-mail, if you want an invitation to the group then I can send, I'm likely to make a few people administrators of the group so that it's not always me monitoring it. But then we can post documents like Julie's spreadsheet, recipes, even events if we have people that live close to one another....

Just an idea. 

I love google docs! Great idea!  I would def be interested in that!

I just glanced at my analysis for the day and take a look at what i have (without even trying!)

Fat - 28.9% (45 grams)
Protein - 30.5% (108 grams)
Carbohydrates - 40.6% (143 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Amazing!  And, i'm not completely ravenous this afternoon. I've got plenty of energy and I'm getting lots of work done. So happy!  ( i noticed i do need more protein, but still happy about the %'s)

Checking in: 

I haven't run even once this week that would qualify for a really good run.  I'm doing good on the calisthenics and getting stronger as a result I think.

I've been so busy I couldn't find the time to read all the posts or even do my homework last week.  I will catch up in a later tonight...

I love Google Docs and use them all the time.  I'm a Google fan of a lot of their things....

I am thinking about my goals for the next set.  I agree with Sara that it is time for us to lower the bar in many cases.

More later.

weekly check-in

I had an awful week, mainly because I had a weekend trip and I didn't plan my meals most of the time.

Maintenance goal

Eat 1550-1650 cals a day(it used to be 1500-1600, but I'm more active now)

New Goal

Achieve the 40-40-20 at least two days per week (I'm new to this eating approach so that's why I'm aiming to do it on weekends only)

Google Docs If you are interested in a google docs site, e-mail me at beaglesmuggler (at) rogers.com I'll begin setting up the site. I'm also going to ask a few people to share admin if I can set that up.

Kathy I'm going to assume you are not giving yourself a pass, if you want to give yourself a percentage that you did achieve let me know.

Ana Same as Kathy I'm going to assume you are not giving yourself a pass, if you want to give yourself a percentage that you did achieve let me know. 

I'm super frustrated today... After eating so well last night and the past few days really, my weight just keeps bouncing up higher and higher... ugh. i'm pretty down today. of the 4lbs i lost just a few weeks ago, i'm back up 1.5 of it. And i'm not being bad or anything...sometimes I'd just like to SCREAM!

This is last week's topic, but I couldn't get to it.  I thought it was a valuable.

MOTIVATION:

1. When I go to the department store, I can see the big, wide-screen TVs at the back of the floor.  I think when I reach my first big goal, I will gift myself with one and a DVD player as well... and some exercise DVDs to go with it and a Wii-fit.  When I feel I am faltering, I go straight to that section instead of the grocery store, and I look at the screens, compare the quality and prices and dream of getting it set up at my house.
2. Every time I go to a public hot spring bath and get naked with all the other people there, I notice that my shape is getting better (not good mind you, but LOTS better than 30 lbs ago).  It motivates me to keep trying because I go to the hot springs after every hike which is about every two weeks.  One of these days, one of the ladies who hike with us regularly is going to say something like, "kyashii gah chiisakunatteiru, ne?"  OOPS, "Kathy, you're getting smaller, aren't you?"  That is  something that thinking of regularly keeps me motivated.
3. On a daily basis, I enjoy weighing my food and seeing if what I think it weighs is in the ballpark.
4. I give myself a face and neck massage every day (using the face products that were a motivation present in December).  I am hoping that my neck will slim up, my face un-round out, and my cheeks to show up high and regal, and that motivates me greatly. LOL
   
5. Logging my food and making efforts as the day goes by to stick to my goals for the day motivates me.
6. Of course, one of the best motivators for me is reading others comments in my journal.  I enjoy making comments in others journals also as I learn so much from others journeys.
7. These days, my stomach and midriff section are innies rather than outies - meaning that my muscles are holding in better.  It feels really nice.  That motivates me.
8. I can see some parts of myself that have been mysterious nether lands for a few years.  Wow... that's motivating.
9. Feeling hungry in the morning because I didn't overeat the night before motivates me.  So, eating breakfast every morning like a good girl is a motivating start no matter how the day ends...
10. I just realized that I have so many motivators.
11. When I go to the park and run, and all the old duffers sitting on the bench grin at me and wave when I run or walk by, I feel a lift and stronger resolve to not disappoint them.  It is motivating to me that they MUST notice that I am shrinking little by little.
12. Stopping at one cookie motivates me. 
13. Writing my journal daily motivates me and keeps my goals in my face.
14. It's worth the effort is a motivating thought whenever I am wavering in the face of sweets, slacking on exercise or all the things I know I should do.
    
