Happy February everyone! Same old, same old for me - nothing new to report. After over a year, it's just become a way of life for me to track all my food and exercise and it certainly keeps me honest and in line in spite of my appetite stimulant medication. After seven months of taking that I think I've kind of got a handle on that too.

This morning I was only 1.4 lbs over my desired weight which inspires me to keep on keeping on. Funny this week I had two people at work ask me if I'd lost weight. It's been about eight months since I hit my desired weight (about a 13 lb loss) so not sure why they noticed now. Perhaps because I have been wearing shirts tucked in with a beautiful new Brighton belt DH bought me for Christmas. It may be all about the belt. In any case I do know I love being slim and trim much more than I love eating and I keep reminding myself of that which helps.

It's the time of year in Minnesota where I get so tired of being cooped up inside and so sick of riding the stationary bike. I do walk in the winter but not if it's icy which it has been. Did manage to get a couple of nice long walks in last weekend when we went to northern MN with some friends - more snow and less ice up there. Anyway, I'm looking forward to being able to get outside - walking, tennis, kayaking, etc.

I just keep losing and gaining the same 3 lbs. I gained them over the summer, then lost them in the fall. I gained them between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then after Christmas I started cutting out sugar. Sort of a modified version of Sugarbusters. Lost the pounds again. But I need to somehow break through and not only keep these 3 off, but lose 10 more. I heard someone on the radio say that losing weight is 80% eating right and 20% exercise. Maintaining weight is 80% exercise and 20% food choices. So my problem, I guess, is that I'm acting as if I'm maintaining. I'm exercising regularly (although this past week has not been a good one for a variety of reasons) but I'm not doing as well on the eating. I've cut out most sugar -- but my DD's bday was this week so there was an incident with some cake -- but I'm still eating too many carbs (even thought they're healthy carbs) and not enough veggies. In two weeks I'm going to be on a tropical island in a bathing suit, so I have some major motivation to eat carefully for the next two weeks!

Unfortunately, at the moment I've got some virus that's been going through our neighborhood and all I want to do is sit on the sofa with my iPad.

Have any of you tried the My Fitness Pal app on iphone/droids and online? I started it this week and I love it. You set your goal weight and how much you want to lose per week, and it sets a daily calorie limit for you. You log in everything you eat each day - it has a scanner so you can scan in most things--or you can use their database which has everything in it. It also has a recipe builder where you just enter the recipe and it tells you how many calories per serving. You also log in your exercise/calories burned. It keeps track of your calories throughout the day, telling you how many you have left, graphs your weight loss, gives you a complete readout of what vitamins, etc. you are getting and how many, for example, I was a bit over on my calcium intake. You can friend others who are doing it -- my sister and I are friends on it -- so we get updates of each others progress. It is really great and it's free! On the first two days, I lost 2.2 lbs. I know this is not usual, as I set my goal as one pound per week but it is encouraging!

Also, if you do it on your iphone, it synchs with your computer so your info is on both.

I use a different app - Tap and Track - very similar I'm sure. I swear by it. I started using a tracking app when two other people I know lost a bunch of weight using this type of app. If you've never tried something like this you should. It's very enlightening - how little you can eat if you want to lose weight or how much you have to exercise.

Yes that's what I love about it. It really makes me think about everything I eat and also makes me stay on the treadmill longer so I can have more calories. I used to sometimes grab a juicebag, which I keep in the house for my son, til I realized that one juicebag was erasing a good part of my treadmill workout! I have 20 pounds to lose, so my goal is end of June.

Gail, I use the My Fitness Pal app. I've used several others before I started this one on January 1st. I'm thrilled because I got on the scale this morning and I'm down 10 lbs! And that is with not going to the gym for the last 2 weeks thanks to bronchitis and a sinus infection the second week. I agree, My Fitness Pal is by far the easiest I've used.

I just joined a fitness challenge at my gym. It was $20 to sign up, and I think whoever loses the most pounds and inches wins the pot. I honestly don't care if I win the money, getting back into a size 8 will be a win for me! As of Jan. 1st, I couldn't zip the size 12 jeans and I knew it was time to get back on track.

Hoping this sinus headache I've had since Tuesday will be gone tomorrow so I can go back to the gym.

Wow, that's great Polly - congratulations! It really does seem to work doesn't it? They are having a similar contest at my gym that I thought about doing but it was $60 -- I cheaped out! Hope you're feeling better.

WTG, Polly! That is fantastic.

