Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

Alright, well, I'm Gina. Namaste.

I've always been overweight. Motivation and self-confidence never came naturally to me, but with a little encouragement I was able to lose 30 lbs and ALMOST reach a healthy weight... One of the ways I did that was with yoga. But as soon as the source of encouragement disappeared, all the weight came right back. I want to get back to where I was and go all the way this time.

I joined this group because I thought it was super lame that a group about yoga only had one member! Yoga is wonderful. Yoga always made me feel so great, and it's going to be a big part of my new weight loss effort.

Hi, I'm Caly.

I've been struggling with my weight for at least the past 4 years since I started college. 

I just joined Calorie Count and I am also on Peertrainer.com.  I think these sites help me a lot with motivation.

I joined this group because I love yoga.  I was taking yoga classes and it was amazing to have the strength and flexibility that gained in such a short period of time.  Now I've been doing yoga on my own because I can't afford to take yoga classes (they are far out of town) but I am in pilates.  I really like combining pilates and yoga as well.   Hopefully, when I get a bit more money I can take yoga classes as well. 

About me?  Hmm, I have horses and I ride a lot.  I have a book "Yoga for Equestrians" that I still need to read :).  I have two cats, two dogs, a fish, and a ball python as well.  I am 22 and married to an Army soldier, which makes my life hectic enough.  I have a degree in biology, but don't use it, my job has great pay, is part time so it lets me ride and make stuff, and any bio job would be worse!  Oh, about making stuff, I make things out of leather and wool.  I needle felt, knit, and crochet.  I love making stuff!

 

Hello, I'm Wendy.

I love yoga!  I've been doing it off and on for about ten years now.  There is a show that comes on the Oxygen Network called Inhale with Steve Ross.  I think it is great, and I like it much better than any DVD or class that I've taken. 

I have two kids, and I want to get in shape to prepare for #3.  They both love doing it with me.  It is a hoot watching a 3 year old and a 16 month old try to do down dog!

I am a stay at home mom and have absolutly no time for myself.  I have two shadows at all times.  My daughter is sitting in my lap as I type!  I have a degree in English, but don't use it and probably never will.  What can you do wilth a degree in English anyway!   I love doing crafts, but haven't touched anything in months.  When the kids go to bed, I sit and stuff my face and watch t.v.  All that is about to change.  It is time to do something positive for myself.

Does anyone get sore wrists after yoga?  Is there something I can change in my technique?  Any ideas?

I started CC in July and have lost approx. 5lbs. I joined this group because I have practiced yoga for the past 5 years.

Wend75, my wrist hurt too. I found if I try to put less pressure on my wrists and more in my legs it helps. I think practicing evenly distributing my weight would help too.

Hi, I'm Jenn!

I've been doing yoga off and on the past couple of years.  I'm a runner, but I love how good and flexible yoga makes me feel.  Right now, I've been practicing Ashtanga because I love how the poses flow and how active it is.

I lost a bunch of weight about 6 years ago, so my current goals are to shave off a few more pounds and improve my overall fitness (which is where yoga fits in).  I thought I'd join this group to find other yoga people :).

Hi, I'm Meg.

I joined CC prob about two years ago when I started my first job and started eating out too much and gained weight.  Since then I left that job, moved back to my home town and returned to my glorious gym and have lost 11 pounds at this point.  I was down 5 pounds below my current weight a couple months ago but I lost a cousin and of course faced motivational difficulty and emotional eating issues, but now I'm back on track.

I have been an instructor at the gym for the past few months and have been teaching kickboxing, spinning, and a cardio/weights class.  I am about to return to my first love - yoga.  Next month I start teaching and on the 8th I'm going down to Austin to get certified.  So, in the spirit of reuniting with my long lost passion I thought I'd join.  :)

Oh, and I'm vegan.  But not really the stereotypical tree hugger type, though I kind of wish I were.  I'm obsessed with the gym, I go twice a day most days for at least an hour at a time, almost always to group classes. 

