Abu's AWESOME August 2015 - W.I.S.H. Weight Loss Challenge! Any & All Welcome to Join!

[courtneybeth]

My current rate of loss of .08 pounds a week is not so awesome. Although that is my fault.

You'll get that average up soon. I have a feeling that you're going to see a big weight loss this week and through the next month!

 

[ANforever1030]

Hi, I know I'm jumping in way late. I have been lurking and will be jumping in fully next month. I wanted to join a group that will encourage me to keep pushing me to be more healthy, while also enjoying all things Disney. My DW2B (I'm going to steal that from JacknSally) and I will be getting married here in Colorado on October 30 and then leave four days later for our Disneymoon. I had lost 50 lbs prior to a Mexican beach vacation in April. Unfortunately DW2B and I let things slide for three months after getting back. So, on July 29 I decided to start weight-lifting and training again. In the last (just under) month I have dropped ten pounds and my goal for this next week is to drop three more.

My plan to achieve my goals has started by giving up soda and sugars. I'm also currently doing weight-lifting three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and doing cardio two-three days a week (usually Thursday and Saturday). We haven't done a great job of cooking at home this month, but I have found a couple fast/fast casual locations that provide healthier options with fewer carbs and fats and good amounts of protein.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the month and starting with everyone next month!

 

[ThistleMae]

Hi, I know I'm jumping in way late. I have been lurking and will be jumping in fully next month. I wanted to join a group that will encourage me to keep pushing me to be more healthy, while also enjoying all things Disney. My DW2B (I'm going to steal that from JacknSally) and I will be getting married here in Colorado on October 30 and then leave four days later for our Disneymoon. I had lost 50 lbs prior to a Mexican beach vacation in April. Unfortunately DW2B and I let things slide for three months after getting back. So, on July 29 I decided to start weight-lifting and training again. In the last (just under) month I have dropped ten pounds and my goal for this next week is to drop three more.

My plan to achieve my goals has started by giving up soda and sugars. I'm also currently doing weight-lifting three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and doing cardio two-three days a week (usually Thursday and Saturday). We haven't done a great job of cooking at home this month, but I have found a couple fast/fast casual locations that provide healthier options with fewer carbs and fats and good amounts of protein.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the month and starting with everyone next month!

We are glad you are jumping in! Any start....is better than no start...lol! I too have started weight training three days a week. I am also doing My Fitness Pal, which some people like and others do not, but for me...it keeps me honest as long as I track my food. Congrats on your upcoming nuptuals! A Disneymoon will be awesome. What are your eating plans for your Disneymoon? We are going end of November and I plan on staying within a five pound gain....because I will be eating some things that are not on my plan. What is your plan, if I may ask?

 

[ANforever1030]

ThistleMae, thanks so much for the friendly welcome! I don't track eating my food right now, but I am focusing on eating five-six times a day including snacks of greek yogurt, fresh fruit, various proteins and limiting my processed foods and carbs intake. For instance, my breakfast has gone from being either Chick-fil-A or a croissant sandwich at work to a spinach and bacon omelet or spinach, bacon and egg sandwich on English muffin. When I'm at home instead of eating two-three bowls of cereal I'm cooking eggs or egg whites and Canadian bacon.

Because we're going during Food & Wine I will probably have a number of foods and alcohol that don't fit within my plan. However, since we're staying DVC for nine of our eleven nights we will have access to fitness facilities and I actually do plan on using them. I've already informed DW2B of this, and while she is a little skeptical of this, she did say that if I do it, she will try to join me.

 

[ThistleMae]

ThistleMae, thanks so much for the friendly welcome! I don't track eating my food right now, but I am focusing on eating five-six times a day including snacks of greek yogurt, fresh fruit, various proteins and limiting my processed foods and carbs intake. For instance, my breakfast has gone from being either Chick-fil-A or a croissant sandwich at work to a spinach and bacon omelet or spinach, bacon and egg sandwich on English muffin. When I'm at home instead of eating two-three bowls of cereal I'm cooking eggs or egg whites and Canadian bacon.