I rejoined Weight Watchers with my colleague, and we meet up with another colleague on Wed nights. In three weeks I've lost 2.6 lbs., so I will take it. We are also doing a fitness challenge through our Rec Sports. It is just another way to commit and have comraderie.

I am doing better moderating beer and wine, but I last night I had two beers when I could have just been OK with one. Oh welll, it is Friday night and I am human.

Another app I've used is LoseIt.

I was running too late to go to the Y this afternoon since i had to work open house this morning, so I will have to bundle up and go for a walk. It is in the 40's but sunny. See how long I can last out there.

hh, I will look at the fitbit. I am familiar with the BodyBugg that is used on Biggest Loser. I really should get one of those. As I tell the students, I am a good example in that I get regular exercise, but my overall activity otherwise tends to be low. I would also like a treadmill desk, but we need to do a lot of work in the home office to make that happen.

hhireno, sorry about your back. I hope your twitchy muscles calm down & heal quickly.

Same story: lots of exercise, lots of food. That's counterproductive. We have had two months of holidays, a wedding, family celebrations and business travel. I have a tracking app for food, but am reluctant to get started for fear of failing again. Need to get over this mental hump, because my pants are tight & I refuse to spend the money on a larger size.

On a brighter note, I'm swinging heavier kettlebells, thanks to taking more classes. It's funny having upper body strength for once! Still spinning 3 times a week. My poor bicycle, though, looks so lonely and neglected. I'm dying to ride it, just need the weather warm up a tad & for ice to disappear.

Good for you Polly - that is fantastic progress!!

I've been doing pretty well. I've been running regularly despite the bitter cold. I prefer running in the cold than the heat, so I don't mind. I'm also doing TRX classes twice a week. One of my goals is to also try to do sit-ups and pushups daily. I haven't gotten to "daily" but several times a week. I hadn't been doing as well as I should in terms of eating, but after a few weekends of eating crappy football food, I realized I needed to stop. So last Sunday I made a meal plan, cut out all the empty carbs like crackers and pretzels, and focused on meals with lean proteins, fish, lots of veggies and good carbs, like quinoa, and very little sugar. I was doing great all week until yesterday....pizza for dinner. I'm not really concerned about my weight, though I'd like to lose at least 5 lbs and keep it off (I tend to gain and lose the same 3-4 lbs). However, my belly has turned to mush, and I've got a bit of a spare tire going that makes me very self conscious - so that is what I'm trying to get rid of through a healthy diet and my continued exercise. I don't really eat junk (no soda, ice creams, chips, etc), but I just snack on things I shouldn't like cheese and crackers or pretzels.

I was totally bummed though because I missed my running goal for January by 5 miles. I was all set to get there, but we've had a lot of rainy weather and then I was going to make it up this past week, but the one extra day I could run, it ended up raining. And I've started off February on the wrong note - was supposed to have my weekly long run yesterday, but we had a snow squall that quickly froze over. So, now I'm behind for February already. On a good note though, despite not hitting my goal for January, I did run more in January than I have in months, so on that note, I know I should feel good.

Oh I hear you about too much food. I am great with activity, but I just eat and drink too much, though overall what I eat is healthy.

hh, I looked at the FitBit One and it looks great. Only thing that would deter me is that the mobile devices it is compatable with are iPhone 4S and 5, and iPad 3, and, of course, I have iPhone 4 and iPad 2.

Weight Watchers does have its own ActiveLink, but that does not have as many features as the FitBit or the BodyBugg. It seems to be pretty much an accelerometer only.

BTW, I helped my doctoral advisor with a masters student on an earlier version of the BodyBugg, so I am well familiar with the science behind it.

Coming back to say that reading and responding to this thread motivated me to get out and run! As soon as I finished posting, I said to myself, "I didn't get to run yesterday and I really have no excuse not to go right this minute." So I went upstairs and changed before I had time to change my mind, and went for a run. I was planning on doing 4.5 miles, then felt pretty good so I was going to finish at 5.5 miles but as I neared my house, I was feeling pretty good, so I ran a few extra blocks and finished 6 miles! I almost NEVER run in the afternoon, mainly b/c I can't motivate myself, especially if I've already showered/dressed so I was so proud I got myself out there, especially since it was freezing and I was nice and toasty in my warm house!

gscience, I hear you about eating and drinking too much. Not that I'm a big boozer, but I have a few glasses of wine during the week. I realized that it's just a waste of calories so I'm only going to have it on the weekend. But I'm planning on giving alcohol up for Lent anyway. I did that last year.

