Wagon Jumpers - March 8 - 14th, 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 44 Riders - 11 Months!:
Supersized (myself)
Week 40 Riders - Congratulations on 10 Months!:
Week 35 Riders:
Week 34 Riders:
Week 30 Riders:
Week 29 Riders:
Week 24 Riders - Congratulations on 6 Months!:
Week 20 Riders - Congratulations on 5 Months!:
Week 18 Riders:
Maureenz - Holiday to March 23rd, 2009
Week 16 Riders - Congratulations on 4 Months!:
Week 15 Riders:
Week 14 Riders:
Week 12 Riders - Congratulations on 3 Months:
Week 11 Riders:
Missing In Action:
Missing In Action - 1 Week:
Missing In Action - 2 Weeks:
Current Membership: 21
Current Waiting List: 5
Outstanding Wait List Invites: 0
12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS
(as set w/o January 11th, 2009)
By April 4th, I will be...
Letsgetitstarted - consuming an average of 1,500 cal/day and 3 times a week for a minimum 30 minutes.
Jessicaanne2001 - exercising 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes, and logging my food daily.
Supersized - 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 - 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 - eating between 1,500 - 1,600 cal/day and exercising three time a week.
Cawilder - 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 - maintaining 300 - 500 calorie deficit daily and, exercising 3x per week.
Raven21 - drinking a minimum of 4 bottles (2L) of water daily and, exercising a minimum of 3X per week.
Nannygabber - 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 - exercising 3 times a week and logging my food for at least 4 days per week.
Pelkeyjm - 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 - eating 1,500 - 2,000 calories and exercising 5x a week.
Kyashiis - 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 - Logging all daily calories at least 6 times a week and, exercising minimum 40 minutes 3x per week.
Msmeg1984 - Following the 40-30-30 diet guidelines in NROLFW and working out 3 a week NROLFW plan.
Constanza - using the CC food log every day and, exercising an average of 4 times per week across the 12 weeks.
Defrog3 - 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.
Bigbitty - logging my calories daily and continue to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.
Previous Threads:
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
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
As always all members are encouraged to tag this thread so that it is easy to find.
Hi Everyone,
Sorry I have been MIA for a couple of days, I think this may persist for a couple of more weeks. However it is a good sign. As everyone knows I fell off the wagon over the holidays. That fall was total and complete, not just in my 'health gain' life it was in all areas of my life. So, I have managed to drag myself in the last (almost) 9 weeks back on the calorie reduction path, and I'm slowly getting my ducks in line in the other areas of my life, my house is cleaner, I've updated my accounting, and I'm doing well on my career search.
I have recognized that when my health goals go off, I let so many other things in my life slide. And, as much as I think that eating right and exercising is going to take time that I don't have when I take the time to do these things I have so much more energy and do get more things done.
The Vitamin Dominatrix Thanks for the recipes, I'm a big strawberry, banana fan.
Julie Thanks as always for your thoughtful analysis of your experience in the last six months. I know this group gives me so much support and teaches me so much I always hope others are getting as much from it, and it's great to see when people are feeling positive impacts. I'm off to get the complexes. And, good job getting your get up and go going and seeing the fat & weight loss. You must be over the moon!
Raven Great job on the running!
Germaica Great job on the mini-stepper. I think this group has been great for me to realize what my own 'coping' or 'avoidance' mechanisms have been and then confront them, and yes fail sometimes, but succeed much more and much more consistently than I have in the past.
Laura Thanks for the recipe!
MsMeg Sorry about the cereal, been there done that!
Carol Ugh, flu! But you are past the breakdown now, you've recognized it, you didn't go much over 2,500 cal so one foot in front of the other, small steps and get back to it in a positive way.
Jessica Great job on taking the lunches, and I do find the cooking easier with my partner on a swing shift, my challenge is not going out too much with the girls during the week.
Kyashiis Sounds like you are getting back to the running, even with the weather considerations. I'll have to try the eggplant dish, I love the small purple asian eggplants.
Ana Yay! I was so happy when I first made it into the non-plus sized shops. Have you tried changing up your exercises? Or looking at your macro nutrient ratios in addition to your calories? Julie is probably a great person to bend her ear on the subject of plateau's.
Sara.
