Healthier Lifestyle Thread 2nd March till 8th March

[Lorelei]

Happy new week all!

We are having an early taste of spring, the grass is greening up and the bulbs are beginning to appear. The sun has a bit more warmth in it and the birds are singing their hearts out - makes you feel so much better!

It is a good reminder that better weather isn't far away, especially for those of us who live in colder climates, so a good motivational tool to use to work even harder to reach our goals. Warmer weather clothes are great for helping us and other people to notice positive results, so keep up all the hard work!! I always find it much easier to be motivated during better weather than through the usual cold and pantsy weather we usually have, although I can't RELY on the weather being decent here, thoughts of spring and new outfits definitely help!

Also now is an excellent time to reevaluate goals and see if you are doing everything you need to do to reach them. Check the basics that -

Goals are practical, healthy and achievable
That calorie intake is not too low nor too high to reduce bodyfat
That you are drinking enough water ( approx 2 litres daily)
That your workouts are efficient and are intense enough to burn fat if that is the goal.
You are eating enough lean protein

If anyone can think of anything else to add to the goals strategy list then that would be very helpful.

Have a great week

 

[marcy]

Great opener, Lorelei. I dug out my pink purse yesteday since it''s now March. I think spring is like rebirth as the trees, grass and flowers will start to come back (in about 3 months where I live - LOL). It''s a great time to reflect upon our healthy living goals. I am looking forward to some lovely walks in the park.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[KimberlyH]

It''s been in the 80s all weekend here and we have one more day of warm weather before we head back down into the 60s (I know, that''s hot for most of you! Spoiled southern Californian I am) and it''s been fun pulling out some of my shorts and tees.

Marc, good luck today. Same to you, Rod.

I start my new job today, have some planning to do, will go to the gym or out for a walk afterwards.

Have a great day everyone.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 9:14:42 AM
Author: KimberlyH
It''s been in the 80s all weekend here and we have one more day of warm weather before we head back down into the 60s (I know, that''s hot for most of you! Spoiled southern Californian I am) and it''s been fun pulling out some of my shorts and tees.

Marc, good luck today. Same to you, Rod.

I start my new job today, have some planning to do, will go to the gym or out for a walk afterwards.

Have a great day everyone.

Best of luck Kimmy!!

 

[geckodani]

I stopped posting for a while, because I felt like a hypocrite posting in here when I wasn''t doing so well IRL. We moved, I mucked up my knee, was in the ER with allergies, got strep.... Feb was not such a good month for the Dani.

But - It''s March now, and so it''s time to put Feb''s insanity behind me. Rather than unrealistically try to completely overhaul myself and my habits all at once, we shall use baby steps.

Baby step #1: no vending machine. Under ANY circumstances.

Good luck with your job Kim!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

It''s snowing here in the south! Last week I think I did good on the exercise front. I never counted that long walk I took (only gym visits) so I ended last week with 5 x. I am going to Zumba tonight to start the week out right. I am hoping this week (my 5th week) I will start seeing some (little) change in my body. Keeping my fingers crosses and trying to ignore the huge cookie cake DH brought home last night.

gecko, hope things improve soon!

kimberly, good luck with the new job!

marcy and Lor, hope you both get in workouts today

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 9:50:39 AM
Author: geckodani

I stopped posting for a while, because I felt like a hypocrite posting in here when I wasn''t doing so well IRL. We moved, I mucked up my knee, was in the ER with allergies, got strep.... Feb was not such a good month for the Dani.

But - It''s March now, and so it''s time to put Feb''s insanity behind me. Rather than unrealistically try to completely overhaul myself and my habits all at once, we shall use baby steps.

Baby step #1: no vending machine. Under ANY circumstances.

Good luck with your job Kim!

