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Blancaej
07-06-2013, 07:46 PM
Hi Everyone,

As you know I have a goal to lose some weight and earn my next Macaw! Well I thought it would be nice to start a thread and see if anyone would like to join me on my journey. It would be nice to have others we can talk to while trying to shed a few pounds. I started a week and a half ago and I'm down 6.5lbs!!

So if you are interested in checking in and chatting about our progress. Please join me!

ShellyBorg
07-06-2013, 07:50 PM
Great start! I am down 50lbs with lots left to go! Would be happy to join in!

Blancaej
07-06-2013, 08:11 PM
Great Shelly! I remember reading on my original post you have lost 50lbs already! That is awesome!!

I was up to 53lbs lost since Jan 2012 but gained 11lbs after adopting Savannah! But I'm getting back down. Thank goodness!

JadeC
07-06-2013, 10:21 PM
I need to lose like 15-20 :) I'm on MyFitnessPal if y'all wanna do that too!! My username is JadeC67

Blancaej
07-07-2013, 12:35 AM
I've heard of that. Sounds kinda cool. I may have to check it out. You can certainly find support here too if you like! :)

Good luck with the weight loss. Keep us posted on your progress!

Debra
07-07-2013, 12:52 AM
Why don't you post what you are doing that is giving you success. Maybe that would get me off my butt and do something. You know, recipes, little tid bits you found easy to do, exercise you do, etc. That may bring more into this. Right now, I'm down in my back and cannot exercise so that's out for me. I love walking when I can do it though.

Blancaej
07-07-2013, 12:58 AM
Great idea Debra! I will think of some things and post something new (if I remember) on a daily basis. How long will you be down for your back? Hope it is better soon!

Pinkbirdy
07-07-2013, 02:34 AM
This is a great idea Blanca !! You have inspired me to make sure I run Sunday. I find now that Im in my 40s things are ridiculously hard. No soda ,stay away from sugar and bread . I eat greek yogart and nuts [and black coffee for breakfast . Watermelon for lunch[ drink plain ice tea] almonds to snack on. Dinner -smaller or plainer verion of my familys.No fried food ,mayo ,little cheese . I keep telling myself it only food right ?As I cringe drinking my black coffee [without that wonderful creamer. Theres a BMI conversion I wish I had . Its your weight ,height and what your goal weight is. It gives you a calorie count to go by [that has worked well for me [mines like 1450] Remember the no sugar and cardio for at least 35mins 4 times a week . Everyone got that :) LOL

josiesmom
07-07-2013, 03:17 AM
I've been battling weight my whole life, so I'm in. Ben and I use the map my ride app to keep track of our mountain biking and kayaking. It is a great way too keep going because you get an email every week letting you know how many miles you went the week before. It makes me want to do more the next week.

JadeC
07-07-2013, 04:13 AM
Yeah, I use map my run when I go jogging or even walking the dog. We can all help each other. :)

Debra
07-07-2013, 08:23 PM
Great idea Debra! I will think of some things and post something new (if I remember) on a daily basis. How long will you be down for your back? Hope it is better soon!

I don't know how long I'll be down with it. I was supposed to be better by this Wednesday, but I'm still hurting and taking pain pills regularly. I had some nerves burned on some joints so that I won't feel the pain I've been feeling. I suppose the Dr.'s office will call me when they get my pain diary on Thursday. We'll see if I'm right on track or if something else needs to be done. I've been hurting since February. I'm so ready for this to be over with.

Blancaej
07-07-2013, 08:55 PM
Well I really hope it gets better soon and the doctors can get your pain under control!

Debra
07-07-2013, 08:58 PM
Thanks!

Turquoise
07-08-2013, 11:09 AM
I get lots of exercise at my work on nights I have to work in the wings. That means many times of going up & down 3 flights of stairs in the buildings & 1 flight in the dorms. It still hasn't helped me lose much of the 25lbs I need to take off. Age does reek havoc on the metabolism. I never had trouble keeping my weight down til I hit my mid 40s. Now it seems no matter how little I eat, how healthy I try to eat it doesn't matter. Working nights doesn't help either, to stay awake in some of the positions you have to munch on snacks.

When it comes to real exercise, I am allergic to it! :th_LOL: I truly hate exercise! I have to force myself into any kind of minimal exercise if it is meant to be good for you. So as far as anything I am doing to help lose weight, well I haven't done much of anything yet.

