Week 7/7/08

How is everyone doing this week?

I am thinking we need a 24/7 hotline to call when we need an intervention. I could have used it last week when I had an encounter with some rice crispy treats. And ice cream. And a lemon bar. It was the 4th okay?

Anyway, this week I have a family reunion all week, so I am just hoping not to totally fall off of the wagon. I ran this morning, and plan to two more times this week. I have lost 2 lbs girls! WOOT!

How are you gals doing?

Lisa's here!

Hi, I'm Lisa. I'm a 24 year old mother of 2 - - Kirk is 3 and Sara is almost 1. I have gained over 75 lbs since I got married 4 years ago and cannot seem to take them off. I recently started going to the Walk-In Weight Loss clinic here and it has a great program run by an MD and a dietitian. My goal is to lose at least 60 lbs. over the next however long it takes me. :) Preferably sooner rather than later.
My plans (or rather - how the dr. intends for me to lose it):
Eat my largest meal in the morning.
No carbs after 2 PM.
No eating or snacking after dinner.
(Mind you - most non-starchy vegis are free carbs - you can have as much as you want).
That is the gist of the plan. The dr. doesn't even stress exercise, although I will exercise. This plan does work - I have seen some results already, but I cannot seem to keep myself motivated long enough to see the results. So - that is my pledge! To stick to my plan! There's a group of moms that goes walking for about an hour every morning with me. Unfortunately due to my husband's work, running is out of the question. I will not run with a stroller and Paul works too early most mornings for me to leave the kids at home in bed. But I would love to work up the endurance to run a 5K with Cami, Jill and Becky. It just may not be this summer.

Here is a nasty picture of me with my kids and my little brother. I would do anything to not look like this!!!

OK - I don't know what else to post - but GOOD LUCK to everyone else and thanks to Cami for setting this up!

Melissa Intro

Hello All!

My name is Melissa and I have two little boys and a hubby (who I count as my 3rd child sometimes.. :)) I have been a BIG TIME slacker for the past year. I let myself eat anything during my whole pregnancy, and I hardly exercised past the 4th month. So I feel like I am starting at square one. Baby steps, right? I only have about 7-8 lbs to lose to get back to pre pregnancy weight, but I have a lot of toning to do!

I have woken up at 6:30 for the past two days and have gone running. And I haven't had any junk food for 3 days. WOOHOO! Really, the only thing I am focusing on right now is being active every day and eating good food. Nothing more specific than that. I want to establish habits that I can keep up forever, instead of yo-yoing back and forth between different phases. I'm excited to have our own little support group!

Cami Jo....update

Okay, so it looks like we've got a lot of interest in our little blog. I'm WAY excited, and hope everyone else is too. I've loved the posts so far, and I think I'm going to love having a little support group! (Even if some of you, I've never met! Welcome to the blogging world, eh?)

Okay, so for me, I did great on Saturday and Sunday, (eating wise) but we went camping Monday-Tuesday. I didn't totally loose it, but a few smores probably aren't doing me much good! I've promised myself that I'm going to be really strict with myself for the rest of the week though. Here are my goals this week:

Wednesday: Elipticle 30 minutes hard. Toning 20 minutes

Thursday: Run 5k

Friday: Walk with Friends. (We usually do about 4 miles in an hour)

Saturday: Run 5k

Sunday: TAKE A BREAK! WAHOO!

Moday: Walk again with Friends

Tuesday: Elipticle

Okay, that's my plan. I'm also still sticking to 3 treats this week. Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into? Once I say it out loud, I'm kind of stuck! That's good though right? I figure I have a YW party planning meeting, and I'm in charge of refreshments today, so that will be one treat. Then, I'm sure I'll have something on the 4th at a BBQ I'm going to. Then, I will limit myself to one more treat until Next Wednesday. Think I can do it? OF COURSE I CAN! I AM AMAZING!!! (I tell myself that all the time, even when I don't believe it! It's good for ya!)

Okay, as for the rest, I'll keep working on the same goals as before. More water, nothing to eat after 7:30pm , etc! I'll post next week to let you know how I did!

Thank Goodness for ALMONDS!

Obviously, by the looks of my golfing photo I have a lot to work on. But I have noticed a few things that help curb my appetite.

