Healthy Living around the World Showcase ~ June 2016 WISH Challenge!

[courtneybeth]

@bigsis1970 -- so I may have teared up a little as you shared your big WOOHOO WEDNESDAY with us this morning. OMG!!!! I am so excited for you and your family.

Your house is gorgeous and I am so glad that everything worked out for you to have this amazing thing happen for you. I wish you many years of prosperity and success in your new place and that your new adventure brings good fortune.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

Time for some woohoo's:

- Tried running this morning again and it was pretty much pain free. I did 5 miles on the treadmill and felt good. During my 3 day hiatus I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain either. I'll take it!

- Just came back from Old Navy. Just wanted to grab some khaki shorts because the ones I bought a few months are too big. I'm a 38 waist now. I don't think I've worn a 38 waist since high school!

- I ended up getting a hotel room last night for the night before the St Louis half marathon @courtneybeth bullied me into signing up for. It's nice having something scheduled in the future to keep me motivated. I probably should thank @courtneybeth, but I don't want her getting a big head or anything.

- Bought a new pair of sunglasses and they came today. Really like them. Always nervous about ordering sunglasses because they are one of those things that I like to try on before buying, but they fit well and I got them for half price. Love getting deals!!!!

- It's the third week of summer workouts and my position groups have had great attendance (it's all volunteer - not mandatory). I was worried after losing in the state finals last year that some of the kids would be satisfied with getting there (it was the first state finals in school history), but they seem to want more this year... and we bring a lot of kids back. It could be a good year.

---------------------------------

Friday is supposed to be on the cooler side so I'm thinking about trying to do 9 miles. We'll see how it goes. I've found a nice path at a park near by - it's a little over a mile around the lake and it's relatively flat. Lots of things to look at, although I mostly just stare straight down... need to work on that.

Lastly, I really just wanted to thank everyone on here for sharing your stories and listening to mine. It's been super beneficial for me and I don't always do a good job getting around to commenting or liking your posts... but I do read them. Thanks!!!

 

[Lady Marie]

@bigsis1970 CONGRATULATIONS!!!! That is awesome and thank you for sharing pics!!! I love that your new house came with some sweet stray fur babies too!

 

[4Mickeys]

@bigis1970 I will add my CONGRATULATIONS to the others for moving into your new home. So happy for you it looks lovely. Love the Mickey apron proudly worn by your DH.

 

[piglet1979]

Question of the Day for June 21st:

We are still in the UK today and are moving from the tea shop to the Rose and Crown Pub. While this has a restaurant portion, it also holds up the tradition of British public houses and has a lovely old fashioned bar:

So, let's talk adult drinks today! While alcohol may have a number of not so healthy effects, it also has something very weight loss related: calories! So, how do you deal with alcohol while trying to lose weight? None at all, a little on occasion? What drinks are harder to resist then others? Have you found any satisfying substitutes for adult drinks?

This is one thing I do not have to worry about. I do not like the taste of alcohol so i do not drink. I am always the DD for my husband instead.

 

[piglet1979]

We do have a couple of vacations coming up which will test my willpower. We are doing a long weekend next weekend in Cleveland. Going to hit Cedar Point one day, the Rock and Roll HOF one day, and the Pro Football HOF the last day on our way back. I might have a drink or two at the House of Blues for dinner Saturday night, but it shouldn't be bad calorie wise.

You are heading to my town. Things are awesome around here right now with the championship. It will be short lived as the RNC is already taking over downtown. It is beautiful over by the Rock Hall. I work only a few blocks away. If you are looking for another good restaurant outside of Downtown, Fat Heads in North Olmsted is really good. We have a habit of going once a week. I know this doesn't go with the QOTD but my husband says the beer is really good. They have about 20 on tab and most are ones that they brew themselves. Let me know if you have any questions about the area.

 

[piglet1979]

I ate at Rose and Crown during one of my trips last year, for the first time in probably 10 years. I have to say I didn't enjoy it. I was seated at a strangely situated table kind of right inside the door and not really part of the dining room - the pub, and considerable pub noise, was right behind me. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I rarely drink, partly because of growing up in an alcoholic household but also because I'd rather spend those calories on cake. Discovering the ice cream martini and rum infused dole whips opened up a whole new world to me. Every once in a while I do try a cocktail if something really interesting is offered, but it's rare.