I shudder to think what I'd look like if I actually did eat unhealthy foods all the time. It kind of annoys me that I don't eat that stuff, I regularly exercise but I still don't look as good as I'd like! And I'm approaching menopause in the next 5 years or so, so that's only going to make it more difficult!

Good for you Polly!!

I have a new motivation for exercising. Our pup is now 7 and was getting a bit sedentary. I started reading and the number of obese (our's isn't) and sedentary pets is scary. It is taking years off their lives. Abby gets pretty lazy during cold weather when we're not outside as much. So, we've started daily walks again. Yes I even walked her at 31 degrees. Actually, I enjoy it. I love being outside and in the winter, even this year when ours is colder than normal, I crave fresh air. So, I just bundle up and we go for a walk. Every day this week except for one day when it was raining. I do some indoor exercise also.

I went off my bc pills about two months ago. So far, no hot flashes or problems other than the past week or so, I've had terrible sweet urges. I always have a sweet tooth, so am struggling with that. I have a physical at the end of the month with my internist, so that is motivation also. He is very proactive and closely watching bp, cholesterol, sugar, ect. I've under the limits on all of those, and want to keep it that way. I do not want to take medication. Hopefully all those factors will continue to motivate me!

tina

I use Fitness Pal, too. I did it last year, and then got off track. I have been consistently working out and tracking my food since January 5th, and I feel so much better. I have hidden the scale for awhile because I obsess about it. My clothes do feel a tad looser.

I also am completely off the anti-depressant I was taking. I was really angry and had insomnia for a few weeks, but that is gone now. I still have an occasional brain "zap" but they are almost gone, too. I gained so much weight while I was on it, I hope I will be able to lose it.

I did my first kettlebell workout today. I am a quivering mound of Jello!

I'm always so pleased to see that others are focusing on their health and sharing their stories. Thank you.

gibby,
I hope you give yourself plenty of credit for holding so steady while taking the medication. It is an accomplishment to win over that. If you're receiving compliments on how you look, maybe the 1.4 pounds you want to lose are working for you.

sueb,
Every morning before your trip, try on your bathing suit. That might be inspiration enough to keep you on track.

gail,
My fitbit has a food log. I think I'll compare that to My Fitness Pal to see which one I'll be more likely to use. Currently, I do it old-school and jot it down in a notebook but I don't get graphs or detailed breakdowns.

polly,
I think you were discouraged last month and yet here you are 10 pounds lighter. Good for you.

awm,
no, no, no...no fear of failure; it's time to improve your eating and tracking it. Your success with heavier kettlebells and multiple spin classes prove you are focused on your health and ready for success.

fourkids4us,
I am so happy that our comments inspired you to go out for your run. Yay for you!

gsciencechick
I don't have a fancy cell phone or an Ipad so I hadn't even considered the fitbit compatibility to those type of gadgets. I'm planning to buy an Ipad later today so I'm very happy you mentioned it.

tina,
Have you tried any of the herb teas with those interesting flavors? I wonder if they might help satisfy a sweet tooth without adding calories or caffeine?

texanjana,
Hiding the scale and focusing on fit is probably a good idea. Years ago there was a segment on tv about weight loss. They sent a female competitive body builder to a few wt loss places to see if they would tell her she needed to lose weight. She had very low body fat but because she was all muscle her weight to height ratio was high. All the diet places weighed her and told her she needed to lose weight. They didn't analyze her body composition to see that she had little to no body fat. The point is we shouldn't get hung up on just one number.

Mobile device cabability is very important to me for these types of programs. It really gives you no excuse not to track since we all almost never without something closeby.

fourkids, I hear you on not eating junk food. I eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day, pack our healthy lunches every day, never eat fast food, and we hardy even go out to eat anymore. Ever since we got the induction stove, we can try new things. Last night we ordered Indian takeout, and that was a splurge. LOL, they were pretty busy and the owner said to DH when it's cold, people want to eat Indian food.

I am just returning to running after an inexplicable hiatus. I stopped running during an overseas trip in November and then I simply no longer wanted to run! After years of running 4 to 5 miles per day, 5 days each week! I think we sometimes underestimate the power of habit!
Anyway I am back to daily exercise and enjoying it again. I gained 3 or 4 pounds over the holidays due to the lack of vigorous exercise but I know they will soon disappear now that I am running again.
The Fitbit One sounds very interesting Hhireno. Would it be possible for two people to use it alternately?

