Wagon Jumpers - March 22 - 28th, 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 46 Riders:
Supersized (myself)
Week 42 Riders:
Week 37 Riders:
Week 36 Riders - Congratulations on 9 Months!:
Raven21 - Vacation April 17-28th, 2009
Week 32 Riders - Congratulations on 8 Months!:
Week 31 Riders:
Week 26 Riders:
Week 22 Riders:
Week 20 Riders - Congratulations on 5 Months!:
Week 18 Riders:
Week 17 Riders:
Week 16 Riders - Congratulations on 4 Months!:
Week 15 Riders:
Week 14 Riders:
Week 13 Riders:
Week 1 Riders:
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 - 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.
Previous Threads:
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
Wagon Jumpers - November 2 - 8th, 2008
As always all members are encouraged to tag this thread so that it is easy to find.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: MOTIVATION
I'm sure we all have some long term motivation, a way we would like our bodies to look, a number on a scale, a dress size, new and improved physical ability and prowess, a special occasion... The end goals are great, but, they seldom keep us focused in the day to day grind.
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?
MOTIVATION GURU?
I think one of the best features of this group is the group reminders when we fall off the wagon to pick ourselves up again and stay the course. It is also one of the more time consuming elements, checking the thread regularly to see who hasn't posted at the end of the week and sending encouraging messages.
I've been thinking for some time on how I can reward members who actively participate in this part of wagon jumpers. Through a few of my PR contacts I've been given some access to some SWAG, books, DVD's and gift certificates (which I will need to check are valid in the US)...
Going forward whenever a member reaches the MIA list and returns I will ask them to nominate someone (other than myself) who sent them motivational messages to get back on track. I'm going to synch this up with the 12 week challenges, and at the end of 12 weeks whoever has the most motivational recommendations will get a small prize.
Cheers,
Sara.
Sara, I think thats a great idea about the motivational messages! What a great way to get us working together even more as a support group!
I just started on March 10 with a list of mini goals. At first look they seem super easy (especially after getting the 1st one in 10 days) but i know how much my body slows down once it creeps closer and closer to the 150 mark. So I think its reasonable to try to lose 2-3 lbs a month. I wish it could be faster, but my body doesn't usually work that way.
There have been a few things I've really wanted to buy, but I've held myself back because I'm trying to save some money. So I made those things my rewards for reaching my goals!
I lost track quickly, so I can't make my mini goals too far apart. Otherwise I will end up self-destructing. I think I will probably carry on once I reach my goal weight and give my self rewards for x amount of time passing where i either reach fitness goals or keep my weight maintained.
One other thing that helps keep me focused, is thinking that whenever I finally get engaged, it would be great to not have to spend the year trying to get in shape and plan the wedding... I think that would be too much stress. So if I can take care of my body now, its less to deal with in the future (i hope!)
Weekly Check-In
I'm not sure exactly why this past week was not a good one, but it wasn't. I'm going down to my 2,000 cal/day goal this week to give myself a couple of weeks to practice it before I say I passed or failed it. I think as I was approaching the goal I was sabotaging it. The scale is now going up, but that's in line with the eating, so time to re-focus and re-commit, more importantly to remember I do care.
Weekly Topic
I set daily goals, weekly goals and 12-week goals. I also track success. So this week I can say that I only did 26% of my health goals. That's not good. It is a bit OCD and I'm okay with that right now. The goal tracking in the last year has become a consistent part of my lifeand it helps me to see when I am on track and sliding. It also helps me to qualify results. The scales went up big time this week but then I look at what I have or haven't achieved of my goals and it makes sense. Having a moment at the beginning of each day when I look back at what I accomplished yesterday makes me think carefully about what I want to accomplish today.
weekly check-in
I've been doing great, because I've sticked to my goals in more than a 80%. I had a cheat day though, but only because I needed the extra cals since I was doing a very very long city tour based only in walking.
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 motivate myself taking measurements each week and using the scale once a week in the exact same conditions. I write everything in a piece of paper. After almost a year, I can see that I've had ups and downs but that I've come a long way. After I weigh myself each week, I paint my nails a small reward for a week's effort.
8 Months Check-in:
Wow! This is the longest I've ever stuck with a weight loss program! I've been taking my time going between active weight loss and maintainance, and so far I'm down 21 lbs! It's incredible! The motivation and accountability from this thread has proved absolutely invaluable! I've managed to develop so many good habits and abandon so many harmful ones. Here's to even more and to losing those last 46 lbs!