I'm having a really off day today. I'm losing a lot of hair right now and the only thing I can think of is not getting enough protien. So I tested chicken yesterday to see if I could tolerate it since it has always been my go to protien. I still don't tolerate it and ended up coming home from work early and sleeping for four hours. Still feeling rummy (see what I did there...) but hope to have a good pilates session in a couple hours.

I was losing hair a few years ago. It was all in a patch in the front. They tested me for a bunch of things but in the end they were all negative. I am pretty sure it was either birth control or just stress. I hope everything works out.

 

[piglet1979]

The last few days have been very busy. Yesterday I worked a 13 hour shift. It was not all bad. Part of it was at the Indians game. We have a scholarship with them and they were presenting there student on the field before the game. Things got crazy at work because we got the day off today for the Championship parade. We had to get a hold of all of our students that were coming in today and tell them we were closed. Not an easy task. When I left for the baseball game we still had 3 we couldn't get a hold of.

Today was the big day. My mom and I took the kids down to the parade. We left the house at 7 to get to the rapid (public transportation train). The line was already a few hours long. So we drove. I was able to go the back way and park in my parking lot that I have a monthly pass for. There was not traffic driving in and we had free parking. We got a spot up front at the beginning of the parade and everything was good. We had a few close by that were getting rowdy by the police kept a good control of the crowd. The parade started and and things were still good. The UFC person that won the title from Cleveland, the Monsters (miner league hockey) who won there title were first. Then we had the Gladiators (indoor football team). Everything was good. Then the Cavs started coming and wee started to get pushed around and ended up in the back. We couldn't see anything. We left as soon as it was over. Lucky I had my badge and keys to the office and were able to use my works bathroom. My building holds the rapid so everyone was going there. We got out of downtown before the traffic got bad. There are reports that 1.3 million or more were downtown. I am glad we got home when we did. After everything was over there were shots fired in the area of my building not far from where we were. It was very scary watching on TV. It was a 15 year old boy that shot a 13 year old girl in the leg. She will be ok. I have a friend that is part of the mounted police and he was their and it looked like they were the first on the scene. I was very worried about him and everyone else.

I am very glad that I got permission to work from home during the RNC. I am not a crowd person and this was enough for me.

 

[pjlla]

The last few days have been very busy. Yesterday I worked a 13 hour shift. It was not all bad. Part of it was at the Indians game. We have a scholarship with them and they were presenting there student on the field before the game. Things got crazy at work because we got the day off today for the Championship parade. We had to get a hold of all of our students that were coming in today and tell them we were closed. Not an easy task. When I left for the baseball game we still had 3 we couldn't get a hold of.

Today was the big day. My mom and I took the kids down to the parade. We left the house at 7 to get to the rapid (public transportation train). The line was already a few hours long. So we drove. I was able to go the back way and park in my parking lot that I have a monthly pass for. There was not traffic driving in and we had free parking. We got a spot up front at the beginning of the parade and everything was good. We had a few close by that were getting rowdy by the police kept a good control of the crowd. The parade started and and things were still good. The UFC person that won the title from Cleveland, the Monsters (miner league hockey) who won there title were first. Then we had the Gladiators (indoor football team). Everything was good. Then the Cavs started coming and wee started to get pushed around and ended up in the back. We couldn't see anything. We left as soon as it was over. Lucky I had my badge and keys to the office and were able to use my works bathroom. My building holds the rapid so everyone was going there. We got out of downtown before the traffic got bad. There are reports that 1.3 million or more were downtown. I am glad we got home when we did. After everything was over there were shots fired in the area of my building not far from where we were. It was very scary watching on TV. It was a 15 year old boy that shot a 13 year old girl in the leg. She will be ok. I have a friend that is part of the mounted police and he was their and it looked like they were the first on the scene. I was very worried about him and everyone else.

I am very glad that I got permission to work from home during the RNC. I am not a crowd person and this was enough for me.

Championships for what? Was this a local sport that your kiddos are part of? That is a massive crowd!! Kind of scary!

