Tag Archives: Florida

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Noom Report

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Twenty-three days until we travel to Lake Buena Vista and Walt Disney World.

I have been on Noom now for eleven days, and so far I am eight pounds down. That is phenomenal, because I’ve been kind of stuck for months now. I like the program, but I’m still in the Honeymoon Phase.

The nice thing about being only a little over three weeks until our trip to Florida is that I am making sure to walk every day to be in a bit better shape for the extra walking that I’ll do on vacation. I like the way I feel after my daily walk. Yes, I’m pooped and red-faced and sweaty and panting, but I feel invigorated, too. So bring it on!

Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

 

 

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My Noom Life

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Twenty-seven days and counting until we head for Florida and Walt Disney World. As the days creep forward, I become more and more convinced that I have GOT to do something to prepare myself for all the walking at WDW. Even using an Electric Conveyance Vehicle (ECV), I will still need to walk to and from bus stops, and to and from the EVC rental locations. So…I am spurred to make sure I am walking for 15-30 minutes straight each day until we vacay.

Also to that end, I joined Noom this week. Here’s part of what they say about themselves from their Facebook page:

Mission
We help people around the world enjoy healthier lives through better nutrition and exercise.
General Information
Let’s get social!

Noom Blog:
noom.com/blog

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/noom

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/noomcoach

Pinterest: 
http://pinterest.com/noomcoach/

Intro to Noom Weight Loss Coach Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bDhsyI0qeWY&noredirect=1

Products
Noom Coach, Noom Health, Noom Walk, Noom CardioTrainer
It is a calorie based program broken into three categories: green foods, yellow foods and red foods. The categories are based on calorie density and/or highest concentrations of healthy nutrients. They are quick to explain that “red doesn’t mean bad and green doesn’t mean good. Red foods simply raise a red flag for foods that contain a lot of calories without filling you up.”
There is also an exercise portion of the program which I have been too sedentary to qualify for yet. But I am working (walking) toward qualifying.
Since my stroke a year ago last April I had lost 65+ pounds, but I have been stuck there, and had even gained 5+ pounds back. This is what prompted my choice to sign up for Noom. I really like that it is making me more aware of portion sizes, and of what I’m actually putting into my mouth. I’ve been on the program for a week now and have taken off five pounds. The absolute hardest part for me is weighing myself every day. Gosh! I hate that part! Hopefully, it is teaching me how our weight naturally fluctuates on a daily basis.
More on this as we go. Meet me at the Kingdom.
Donna
P.S. It is a glorious Fall day here in Lake Bluff today. Hooray!
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Magical Mail

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Just 30 days now until we stick the bags in the car and head to Walt Disney World. One month!! Wow!

Yesterday our luggage tags arrived for Magical Express. I can’t even explain how exciting it is to receive that letter! I was over the moon, because it makes it feel so real. I have started packing. Matching family tee shirts-check. Swimsuits and beach towels for the grandbabies-check. Trays for EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival-check. And on and on.

I will be so happy to check our luggage at the airport, and not have to handle it again until it arrives at our villa at Old Key West. And climbing the steps into that Magical Express Bus is indeed a magical experience. I can just exhale. And I can revel in the sight of palm trees and Disney road signs. So fun! I love the smell of sunscreen in the morning…and in the evening, for that matter. I love the sound of the excited chatter on the bus. I love the feel of that warm, humid Florida air, so different from our Chicagoland air that I can even taste it. When that bus turns the last corner, and I see the Old Key West welcoming booth it will be pure bliss.

It’s real now. It’s on track to happen. Hooray! Meet me at the Kingdom.

Donna

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The Good and the Not So Good

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Day 415 in making my way to Mickey (15 days to go)

  1. I had to see my oncologist today.  It was my six month check up.  Apparently everything looks good, so I don’t have to go back for another three months.  Yay!
  2. I woke up early today and walked a bit further than last time.  Plus yesterday I did manage to walk home from the farm after we grocery shopped.  The air was soupy with humidity yesterday and today, but I figured it is probably good practice for Florida in October.  I am hoping that it won’t be oppressively hot and humid when we’re there.  Hey, hope springs eternal.
  3. I’ve been reading some reviews today on this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  The reviews are NOT good so far.  Speculation is that Disney is selling more tickets for these special events than they used to, and so the park is overcrowded with long lines for everything.  Man! I am NOT excited at the thought. I hope we can still have some fun there.

PTLA.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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It’s Time…Again

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Day 366 in my quest to meet up with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to begin again.  I am exhausted from five poor nights of sleep, but I am back home now after my trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  So tonight I will sleep in my own bed, hoping against all hope that I get a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow morning when I wake up I begin again.  One year and one day after I began this blog, I will begin again.  My goals are to make the best food choices possible (including getting back to sugar-free) and to move more.  Tomorrow I will move around five minutes every hour while at work.  I miss moving more, and now that my body is well on its way to healing, I am ready to move it more again.  So now just two months out from our trip to Florida, I am ready to dive in and immerse myself in healthy foods and more walking.

When I get to Walt Disney World, it will be what it will be.  But I am ready to take it seriously until then.  So whatever happens I will be in the best shape that I can be…for the age that I am…in the condition that I am in.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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To “Tables in Wonderland” or Not…

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Day 323 in my researching my way to meeting up with Mickey (3 months and 16 days to go)

Today’s plan was to look into Tables in Wonderland, a Disney dining discount card.  The card works at the parks and also at Downtown Disney and at most of the restaurants at the resorts.  The card costs $100 for Disney Vacation Club Members.  Tables in Wonderland (TIW) saves 20% on most table service meals at Walt Disneyworld. It includes entrees, appetizers and even alcohol for up to ten people.  When you use it, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill.  So basically you save the cost of the tip plus 2% on all meals. (We’re usually 20% tippers.) There are six of us going to Walt Disneyworld and we will be there for eight nights.  We have at least one table service restaurant scheduled for each day that we are there.  So if we have the card from the very beginning, it will not only brake even, but it will save us some moolah.

We get to Florida on Tuesday, October 13.  We have a 7:00 pm dining reservation at Olivia’s Cafe at Old Key West.  (My favorite restaurant in the whole of Walt Disneyworld!)  So shortly after checking in, I will make my way to Downtown Disney (or is it Disney Springs yet?), to purchase a TIW card.  Then I will squeeze that card dry over the next eight glorious nights!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Prioritizing Celebrations

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Day 54 in my race to rendezvous with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today is a very exciting day!  My daughter Emi is coming in for twelve days from Bristol, England.  She is married to a very wonderful Brit named James, so she lives there.  (Wish you were coming to visit too, James!)  I am jacked!!!  (Of course, I did also drink a cup of caffeinated coffee from MacDonald’s this morning.  That probably isn’t helping.)    🙂

I began this Disney quest, because I want to thoroughly enjoy our trip to Walt Disney World in October 2015 WITH Emi & James, Jake (our son) & Eliza, Mike (my husband) & me.  I want to be able to walk around and really relish the parks with my family this time.  What a celebration it will be to have the whole family together in such a fun place!

Today is also a day of celebration.  When Emi comes we always celebrate by going to The Silo for dinner.  It is our local watering hole, and they make the best pizza I’ve ever tasted.  So here’s today’s plan: I will drink Diet Coke or iced tea or water this evening, and I will order a salad for dinner.  The BIG celebration next October has to remain my main goal, so I will make healthy choices tonight and save the pizza for another day.  I can not eat pizza today.  I can do that for this one day.  (Thank you, Jesus!)  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll enjoy a slice in Florida.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!