Because we're going during Food & Wine I will probably have a number of foods and alcohol that don't fit within my plan. However, since we're staying DVC for nine of our eleven nights we will have access to fitness facilities and I actually do plan on using them. I've already informed DW2B of this, and while she is a little skeptical of this, she did say that if I do it, she will try to join me.

Good for you! I too checked out the fitness equipment for my stay. Why not. It will help. Nice changes so far....a very, very good start!

 

[ANforever1030]

Happy Tuesday, everyone! How is everyone's week going so far? I hope we all survived Monday - it was kind of quiet yesterday!

In my neck of the woods, it's apparently going to rain and pour. Last week was the hard drive on my laptop.. This week is my car! I was on the interstate coming home from work yesterday and in the middle of switching lanes in rush hour traffic, it just shut off. Just completely gave up. No sputtering, no nothing. Just quit. All the lights came on on the dashboard and it wouldn't budge. Took three cranks to get it back on, but I thankfully made it home with no issues. DH2B is thankfully mechanically inclined, so he took a look at it, but couldn't find any issues. He figured some dirt just got in the fuel line and turning it off and cranking it up again cleared it out. So we went to run our errands, and didn't have any trouble leaving the house, going to Petsmart, leaving Petsmart, going to Walgreens, leaving Walgreens, or going to the bank. Leaving the bank, though, we pull up to a red light, and it does it again! Another three cranks and it's up, so we take it to Autozone to read the codes and see what the issue is. Do all that, find out what Autozone says is wrong (a sensor has a short in it), and try to go home... Nothing. Nada. Took 10 minutes and 5 cranks to get it to start back up. Thankfully we made it home but I was SO frustrated. This is just not the time for all this.

We needed to have it looked at before we drive it to Florida anyway, so DH2B called in sick to work and is going to replace this sensor and then it's going to the shop today, but now DH2B and I are trying to figure out how to work similar schedules on opposites sides of town with one car. Plus paying for repairs, on top of all the wedding stuff! Yesterday was exactly 2 months out from the wedding. August is just not going to be my month. Looking forward to a clean start in September for sure! I ate my stress last night and I'm definitely regretting it today. Pizza and ice cream were NOT my best decisions. I just feel so gross. It's definitely time to get back to the diet that I know makes me feel better. Grilled chicken here I come!


Let's keep today's QOTD light and fun. Is that ok with everybody? Tonight is my FP+ booking night, so in honor of that:

QOTD for August 25, 2015
If you were booking your Fastpasses right now and could pick three attractions in each park, what attractions would you pick and why?
No tiers in this scenario, so you can pick any attraction, but no repeats, so don't use multiple passes for the same attraction.



View attachment 119286
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I definitely hate to hear about your car. That's awful, especially with the stress of everything else. I hope today is great though and tomorrow is better.

As for the QOTD today:

DHS: I love the major rides at DHS, but it's definitely not the same park it was when I first went in 1997. I would schedule FP+ for (1) TSMM - I've never been on it, (2) Star Tours - I love this ride and haven't been on it since the update, and (3) RnR. I chose RnR over ToT since I'd rather wait in the standby line for ToT.

Epcot: (1) Soarin' - Love the smells and the sensation of being in the air, (2) Mission Space - This is one of my favorite rides and I prefer riding Orange, but DW2B gets motion sickness enough on it that I may have to settle for Green next time, and (3) Living with the Land - I enjoy learning about anything and everything and this is a great place to do it.

AK: (1) Kilimanjaro Safaris - DW2B got me a zoo membership for our anniversary last year and I have always been fascinated by animals, (2) Kali River Rapids - Very fun ride, and (3) EE - 2nd favorite ride at WDW.

MK: (1) 7DMT - Looks fun, and it's new, (2) BTMRR - I love this, although DW2B is not a fan, and (3) Splash Mountain - Love the drop, and it always brings back memories

 

[courtneybeth]

I have been lurking and will be jumping in fully next month. I wanted to join a group that will encourage me to keep pushing me to be more healthy, while also enjoying all things Disney.

