Ok, accountability... I like this... sort-of anyway!
I discovered a sure fire way to get pregnant... lose those last few pounds that have been so hard to get off! That is what happened to me... after years of working at it, my weight was finally lower than what my driver's liecense! 11 months later I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!
The first few months of pregnancy I didn't to to bad, but then... well 51 pounds just threw themselves at my body and my body caught them! I justified every last ounce, of course... figuring that after giving birth, I'd only have an extra 20ish pounds to lose. I figured wrong. I had an emergency C-section, so I didn't even get the bennefit of the labor intensive work out of child birth. Sure it would have been painful, but I was considering labor as a real intense work out... designed to help me back into my pre-pregnancy jeans! BOY, did I get a wake up call!I actually GAINED weight after giving birth... I was shocked, when I stepped on the scale two days after giving birth, to find that my weight was 10 pounds higher than it was before going to the hospital! AND I HADN'T EATTEN ANYTHING save a few ice chips!
I have lost 32 pounds since then, including the extra 10 the IVs gave me, and looking for 29 more to come off.
I have changed my way of eating, drastically, for the better. I am staying away from added sugars and over processed foods. The more of a natural state a food is in, I figure the more of a chance it has of staying in me, reducing my hunger and cravings. So far, so good... I have even become a fan of Ben & Jerry's NO SUGAR ADDED ice cream for an occasional treat. Since doing away with all the excess sugars in my diet, my sweet tooth has almost completely vanished! That in itself is a HUGE help, for me!
My biggest problem, right now, is exercise... finding time with a 4 month old while working at least 45 hours a week. Prior to pregnancy, I held two jobs, a steady desk job that paid the bills and a part time job at a major home improvement center--- where I was on my feet my entire shift. Between the two jobs I was working 60-70 hours a weekbut getting the exercise I needed from my part time job. (One Saturday, I posted close to 10 miles on my pedometer) Now I am down to one job, and a LOT less time!
Ok so here is my goal: by this time next week, I want to have at least 2 work outs in... even if it is a walk with my daughter in the stroller. Realistic... yes... Do-able... we shall see. I fly out to attend to some business next weekend, only for 3-babyless-days. Maybe I can get in a bit more exercise during that time, to help me get over how much I will miss her!
Ok... that's my story & I am sticking to it!

Best Wishes for all!
Estir_BunE

I am setting my goals for April and planning where I would like to be by May 1. As of today I weigh 147.5. By May 1 I want to have some sort of loss. I am not going to state a specific number because if I really get going with this I know from past experience that at first I will see a significant drop and then a leveling off in pounds lost. As long as the scale is moving in the right direction I will be happy with that. My goals as far as exercise for this month are: 30 minutes of cardio 4 times per week-eiether WATP or step aerobics. I'll also follow along with everyone else doing the crunches. Twice a week I'll add 10 minutes of weight training to the mix. I have a free one-day pass to a local gym,so I'll work that in as well. My goals for my food plan: Work in more fruits and veggies and stick to a regular schedule of eating. I will plan in a couple of treats per week as rewards. I will continue to post my meal plans daily on this board and consult here regularly for help and ideas. On May 1 I'll do a follow-up on where I'm at and make a new plan for May. I think this will help me stay accountable. My ultimate goal is to get to 120. I'm 5'4" and small boned and this is a comfortable and I think maintainable weight for me with a healthy lifestyle.

Ok, goals are a bit different, trying to be more specific.
Weight: Would like to lose 2 or 3 pounds this month.


Exercise: Keep up what I am doing but try to get in longer cardio say like 35 minutes minimum and actually get to my gym since I am paying for it at least twice a week. I have to figure out how to do it so it may take a bit to get started on that.


Food: Keep up my healthy breakfast and lunches, do not fall off of healhty wagon, do not eat extra things I have not made and brought for myself. Lately, well this past week I slipped up on this, justified it to myself and my friends on the board in such a way that I have not done since I was in high school, and now I am afraid I may do it again.
Desserts only twice a week, unless it is fruit or sugar free jello or something, forgive me for saying this but non-dessertsy. I am so close to my weight goal which I would like to achieve by 7/1, unless I am blessed before then with reaching it or a very good reason for not reaching it.

I have fallen off the wagon last night and today. I hope to do better this evening, and do even better tomorrow. I also hope, that after balancing the checkbook tonight, that I will have enough money to get the 'gazelle' that is reasonably priced at Walmart and excercise at home some evenings and on weekends while watching food network and HGTV.

I want to find our scale (it is still somewhere in this house packed!)by the end of tomorrow and weigh myself.

I hope to see a difference in myself on May 1. Just so my stomach doesn't protrude like I am 6 months pregnant. I will be happy with that.

here are my goals for April...

