Thanksgiving to Christmas 2016

[dancefoxtrot]

Our Challenge this time has 31 days so we can set realistic goals for 4 weeks of weight loss or maintenance. Come and share your stories, successes, struggles and what you are learning on your journey to a healthier life.

OSW= 153 Feb 2015

CSW= 149.3 Today

GW =  145 12/25

UGW= 135 and maintain it

OSW= Original starting weight when began with Fitbit

CSW= Current starting weight

GW= Goal weight for this challenge ending on 12/25

UGW=Ultimate goal weight.

Okay we going together toward healthier bodies and minds. Sadly holidays have been commercialized to focus on consumption including lots of sugar, empty carbs and calories.  We can make much healthier choices since we are not mindless puppets of the greedy manufacturers. 

Let's give ourselves and others the gift of healthier food and attitudes.

All the very best on this Thanksgiving Day.

Anyone want to share a few things that they are thankful for to inspire us?

I'm thankful for my home to keep me sheltered from the storms.

I'm grateful for my work teaching exercise and health to older adults and it

helps me, too.

I'm grateful for still being able to dance.

I'm thankful for my son and his kids just 1 hour away.

I'm grateful for my sister and brother across the country that I can call.

I'm grateful for my garden with some organic veggies and fruit.

I'm thankful for the good nutrition that my late momma taught me to eat.

I'm thankful for my Fitbit friends that are so kind and supportive.

We are doing this one day at a time and we can reach our healthy goals!

Hugs to all our fierce challengers,

Barbara G

[_Lilac_]

Too cold to walk to the pool this morning with this whipping wind. And it would be worse when I walk home just having got out of water. My dogs stared at me while I walked the treadmill for 2000 steps. I would have done a lot more but I have discovered that the tread surface is slipping and pulling to the side. I have to forcibly (with my feet) push it back over while walking. I'm not sure if it's a weight issue or what it might be. Maybe my stride is weird? 

I had a meal with too much salt yesterday so I have some swelling today. Ugh. Water intake is up to help flush.

Mom didn't want to go walking at the mall because of the temperatures outside. She's staying home to make her batch of homemade bread. Glad I'm not over there! I considered making some molasses brown bread in my bread maker, it's AMAZING, but the fact that it's amazing is the problem. I want to EAT it. Then I thought about banana bread muffins because I have some browning bananas. They actually don't contain much sugar or flour...so they are a decent option for something sweet. They can also be frozen and thawed one at a time. I'm lazy about baking though....ok to be honest I'm lazy about the cleaning up after baking. 

Need to get off my butt though. I'd bundle up and take the dogs around the block but I know they'd get halfway up the street and start limping from frozen paw pads. It's happened before. 

Ok, making lunch and considering baking...have a good warm day everyone.

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_- check your user manual for the treadmill.  The belt shifting can be adjusted.  It takes a number of times to get it right (works better if someone is helping you) but you can usually adjust that.

[A_Lurker]

And since it snowed again last night...

...more snow!

[Glenda]

Lilac, I wonder if your got your treadmill assembled correctly. Seems like I remember you saying something about putting it together. Call the company if you don't have instructions online or in a paper about problems.??? I don't think it is the way you are walking.

[_Lilac_]

@Glenda  I'm sure it's just something that needs to be tweaked, as A_Lurker suggests. I'll read through the instruction manual. My house smells amazing. I made the bread, the banana bread muffins, and I have a wreath candle lit. Having a very sensible dinner of a chicken breast with veggies. Mmm mmm mmm.

[dancefoxtrot]

Thanks Anne  @A_Lurker

The snow is so beautiful and serene looking from inside a warm house. I remember that it can be very cold just walking in it so shovelling piles of snow is bound to burn cals.

Thanks for the photo. Only rain where I now live unless I drive to the mts. 3 hours away. Today the rain stopped and it was windy and in the 50s F.  Nothing to complain about.  Reached the surgeon's office and asked to be on wait list asap.  I want this basal cell ca off yesterday so I think that they may try to accomodate me. I'll hear back on Monday they said.

Need to get up and steam veggies now and put on some make up and get to the dance and professional Christmas show. that should be fun.

Take care,

Barbara G

[Bobbinyc]

@dancefoxtrot  I'm so glad you are working on getting an appt quickly.  My friend who had it on her face also  had to be super careful to avoid sun afterward just to help with healing and keep scarring to a minimum.  You'll have to manage that on your cruise.  In case I didn't mention it, hers looked scary at first, but there is no scar - at least none that anyone but she can see.