I do have to start building my strength up tho as my in-service is coming up in Sept for work. We have one morning we have to do all kinds of exercise stuff, it is called our PAT score. We have to run 1/4 of a mile, do as many pushups, situps, leg squats we can in a min. We go up & down a ladder 5 times, carry a 50lb bag of gravel to & from a point. I hate it & am always glad when this part is over. We have to make a score of at least 75, but they want to raise it to 150. I usually get a score of 128-140, but I have not gotten to 150 yet. If we fail this or any other part of the 4 day tests we go through for in-service, we have 30 days to re-qualify or be relieved of our job. They call it being separated from the job.

JadeC
07-08-2013, 12:09 PM
Wow, that sounds weird. What kind of work do you do? I mean, I'm in the military, so we have our own physical fitness tests but I've never heard of doing it for a civilian job.

Turquoise
07-08-2013, 12:33 PM
I work as a Correctional Officer in a maximum security prison unit. They do their in-service like if we are paramilitary. We have a capt., 2 Lts & up to 8 Sgts. on our shift. Then during the day there are Majors & of course Wardens. So, they make us go through a sort of physical fitness qualifying as well as with the weapons we use outside the perimeter fencing. I do work mostly outside as part of the PST which includes towers, roving patrol, free world hospital stays, & highway gate.

Rescued
07-08-2013, 02:18 PM
Goodness D'Andrea, I guess its a good thing that you are "motivated" to stay pretty fit, lord knows the prisoners stay fit. I would not like to think of a guard not being able to be agile and alert to threats. I'm sure that its not the most fun thing though. I too hate exercise, except riding horses and assorted barn chores. ;-)

Blancaej
07-08-2013, 03:50 PM
I'm with you De'! Excercise is not my favorite thing either. I think of it this way, as long as I'm moving and burning calories, it doesn't matter what I do for excercise! As long as I don't sit on my tush all day! LOL!

Pinkbirdy
07-08-2013, 04:24 PM
Cleaning 12 cages has to count !!! LOL :) It kicks my but :)

Blancaej
07-08-2013, 04:31 PM
That definately qualifies!! :th_biggrin: I steam cleaned Quincy's cage this morning. I know I burned some calories doing that! LOL!

JadeC
07-08-2013, 09:44 PM
Hey, if you're up and moving, you're doing more than the person sitting on the couch!!! ^____^ I'm going for a jog now.. Haha

Blancaej
07-08-2013, 11:26 PM
Hope you had a good jog!

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Blancaej
07-09-2013, 12:45 AM
Did you know....

To lose 1 lb a week you need to burn 500 calories more then you eat in a day. For every 3500 calories you burn you can lose 1 lb! So if you burn an average of 2200 calories a day, you need to cut your calorie intake to 1700 calories per day. If you do this for a week, you should lose approximately 1lb. Keep in mind there are other things that can effect your weight loss. But if you keep this up, the pounds should start to slowly melt!

coltfire
07-09-2013, 01:46 AM
But what if your like me and never count calories, i would not no what my in take is, and once my shoulder has healed im getting back on the ab pro, then ill see the pounds fall off

gemini_84
07-09-2013, 02:19 AM
about 6months ago i found a wonderful site called spark people. its a weight loss forum kinda. it has motivational stuff and what not,but the best part of it is that it helps you track your daily calorie intake and calories burned. it also does all the hard math as to what you need to do in order to reach your goal weight by your set goal. they have a massive index of pre entered food calories. for example if you were to make a ham and cheese sandwhich you would just find the bread you were using (or similar) the ham and the cheese and what ever else you wanted on it, enter the quantity you are using and viola it will tell you how many calories in your sandwhich. the same goes for tracking calories burned, the list has so much init inc playing wii games, shopping even house work.
this site helped me lose 12kgs in 2months. in saying that my back was feeling alot better then and i was spending between 1 and 2hrs in the pool. my back has since gone south again to tne stage im having alot more days like today where it is extremely painful just to do my daily chores so i have gained most that back. comfort eating has been my main culprit.

plax
07-09-2013, 02:27 AM
I do have to start building my strength up tho as my in-service is coming up in Sept for work. We have one morning we have to do all kinds of exercise stuff, it is called our PAT score. We have to run 1/4 of a mile, do as many pushups, situps, leg squats we can in a min. We go up & down a ladder 5 times, carry a 50lb bag of gravel to & from a point. I hate it & am always glad when this part is over. We have to make a score of at least 75, but they want to raise it to 150. I usually get a score of 128-140, but I have not gotten to 150 yet. If we fail this or any other part of the 4 day tests we go through for in-service, we have 30 days to re-qualify or be relieved of our job. They call it being separated from the job.Do you and your colleagues typically try and prepare yourselves fairly well for that ahead of time? For those who don't workout regularly I almost don't see how it could be avoided.

