Ugh. Don't ask. Okay, true confessions. I have been a total slacker for about two weeks. Had surgery on my leg and couldn't do any real exercise. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the OK to resume more high-powered walking and other exercise because I have some serious work to do after the holiday binge. I made a "practice" pumpkin pie last Sunday...okay, it was from Cooking Light...so that justified my decision to have it for breakfast for three days in a row. We went out to dinner Wed. night, had a feast on Thurs., went out to lunch AND dinner Fri., and had pizza last night. The good news is that I'm actually looking forward to getting back to my healthier habits. I feel like such a slug and the sugar cravings are back in full force. At least I recognize it...right??

DH and I have both had colds over the past 4 weeks or so, first me, then him, and both were the "coughing all night" variety, so lack of sleep and feeling somewhat crummy have also helped me to make some lousy eating decisions

And I'm wearing a sleeveless dress this Fri. night. Can I tone my arms in 5 days??

hhireno, wish I had read your post about saying "no, thank you" a few weeks ago when DH offered our house to host the members of our school fundraising group. Was told to expect about 40 people and then I saw the invitation list that was sent out with 70 names ... 43 of which are coming so far. Had I seen the real list first, I would not have agreed. Arrrgh!

Chispa,
Oye, 70 people?! Maybe the remaining 20+ will take my advice and say "no, thank you". Good luck. And don't leave your husband unattended, who knows what future thing he might agree to do when you're busy refilling the punch bowl.

Sueb,
Put down the hand weights, you'll just end up with tennis elbow if you overdo it leading up to Friday. You had your fun, pie for breakfast (that's something I would do!), now it's time to straighten up and fly right.

Last month I tried to light a fire under myself to get back on track with exercising during the week - which I'd slacked off on. I just can't maintain my weight exercising twice a week only on weekends. So I did a great job the first week and then I got a nasty cold and just didn't feel well enough to exercise for two weeks!! Back on track now through and I had the week of Thanksgiving off so I had time to exercise every day. Good thing as that helped offset my Thanksgiving dinner.

Fortunately my life is simple enough that I don't have to get stressed out over the holidays. We try to stay focused on the the true meaning and spirit of the holidays and I think that prevents us from getting sucked into a lot of stuff that adds to ones stress level.

I'm with you gibby, I keep my life simple and don't stress about the holidays. So much of it is self-inflicted and I just don't understand why people continue the traditions that add stress to life. It drives me crazy when people complain about all they have to do. If you don't want to do it, then don't do it.

I love to eat Xmas cookies but I find making them tedious so, at most, I make one kind if my niece and nephew will be visiting. They won't be here this year and half the family are celiacs so no cookie baking for me. My waist thanks me.

Since my youngest niece and nephew won't be here, I won't be putting up a tree either. I do other decorations but no tree. The fun of seeing it does not outweigh the work of putting it up and taking it down. But I was wandering around the LR last night looking for something I could drape with lights. I do like extra lights in this dark and dull month.

I don't exchange many gifts so gift buying and wrapping don't take much time. I don't send cards to people I see all the time, only a handful of people I don't get to see so that doesn't take long either.

My holiday stress is limited to my brief participation with my husband's family and their traditions. My SIL still videotapes the opening of the gifts. There are 5 of us and I'm the youngest at 54. This isn't cute kids showing excitment over a Barbie or a sled. It's me pretending to be happy about a gift card to a restauant I don't really like. Who is going to watch these hours and hours of videotape again? Not me, that's for sure.

Enough of my complaining about complainers. The temperture is just nice enough for me to take a walk outside and I should take advantage of that.

I went for my routine physical. My cholesterol might be an issue, so I am going to have blood drawn this week. (Everything else will be checked too.)
I am keeping my weight steady, but up a bit. Want to get back on track and my goal of 3 pounds, which for me takes forever.
Hoping to curb the extra eating that Christmas brings, but I think I am in a better place than I was last year!
My motivation is my family vacation photo from last January.
Sueb, exercise is great, but you don't have to do it to lose weight. Have fun at your holiday party, but think ahead about how you are going to navigate the food.