It's so nice to hear about you dancing.  It just warms my heart and inspires me to think of you out there, waltzing and doing the fox trot, etc., and looking so elegant and graceful.  Of course, if you care to share any more videos....

[Bobbinyc]

We got an inch of snow!  Early for the mid-Atlantic U.S., and it will melt by this afternoon, but...it's still pretty.  They are saying on the news a lot here that if you are going to shovel, please warm up your muscles  first.  It is an intense aerobic exercise and the cold makes the blood vessels contract.  Just going out and shoveling on a very cold day without  bit of exercise first  puts the heart at risk.

[GershonSurge]

---

@Bobbinyc wrote:

We got an inch of snow!  Early for the mid-Atlantic U.S., and it will melt by this afternoon, but...it's still pretty.  They are saying on the news a lot here that if you are going to shovel, please warm up your muscles  first.  It is an intense aerobic exercise and the cold makes the blood vessels contract.  Just going out and shoveling on a very cold day without  bit of exercise first  puts the heart at risk.

---

I'm going to suggest another mechanism for that "snow shoving heart attack." 

Let's say a person eats a high fat meal such as the classic killer - bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, toast and butter. The high fat causes the red blood cells to clump together, and they can't flow through small blood vessels. They go outside to shovel, and the cold causes the small surface blood vessels to contract. The blood can't get through and forms many small clots. Either during shoveling when they warm up, or when they go inside to get warm, the blood vessels expand. All these small clots are released at once and collect in a nearly blocked artery they may not even be aware of.

If a person finds themself in this situation with symptoms of a heart problem, chew - don't swallow whole - three adult asprin. If chewed, the asprin enters the bloodstream almost immediately. Then call 911.

[_Lilac_]

Since I've begun my fitness kick, I wouldn't mind doing some shoveling, but when I was really sedentary and unfit, it was killer. I could do it now and work up a sweat easily. My back would hurt but my heartrate would sure get up there! I have a wonderful neighbour who began to use his mighty snowblower on our shared driveway and I give him a gift card every Christmas to help pay for the gas it uses. I do shovel my deck and doggy access to the back yard but soon the snow will be too high to let them out because they'll be able to get over the fence. haha.

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_- I admit I don't like the snow.  I pay someone to come and clear my driveway (it's a double one) and I clean the front steps.  This winter I'll also be shoveling part of the deck and the steps down to the hot tub.  We've had a lot this week.  I'd be okay if we didn't get anymore, but that's not likely.  It has warmed up today - when shoveling the back it was enough to have on a sweatshirt.  However, we have a freezing drizzle alert at the moment so that's not good.  I'm supposed to go take my mother out for lunch tomorrow but if it's bad in the morning I will call her and tell her that I'm just going to come for a visit after lunch.

I might go use the hot tub now.  Although it's quite nice when it's snowing I'm not so sure it would be as good in the freezing drizzle.  A coworker suggested a hat as my hair gets a bit wet when it snows. 

[Glenda]

                                    I've learned I should not reply to people directly from email because I didn't see A_Lurker's suggestion before I wrote.  

 Lilac, I can't even remember the last time I saw snow and I don't know anything abut it.  But a year or two ago I read that WD-40 is helpful to people who use snow blowers.  Best I remember if you spray it on before you start it keeps the snow from sticking while you are using it and makes it easier to clean snow off the blower when you are finished .  Maybe you could give your helpful friend a can of WD-40  with a big read bow?  Or not, what do I know?

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi @Bobbinyc and challengers,

Thanks for your warning to keep the site covered from the tropical sun.  I'll do whatever the doctors tell me to do.  I don't mind wearing a patch over it.  It may leave me with a funny tan but so what.

Warming up muscles before shovelling is sooo wise. Eating high animal fat or carb meal is probably not good since simple carbs when not burned turn into vessel clogging junk, too. 

Take care North Easterners to not slip or freeze in icy conditions.

Barbara G

[_Lilac_]

@A_Lurker I saw a salt truck go down the street so we must be expecting something more...lemme check...Yup, freezing rain overnight. It went from -35C yesterday and now we are getting freezing rain and rain tomorrow. Phew. I slipped a few times when out today, on the streets where the cars have packed down the snow. So the salt is welcome. 

