Wagon Jumpers - May 24 - 30th, 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 2 people on the waiting list.)

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 finding its optimum level is between 20 and 25 participants. 

A medium sized group means that we have an active thread that produces between 30 - 45 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. 

Google Group

We have recently added a google group as an option for members, past members, and members on the waiting list. If you would like access to the google group (and are in one of the above categories) send a message to beaglesmuggler (at) roger.com with your username and e-mail address and I will add you to the google group.

Wagon Jumpers Participants

Year 1 - Week 3 Riders:

Supersized  (myself)

Week 51 Riders:

Msmeg1984

Defrog3

Week 47 Riders:

Wenchie58 - extended sick leave

Week 45 Riders:

Raven21 

Week 44 Riders - Congratulations on 11 Months!:

Tiegurl

Week 41 Riders:

Kyashiis

Week 38 Riders:

Unlimitedana

Week 35 Riders:

Nannygabber

Week 31 Riders:

Lam7

Week 27 Riders:

Cawilder

Week 26 Riders:

Figurethefat

Week 25 Riders:

Carryonandon

Week 24 Riders - Congratulations on 6 Months!:

Constanza

Week 23 Riders:

Germaica

Week 22 Riders:

Pelkeyjm

Week 21 Riders:

Jessicaanne2001

Week 2 Riders:

Dovelette

Missing In Action:

Thesilverstar121

Missing In Action - 1 Week:

Missing In Action - 2 Weeks:

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix

Current Membership: 20

Current Waiting List: 2

Outstanding Wait List Invites: 1

jnielsen006

12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS

(as set w/o April 5th, 2009)

By June 27th, I will be...

Msmeg1984 - Maintenance: I will continue to eat less than 1800 cals/day on average New: Exercise at least 3x a week at least 9 of the 12 weeks.

Defrog3 - To continue eating healthfully for me and my little fetus, which means I need to stick to 2,000 balanced calories/day. My NEW goal is to start exercising regularly, meaning moving my butt in some fashion for 30 minutes, 3 days a week.

Cawilder - NEW: Attain a 30 / 30 / 40 food combo 80% of the time. MAINTENANCE: Running @ least 5 hours / week and 2X weight lifting. 

Unlimitedana - Maintenance goal: Eat 1550-1650 cals a day. New Goal Achieve the 40-40-20 at least two days per week.

Raven21 - 1. Exercise at least 3 x a week (maintenance) 2. Average daily calorie intake of 1450-1650 (new)

Figurethefat - For maintenance:  I will continue to complete a minimum of 1,500 exercise minutes per month.  New goal:  I will drink at least 1.5 litres of water per day.

Supersized - MAINTENANCE: Continue to eat at or below 2,000 cal/day average for at least 6 of 12 weeks, and never over 2,500 cal/day average. NEW: start going to the gym (again), and achieve at least 4 weeks where I attend the gym 3x/week. 

Lam7 - NEW GOAL:  Participate in our Navan Walking Club 10 Week Program (Tuesdays) starting April 21-June 26; as well as attend 6 "Spring into Spring" Interval Classes which will run on Thursday evenings starting April 9th, 2009. 

Constanza - (new) Eat an average of 1700 calories/day. (maintenance) Exercise at least twice weekly (calculated by average)

Thesilverstar121 - Excercising at least 3x a week.

Kyashiis - Maintenance goal:Exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes a day 5 days a week. New goal: I will zig-zag on my food intake consistently throughout the week and end up with an average daily calorie count of 1,200 cals. 

Nannygabber - Maintenance goal of doing NROLFW 3x per week with an allowance of two weeks slack for this 12-week session.

Pelkeyjm - Maintenance: Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes at least 3x per week. New Goal: Log ALL food on calorie count.

The_Vitamin_Dominatrix - Maintenance goal - I will continue to eat 1400-1500 calories daily with a ratio of 15% fat, 25% protein, 60% carbohydrates. New goal - Gym or no gym, I will workout 3 to 4 times a week.

Previous Threads:

Wagon Jumpers - May 17 - 23rd, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - May 10 - 16th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - May 3 - 9th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - April 26 - May 2nd, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - April 19 - 25th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - April 12 - 18th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - April 5 - April 11th, 2009

Wagon Jumpers - March 29 - April 4th, 2009

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

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

Hi Carol,

For equipment, so far I would say all you need is handweights or exercise bands, a mat if you don't have carpet or prefer to workout on a mat and some of the workouts call for a chinup bar, but I have heard you can use the exercise bands as an alternative if you're not quite strong enough for the chinups. As for area, in the video I did last night there was this one exercise that had you sort of rolling from front to side to back to side over and over again, need a bit of space for that, a decent size livingroom should be space enough. I will keep everyone updated as to my progress and I'm going to get my hubby to take before pics for me tonight so I can see the progress even if the scale doesn't drop like I hope it will.