@bigsis1970 ...... WOOHOO and BEYOND on the new place!! Congratulations.... blessings on you and your family as you make memories in a new "home sweet home"!! Love the kitties!! That built-in in the kitchen is really nice!! Tons of storage!

******************

Hey friends! Well, I'm a liar-liar-pants-on-fire! I said I wouldn't be back for a few days, but I cannot help myself!

I got lots done today.... not necessarily everything on the "Wednesday" list, but lots and a few things from the Friday list.... so I'm feeling pretty good. But like most big projects, it gets worse before it gets better. We absolutely trashed the mudroom today.... it is living up to its name with muddy footprints all over the floor and TONS of junk that is on its way to other places (like the dump!).

I did gather nearly ALL of the serving pieces I need for the party, found the outdoor chair cushions (admittedly in the third place I looked, not the first), completed 8 center pieces, figured out what tables I need where (it took a few tries).... even painted the front steps BEFORE breakfast! Still tons and tons and TONS of cleaning to do.... but I am feeling better overall.

Will you judge me if I tell you I cleaned between the deckboards of the back deck with a scraping tool... between every-single-board?! Yup... time consuming but HIGHLY satisfying!! I scraped between the boards with a paint scraping tool while DS followed with the shop vac.... then I power-washed what was left. I cannot believe how much better the deck looks! The worst of it was the nearest to the house.... I think the leaves and pine needles build up there the worst.

Anyhow..... eating was spot on and obviously I was moving all day long.... but wouldn't you know it, I checked my Fitbit mid-afternoon and realized the battery was dead.... boo.

I've got a 4:30 am shift, so I'm off to sleep now. I'll probably have time between calls in the morning to chat, so I'll be back then!........P

 

[piglet1979]

Championships for what? Was this a local sport that your kiddos are part of? That is a massive crowd!! Kind of scary!

@bigsis1970 ...... WOOHOO and BEYOND on the new place!! Congratulations.... blessings on you and your family as you make memories in a new "home sweet home"!! Love the kitties!! That built-in in the kitchen is really nice!! Tons of storage!

******************

Hey friends! Well, I'm a liar-liar-pants-on-fire! I said I wouldn't be back for a few days, but I cannot help myself!

I got lots done today.... not necessarily everything on the "Wednesday" list, but lots and a few things from the Friday list.... so I'm feeling pretty good. But like most big projects, it gets worse before it gets better. We absolutely trashed the mudroom today.... it is living up to its name with muddy footprints all over the floor and TONS of junk that is on its way to other places (like the dump!).

I did gather nearly ALL of the serving pieces I need for the party, found the outdoor chair cushions (admittedly in the third place I looked, not the first), completed 8 center pieces, figured out what tables I need where (it took a few tries).... even painted the front steps BEFORE breakfast! Still tons and tons and TONS of cleaning to do.... but I am feeling better overall.

Will you judge me if I tell you I cleaned between the deckboards of the back deck with a scraping tool... between every-single-board?! Yup... time consuming but HIGHLY satisfying!! I scraped between the boards with a paint scraping tool while DS followed with the shop vac.... then I power-washed what was left. I cannot believe how much better the deck looks! The worst of it was the nearest to the house.... I think the leaves and pine needles build up there the worst.

Anyhow..... eating was spot on and obviously I was moving all day long.... but wouldn't you know it, I checked my Fitbit mid-afternoon and realized the battery was dead.... boo.

I've got a 4:30 am shift, so I'm off to sleep now. I'll probably have time between calls in the morning to chat, so I'll be back then!........P

The cavs are our NBA team. It has been 52 years since the city has won a national championship and that was the Browns (NFL). THE CAVS have never won it. The Indians (major league baseball) I don't think have won. We have been close. The running joke for years has we are the mistake on the lake and that we are cursed. Always clone but never win. Not thus year.

 

[Zoesmama03]

I'm sorry I haven't been the attentive support buddy to you all this month. The last week and half have been hard on my exercise routine. I've let it slide. Now my friend and I both have full time jobs and will have to work on the routine if we will be able to meet for our workouts or we end up doing them on our own. I did one today on my own. 3 miles 65 minutes like my usual lately. I did up the incline finally because it seemed easy to keep the 3.0 speed but I know if I go up it starts pulling in my feet and legs.