Turquoise
07-09-2013, 05:30 AM
No Tony, most don't do anything to prepare. I don't do as much as I should & I pay for it after that first day. It is the first thing we have to deal with on the first day of in-service. And I have to also deal with being up during the day trying to stay awake the 4 - 11 hr days. It is a lot of classroom & video time, then the test on the last afternoon. That sitting still is very hard to stay awake, they won't give us night shift folks an in-service more to our work hrs.

Getting back to the exercise part of the in-service. It isn't too difficult to pass the test right now at 75 points, but if they raise it to 150 or more a lot of us may be struggling! We do have quite a few younger officers who work out & can do as much as 200 & even more pushups & situps in a min. Us older officers are the ones who will be most affected by the changes no matter how much we prepare. And my birds hate having to get up at 4:00am so I can get out of the house by 5:30am. Roscoe showed me his dislike more so than the others. He did barber a few feathers on his neck in a small patch during this time & was not liking me for about 2 weeks after we went back to the usual routine. he never did it again after we went back to the usual 7:00am rise time & it have finally grown back in this summer. He will be 2 by then & I hope he can accept it better this yr. There is nothing I can do about the early rise for the birds, I live 65 miles from where we go to the classes & have to be there by 7:00am. If we miss even one hour of any class during any of the 4 days, we have to take the whole 4 days over again. A PIA for me & my birds, but I need the job & I will survive it.

Oh Blanca, I did some exercise to report. Well, actually it was remodeling Roscoe & Angel's cage much to the dismay of both boys. :th_LOL: Hubby took the high dome of extra wire we originally added to the top of their enclosures off & we made it flat across. It will have to be this way to fit in the old bedroom when they move. The bedroom ceiling is not 8ft like the living room, it is less than 7ft & who knows why it was done like that! I made new toys for them while Jerry attached the wire back on the top. Then when he was finished it was my turn to get all the limbs, toys & ropes back in. They had a late night with them finally getting back in around 9:00pm. My back is sure telling me I need to go lay it down as my 3 places I have damaged over the yrs is barking at me!

Blancaej
07-09-2013, 04:08 PM
about 6months ago i found a wonderful site called spark people. its a weight loss forum kinda. it has motivational stuff and what not,but the best part of it is that it helps you track your daily calorie intake and calories burned. it also does all the hard math as to what you need to do in order to reach your goal weight by your set goal. they have a massive index of pre entered food calories. for example if you were to make a ham and cheese sandwhich you would just find the bread you were using (or similar) the ham and the cheese and what ever else you wanted on it, enter the quantity you are using and viola it will tell you how many calories in your sandwhich. the same goes for tracking calories burned, the list has so much init inc playing wii games, shopping even house work.
this site helped me lose 12kgs in 2months. in saying that my back was feeling alot better then and i was spending between 1 and 2hrs in the pool. my back has since gone south again to tne stage im having alot more days like today where it is extremely painful just to do my daily chores so i have gained most that back. comfort eating has been my main culprit.

I used to use them. Its a great site! Defiantly worth checking out!

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Blancaej
07-09-2013, 04:15 PM
De'Andrea -Caring for our birds can be a good work out! Sounds like you did a lot of changes! I just revamped Savannahs play gym to be all wood perches this morning. She didn't like the pvc perches to well. As long as we are movin'!

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plax
07-10-2013, 05:30 AM
No Tony, most don't do anything to prepare. I don't do as much as I should & I pay for it after that first day. It is the first thing we have to deal with on the first day of in-service. And I have to also deal with being up during the day trying to stay awake the 4 - 11 hr days. It is a lot of classroom & video time, then the test on the last afternoon. That sitting still is very hard to stay awake, they won't give us night shift folks an in-service more to our work hrs.

