January Chat
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Jean - sorry about the knee, hope it heals quickly for you. I feel like I am finally getting back into the swing of things again. I had one day this week that if it wasn't nailed down I was going to eat it. I read a good tip that said when you are like that to drink some water (or unsweeet tea). I did that and it really seemed to help. I did splurge at the end of the day and had a small snack pack of M&M's, but I figure compared to what I wanted to eat that wasn't a big deal. I counted it in my dairy and moved on! Hope everyone has a great weekend, today is my Friday - whoot whoot.0
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Good news, Jean! I was eyeing a Zumba class myself ... have never tried it but maybe now I can give it a go. ~ Kathy0
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Joan- I like logging my day's food in the morning. I am usually thinking about what to fix for dinner so I start with that and build around it. I also keep certain things on hand that I know are good foods for me, i.e.; greek yogurt, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, 2% american cheese slices, apples, grapefruit, bananas, cheerios, soups, green tea, splash juice and cheese sticks. That way I can always build a good breakfast and lunch to fit my calorie allowance. Good luck!
Jean- glad to hear you are feeling better and getting back to your exercise. I am hoping I will be able to do the same next week- this "taking it easy" following surgery was fun for a day or two but I am now going stir crazy, LOL! I've even lost my appetite -REALLY unusual.
Take care all from sunny south FL.0 -
I joined MFP one year ago today at 230 lbs. Today: 154.5. I have logged in 365 days. I have kept the diary current except for maybe a day or two. I've worked out most days and love working out now! Most of all I have enjoyed the friendship of some really great people who have kept me going and honest.
Thanks to everyone. I've still got a ways to go before I get to maintenance, but I'll get there!
Hugs,
Charlie
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A beautiful, amazing transformation! Totally WOW!
Jean0 -
Good day, all. I hope the world is treating you right.
Charlie, you are such an inspiration. I also started at 230 and you let me know it can be done. You look marvelous!!!! I also often put in my day's food when I enter my breakfast. I mean, if I have to plan what to eat, why not enter it and see what I can add to the day. It works for me. Especially if I'm going out to eat (which I try not to do often), I look up the menu on line and figure out what I will order and enter the food. That way if I need to skip a snack, I know it ahead of time. Restaurant food seems so high in calories that I usually think it's not worth it. If I'm going to have a salad, I'd rather have one that I make.
I did not exercise the past 3 days. Really felt lousy yesterday and did nothing other than make a pot of chili and proceed to eat 3 bowls over the next few hours. I hadn't slept well the night before so napped a couple of times during the day. Well, I slept about 10 hours last night, which I never do, and woke up this morning feeling great. The scale was 1 1/2 pounds down and I did my full routine of exercise this morning. Thank goodness those days can still turn out okay.
I wish you all a great and successful day. Keep up the good work.
Janet in Myrtle Beach, SC0 -
Your face and that smile says it all, Charlie. Congrats and keep on doing your thing, it works.
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Congratulations Charlie- you are an inspiration- thank you for posting your pictures!
- and Janet I'm so glad you are feeling well! It is good you listened to your body-sometimes it does know best.
Have a great weekend all!
Sue in FL0 -
Charlie, you are an inspiration and I agree that transformation is the word. Just look at your beautiful, smiling face! That says it all.
Love the fireworks, retirehappy... Nice touch!
Janet, so glad you are feeling better.
I just love this group. Have a great weekend, everyone! - Kathy (usually in Worcester Ma but this weekend, in Buffalo!)0 -
You ARE an inspiration, Charlie and proof that it can be done. So I will remind myself of that every day... about eleventy-four times a day!
Here are some of the things I do when I feel like I NEED to eat.
This happens frequently, and being type2 diabetic, I try to be well prepared with legal snacks.
If I'm going to snack I SIT DOWN to eat it. I put it on a plate and make it an Occasion.
2 graham crackers and a cup of coffee or tea. They're a bit sweet, have a satisfying mouth crunchiness. The coffee warms and fills me up. And when they're gone--they're gone.
Crackers and cheese.. with coffee or tea. The carbs and protein fill that nagging nook that thinks it needs to be fed. Put a bit of salsa on top of the cheese--no calories and it gives your brain a flavor injection.
Low-fat yogurt; half a container. I don't eat out of the carton. I put it in a dessert dish and
sit down at the table. Maybe I add a cracker or 2. Or half a banana.
Green Olives.
Yes. Sometimes when I think I absolutely positively have to have chocolate, I eat a couple of Big Fat Green Olives. Wakes your mouth up and after this you wouldn't be able to taste much, anyway.
I didn't exercise the past 2 days, either.. same as Janit; hadn't slept well, felt less than stellar. but I'm ready to get back in it today.
Thanks again, Charlie for sharing your story with us.
It helps. Really it does.
