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[nessa16]

Sounds like craving junk food is contagious.  I have been also eating lots of junk because we still have quite a bit leftover from mine and my gramma's combined birthday party a couple weekends ago, and this week we have been eating out a lot.  I think I have eaten out at least once every day this week.  Today is no different as my mom wants to take me out for lunch because my birthday was yesterday. 

I am seriously getting frustrated with the struggle to meet my goals.  I don't know if it's my generalized anxiety disorder or what, but I talk or worry myself out of everything.  I feel like I think about what if I don't succeed or make enough change which basically leads to "well it won't help anyway so just won't do it" kind of thinking, or the "I'll think about it later"  I am starting to feel like Scarlett O'Hara!  I feel like I overthink everything instead of just doing.

I haven't been able to go to the gym at all this week due to appointments, etc. coming up every day after work.  I did go on Monday to swim, just to discover that the therapy pool isn't really big enough to swim when there is other people in it.  Even if it were empty, it would be difficult because they have 2 walk railings for therapy that spans the width of the pool and are just below the water surface.  You cannot swim over them as they are not low enough in the water.  It's frustrating because I was excited to start swimming for exercise too.  The pool is not really wide enough to swim that way either.  By the time you push off the side, you get about 2 strokes in and you're at the other side. 

I go home and get discouraged too because our house needs an overhaul.  Since I started working days, I do not get as much time during the day to just be home and work on the housework.  I try to get myself to focus on one thing at a time but my mind is always whirling with a million things, and eventually I just shutdown and don't want to do anything.  I also feel like I am not sleeping enough, so I am constantly tired.  Honestly, I wish I could just work 4 days a week and have 3 days off because the weekends are never long enough, and we are constantly busy.  I am not even that excited for holiday decorating, shopping, and dressing up for Halloween!  That's way out of character for me.  Maybe I am getting depressed again without really realizing it...I know my lovehandles are bothering me and I really don't like seeing myself in the mirror without baggy shirts and pants on...Sorry, long rant!

Stormness_1: good idea on the exercise during TV!  Hopefully, the red tape clears up for your job.  That stuff can be so frustrating. 

glitterball: My knees hurt just thinking about squat-Hops!  Ugh, still need to do some gift shopping myself.  I actually like that sore ab feeling...when I am done lol.  Hate sore legs though.  That keeps me awake at night for days. 

Kiwi: do we get to see pictures of the new Floofer?

[Pokeyonekenobie]

Just spent 3 hours sorting children's books onto their respective carts (all the 200s together, all the picture books together, etc.).  Does that count as my workout for the day?  I'm pooped!

I need to be sure and eat healthy today because tomorrow is the 5k run/1 mile walk for my nephew.  I don't want to feel sick because I ate garbage today.  So the sweets will have to wait until tomorrow night or Sunday.

[glitterball]

nessa16, sorry to read that everything seems to be getting on top of you!  don't beat yourself up over it, it's that time of year when all the tempting food is being made available (autumn comfort food) then you have your family birthdays too... try to relax on your lunch date.

Re goals - just make 1 or 2 per day to start off with - example, in being healthy, you could challenge yourself to drink a pint of water at breakfast time instead of tea/coffee/juice. You can have your other drinks later, it's just the actual act of drinking plain water bit that will set you up and make you feel mentally good that you met the simple challenge! Then another challenge could be making sure that your evening meal always has a side of simple veggies - even if you have pizza - have a plate of undressed salad or boiled veggies just to have some goodness in your tummy. This will slowly get you used to having something healthy while not feeling super-guilty over eating something packed with cheese!

Pool - oh that's a shame that you cannot do a "proper" swim, but just power-walking in the water will offer resistance. Are there any special water exercises that you could do? I have never done pool therapy so I do not know any.

