The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[centuryclub]

good luck with those bat wings. have a nice 4th of july

[rodeomom]

My usual gym is closed for the 4th today and I had planned to walk outside, BUT we are getting even more rain UGH! I am getting a little tired of this routine. According to the forcast we are looking at 1 day (Monday) in the next 7 that we might see the sun.

Anyway, like I was saying, since my regular gym is closed and I can't go outside I found another gym that is open until 2pm and is only $5 for a day pass. Sounds good and I won't loose the momentum.

Alrighty then, that means I have to get off the computer and into the car. Hi ho hi ho its off to the gym I go....

[SharonR]

Good for you for making the effort to go anyway!
Have a great 4th!

[Tawanda]

Brenda, you sound like you are doing well. I'm glad!

Have you heard from Skye? Is she doing okay? Miss seeing her on the board.

[rodeomom]

Thanks for stopping by T! I am doing well, even though staying compliant remains a daily struggle I often lose. Today (so far) marks day 2 of 100% compliance for me. While I have been basically compliant most days, baically just doesn't cut it.

Skye is in Indiana, visiting her family. She had decided to take the summer off of MF, but is rethinking that decision right now. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She and her family are going through some difficult times.

My new email buddy, Stacey, has challenged me to set a date for my final goal. I had set the goal, but not a date. I have roughly 75lbs to lose to reach my idea of my goal weight. When I was 100% compliant 100% of the time I averaged a pound a day. If I can get to that point I should have no problem reaching my goal by the holidays. My mom's b-day is November 1st, so I chose that day to strive for.

As a mini-goal I would like to see myself at 230 by the end of the month. My micro-mini goal of being solidly under 250 by today didn't happen. I am going to extend that goal and try to be there by roll call on the 13th.

[BiggerInTexas]

As long as you're stayin 100% OP, that's the victory! Setting a date just helps me when I'm feeling the temptation to stray. Great job staying compliant thru the holidays! Yay, Brenda!

[rodeomom]

Still hangin in at 250, but I am cool with that since I am putting in so much time at the gym. I knew that the muscle for fat exchange was going to mess with my numbers for a little while. Mowed the lawn then painted the fence (and the grass, dirt, my shorts etc.) basically had paint everywhere. Oh well! 7 gallons down and still didn't get the thing done yet. Now it is time to relax.

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

[Lauren]

Hey, Brenda! Sounds like you're doing great, and I am particularly impressed by you digging up an alternate gym locale for the 4th - now THAT'S dedication!

I know you totally did not ask my (or anyone's) opinion on you setting a goal date, but can I throw one at you anyway? In my humble opinion, you should only set goals that you have absolute control over. For instance, you control the following:

What you eat
When you eat
Staying compliant
Frequency of Exercise
Type of Exercise
Amount of water you drink

What you do NOT control, however, is what the scale does with the above. It seems to me that to set any kind of goal date, whether they be mini-goals or long term ones, is really setting yourself up for a roller coaster of emotions. Sure, you might beat some, but what if you don't make others? And what if you follow all of the above perfectly and don't make that goal, does that discount the fact that you did everything you're supposed to do? It shouldn't, but emotionally speaking, it might. If you are "perfect" on plan, but miss a goal, that could be a terrible feeling, and why do that to yourself? Because, in truth, none of us have any idea what our body will do and how the scale will move. Sure, we see trends, we see averages, but we have NO CONTROL over the numbers.

My opinion is to base your goals on the stuff you can control, and let your body take care of the rest. I feel pretty confident that this is the best way to keep your head and heart feeling happy, motivated, and successful!

Just my two cents.

Best to ya!

Lauren

[rodeomom]

Thank you, Lauren, for your input. I ended up really enjoying the other gym and what it has to offer. The hours are better, they have a wider range of weight machines, nicer treadmills etc. I was a little uncomfortable at first because it is more of a gym than a rehab center like my regular place, but once I hit my stride on the treadmill I was in my own zone anyway. I am considering a membership which completely blows me away. Never, I mean NEVER did I think I would actually consider joining a gym.