No need to feel like a hypocrite if things aren''t going so well Dani - post anyway and get on track when you can!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 10:16:03 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
It''s snowing here in the south! Last week I think I did good on the exercise front. I never counted that long walk I took (only gym visits) so I ended last week with 5 x. I am going to Zumba tonight to start the week out right. I am hoping this week (my 5th week) I will start seeing some (little) change in my body. Keeping my fingers crosses and trying to ignore the huge cookie cake DH brought home last night.

gecko, hope things improve soon!

kimberly, good luck with the new job!

marcy and Lor, hope you both get in workouts today

Hi Tac,

I am planning on another treddy session tonight, The Tudors on DVD is getting really interesting, last night the workout flew by as I was so engrossed in the TV!

 

[appletini]

I just got back from my TBT class...I hadn''t been in two weeks and it was a great workout! Lots of cardio which I needed. Tomorrow''s plan is to exercise after work with coworker #2.

I''m so excited the time change is next Sunday...Then I can start doing my walk/jog routine in the evenings in addition to my lunch time workouts.

 

[merrymunky]

Hey guys...

I am SO sorry I haven''t even checked in for such a long time. How are you all?

Weight wise, I have hit a wall, but I have my ultimate motivation to get back on track.

Ross and I set our wedding date. We are getting married on August 26th this year!!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 3:39:17 PM
Author: merrymunky
Hey guys...

I am SO sorry I haven''t even checked in for such a long time. How are you all?

Weight wise, I have hit a wall, but I have my ultimate motivation to get back on track.

Ross and I set our wedding date. We are getting married on August 26th this year!!!!

Merry I wondered where you were, good to see you!!

Don''t worry, keep working away towards your goals, you will get there, and congrats on the wedding date!!!

 

[alli_esq]

Hello, ladies! I was wondering if I might join you all?

I''m finally ready to get on track health and fitness-wise, and I know how much it can help to have support around...

I haven''t looked back too much to past weeks, but do you ladies talk about your exercise/nutrition and things?

If so, I''m ready to get on board if you''ll have me!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 4:21:03 PM
Author: alli_esq
Hello, ladies! I was wondering if I might join you all?

I'm finally ready to get on track health and fitness-wise, and I know how much it can help to have support around...

I haven't looked back too much to past weeks, but do you ladies talk about your exercise/nutrition and things?

If so, I'm ready to get on board if you'll have me!

OF COURSE we will have you alli, welcome to the thread!!

How the thread works is that we are a bunch of folks who are all trying to live a healthier lifestyle, but enjoy life too. We all use the mantra slow and steady wins the race as we are all on this journey for life - a healthier lifestyle we can live with! Many of us have tried strict diets and failed so this way we try to keep active and make the best choices we can - with room for the odd slice of cake here and there - hehe!

We slip and fall but encourage each other to get right back on track and it works really well, you won't find a "thou shalt not "attitude here which is really helpful as we don't believe in perfection but continued patience, persistance and practise! So if you like the sound of it, hop on board!!

You can use the thread in any way you want, to keep yourself accountable if that is what works for you, share as much or as little as you wish and just interact with the great members of the HLT family! Whatever works for you!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 4:29:13 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
::sneaking in after being gone forever::

Hello everyone! I''m not working today and taking a break from cleaning this pit I call my house

I have been back on plan for oh.. a bit and doing well.. I hadnt lost anything and was yo-yo-ing from 151-154 the past few weeks.. stress induced I''m thinking. Its been hard lately and I am not myself. SO.. while I am still not myself, I have been at the lower part of the 150s lately.. I lost 2.6 last week and thank goodness. I am kind of looking forward to Thursday''s wi..

My son left home for Korea the 21st.. I''ve been able to talk to him on the weekends through msn and glad he has a camera on his laptop so I can see his face I may go out and get one so he can see us too.

Stress in general has kept me down. I come here to read a lot of the time but I dont do a lot of posting lately.. not like I used to. I love PS and that kind of makes me sad.

I just wanted you all to know I''ve been thinking about you.

WE MISSED YOU!!!!

 

[alli_esq]

thanks so much, Lorelei!!