15. I could go on and on...
    

How can you motivate yourself to stay on track with your goals day to day? What small incentives can you give yourself to think about doing the right thing on a daily basis to achieve your long term goals? 

I think the main incentives are that

• I don't let myself down - I fall down and get back up
  
• I have a routine (sloppy but not so loose as to get off track for too long)

MOTIVATION GURU?

I have gone to several Tony Robbins seminars.  Many of his ideas continue to motivate years after attending. 

In particular, I remember that he said, "Inside, we all know what we need to do to get down to a healthy weight."  Even though I flounder around, I believe what he said, and I know that I will reach my goal weight if I am ready too.  So, I think this health journey is partly a process of learning what doesn't work, and not quitting until I find the right combination that works for me as a unique individual.  It's worth the effort. 

I have the following mottoes on my desk from a workshop:

Primary Question

What can I do to appreciate, enjoy and share my success right now?  (It took me weeks to come up with this question that is integral to my being.)

Power Virtues

(the things I think are my good points or I want to make efforts to become my good points)

• Persistence
• Patience
• Faith in myself
• Courage

In that order...

Sorry for such a long post.

I only have a couple seconds to post, and I just wanted to get my 12 week goals in here.

Excercise at least 3x a week, more if i can. Also Drink at least 2 litres of water a day.

I also wanted to let you know Sara that I am going on Vacation from April 9th through the 19th. So I won't be able to post. I'm sorry if it's too sort notice but this trip was kind spur of the moment.

I'll get back on later tonight with updates.

This week's check in:

Part 1: Goal Evaluation

Well my goals were to run 20K a week.  That was totally over-ambitious  in retrospect.  There were crisis's that knocked me off course for about two weeks and continued to affect me from then on on this one. 

I sometimes got 20K in a week but part of it was hiking.  It also was pretty cold.  I would have thought it would be easier to run in the winter than 100 degree Fahrenheit weather, but it's not so in my case.  Now, I have this history to help me make good choices for exercise next winter. 

I would have to give myself a no-pass for effort at about 30 percent.

My other commitment was on improving my repititions of calisthenics.  I was wildly successful on that.  I shot too low in numbers. I have upped my reps daily and lowered my time for my muscles to get adjusted to more repititions.  I would say aside from the two weeks of sitting around in the hospital, I did well on that.  It's weird because I had expected the running to be easy and the calisthenics to be difficult to achieve.

I would give me a 90 percent on the calisthenics.  A definite pass.  I'm pretty satisfied with myself over it too... (smile)

What made me fail in the running? 

Too ambitious with my perennially bad schedule.  Bad weather, (I envy people who have a gym to go to or personal trainers; what a luxury!)  My family's needs came before my own (crisis with SIL hospitalized, dad visiting for three months and needing lots of attention)

What made me successful with the calisthenic reps?

Aiming too low (at this rate I'll be able to do hours of calisthenics by the end of the year,  YAY!!), could fit it in my schedule by doing them in little five to ten minutes slots throughout the day, could do it daily pretty easily (sometimes doing planks in the dark in bed at the end of the day LOL), got a real high from the adrenelin rush, enjoyed the little music breaks with the iPod to help pace me

Part 2:  Preparing for the next round

New goal: I will zig-zag consistently throughout the week and end up with an average daily calorie count of 1,200 cals.  This seems low to many people, but I am just under 5 ft tall.  My "lose weight" calorie count is 1,050 cals, but that isn't supposed to be healthy for grown women - hence the 1,200 cal level.  My maintenance calorie count is only 1,510 cals, so I really have little room for error. 

I will maintain making progress on the number of repetitions in my calisthenic exercises (started at: 20 push ups, 30 sit ups, 0 chin ups, 2x 30 sec plank, 20-30 jump rope)

this time around:

(continuing from 50 push ups, 50 crunches, 1/2 chin up, 3 x 30 sec plank, 50 jump rope, 50 squats, 50 lunges, 50 toe touches, 100 twists)

It is fun for me to do the calisthenics (surprising to me as I never would have thought so before).  Spring is here, and summer is coming.  It's easier to count calories in the summer I think, so the zig-zag will be good.  Maybe I'll make a chart in Excel and give me "stickers" for good behavior...