Getting back to the exercise part of the in-service. It isn't too difficult to pass the test right now at 75 points, but if they raise it to 150 or more a lot of us may be struggling! We do have quite a few younger officers who work out & can do as much as 200 & even more pushups & situps in a min. Us older officers are the ones who will be most affected by the changes no matter how much we prepare. And my birds hate having to get up at 4:00am so I can get out of the house by 5:30am. Roscoe showed me his dislike more so than the others. He did barber a few feathers on his neck in a small patch during this time & was not liking me for about 2 weeks after we went back to the usual routine. he never did it again after we went back to the usual 7:00am rise time & it have finally grown back in this summer. He will be 2 by then & I hope he can accept it better this yr. There is nothing I can do about the early rise for the birds, I live 65 miles from where we go to the classes & have to be there by 7:00am. If we miss even one hour of any class during any of the 4 days, we have to take the whole 4 days over again. A PIA for me & my birds, but I need the job & I will survive it.

I understand, De'Andrea. It sure doesn't sound like much fun. In fact it sounds rather unpleasant. I hope they don't raise the required score on you, and I hope it goes well :(

ShellyBorg
07-11-2013, 01:05 AM
Why do I do this to my self? I have a number on the scale I am working on get under. I was 3 lbs from this goal and then I screwed up and I am 8 lbs up! Why do we do this to ourselves!!!!

Blancaej
07-11-2013, 01:28 AM
Shelly - I know it's hard, but it happens. Don't beat yourself up. I gained 11lbs in 2 months when I adopted Savannah. I tend to go up and down a LOT! I've tried to learn to just keep going and the weight WILL come off. If I go on vacation and just eat what I want I can gain 5lbs easy! But if I get back to my better eating habits right away. I drop most of it the following week.

So just get back on track and I'm sure you will drop back down. :th_hug8:

Keep your chin up! You CAN do this!

Pinkbirdy
07-11-2013, 02:01 AM
Give yourself a break. Go by how your clothes fit and how you feel. Don't let a number ruin your day !!

JadeC
07-11-2013, 05:07 AM
I have to wake up my baby at 5am to leave by 6 and he doesn't like it much. The sun comes up at 4am though, so he's half awake anyway. He won't like the winter here though where the sun doesn't come up until 8am and sets at 4pm. :( If I hate it, I'm sure he will too. Going to work in darkness and coming home to darkness sucks!!!! He's pretty happy little bird though. Haha

I have to run 1.5 miles, 32 push ups, 45 sit ups and do certain stretches every 6 months. :\ It's not too bad, but I have to exercise regularly to keep up. Otherwise, I'm doing what De'Andrea does and just hurting the next day. Haha A lot of people do it that way!!

Blancaej
07-11-2013, 12:08 PM
Wow Jade! I am not a morning person. So 4am sounds like no fun to me! Lol. I can sew why you need to keep fit. Keep up the good work!

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JadeC
07-21-2013, 03:29 AM
So, my goal is to lose 20 lbs in 3 months.... Ready.. Set..... Go!!! I'm 5'7" and currently weigh 180, so down to 160 by Oct 1... Can I do it? Lets see!! Nothing but fruits, veggies and lean meat for me. Telling people my goal helps, so here goes... :)

Mare
07-21-2013, 05:15 AM
Jade, I'm going to join you! I've been wanting to drop 20 for so long now,,,I'll race you!

JadeC
07-21-2013, 08:38 AM
Deal!!

Blancaej
07-21-2013, 12:01 PM
You guys can do it! I'm down 7 lbs so far! :D

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Pinkbirdy
07-21-2013, 02:18 PM
Ive ran 5 days this week [and it wasn't pretty] with this heat. If I force myself to do it [it gets easier and easier] Our friend sells Advocare and has given us samples of natural energy drinks and post work out drinks. I have to say I LOVE THEM !! but its expensive . Anyone heard of this ?

plax
07-21-2013, 03:01 PM
You guys can do it! I'm down 7 lbs so far! :DAnd that's coming from a candy store owner! If she can do it, anyone should be able to ;)

Blancaej
07-21-2013, 04:48 PM
Thanks Tony! That is for sure! If I can do it ANYONE can. Lol! :D

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JadeC
08-03-2013, 06:42 PM
Just ran my first 5k with my little sister!!!! It was SUPER fun!! It was a 5k Foam Fest with obstacles!! Awesome! It was like a mud run!