Well, my story is that I lost some weight before I started law school and have put it all back on...now my plan is to lose about 13 lbs by June...a good friend of mine is getting married in August and I am in her wedding party...and then I get married in November, so I want to look and feel awesome during the summer and beyond. I believe that I can stick to it because I have a gym 1 block (literally.) from my apartment, and once I get into the habit of going regularly, I know I''ll feel so good that I will want to continue!!!

I am using fitday.com to start keeping myself in check (it helps not just with calories, but with macronutrients...and other nutrients...to let you know what exactly you''re putting into your body), and I WILL remain accountable!

I am only 27, and I have back pain and knee pain, so aside from looking great, I reeeeally need to start feeling better, so, here are my goals for this week:

Short-Term Goals

Eating:
1600 calories maximum--average for the week
25g fiber--average for the week
10 glasses of water--each day
vitamins--each day

Exercise:
4 days at the gym
180 minutes total cardio for the week
60 minutes total weight training for the week
**************

I started working out last week and I felt so good about it (even though I only went for about a half an hour 4x), and I really feel ready to speed it up.

Thanks for letting me join in again

 

[lliang_chi]

Welcome alli!

It''s snowing again here in Chicago

But it should be getting up to the 50s later this week. I think I"m going to try for a run twice this week once it warms up. Maybe I''ll bring the pooch.

Dee''s going to the later yoga class, but we''re hopefully going to meet up later this week. I''m doing the 6PM with my sister. I''m going to try for at least 3 times this week. It''d be good to do 4, but we''ll see.

Lunch today was some leftover takeout noodles. Dinner will probably be a salad or some pasta.

The BYO Sauce/ItaLiang night was a lot of fun. Sis and I didn''t make enough pasta so James (who was busy drinking and talking) didn''t get to have any pasta.

I feel bad about that, so I''m going to make some fresh pasta for him this week. Maybe some chicken parm, since it''s his favorite. He''s also been craving BBQ so I''m going to do a pulled pork sandwich sometime this week too. I just need to hit the grocery. It''s March so I have an 8K at the end of the month. I''m not too worried about it, but I''d like to be under 45 mins which is my standard 8K time.

I''m also going to try to start that 100 pushups training. I''ve got a ski trip coming up and I need to beef up my upper arms so I can pull myself on traverses.

Kim, How''s the new job?

Lore, great opener. It''s a good thing to check in 2 months after everyone''s NY Resolutions and remember what we''re trying to achieve. I think my calorie intake is sneaking back up again, so I''m going to go back to tracking again.

Gecko, March is a new month We''re here to help you get back on track! How was the baby step #1 today? Pack healthy snacks etc so you can have that instead of vending machine temptations. Or go to the grocery store and make a little pack of whatever you might like from the vending machine so you''re not eating a whole candy bar, just a 1/2 oz piece

Tacori, Have fun at Zumba tonight. I''m thinking you''ll be seeing changes soon if not already.

Merry! Congrats!! I saw your post on the BWW forum

welcome alli

 

[KimberlyH]

Hi All!

Lorelei, gecko, Tacori, and Lliang, thanks so much for the inquiries and encouragement; the new job is great. I didn''t have any nerves going in and I''m sure that this is going to work out just fine for the next few months. There''s lots to do to get my footing, but once I do things will be great.

Gecko, don''t hide away because things aren''t going as planned, that''s life and we''re here to support you no matter what!

Welcome, Alli. I hope you find much support here, I know I have and do. If nothing else it''s nice to talk to like-minded people.

Merry, you''ve been missed, and hooray for a wedding date!

SDL, must be hard to have your son overseas. I bought myself a great pair of knee-high leather boots when I hit goal about 6 years ago. I no longer wear them, but they sit in my closet as a reminder.

I just went for a long walk. I''ve wanted to be outside instead of in the gym a lot lately. We''re headed to the beach to wander a bit and go out to dinner. Have a great evening everyone.

 

[zoebartlett]

Helloooo! I''m back and settling in to being home again after a week in beautiful and funky Key West. We had perfect weather the whole time we were there, and now today we''ve had a foot of now fall. We ended up having a snow day -- in what would have been our first day back from February vacation. We went parasailing and jet skiing, and we sat in the warm sun among the palm trees at the condo my parents rented. It was a fantastic trip. I''ll post pictures when I can. My laptop died while we were away, and many of my pictures were on it.