Motivational Guru:

Wow.  Would really send something all the way to Japan if I got the prize?  A virtual prize is ok for me.  Just knowing that I have done well, and it is acknowledged would be enough... Hey, I'm going to try and get that prize...

Last but not least... I can't believe I've been doing this for 8 months.  It's only because of all the support.  I can't fall off the wagon because you won't let me.  I am quite grateful to all... especially Sara.  I don't know how you find the time or energy to keep us on the wagon!!!

Kyashii - I really enjoyed reading your posts today. Your words have motivated me too! I realize also now, that I DO have a lot of motivators. I did notice that several of yours revolve around positive self talk. This is one thing I definitely have learned for myself over the past 6 months. I think I have finally been successful at erradicating the negativity within.

Being successful at prgressive success (does that make sense?) has really helped with becoming more positive. But in the beginning I really had to strive to hush my mind from saying bad things to myself. And it carries over into the other areas of your life as well. I find it simpler and easier to deal with the things that life throws my way these days. Whereas previously, I'd have been hiding in a cave by now, with all that I have going on! LOL! - Just wanted to thank you for sharing so much with us!

Next week's Goal Posting - (LOL that sounds like some sort of soccer game.. LOL!)

I was just sitting here, trying to figure out what I need to do to keep myself progressing without setting the bar too high. I also was trying hard to recall what my self-rewards are (thanks Kyashii!) I could NOT remember... LOL! I think maybe I have gotten to the point where the reward is the progress. Which is great, and much less expensive... heheh.

Anyway, my curiosity got the best of me, so I dug out my note cards from 6 months ago. I am supposed to be out purchasing a new bicycle this week!!! YAYY!! Somehow that is really exciting. I guess I had it all figured out, huh? Right at the front of Spring, when I can get outside to use it! I think I will go today.

I am still struggling with what my self-expectations are going to be. I know I will stick with the NROLFW - maybe as the maintenance goal.

I have my food intake down to a science now, I will continue to log, just to make sure it sticks, but I don't think I will need that to be in my top two.

I need a new goal. I will do some more analysis, see what is lacking, and get back to you. I'll have it by next week. Promise!

Also Sara - I am revved about the GoogleDocs idea!! I think it would be great for us all to have a place to share our info! I have become addicted to charts and graphs. LOL.... and always willing to share.  I also have an eating plan that I have implemented most of, and feel others could benefit.... I have to type it up, but willing to share that too.

Be back soon, keep it Healthgain.... you're worth it.
~Julie

Kayshiis Thank you for the very thoughtful post on motivation. I sometimes forget how motivational the day to day improvements are. Like going to my gym often enough that the receptionist knows me by first name, and when I'm slightly off schedule. Or how logging my calories every day consistently does make me feel positive about tracking and keeping on top of what I am eating. And, I too like to weight my food every so often just to see if I've maintained portion control or if my eyeballs now think that 300g of pasta is 100g. 

I really like the idea of "power virtues" I would need to think long and hard about what mine are. A friend of mine recently enrolled in career counseling. She had to complete a 360 evaluation. Which is a survey that she gives to friends, family, co-workers, supervisors, and her own team. The goal of the exercise is to ask those who know you best in different capacities to tell you what your strengths are. I did this a few years back myself, and found it to be a very valuable exercise. Both she and I have the same issue in that we tend to see ourselves quite negatively or if not negatively we both under play what we are capable of and what our strengths are. Having others site those helped me a lot. Maybe it's time I tried to do one for myself. 

And, I would definitely send a prize to Japan! I discovered a great site a few months back called Bookmooch. The idea is that when you enroll you list books you are willing to part with (I have a hard time giving up my books, but I really needed to since I was out of shelf space - and it feels so much better to send them to people who want them than to send them to a thrift shop where they'll sit on the shelf until they are recycled).... you list them and then people ask for them and you send them by mail. It costs the postage buy you accumulate points very quickly to then ask people to send you books, you more or less get your money back. In any case I've been sending lots of books over to the Philippines (didn't know they had such a large english community)... long story short, I'll mail gifts anywhere in the world... the larger issue will be figuring out things like the itunes cards that I have as give anyways but I think are country specific to Canada... 