A bit of WOOHOO Wednesday is I had an interview Monday and was invited to do a working interview today for a couple hours. She called me about an hour after I left and said she was offering me a position. So finally I'm full time employed. In my certificate degree field of medical assisting. It's with a foot and ankle office and super exciting. I'll be learning to do certain nerve testing and others PLUS learning x-ray which I will be studying for a test and then boards test for that. Sounds like fun to me and I get more skills to add and they pay for the course and testings. Oh and learn to do casts and remove. I'm so fortunate that they are willing to train me without experience its been super hard to get any offices to take me serious. I'll be sure to be excellent associate and learn all I can. Even in the group of ladies several of them confided that it took them years to get in the field. I know my sister has her certifications in her state and has yet to work in the field. The pay is not as great as some can make but I'm entry level and knew and was ready to accept $12/hr. It surely beats the caregiver pay I was receiving. The benefits are pretty amazing and they pay my medical coverage 100% plus some dental which she said was 30-40 a month finally I can work at getting some work done I hope. Vision is super cheap too. So even if Friday wasn't so happy scale wise I had an NSV still in that my scrub pants fit comfortably, which will come in handy now that I start my job tomorrow. So the inches I've lost in the 10 lbs since April and 20 previous to that over 2014(2015 I gained and lost the same 10 pounds or so) have really helped me fit in them. The last time I had put them on they were pretty snug.

Anyway I gotta get some scrubs dug out of closet and get to bed shortly. 7am will come quick and my sleep schedule has been off to the point I've been going to sleep at odd times between 2-6am. I'm sure it will adjust by Monday. Tomorrow might be rough depending on how long it takes me to get to sleep.

 

[4Mickeys]

I am glad we got home when we did. After everything was over there were shots fired in the area of my building not far from where we were. It was very scary watching on TV. It was a 15 year old boy that shot a 13 year old girl in the leg. She will be ok. I have a friend that is part of the mounted police and he was their and it looked like they were the first on the scene. I was very worried about him and everyone else.

Wow that does sound scary - glad the girl is going to be ok and that your family were home safely out of it. Its just awful when there are always the few who ruin a fun celebration for those around them.

Will you judge me if I tell you I cleaned between the deckboards of the back deck with a scraping tool... between every-single-board?! Yup... time consuming but HIGHLY satisfying!! I scraped between the boards with a paint scraping tool while DS followed with the shop vac.... then I power-washed what was left. I cannot believe how much better the deck looks! The worst of it was the nearest to the house.... I think the leaves and pine needles build up there the worst.

No judgement at all - sounds like your fine eye for detail and wanting everything to perfect to celebrate with your son. I get lost in the details sometimes too.

A bit of WOOHOO Wednesday is I had an interview Monday and was invited to do a working interview today for a couple hours. She called me about an hour after I left and said she was offering me a position. So finally I'm full time employed. In my certificate degree field of medical assisting. It's with a foot and ankle office and super exciting. I'll be learning to do certain nerve testing and others PLUS learning x-ray which I will be studying for a test and then boards test for that. Sounds like fun to me and I get more skills to add and they pay for the course and testings. Oh and learn to do casts and remove. I'm so fortunate that they are willing to train me without experience its been super hard to get any offices to take me serious. I'll be sure to be excellent associate and learn all I can. Even in the group of ladies several of them confided that it took them years to get in the field. I know my sister has her certifications in her state and has yet to work in the field. The pay is not as great as some can make but I'm entry level and knew and was ready to accept $12/hr. It surely beats the caregiver pay I was receiving. The benefits are pretty amazing and they pay my medical coverage 100% plus some dental which she said was 30-40 a month finally I can work at getting some work done I hope. Vision is super cheap too. So even if Friday wasn't so happy scale wise I had an NSV still in that my scrub pants fit comfortably, which will come in handy now that I start my job tomorrow. So the inches I've lost in the 10 lbs since April and 20 previous to that over 2014(2015 I gained and lost the same 10 pounds or so) have really helped me fit in them. The last time I had put them on they were pretty snug.

CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy for you Full-Time and in the field you wanted - We just talked about this last week - so maybe us putting it out there in the universe helped you a little. Hopefully pay will improve over time but like you said for right now gaining that experience in your field is the first step and then you can build from there - Yes what a great WooHoo.