We ate breakfast at the condo every day except for one, and we had lunch there, too, a few times. Most of the time though, we ate at great restaurants. It was impossible to plan meals but I tried to keep myself in check. It must not have worked though because I gained a couple of pounds. Oops.

I''m not sure I''ll have time to catch up on last week''s thread, but I hope everyone''s doing well.

Tacori -- I just remembered that I didn''t answer a question you had before i left. The books I had gotten at Barnes and Noble were A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (not a vacation type of book), The Associate (John Grisham''s latest), Marley and Me, and Alphabet Weekends, by Elizabeth Noble. THat one was the chick lit book, and I still haven''t read it. I highly recommend Grisham''s book though.

Kim -- how did the day go today? What are you doing (what type of teaching)?


MM -- congrats on setting a date!

Welcome Alli!

Hi SDL! Good to see ya!

ETA: I apologize if there are typos. My husband''s computer is hooked up to the TV (as our new monitor), and it''s far from where I''m sitting. I''m blind as a bat! I can''t wait to get a new laptop!

 

[Skippy123]

Hi friends; today was an allergy shot day so I took it easy and hubby and I went on a 20 min walk. We also met for lunch at this Vietnamese Noodle shop which was super yummy!! I wonder how many calories are in those noodle bowls? Mine had thin slices of beef, noodles and onion; I got the small size but that was HUGE! I ate about 1/2 of it. Yay for a great Monday all!!! It was 76 degrees here

LORELEI, great opener and great reminder; I will try and get more protein in!! Yay for your workouts!

MARCY, hope your tooth is okay, hugs.

ROD, hope your tooth is okay too, hugs.

KIMI, yay for 80 degree weather, sounds lovely! How was class?

GEKO, great to see you! I hope your knee and allergies are better! hugs.

TACORI wow, snow? My FIL sent me pics of VA and they got lots of snow too! Stay warm!! I bet you are feeling stronger, woo hoo! I love those cookies, you are strong!

APPLE, yay for TBT.

MERRY, I missed you; glad you are back! Yay for having a wedding date!!

ALLI, welcome, yes, we talk about everything and anything. Glad you joined us!!! Like Lorelei, slow and steady wins the race. You have a great goal!!!

SDL, glad you are back!!! Yay you are doing great, you are tiny woman!

LLIANG, hi friend; oh no to the snow. Stay warm!! Yay for yoga with your sis and Dee! Aw, no worries on pasta; sounds yummy! you need to splurge every once in awhile

ZOE, yay glad you are back!!!! Glad you had a great vacation; it sounds beautiful!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Went to Zumba! This class was hard. My friend said I am getting better so that made me feel good. Still can''t shake my hips like some of the ladies there OR move my feet quite as fast. It is clicking more. Planning on going again tomorrow night as long as T allows me (child watch). So tired. I think I am going to go to bed early.

merry, yay for setting a wedding date! If that is not motivation NOTHING is

remember, those pictures last forever!

alli, welcome!

Some people here are maintaining and just living a healthy lifestyle, many of us (me included) are trying to lose weight. This thread is extremely helpful! Makes me work harder knowing this ladies and Rod will ask about my day! Haha. I am losing weight after having my baby...errr..guess she is more of a toddler, not a baby anymore. I have never worked out before so this is all new for me. May I suggest a cardio class? I was so nervous and resistant to them but luckily my friend talked me into them. They are an hour long and I work out so much harder than I would on my own. Naturally I am very lazy. Haha. My one class burns up to 1,000 calories.

SDL, ohhh...gifts! What''s the budget? Maybe a nice piece of silver jewelery as a reminder of a fantastic job you did. Losing weight is tough *sigh* You can totally lose those last 11 lbs though. You are tough

I know how much you must miss your son. Those video cameras are super cheap. I think our msn one was under $20.

lliang, it snowed here!