Home - I hear you! My house has been neglected recently and is so disorganised, it is depressing looking around at my little chaos. Could you just start with concentrating on one room? Perhaps your bedroom? Set a clock timer for 10 minutes and see what you can do to make a difference - sorting drawers? re-arranging furniture? Changing your curtains/drapes? Painting a wall (maybe give yourself 30 minutes there)? Just 10 or 30 minutes; then repeat tomorrow. Small steps! Plus - once your bedroom is done it should help you relax and get better sleep.

Arrgh love handles - patience! So easy to say but so tricky to do. When deciding upon a diet/exercise plan, just do 1 day at a time and don't expect miracles - re-evaluate after 6 weeks as you will see a stronger difference then. 6 weeks from now will be Christmas, perhaps you can set the next 6 weeks as a mini challenge to see what happens if you just do the best that you can? Maybe set yourself a target to lose 7 pounds, as that's roughly a dress size that you could drop?

It's all about making little steps and setting little goals and rewarding yourself for passing significant milestones. Setting a large goal is too much to concentrate on for now, once you pass your first 7 pounds then make a decision if you feel that you want to lose 7 more, or not. That way YOU are in control! 

Pokeyonekenobie - yes, I would count that as a workout  good luck with the run/walk!

[Crowning_Glory13]

I am back and sorry this will be long. I missed a lot.

Ponyfan your are an inspiration. One day 3 miles and another 2 miles another day...woo!

Pokey I need pictures of that merry go round set...it sounds awesome. And yes books are a work out!!

Glitterball, great news on the House...I am trying to sell a boat and I hope to hear news like that.

Stormness, nice idea with work out to tv. I used to do that. I should do it again. Soon the new job won’t be so crazy.

Kiwi, the festival sounds cool....and PLEASE pictures of floofer:)

Nessa I try writing down a list...I mean small list. I want to dust, vacuumed, and knit. Then just focus on those. It might help calm those frustrations.

Ok the September Challenge.

Ponfan 1, 12
Glitterball 2, 11
Stormness 3, 10
Artemisia 4, 9
Kiwi 5, 8
Pokey 6 , 7

Random number generator selected 5. Way to go Kiwi:)

Just because she was first on page 15, I give the win to Glitter ball. So Kiwiand Glitterball I will need your address for your surprises. You may also have me send them to someone else for random act of kindness.

I have not started on our page 10 winner prizes.

So huge financial hit took more from us, so I am focusing on selling and getting a second job. I also injured my knee at work. I was helping our smallest toddler down the slide and popped what doctors call a bakers cists. So that was Monday, but I am still able to work, and work pays for the doctors...s9 thank goodness. I am in prep of getting my goal changed up. I hope to try and ship prizes in November once I have saved up some funds:) I will post a bit more later...this is long enough.

[Ponyfan]

I have been eating out a lot this week too. I usually have a regular lunch meeting one day a week but I also ate out twice in one day and also ate out last night. My motivation is dwindling and I'm having a hard time making the effort to make healthier choices when it just seems easier to reach for junk. I went to a buffet last night and did fill a plate with salad but that was my last plate and I only ate about half of the salad. I know I should have picked salad up first but there were so many other things to choose from.

I feel like I'm sliding in to an unhealthy slump and know I need to pull myself out.

No workout for me the past few days either.

Thanks for the snack tip glitterball. I did end up overeating later on because I was so hungry. 

Nessa 16 I love to swim and understand the frustrations about the small pool. One gym I joined had a deal with the hotel next door to use their pool and when I got there the pool was  cold and only deep enough to splash around  in. No room to swim. And another gym wanted a large membership fee using their pool which was also just big enough to play in for an adult and not deep enough to swim.

There's a new aqua center near my house that I need to check out but you have to go in to find out any information about their pool their website doesn't give you an details.


Pokeyonekenobie, I volunteer to help out in a library sometimes and shelving books  does count as work. 




Ponyfan

[Crowning_Glory13]

I know I have had bad healthy pony trials too. It took 3 tries to get me to stop eating fast food so much plus a second meal!!! This round is not going so hot for me either...not going to stop trying. The more you try the more you have a chance to succeed.