I started off the holiday season with a plan. Back in late October, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to do this "bikini body boot camp" class with her - she had done it once before. While I have no desire to ever get back in a bikini, I did like the idea which is a two week class that focuses on healthy eating, then at least 30 minutes of cardio daily along with an hour long fitness class 5-6 days a week. Along with the class, the instructor provides sample menu ideas as well as recipes for the meals. It's basically lean chicken and turkey, fish, egg whites, nuts, vegetables and complex carbs like quinoa and brown rice. No sugar, etc.

After talking about it, we realized we could do it pretty much on our own, esp since my friend had done the class with her once before and knew what to do. She had all the menus/recipes/etc but we figured if we did it together on our own, we'd feel more accountable to each other than if one of us didn't do it. So we started the Monday two weeks before Thanksgiving, finishing up the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

At the same time, a Pure Barre studio opened up, and we both bought the one month unlimited classes. It was perfect timing! We ran together for our cardio, then 3-4 days did pure barre, then we had one day a week or so that we did our own thing (I did some strength training at home using a video I have). I managed to lose 6 lbs, but more importantly, from the Pure Barre class, I have totally noticed loss of fat/flab from my midsection (stomach, rear end, thighs). While I went off the meal plan the week of Thanksgiving, I kept up with the exercising all last week and I'm starting back up again today on the lean meats/etc (I'm sure I gained some weight back, but didn't get on the scale today).

I have to say, that the food part really wasn't that hard, though my kids are totally sick of ground turkey breast! We had turkey meatloaf, turkey chili, turkey lasagna (that was AWESOME - zucchini and eggplant are the noodles and even without cheese it was delicious), turkey tacos ( had a salad that night) over the two weeks, but also did chicken and fish. I made a huge batch of ratatouille as well that I ate for lunch and some dinners when I made the kids other stuff. Dh stuck with the meal plan with me and lost 5 lbs also. The "diet" part was actually quite easy - I don't eat much junk to begin with, but often times, I'll snack on something like cheese and crackers, or hummus with pita chips. So cutting out the empty carbs was useful and not missed at all. I satisfied my need for "crunch" with a few almonds.

Funny thing is that on the last day of our two week "boot camp" I ran a 10K. All during the two weeks, I noticed I didn't have as much energy as usual on my runs, but I chalked it up to the sore muscles from the pure barre class and the limited complex carbs I was eating. Yet on race day, somehow I managed to complete my race with my best ever race pace, and finished 4th in my age group (not saying much as there were only 45 women in my age group). I'm just an average middle of the pack runner, so I was shocked to see myself near the top!

sueb, I had to laugh at your comment about having pie for breakfast - that is totally something I always do but this year, we only had one piece of pie leftover, one that dh made but didn't get a piece of on Thanksgiving, so I let him have it. I must say I was bummed the next morning when I had no pie to eat for breakfast! And now it's back to eggs/egg whites for me.

Oh, didn't see that about pumpkin pie for breakfast. That's definitely something I would do. At least it only has one crust and I don't like the edge of the crust so I leave that behind. I don't have any pumpkin pie though so no pie for breakfast. DH did however buy a raspberry white chocolate mousse cake at Costco yesterday so I had that for breakfast today. We are both dessert addicts though I eat dessert as my main course for breakfast....so bad I know. I do a lot of healthy eating so hopefully I'm not entirely doomed.

They say, and I'm choosing to believe them whoever they are, you should aim for healthy eating 80% of the time. So dessert for breakfast works.

Merry Christmas from the North Pole well close enough I think we have had a foot of snow so far today. Still on track diet wise but still no excercise yet. I am walking without crutches but haven't risked driving in case I have to slam on the brakes drivers here are nuts and don't know how to switch to winter mode. Last weigh in has me down 35 lbs since sept but I missed last weeks weigh in. Final weigh in is on the 18th so I should be driving by then. I love to decorate for Christmas the lights relax me but I am not driven by a have to I give myself freedom to change. That includes traditions this year our son will be going to his girlfriends for Christmas day so we will choose another day to have our dinner. Being flexible helps alleviate alot of the seasonal stress. We don't have family near by so living up to someone elses expectations is eliminated no video gift openings here YIKES!! OTOH being far from family can sometimes be a bit lonely very glad our daughter is coming home for Christmas. Merry Christmas :D

Here is a link that might be useful: Boney M - Christmas Carol

Wow CLB, 35 pounds is significant, good for you! Is there a prize, besides better health and satisfaction for a job well done, for the person who loses the most? Good luck with the final weigh in.

