Woohoo, Kelly! Good for you.

I am restarting. I went to a zumba class last week in our gym after school on Tuesday and plan to go again tomorrow. I am inconsistently using my hand weights and running in place while watching tv.

My eating habits haven't been so good, though. Also, had to cancel hair appointment and need to reschedule. It's embarrassing that I get our dogs groomed more often than I get myself done! :)

I started using the Lose It! app on my phone before the holidays, but let that slide. Time to get back to it! It really helped me pay attention to what I was eating.

Went back to the gym last week after a 4 month hiatus. Last time I worked out was the triathlon I did last summer, took a little rest from working out, which turned into 4 months and 15lbs!

Trying to eat more fresh whole foods and less processed.
Just made a crock pot chicken chili for dinner. Made a broccoli quiche for lunch with lowfat cheese, lowfat milk, egg whites, and broccoli.

If you need some low cal recipes, I use skinnytaste blog a lot.

Time to get back on the fitness and health wagon!!

Love the idea of a check-in here.

And congrats on your weight - loss, I'm a little green with envy.

Great idea Kelly. It sounds like you really have a good system down. And congrats to you & DH on 15yrs!

Polly, thanks for the recipe site. I need to find some dinner ideas that both DH and I like. His idea of a veg serving is the tomato sauce on a pizza.

I joined both SparkPeople and Calorie Count today. I really need to log my foods instead of just guessing my caloric intake. I can't decide which one I like better, though. I only peeked at LoseIt (thx Cyn). Anyone else using an online food log that they can recommend?

No exercising yet. Oh, that was hard to admit.

Jennifer

Congrat's Kelly, good going girl!!! I'm not going to weigh myself till maybe Wednesday.

I went to my chair palate's class this morning and it was nothing as I expected. It was a lot of stretching of the upper body, some balance exercises, quad lifts while seated, and that's about it. I was expecting to work out with some weights for the upper body and more strength training for the upper body, but there was only a few exercises with a band.

It definitely is a worthwhile class for strengthing and limbering up the neck and shoulders. I think I'll continue with it for now.

There is a Zumba class for seniors that I think I will give a try. I need to move a lot more, but can't move too fast yet.

I'll keep y'all posted.

I'm going to check out that skinnytaste blog.

I'm on a maintenance program weight-wise after having lost 42 pounds 3 years ago and it's still off. I run 3 days a week and go to the gym 3-days a week working on core strength, balance, agility and proper body positioning. It's a really good gym and you can only go in classes (largest class is 8 people), no drop-ins and it gives the trainers the chance to make sure that everything is being done correctly.
I've been running consistently for over 35 years now but have switched to trail-running - it's not as hard on the knees and it's much healthier and prettier. I've been going to the gym for 5 years now. It has become such a part of my life that it is now just a part of my schedule.

I congratulate everyone who is making changes this year. having been through it I know that any change is hard and I'm cheering you all on.

Today was a gym day and for lunch I had a toasted cheese sandwich on mountain grain bread with sliced tomato and 1/2 grapefruit. My afternoon snack will be, as usual, some applesauce with cinnamon.

Thanks, kellyeng, and congrats on your health success.

I'm tracking my calories & exercise with Diet Power, a tracking app that I like. I'm down 4 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks, an acceptable rate of weight loss for me.

Today I had Pilates class, but did no cardio work as I met up with some old friends today for a long lunch. Will do some light elliptical work here at home on my el cheapo machine.

Tomorrow is spin class followed by (shudder!) kettlebells.

I have spin class 3 times a week, Pilates 3 times a week, & kettlebells once a week. On winter weekends, if it's too cold to bike, I'll go to my husband's gym at his office or stay home & do step aerobics or get on El Cheapo .

All this dieting & working out is so I can better enjoy the beautiful new bike DH got me for Christmas. I can hardly wait for this deep freeze to pass and try it out!

Back in 2006 I managed to take off 45 pounds. I kept it off until 2010 when I quit smoking. At that point I started slowly packing the pounds back on but, I felt helpless to do anything about it until I was SURE I wouldn't fall back into smoking.