First and foremost, Water. It's the healthiest drink in the world! And if you have an urge to eat something try drinking water first and see if you are still hungry. In the book French Women Don't Get Fat she suggest drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning and right before bed, in addition to all the glasses during the day. It works (except when you're prego....makes you pee even more)!

The foods pictured are my favorite "healthy" snacks. Yes, I know you see the m&m's and those are certainly not healthy. But when I sit in long stretches in front of a computer at work (or surfing the web) I need to snack to keep my energy level high. So I bring a small bag of almonds and m&m's. The almonds provide protein which create energy. I seriously don't feel full by dinner time after I eat a handful of almonds over the course of a few hours. The m&m's are for my sugar craving.

Vitamin water doesn't have that fake sugar taste and is filling.

Another snack I love is yogurt. Not the Yoplait kind full of sugar and other additives. I like the Mountain Dairy brand that does not have any unnatural sugar added. I add honey or applesauce to sweeten the plain kind. My kids love it too! Or for breakfast I add frozen fruit and granola! Yum yum!

I also eat licorice. Lo-cal, lo-fat. They do have corn syrup (not high) and are healthier than chocolate bars....now that I am writing this I don't know that my sugar treats are helping my health....

I hate the word diet though. I refuse to diet. The two times that I have tried it I always end up gaining the weight back and then some. In the book mentioned earlier, she suggests saving room for dessert after dinner. And the French know how to make dessert, believe me! When I lived over there it was hard passing the pastry shops and not indulge myself in one each time. But the point is not to deprive yourself otherwise you may binge later on.

I found an article here that suggests eating an apple instead of cheese and crackers to delete 100 calories. When you are in a salty mood add popcorn kernels (about 1/4 up) into a lunch sack. Pop like normal microwave popcorn but don't add too much butter and salt. It tastes light and airy but healthy and yummy!

I hope these suggestions help! If you are an anti-sugar person check out this blog. Oh, and here is a great article about the health benefits of almonds.

Please, comment or blog about your own healthy indulgences!

Thanks for the invite!

Thanks for letting me join your health and fitness blog! I know Melissa who knows Cami!

I am 28 years old and have a 3 1/2 year old and 18 month old. Naturally, I'm busy but it's no excuse not to take care of myself. Melissa was a great influence in pushing me to start running. I used to hate it but now love it. I cannot run as long as the rest of you. I am impressed that you can run 3 miles at once! I rest after 1 mile and that's with my 20 week pregnant running buddy, Stephanie! She has to wait for me! But I hope to run a 5k w/Melissa this August or September here in SLC.

I will not disclose my weight but I am 5'9" and wear size 12. Here is the most recent photo of me w/my baby pooch still in tact....the hardest of body parts for me to get rid of.



I am finally happy with the way I look but know that I can be even healthier and leaner and then I would be completely satisfied. My goal is to lose 25 pounds before I get pregnant again (only to gain it all back :) ) It is certainly more difficult for me to lose the baby weight the 2nd time around. My guilty flaw is SUGAR as well. But I also need to work on portion control.

My goals:
Run 3 times a week. At least 2 miles each time.
Continue doing Pilates/toning exercise 3 times weekly
Eat less sweets and smaller portions
Drink more water

The oldie in the group

Ok, here I go. I don't usually "Blog" but Cami has encouraged me to do this to keep me on track.
I am Cami's mom and I'm 48, wow that's hard to type. Anyway I want to lose 15 pounds before the end of summer. I have a missionary coming home and I don't want him to get off the plane and wonder where his mom went because he won't recognize me in my extra padding.
I am usually a pretty good exerciser but I need to combine that now with my eating habits.
NO MORE SUGAR!!! Yes I'm a sugar addict. Now I've said it and I must face it. I am trying to stop the whole sugar thing and get back to eating healthy. I need to snack on carrots and nuts instead of twinkies so that is my plan.
I bought an elipticle a few months ago and I like doing that. I used to run and I would like to start building my distance up again.
I also am starting do "Cleanse" today and I hate it, but I know it will get my blood sugar back where it needs to be, so wish me luck.
I probably won't post everyday, but I'll keep up with you "youngsters". Just remember, it's a lot harder to lose weight now that I'm over the hill than it was when I was your ages so be kind and I'll try to be patient with myself.
Thanks for the invite Cami and good luck to all of you.
BTW Jill, You look great, as do you Cami.