Join us! Join us! Join us! I only started this month after months of lurking and this is one of the best groups I've ever been a part of. Lots of positivity and encouragement while we do the hard work of losing weight!

 

[JacknSally]

I also have Happy Scale! I was loving it a few weeks ago - the projections are awesome. My current rate of loss of .08 pounds a week is not so awesome. Although that is my fault.

BUT! Do you know what the awesome thing about losing .08lbs a week is?? YOU'RE LOSING! WOOHOO!!!! Any loss is fantastic, because any loss is better than no loss, and no loss is still better than a gain, so you are DOUBLY ahead!

Here's a handy visual (with a loose Disney connection!) to keep you from being discouraged. This is 1-lb of fat. You are losing about half of this every single week! That's still a really good chunk of really nasty yellow fat.

​

Hi, I know I'm jumping in way late. I have been lurking and will be jumping in fully next month. I wanted to join a group that will encourage me to keep pushing me to be more healthy, while also enjoying all things Disney. My DW2B (I'm going to steal that from JacknSally) and I will be getting married here in Colorado on October 30 and then leave four days later for our Disneymoon. I had lost 50 lbs prior to a Mexican beach vacation in April. Unfortunately DW2B and I let things slide for three months after getting back. So, on July 29 I decided to start weight-lifting and training again. In the last (just under) month I have dropped ten pounds and my goal for this next week is to drop three more.

My plan to achieve my goals has started by giving up soda and sugars. I'm also currently doing weight-lifting three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and doing cardio two-three days a week (usually Thursday and Saturday). We haven't done a great job of cooking at home this month, but I have found a couple fast/fast casual locations that provide healthier options with fewer carbs and fats and good amounts of protein.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the month and starting with everyone next month!

WELCOME!!! We are thrilled to have you join our group! It is definitely NEVER too late to get started. We'll be Disneymooning the week before you!! Our wedding is October 24 and we'll be in Disney the 25th-31st, assuming nothing else blows up on me between now and then . Woohoo for October weddings and Disneymoons! I am SO looking forward to Food and Wine, it's not even funny. Hopefully all the walking we'll be doing will offset all the booths we'll be visiting haha. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your DW2B! Your plan sounds great, and I know you can definitely make some progress between now and your wedding. Congrats on the 50-lb loss earlier this year, though - that's AMAZING! Excuse me while I slightly hate you for being a guy and able to lose so much more easily. LOL! Just kidding. In all seriousness, though, welcome aboard, and good luck on your goals! We're excited to have you! @DisPup75 is our fearless leader for September, and should have that thread up and running sometime later this week, so be sure to follow us all over there, too!

Join us! Join us! Join us! I only started this month after months of lurking and this is one of the best groups I've ever been a part of. Lots of positivity and encouragement while we do the hard work of losing weight!

I'm so so so glad to hear you're enjoying the thread this month @courtneybeth !!!

 

[DisPup75]

In case anyone else doesn't want to sleep tonight (and still buys it every year in spite of having collected every edition since 2006 and a few before then) the Kindle version of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld 2016 was just released!

You'll get that average up soon. I have a feeling that you're going to see a big weight loss this week and through the next month!

Thank you! I think it definitely possible - the past four days have been MUCH better than the preceding few weeks. And I really appreciate the support!

Hi, I know I'm jumping in way late. I have been lurking and will be jumping in fully next month. I wanted to join a group that will encourage me to keep pushing me to be more healthy, while also enjoying all things Disney. My DW2B (I'm going to steal that from JacknSally) and I will be getting married here in Colorado on October 30 and then leave four days later for our Disneymoon. I had lost 50 lbs prior to a Mexican beach vacation in April. Unfortunately DW2B and I let things slide for three months after getting back. So, on July 29 I decided to start weight-lifting and training again. In the last (just under) month I have dropped ten pounds and my goal for this next week is to drop three more.