Weight: On April 1st I was 259, by May 1st I would like to be 255.

Exercise: I have made up my calendar of exercises through the month, Sundays are my day of rest...
April 1st-4: 1 situp, 1 pushup, 5 minutes on exercise bike, 5 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of Pilates or belly dancing each day.
April 5-11: 2 situp, 2 pushup, 6 minutes on exercise bike, 6 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of Pilates or belly dancing each day.
April 12-18: 3 situp, 3 pushup, 7 minutes on exercise bike, 7 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of Pilates or belly dancing each day.
April 19-25: 4 situp, 4 pushup, 8 minutes on exercise bike, 8 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of swimming each day (pool will be open again.. yeah!)
April 26-30: 5 situp, 5 pushup, 9 minutes on exercise bike, 9 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of swimming each day.

any days that the pool isn't open I will do 30 minutes of Pilates or bellydance...

Food: Right now I'm down to one sweet treat a day... so I want to decrease that to 5 times a week. So on Mondays and Thursday, no sugary foods. If I really need to cut my sweet tooth I will use fruit or a smoothie.

I also want to increase my water... I drink anywhere from 64 oz to 90 oz. I will consistently drink at least 80 oz every day.

My April goals are going to flow a little bit into May, since I will leaving for vacation on May 8th and want that to be my end-point.

Weight: By May 8th, I would like to have broken the 150 barrier. After 2+ months of plateauing, I'm a little skittish about setting a weight goal, but I'm taking a deep breath and acting on faith here. I was 155 1/2 for close to two months and am now a few pounds below that. I'm really looking forward to breaking 150 for the first time in about 15 years.

Exercise: I'm already exercising 5-6 days a week consistently, so I am happy with frequency. By May 8th:

1. I would like to be able to get through 20 minutes on the recumbent bike at level 3 intensity. I have been at level 1 the past 2-3 weeks and did 20 minutes at level 2 today, including a couple big hills. When I first started on the bike, level 2 totally kicked my butt so I went back to level 1. Now I think I'm strong enough to start pushing myself more.

2. In the next 5 weeks, I would like to have at least 2 weeks where I do my at-home exercise before work on all 4 of my workdays. This past week was my first week of managing that, so I'm hoping I can keep it going.

3. I want to meet with a trainer at the gym to: a) have him check my form on the weight training exercises that I already do; and b) show me some additional lower body weight training exercises.


Food: I am really happy with my weekday eating (when I cook and bring my lunches to work) and pretty happy with my weekend eating. By May 8th:

1. Though I tend to be resistant to cooking from a recipe/cookbook, I want to have tried at least one dish from KD's new book.

2. I want to expand my horizons for weekends and stop falling back on my two "old faithfuls" which are pizza (made at home and healthy) and quesadillas (ditto). I'd like to find at least one new quick & easy meal that I can use for those days when I get home after gym, shopping and errands and need something I can whip together quickly.

3. I would like to try at least one meatless meal.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SheriaVa,

I started thinking about April Goals the last week of March.

If I use the same template as the March goals:

WEIGHT:
I would like to be at 133 or 132 on May first.

(I'm at 133 now. We will be on vacation for 10 days in April. I will be happy to stay the same .)

FOOD:
I have been really happy with my food the past couple of weeks. I think that I have a good balance of quality, quantity and treats that seems to be working for me.

Goal is to eat VERY clean M-F (non vacation days) with a couple of treats on the weekend. Goal is to balance sensible eating and fun during vacation.

FITNESS:

Days I’m skiing - it is a no-brainer to get exercise in.
During March (non ski days), I exercised 14 times in 27 days (just 51%).

In April, my goal is to do cardio/crunches/push ups 14 times during our 21 non vacation days. (66%)

I will also take a teeny baby step and up the time from 25 mins of cardio to 26 mins. and pushups to 4.

I am also going to limit my computer time because I get more done and exercise more on the days I do this.

Cobismom: Mine hated Science Diet, they will eat the biscuits that is it. We have them on this food called Wellness as my younger dog has a very sensitive tummy and it has execellent ingredients including sweet potato, carrots, berries, almost sounds good enough for me to eat. It is dry, we buy cans too, but that is a treat that we split between them maybe once a week or so.

The hip replacement was rough, b/c we had the 2 we had to keep my Tashi on a leash and she could only go out to go the bathroom and she is definitely my nature girl who loves to be outside. We had come home one day from work and she was dragging her leg behind her, the vet said she had torn cartilage and she had to have that side done. He thought she had done it by running into the fence trying to jump over. So she had that done, super expensive, but no question she had to have it doone and then she just slightly limped with the other side after a while and we had that one done.
She runs great now when we walk her - she just gets arthritis sometimes which slows her down a bit.
Take care.