Tina, I used to walk regularly and far distances with my fur baby. I credit that to her long life, she was 17 when I had to put her down last September. My current fur child is a 14 year old daschund with a bum hind leg. We rescued her last summer when her owner, my Dad, passed away. I look forward to the day I can walk long distances again with a dog. But for now, I will stick to the gym :)

Thanks everyone for your encouragement! I'm only 5'2'' and currently my body fat percentage comes in the range of obesity.....yuck. I don't think I look obese, but I don't want to be in that category. Hoping when we check back in next March, I will be out of that range!

HI everyone, I'm still a train wreck. :O

I'm not sure exactly when everything went off the rails, but it did. I haven't gained too much weight, maybe 4 lbs, but I've been eating poorly and haven't exercised much at all.

We have a lot of stress with our new business, driving back and forth 4 hours to work there and then "real" life as well.

I'm spending a lot of time thinking about my choices, just not making the best ones. I'm hoping this week I can get some structure and planning done. I do miss Crossfit and I hope I can go back in March.

Beth P.

gscience,
Which induction stove did you buy? I'm very intrigued and need to research them.

sis3,
I don't know if there is a way to establish 2 accounts for one fitbit, I'm technically challenged so I can't offer advice on that. I impulsively bought it, without researching all the options, so there might be other gadgets out there that would suit your needs better. There is a cheaper one call the fitbit zip, it doesn't record sleep or stairs climbed and runs on a watch battery so I didn't want that one. I like recharging it via the computer instead of replacing batteries. For years I was happy & motivated by my digi-walker basic step counter that only cost about $25. Maybe that's all you need and then you could get more than one and compete with the other person, instead of sharing.

bethpen,
What you said here is important:
I'm spending a lot of time thinking about my choices
You may have regained a little weight but catching it at 4 pounds is so much better than ignoring it until it hits 20 pounds. You are on the right track already - you are thinking about your choices. Don't allow the stress of your new business take control of your better impulses.

Yikes!! Driving four hours back and forth to work would derail me too. That would pretty much eliminate any time to plan and prepare healthy meals and exercise. All I'd be doing is going to work, working, sleeping and eating whatever I could on the fly.

May I join in? Reading this thread is inspiring! I'm 5'-5" and have 20-25 pounds to lose. Since the first of the year I've focused on healthy eating (primarily raw fruits/veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds). I drink a green smoothie every day for lunch, I love them.

The food part of my personal challenge is going well. The exercise part, not so much. I have time, I have equipment, but I just don't have the desire, heh. The weight is coming off surely, but slowly. I know it would go faster with exercise, just need to find the right state of mind somehow.

Thanks for your kindness. Today was a good day! I'm looking at things in baby steps. I made good choices today and am heading to bed soon. :)

The driving to work is just for the weekends. We drive to NH on Friday, work Saturday and Sunday, then drive back to Cape Cod. February school vacation will be a long week...we are working in ski areas.

We will have family up at our condo that week and maybe some extra kids. The hardest part about cooking for a crowd is keeping things healthy and not going for straight carbohydrates. Especially since we'll be tired.

It's all one fantastic adventure and I just need to let go of my expectations of perfection and have as much fun as I can.

Beth P.

hhireno, did you get the iPad? Our induction range is the Samsung. We've had it for a couple years, and we were able to get a floor model for only $1K.

Tonight, I'm making a chicken and lentils dish I found out of the Weight Watchers magazine. Hope it turns out well.

Yes, I did get an iPad, 4th generation. I did sync it with my fitbit (if that's the correct lingo). I've been playing with it for 2 days and it's so much fun but there is so much to learn. I was very sad to find out my Super Bowl party host didn't have wifi (who doesn't have wifi??). The Super Bowl bores me almost to tears so I was looking forward to having something to do between snacking & socializing.

YTNF,
Having the food part under control is a big accomplishment. Sueb wroteI heard someone on the radio say that losing weight is 80% eating right and 20% exercise. Maintaining weight is 80% exercise and 20% food choices.. That means you need to find your exercise mojo for long term success. To paraphrase Lao-tzu: The exercise journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step or lunge or squat.

I just wanted to say that it's so inspiring to come here and read about everyone's efforts. We all have our down days but I know it helps me when I have some accountability to someone other than myself. I don't normally share my exercise highs/lows with others IRL (except dh and my exercise partners), and I don't normally "brag" about what I may have accomplished. But having a chance to share it with others here (who don't know me IRL) who are doing the same thing is a way to keep myself encouraged and accountable. And when I'm not feeling especially motivated, it's nice to come read a thread such as this one and see what everyone else is doing and think, gee, just go DO something. Hhireno, thanks for continuing to post these threads - and you are so kind to respond to each and every one with thoughtful words of encouragement and affirmation.

