Making Strides in May!
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liapr
Posts: 648 Member
Wow, lame-o title, BUT I think we are all aiming for this this month!!
My goals:
a) to finally limit my sugar (for more than 1 day!)
b) start Insanity Max 30 and complete the 8 weeks before my wedding
c) incorporate some sort of calming/relaxing practice into my weeks. I feel like we all need this lol
B - green smoothie and a coffee that I felt I really needed...
L - tex mex + avocado, apple
S - snap peas, yogurt
D - homemade roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and hopefully another veggie I can use up!
My goals:
a) to finally limit my sugar (for more than 1 day!)
b) start Insanity Max 30 and complete the 8 weeks before my wedding
c) incorporate some sort of calming/relaxing practice into my weeks. I feel like we all need this lol
B - green smoothie and a coffee that I felt I really needed...
L - tex mex + avocado, apple
S - snap peas, yogurt
D - homemade roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and hopefully another veggie I can use up!
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Replies
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I like the title, thanks Lia! Did you make the Tex Mex Casserole? I am planning to try the 15 minute creamy avocado pasta from OSG soon. It sounds wonderful. Great goals for the month!
I got out of the office almost on time today. Had dinner and a margarita with my brother. I really needed some friend time.
So my primary goal for May is to get back to basics. I'm so off and on lately. I'm either 100% on or I'm all over the place. Still having problems with my stomach which I am pretty sure is stress, but I'm trying to figure out if there are certain foods/drinks that are triggering it. I seriously need to get back to regular exercise. Not just for my weight but for stress reduction. With the weather getting nicer, finally, I plan to dust off the bike this weekend and go for a short ride, and my goal is to either walk or ride my bike for at least half an hour every day. I need to get outside, away from my desk at work and my office here at home, and the never-ending household chores that never get finished.
I'll do a massive catch-up on everyone's posts this weekend
y'all. 0 -
Had a pretty good day today. Worked for a few hours on the files I brought home. Took a walk with the boy dog. He's getting ever so slightly better about not pulling my arm out of the socket on walks. Did some laundry. Made a fantabulous sandwich from leftover grilled veggies. Had mashed avocado, a bit of spicy brown mustard, leftover grilled mushrooms and eggplant, some sliced green onions and a slice of warmed tomato. It was so good. Even after all these years of trying to eat more healthy, every once in a while I am amazed at how good something will taste that is so good for me.
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Catch-up time! Had to re-read the last part of last month’s thread. I remember having some comments in mind when I read the posts the first time but of course those are long gone from my brain.
Karrie, how goes your training? No more nightmares I hope?
Zoot, you are really doing great, that is awesome that your glucose levels continue to improve. It is hard to juggle and balance everything we need to do.
NewMe, I enjoy bookkeeping too, but when it comes time to prepare the taxes I hand it over to our CPA. Glad you’ve settled on a plan, sometimes indecision is exhausting, and once you make up your mind you can focus your energies. Awesome that you diverted yourself with a walk with the pup. Cute, cute pup!!
Your worry about something happening to you on the trails reminded me of a couple years ago when I first started riding my bike again. I got over-confident and after only a few short rides I went to the park to ride the long bike trail. About half way through I honestly thought I was going to die, and started to wonder how many woodland creatures would nibble on my remains before my body was discovered, and no kidding, I saw a couple of buzzards circling and assumed they were just waiting for me to keel over.
Lia, did you start your Max 30? Hope you enjoyed your weekend and got some time for fun.
Sloth, glad to have you posting again.
I stayed home from the office. I still have a bunch of work to do that I had brought home and didn’t finish yesterday so I thought I’d spend the day here. It makes the menagerie happy to have me home even if I’m not actively paying attention to them.
Can’t wait until the elections are over Tuesday. I am so tired of the robo-calls! I meant to send in my app for an absentee ballot but I forgot. My precinct is never crowded though, and the people working are so happy to have people show up that I almost feel guilty not going in person.
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Hi Mihani!! Sounds like a good weekend and good food too. Sorry, this might be dumb, but which election have you got going on there? Did you get out on your bike this weekend? I'm starting Max 30 tomorrow! I usually do Monday-Friday, or try to.
I actually was really proud of myself, except for a little slip last night. I really limited my alcohol and snacks and upped my salads and veggies. I was really craving a workout when I got home on Friday even. Yesterday and today I got in some non-DVD exercise too. Enjoyed the shower yesterday and stuck to fruit and veggies and a small piece of cake. Last night after all my perseverance through the day and night and a housewarming, I suddenly caved and went for popcorn and an ice cream treat. I wasn't hungry, so I'm obviously still working on that...