I am not liking it! Haha. Sounds like you are doing awesome (like always). I still want to try yoga. Okay, my shirts might be a TAD looser...like I might be seeing things, might be looser type of thing. I do hope this week the scale tips to my favor. I think I deserve it!

kimberly, yay for a walk. I wish my DH would take walks with me. Too busy I guess. Glad you love your new job!

Zoe, I think everyone gains weight on vacation! Too easy! Sounds like you had a great vacation!!! I love chick lit. Seriously. I love Meg Cabot. She has a few books where it is all e-mails. So cool and fun to read! Sorry about your laptop!

skippy, I am so jealous. 76!?! The snow mostly melted already. Tomorrow is our gymboree type class with T. Wonder if she will do the opening circle time. Probably not. Little monkey.

 

[Rod]

Hey..........I went to work exxtra early this morning, since I was leaving early for my dental appointment. The atmosphere in the office is a bit subdued since they laid off some last week. I was actually glad to have to get a crown so I could be out of the office early. That''s kind of sad. The crown and refacing of the adjacent teeth was just amazing. It wasn''t painful in any way and the finished product is amazing. It looks so completely natural and even better than I could have imagined. After coming home, Charlie and I went for sushi at favorite sushi place #2. SWe had a couple pieces of dark chocolate for dessert. Tomorrow will be an "uber" Tuesday with the gym right after work.

Great opener as usual Lorelei! One thing you might want to add to your list is to mix it up. Our bodies tend to adjust to the same activities, so if losing weight, or building muscle, or toning is your goal.........mix it up for better results. Otherwise, your message is timely and well put as usual!!

Marcy, I hope your crown experience was a pleasant as mine! My mouth''s not even sore.

Thanks Kimberly. I''m glad you had a good first day at work!

Hey gecko, it''s nice to see you. I''m sorry Feb was such a yucky month. Don''t ever feel you can only check in if you''re ''on track''. Here''s to a healthy and better March for you!

Sorry for the snow Tacori. March may be rolling in like a lion, but hopefully, it will go out like a lamb. You did great on the exercise front last week!!

Yay for a good TBT class apple.

It''s nice to see you merry and a super YAY for setting the wedding date!

Welcome Alli......I''m the lone guy who checks in daily. I''m sure you''ll enjoy being a part of our healthy HLT gang!

Hey Michelle......I''d wondered where you''d been. Congratulations on getting so lcose to your wieght goal. As the one guy, my suggestion isn''t what most here would likely want, but the item I''ve been coveting lately is the iPhone and it''s only $199. I can understand how stress can keep you down. It''s been a bit stressful on my side lately as well.

lliang, I''m sure you''ve had enough of winter. I hope it does warm up and you''re able to get outside again!

Welcome back Zoe. I''m glad you had a great time in KW. It''s a fun place for sure. Did you go to the butterfly conservatory on Duval? How about Louie''s Backyard for dinner?

Thanks Skippy. As you saw above, it was a pretty painless and successful dental visit! Wow for 76 degrees there. It was only near 60 in Tampa. Yumm to noodles. I doubt the calories would be such an issue. Korean food can be very healthy.

Have a good Tuesday everyone.........

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

Happy Monday!I am down to 3 days left of my awful antibiotics.I sure hope my sinus infection will be gone by then.I am better but still not well.

It was lovely here today in the 60’s.I went for a nice walk at work today during my break.I usually don’t take a break but just thought I’d get out in the sun for a few minutes.

I got my crown put on today.I don’t know the damages yet though as they will submit it to insurance first.They will probably pay ½ of it and I think I have a $50 deductible with them.

We bought some bread at Great Harvest this weekend.I took in a piece for my midmorning snack.I thought it was quite tasty about 10 am.It’s a little more in calories than my 100 cal snack but not that much and it’s nice for a change.

Kimi, am excited to hear how comfortable you feel with your new class.

Dani, baby steps will get you there.Sorry to hear February was a tough month for you.