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Great snack ideas Cris-I especially like the olive idea. Thanks for sharing. Glad you are feeling better.
Sue from Florida0 -
Charlie you are truly an inspiration. Thank you for posting and showing us it can be done with determination.0
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Chris - What a good girl! Nice tips. I'm with Sue on the olives... they add so much flavor. I also like to add a splash of hot sauce to things. Gotta keep those taste buds entertained!0
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Good morning
I make a practice of not weighing my self on the weekend, so i get a bit of a surprise on monday, with this in mind, I am very careful what I eat on the weekend so that the surprise is not a bad thing to look forward to.
I stayed the same weight as Friday, a positive, new week, more concentrated.
Charlie you look amazing, what an inspiration!! wtg
Again cant keep arm out of sling for a few more weeks so have to keep comments short still
Have a great day everyone!0 -
Congratulations Charlie. A whole year of commitment is fantastic and you are looking better and better...and younger.
Wanda0 -
grandmothercharlie wrote: »Joan: I do that a lot. I enter some or all of my food in the morning a lot of days and adjust if necessary. I already have my breakfast and lunch added in today along with an evening snack so that when I talk to my daughter before lunch, I will know how much I will have for dinner remaining so that we can choose where I'll meet her and where I know I can get a nice meal for the balance. I have 494 calories allotted for dinner! So I have several choices. Helps keep me at my 1200. I try never to put anything in my mouth unless I already know how many calories is in it.
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Jean, sorry about your knee, but glad to learn that you didn't injure it badly and that you are feeling well enough to get back into exercise mode.
After a few days away I'm back on track, hopefully. I hope to eat no more than 1200 calories daily and burn between 150-200 calories daily. I reached my goal and maintained for almost a year and then put on 5 pounds that I've been fighting with for the last 3 months. So I'm trying to really buckle down and get back on track. MFP is a good place for me with all the encouragement and support so I'll be here for a long time to come.0 -
Joan I know what you mean about the love/hate relationship with facebook. One thing I have done in the past year (and this has nothing to do with fitness) is to simply unfriend negative people. lol For the longest time I could not bring myself to do that, but you know what, my facebook experience is what I create through my relationships and I decided its going to be fun for me. And it has been worth it. I do relate to how we see people's quality of life reflected in the choices they make, and especially in my family. I have two brothers. One, along with his wife, is a cigarette smoking, beer drinking, take out dinner kind of family. Their health status reflects that. The other has been vegan for years and the whole family is a testimomy to the fitness lifestyle. He is 62 and he texted me a couple of days ago as he passed 17,000 steps with the fitbit I talked him into buying while he was hiking around Key West. We share smoothie recipes and ideas for using the fiber from our juicers. Yes, at this point in life the daily choices we make REALLY show up in our quality of life. I spent nearly 30 years as a home health nurse educating people about this. Now I am really living it!
Well I have been home for a few days now and facing the ongoing fear of having to live on Prednisone for a while as I deal with this allergy situation. I am sure many of you know, there is nothing that packs on pounds like steroids! So far, I am very happy! Yes, I am hungry, but I am using an arsenal of tricks. I even have good old weight watchers freebies like diet jello in the frig. lol Mainly I am vegan for breakfast and lunch -generally slice of peanut butter toast and some fruit for breakfast with that morning coffee and a WONDERFUL book that I have of vegan soups from around the world and a full soup pot in the frig. I have soup for lunch and soup or fruit with a few (counted!) nuts for a snack. For dinner I do cook a meal for dh and do portion control and that may include some fish, chicken or cheese. I am sitting here with one of Bobby Deen's cookbooks as we speak planning to find something for dinner and I also love the recipes from the recipe rehab show. Joan I still do bake bread homemade bread. I experiment with whole grains and have found that we LOVE rolls made with organic spelt flour that I buy from amazon.com and also experiment with increasing fiber and cooking with whole grains.
can you tell that on these steroids I wake up chatty? lol0 -
Charlie,
I've known for a long time that you're amazing and a great inspiration to us all. But seeing your photos, showing the actual transformation you've made, made me realize how very hard you've worked. Congratulations to you and continued success in the journey.
Rose0 -
Good morning!
I'm losing it: I emailed a friend about an "upcoming" event that took place last week that I had to miss..
How did I lose a whole week?
Also, I find that exercising seems SO much more appealing a concept at 4am then when I actually get lined up to do it.
Just sayin...
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Gramanana, do you still play the dolcimer? Seems like playing an instrument would be a good hobby to keep snacking under control. I found my husband's mother's electric keyboard in the basement, had forgotten about it, I am thinking of putting it upstairs and trying to learn to play it.
Crisbtrue, I know what you mean about exercise and 4 AM, but I am slowing getting back in the habit of not only walking but doing some other form of exercise several times a week.