Y'all GO, girls!! That Barre class sounds like fun!! I LOVE classes, but just cannot get to any right now. The horses are taking WAY too much time.

Yesterday, I discovered a wonderful trail at Mammoth Cave! It is a BIT over 1 1/2 miles round trip, but if you go down into the sink hole, there are about 200 steps, plus those on the trail. I am going to try to do it twice a week, and work up to a jog on the trail part. I am ADDING this to my routine, not cutting something out.

When I wore my Body Bugg, I got the recommended amount of daily exercise in the first 45 minutes of my day, so I am not sedentary, I just cannot shake the excess weight.....

Nancy

Oh please don't mention spring yet. I want to enjoy every minute of cool weather we get before the heat comes back. lol

Somehow I lost 5 pounds without any effort. I reduced the amount of sugar in my daily diet, and am continuing to reduce caffeine. I'm down to about 3/4 cup a day. I'm trying to avoid the caffeine withdrawal headache I usually get when I quit caffeine.

Ellendi,
Good advice to sueb, and all of us, to plan our party eating and drinking. Don't go hungry. Keep hydrated with water. Keeping the 80/20 rule in mind, go ahead and splurge on the really special items but skip the mediocre foods that are calorie or fat bombs. For instance, I like potato chips and only eat them at parties but I won't eat them this time of year when there are other once-a-year food items calling my name. I can get chips anytime. I can't have kiffles anytime.

4K4U
You're lucky to have a fitness friend. Ooo, ratatouille. I haven't had that in much too long. Thanks for reminding me I need to make it.

Nancy,
Adding your new trail will certainly help you achieve your goals. It must be frustrating to be so active and not get the desired weight loss result. I keep reading that it really isn't as easy as calories in and calories out. There is more to it and based on each individual. Maybe you need to change something else?

Marti,
Okay then, I wish a nice, long, cool winter to those in your climate. Make the most of it - get outside for a walk or run or bike ride. Is your goal to eliminate caffeine completely or just cut back? It is very wise to do it slowly and give your body time to adjust.

Yes there is a prize but I am not in the running it is based on percentage of bodyweight lost I still have a long ways to go. The big prize will be getting off the blood pressure meds and being able to backpack again without killing my knees.

Losing 5lbs without effort nice.

It sucks when you hit a plateau when trying to lose weight. I had to look up what a body bug was and found the review below I wonder if that has something to do with it.

Keep up the good work!

Here is a link that might be useful: Body Bug Review

I have been trying to get back on track ever since I got back from my trip. I didn't gain any weight on it because of all the walking, but am afraid to get on the scale now. My diet has been lousy, too. I decided last weekend that I had to get back on track, so have been back at my exercising and eating right. It is amazing how much better I feel already!

Lots of holiday parties are coming up, so I am going to be very thoughtful about my eating at them. Sweets are my downfall.

I am going to join in. I am in the 11th week of personal training 12 week program. I have never been a gym person except for treadmill. This is helping me keep off the 28 pounds I lost two years ago motivated by my sons wedding. I have put nine of those pounds back on but I know I will loose it. Because I have the tools. At our club's gym there is a "Don't gain maintain" group I am joining tommorow. Financial penalties for gaining and financial rewards for weight loss. Right up my alley!

I've been doing pretty well. I've lost 15lbs. in the last few months. Taking it really slow and not working out like a crazy person. My body feels so much better when I'm not constantly busting my a** in the gym. My trainer and I are focusing more on core and stability which has been way more challenging than I thought it would.

This year I'm not going to bake my Christmas cookies. They're kind of famous amongst my friends, family and neighbors but I just can't resist eating a ton of them and I really don't have the time.

Speaking of no time . . . Well, I'm really not going to have any pretty soon. I talked about it here and now it looks like it's going to be a reality. I'm staring a specialty food store. I've been doing tons of research, located the perfect spot, have some great people lined up and the enthusiasm to do it! The building is still under construction so it's going to be awhile but I've lots to do!

Luckily, my health improves when I'm really busy. I stay more on a schedule and eat better I think.