Shawna,

SOunds like you did well for the circumstances.



Well, as I posted in another thread, I got up early this morning and worked out and felt great! I have entered my plan into FitDay.com and have already calculated my calories, etc, for the day. I'm feeling great!

Well today is day one of going at this full force. Yesterday I did good at lunch, bad at breakfast and dinner.We went to super Wal Mart to get groceries (aside from produce, it is nearly impossible to find anything healthy to eat there!) -- and we made the mistake of going shopping hungry. My fella was "Starving" and suggested the McDonalds there. I told him fine, but the next time he looks at my stomach and has any feeling of disgust, to remind himself he is helping me pork up. We decided the McDonald's would be our 'last supper' so to speak. We stocked up on produce, said farewell to pop tarts, and he not only is going to support me, but he wants to drop a little weight, too. So here we go! We are on our way! -- And shopping at Kroger from now on!

Denise and Stacy: If it weren't for those little beagles/bassets, I don't know what I would do. They are my kids, only other dog-people lovers can understand that. So far, I have Scientific Diet dog food all over the floor, I think that's called disgusted with the menu! But they love to walk and nothing stops them from baying and sniffing all the way.

Stacy: I am waiting for the vet to tell me cobi needs a hip replacement. What was that like? I can't imagine, his little chicken bone excapade cost us a fortune, and he is only 3....my father was 75 before he got his hip replaced. Darn icy sidewalks!

But, as I said without them, I wouldn't walk, and it would be so lonely and sad. Everyone needs a kiss on the cheek now and then...nothing like slobber to get you up and moving.

Well, I have made it a priority to move my caboose more often. Not much going on here at work today, so I stocked up on cleaners and got my booty movng by giving the place a good clean up! Much better than staying parked at this desk!

Cobismom and Denise: I could tell we are all dog people. I love my girls so much. My oldest dog is 12 and she has had both of her hips relaced and still gets as excited as she did as a pup for her walks. My younger one is about 8 and she is so much like a pup still it makes me laugh, I can be gone for 5 minutes and it is like I have been gone all day. You can't buy that kind of devotion.There is nothing I wouldn't do to make them happy and healthier.
Glad to see everyone is in a good place.

Stacy, You are doing awesome. Especially compared to how sad you were a month ago! Way to go!

Cobismom, We really have to watch dd's (dear dog's) food or he starts packing on the pounds. He's a beagle/bassett, too, and he is a serious chow hound. He's is so old, it takes 15 mins to walk around the block - about a quarter mile - but he's done it three times a day for a month now. We have really seen an improvement in him since the fence blew down (before, we just opened the back door and let him out for 5 mins). He is actually getting healthier and he's 16 years old. I guess it kind of shows that it is never too late to start - for both dogs and people.

Denise

Doing very good with my walking, and my dogs walking. They are on a much more strict healthy eating plan than I. They need to loose about 15 pounds apiece, so if I don't get out and walk for me, Iwill get out and walk for them. If it works, I don't care how we got there. We did 20 miles this week already from Wed. to Saturday, not too bad.

I have been doing very well with the homework I set for myself, at least in the exercise dept. This is day 11 of my every day cardio challenge. Tomorrow my dh and I are taking half days to go into the City for our last Knicks game and I will be walking around the City alot. I can't wait! I hope that it is not pouring though. I really feel better with exercising, really this time I do. I have not gotten on a scale yet. I was going to wait until after my 21 days are up as I thought it would keep me more motivated to continue on this healthy path.

I ahve been doing good with goals. I am eating whole fruit 90% of the time and have avoided wating from daughter's plate.
I booked an apt. for a pedicare (decided on that rather than facial as we're going to Florida.) the apt. is April 10th.
Just updating...

Now the pessimist in me says," okay where's the bad things"....but I am going to remain optimistic knowing that all is right with the world in my corner for now.

quote:

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Originally posted by cobismom:
I have to finally post the progress that I have been waiting for over the last year. WW has a scholarship program...and finally after a year, my name has come up, and the thing is in the mail. I am so excited. I know this program works for me...maybe not for others...but it does work for me, and fits in with what I have learned and am learning with this style of eating. I lost over 60 pounds last time, so this is a miricale to me. I am psyched and can't wait to start.

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CONGRATULATIONS!!!! That's fabulous news! Between WW, your good news about your knees and getting back to the pool - it's been quite a week for you! : )

I have to finally post the progress that I have been waiting for over the last year. WW has a scholarship program...and finally after a year, my name has come up, and the thing is in the mail. I am so excited. I know this program works for me...maybe not for others...but it does work for me, and fits in with what I have learned and am learning with this style of eating. I lost over 60 pounds last time, so this is a miricale to me. I am psyched and can't wait to start.