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Free beer at the end!! Haha

Blancaej
08-03-2013, 07:13 PM
Very cool! Looks like you had an awesome time. Mud and all! :D

Been a busy busy summer, haven't dropped anymore weight just yet. But working on it!

Pinkbirdy
08-03-2013, 08:19 PM
That looks like it was so fun !!! Do you have more events planned ?

JadeC
08-03-2013, 08:40 PM
I still haven't dropped any weight either :( It sucks..

And thanks!!! It was so much fun! Next weekend I'm doing a color run 5k, but I'll be walking that one :)

Blancaej
08-03-2013, 08:49 PM
Nice! Well that should be fun!

Turquoise
08-20-2013, 12:34 AM
What fun that looks like it would be Jade. Except I've never liked getting mud or dirt on me, even when I was small & tried to make mud pies. The mud just felt icky & this coming from a gal who grew up living in the country & would chase after any kind of critter I could find. :th_LOL:

How did you do on your walk? They just had one of those paint runs in Abilene this weekend. We were all asked at work if we wanted to participate. Our Lt. was supposed to be getting folks to join him, but he decided to take his vacation this week & take his family to Missouri to see his Grandparents. He does do most of the runs they have in Abilene & he is about as big as a telephone pole~size wise~meaning he has no fat on him whatsoever. I didn't sign up for it, I knew I wouldn't be able to run it in Aug in Texas! Even with our temps in the 90s which is way cooler than usual for us this time of year, it is still HOT here. :th_faint:

So, getting back to the weight loss support. It is official, I have 3 days shy of a month to get ready for my in-service!:th_crycry: My in-service schedule this year is the same as last year, Sept 16th thru 19th. It has to stay within a year from one in-service to the next due to my being part of the perimeter security team and qualifying on the weapons. Do you think I have been preparing for this all summer since I knew it was coming~~NO!! Not even close. Well, I have been doing a few chin ups when I pass the bar I bought for it. I am up to 4 at a time.:th_hehe: Actually we don't have to do any chin ups, it is just my way of strengthening my biceps, back & shoulder muscles for the pushups. I did 20 situps tonight and 10 not so proper pushups. So, "I'm workin' on it!" (This is a phrase I tell my birds all the time while I'm preparing their breakfast. I did hear Angel say it one day when I was leaving out the door)

When I first wrote about needing to get in shape on here I weighed 150lbs and my striving weight is back down to 125lbs. I hate to weigh myself so I avoid it as much as possible. I knew I'd lost a small bit of weight just by my clothes. So I took a chance, drug out my very dusty scales, took a deep breathe & stepped up. Amazingly I was pleasantly surprised to find it saying 139lbs! That means I only have 14lbs to go & that is not a bad goal to achieve. :th_biggrin:

Wish me luck that I don't 'fall off the wagon' & go back to my sedentary overeating self of yesterday.:th_hug8:

Pinkbirdy
08-20-2013, 12:52 AM
Im wishing you luck De 'Andrea !! You can do it :) Eat Greek yogurt with nuts [in the morning ] Then a HUGE piece of watermelon before you eat meals or are hungry [you will lose weight] :)

Turquoise
08-20-2013, 01:31 AM
Thanks for the tips Terri!:th_hug8:

I've never been a big fan of yogurt. I will start with it and never go back to eat more, just don't like the funny whang it has. My biggest problem with gaining the weight I did was snacking all night at work to stay awake. That is a killer for diets for me. Also working at night, my first meal is usually around 3:00pm to what ever time I get a break at work if I am not hungry when I get up for work. I rarely eat breakfast, never have been a breakfast eater. So, I really eat one real meal a day, even on my days off.

I do love watermelon, but not the price for the measly size they are this year. I have bought a couple of them & they were good at least.

Blancaej
08-20-2013, 01:57 AM
Good luck getting ready De'! You can do it! :)

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ShellyBorg
08-20-2013, 05:50 AM
Well I signed up for a Mini Triathlon. Its next month, I did the same one last year at 50lbs heavier. I was also running a temp of 103 and as sick as a dog! I hope I will do better!