I put on about 20 pounds and while I still don't have total control of my diet, I've upped my exercise to compensate. In September I started walking.....and I walk a LOT. I walk amost every day, if it rains I'm lucky to have an indoor track available. Last month I was doing 7 1/2 miles a day, this month I'm doing 8 miles a day.

In addition to that I finally broke down and bought a kettlebell. I've only had it for a week but, I can feel a change in my body already.

I have about 10 more pounds to take off and I know they'll come off very slowly. I suspect part of that is because at the same time I'm losing weight, I'm building muscle and muscle weighs more. Realistically speaking, it's slow becasue I'm still eating stuff that I really shouldn't eat......but I'd rather walk the 8 miles and be able to do that!

8 miles a day! And kelleng's 13 lbs. in two weeks! I am such an amateur!! LOL.

I was good all last week. I exercised every day and counted points on WW. Had one splurge when I went out to dinner with DH, but I did count points there too. (Um, who knew a martini had 9 points!) I lost 3 lbs. (I had gained 4 lbs. over the holidays, and besides that I already had about 12 lbs. to lose). Then we went away for the weekend and I didn't exercise Sat and Sun., really mostly sat around (we were in our beach cottage, not in a locale where there's much to do in Jan.!) and relaxed. And we ate out a few meals. Today we came home and I thought, okay, I'll get back on track tomorrow -- then I saw this post! Thank you, because it motivated me. I went down to my basement and did a 1/2 hour Gilad program plus some extra arm/weight exercises for a total of about 50 minutes.

For anyone who's looking for at-home exercise options, I really like the Gilad programs. He has two series that I have found on my cable line up -- one is more aerobics, and one is more weight work, and all are 1/2 hour shows so it's easy to fit in. This is my "no excuses" workout when I can't get to the gym or it's too cold/rainy to walk outside.

I hope it is okay if I 'weigh in' without going near a scale...!

I'm reading an author (Geneen Roth) who was recommended by a poster in the original thread about NY resolutions. This book is really resonating with me. Until I was about 45, I was always naturally thin. Since then, a few pounds a year have crept on until now, when I'm 15-20 lbs. over my normal weight. No doubt the menopausal bloat has hit me during that time. But if I'm honest, I also eat more. And the more I eat and weigh, the more I think about food. When I was thin, I almost never thought about food. If I felt hungry, I ate, and that was about the extent of it. A deep part of me realizes that the brain energy I spend thinking about food and eating and weight has a negative effect on my efforts in this regard.

Geneen writes about the connection between our emotions/brain/weight. About the amazingly negative power that deprivation has on all of that. She battled her weight all her life, was a binge eater at times, etc. Now she is thin without dieting. I'm not oblivious to the 'calorie-in/calorie-out' sensibility. I don't believe you can 'think' your way out of calories. But what is interesting is that when I stop thinking about depriving myself, and eliminate the self-defeating "I deserve this....." soundtrack when I eat, suddenly I don't care so much about eating. I think I've been reading her book for about 10 days or so, and I have virtually stopped snacking, and eating less at meals since then. Without trying to. I am simply not thinking about eating all the time. I haven't gotten on a scale, because that's another thing I never, ever did when I was thin. But my pant's waists are definitely looser, and I just somehow have less 'bloat' around my torso. So if I'm allowed to 'weigh in' here, I'll keep you all posted...

I'm still struggling with getting out of "holiday mode" and back into our regular eating. We generally eat healthy, but have gotten into a habit of eating more beef than usual, too much cheese and I have been having too many hot chocolates and lattes. Something I need to indulge in as an occasional treat, not several times a week!

Weather has been up and down, but we are still able to get out and walk some days. We recently bought an eliptical, hoping to use that more and more!

Way to go gals!

tina

bestyears, congratulations on your progress. No, scale weigh in is not mandatory here. Nothing is mandatory, just chatting about our successes and struggles.

I too no longer think about food all the time now that I'm eating an all natural diet. No more sugar craving, although the other day I was overtired and the urge came on. That was a pattern of mine, get real tired, eat chocolate to wake up. I skipped the chocolate the other day and went and took a nap instead. LOL

sorry about the multiple posts, the computer kept saying message rejected.

sorry about the multiple posts, the computer kept saying message rejected.