 

Hello,

My name is Dorothy and I am so glad to see a yoga group here in CC.  I lost 20 lbs last year and hit plateau, now trying to lose the last 10-15 lbs.  Running has been my favorite exercise, and I do a little bit of strength training as well.  Two months ago, I enrolled me in yoga class for once a week so I can be flexible.  I am hook since then, never missed a class.

My yoga class will end tonight and will resume in about a week or two, I am definitely attending that class again as I have noticed that I am more flexible now, although still a newbee or a yoga beginner, I can feel the difference.

I joined CC fews months ago although I've been using it for a couple of years, just never signed up to be a member until recently.

I am looking forward to our discussions about yoga and maybe we can all learn new tricks from each other.

 

I'm Robyn!

 

I have always been a little heavier than I ought to be, but never really thought of it as a problem.  I used to be pretty active, so I was proportional, just a tad more "insulated" than others.  Healthy, but still a little thick.  My weight hit a high this summer and I realized when my dad was diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" from his weight, that I should probably start paying some attention to my body.  I've never committed seriously to weight loss, but with a new attitude, a vision of crossing a marathon finish line and some motivation, it's gonna happen!

I joined CC over the summer when I started getting serious about losing weight, but never really committed to it.  Well, as of November, when I started working again, I figured I should definitely pay attention because my job is an office position that requires me to sit for long periods of time.  I love running, but I really do wish I had more activity at work.

I have loved yoga for several years now, but never regularly practiced.  I'm hoping this group will help to keep me motivated to work on my flexibility and discipline with yoga.  I have noticed, also, that when I'm running, my breathing is SO MUCH BETTER because of yoga.  When I'm breathing properly, I definitely perform at a higher level.

I work in an office at a hospital, which is fun and interesting, but not very active, of course.  Aside from up and down to the fax/printer/boss's office, etc., there's not much activity.  I find myself hiking down to the basement of the hospital on my lunch break only to walk up all of the stairs to the fourth floor where my office is.  (Every little bit helps, right?)  I'm learning to close my door, get on the floor and do crunches or Pilates-type moves to get some blood flowing, too.  I live at home for the time being with my parents, brother and three dogs.  We have a cat, too, but he's a little anti-social.  When I'm hired as a regular employee (I'm considered "temp" at the moment), I will be looking into moving closer to the office so I don't have to commute. 

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Hey all... Im new to CC this week. Ive never been a super skinny girl, but Ive never been considered overweight either... Ive always been a healthy size for my frame... then I met James and I got comfortable and lazy... Ive gone up to pant sizes and really dont feel comfortable with myself anymore!! James and I are getting married on March 7th, and I would really love it if I could get down at least a pant size (two is the goal though)... Anyways, I LOVE Yoga, but cant afford to go to a studio or join a gym... so I was really, really hoping that someone in the group could suggest a good Yoga DVD (preferable Power Yoga, but any good quality DVD would be great)... Thanks and good luck on you journey to a Healthier you!!!

~Kelly

Hi Guys,

Im Michelle.

I have been on CC for a while, but have been taking it more seriously the past couple of months. After moving in with my boyfriend, I found myself eating more pizza and Chinese take-out than ever. I'm hoping that with the right attitude, watching what I eat, and dedication to exercise, i can lose the weight I've gained, along with the extra weight ive been carrying since high school. Im looking to lose about 30 pounds. (was looking to lose 40 but have already lost 10!)

I have always liked yoga, but last semester I took an Iyengar Yoga class at my college. It changed my life. I had a wonderful and knowledgeable instructor who focused not only on the practice of yoga, but the philosophy of it as well.

 I'm really excited to take a class at the place my instructor teaches, (she teaches at my school as well as a yoga center) but i'm waiting for their  next "session" to start which isnt until the end of February.  I joined this group because i was hoping that some fellow yogis would be able to encourage me or point me in the right direction with my at-home practice.