Weekly Check-in:
Last week I think I did pretty well. I worked myself out hard twice and kept a close eye on my diet. If I keep moving in this positive direction I may even have to get my wedding dress taken in! That would be the best unplanned wedding expense ever!
Weekly Topic:
To be honest, I'm not very good at motivating myself day to day. I have a tendency to let the week roll by and then look back and say, "Damn. I was supposed to work out 3x this week." I usually allow myself one cheat meal each week, but I think I'll set a condition to it; unless I work out at least 3x and record my calories 6 out of 7 days, I don't get my cheat meal.
Hi everyone! I am so excited to be apart of this group. I've read through some of the past posts and you all seem like such great people. This is exactly what I need to reach my goals. So I thought I would start out with telling you all about myself. I'm 21 years old with a wonederful daughter and husband. Before I got pregnant in May of 2007 I managed to lose 25 lbs but put all that weight plus more with the pregnancy and I continued gaining after I had my daughter. Since September of last year I have lost about 24 lbs, which is very exciting but I still have a long way to go. About 36 lbs more.
This Weeks Topic
Staying motivated has always been my problem. I don't think I could count on my fingers and toes how many times I have been down this weight loss road and quit, but I am trying to stay determined this time. I've been trying for a while now to figure out some kind of system I could use to keep myself on track and haven't found anything that works so I would love to hear what you all have to say.
Thanks for letting me join!
Hi thesilverstar121!
Welcome to the group :)
MsMeg LOL are you expecting to make an announcement? I think it's a good plan to give yourself the reward based on results as well as time frame consistency. For me, I know that I need to keep that carrot there otherwise I get bored of no results, wonder off, eat the carrot cake and end up with negative results.
Ana I like the self manicure, it's good to include a positive experience as part of the weekly measuring cycle.
The Vitamin Dominatrix 21 lbs that is friggin spectacular! I know that for me I've lost that amount of weight before but it's the keep it off that is new. I can loose the 20 lbs in the few months but then I spend the rest of the year off the wagon and end up +10-15lbs for the year. So do a big giant happy dance for being able to loose it and keep it off. It's almost 1/3 of the way to your goal. Hopefully having this success will spur you on.
For exercise when I'm doing it (need to get back to the gym myself) one thing I found is that if I do it early in the week I'll get it done, but if I miss on Monday and Tuesday there's no chance I'll make it.
Sara.
Welcome to the group silverstar.
Weekly Check in: yeah, I'm keeping up with my 12 week goals also have been logging everyday for months! Everyday I log practically every bite and it does make a difference. It keeps me on track, so that's a motivator right there.
Weekly topic: Hm, besides the logging in, I like to use the pants in my closet. I've got a bit of a range. When I was at an "unacceptable" weight near the end of last year I had to go out and buy a pair of jeans! Before that I'd bought another pair a few months earlier. Then I have the medium sized ones, the smaller, and the smallest (a few of these were altered to that "small" size). So if I don't see progress on the scale I go to the closet and see if I can get into anything yet. Sometimes, no, I can't, then I say, next week, or by the end of the month. Lately I've been seeing a nice difference. Out of the biggest pair, the 2nd biggest pair are loose, the next ones down fit perfect, and I can fit into a few smallers, although they are a bit snug. So that's my motivation: clothes, I can wear more clothes!
This year I'm on a spending moratorium so I'm not buying anything "new." Makes it even more important to get back into the small stuff :)
LOL. I would love to be able to make an announcement... I've been with my boyfriend for 8 years now. We were high school sweethearts and we moved in together around christmas of 07. Now I'm just getting antsy about it because I'm obviously ready and old enough... and he says he knows i'm the one, but doesnt want to right now.
So anyway... thats a long story! But in the event he pops the question, i don't want to get myself stressed out about how i will look in a wedding gown!
NEW MEMBER WELCOME: THESILVERSTAR121
Hey everyone, we have a new member! I'd like to thank TheSilverStar for waiting around for so long for us to send out an invitation. On the good news side it means that our little group is fairly stable and we don't have a lot of turn over.
Take a second to greet our newest member, pass on one or two quick tips that you've learned during your time here.