Sounds like we are all on a positive track!

HIWTHI, don't limit yourself to the seniors Zumba class. My Zumba class has a couple of 80 year old regulars and they get a great workout going at their own speed.

blfenton, Your schedule sounds so good. I can't wait to be in a comfortable maintenance program. I'm hoping that when I get there I will have not only accomplished weight loss but have a good understanding of the mental and emotional process.

bestyears, I'm also a "I deserve this....." kind of eater. I try to replace "I deserve food" to "I deserve a good workout" or pedicure or hot bath. Trying to get my dopamine fix in other ways. . .

My eating has been spot on. I don't feel deprived or hungry all the time. I made a sort of dry "slaw" that I can throw into a bunch of different stuff. It includes minced scallions, shredded zucchini and carrots, serrano chili, red bell pepper and fresh basil and rosemary. I keep it in a container in the fridge and put it in eggs, fish tacos, or an easy addition to a sandwich or salad. Very tasty!

I did Zumba on Monday, then yesterday was a 3 1/2 hour workout that included weight lifting, abs/back, body combat and yoga. I think my knee was already a little messed up and then we did a couple of poses in yoga that aggravated it because some serious stiffness has set in. I'm going to keep ice on it today and hopefully it will feel well enough to go to my step fusion class this evening. Not pushing it but we'll see!

My house guests left yesterday, after a month long visit, so it's time to get back into my normal patterns.

Last year I lost 3 pounds during their visit, in spite of the bagels & cupcakes & cookies & wine with dinner every night, because we had impromptu dance parties all day long. One sister had a great cell phone ring so we'd call her phone, our 1.5 yo nephew would come running & start dancing, and we'd joined in. It was great fun and great exercise. This year my nephew wasn't as interested in dancing so, sadly, we didn't have many dance parties.

My gym attendance has been sporadic over the month but now I'm back to the regular routine. I'll get some additional exercise today with the major house cleaning & reorganizing that needs to be done. Where am I going to store the 5 feet long cardboard rocket ship? I'll have to remove the side wings just to get it through a doorway. The LR will seem so empty now. (Did I just hear my DH breath a sigh of relief?)

Starting now, no more wine with dinner every night, more portion control, and more mindful eating.

Well, cr@p. My gym's owner announced he's closing down the exercise classes as of Feb. 1st. He'll keep the personal training area, but no more spinning, Pilates & kettlebell classes as he's renting out the classroom to a chiropractor.
I loved this gym because it's so close by and the personnel there are terrific. It was so nice to have all this under one roof in a compact, convenient time frame.

My spin instructor wants to buy some of the bikes & work out of her house; the kettlebell teacher wants to try holding the class in the personal training area first before deciding whether to leave or not; the Pilates teacher is gone with the wind unless she teaches this class elsewhere & I can fit it into my schedule. Gosh, you sure get attached to your fitness instructors :(

Kelly, I'll check out both and see which one might be of most benefit. Tell me, do you get on the floor for any of the zumba class or is it all upright moving? I am unable to get down on the floor then up again so that's why I'm steering clear of classes that are too advanced.

Sounds like you are on a very accomplished workout schedule. Good for you.

I've been taking Zumba classes for three years now and there has never been any floor work. Now, there are lots of squats but you can modify those any way you want.

In fact, it really doesn't matter what class you take, if you don't want to get on the floor, then don't. That class is YOUR class and you do whatever you are comfortable with. Now of course there are lots of classes specifically geared for getting on the floor so you want to avoid those. But Zumba, step, kickboxing - it's only as difficult as you make it.

My knee is swollen. I'm so bummed because that's going to derail my workout for who knows how long. I second your cr@p, Awm03!

