Weight-Loss Summer Shake-Up Challenge Chat Thread

[Omega]

Thanks.

I didn't in fact binge, well, I did, but not too badly. Two McDonalds cones (I couldn't resist - they were on sale for 25 cents each, the bastards).

Oh, and we made pizzas for lunch, and I had 3/4 of a 10" pizza. Not nearly as bad as it sounds, since homemade pizza (make our own dough too) is so much better for you than any frozen/restaurant/take-out pizza could ever be.

I know I have to work out tonight somehow. Didn't go to the gym or the pool at all today. All I have done is take a 45 min walk this morning, which isn't going to cut it. But I'm so tired and depressed.

Well done for keeping a tight lid on the binging thing. It sounds like you did really well.

It is great that you went the home made pizza route. Home made stuff is often a lot better than shop stuff. They add all sorts of chemicals and preservatives to a lot of things that you buy in the shops which do our bodies no benefit and can do a fair bit of harm...

I hope that you manage to get the exercise in that you plan on doing. I always think that one of the huge benefits of exercise is that it provides a great window when you have a good chance not to be thinking of stuffing food into your face if things are looking a bit shaky...

 

[Omega]

Thursday will not go down in history as a great day for weight control for me. We spent most of the day with our friends that live in the middle of the countryside. We always have to eat all our meals with them and get comparitively little control over what we have. It tends to always be a day when my project is set back by about a month....

Well I knew up front that I had no chance of getting my water done.

Last time we saw them the lunch was off the scale of how bad food could be combined into one meal - there were pork pies, quiches, scotch eggs, garlic bread, crisps, savoury nibbles, biscuits, cake, dessert - pretty much everything fatty you can think of.

Anyway we tried to mitigate things by saying that we would go out to lunch and we would pay if they booked a table somewhere locally. I had hoped that there would be some sort of roast or grill option on the menu - but that was not to be. Anyway - the best thing that I could find was chicken curry with boiled white rice and naan bread. When the curry came it was sitting in oil too. I managed to avoid some of the oil by being careful when I poured it from the serving dish onto the plate.

Then everyone wanted cake - and since my friend and I have both had birthdays recently we all ended up having cake... I had carrot cake and it was yummy - but the meal was loaded in calories.

Fortunately when she served sandwiches and crisps later on I spotted a fruit bowl in her kitchen. I got her to say that I could hit the fruit and did so big time.

It all means that my calories went off the scales. At least I hit all my main nutritional targets (except water).

I am expecting a gain when I hit the scales after my walk.

 

[thecabbie]

Margaret and Cord, I think it must be something in the air.

It seems that all three of us have been facing some demons. I have just been uncontrollably snacking on junk the last couple of days. The scale is hovering between 305 and 310 at any given time so my weight hasn't gotten crazy... yet.

I don't know what has been going through my head but it just seems like I can't stop myself?

I'm going to sit down and write a grocery list so that I can surround myself with better choices in hopes that some of those choices will encourage me to take them instead of the poor ones.

The kicker is that I've managed to get all of my challenge points (new veggies weren't happening though, yet), but have just had too much garbage to go along with them.

After pestering about allowing more exercise in, It does not look like I will get the 10 hour max this week.. go figure! lol

 

[Omega]

I have just posted the new bonus information in the scoresheet thread.

WEEK 8 – week starting 15 Aug 09

Well we are going to work on two things this week which should both be a little easier – so I am going to give 2 points a day for each of two new things… They are both colour oriented – multi-coloured and brown.

We already know how important fruit and vegetables are to our diet. There is a great benefit to having a spread of different types of fruit and vegetables. They contain different nutrients that can have a very beneficial effect.

An easy rule of thumb is to have multi colours. When young – we were all told to eat our greens. The fact is that the different colours provide us with different benefits. We do best to see as many colours on our plate as possible. A cardiologist that I know tells me that we should aim to see a rainbow on our plate…

You may be interested in this article:


Last week we worked on putting a restriction on our starchy carbs – and this week we are going to work on the quality of them. A rule of thumb can be that brown is a good option. When you have starchy carbs – make the following switches:
Rice – have brown or wild rice instead of white rice.
Bread – choose wholemeal / wholegrain.
Pasta – choose wholemeal / wholegrain.
Cereals – choose a brand which does not contain sugar. Sweetener or fruit may be added.

My challenge to you for this week is to
1/ be multicoloured (M) and try and get three different colours between your 5 portions of fruit / vegetables each day - 2 points per day. Hitting for example two colours of fruit and a different colour with veg does count, as does hitting all the colours with fruit – or any other combination that appeals to you.
2/ select a healthier option for your starchy carbs (S) – 2 points per day.