My Woohoo for Thursday as its Thursday afternoon here is that there is only one more day of school term before winter break! The kids and I are sooooo needing the break it has been a long tiring term.

 

[HappyGrape]

Instead of driving thru McDonalds I somehow managed to divert into the grocery store parking lot, walk right past the ice cream case and get frozen fruit and rice milk so I can start having frozen protien smoothies.

Planning on having salmon for lunch and getting as much protien in me as quickly as possible, as I would really prefer to not be bald!

My kind of woman! Well done .You get your protein, you get your fruit, it's tasty - win win!

by the way greek yogurt have similar quantity of protein per 100 calorie protein powder and it can be handy alternative if you fancy trying more high protein options

I often do box of baby tomatoes, pound of turkey breast mince, sometimes some beans if I have them or egg whites, cumin, salt, cayenne and other herbs I fancy when I want to up my protein. You can get about 40 g of protein for 220 calories. I can have it a snack as it's super filling

 

[HappyGrape]

HWe closed on the 10th as expected! Thankfully! We moved all our stuff in one day on Sat the 11th and spent everyday last week unpacking - I myself have about 6 boxes left of scrapbooking stuff - I am waiting on my dad to build me shelves like I have in my old mobile.. but it's mostly in the closet! I will post some pictures if you all don't mind.. it's mostly of th

your home is beautiful! congratulations

 

[HappyGrape]

My woohoo - 1kg down this month! Not bad for a month I went on vacation and focused on maintenance. I love the new gym & pool and finally I feel properly geared for active lifestyle but flexible.
One of the trainers in work gym asked if I have been working out somewhere else as I look very fit. It was nice compliment from a pro but it seem less time in the gym (I am only doing 2/3 30 minutes lifting sessions) more fun stuff as classes and swimming & walking is working well for me

I am ready to tackle the remaining of the weight to reach my goal.

 

[pjlla]

The cavs are our NBA team. It has been 52 years since the city has won a national championship and that was the Browns (NFL). THE CAVS have never won it. The Indians (major league baseball) I don't think have won. We have been close. The running joke for years has we are the mistake on the lake and that we are cursed. Always clone but never win. Not thus year.

Sorry.... I don't follow sports at all and it took me a minute to even realize you meant basketball when you said NBA.... I was thinking of baseball.

I'm sorry I haven't been the attentive support buddy to you all this month. The last week and half have been hard on my exercise routine. I've let it slide. Now my friend and I both have full time jobs and will have to work on the routine if we will be able to meet for our workouts or we end up doing them on our own. I did one today on my own. 3 miles 65 minutes like my usual lately. I did up the incline finally because it seemed easy to keep the 3.0 speed but I know if I go up it starts pulling in my feet and legs.

A bit of WOOHOO Wednesday is I had an interview Monday and was invited to do a working interview today for a couple hours. She called me about an hour after I left and said she was offering me a position. So finally I'm full time employed. In my certificate degree field of medical assisting. It's with a foot and ankle office and super exciting. I'll be learning to do certain nerve testing and others PLUS learning x-ray which I will be studying for a test and then boards test for that. Sounds like fun to me and I get more skills to add and they pay for the course and testings. Oh and learn to do casts and remove. I'm so fortunate that they are willing to train me without experience its been super hard to get any offices to take me serious. I'll be sure to be excellent associate and learn all I can. Even in the group of ladies several of them confided that it took them years to get in the field. I know my sister has her certifications in her state and has yet to work in the field. The pay is not as great as some can make but I'm entry level and knew and was ready to accept $12/hr. It surely beats the caregiver pay I was receiving. The benefits are pretty amazing and they pay my medical coverage 100% plus some dental which she said was 30-40 a month finally I can work at getting some work done I hope. Vision is super cheap too. So even if Friday wasn't so happy scale wise I had an NSV still in that my scrub pants fit comfortably, which will come in handy now that I start my job tomorrow. So the inches I've lost in the 10 lbs since April and 20 previous to that over 2014(2015 I gained and lost the same 10 pounds or so) have really helped me fit in them. The last time I had put them on they were pretty snug.