Hope you guys had a great weekend xo
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Lia, this is a local election... mayor, city council, board of education. some judges. Sounds like you did great this weekend!
I got up and did some warm up exercises this morning, like jumping jacks, windmills, etc. Felt good. I plan to do that every morning. It only takes a few minutes. I am going to work hard this week on controlling the starchy cravings and getting back to a more strictly ETL diet, and plan a workout tonight. I feel totally flabby and I can't hide under sweaters too much longer lol.
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Great job with the exercises, Mihani! That is tough getting up but you made time for it. Nice way to start the week!
I'm the opposite... yesterday I spent quite a few hours cooking in the afternoon and I forgot to wear supportive shoes. My back was already twinging a bit but after those hours on hardwood, it hurts to do everything today. I guess I won't be tryout Max 30 just yet
Mihani, your thought re sweaters is exactly mine!! I hate every spring when I have to shed my security blankets (ie. layers) lol. But I do really love this warmth...
Happy Monday!0 -
Happy May!
Workouts are going pretty good, actually. I have increased weights all across the board for my classes, my knee is about 99% and I'm not always the last person done anymore (but I was today... oh well.)
This weekend, I managed to get my carbs under control. I got a bit headache-y yesterday, but that was to be expected. Today's meals are also low-carb. Gotta stay on this train as long as I can...
Tomorrow is going to be my first run since hurting my knee. I've been a bit afraid to go try it, I think. I'm still a little nervous about it, to be honest. But I've been doing all the training in my class without modifications, and everything has felt just fine. I've done a couple of walks too, and again - everything's fine. So I think it's time to get those shoes on and just Run (,Zombies!) Plus, I really, *really* miss my zombie story.
I'll let you know how the run goes tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Mihani - sorry to hear that you had a terrible week. I hope this week is much, much better!!
Lia - good luck with Insanity - you'll have to let me know all about it. I've got it too, but I haven't gotten past about day 4.
B- nuts & watermelon
L- big, big Kale & broccoli salad
D- no idea yet...0 -
Hi everyone, I have been busy dealing with my parent's situation the last few days. My parents are both 86 and my mom is active and in good health but my dad is inactive and deteriorating. Neither is driving now and so that leaves me to be in the sandwich generation with them and my own college age kids at home. If I had to work outside the home I would be institutionalized by now, lol. My dad had a prostate cancer diagnosis about a decade ago and it has been kept stable via hormone shots post radiation. He however, has been in more pain over the last 6 months or so (he also has an old lumbar injury that gives him grief) so we are now thinking that there is the possibility of metastasis to bone which could explain the hip/groin pain (his hips are normal). Anyway, it has become a daily up/down roller coaster so if I am absent that is why.
Anyway, I found this article on Yahoo this morning and just thought I would share the link. It was interesting reading to me and some of you may find it interesting also.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/why-some-vegetarians-start-craving-meat-117526618072.html
For now I personally am going to shoot for Flexitarian on ETL protocols (goal 90% veggies/fruits, 10% animal) and consume a near vegetarian diet most days while mindfully limiting animal product consumption. I still will eschew dairy (other than ghee), high starch veggies and all grains due to personal intolerances. I think that it is the best of both worlds but new research may change that opinion in the future.
Mihani, thanks for the compliment
. I just changed my daily walking goal from a minimum of two miles to five today. I need to improve on my weight training schedule still, though.
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Hi all. Has been an interesting few days. I took my daughter into see an Orthopedic doctor due to some constant heel pain. Turns out my little athlete has a stress fracture in the growth plate of her heel. Yep. So, we left with a cast, which, has been oh so much fun. She is the most active person in our family (soccer 2-4 times a week and running club once a week) and the doctor put her in a walking cast. When she heard "walking cast" I think she took it to mean she could still do everything she was doing before in it. So, it has been non stop arguing trying to get her to stay off of it. It officially has a 1-2" crack along her pinky toe where they only put one layer of fiberglass. Most of my time the last few days has been trying to catch up on homework and then providing entertainment for her. Entertaining her winds up with fingers and toes painted about a zillion times and "fun" makeup time. She is adorable, but, I had to finally say enough to everything.