So my goals are being changed up a bit...mostly the same.

1. Need to work out or move each day. With a knee injury it will keep me from worse things like surgery down the road.
2. Piano/voice. Since I have 3 students I will do a winter recital. I am making myself play and sing!! So I better get on that. My goal is to be ready by Dec 1.
3.knitting. Epic Pillow done before October 31. Temp Blanket. Swap project, I have a lot of time for that, but want to complete by December.
4. Prizes...i am behind:)

This will start Sunday for me.

New challenge..ok we are already close to 20 pages...so let's go 25 pages!!! Let's get posting.

[Ponyfan]

I forgot to post some stuff earlier. I got a better quality pedometer today. The cheap one I was using was off about 1,000 steps. This one is made by Weight Watchers and should track my steps more accurately. I just have to be sure to take it off before my clothes go in the laundry. 

Congrats Kiwi and Glitterball 

Crowing Glory, I'm sorry you injured your knee.  How are you doing on points for opening Big Mac?


Ponyfan

[Crowning_Glory13]

With all that was going on I put myself to 0 points. I did this as a wake up call and fresh start. Before I was only giving myself 1 point for any activity. Now I can have up to 10 points! Depends on what I did and how long I participated. Kind of an incentive to do a longer activity:) I do get bonus points for learning to cook. If it doesn't come from a box, I have no clue how to cook. My hubby is teaching so I can cook for him:)

Still thinking of what to play for my winter recital. My goal is sing 2 songs and play 1 song...or sing and play one song...both goals can be possible.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

The walk/run this morning was awesome. Between the participants and the sponsors they raised more than $5K for my nephew's hospital bills.  The company that sets up the fundraiser said that they've never had so much raised for one person before.    (If you look up judedudeofficial on instagram you can see pictures of the adorable little munchkin!)

I have been bad and have not been eating healthy.  I need to get back on track, which is going to be hard because with all the holidays there's such yummy treats and Thanksgiving is coming up and that means pie!  I just need to tell myself that if I am good now I can have pie later. 

[Crowning_Glory13]

Yes...be good now pie later. This time of year gets hard...you can always have small slice if pie. Wonderful news on the fundraiser..sending some prayers and good vibes to you:)

[Kikwifluff]

I've been doing okay. Not great, but not awful either.
I've been trying to each healthier, and I found my best motivator is to think about if I've already eaten something sweet/candy like already. It's good to treat yourself to something nice food wise every now and then.

Uh. Project wise, I got some awesome new fabrics (they were on sale!) -to make an blanket of an owl for a friend's son, and a few doll dresses. I finished the elephant blanket/plush for my cousin's newborn son, too. I think it turned out pretty cute 

[Ponyfan]

Congrats Pokeyonekenobie on completing the walk/run.  I'm also struggling with healthy eating right now.

Crowing Glory, I know you can earn enough points for your Big Mac. I'm  still stuck on a reward for myself but since I haven't really been good about healthy habits lately I guess I shouldn't reward myself for a while.

Congrats on completing the elephant blanket plush Kikwifluff. 


Ponyfan

[glitterball]

Congrats Pokeyonekenobie on completing the walk/run.  I'm also struggling with healthy eating right now.

Crowing Glory, I know you can earn enough points for your Big Mac. I'm  still stuck on a reward for myself but since I haven't really been good about healthy habits lately I guess I shouldn't reward myself for a while.

Congrats on completing the elephant blanket plush Kikwifluff. 

Ponyfan

Well done on the fund-raiser that is a fantastic result! 
Kikwifluff, keep me away from the fabric sales, I always spend too much! 
Crowing Glory, learning to cook? Oh wow what fun! This is coming from someone who LOVES to cook - it's funny because my husband only bakes cakes, never cooks proper dinner (unless it is in a microwave) so I can understand if it feels a bit daunting for you - just have a play and not worry too much if the meal does not come out perfectly each time.