Bethpen, I'm sorry that you are feeling so much stress and hope that you can find ways to cope. Baby steps are good, any step is good! If you can't find time to exercise, then do simple things like park as far as possible from where you are going rather than right near the door, take the stairs. And if you can find the time, try to make at least a few make ahead meals that are healthy so you can bring them with you up to NH so that you aren't relying on carb-heavy meals while you are there. I have a couple of good chicken recipes that are fairly easy (one is a Greek marinade that you can quickly make, put the chicken in a ziploc bag and freeze then take with you and then it's already for baking or grilling when it's meal time). If you are interested, I can post it here or email it to you. My friend just emailed me a bunch of recipes from a Bikini boot camp class she took - most are very easy and tasty. (I'm making one for dinner tonight - turkey lasagna with eggplant as the noodles). I'm sure you probably have plenty of healthy recipes...it's just making the time, I know!

I would love to see healthy recipes here, so please post! I did the kettle bell workout (Lauren Brooks DVD) with a 7 lb. kettle bell on Saturday, and the burn in my body is just now almost gone. Wow, I am a weakling!

I am so excited! After reading about hooping here, I saw a weighted hoop at TJ Maxx and bought it. For the life of me I could not get the hang of it though. My college daughter's got good laughs at me trying. After watching Youtube's and doing research, we went looking for tubing to make some hoops. My DH came home with some tubing today, made a large hoop, and we both now are successful!

I have a feeling that we will be sore tomorrow, but a good kind of sore. Who knew that a huge hoop would be easier? Seriously, this hoop is nearly 5 foot in diameter. It comes to my armpits and I feel like a hooping fool. Terriks, here I come!

Reporting in!

NO candy or bread in 36 hours. YAY! I know that both items are a problem for me, so my goal is to avoid both daily. About 15 years ago I was very successful on a low carb diet. I am reminding myself of that success and kind of remembering how my thought process went back then. I know if I can avoid sweets and breads for 2 weeks I won't miss them at all. I stocked up on good foods yesterday and I feel a lot better.

The weekend will be harder, I think my sister is making stuffed shells for dinner on Saturday night. I think I will defrost some meatballs and bring a spaghetti squash.

I'm also going to focus on being grateful for the opportunity and not feel sorry for myself for having to work all weekend. DH and I work in restaurants and always work really, really hard all Summer. The Winter weekends have always been my time for reflection, trying to learn to knit, exercise, hanging with the dogs, and cooking for all of us. (my sister and her family share our condo and we have a lot of friends nearby). I need to remind myself that this hectic pace is only for a year or two, and then we'll have employees and things will be much better. Eating Kit Kats isn't going to make any of it easier. :)

Anyway, my Greek salad was deelish tonight and I didn't miss the bread.

Beth P

That is great positive thinking, Beth! I've been avoiding sweets and empty carbs - its hard but after a few days, I find that I really do stop craving it. I'd have a hard time resisting stuffed shells - I love all that kind of Italian food! I was all set to make a turkey lasagna for dinner tonight that uses sliced eggplant and zucchini for the layers instead of pasta and was having a hard time getting past the fact that there was no ricotta or cheese at all! I ended up getting halfway through when I discovered I didn't have any marinara in my freezer so I will finish tomorrow. I ended up having a Greek salad with shredded chicken too! My friend has made the turkey lasagna and said it's pretty good but I know it won't be as yummy as my regular lasagna. Oh well!

Hopefully you will find a few minutes to yourself to recharge for your hectic schedule.

Welcome YoursTilNiagraFalls (YTNF)!!

Thank you very much!

I saw this tweet (on the Huffington Post) and thought about our healthy check-ins:

Despite effort, some weeks the scale won't move. Measure success other ways - healthy choices, extra exercise.
Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.

Ooo, good advice. It's not always about the number on the scale. Give yourself credit for the other things you've done like resisted temptation, cut back on portions, exercised when your heart wasn't in it, or even managed to get a decent amount of sleep.

rnmom,
Isn't hooping fun? I surprised myself when I tried hooping and was able to do it right away. I'm not the most coordinated or athletic person but somehow I could do it right out of the box. I have learned, the hard way, to give myself a wide berth so I don't bump things with the hoop.