TWO DAY REMINDERS
Missing In Action - 1 week
Sara - I can totally relate to letting other things in your life slide. This has been a pretty stressful week for me and haven't been to the gym as often as I'd like (everyday) but I have made it twice now and plan on heading there today and tomorrow. I am finding that I am having issues with losing weight and am very interested in learning more about the "complexes" that you and Julie have both mentioned. Is there something I can read online or is it a book I would need to purchase, either way I'm in to learning more.
Not sure if I'll have a recipe for this week's post or not, I can't think of anything all the "springish", but I'll keep looking, I have a couple more days 
Thanks for the congrats on the running, I was pretty impressed myself, but I'm a long way from my goal of running a 1/2 marathon. I am thinking that maybe an ambitious goal for this year as the run is on July 26th and most of the training programs to get you ready to this type of run are built on C25K, advance to 8K, then 10K, then 1/2 marathon, and they are all 10ish week programs so really not enough time since I still have 3 weeks left in the 5K program. There is however a 10K in the summer as well and I am aiming to run that race instead and then prepare over the fall, winter and spring for next years 1/2 marathon (husband helped me put this all in perspective last night he's very helpful that way).
Well I must go eat lunch, happy Thursday everyone!
Raven
Lee-Anne
Hi all!
Check In.. it's been a good week overall. Caught my first post-transplant cold, adds a whole new spin to things. Except for chicken soup and sugar free lemonade hasn't been much going in me...so the scales are happy! Feeling more like my old self all the time. Snowing here in Upstate NY today, but spring is definately in the air...can't wait!
Now as for a recipe...I have one....I put it in CC's recipe tool...now I've got to figure out how to post it!
Grrrrrrr!
5 Months already!! I would like to say WOW, but I won't because I have not been true to myself. Yes, I have had a significant amount of turmoil in my life over the last year, but I have also had a lot of time to sabotage myself out of pity. The days are long and yes I am tired, but I still manage to squeeze in a couple of hours a week watching TV Reality shows (American Idol, Biggest Loser, Ghost Whisperer). The weight has been maintained, thank goodness, but what I really need is for it to come off. I know CC works, because I lost 14 pounds in three months, when I first joined back in Jan 2007. What I need is a consistent routine, which I do not currently have. I love to cook, and we do eat healthy...being a lifetime weight watcher since 1984, and taking international cooking classes has taught me some things. Heck, I even accomplished an aerobics certification back in 92. I have the proof, and have to admit that when I was committed, I was the most confident happy person alive! I NEVER felt better. I just don't know how to get myself out of this rut. I really need to sit down and figure that out. Believe me, I feel the need, every day, but for some reason there is something "someone-me", holding me back. I will break this craziness, I can feel it in my bones.
Weekly Check-in: Well, I have been watching what I eat, but just not logging it. Been taking those brisk walks as recommended by Julie couple of threads ago, but not enough to meet my exercise goal.
This week's topic: I will get back to you on this one, because my recipes on CC are currently for fall and winter, so I will need to enter one for spring.
Have a great day!
Lee-Anne
Yesterday I was thinking about how I could really motivate myself to get the last of this weight off. I decided to break my weight loss into mini, reachable goals and i provided myself with a reward for each goal that is met.
Each of these rewards are things that i've been dying to have, but have been saving up the money instead. So now I have some great motivation. I did really well yesterday and this morning when I woke up I was down 1.6lbs! Now that's some great motivation!
April - lose 4 lbs -Get a tan!
May - lose 3lbs - Mani or Pedicure
June (busy season at work) - lose 2lbs - New outfit
July - Lose 3 lbs - new shoes
August - lose 3 lbs - New purse
Sept - Lose 3 lbs - new piece of jewelry
I've been looking and researching new cars... so I may try to reward myself with that new car once I reach my goal weight!
msmeg1984 I like your way of thinking!!! Go girl Go!!
Oh I bought a new car the end of February and I love it -- a Toyota Yaris!
Weekly check-in: The last week was easy to eat healthy, by this time it's become easier to eat well, exercise, and lose weight than to sit around, buy fast food, dine out too often, and gain weight. I've lost about 13 lbs since I got serious the end of December. The first 3 lbs was water weight and came of in 2 days :) and I thought I was off to such a good start...
Anyway I'm thankful for this thread and I feel like for the time being I'm firmly on the wagon. Hopefully when the time comes when I fall off (and I know it will come) the Wagon Jumpers will help me back on before too much serious damage has been done...
Just getting back to you all with regards to this week's topic.