TheSilverStar121 I'm sure you'll get to know us all in time. Thanks for dropping in and introducing yourself. We have quite a few mum's and one mum to be on here that can give some tips on the post-child weight battle.
One of the commonalities between wagon jumpers is the on and off again of staring and not finishing. We've all been there done that. I think the best three tips that I have discovered to beat the wagon jumping are:
1. Ditch the 'all or nothing' mentality. Many wagon jumpers are great planners we are going to eat like we are gourmet dieticians, exercise like pro athletes, and consume all our water on clockwork... we typically manage to do this for a few weeks or months and then it all becomes too much for day to day life and we figure if we can't do it all then none of it is worth it. Allowing myself to accomplish part of my goals or focus on one area without having to get all perfect has really freed me to accomplish my goals.
2. Focus on what you are doing. We all have goals that read something like "I want to loose ____ lbs, or I want to be a size ____." In reality we can't actually control these things directly. What we can control are the actions we take to get there. Instead of focusing on loosing X lbs. I challenge people here to focus on what they did to meet that goal, how often did you log calories, exercise, eat in your calorie range, meet your macronutrient range. This is largely what the 12-week goals you see in the introduction thread are about. Of course this needs to be viewed in the context of tip 1...
3. Keep it simple. Set really simple seemingly absurdly easy goals over a long period of time. Find something that seems very easy to do, that you think you can do every day, every week. Then challenge yourself to do it for a couple of months. Make sure you can measure it, by recording it in a journal or something else (i.e. I will exercise 3 times a week every week). Then see how you are doing at the end of 12 weeks. Wagon jumpers need to learn to build consistency in our lives. It's not the goal that tends to beat us it's doing it across a long time. If we can learn this then we are half way to our goals.
Cheers,
Sara.
Welcome Silverstar!!!! I am one of the mom's in the forum, we are pretty close in age, I'm 23 and have a 4 year old son so if you ever need to vent about mom stuff or anything else feel free...
4 Month Check-In: Thanks Sara for the congrats on 4 months with Wagonjumpers. This thread has been the only thing that I've been consistent with as far as weight loss is concerned. I've been trying to keep up with a routine but I haven't been consistent enough. I have had some pretty good stretches where I've done well with a routine but haven't followed through. I guess that's why I belong in this thread. I've had some minor setbacks like a tonsilectomy, the end of the semester, and recently moving....ugh. Right before we moved I was going to the gym 4 days per week and doing pretty well focusing on cardio since I have some fat to lose...who doesn't right? But then moving set me back and it was easier to grab a quick bite instead of cooking something that would be soooo much better for me. I'm aware of all of this and I think that knowing that I need to change is always a good place to begin the change. So here I go again with a re-commitment to my 12 week goal!! Wish me luck.
Sara- Thanks for the info on the Mac....I'm pumped to get my office area set up in the new place and order my desktop!
This Weeks Topic
The idea for motivating us to motivate eachother is wonderful. I think that motivating eachother to do better will help us to achieve our goals.
Good luck this week everyone! Stick with it!!!!!!!!
Jen :)
Hi all!
Sara, I think you read my mind with this week's topic. In light of my recent wagon-fall/jump, this weekend I spent time reevaluating my plan and coming up with motivations for myself. So this might be a bit long. I'll pass it off as a make-up for the week I missed - lol!
Check-in/Topic
I'm going to try the ditch-the-scale strategy. I usually weigh almost every day which is fine in the sense that it doesn't make or break anything for me; I just like to keep track of where I am. On the other hand, I think I mentally substitute the scale and weighing for being mindful of what I'm actually doing with regard to my goals (if that makes sense). When I'm thinking about my goals, I use the number on the scale as a gauge of where I am, rather than what I've actually done toward them. And generally, so long as the number on the scale is about the same as the last weight, it doesn't make me pay any more attention to my choices. So I've decided to limit my weigh-ins to the first of every month for a while, in an attempt to focus on behaviors.