As I said before, I live with my boyfriend. We have 3 cats and are both in school. I'm going for a degree in elementary education (still have like 2.5 years to go!!) and he is into computer networking.  I'm 22, love working with children, and can't wait to have a class of my own!

Sorry for the super long post, guys. Im really new to this, I never really join groups online or anything but i thought one on Yoga would be a nice place to start!

I'm looking forward to sharing ideas with you all!

Namaste

 

 

Heyy all !

My name's christine, I just joined calorie count, and i'm not looking to lose much weight, just basically get off my binging/starving cycle i created myself for the past few years! I joined this group because while i'm becoming happy with my weight, i am completely unhappy with my flexibility.. i am SO unflexible it's ridiculous. i really want to become more flexible and i think that yoga etc, and a good support team can help me reach my goals!

I go to university in canada, i have a cat named pekoe i got from the humane society last june, and i absolutely loveee working out, shopping, going out with friends, acting, etc.

I'm hoping that this group can help tell me how to go about becoming flexible, maybe a plan or something, cause i am FAR from being able to touch my toes or anythingg it's ridiculous. It's almost embarassing actually, haha!

 

<3 christine

Hey Christine, you might want to try Iyengar yoga. 

In Iyengar they make use of a lot of props to help people do the postures even if they aren't flexible enough.  This helps you get the health benefits of the pose, while working towards being able to do it without props.  An example would be for doing a back bend if you can't "bend" enough they will put some wooden blocks underneath you to help you.  If you can't touch your toes you can use a strap to help pull youself down etc. 

I've been doing Iyengar for a while now it really focuses on correct body alignment in the poses more so then other Yogas I find anyways. Sign up for a class to get the swing of things and if you want to start  doing more on your own I recommend the book Yoga: The Iyengar Way by Silva Mehta they have it at amazon.ca. It has full page diagrams of each pose and at the back of the book are lesson plans that will essentially guide you up to being able to turn yourself into a pretzel :P

Also if you are signing up for a class be wary of unqualified teachers, there is a big difference.  I am currently in two different classes one teacher will evaluate your form and help you make adjustments and make sure you are doing the right poses for your ability, as well as have a good flow of poses that build on each other.

My other teacher who comes into our office at lunch will just have us do random poses and not pay any attention or give any feedback then just move onto the next one.

I don't have much history with weight gain or loss.  No matter what, I've always been around 150, give or take 5 lbs.  I have, however, not always been flexible.  I will always remember the toe-touching test I took in Elementary School when I had to actually lean back.  Now I can easily touch my toes!  Yay!  I started yoga to learn to manage my anxiety and my temper, but also to become even more flexible and strong.  I'm taking it for the second semester at my college, and I'm kind of starting to hate it.  Shavasana is incredibly stressful, as is Warrior III, because I can feel myself doing them improperly and it drives me INSANE!!!!  I think there should be a board on here just for discussion of yoga roadblocks.

Hi Everyone,

I do have weight to lose. Interestingly enough, I did not really start eating well until I had been doing yoga about 5 days a week for a few months. Eating in a more healthy way just seemed to make more sense and the calming nature of yoga and meditation took a lot of the stress eating away which made lower calorie eating easier to do.

This is my second time to do yoga. I learned it about 15 years ago from a book called Yoga for Women by Paddy O'Brien. Instructors I had later approved of the book as I needed very little correction in posture. "Hatha with a little Kundalini thrown in Yoga" was a part of my daily life for quite a few healthy years.

Life intercedes sometimes. Anyway, here I am with a lot to lose - I began doing the yoga at 192 pounds. I joined CC when I began eating more mindfully just about 6 weeks ago at 190 and have lost 10 additional pounds. Some poses are getting easier. I remained as flexible as ever, but do not hold the poses as well for as long. This I expect will change as I continue to lose weight.

I am interested in how others find yoga helping them in their daily lives. Yoga and mindful eating would be an interesting thread, or yoga and meditation. Is anyone interested in either?