My plan to achieve my goals has started by giving up soda and sugars. I'm also currently doing weight-lifting three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) and doing cardio two-three days a week (usually Thursday and Saturday). We haven't done a great job of cooking at home this month, but I have found a couple fast/fast casual locations that provide healthier options with fewer carbs and fats and good amounts of protein.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the month and starting with everyone next month!

Yay!! More buddies!!!

BUT! Do you know what the awesome thing about losing .08lbs a week is?? YOU'RE LOSING! WOOHOO!!!! Any loss is fantastic, because any loss is better than no loss, and no loss is still better than a gain, so you are DOUBLY ahead!

Here's a handy visual (with a loose Disney connection!) to keep you from being discouraged. This is 1-lb of fat. You are losing about half of this every single week! That's still a really good chunk of really nasty yellow fat.

View attachment 119519​

WELCOME!!! We are thrilled to have you join our group! It is definitely NEVER too late to get started. We'll be Disneymooning the week before you!! Our wedding is October 24 and we'll be in Disney the 25th-31st, assuming nothing else blows up on me between now and then . Woohoo for October weddings and Disneymoons! I am SO looking forward to Food and Wine, it's not even funny. Hopefully all the walking we'll be doing will offset all the booths we'll be visiting haha. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your DW2B! Your plan sounds great, and I know you can definitely make some progress between now and your wedding. Congrats on the 50-lb loss earlier this year, though - that's AMAZING! Excuse me while I slightly hate you for being a guy and able to lose so much more easily. LOL! Just kidding. In all seriousness, though, welcome aboard, and good luck on your goals! We're excited to have you! @DisPup75 is our fearless leader for September, and should have that thread up and running sometime later this week, so be sure to follow us all over there, too!



I'm so so so glad to hear you're enjoying the thread this month @courtneybeth !!!

LOVE the pound of fat visual!! Unfortunately it is .08/week rather than .8/week but that is still 4 pounds a year! And I would rather lose 4 coffee cups than gain 4 coffee cups. And I am DONE with the slump!

Sebastian's STRONG and SVELTE Under the Sea September W.I.S.H. Challenge will be up tomorrow afternoon and I will post a link here.

But before we go Under the Sea, we all have to finish Abu's AWESOME August in style and give big cheers to @JacknSally for the AWESOME support, coaching, and chatter!

 

[JacknSally]

LOVE the pound of fat visual!! Unfortunately it is .08/week rather than .8/week but that is still 4 pounds a year! And I would rather lose 4 coffee cups than gain 4 coffee cups. And I am DONE with the slump!

Sebastian's STRONG and SVELTE Under the Sea September W.I.S.H. Challenge will be up tomorrow afternoon and I will post a link here.

Oooooooohhhh, STRONG and SVELTE! I like it!!!! I like it a lot! We'll all be getting hot, HOT, HOT!

But before we go Under the Sea, we all have to finish Abu's AWESOME August in style and give big cheers to @JacknSally for the AWESOME support, coaching, and chatter!

Yes, yes, don't bail on me yet everyone! I know we're all itching to start the new month with fresh goals and clean slates, but let's finish August STRONG! We have a full week left in August and who knows what magic can happen in a week?! And thank you so much @DisPup75 for your kind words! It's been so much fun being on this side of things - and so challenging, too! I didn't realize how tough it'd be to come up with a QOTD every day! Let me know if I can be of any help to you at any point next month

 

[courtneybeth]

Ugh. I just had to share that I got a Jury Summons in the mail and I have to report to Jury Duty at the end of October.

At least it's call-in service and my number may not even get called. It's just stressful to think I am at the mercy of a court system --- and my employer pays 0 days. Fingers crossed I don't get called in.

 

[JacknSally]

Ugh. I just had to share that I got a Jury Summons in the mail and I have to report to Jury Duty at the end of October.

At least it's call-in service and my number may not even get called. It's just stressful to think I am at the mercy of a court system --- and my employer pays 0 days. Fingers crossed I don't get called in.

That's not legal... To my knowledge, your employer is required to pay you for work days you miss due to jury duty. You have to provide the summons for them as proof, but they can't not pay you.