What you said about setting closed ended goals makes sense. The thing is, the whole date thing is more of a mental game withy myself than a timeline. For example, if I am not feeling like going to the gym tomorrow, I will say to myself "Ok, fine - you don't have to go to the gym BUT that isn't going to get you anywhere near being X pounds or X size by Y date." Same thing goes for when I see a great looking piece of carrot cake at the fellowship table at church on Sunday morning. "Ok, have the cake, but don't expect to be able to wear X outfit to Y event on a particular day". I think I handled not being below 250 by the 4th pretty well. I knew that the added exercise was going to mess with my muscle to fat ratio and, therefore, affect the numbers on the scale. Being open ended about my goals also gives me the feeling that I am going to be in the weight loss phase FOREVER. Thinking that I will never be able to eat anything outside of a lean and green or MF supplement can be pretty daunting. Nobody in my family understands that part of it either. None of them had as much weight to drop as I did, not even as much as I still have to lose. They were throu weight loss, transitioned and on maitenance in three months or less. I had about 150 pounds to lose, this is a long term thing for me and that can be overwhelming sometimes. Having a date to look forward to, plus or minus a month or two, helps me realize that I am not going to be doing the 5 & 1 (or 4 & 2 Dr A suggested for me) forever. Kinda like the light at the end of the tunnel sort of thing.

I can understand what you are saying though. Just like weighing everyday can make some people insane because they freak over less than 1 pound increments, not reaching a goal by a set date can be discouraging. Perhaps it is all in how much importance we put on that goal.

[BiggerInTexas]

Awesome advice, Lauren! I like it!

[BiggerInTexas]

I feel the same way about having a date goal, though, Rodeo. It's really just for that extra boost of encouragement to stay OP when I'm in the throes of temptation! For instance, I knew eating the hot dog on the 4th wasn't going to get me closer to my goal, and sure enough, I didn't drop any weight the next day! But like Lauren says, the true victory is staying OP, day by day.

I know whatcha mean about the paint! I have a painting outfit - shorts, tee, socks and tennies, 'cause I ruined so many clothes! I don't know what it is about paint, no matter how careful I am, I always get some somewhere! The last time I painted, it even went thru my shirt and wouldn't come out of my bra, so now I have a painting bra to add to the outfit!

[rodeomom]

I have a pink streak in my hair that my daughter and I did in memory of Alicia. My dad is not the most observant person so even though the pink has been there for months he thought I got paint in my hair. The fence is a red color not even close to pink. There probably way paint in my hair - I know I had it on my sun glasses, but it wasn't where he thought it was.

[BiggerInTexas]

LOL! That's too funny! You know, it took DH a whole evening to notice when I cut my hair in April. And I went from long, curly blonde hair to short, straight dark hair! (I've gone back blonde now - that was the only part DH didn't like, but I did keep it for 6 months ) He's also color blind, so he wouldn't notice the difference between red and pink, either.

I LOVE the idea of the pink streak in your hair in honor of your friend! You should definitely keep it until after the horse show! How are the plans and the quilts coming?

[rodeomom]

I get many comments about my hair all the time. I kinda like it the way it is. I may keep it for a while?? I do have the "faith" tattoo too, so that will be with me forever. If you haven't seen the photos, I put them on the studio thread. I think you can see my pink streak in the one picture.

Plans for the show are going well, in fact I have a committee meeting tonight. I think we are going to take a ride down to the arena and get a feel for how things are going to get set up and all. We are $500 short of our goal for sponsorships, which is a little worrisome, but I have faith that God will bring the right people accross our paths and help us get that money in. You know the saying - ya gotta have money to make money? Well, the best way to get people to come to a horse show is to offer money for those that win and place in the classes. Our ribbons came in the other day and while they were very pretty, they had her name spelled wrong (Alisa instead of Alicia) . So they had to be sent back for a redo. The trophy guy is working on the plates for my donated trophies which were supposed to be done today, but got put on the back burner for something else he had that was more pressing time wise. Good thing I didn't follow my normal MO and procrastinate. Usually, my motto is why procrastinate today, I can do that tomorrow too. Alicia was a very important influence in my life and I loved and respected her very much. I guess I just wouldn't put her name on anything that was just half done.

The quilts are coming along nicely also. I have set aside time tomorrow to work on them again. With the break in all the rain, I had to set them aside to get some outdoor work finished before we got doused again. The piece work on them is done, I just have to add the boarders then put the batting and backing on them. One is a cobalt blue and white and the other has breast cancer fabric that has some kind of oriental characters in black. The contrasting fabrics are a dark pink and a black that has white oriental characters. It would be nice if I could figure out what those characters mean. Anyone read Chinese?

Now, I need to find someone to sing the National Anthem for us. Deanna is going to ride one of Alicia's horses into the ring with the American flag for that, then she is going to show him also. I am also searching for someone to "man" our information table where we will have pamphlets of info on women's cancer issues.

[centuryclub]

good luck with the show and everything you have to get done. Hopefully everything will work out!