I just got done with my first experience with Yoga and LOVED it! I had this horrible headache (i believe it was brought on by stress) and I just HAD to join this group! Anyways lemme introduce myself!

My name is Jessica, I'm 19 years old, and a college sophomore (soon to be junior). I've been overweight all my life but ever since college I've seemed to have gained 40lbs (i was 190lbs before and now I'm at about 230lbs). Well I'm hoping on getting control over that.

I've avoided most fad diets in the past, I've always seen them for the hock of bologna that they are, so usually my diet has consisted of watching what I eat and exercising, and usually the diet lasts for at most a week or two before i get discouraged and quit.

Well, I'm definitely hoping that this site will help keep me on track and involved and hopefully on the right track towards my goal. I joined this group for the reason that I'm hoping on making friends who are trying to lose a large amount of weight, just like me. I need support and encouragement, and I can't really get that at college or at home, where if I take one foot out of line (aka: my love for Starbucks) I here the dreaded "Are you SURE you want to eat that" or the horrid "I THOUGHT you were on a diet???"

Hmmm... interesting details about myself? I don't have a job currently (trying to work on that but times are HARD.) I love my brother and sister though, we're triplets and we're really close (my sister even goes to college with me). I have two wonderful dogs, both mutts. My dog Belle is near 7 years old, she's a mix between a black lab and a blue tick hound. My other dog is about 6 or 7 months old, she's my baby. Her name is Lily and she was named after Harry Potter's mother Lily Potter (my roommate actually adopted her sister, and named her Luna after Luna Lovegood)

Other than that if you have any other questions, don't be shy, ask!

Jess

Hello jessicagoble!

I am so very glad you loved your first Yoga class. Yoga is something that you can always keep with you. You do not need a fancy gym, just a good teacher and lots of regular practice. Once you are doing the asanas correctly, you can do some at home (ask the teacher what you should do). I hope you make it a part of your life.

I stopped doing Yoga only twice in my life. Both times I gained a lot of weight. I started practice again this fall, added mindful eating in late January (which always seems to follow naturally for me with Yoga), and recently have added meditation to the mix. This is all I do (besides logging calories!) and I've lost nearly 12 pounds since early February when I joined CC. The rate of loss may not be as dramatic as some, but it must be right for me and I am confident it will stay off.

Welcome to the group and I hope to see you regularly in the threads and journals.

 

thank you! and congrats on your weight loss! i just hope I have as much success!!

Hello everyone,

My name is Christy.  My first yoga experience was about 13 years ago.  I was an aerobics instructor then and I wanted to try something new.  Since then I've changed work fields.  I'm actually half way through my Jr. year at college.  I'm an "OWL"--- an Older, Wiser, Learner!!  I have two teen kids, and one preteen.  I'm married and we've always lived in a smaller town. 

I want to join this group because yoga has been with me through the thick and thin of life!  It has relieved and prevented pain from injuries, assisted my peace of mind, kept me fluid, and simply....I JUST LOVE IT!!  Even though I've been doing it for a while, I am not as consistent as I would like.  Yoga is a lifestyle that I would love to find others who enjoy it and share our experiences with it. 

Its nice to meet you all!!

To jannid's post:  I am interested in how others find yoga helping them in their daily lives. Yoga and mindful eating would be an interesting thread, or yoga and meditation. Is anyone interested in either?

Yoga helps me in my daily life...even though I don't necessarily do it every day.  The practice though is a major contributor to keeping my back pain at bay.  It also is a major factor in helping me manage my stress; which in turn helps me make better lifestyle choices, ie. food decisions being one.  My goal is to practice more often and consistently.  I do actually do "mini" moments of yoga throughout everyday to release stress....I'm married, a mom, and a college student...I need the stress relief! 

I am very interested in chatting about your questions, ideas, and insights of the connection between yoga, meditation, and mindful eating!!  g'day