Tacori, I am sure you’ll be noticing results soon from all of your workouts.I did get in a lovely walk in the sun today.

Lorelei, I am glad you’ve got your TV programming ready for your trip to the treddy.

Appletini, I am looking forward to DST starting too.I am getting spring fever of course we have at least 10 more weeks of winter around here.

Merry, congratulations for setting a wedding date.How exciting for you.

Hi Alli!Welcome to the thread.We talk about what we eat, our workouts and pretty much anything else that might be on our mind.Twelve pounds by August sounds like a very reasonable goal.That is nice for you to be one block away from a gym.

SanDiegoLady, it’s good to see you here.I definitely think you should get something as a reward.I would want clothes, a purse or of course jewelry.I would want it to be something I could always keep and remember why I got it.

Lliang, I am glad the pasta party was fun.I think we’ll try that some time with some of our friends.

Zoe, I am glad you had fun in Florida.

Skippy, I can’t wait until we get some weather in the 70’s.Mmm for noodles for lunch.My tooth is doing okay.I noticed it most of the day but tonight it’s just part of my mouth.I did ask the dentist what karat of gold they use – he said it’s about 20 kt.

Rod, I am glad your new crown looks and feels great.He had to keep polishing mine down a bit more but I think it fits in there good.

I hope you had a great day!

Marcy

 

[Lorelei]

Did an hour on the treddy last night, it went great and already I can feel myself tightening up again around by middle especially!!! WOOT!

 

[geckodani]

Thanks everyone for the support and welcome back - you really are an amazing group of folks!

Alrighty. Adding baby step 2:

1. No vending machine. (I brought enough healthy snacks today.

)
2. Don''t go out for lunch. (Even though I usually get a salad, the money adds up, and I know that the spaghetti i brought is WAY better for me since I''m the one that made it!)

Merry - Congratulations on setting a wedding date!

Hi alli-esq!

SDL - Your son is in my prayers! And I think you should definitely get a webcam, they''re pretty inexpensive, and then he can see your lovely face.

lliang - OMG I am so over snow. It''s 8 degrees in MI right now. Bah.

Zoe - Parasailing! I love parasailing! Flying over the water is just so darned cool!

Skippy - Do those allergy shots actually work? Because DH is allergic to pretty much everything including air.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/2/2009 6:11:17 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett


Kim -- how did the day go today? What are you doing (what type of teaching)?

Zoe, the day went well. I''m working as a push in/pull out for three fifth grade classrooms. I am teaching small group writing and math to students who aren''t working at grade level and a reading class (26 or so kids) to kids who are at grade level. It''s at the same school where I student taught, with my old master teacher and her two team members. It''s a great opportunity and I''m really excited about it.

 

[KimberlyH]

So today I have work, subbing, then PT job, so no time for a workout. Back at it tomorrow.

Have a great day all.

 

[canuk-gal]

Howdy ya'll!!!

It was lovely and warm yesterday the snow was melting--but too icy for a run outside so I opted for a walk. Invigorating! Today brought several cm's of very heavy snow--so much so I couldn't lift the shovel--no great exercise there. I did use the snowblower and that was at least something....

Keep well folks!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Lorelei]

Glad your first day went well Kimmy!

Hi Zoe and Sharon!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Had my trainer yesterday then did bikram last night. Saw Liang on the way out, but hopefully we can hook up to do a class together later this week. This morning I just did the bike because my knee is sore and I''m trying to be conservative until the climb on Sunday. Plus, I don''t want to be crippled in Aspen next week!

I bought this crazy new scale yesterday that gives me six different readouts. They flashed so damn fast at me this morning that all I got was my weight (124) and my body fat (17.2), but tomorrow I am going to try to pay better attention. Oh, and maybe I should dig the instructions out of the trash too so those other numbers actually MEAN something to me.

Sorry for the quick fly by and not saying hello to everyone, but I''ll be back later!

 

[Skippy123]

Today I need to run to the grocery store and clean house (fun times)!!! Tonight I am going to the gym. I will come back later and post. Hugs to all

boo about the boots SDL.