[_Lilac_]

I knew since it was the weekend I needed to do something today to get my steps in. Too cold and the streets are still unsafe for pedestrians, so I took the bus to the mall. A person on my facebook friends list owns the Subway restaurants nearby and they were having a toy drive today. I went in the mall briefly, enough time to pick up a toy to drop off at Subway. Wow...that mall was NUTS. There was no way I'd be able to do my 4 laps of walking to get my steps. I'd get so frustrated I'd be shoving people out of my way. I'd end up in jail for assault and I'd not be able to get steps in there!

By the time I arrived home I had only 4500 steps. I checked my users manual at A_Lurker's suggestion, and I found the solution to my treadmill problem, where the tread surface was slipping to the side. It took me a few attempts but I think I have it fixed. I did 35 min. on the treadmill. My fitbit still isn't tracking my steps properly on my wrist but I moved it to my bra, as A_Lurker also suggested, and it seemed to improve. Yay for @A_Lurker!!  I'm at 9200 now, so I'll be able to make up the others with a good march. 

Hungry. Didn't eat enough today. Need a snack. Stay warm everyone!

[almost_where]

Turkey Day Weight - 275 - (11/25)

Sunday 1 - 274 - (11/27)

Sunday 2 - 272 - (12/4)

Sunday 3 - 272 - (12/11)

Sunday 4 - 269 - (12/18) - CW

Christmas Goal = 266 lbs.

- 3 lbs

Can't say I'm really enjoying the New England winter weather out there but the exercise/steps are at least keeping cabin fever/winter blues away. The December Step Challenge has kept things interesting and A_Lurker I'm still very impressed with your 20k step average (very inspiring). Hitting the winter solstice this 21st is a nice mark to get to.  Good luck to everyone out there hope you have a good week and stay warm out there.

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi @_Lilac_  I bet they'd nick name you the pacer if you got to Jail! 

Well, I'm proud of you for locating the instructions and making the adjustments to get the slippage to stop. Very resourceful.  Had to look up -35C and found that it is -31F. Good heavens that sounds lethal to life actually.  Please be careful in such weather.

Take care all,

Barbara 

[_Lilac_]

@dancefoxtrot  The temps have risen! But there's freezing rain and wind. My daughter took a bus back to school in a city 2 hours away and their streets were so bad that the four taxi companies she called weren't even answering. She finally got a way back to the dorm. She writes one exam tomorrow and catches the bus back here right away and stays til Jan.6. She needs a break! She travels back and forth every week because her job is here. 

I have been lazy today and I feel a lot of guilt. I did do 30 min on the treadmill at a decent clip, but I've mostly been sitting watching horribly written and acted, sappy, atrocious Christmas movies that probably got very little airtime, if any at all. I rely on others' ratings as assessment and then regret it because I'd give them two less stars than the other netflix users. It's 9pm. I suppose I could do some more treadmill or some marching/walking in the livingroom. I also have dishes to put away and laundry to gather from the dryer. It was just such a lazy day. 

Tomorrow I plan to walk with Mom early to beat the crowds to the mall. Since we had the freezing rain and the temps will drop more overnight, it won't be safe to walk outside. It is 33F right now but dropping to 9F by morning...slick. 

Ok, enough sitting on my behind. When I worked at a call center the ladies and I used to joke that if you worked there any length of time, your rear end grew to the size and shape of the chairs. Today, I feel like my butt is threatening to do the same in my recliner. And I have a very LARGE, squishy recliner. 

So, off to sweat a bit. Might turn on another disastrous holiday movie to keep me company. Have a great night all.

[_Lilac_]

Update to the lazy day guilt. I got off my butt and did 50 min of walking/marching/mini-jogging in the livingroom. I watched almost an entire episode of a weekly drama and hit my 10,000 step goal. Yay for vocalizing my shortcomings and forcing myself to feel good. haha.

[A_Lurker]

@almost_where- I am past the halfway point, so we'll see where it goes.  My weight is up this week and I'm not sure if this is poor food choices or water retention.  The likely answer is that it's a combination of both.

@dancefoxtrot- at -40 F and C are the same.  And yes, sometimes we get that temperature, although not that often.

@_Lilac_- we were supposed to get freezing rain but it didn't warm up enough (which is a good thing).  It was kind of swirling snow earlier, but it seems to have stopped for the moment.  It's supposed to warm up in a couple of days and stay around the freezing mark until possibly the new year.  Would be nice, but I don't trust the 14-day forecast.