The Silver Star For this round of goals I am asking people to choose one new goal to focus on, as a new member I'll ask you to pick the water or the exercise. Doesn't mean you can't try for the other, just that you will only put one on pass / fail. Already got the vacation up for you.

Julie Congratulations on the bike! How controlled is your eating at the moment? What I'm getting at is the hardest part of changing your lifestyle is once you've made the initial changes feeling like you can live with them in the real world. You could challenge yourself to try one new recipe a week and still maintain your macronutrient ratios... or eat out once a week and still maintain your macronutrient ratios.... basically prepping yourself for a time when you won't be logging and measuring everything. 

Cheers,

Sara.

Well back from Halifax, what a good trip. Myself and a few friends went to something called "An Evening with Michael Le Vell", who is an actor from one of my favorite TV shows, Coronation Street. For those of you from the US, you're probably not familiar with the show as it's a UK show that airs in Canada, Australia, New Zealand I believe as well. Every year they host an event where one of the cast comes and does a question and answer, raffle draws and photo ops (for which you have to buy tickets and we didn't get any ), HOWEVER, we actually got to meet him before the event started as he was in the pub across from the hotel where the event was located having a beer and we just happened to drop in to do the same! We got free photos with him! It was a great evening and I'm definitely going to go again next year, can't wait to see who comes.

Onto this week's topics:

Part 1: Goal Evaluation

I am happy to report that I am 100% on my goals, possibly a little over 100% as I was averaging 5 times a week for exercise up until last week when I got sick and only got 1 walk in. I also don't have any problems with getting my water intake of 2L and generally exceed this as well. I think what made the goals achievable this time is that I made them a little easier to achieve and as I think I have mentioned before, we now have a gym at my workplace and that has made all the difference in the world. Another thing that helped was that I had a work out buddy. I did notice that I dropped to 3-4 times a week when she first left but seem to be creeping back up now (unfortunately she was laid off).

Part 2: Preparing for Next Round

So I have been giving some thought to the goals and although I was successful in achieving my goals I haven't seen much result on the scale/measurement side of things, at most maybe 5 pounds. I am attributing this issue to what I eat. Although I do track calories (not consistently however) I haven't made what I eat a focual point as of yet. I do watch what I eat and am mindful to make healthy choices but I haven't been eating to fuel my body for the exercise I am doing on a consisent basis. So here is what I propose for my 2 goals for the next round.

Goal 1 (Maintenance Goal) - continue to work out at least 3 times a week (can be more of course).

Goal 2 (New Goal) - Maintain calorie range of 1450-1600 cal daily with a focus on macronutrient ratios.

I think that's it for now. I only have 1.5 days left of work this week so got to get cracking. Thanks for all the updates everyone, good to hear how everyone is doing.

msmeg - don't get frustrated or if you do, use that to fuel your motivation. Scales can be evil (which I'm sure you know) and there could be tons of reasons for the fluxuation. I know myself I was down 4 pounds, then back up 4 pounds and now I'm down 2, go figure.

jessicaann - I am getting close to being out of my 20s and I totally hear where you're coming from. I don't want to turn 30 and still be battling my weight.

Figurethefat - congrats on achieving your 12 week goals!

cawilder - I think we all need to cut ourselves a little slack when we get ill, although I know I feel like I should just "run through it" etc. You body will thank you if you let it rest. I can totally relate to wanting comfort food when you're sick, I wonder why that is when it doesn't necessarily help you get well faster?

tiegurl - sounds like we're pretty much the exact opposite. I can get the exercise part down but it's the eating where I have a problem. Chin up!

carryonandon - congrats on achieving the calorie deficit, that can be difficult.

Sara - congrats on the government contract! That's awesome news, especially in todays economy. Thanks for all the support and advice through this group.

Julie - thanks for all the information and I'll be sending you an email very shortly.

Germaica - I agree with Sarah, getting 50% your first time with goals is great! Keep up the great work.

Google Docs sounds like a great idea. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even know this was an option, never heard of it.

kyashiis - congrats on the calisthenics! I don't think I could do even 1/2 a chin up, great job! Also thank you for the motivational post, I really enjoyed reading it.

unlimitedana - sounds like we have similiar goals.

silverstar121 - welcome to the group! Those sound like great goals and exactly what mine were during this past 12 week goal round. Enjoy your vacation! Sounds like you'll be coming back from vacay the same day I leave for mine!

