People are noticing

Joey:

 

How very wonderful it is to have people start to notice that I have trimmed down! I really enjoy going to the Y and hope to make it a life long habit. The fact that people are noticing makes for great reinforcement. I have increased all my workouts and added more machines. Now I want to try the 1 minute push to really get my heart going. I did well at my church Thanksgiving feast. I love dark meat more then any other offering so I took that and vegetables. I'm amazed that I recognized that the veggies were all starchy. I bought beans to make the recipe we had at Food for the Soul. I want to bring a choice that is not starch. Have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

Not letting struggles push me backwards

Chelsea:

Sunday was the craft fair I have been planning and organizing for months, and of course there were some baked goods there. I did not do so well with controlling my sweet tooth, and to top that all off I went to one of those catalog parties where there were some amazing chocolate, walnut, peanut butter brownies and pizza that I couldn't pass up. Needless to say yesterday was a very bad turn for the worst... Over ate on my calories for the day by a lot and chose some obviously bad food choices. BUT I'm not gonna let that push me backwards! Saturday was a new day and I planned out and ate my usual breakfast, and packed my lunch pail full of foods that make me "armed and dangerous" as Michelle calls it, for my lunch and snacks! Oh let the food struggles of the holiday season commence! I'm also Looking forward to my first 5k this week!!!! After signing up I'm a litter nervous about the number of people that will be around me, but maybe that will help push me to keep going... A little competitive spirit never hurt anyone :-)

The pieces are coming together

Laurie:

 

21 Nov - It has been a long time since I blogged and as we draw close to the end of our 12 weeks, I have been practicing what I want to say over & over in my head.  I finally decided the best way was to keep it simple:

Six years ago I got up one morning and lit a cigarette, took one puff and threw it out. I quit, just like that.  I didn’t want to be that woman.

Four years ago I eliminated beer and alcohol from my diet. I quit. I didn’t want to do that anymore.

Two years ago I realized I had no cardio endurance and started walking. It was free, I could do it anywhere, anytime. I wanted to breath.

This last year I have started looking at my diet and the choices I make and how could I change my eating habits.

Then I was invited to join this program.

At week eight I made a self realization. I did not have addictions to cigarettes or alcohol or nail biting, I had habits! Addictions are not something you quit, they are something you fight. I on the other hand had just walked away and never had a moment of challenge after.  

I think the first call with Joleene, when she explained about repeating a new life choice until it became instinct was the start.

The store walk through with Nicole, where she showed what I should really be looking for in my food choices, clarified what I had been trying to understand.

I feel like the pieces of a puzzle are coming together, like I almost have the answer……….

Successes in some areas, challenges in others

Chelsea:

I realized that I haven't blogged in some time. Things have been going really well in some areas and very challenging in other areas. This past week I lost 1.4 pounds!!! I am running the full 3.1 miles in less than 36 minutes, even though I'd like to get that down a little lower, but I'm very happy to have increased my endurance!! I have been having some good and bad days with my eating. It seems to be an every day battle and sometimes an every hour battle. But, I'm trying to remain focused on my end goal. I am 28 pounds down now and only have 7 more to loose by the end of the year to meet my goal of 35 pounds! I went out today to buy a new pair of jeans at AE and fit into a size 10 for the first time since like 7/8th grade in school!! 

Last night we also met with Nichole Garnsey who is extremely knowledgeable about nutrition and food. It was very helpful in learning how to adapt various techniques to make healthier choices through the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving next week. I am so grateful for this opportunity but am hoping to gain some more useful information on how to make healthy food choices before the end! This experience has been life changing!!

Falling off the wagon, but still working

Michelle:

 

I've had a hectic last few weeks and fell off the healthy eating wagon a couple of times. I always get back on track, but the last couple weekends I've been bad! The Healthy Eating classes have been very informative, still working on half my plate being veggies though. Things are going well at the Y, I can't say enough nice things about Michelle Graham, she's awesome! Hoping we have good weather for Thanksgiving, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the BetterU gals at the Turkey Run!

Happy to report progress

Patty Howell:

 

Good morning girls, it's a beautiful first snow. I am happy to report that I am down 10 pounds - halfway towards my goal of 20 pounds. I have increased my Y time and really enjoyed water Zumba, but most of all I enjoy cooking and eating heart healthy. For my age I feel it's important to do resistance training and must do weights to lose weight. Each pound of lean body mass burns 420 cal. weekly could be only 2 half hour aerobic classes. Oh by the way, my husband is down 10lbs too.

A boost of encouragement

Deb Biondolillo:

 

As it is now into November and with the number of  weeks left of the Better U Program, I have started to switch my thinking and actions for the week. I met with Michelle this morning to start adapting my work outs at home. Yes, I am the typical person with the equipment, but somehow it is so easy to walk by it every day. I will be literally dusting some of it off prior to its use. I enjoyed a wonderful November hike in the  Adirondacks this week. The highlight of my week was finding out the woman I was working out with was 91 years young. This was the highlight of all my trips to the Y. I was encouraged that she was actually using higher weight settings than I do on a few machines!  We talked for a few minutes and she gave me a big boost of encouragement.