Dreamon, my husband was on steriods for 3 years and his bone density has suffered, I hope you get your allergies under control more quickly than he did. Luckily he is fine now, no allergy symptoms and no drugs, just nice healthy skin again. I know all too well what you are facing. I hope your drs. get it sorted out for you quickly.
This afternoon I am off to the rec center for my fitness assessment. I am curious to see how I do. I know it will be better than if I had done it last year.
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I found playing the guitar stopped me snacking ....and I lost count of the number of cups of tea and coffee that went cold ..... Just forgot about them!
Jean0 -
Retire I know what you mean about the steroids. The side effects from them are horrible! I go today for my first allergy shot and I am nervous. This past week has been a real time of healing so I dread starting anything that might shake the boat, but on the other hand am eager to start down the road that may get me off the steroids. I will be looking into doing a lot of natural health with this as well. My vegan brother keeps saying "Go green and get well" lol
About the 4 am thing, for some reason my body has now decided I am supposed to get up at 5 am instead of 6 (dh gets up at 6 and I fix him breakfast before work). So, I assume there is a reason for this quiet hour of solitude. Just spent a little time looking up a routine of sun salutations for beginners because it has been a while since I did yoga. I will attempt to find my mat in the garage today and tomorrow actually start a morning routine.0 -
YAY me. I'm getting better at keeping with my exercise.
On the other hand, I opened a can of Progresso Vegetable beef soup for lunch and after I logged it, I was horrified at how much salt it has.
I guess it is what it is. I detest the "light" or "low salt" soups. In fact, even with regular canned soup, I always add my own seasonings (salsa, ketchup, garlic powder, pepper, paprika..... ) to hide the tinny taste. Blech. But sometimes I just want hot soup. What's a girl to do.
sigh 0 -
Retirehappy--yes, I do still play both the hammered dulcimer and the mountain dulcimer, just not very often. I know it's sad, I just sit here and look at them. But you're right playing an instrument does cut down on the snacking. I do crochet (made an afghan for my son when he bought his condo this past fall) and now I'm trying my hand at bead weaving, though not very successfully.
I have been managing to stay at 1200 calories or less for "most" of the last 10 days and am very proud of myself. I'm also exercising most days, too, and trying not to eat back any of those calories. Also, getting back to cooking and made a wonderful veggie stir fry tonight with a few shrimp thrown in. It was delicious. Stuffed mushrooms are next up on my list to make.
The weight will come off, it will just take time.0 -
Gramanana, I just found my old stash of crochet equipment and threads, might have to spend sometime with those. I will need to rearrange a whole bedroom setup to find space upstairs for the electric keyboard. So that probably want be happening for a while
![:\](https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
My mom is keeping us all busy. There is nothing that can be done for her at the point it is just wait for the end to arrive on its own terms.
Your food choices sound great. You got down before, you'll do it again. You got this.0 -
I'm wondering if anyone here can tell me how to compute calories for an hour of yoga class. It's definitely strength training but appears not to be in the database. ???
I never eat my exercise calories, but would just like to know if it can be done somehow.0 -
Hi Joan! I looked up yoga in the database - see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/search
- and it showed two listings, "yoga" and "stretching - hatha yoga." Hope one of those will help you make an entry.
Here are some articles on calories and yoga:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/cardio/calories-burned-for-yoga-is-it-enough-for-weight-loss.html
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/does-yoga-burn-calories
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Total-Calories-Burned-During-Popular-Yoga-Classes-16392584
Great question! I am in the process now of trying to get myself back into daily yoga... so also a timely question for me
~ Kathy 0 -
Retirehappy, crafts and music are fun, relaxing, good for the brain and keep my fingers working. Bead weaving is giving me fits, but I'll figure it out eventually. I really like the piano better than the keyboard, but we gave our piano to the grandkids as a way of downsizing ourselves. We still have a keyboard along with all our other instruments. While you're taking care of family members, try to find time for crafts/music to renew your soul. I did manage to play the mountain dulcimer the other night and that's what it did for me.
As for the extra weight, you are absolutely correct, I've done it before and I can do it again. I just wish I could figure out how to change my mindset once and for all, you know? Anyway, that's why I love this site and keep coming back to it--the support and encouragement are wonderful things.0 -
Not to muddy the waters, but some folks might find it fun to check out Chronometer.com - another food and exercise tracking website. It doesn't have a social support aspect (invaluable) but it does give you an amazing breakdown of the essential nutrients you are getting - both by individual food and in the aggregate. Also - of course - cals in and cals out on a nice bar graph. It's a very simple, clean design -- cooool.
It has one feature I would like to see here - a daily email reminder to check in. Good for me - I would hate to blow my streak!
I won't be migrating over there - this site works for me - but the differences between that and MFP are interesting (to me). Just an FYI.0
This discussion has been closed.