Crucial month for this thread !! maintain is the key word indeed, I like that. I've been maintaining my weight, and am seeing a personal trainer that my DD recommended, she is too hard core for me and I was really sore after the first time. Today I am going to tell her I can't do the lunges, my knee really hurt after last time. I need a routine that is ramped up from what I usually do on my
own and she can provide that.
The exercises with elastic bands around my knees and ankles is really hard but I like the resistance part of that.

Foodwise , the holidays are not a problem for me , I combat my sweet tooth all year long and I don't bake anymore.

Well, after avoiding the scale during two weeks of inactivity plus the Thanksgiving extended binge, I weighed myself yesterday and was pleased to see I didn't gain an ounce! Still holding the 7-pound loss and will be satisfied to maintain during the next month and then try to lose some more lbs. as of Jan. 1. I promised myself a 10 lb loss by my next birthday, which isn't until Sept., so losing 3 lbs. in 9 months seems like a reachable goal!! Maybe I'll try for 15... However, I don't think I could maintain that weight without constant deprivation.

Texanjana,
Sometimes it is nice to take a break from the routine but I agree, I feel so much better when I'm back to exercising and eating right. I know I sleep better when I'm exercising. It's a tough month if you like sweets. They are everywhere and many are once-a-year speciality items. Do your best to limit them but don't complete deprive yourself or you might snap and eat too many.

April,
Welcome to our little group for encouragement, ideas, and support. Good for you for being proactive and dealing with the small regain. It certainly sounds like you have a plan of attack to halt the gain and get back to where you want to be.

Kellyeng,
A new business! How exciting for you. I hope you'll show us pix when it's up and running.

Mitch,
How often do you meet with the trainer? I want to get my SIL a gc for a few visits with a trainer but my husband isn't on board with this yet. I think she would benefit by a evaluation and new exercises, as we all would. She is going to Wt Watchers and she does go to a gym so it's not as though I'm telling a sedentary person "you need to work out." She's trying to be healthier so I think it would be helpful.

hh, I think your idea for your sil is a great one, talking to the trainer ahead of time and making sure she eases her gently into a routine would help. I used to train 3 times a week with a trainer, this time with the new trainer I'm only seeing her once a week to learn new routines.
I go to another gym for my usual routine.

If your sil has a few fears regarding new machines , etc… the trainer could instruct her and then she would be more comfortable when on her own, I know in my case I was intimidated by a gym and having a trainer helped me conquer that in order for me to be more confident when I went to the gym alone.

Kelly--good luck with your new business....what kinds of specialty foods will you feature? Let us know how things are going when you're up and running!

HI Everyone!
Still doing ok with eating well. I gained a couple of pounds over Thanksgiving week, but am working on getting back on track. This is an insane time at my house right now, lots of stress, so I'm focusing on staying away from sugar. That's about the best I can do right now.

Beth P.

Bethpen,
The best you can do is good enough. Don't fret about it or aim for perfection. Be sure to get plenty of protein and fiber to feel full and satisfied and, maybe, less likely to look for a quick hit from sugar. Do I recall correctly that you have a ski season related business? Keep focusing on healthy choices to help you get through your long, hard working days.

I'm doing pretty well. I've had a problem with inflammation of the stomach lining which has at least in one way helped - I've eaten very few sweets and NO chocolate. The thing is, I'm not even craving them. I've had some tests run, I don't fit into the regular profile for this problem - I'm not a caffeine drinker, do not use NSAIDS, etc. I've added glutamine, vitamin E and DGL. My doctor is on board with using these, although I am on meds right now. It's been up and down and has been hard at times because I feel like when it is bothering me, I need to eat bland and that has been more carbs. However, I haven't gained any weight, in fact I've lost a bit. Hoping that things keep improving and that I will not want to go back to sweets. I had a taste of dessert for Thanksgiving and at two other events we attended around that time - and that was enough for me.

Not getting outside as much for exercise with the busy season and the time change - I miss that. Will rely on my eliptical this winter. I also use resistance bands at home occasionally, and I pinned a series of yoga exercises that I want to start doing.

Congrats Kelly! You will do great - keep us posted!!