I'm still on track and tracking everything in my iphone app. On a positive note, I used to be satisfied if I did one kind of exercise per day. For the first time I've actually been doing two things some days - 40 mins on stationary bike and 35 minute yoga fit type routine. I also survived a three day out of town business meeting without gorging myself on food. I ate a fraction of what I would usually eat at this kind of thing. The food was perfect for me though - all kinds of fish, vegetables and every lunch and dinner had these little mini salads (not laden with dressing) that were wonderful. Even the desserts were mini - I did splurge and had one mini dessert a couple times. Didn't have much time on the agenda to exercise but I did manage to get out for a 40 minute walk one evening. Tomorrow morning I'll know if I kept my weight in check. So far I've lost 4.4 lbs of the five I gained at the end of 2011. I'd like to lose 3.2 more and then I'd be satisfied weight wise. Too thin = too wrinkled at my age and I don't want to get hooked on cosmetic treatments though I have to say I'm somewhat intrigued after reading about them here. I really want to keep at the yoga though because that is having a lot of positive impact in many ways.

That's weird, the message I posted responding to Kelly's post has dissappeared. I know the other day it was telling me my messages were rejected on some threads, but not others. The bug is back I guess!!

Kelly, I am investigating all the classes to see which ones I'd be suited for. I saw one going on today that was geared toward seniors but looked to be quite peppy. I think I'll try that one out next Thursday.

I snuck up on the scale and was happy to see I'm down 2 more pounds. Slowly, but surely.

HIWTHI, that's great news! Your two pound weight loss, I mean.

This is a great thread for motivation !!

I use myfooddiary.com to track my food intake and also exercise.
there's a " fridge" section where you store your usual foods so it takes less time
to log in what you eat, the body section for weight tracking and exercise is also excellent; at any point of the day, you can look at your summary and they'll comment if you've had too much fat and sodium. When I religiously log in everything I eat , I am always surprised at how fast it adds up !!!

There's never been any food I could not find in their food search, any brand.
I weigh myself every day , it's become a habit; there can be up to 3 pounds fluctuations at times, so I try not to be obsessed with the scale but it keeps me in check when I go up in weight, I think twice before having dessert and I say longer on the threadmill and look for ways to add movement to my day.

DD and her girlfriend are visiting for 2 weeks and they eat very well , mostly low carbs and protein since they work out a lot and they are both roller derby players.

I hope this thread continues on , I love hearing what everyone is doing.

mitchdesj - I completely agree with you about logging the food and exercise. It is amazing how quickly it adds up. My app sounds much like yours. It tallies up how much you've consumed and how much you have left for the day - which of course increases if you exercise. I have my daily allowance set for 1/2 lb weight loss per week. I feel like I can't hardly eat anything unless I exercise. So it's very motivational in terms of exercising. Because if I've hit my calorie limit for the day I just stop consuming - that's it - unless I exercise and increase the number of calories I can have.

I kind of have these dates/events in mind that keep me going. Like I want to look good for something happening Feb 4 - so just keep going until then. And then I have something in April - when I'll be done wearing winter clothes - want to be looking good then. And so on. I even have something in August that I was thinking if I really stick with this I could be in great shape by then.

I've now passed my 5 lb weight loss goal to get off what crept on toward the end of 2011. Haven't been this low since September. I want to lose 2.4 more lbs and then I'm done and I'll be able to eat a few hundred more calories per day which will be nice. Then I just want to focus on continued healthy eating, exercise, getting in better shape, more muscle, etc.

sounds good Gibby. Maintenance is key . My only goal when we eat out a lot or have special events is not to gain, I consider it a victory.

Well I haven't exercised since Tuesday. I have a pulled, possible minor tear of my MCL which is the ligament on the inside of the knee.

We had dinner out on Wednesday for our anniversary, it was extravagant but I did show a little restraint. Still, my weekly calories are way up since I haven't been able to exercise and as usual for me, if I can't exercise my healthy eating starts to go into the toilet.

No biggy in the grand scheme of things.

mitchdesj - I also do myfooddiary. The database is the best I've seen. However, I'm thinking about going back to weight watchers. I still have a membership, get billed every month but haven't used it in awhile. Looking back, weight watchers seemed pretty effortless. I might give it a shot for a couple weeks just to see how it feels.

Good idea kelly, the ww might help you get back on track , I hope you heal soon.
Just do baby steps in your healthy eating, everything helps, even little efforts or cutbacks. I try to not beat myself up when I've sabotaged my efforts , it's a life long process.