Turquoise
08-20-2013, 06:29 AM
Good luck with your Triathlon Shelly. :th_hug8:

Turquoise
08-26-2013, 05:26 AM
Thought I'd give us a little humor to help get us motivated in our weight loss efforts. Especially since most if not all of us are not fond of spiders!:th_LOL:


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Blancaej
08-26-2013, 02:39 PM
LOL! That is great! I've had a rough month! But as of last week I am back on track! Now that I am bringing Coqui home in Oct. I have a set weight goal before she comes home! Hopefully with the hiccups this summer I can still make it! At least I am back on track now! :D

plax
08-26-2013, 03:15 PM
Thought I'd give us a little humor to help get us motivated in our weight loss efforts. Especially since most if not all of us are not fond of spiders!:th_LOL:
I thought you liked spiders, De'Andrea?

Mare
08-26-2013, 04:16 PM
That was a good one De'! Heehee! I'm jealous of you that have the knees that will withstand running! I use to love it :)
I bought an elliptical machine, last year, and it's been good to my knees so I do get a good cardio with that. Those last 15lbs. for me have been the hardest, I'll drop two then gain back three, ugh..
Sounds like everyone is moving along really well, happy to hear!

JadeC
08-26-2013, 04:47 PM
Yay!! I'm so glad everyone is getting back on track!! I've dropped 10 lbs so far!! I've been on a mostly vegetarian diet. :) I watched this movie called Vegucated about vegan ism and I think I'm gonna do vegan diet.... I felt so bad for those animals. People don't know what they buy at the store and what goes into it. I might own chickens one day and eat those eggs, but I probably won't be buying any more animal products after what I saw. Which is one of the reasons I've lost some weight probably. Benefits the animals and myself.

On a happier note, I ran another 5k!! :) here's some pics of it!

My mom and sis walked it and I ran it. :) it was super fun!!

De'Andrea, my weigh-ins are in Oct, so I wanna drop another 5-10 lbs before then!!! :) Good luck!!

Also, was wondering if anyone wanted to watch that movie Vegucated and do 6 weeks of a vegan diet with me?

Blancaej
08-26-2013, 04:50 PM
Great job on the 5k Jade! It's always nice to have others do it with you! :D

JadeC
08-26-2013, 05:26 PM
Thanks! It's super fun and you barely think about running!

Blancaej
08-26-2013, 06:31 PM
That's even better! ;)

Mare
08-27-2013, 01:45 AM
I have seen Veducated, Jade, it was definitely an eye opener! I watched it with my son, on Net-Flix, who was already a vegetarian. He went total vegan after that movie. I quit eating all meat for only a couple weeks, when I do eat it, its not often. But, YEAH! I'll re-watch the movie, get a kick in the butt, and join you :)!

Pinkbirdy
08-27-2013, 02:37 AM
Yay!! I'm so glad everyone is getting back on track!! I've dropped 10 lbs so far!! I've been on a mostly vegetarian diet. :) I watched this movie called Vegucated about vegan ism and I think I'm gonna do vegan diet.... I felt so bad for those animals. People don't know what they buy at the store and what goes into it. I might own chickens one day and eat those eggs, but I probably won't be buying any more animal products after what I saw. Which is one of the reasons I've lost some weight probably. Benefits the animals and myself.

On a happier note, I ran another 5k!! :) here's some pics of it!

My mom and sis walked it and I ran it. :) it was super fun!!

De'Andrea, my weigh-ins are in Oct, so I wanna drop another 5-10 lbs before then!!! :) Good luck!!

Also, was wondering if anyone wanted to watch that movie Vegucated and do 6 weeks of a vegan diet with me? What types of things are you eating ? I might have to check this out .

Mare
08-27-2013, 03:47 AM
Terri, I know you are asking Jade this but since I'm here...you probably know that eating vegan means no animal flesh, no eggs, no milk, no cheese, etc., nothing with animal product in it. If you got hard core, even honey is off limits. I substitute milk with almond milk. If you watch this movie, it will definitely jump start you!