Oh and you'll want water and a towel for sure :)

Thanks,

Carrie

Denise I saw my cousin last week, no mistaking she's pregnant now. She feels the same, must mean a healthy baby!

Carrie Sometimes the site is just screwy... great recipe!

Lee Anne I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on the exam, I'm sure you did well. 

Checking In

Skipped the gym today, but eating is under control, I am starting rowing this week!!!! So as long as I make it to the gym tomorrow or Friday I'm good. 

Also trying to see exactly how much stress I can handle at once, I finally saw the coop I've been drooling over for the last year. They have a 2 bedroom on the top floor, with a georgeous open Kitchen, skylight in the bedroom, beautiful deck and backyard! I want it!

Mid Week Reminders

Hello everyone, here is our list of members who have yet to check in this week, please watch for them to post tomorrow or Friday, if we have not heard from them by Saturday or they are on the MIA list on Sunday please send them a polite and positive reminder.

Unlimitedana

Nannygabber

Pelkeyjm

Jessicaanne2001

Missing In Action:

Thesilverstar121

Hi everyone,

I'm so excited to be apart of this group and I know it will be an excellent motivator for me.  I am a 20 year old college student that pulls straight A's, is a nanny for two families, and volunteers for a cat shelter so it's hard for me to find the time and effort to stick with losing weight.  I have struggled with my weight since I was in preschool.  Last year I had back surgery and realized that I needed to tackle my weight once and for all or I would be doomed to more medical problems in the future.  Since November I went from 270lbs to 215 and I did it the healthy way.  After years of Jenny Craige, Weight Watchers, three summers of "fat camps" and various other fad diets I never thought I could make it this far and I need to keep going.

Recently I have been slacking a bit on actually counting my calories (I have just been keeping score in my mind which has proven to be not as accurate as I thought it was) so this past week I have been trying to log everything I eat.  I also have been working really hard to get enough water every day as I nearly fainted twice from dehydration while excercising.

I look forward to getting to know all of you and to continuing my weight loss journey.

-Jacqueline

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I truly appreciate it.

welcome Jacqueline.  I recognise you from a few other threads, like Jump into July, and the previous Spring challenge.  Hope you enjoy this group and it gives you the extra motivation you need to stay on the wagon.

~Laura

Thanks figurethefat, I recognized your name too and was excited to see a familiar face as I can be a bit shy at first. 

WOW - where has the week gone?!? I am still prepping responses to all the posts from LAST week! Whew. Is this the first time ever that I have missed checkin??

Its been busy work-wise, I suppose, .... and, I am getting pretty involved with my kids and their activities. They have been going to the gym with me! Exciting for me, YAY!

I am also excited about my monthly measure - down another 7.25 inches overall. I have checked the scale a couple times since the move, and it had actually gone up a bit. I have to assume this is due to having to eat out for a few days. I am not disappointed, because I have been able to recover. Especially since the measurements came in so stellarly! Two months in a row, I am down by the same amount! I definitely feel it in my clothes.

Recipes... hmmmm. Guess I'll go enter one. Be right back.

Happy Healthgain,
~Julie

EDIT: Adding recipe link http://caloriecount.about.com/lemon-asparagus -chicken-recipe-r225226

Wow.  Everybody.  Thanks for the great recipes.  It will keep me busy trying them out. 

Welcome Jacqueline.  I hope you enjoy our group.  Sara is tough on us though... that means we get better results.  ~ .  ~

Hey again Everyone,

Off topic, but very intriguing.... http://caloriecount.about.com/hidden-meaning- fat-thin-b306101#last

 ~Julie

Hi,

Here's a recipe that I made last night.  YUM!!

http://caloriecount.about.com/dr-gourmet-mang o-chicken-salad-recipe-r225680

I didn't have orange juice, so I squeezed the juice out of a lime as a substitute.  I think I liked that better, as it seemed to brighten the flavors a bit, without the sweetness (sugar!!) of OJ. 

Does anyone have a suggestion on using sour cream or yogurt vs. reduced fat mayo?  I think that would make it even healthier, right??

Welcome, Jacquie!  You've got a lot going on -- good for you, to be taking care of your health now!  I find that participating in this group has really helped me to stay focused.

Carrie, PEI, oh, how I want to go there!  My husband and I drove up to Moncton, NB (from NJ) a few years ago--I just wanted to keep on going to explore more!!  Ask your local deli counter for the pancetta--if they don't have it, use thick-sliced bacon.