I also re-did the calorie-target on this website - I'm using the less restrictive recommended deficit they suggest - and made a countdown in my daily planner to the date caloriecount thinks I'll reach my goal using their scheme. This part is a little tricky. On the one hand, I am trying to get out of the "reach weight X by date Y" mentality. On the other hand I lose track of goals quickly too (I hear you, MsMeg!), so I need some kind of daily reminder and nothing motivates me like a good countdown. I'm always disappointed when I look at past results/estimates of weight loss, and think to myself 'gosh, if I'd stuck with it, I'd be much better off now!' So the idea behind the countdown is to mark the number of days of behavior-mindfulness, which should translate into pleasant surprises on the days when I weigh. I'm hoping that because their scheme is less restrictive and of a
longer term than anything I've ever set for myself, I'll be more
successful. This should also have a built-in guard, because I know that every day I don't meet my little goal pushes the end date further away. Still, even if my body doesn't agree with their schedule, any progress at all will be very welcome! This weekend I found out that my weekend khakis - you know the kind - are definitely too big! I'm down a pair of weekend pants now, but like Figure says, it was pretty thrilling. I'm looking forward to the next size down. So fingers crossed for the plan, version 8.0. 
Silverstar - welcome! The group has been really helpful for me - especially when it comes to identifying my own behavior patterns and keeping eyes on the prize! I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.
Jen - hooray for re-commitments to goals! Right there with you.
Happy week everyone!
Hello fellow CC members,
I've been away on holiday for a couple of weeks and just returned yesterday. I've had a super holiday in Hwaii and over indulged as far as eating goes. I ddn't exercise like I normally do on a daily basis but tried to be as active as possible. Suffice to say, I returned with an 8 lbs gain, a few inches back on and my clothing "slightly" snug. However, reading Sara's discussion topic today couldn't have come at a better time for me. MOTIVATION is what spurred me on to lose 20 lbs to go on a holiday and now that I've returned I need to motivate myself again. Our weather right now is cold and pouring and I am trying to not allow it to make me eat (emotional eater) but for me....I needed to remember and feel what it was like when i lost that 20 lbs and get motivated AGAIN..so I am asking for ALL and ANYONE"S feedback to kickstart me once again. I want to lose what I gained and keep going till i reach my final goal of being 140 lbs. At present, i am 161.8.
anyhow, I shall be eager to hear back and participate regularly.
thanks Sara for a great job.
cheers,
Maureen
First - welcome to Silver Star! This is a great group. It really provides a chance to be accountable without feeling totally down on yourself if you do miss your goal for some reason.
Topic - I've got a couple esoteric goals for my weight loss including: dress size, jeans size and just wanting to feel better in general about how I look. I freaked out one day when the fat pants got a little tight.
However, like Sara points out in #3 of her message above, it's important to have measurable goals you feel you can reach. Measuring is the key for me since otherwise, I tend to underestimate my eating and overestimate my exercise.
My smaller goals are by the week and I keep track of how much I'm eating, what's my calorie deficit, and how much I'm exercising. I'm trying to work out 3x a week and am making some progress there, but am still not regular in this part of my goal, though I do meet my calorie deficit regularly.
Do I give myself small incentives? Not really, though I build a Skinny Cow ice cream into my diet pretty regularly. On the calorie side of things, it's satisfying to see on screen that I'm meeting those goals. However, I probably should devise some sort of reward system for the exercise side of thing - aside from extra food to eat to keep the calorie deficit from being too big. Will have to work on that one.
Sara - If you just assigned me a week where it was my responsibility to send motivational messages, or assigned me another member to watch for, then I'd be more likely to remember to send the motivational messages, and you wouldn't have to send me stuff :-)
That said, I like your idea about wanting to reward people for it.
Jen I think what this group has done for me is shorten the stretches that I'm off the wagon, kept me in check a tiny bit more than would normally happen when I am off the wagon and give me that boost to get back on and realize that we all slip, it's about how fast I can get back on and keep going. Seeing each on and off as part of a smoothing out pattern rather than a 'new beginning' each time.
Constanza One of the things that really helped me get past the "X weight by Y day" was measuring my action goals. That is putting a number next to what I was actually doing. If I was supposed to exercise 3 times a week that was 100%, if I did it 2 times that was 67%, one time 33% and no times 0%. This way when I looked at the scale and it wasn't doing what I wanted then I had a way to contextualize it.... the scale went up? Well how did I do on my exercise.... 10% across 1 month... oh, that explains it.
Maureen Welcome back! I hope you had a great time on your vacation over indulgences included. I think I'd tell yourself a few things:
1. You caught the gain early, chances are most of it is water weight if you get started now it will be easier to loose.
2. If the weather is dreary exercise is one of the best antidotes to the blah's.
3. You have done this before, that means you know you can do it again, waiting will only make it more difficult.
Carrie Common incentives that seem to be popular here are mani/pedi, buying some new clothes / music taking a new class...