I am trying to gear up for a healthy December. That's about all I can muster at this time. I did give up artificial sweeteners about 6 weeks ago and I don't miss them at all. I also went to the doctor and found out I was low B12 and fairly dehydrated. Since I've been treating those I feel a lot better.
Now it's just time to find an exercise routine I can stick with! I am considering getting a trainer as well. I need some external accountability for sure!

I am bringing this back up so we don't forget how crucial this month can be.

I'm managing to maintain my weight although I've eaten out quite a bit lately- last night I ordered veal piccata with veggies only, but they had home made spumoni ice cream which I can't resist, it was divine.

keep well and lean everyone, stay away from the cookie platters !!

Good idea to pull this back up, Mitch.

I'm heading out to the gym. I didn't get there yesterday because of bad weather. I did shovel twice (!) so I was performing real world fitness. I don't like to shovel but I am happy that my gym time means I have the strength and endurance to shovel when I must.

Legomom,
Do they know why you're B12 deficient and dehydrated? Could you have an absorption problem, like celiac disease, or is it just diet related? How was your ferritin level (it shows if your body is storing iron, a more accurate indicator for anemia)? If that was also off then you might have a problem with absorbing nutrients. (I come from a family of celiacs and have been hearing about absorption problems for years. Since it can takes years for some people to get the correct celiac diagnosis, I throw out these absorption thoughts to you in case it might help you. Feel free to disregard, I'm not a medical person and I don't play one on TV.)

Somehow I am continuing to (slowly) lose weight. Honestly, if I hadn't recently had a physical and blood tests including thyroid, I'd wonder if something was wrong with me! I am down 8-9 lbs. now since the end of August, which on my small frame means I am down at least one size (I was wearing size 12 jeans; now wearing size 10 AND I have to put them in the dryer to shrink them because they get too baggy...previously, I could never put my size 12s in the dryer because they'd never fit!). None of my dress pants fit. A friend, who I hadn't even told about my "diet," last week told me I was "disappearing." I loved that!

And this is all without a super-strict plan other than I have vastly reduced my intake of sugar, junky/processed foods, and even fake sugar like Truvia or Equal. I don't put anything but milk in my coffee (previously I used a small amount of Truvia). I only eat bread that is whole grain, no high fructose corn syrup, less than 3 g of sugar per serving. I generally buy myself a loaf of high-end bakery bread and keep it in the freezer and dole it out carefully. Only have pasta that is whole grain, thank goodness for all the new varieties, AND only have it with veggies and usually protein included. I have had slip-ups, particularly in the last 3 weeks or so, but somehow I still lost 1-2 lbs.

I am not even exercising that much. I fell out of the habit after the stitches in my leg and with the holiday craziness, snow, and the fact that my gym closed and now I have to go to a branch that's about 20 min. away... I've had a hard time getting back into it and realistically, it's probably not going to happen until after Christmas. BUT, I just ordered a treadmill for my basement! So pretty soon, I'll have no excuses. I can see that exercise is not the key to weight loss for me, but it does make me feel better both physically and mentally.

Just had our final weigh in today I am down a whopping 61lbs since Sept 4. and don't own a scale at home to double check but wow I had tears in my eyes when she told me. I have missed a few weigh ins since I broke my foot but am now back driving and moving around not being on crutches must be helping with these numbers. Still have not gotten back on the treadmill or rowing machine but maybe soon. We won a trip to Puerto Vallarta for Feb and I am really looking forward to getting out of this gloomy snowy cold winter. Gotsta fill up that vitamin D. No baking this year but have found some low cal snacks we will be indulging in.

Anyways everyone have a very Merry Christmas :D

Wowza CL! That is very impressive! Good for you. What a great, healthy treat to give yourself. Was your PV win related to the weight loss challenge or just a lucky happenstance to add the non-calorie icing on your Good news cake? You should be very proud and pleased with your progress, especially since you've had injuries holding you back.

Sueb,
You might be the living proof of Brian Wansink's mindless eating tips. Cutting back an easy 100-200 calories a day helps you to lose 10 pounds in a year. The bonus to losing the first few pounds is it does make you more careful, and mindful, the rest of the time. So one less spoonful of sweetener today leads to a smaller serving of pasta tomorrow.

Wow, 60+ pounds, that is fantastic! You must feel so much better :).

" I have vastly reduced my intake of sugar, junky/processed foods, and even fake sugar like Truvia or Equal. I don't put anything but milk in my coffee (previously I used a small amount of Truvia)."