Sara, that's what I keep telling myself.  Baby is going to take whatever he/she needs from me to make sure its healthy--I'm just the host for this parasite, for now...  :)  Big question for you is, are you going to get the coop?? 

Lee-Anne, congrats on selling the house! 

Julie, your monthly measure inspired me to measure my waist (something I haven't done since I learned I was preggers).  My lower abs are 46 inches around--kinda' depressing, but since I was still at 40 when I conceived, I don't think that's so bad.  The nature of the belly has changed, that's the key thing! :D

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Hi all,

Since June is almost here, i'm going to be pretty busy prepping for the festival, however, i will still drop in at least once a week!   PROMISE!

I've been taking Harley for walks - we did 3.5 miles today and just got home. She plopped down on the floor and passed out! LOL.

Getting ready to go buy some flowers to put in the flower bed in the front of the house, so I should be pretty active this afternoon. 

My eating hasn't been the best, but i'm holiding steady at 156.  I really want to get back into lifting, but life has been so hectic, i just don't think i could really put the effort required into it.

I'm working on getting my calories back under maintenance... i've pretty much been eating at maintenance level for a few weeks. Today is good so far, hope to keep it up through the week. Maybe get rid of a few lbs before the 4th of july :)

Ok, off to go accomplish things. Have a wonderful weekend and i'll try to check in on the new thread tomorrow before life gets hectic again.

Hi Everyone,

So it's official I am moving!!! It's been an emotional day. My partner and I have been in this place for 6 years, and we're moving to a smaller interior space, but it has the benefit of a larger (MUCH NICER) kitchen, a bigger bedroom with skylight and a HUGE backyard.... nicer area, hardwood floor (so much help with allergies).... anyways we're having the manditory fight on the what has to go.

Welcome Jacqueline!! I think we've all been there with seeing the slacking catch up with us. Where abouts do you live, we have a relatively international group here, I think we lost Europe and Austraila but we have Asia, North America and Africa, - still seeking South America and the artica and antartic regions:)

Julie Great to hear you are going to the gym with your kids, it's not that my parents had unhealty lifestyles, exercise was something that was simply not emphasized in my household. There are so many times now that I wish I was more active as a kid, I have to learn so many things as I go and I'm just beginning to be comfortable and trust what my body can do.

Denise I think yogurt is considered healthier, but sour cream and yogurt taste much different you may want to try the recipe each way and see which way you prefer, it you can do it with the yogurt then that is likely the lower call, less fat choice.

MsMeg Don't work too hard now.

Hi again all!

I'm late with the follow-up this week - it's been a crazy one!  I've got 8 days until I take the LSAT, and I literally have been doing nothing but studing logic games, logical reasoning, logic games, logical reasoning....  Today was a bit slower of a day - we had a practice test this morning.  As part of my break, I was reading magazines and found a ton of fab recipes that fit our theme, so I thought I'd input and share!  Here's a yummy looking one: Spinach Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Feta.  It comes in at over 200 cals/serving, but I put it in as it appeared in 'Gourmet' (which is a website everybody should bookmark!)  I'm pretty sure if you tweak/substitute the high-cal ingredients, which are pine nuts, feta and olive oil, the total would be much lower.  Mmmm... grilled veggies...

Welcome Jacqueline!  Glad to have you in the group!

Sara, good luck with your move!  It's moving season, apparently.  It's great that you managed to get into a place you've been looking at for so long!  And way to go getting to the gym even though things are changing up. 

Julie, fab job getting the kids to the gym.  It makes sense that you've been busy - you've got tons going on these days!  Also, what a provocative link..

Lee-Anne, congrats on the sale - especially in this economy!  That's better than most.  And good luck with the exam.

Defrog - I've become a fan of Neutrogena's spray on sunblocks - they've got some kind of weird polymer action, so they don't wear off as easily, go on no problem (they should pay me for the publicity), and come with spf as high as 70.  That one's not always on the shelf at the drug store, but even the lower numbers are really good!  

Carrie - too funny!  I'm convinced that most people who don't like certain things have just never really had *good* versions :)  The grilled part of this recipe makes it reeaaally yummy, I think.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!  Congrats on moving supersized, my boyfriend and I are currently searching for homes in our area but havn't found any that we love yet although there is no rush for us.  To answer your question, were living in Rochester New York for now but I'm not too fond of the weather here and would prefer moving some place a bit nicer.

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED, PLEASE POST ON OUR NEW WEEKLY THREAD:

Wagon Jumpers - May 31 - June 6th, 2009