Sorry if I missed anyone and sorry for the long post but had a lot to say

Raven I AM SUCH A HUGE CORRIE FAN!!!!!!! So Jealous!.... moving on....

Great job on the goals, I think that figuring out what we can achieve and then making it easier because it's across 12 weeks can make all of the difference. Even better that you managed to keep your goal after you lost your work out buddy motivation. 

On your new goals, check for the maintenance. 

For your new goal it looks like a 2 in one calorie range + macro nutrients. Aside from it seeming like 2 goals (and I will ask you to choose one) if you do go for the macronutrients you will need to put a measurement on that. Are you simply tracking it, daily? Weekly? Or are you trying to get a specific ratio, and if so what is it.

My recommendation would be to go for the calorie range, leave the macronutrients off the official goal, but use this 12 weeks to take a peak at what your daily average, weekly average and 12 week average is which will give you the information you need to make a judgement on how and by how much you want to try to challenge yourself to bring them in line with a specific ratio next 12 weeks.

Cheers,

Sara.

Hi Sara,

See, I knew there were more Corrie fans out there. There's also a group of closet Corrie fans (mostly men) who watch on the sly or ask their wives or partners what is going on with the show as they don't want to appear uncool . lol.

I had a feeling you would catch me trying to sneak 2 goals into one lol. I have been thinking you're correct I should focus on the calorie intake and take the next 12 weeks to see how I do regarding the macronutrients but don't make them a specific goal. Julie has generously agreed to help me with figuring out my macronutrients and a few other things (Thanks Julie!) so I will have an idea of where they should be but won't have to worry about getting it spot on in this round. I'm going to try and post my pic of me, Michael Le Vell (aka Kevin Webster) and my motherinlaw when I get a chance to upload to the computer. The group the organizing the event is called downeaststreeters.ca and they've got some pretty neat stuff on their site.

Thanks,

Raven

Hi, all,

Really quick, b/c I'm sneaking this in at work:

Sara:  Congrats!  I remember that you've been becoming frustrated w/your current role--baby steps (i.e., a 15 month contract) is better than no steps at all in improving your situation!!

RE: Goals.  I think I can honestly say I'm at 50% this time around.  I've been able to easily keep to a healthy eating regimen, but the exercise has been difficult w/the icky weather and exhaustion that I've been experiencing.  The fact that I've only gained 10 pounds so far (19 weeks today!!) is a testament to my healthy eating, I think...

Will try to catch up more later in the week (is it really already Thursday??!?!?)!

TWO DAY REMINDER'S

It's that time again, here are our members who have not yet checked in, please watch for them to post today or tomorrow. If they have not posted by Saturday or are on the MIA list on Sunday please send them a polite and positive reminder to stay on track with their goals and involved in the group.

Don't forget to tell them it's a goal check in week and next week we will be setting goals.

Also don't forget to ask them to recommend you as a motivational guru. 

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix

Maureenz

Pelkeyjm

Constanza

OK.. Confession time.

I am in the grocery store yesterday after work and I was hungry, stressed, out of time. So I am grabbing what we need and I picked up mini-scones. Well, on the 15 drive home I proceed to skarf 4 down. But it just got me thinking about conversations that I have had in the past few days with friends and acquaintances.

Let me go to the conversations then come back to my questions for you all.

One friend I had lunch with the other day said that they needed to take their son to a nutritionist because he was so heavy. Both parents are normal and they eat veggies, fruit, drink water but she said that her son is ALWAYS hungry. She has him drink water before feeding him but his hunger remains. He is active etc.

Then I have my daughter who is skinny (she is Chinese, adopted) but she eats normal quantities but really shies away from fattening food - like fresh tomatoes for her are like candy. Go figure. But she just is not very hungry ever.

I am struggling to understand hunger - I think my hunger was more about stress, emotional eating, with a bit of physical hunger. I wonder about my friend's son - what is his hunger about? Is it physical?  Then there is my daughter who gags at milk when I try to get more calories into her.

How can we better shape our relationship with hunger? I get severe headaches and become the biggest bitch EVER when I am hungry. My husband knows this and ensures that there are mini nutrition bars around, etc.

Thoughts???