Anyway I gotta get some scrubs dug out of closet and get to bed shortly. 7am will come quick and my sleep schedule has been off to the point I've been going to sleep at odd times between 2-6am. I'm sure it will adjust by Monday. Tomorrow might be rough depending on how long it takes me to get to sleep.

HUGE congratulations!!!! I know that under-employment has been a struggle for you.... I cannot imagine how excited you must be! In your desired field, full time, and a full benefits package.... I'm so happy for you!! And congrats on the scrubs still fitting comfortably!

***********************

Morning all! I've got another hour of chat left to do here and then I can start the "real" work.... house work! The three BIGGEST things I have to do today are cleaning the garage (nothing crazy thorough, just putting away tools and junk and sweeping), cleaning the home office (mostly DH's junk that will go into boxes for him to sort later) and grocery shopping for the party (I will drag DS along to help). Other than that it is a lot of smaller tasks (washing windows, dusting, vacuuming, food prep).

Fitbit is charged, so hopefully today I will see an accurate (and satisfying) step count. I will confess right here that the daily goal of 10 squats and plank haven't been happening the last few days.... I've been so crazy busy I completely forgot. And I am foregoing my "intentional" walking/steps for cleaning.

And I finally figured out what to do for centerpieces for the party! I used a large old-fashioned mason jar (the kind with the glass lid and wire bail) and put a white candle inside and surrounded the candle with Lego bricks! I am delighted with how they came out! We had the candle idea, but had NO idea what to use as a filler.... we talked about using computer keyboard keys (but I couldn't get enough that quickly) or nuts and bolts (too expensive!!), but I just couldn't come up with anything that related to DS and his future as a robotics engineer or related to the party theme (pizza). Somehow using Lego bricks popped into my head last night! Since he got his start in robotics with the FIRST Lego League, it seemed appropriate. Plus the party theme is red and blue (high school colors), so the Lego colors are perfect! And believe me, we have NO shortage of Lego bricks here!

I am just about 75 days away from my California trip and the scale has FINALLY been going down again ...........I'm counting on those two facts to help keep me on track when surrounded by hot pizza dip, pizza, and dessert pizzas this weekend! I'm trying to figure out how to make a few smaller light WW pizza for myself, DD, and a few other WW members in the family but keep it fairly discrete.

I'm going to dash to get a cup of coffee between calls.... can't wait for that first cup of the day!................P

 

[Flossbolna]

Once again, I am so sorry for failing you yesterday! The course I am doing is much more demanding then I expected and there is so little spare time that I try to use that little time to move around to offset all the sitting I am doing. At least my eating is somewhat ok! And the Internet is so slow here....

I already see some woohoos, but only skimmed through them due to lack of time... Mine is that I found a perfect flight for my next trip to WDW. Return tickets for flights with only one connection from my local airport for 560€! That's such a great price!

 

[Flossbolna]

Question of the Day for June 23:

Today we are moving to Morocco! The pavilion was constructed with the help of Moroccan craftsmen in the traditional style. And one tradition they upheld there was to add minor mistakes in order to ensure that it is not perfect - as any human work may not be perfect, only god's work can be perfect.

What is your relationship with perfect? Are you are perfectionist or do you not care about it? Does this have any effect on your goal of a healthy lifestyle?

 

[pjlla]

Question of the Day for June 23:

Today we are moving to Morocco! The pavilion was constructed with the help of Moroccan craftsmen in the traditional style. And one tradition they upheld there was to add minor mistakes in order to ensure that it is not perfect - as any human work may not be perfect, only god's work can be perfect.

What is your relationship with perfect? Are you are perfectionist or do you not care about it? Does this have any effect on your goal of a healthy lifestyle?

Oh my, my.... perfection (or the attempt to be perfect) is my biggest downfall. Here is one of my favorite quotes.... it fits me perfectly!



I spend a LOT of time singing "Let It Go" to myself! That' being said, I have learned that I don't have to be a PERFECT WW to lose weight and keep it off! I've learned to let go when I've had a bad meal/day/weekend and not let it continue.

Time to take my VERY IMPERFECT garage from "disaster zone" to "good enough"!!....................P

 

[donac]

I saw this sign at a costume shop several years ago and I have tried to live it especially when I am costuming and quilting. I have also been using it for dieting. I try to eat as healthy as I can and not get upset when I blow it.