So – have three colours among your 5-a-day and healthy starchy carbs to collect 28 points.

Reinforcing previous bonuses, I will give 1 point for each day that you have 5-a-day, 1 point for each day that you drink your allocation of water, 1 point for each day that you have sufficient calcium, 1 point per ½ cup of beans (max 3 cups), 1 point for each day that you have 25g fibre, one point for each day that you have enough protein and one point for each day when you restrict your starchy carbs giving a possible maximum 48 points. Anyone reporting a 3 litre lower level of water drinking will earn half a point for each day.

ADDITIONAL ONE-OFF WEEK 8 BONUS
We will continue the extra fruit/veg bonus. I will give 2 points for each different item of fruit /veg that we eat a portion of during week 8 – maximum 5 items.

Wk8---0hrs 00mins----ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---123456---ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---ssmtwtf---newveg*0---
If someone completes all of their tasks I would expect their Wk6 main scoresheet line to look as follows:
Wk8---10hrs 00mins----MMMMMMM---SSSSSSS---JJJJJJJ---PPPPPPP---FFFFFFF---BBBBBB---CCCCCCC---WWWWWWW---VVVVVVV----newveg*5

 

[Omega]

Margaret and Cord, I think it must be something in the air.

It seems that all three of us have been facing some demons. I have just been uncontrollably snacking on junk the last couple of days. The scale is hovering between 305 and 310 at any given time so my weight hasn't gotten crazy... yet.

I don't know what has been going through my head but it just seems like I can't stop myself?

I'm going to sit down and write a grocery list so that I can surround myself with better choices in hopes that some of those choices will encourage me to take them instead of the poor ones.

The kicker is that I've managed to get all of my challenge points (new veggies weren't happening though, yet), but have just had too much garbage to go along with them.

After pestering about allowing more exercise in, It does not look like I will get the 10 hour max this week.. go figure! lol

Sorry to hear that you've got it too!

Getting in more healthy choices is always a good move...

Try and push yourself to get the extra exercise in. You know that it always makes you feel like things are going better. Exercise maniacs are all the same! You know that you want to post 10 hours....

 

[bikinibound]

I need some clarification re the brown starches. Do we get 2 pts if ALL our bad starches are brown, or if we have one per day, or what? I always eat whole grain (not whole wheat) bread, and spaghetti noodles. With my cereal, I mix two different kinds together. One of them has no sugar, the other has some. Do I get pts for that as well?

Cord honey, don't beat yourself up so badly. If I did that every time I fell off the wagon I'd be black and blue..lol. And I'm so glad you didn't go out and mega binge as it only makes things worse b/c the guilt you feel afterwards far outweighs any comfort you got while binging. Focus on the positives, and I don't like the self flagelation. You are a really good guy whether you weigh 180lbs or 400lbs. Keep that in mind.

My downfall this week has been cupcakes--huge delicious cupcakes! On Sunday we celebrated my mom's 60th birthday and her brother's bday as well. My cousin brought these massive cupcakes she got at Cosco (nuff said) and sent 3 of them home with me. So not only did I eat one there, plus gluten free muffins and bread she made (she is starting up a gluten-free bakery b/c her son has the gluten allergy--thank God said bakery will be nearly an hour away, so I won't be driving there much at all..lol) Then have eaten most of the cupcakes sent home. iggy:iggy:iggy: To top it off we went to another birthday party last night and I ate 2 small slices of cheesecake, a choc chip cookie and a very small piece of brownie. Tomorrow night we are going to another get together so I'm sure there will be something tempting for me to pig out on there.

This thread is starting to sound like a food addict's confessional booth. How many hail Marys do I need to say for those transgressions?

Off to the much needed gym!!

 

[Omega]

I need some clarification re the brown starches. Do we get 2 pts if ALL our bad starches are brown, or if we have one per day, or what? I always eat whole grain (not whole wheat) bread, and spaghetti noodles. With my cereal, I mix two different kinds together. One of them has no sugar, the other has some. Do I get pts for that as well?

As far as this challenge goes - wholemeal and wholegrain are both healthy versions for bread and pasta.

In order to get our points we need to switch any and all starchy carbs into the healthy version. I am afraid that if I wanted some honey shreddies (which you know that I love) they would be a no no for this. If I had some I would lose that day's points. I fully expect to be dropping points as I could not find a healthy version of rice when eating out yesterday - and had white rice. I am already booked into a hotel for at least two nights next week - with further bookings planned if the weather seems hopeful. If yesterday is anything to go by I will lose points each day. At least the multicoloured fruit thing should be able to be planned for and sorted out.

It may be a week for you to experiment with mixing the sugar free cereal with different fruit instead. You never know - you may like it. I love my yoghurts which I have now - but there was a time when people would have put money on the fact that I could not survive without my honey shreddies.