On the motivational guru thing this is a gentle reminder that all members agreed to two rules when we made this thread:
Rule 1: all members must post once per week between Sunday and Friday.
Rule 2: all members must watch for members who have not posted by Saturday (short list published on Thursday) or are on the MIA list on Sunday and send them a polite and positive message encouraging them to stay on track with their goals and involved in the group.
I think this second feature is really what helps people stay motivated and involved, it's challenging (but also rewarding) keeping the thread up to date each week, tracking member involvement, weekly topic ideas and when to do goal check in's. I know some people are doing the heavy lifting on the reminders, while other do forget... in short it would be a lot of work (especially as people do come in and out of the group) to create a schedule to assign to each person (and what if that person was MIA that week... are there back up's?.... when to activate the back up?). I hope with the 'getting to know you' weeks that we do on occasion that people who pair up on that will make a special effort to keep track of one another and if they don't manage to meet Rule 2 100% of the time that they do watch out for that other individual.
Basically I think it's more motivating to get 10 messages from people if you are off the wagon, than to risk having the person assigned either to the week or as a buddy forget.
Cheers,
Sara.
Weekly Check-in: Hey there, week has been crazy, and it is not slowing down anytime soon..on my way again tomorrow, only returning late Saturday or Sunday. Being on the go, unfortunately, have not been diligent at all with my food logging. Have been eating well though.
Welcome to THESILVERSTAR121, you will enjoy this forum and I wish you only success!!!!
Have a great week folks, and talk to you next week!
Lee-Anne
ps _Welcome back Maureen!! Hope you had a wonderful trip!
Hi Lee-Anne,
Thanks for the welcome back and yes it was a wonderful holiday. Our weather was more rainier than normal but who cares when you can go outside with shorts on and walk around in 85 degree weather.
I'm going through "withdrawal" time this week and then on Monday, it's back to my healthy eating and exercise schedule that I was on before heading for Hawaii.
How are you doing? I hope we shall all reach our goals SOON!.....in this lifetime that is ha!
Sara, thanks for the sound words of wisdom. I know I can't wait too long as it will be more difficult to get the weight off but I remember how good I felt just prior to my holiday and I want that feeling again!
Cheers to all,
Maureen
Hi, all,
Sara, I love the idea of the "Motivation Guru"!
Well, I keep saying it, for me right now motivation is having a healthy little one at the end of August (or thereabouts!). So that's been keeping me eating healthfully. I just wish I could get motivated to do more exercising. I'm just so exhausted all the time, all I'm doing is sleeping!! I thought this was supposed to go away in the 2nd trimester, but for me its just more of the same! :(
I've been weighing myself daily and measuring myself weekly, as I've been doing for many years, at this point. Naturally, my belly is expanding, but other proportions are remaining Steady Eddie, so I'm pretty happy about that. My weight is fluctuating wildly on a daily basis, but on a 30 day moving average, its climbing slowly, which is a good thing. I really only want to gain 15 pounds (due to my BMI being what it is), but I'm already up 9 pounds--the kid and placenta together weigh about 1 pound now, and I suppose there's an extra couple of pounds in my breasts, but where the extra 6 are, I'm not exactly sure (blood volume, amniotic fluid?)... I'm not too stressed over it, though--I read somewhere about the concept of 9 months up, 9 months down, which kinda' makes me feel good. And the fact that my doctor's not worried about it is also comforting!
Hi to thesilverstar121! Welcome to the group! I look forward to getting to know you!
vitamindominatrix, its great to read about your success! I'm much the same--lose the first 20 pounds, but then to get the next 20, well, that doesn't go very quickly & I get unmotivated & start on the gaining cycle again... *sigh*
Hey Everyone! I went back to the gym today. I missed it. I am so much happier when I get in a workout. I'm doing 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week. Then I want to add in some weights after I've established this routine. Baby steps...
Sara- I appreciate helping me look at this thread in a different way. I just get so frustrated with my lack of success that I didn't think of it as a way to help shorten my "inbetween time". When I am off the wagon I feel bad about missing this thread and want to get back into it, so in the long run it does help me to keep focused.
Maureenz- welcome back! and just wanted to let you know how jealous I am of your vacation!
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