Turquoise
08-27-2013, 05:01 AM
Tony I don't really like spiders, especially wild ones outside that make webs in MY way!! And I hate the wolf spiders that insist on coming in MY home just tot get trapped in my bathtub. I used to be terrified of them and have been bitten by a brown recluse in '74. And twice by scorpions during the 80s, I truly hate scorpions! Those devils are painful!!! I do have 4 tarantulas, but I don't handle them! They are securely locked in & I know where they are at. Wild spiders & scorpions are sneaky & jump out at you when you least expect it. Hence the helpful cardio workout.:th_LOL:

Great job Jade!!! Love the photo with ya'll spazed out on the grass.:th_hug8:

Can't do vegan diet tho'. Been a meat eater for many many years. I know all about how the meat packing plants work. And I know all about how the dairies, poultry, hog farms, cattle ranches and feed lots are run. How could I not living in Texas? LOL Still can't go the vegan route.

JadeC
08-27-2013, 05:44 AM
Haha worth a try.. I know a few farms that don't test their animals that way that are local and only sell to local farmer's markets. I'll probably buy their eggs, but that's about it. Yeah, no animal meat, no cheese, milk, eggs, diary, anything that had to do with an animal. If it lived, breathed, walked, swam, flew, climbed, ran... No can eat. No leather, silk, hides, etc.. I dunno. I'm gonna try it, but I love milk and eggs.. They've been doing a lot of research on animals products in the last 10 years or so and anytime humans consumed more than 5% animals protein, it ended up with signs of cancer, heart disease, liver disease, kidney malfunction and a few other things. We just eat too much animals products in general.

JadeC
08-27-2013, 05:46 AM
Can't do vegan diet tho'. Been a meat eater for many many years. I know all about how the meat packing plants work. And I know all about how the dairies, poultry, hog farms, cattle ranches and feed lots are run. How could I not living in Texas? LOL Still can't go the vegan route.

De, I grew up in Texas and I had no idea!!! I mean, I knew a little bit, but not the whole story.... :\ Sad, I know. My parents always gave us tons of meat growing up, but once I moved on my own, I just naturally started eating way less meat. Then, after this I'm going mostly plant. :P

plax
08-27-2013, 06:05 AM
Tony I don't really like spiders, especially wild ones outside that make webs in MY way!! And I hate the wolf spiders that insist on coming in MY home just tot get trapped in my bathtub. I used to be terrified of them and have been bitten by a brown recluse in '74. And twice by scorpions during the 80s, I truly hate scorpions! Those devils are painful!!! I do have 4 tarantulas, but I don't handle them! They are securely locked in & I know where they are at. Wild spiders & scorpions are sneaky & jump out at you when you least expect it. Hence the helpful cardio workout.:th_LOL:You don't like spiders... but you have 4 tarantulas. Okay then :confused:

Turquoise
08-27-2013, 07:01 AM
Tony in a post I made awhile back when I mentioned having Ts I said it was some sort of mid-life crisis that made me get tarantulas. That's the only way I can explain it. But~~as I said here, those Ts are contained and have been nicely in their homes for over 3 yrs. I use a clear tube with plugs on each end to move them from their homes when I need to clean it. The wild spiders & they are actual spiders not tarantulas go where they want. No way to keep them from being in something I pick up or move & get bit by them. Those are the ones I dearly hate!! Only because they would rather bite me & run for being in my home where I did not invite them into.

Having tarantulas did make it easier for me to deal with spiders. Before I really got to watching the Ts in their enclosures and reading up on them, I wouldn't even get close enough to a true spider to kill it. Hubby or son had to get them out of my house & they couldn't even throw the crumpled body in my trash can. It had to be thrown outside only! The spider might come back to life & be out to get me if in my trash!!

Mare
08-28-2013, 04:32 AM
So far, so good on my vegan daze diet. For breakfast I had oatmeal with 4 prunes cooked in it, about a heaping Tblsp. of raw sunflower seeds, a squirt of agave nectar and almond milk to top it off. It was amazing! For dinner, I made portobello mushroom burgers with veganaise instead of mayonnaise, as one of the condiments! Vegan really isn't that hard to do but I'm noticing that you have to read the ingredients. I live in a house full of family, running in and out, that are all mostly veg heads so this is not far from my path at the moment! :)

plax
08-28-2013, 06:29 AM
Tony in a post I made awhile back when I mentioned having Ts I said it was some sort of mid-life crisis that made me get tarantulas. That's the only way I can explain it. But~~as I said here, those Ts are contained and have been nicely in their homes for over 3 yrs. I use a clear tube with plugs on each end to move them from their homes when I need to clean it. The wild spiders & they are actual spiders not tarantulas go where they want. No way to keep them from being in something I pick up or move & get bit by them. Those are the ones I dearly hate!! Only because they would rather bite me & run for being in my home where I did not invite them into.