 

[Omega]

This thread is starting to sound like a food addict's confessional booth. How many hail Marys do I need to say for those transgressions?

LOL - possibly because that is what it is..... Now we all want those cupcakes and other cakes....

Off to the much needed gym!!

Well done on going off to the gym.

 

[bikinibound]

Well I'm going to be dropping pts then bc I have a nearly full box of cereal that has sugar in it that will go stale if I don't eat it and I am unwilling to throw it out. This completely screws up my morning breakfast. Other than the small amount of sugar, it is qiute healthy--bran flakes, granola and dried apples--probably where the sugar is. So if I drop those pts bc of cereal, I get no credit for the bread or pasta.

 

[Cord the Seeker]

Okay, so are we switching to healthier starches and having a starch-free meal each day?

This is getting complicated:

"Now if you'd been dealt a King, you'd get another card, except when it is dark, when you'd have to give it back."
"If it were dark on a Tuesday?"

 

[Omega]

Okay, so are we switching to healthier starches and having a starch-free meal each day?

Yes - that is absolutely right.

This is getting complicated:

Not really - you got it right first time.

Have one meal a day with no cereal, pasta, rice, bread or potatoes. Maybe the grilled meat and salad you suggested last week at lunch or dinner time - maybe yoghurt and fruit at breakfast time.

Then during the rest of the day when you decide to have a starchy carb - select the healthier alternative as listed.

 

[thecabbie]

Ya know...

This might just be what I need to get my ass in gear.

For instance, if I get up in the afternoon and have a donut, I lose my points.
If, however, I get up and have a half a whole wheat bread sandwich with peanut butter as a get me going snack, I keep my points and put something in my stomach before my ride...

Then I have a salad with say, grilled chicken for a carb free meal..

OMG, this almost sounds... HEALTHY!!

Who would have thought?

 

[Omega]

Ya know...

This might just be what I need to get my ass in gear.

For instance, if I get up in the afternoon and have a donut, I lose my points.
If, however, I get up and have a half a whole wheat bread sandwich with peanut butter as a get me going snack, I keep my points and put something in my stomach before my ride...

Then I have a salad with say, grilled chicken for a carb free meal..

OMG, this almost sounds... HEALTHY!!

Who would have thought?

That sounds a great idea. I'm sure that it will work well for you.

 

[Cord the Seeker]

Hello, fellow babies.

Just letting you know that I am going to be offline for a couple of days. We're heading off to a wedding tomorrow.

Be good, everyone.

 

[Omega]

Cord - Hope that you have fun.

I am also going to be offline for a couple of days. We are heading up to the Scottish borders and will not have computer access until Tuesday night. We are spending tonight in Jedburgh.

I guess that I will get round to doing the sums on Tuesday.

I will try to remember to write down what I have to eat so that I can work out later which (if any) nutritional targets I hit while away. I know that I am going to be missing my water though. That is always the first to go for me.

 

[San2]

Seems like that 'munchy-bug' is highly addictive....I've found myself prowling around the kitchen cupboard a lot recently as well. Fortunately I managed to limit myself to a couple of McVitties Wholegrain digestives with chocolate, and even squeezed them into my daily calorie allowance - but for the 170 cals I could have had something better.

I'm quite happy with the latest challenge - I only eat bread in the morning, and always wholegrain. Not just the fluffy stuff that Hovis and all of those sell - that's not even bread as far as I'm concerned. It's just fluff with a crust. *lol*....I find it really difficult to get proper bread in the UK, unless I make it myself or go to Aldi or other places that sell international food.

Anyway, I don't eat pasta, rice or potatoes, and I have some wholgrain shredded wheat in the cupboard, but don't really eat it often - I don't eat any other cereal. So, that's easy, as well as the carb free meal one....yay!

Again, sorry for being absent so much....I seem to have my priorities messed up a little recently. I spent loads of time on absolutely useless stuff, and not enough on the things that are actually important to me. That, and the kid being on holiday means very limited amount of time to myself, and never longer than about 10 minutes in a row. I am sooooo looking forward to September 4th, when school starts again.

Anyway, Cord and Omega, have fun on your time away. Behave, and don't do anything the rest of us wouldn't do!

 

[thecabbie]

Have managed to stay on plan through the weekend. There is a first for everything!

Cord, Margaret, looking foraward to seeing you again soon on here and here's to hoping you don't do too much damage on your time off. Then again, into every life a few extra calories must fall. Just how we deal with them afterwards is what matters.