Have tried to do the same thing. I think of it as my no-white-food diet: rice, potatoes, bread, sugar etc. I've lost some weight but I also feel much better without that stuff in my system.

I switched to Truvia a few months ago to try to combat sugar crashes, which were starting to bother me a lot in the mornings. It's definitely helped that, but I have a question. Why would dropping it do anything for weight loss? There aren't any calories in Truvia so there isn't anything less calorically you are taking in. Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering.

For December I'm treating myself to a Pilates intensive program, going 3 times/weekly during the holidays. It is by far my biggest indulgence financially, but oh how I love it! In fact my holiday gift from hubby (I buy, he pays :) is going to be new workout pants. After a year of steady effort the ones I bought at Target just don't fit any more, they are way too loose in the gut. Which is enormously satisfying of course!

My latest healthy effort is cutting down/stopping drinking alcohol, which for me is wine. I've noticed that although I'm not really a heavy drinker, even a glass or two (which is my limit) is just not working out for me. It interferes with my sleep, it leaves me feeling sluggish the next day and the empty calories really are totally unnecessary. I think it's become a habit to have some chardonnay on Fridays/Saturdays so I decided to stop it and see if I feel better without. We'll see...

Ann

Ann,
I don't know anything about Truvia so my comments were about cutting calories from any source (other sugars, junk food, etc). My only question about Truvia and the fake sugars would be do they make you crave more sugar? I have no idea, I've never used them, but I seem to remember reading something along those lines. Since it's not a product I use, I don't pay that much attention to articles about it. Is it like everything else we eat - good for you some years, evil in other years? What's that expression I like but never get to use? I don't have a dog in this fight. If it's working for you, keep at it.

I hear you about the alcohol. More than one definitely interferes with my sleep. I now limit myself to one glass, two or three a week. I still enjoy the taste, and the social aspect, so I don't want to totally cut it out.

Congrats on the new yoga pants size. I haven't tried Pilates, yet. That should be one of my fitness goals for 2014.

Who knows what's true and what's not these days, but I did read somewhere that even fake sugar can create the same "more sugar" cravings that real sugar does. For me, it's not a huge difference taste-wise because I had weaned myself down to about 5 granules of sweetener because more than that was too sweet!

Neighbors gave us homemade chocolate-covered pretzels the other day, which I normally love, but I ate one and it was waaaay too sugary for me. I actually felt sort of sick afterwards.

Alcohol is tricky and it is one thing I am not really willing to give up. Not that I'm such a big drinker, but when we go out or are entertaining friends, I do like a beer or two, or a fun cocktail. It does tend to make me eat more junk, though. But I try to now plan for it during the 1-2 days before and, if necessary, after.

I am pretty much allowing myself a lot of leeway during the next week, but then I know I can quickly get myself back on track (and really, I don't think I'll veer that far off track) after Christmas. We have a trip to Miami in Feb. and I would love to have an excuse to buy new, smaller clothes for the beach! (If I can find beach clothes in Feb.?!?)

The world of artificial sweeteners is pretty foreign to me, but when I decided to cut down on sugary food I read about the different varieties. Decided on Truvia because it is a natural product, at least the stevia part. So far I like it because it really does cut those sugar crashes.

And speaking of that...a colleague who is a demon baker brought in gift plates of her holiday cookie assortment yesterday. I opened them up at home last night, started sampling and after a little while thought I was going to get sick! These were extremely high sugar, high butter, high-everything treats and now that I don't eat much of that stuff it was really, really overwhelming to my system. I actually threw them out, I knew I couldn't eat more and nobody else in my house was interested in them at all.

As for alcohol, part of my deciding to cut it back or out of my diet is that 99.999% of the time, I'm having a glass of wine solo. My husband doesn't drink, we aren't big socializers and so at some point it's just dawned on me that I'm indulging in a substance that interferes with getting a good night's sleep, doesn't do much for my mood anyway since I never have more than two glasses, leaves me feeling lousy the next day, and doesn't contribute anything healthy to my daily calorie intake. Gee, am I having fun yet? Not to say I'll never have a glass of wine again. I just don't think I'll be having a glass of wine mindlessly as a habit, at least for awhile to see how that makes me feel.