Having tarantulas did make it easier for me to deal with spiders. Before I really got to watching the Ts in their enclosures and reading up on them, I wouldn't even get close enough to a true spider to kill it. Hubby or son had to get them out of my house & they couldn't even throw the crumpled body in my trash can. It had to be thrown outside only! The spider might come back to life & be out to get me if in my trash!!OK. So what I get out of that is that you got the tarantulas as some sort of therapy for your arachnophobia and now you're stuck with them ;)

Turquoise
08-28-2013, 10:26 AM
OK. So what I get out of that is that you got the tarantulas as some sort of therapy for your arachnophobia and now you're stuck with them ;)

:ROFLMAODog: I don't really consider being stuck with them. They are quite unique pets and interesting to watch...when they move about. They are not a busy sort of pet, sometimes not moving about for days. And they eat very little & not very often. One batch of crickets bought a month is more than plenty. Pretty cheap pets actually. LOL

But, you are right about it being a sort of therapy for my arachnophobia. However, I am not cured yet as I will NOT handle them. Have you seen the fangs on tarantulas? Some of those suckers have 3" fangs and they look menacing!!:th_eek::th_faint: Now in all due respect to tarantulas, they don't just run up & bite you like true spiders. No they have to rear up & stab you with their fangs if your dumb enough to still be standing there waiting for it to reach you. :th_LOL: True spiders at least most of them have pincer type jaws that grab you like ants do except the spider has his venom in the pincers and the ants have stingers in their back end. So a true spider only has to get on or touch you to bite.

JadeC
08-28-2013, 04:39 PM
So far, so good on my vegan daze diet. For breakfast I had oatmeal with 4 prunes cooked in it, about a heaping Tblsp. of raw sunflower seeds, a squirt of agave nectar and almond milk to top it off. It was amazing! For dinner, I made portobello mushroom burgers with veganaise instead of mayonnaise, as one of the condiments! Vegan really isn't that hard to do but I'm noticing that you have to read the ingredients. I live in a house full of family, running in and out, that are all mostly veg heads so this is not far from my path at the moment! :)

Sounds yummy!!!! I've been trying to eat as many veggies raw as I can. I bought some almond milk because I haven't tried it yet. I ate two avocados with tomatoes, onions and cilantro last night. Yummy!! I've been juicing a lot too and it fills me up pretty well. I'm gonna make chard and asparagus tonight for dinner. We'll see how that goes.... Haha I'm not a very creative cook. My parents didn't really teach me how to cook, so I'm having to learn at 24. Haha

Mare
08-28-2013, 05:44 PM
Good job Jade! My mom was an amazing cook but I never paid attention on HOW to! I watch some of the cooking channels and have learned so much. I've recently gotten into Pinterest and have found some awesome recipes, vegan included! I'm making this one tonight with spaghetti squash rather than spaghetti noodles, looks yum!
Simple Spaghetti with Kale, Lemon and Garlic (PDF)

Made with a few sprigs of leftover kale, great olive oil, and a touch of spice, this simple lunch for one is quick and reasonably healthy. Double or quadruple the recipe as needed, piling the extra kale on top at the end.

TIME: 15 minutes
MAKES: 1 lunch

Spaghetti for one (a bundle about the diameter of a dime)
2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
5 sprigs lacinato kale (droopy kale is fine), very finely chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.

When the pasta is almost done, heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the kale, red pepper flakes to taste, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 3 or 4 minutes, until the kale starts to get a bit crisp. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add drained pasta, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese, and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

(Minus the Parmesan!). Without the Parmesan cheese it will definitely need salt and pepper!

JadeC
08-29-2013, 05:07 PM
Oh, man... That sounds super tasty!! I'm gonna try that tonight. Thanks. Yeah, my mom cooked for us but I didn't really get taught. Maybe I was a bad student? I dunno. Haha I've been on Pintrest but I don't have a tv. Also, cooking with friends! It's always interesting to see how someone else does things and their outlook on cooking in general. I'm very social, so I love hanging out with people and just cooking, talking and laughing! It's good for you, laughing that is. ;) Burns calories and is good for your mental health!!!!