 

[Omega]

I have just posted the week 7 scores in the scoresheet thread.

challenge to date (weeks 1 to 6)
....................................prev...wk6...t ot
Omega...........................316 + 109 = 425
Bikinibound..................... 269 + 088 = 357
San.............................. 217 + 066 = 283
Cord the seeker.............. 272 + 063 = 335
Charlieemma................... 298 + 081 = 379
Momma4alex................... 154 + 068 = 222
Reluctantcabbie.............. 299 + 109 = 408
Kyoropaladin................... 010 + 000 = 010
Othie............................. 040 + 000 = 040
Swankychap................... 054 + 002 = 056
Solty............................. 250 + 057 = 307
Cinderelly........................153.5 + 056 = 209.5
Lisajacobs.......................022 + 000 = 022


Totals for week 7 only - only showing those reported

Omega........................... 40 + 21 + 7 + 7 + 6 + 7 + 5 + 7 + 10 = 110
Bikinibound..................... 14 + 18 + 6 + 7 + 4 + 7 + 7 + 5 + 10 = 78
San.............................. 19 + 21 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 08 = 84
Cord the seeker.............. 33 + 18 + 7 + 5 + 0 + 6 + 5 + 6 + 00 = 80
Charlieemma................... 25 + 12 + 5 + 7 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 7 + 08 = 80
Momma4alex................... 40 + 00 + 0 + 7 + 0 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 00 = 68
Reluctantcabbie.............. 37 + 18 + 7 + 7 + 6 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 04 = 100
Solty............................. 26 + 03 + 6 + 5 + 1 + 7 + 6 + 1 + 00 = 55
Cinderelly....................... 26 + 00 + 4 + 4 + 0 + 0 + 7 + 4 + 00 = 45

challenge to date (weeks 1 to 7)
....................................prev...wk7...t ot
Omega...........................425 + 110 = 535
Bikinibound..................... 357 + 078 = 435
San.............................. 283 + 084 = 367
Cord the seeker.............. 335 + 080 = 415
Charlieemma................... 379 + 080 = 459
Momma4alex................... 222 + 068 = 290
Reluctantcabbie.............. 408 + 100 = 508
Kyoropaladin................... 010 + 000 = 010
Othie............................. 040 + 000 = 040
Swankychap................... 056 + 000 = 056
Solty............................. 307 + 055 = 362
Cinderelly........................209.5 + 045 = 254.5
Lisajacobs.......................022 + 000 = 022


Let me know if you spot any of my mistakes.

 

[Omega]

Well - I am back in Newcastle after spending a couple of nights in rain-soaked Scotland. While there is a heatwave apparently going on at our home in the South East of England and decidedly dull weather at my parents' home in Newcastle - Scotland has seen so much rain it is silly.

We understand that the weather is turning generally for the worse everywhere (including the south) - but have decided to head home as the weather is due to be better (although poor compared to recent weather) compared to the north. That means that we are travelling again tomorrow - and therefore it is likely to mean that I miss my water for the 4th day running....

Eating out on Sunday and Monday meant that I was unable to switch all my starchy carbs on those days. We ate both nights at a great restaurant (which in all honesty was the high-light of the trip for us both) and I carefully selected menu choices for the main course which did not involve rice or pasta. Then they served the food with a freshly baked bread roll which was warm. I just couldnt resist it. The best that I could do is resist the butter. On Monday I went on to order the home made Bailey's cheesecake which was truly yummy. I wanted to order it on the Sunday as well (it spoke to me the moment that I saw it on the menu - but I managed to resist it on the Sunday). It is a good job that I will not be able to eat in that restaurant too often - as it was so yummy I doubt that I will ever be able to resist it again. Dont say that I didnt warn you about The Carter's Rest in Jedburgh.

I kept a tally of my food and know (after checking today) that I managed to hit most of my main nutritional targets. I stopped counting calories other than for key food to do that - but know that my calories would be sky high. They were high enough with the bits that I had to key in for the nutritional targets.

I havent weighed myself since Sunday morning.....

 

[thecabbie]

There is nothing quite like freshly baked and still warm bread to make us carboholics just quiver, huh? couple that with cheesecake, wait did you say Bailey's as in like the liquor? OMG, I would have died...

'K, so like, I went out today and cycled 16 miles. That is a little low for me, I've been trying to get 20 + every day during the week. Unfortunately, I bitched and whined about how awful the weather was for the first part of the summer... Be careful what you wish for. It was about 92°F yesterday (33°C), 95°F (35°C) today and will be back in the same neighborhood tomorrow. The humidity is also high, so it was really cooking today. Sixteen miles and you could have wrung me out like a dishrag.

On the plus side, I'm back down to 304 or so and hoping to at least keep that number through the weekend. This will be a major challenge given that I'm going to a bbq on Saturday and going away for the night on Sunday. I'll see how I do.