 

[JacknSally]

Happy WOOHOO Wednesday, friends! It's our very last WOOHOO Wednesday of August!



QOTD for August 26, 2015
What are you WOOHOOing today?!

Mine is a simple thing, but booking Fastpasses last night went spectacularly smoothly! I wasn't sure what to expect since that week is projected to be fairly busy, and it's our first time with FP+. Thankfully there was nothing we ABSOLUTELY HAD TO GET (like Anna & Elsa FPs!) so there was automatically less pressure, I suppose. We ended up with 7DMT (which neither of us have ridden, so that's exciting! It doesn't look like much from the videos I've seen, but I'd still like to say I've done it), TOT, Toy Story, Buzz, Star Tours, Soarin, Splash, Space (on two days!), Big Thunder, Dinosaur, and Everest. Yay!!​

 

[ThistleMae]

My Whoo Hoo thus far, it's early, is TODAY IS MY GYM DAY! I'm trying to really stay positive about working out. I increased my protein intake yesterday, slightly, to support muscle strengthening. As you age, you lose muscle mass....so, I'm trying to lose weight while at the same time build my aging muscles up. Sept. 1st...I measure to see if I've lost any inches, or partial inches after working out a month. I'm a little nervous about increasing my protein because it increases my calories but I think it's important to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients to support my changing body. Also, I feel I have to eliminate cheese from the diet. It is making my fat go up too high, with just one slice a day. So, lean meats or fish....watch the fat. Definitely always watch the sugar. So Happy Mid-week everyone! I hope End of August stats are going to be great for everyone!

 

[JacknSally]

My Whoo Hoo thus far, it's early, is TODAY IS MY GYM DAY! I'm trying to really stay positive about working out. I increased my protein intake yesterday, slightly, to support muscle strengthening. As you age, you lose muscle mass....so, I'm trying to lose weight while at the same time build my aging muscles up. Sept. 1st...I measure to see if I've lost any inches, or partial inches after working out a month. I'm a little nervous about increasing my protein because it increases my calories but I think it's important to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients to support my changing body. Also, I feel I have to eliminate cheese from the diet. It is making my fat go up too high, with just one slice a day. So, lean meats or fish....watch the fat. Definitely always watch the sugar. So Happy Mid-week everyone! I hope End of August stats are going to be great for everyone!

Actually, an increase in protein doesn't necessarily mean a huge increase in calories. Trust me, you have to eat a TON of grilled chicken in order for it to be a substantial caloric intake. And yes, you have to build muscle to burn fat, and protein will definitely help with that. The key is replacing something you're already eating with added protein. Cheese and eggs are fantastic sources of protein. Don't put too much stock in the "fat" count. Your body needs fats just like it needs carbs, and things that are low-fat are actually worse for you than regular-fat foods. Low-fat foods are overly processed in order to get the fat out, which also means they lose a TON of their nutrients in the process. You're better off overall eating regular-fat foods because your body will process and burn those much more easily, and you'll get the full nutrients from the food. Also, with a protein increase, make sure you increase your fiber, too. Add in Benefiber or something similar to your diet. Even with lean proteins, your body can easily get backed up when you increase protein, so you can be retaining a lot of bloat and weight despite eating better. It's important to keep your fiber up in order to regulate the increase. You also want to make sure that you're consuming your protein at the most effective times - generally right after a workout is ideal, so that your muscles can use that protein as they recover from the workout.

 

[ThistleMae]

Actually, an increase in protein doesn't necessarily mean a huge increase in calories. Trust me, you have to eat a TON of grilled chicken in order for it to be a substantial caloric intake. And yes, you have to build muscle to burn fat, and protein will definitely help with that. The key is replacing something you're already eating with added protein. Cheese and eggs are fantastic sources of protein. Don't put too much stock in the "fat" count. Your body needs fats just like it needs carbs, and things that are low-fat are actually worse for you than regular-fat foods. Low-fat foods are overly processed in order to get the fat out, which also means they lose a TON of their nutrients in the process. You're better off overall eating regular-fat foods because your body will process and burn those much more easily, and you'll get the full nutrients from the food. Also, with a protein increase, make sure you increase your fiber, too. Add in Benefiber or something similar to your diet. Even with lean proteins, your body can easily get backed up when you increase protein, so you can be retaining a lot of bloat and weight despite eating better. It's important to keep your fiber up in order to regulate the increase. You also want to make sure that you're consuming your protein at the most effective times - generally right after a workout is ideal, so that your muscles can use that protein as they recover from the workout.