Here is a cheat trick for a healthy poached salmon meal: using a microwave!

Spoiler

boil some water in a kettle, then add this to a microwave-proof bowl along with some cleaned, chopped veggies (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, enough water to cover all the veg), pinch of salt, then nuke it for 15 minutes until veggies are tender (adjust times for your own specific machine or how soft or firm you wish your veggies to be, this is where you need to play around with timings). Carefully strain the veg (very hot water!) and set to one side as you do the fish.

Get 2 de-boned salmon fillets (roughly 1 1/2 inches x 6 inches, they prepare them as rectangles here in UK supermarkets) they can still have skin on them if you wish or you can CAREFULLY cut them off with a sharp knife (or do as I do and leave them on + peel off easily with a fork once cooked!) put them on a microwave-safe plate, cover with an anti-splatter microwave lid (as you will want to catch any flying juices so that you machine does not get stinky) and blast them for 2mins  30 secs only, leave to stand for 1 minute for the internal steam to do its job (again, adjust for your machine, the fish should just be on the point where it has gone from transparent to opaque, you can always blast it a few seconds longer until the consistency is OK for you)

Plate up your fish and veg. Add a tablespoon or two of sweet-chilli dipping sauce - goes so well with salmon! If the veg is too plain, melt a SMALL blob of butter and sprinkle a TINY amount of chopped mint. Serve with a few boiled baby potatoes or rice.

Microwave rice:
put one amount of rice in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover rice with twice this amount in freshly boiled water. Add a pinch of salt. Pop in microwave, cover bowl, cook for 10 minutes (adjust times for your machine) carefully remove (I end up with a puddle of rice-water but that is easy to clean) if the timings are right, the rice may not need straining, but do so if it does need it. Serve!

Today I have been challenged with cooking a BIR-style Indian meal for the Sunday family lunch. (BIR = British Indian Restaurant style). I am seriously looking forward to doing this! I have been looking on youtube for inspiration and there is a brilliant channel that  a guy has done with all sorts of recipes. Al's Kitchen is the channel. He shows you the spices and then gets on with cooking them so you can see what order to do things. So this week I was busy making my "curry base" which is a blended soup/gravy of onions, garlic, ginger + spices. A few ladles of this gravy gets added to what ever final meal is being prepared.

Today's Menu
Poppadoms (store bought, too messy frying them in oil at home!)
raita (mint + spice yoghurt dip, home made)
naan bread (store bought cos it is too much effort otherwise, lol)
pilau rice (basmati rice with spices + fried onion, home made)
chicken tikka masala (a BIR classic, found on every menu; home-made. Chicken currently marinating in spices, ready to be BBQd before being added to the masala curry sauce)
chicken pasanda (almond + coconut mild, creamy curry, home made)
aloo gobi (cauliflower + potato spicy veggie side dish, yum!)

So the next day at the gym I am gonna stink of onions + spices as they sweat through my pores  ah well, small sacrifices!

[Crowning_Glory13]

I can only drool at these posts right now.

Post Merge: October 15, 2017, 10:05:28 AM

So piano/voice 1 point. Played and sang about 10min. Got my songs set up for my recital...still need a date for it. I did a 10min work out..it was slow due to my knee. It says only 33 calories burned, so 1 point. Looking at knitting tonight as well..so far no extras.

2/100points so far today. I still have a lot of day left.

[glitterball]

I can only drool at these posts right now.

Post Merge: October 15, 2017, 10:05:28 AM

So piano/voice 1 point. Played and sang about 10min. Got my songs set up for my recital...still need a date for it. I did a 10min work out..it was slow due to my knee. It says only 33 calories burned, so 1 point. Looking at knitting tonight as well..so far no extras.

2/100points so far today. I still have a lot of day left.

Well done on the workout!

We have these Assault Bikes at the gym and one day the coach said - "cycle 5 calories"...
I must have been on that bike for aaaages before I hit 5 calories! That's just 2 1/2 TicTac sweeties