I love spring and summer and love to grill on BBQ with side course complete with vegetables or salads. So on that note:
The following is from the American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond. "Classic Green Salad"
http://caloriecount.about.com/classic-green-s alad-recipe-r197436
The next is a dish we tasted at a friend's place one summer, and I have been using it during the summer months ever since..."Grilled Vegetables"
http://caloriecount.about.com/grilled-vegetab les-recipe-r197447
I have others, and will add to CC for next time.
Have a super week everyone!
Hey! I almost missed posting this week, but here I am. I've been logging things religiously, and I've taken some strides in getting close to actually exercising haha.
We've been having more sun and a couple days where it was warm enough to unzip your coat mixed into the cold weather, so I'm feeling more energized. My goal right now, though, is to find a good substitute for lunges in a routine I found that seems doable - aside from the lunges which seem both awful and sort of silly/awkward to do. Also, I'm making a list of places to walk that don't require being on campus.
As far as spring recipes go, one of my favorite year-round recipes is Greek Chicken. It's great for Spring because you can get outside and cook it on the grill. Otherwise, broil it inside. Pair it with fresh vegetables.
Weekly check in: I did great last week, I even exercised 4 times! Logging was not so good. I'm lagging in that area. Since I'm not currently reducing my calories I sometimes loose motivation to logg. But it has taught me a lot about calorie content and nutritional values of the foods I'm eating. I seem to eat more starches and fats and not enough protein. So I have been working on increasing my protein intake. Seems to be working. I have more energy lately. I have even taken on early spring cleaning.
Weekly topic: Spring for me means salads! I don't have a recipe per say but I will recommend nut oils. I have hazelnut oil and avocado oil. These along with fun vinigars like apple cider, white/red wine and rice vinigar are great options for salad dressings. I now find that bottled dressings mostly taste the same. I find that hazelnut oil with white wine with taragon vinigar tastes much better and I don't have to use as much so less cals. A few drops of each on some romain and spinach leaves are enough and full of flavor.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Sorry for the overview rather than personal responses, crazy week.
Anyways, Lee-Anne one thing I've learned in the past year is that the tricks to consistency and management are really applicable to every area of my life not just weight loss. I've become an avid goal setter, even if that goal is to get the dishes done tonight. I tend to focus on one are of my life to the detriment of all others. I was a spectacular daughter for awhile giving everything to my mother while she was sick, I've been a workaholic most of my life, and I can get completely absorbed volunteering. I've learned to set little mini-goals, dishes, recored my expenses, finish a chapter of a book, do my schoolwork, do my work work... little tiny daily things so that I try to touch all the important areas of my life daily, including my diet and exercise...
It has really helped to give me a sense of control in my life and even out the up and down chaos that I create for myself.
MsMEg's mini goals / rewards are also a great idea.
Cheers,
Sara.
Quick follow-up - Found some alternatives to lunges in case anyone else hates them, too! The step-up is probably the way I'll go.
Also, while I was doing research on places to walk, I came across Map My Walk which allows you to map out your major walking routes and track how many calories they'll burn. Also, you can log other fitness activities there, but CC has the feature, too.
My plan is to use it figure out more accurately the calories burned in walks and then log it here on CC to keep track of my deficits better. Also, I'm kind of a nerd about walking and really like to do it if there's something interesting to see. So, this would be a good way to collect my favorite walks.
Sara, I hear you loud and clear! I can honestly say that since our move to the new house, that is exactly what I have been doing. A whole lot of mini goals, not just food/exercise related, and I actually feel great about them. They include things such as, fixing up our son's rooms with fresh new linen and drapes. Posting items on Kijii for sale, every little dollar helps these days, baking and decorating a cake, because I had not done that in such a long time. Doing little things that really mean a lot to all of us! I know it sounds like I have been painting this long black cloud throughout my threads, but honestly, it has been a challenging year! On the positive side, the mini goals is what keeps me going, and what is important, I have come to realize that my weight is not the only thing I should focus on to feel good, like it used to be when I was younger. That is what the difference is. Other important values to focus on are surfacing. Don't get me wrong though, I still very much want to tone up, and remain healthy, because I certainly do not want to have to go through the health issues my parents are experiencing.
Thanks so much for your continued support! Have a sunshine day!
Figure out what type of eater you are and you might just find the answer to permanent weight loss.
Take the Diet Profile Test and learn to avoid the pitfalls and self-sabotage that often come with your personal profile.