Thank you....yes I did read to eat protein after the workout. And, I wasn't aware that more protein might "back me up" as you say...LOL. I'll keep a watch on it.

 

[DisPup75]

The September challenge is up!!!

Sebastian's STRONG and SVELTE Under the Sea September Challenge!

 

[DisPup75]

Ugh. I just had to share that I got a Jury Summons in the mail and I have to report to Jury Duty at the end of October.

At least it's call-in service and my number may not even get called. It's just stressful to think I am at the mercy of a court system --- and my employer pays 0 days. Fingers crossed I don't get called in.

Fingers crossed!

Happy WOOHOO Wednesday, friends! It's our very last WOOHOO Wednesday of August!

View attachment 119596

QOTD for August 26, 2015
What are you WOOHOOing today?!

Mine is a simple thing, but booking Fastpasses last night went spectacularly smoothly! I wasn't sure what to expect since that week is projected to be fairly busy, and it's our first time with FP+. Thankfully there was nothing we ABSOLUTELY HAD TO GET (like Anna & Elsa FPs!) so there was automatically less pressure, I suppose. We ended up with 7DMT (which neither of us have ridden, so that's exciting! It doesn't look like much from the videos I've seen, but I'd still like to say I've done it), TOT, Toy Story, Buzz, Star Tours, Soarin, Splash, Space (on two days!), Big Thunder, Dinosaur, and Everest. Yay!!​

Yay! Those sound like some great FPs!!! Yay trips to the World!!!

My WooHoo for the day is that I am absolutely cruising through by To Do lists for a change!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Whoo Hoo thus far, it's early, is TODAY IS MY GYM DAY! I'm trying to really stay positive about working out. I increased my protein intake yesterday, slightly, to support muscle strengthening. As you age, you lose muscle mass....so, I'm trying to lose weight while at the same time build my aging muscles up. Sept. 1st...I measure to see if I've lost any inches, or partial inches after working out a month. I'm a little nervous about increasing my protein because it increases my calories but I think it's important to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients to support my changing body. Also, I feel I have to eliminate cheese from the diet. It is making my fat go up too high, with just one slice a day. So, lean meats or fish....watch the fat. Definitely always watch the sugar. So Happy Mid-week everyone! I hope End of August stats are going to be great for everyone!

I can sense those muscles getting bigger right through my internet connection!!

 

[ANforever1030]

My woohoo is that, since I work shift, work today is my Friday and I'm halfway through it.

 

[courtneybeth]

The September challenge is up!!!

Sebastian's STRONG and SVELTE Under the Sea September Challenge!

Great job on the thread!! I am ready to go - add me to the list.

What are you WOOHOOing today?!

I was thinking about an old friend that I hadn't heard from in months and he randomly messaged me today. It was just great to catch-up and get some insights into career and life decisions. It's amazing how people come into your life at just the right moment to give you what you need at the time.

I'm also Woohooing my husband's weight loss. He finally broke his 3 week plateau and lost 2 pounds! I found out the cause of this was him not eating all of his WW points and he was in "starvation mode". I remedied this with a bag of Reese's Peanutbutter Cups. Whatever points he's low on... he gets to make up for them with those. And the lucky bastard lost weight this week by meeting his minimum via candy bars. It pains me (and amuses me!) because I only have 26 points per day and I'm barely able to not go over my daily allotment and he has trouble eating everything. .

PS: @JacknSally -- congrats on your FP+ success. You must be getting excited for your trip?