Yesterday we had a little party at my mom's for one of my nieces. It was a good time, though, I think my stress/overwhelmed level was at it's peak which zapped a lot of the joy out of it for me. I got to see my younger sister (not the pregnant one) and she looks so amazing it hurt to look at her. She went in for gastric bypass surgery in February on the recommendation of her Oncologist. Her cancer markers had gotten so high he said they needed to do something drastic to get her excess weight off. I love my sister to death. I know why she chose to do this. I totally get it. Internally, I am struggling so much with this. I am having huge, horrible issues with my weight right now, feeling terrible about my lack of progress (I know it is my own doing) and seeing her now, so healthy and glowing and a whole lot thinner just hurts. She is one of those people that just looks like a ray of fresh bright sunshine everywhere. I am so super happy for her. Honestly, if anyone ever deserved to finally have some good come out of life it would be her after all she has been through (she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 28, had a double mastectomy, multiple failed reconstructions and nearly died due to infections before she was finally able to gain any ground). I have a super low self esteem as it is...seeing her yesterday just made me want to cry my eyes out at how I have been failing myself. I feel like I gain a little ground and it all falls out from under me.
Anyhow, I really feel like I kind of stink at opening up, so, I hope I didn't offend anyone by the above. It is a complicated situation and I know I just need to get my stuff together. I will only have success if I make it happen. I know this inside. I just have got to figure out the actual "do it consistently" piece. I don't know how to do this when it feels like everything is stacked against me.
So, plan for today:
1) get in my water
2) enjoy a beautiful salad with lots of veggies and beans for lunch
3) get in a walk before dinner
4) dust off my ETL book and start really reading it and start re-putting together a plan of attack
5) prepare myself for the criticism I will no doubt get from my mom when she finds out this is what I am doing0 -
Aw, Laura, sorry to hear you're hurting like that. I personally wasn't offended in the least. I think you can easily be happy for someone and also a bit envious or at least hurt for yourself! I do feel like that often too. I'm not sure why I'm having so much trouble with my weight, but I think I've become so extreme with my worrying over it that I am now stress-eating because of it! My little sister is a very tiny frame and looks great and works out hard too. She has some really bad body dysmorphic disorder issues, and doesn't see herself properly (to say the least!) but I still get jealous that she seems to have it more together than I do!
Don't belittle how much you have done though!!! You've been doing SO great and really making progress. You'll be where you want to be, it might take a little longer, but you definitely have reason to be so proud of yourself!!!!
Zooty, sorry to hear about your parents, namely your Dad. I hope he is okay. That is a lot to juggle (two generations to juggle, actually). Thanks for the interesting article too! Your plan sounds like a great one.
Karrie, good luck with the run!! I hope the knee holds out. Probably all the weight training has super strengthened your legs too so that maybe you're better at healing your own injuries or avoiding them in the future too! Fingers crossed0 -
NM-I am sorry to hear that your daughter left with a cast on her foot- ouch! At least you found the source of the pain and now she can heal. Can she ride a bicycle to stay active and burn off some energy safely? Maybe a trip to the library to check out a pile of books or movies as opposed to the theatre or buying them. Crafts?
Since you vented (and are 100% entitled to do that) I am going to put up my experiences and tell you what has helped me out. You definitely are too stressed I agree and are clearly guilting yourself. Can you think of anything that would reduce your burdens and help destress on a regular basis? I have been making a point to get my exercise in every single day just for that reason alone. It has never been anything that I liked doing but now I see that it helps me cope much better with my sandwich situation which I find highly motivating to get it done. I think that you sound sad over seeing your sister's spectacular results in light of not seeing your own the way that you visualize your desires. Maybe the old pen, paper and two columns would help you sort out your thoughts or feelings about that? That has helped me to see what I need to change to improve my outcome more than once. I keep telling myself that if I don't get the desired results that I need to write down everything that I am doing in list form and then review and tweak. Feeling like I am doing something positive helps, too. Always moving forward. I was in the same place as you until I stumbled upon my motivation after searching for it for years. For me the tipping point was yet another (cancer causing) diabetes drug. I got really truly angry and that did it. I ran with that and I started researching saying to myself that there had to be a better way than what I was doing and being told by the medical community. That has kept my motivation going even at down times. I read books, research papers, cookbooks, experiment in the kitchen always looking to learn. I now take pride in knowing far more than my doctors in that area. I tossed my concerns about what parents or anyone else said right to the wind taking a private "screw you" attitude. It is my life and my body, period. I got resistance at first but it waned over time as I defiantly stuck to my guns. My adult children are the biggest problems because they want a reason to eat junk and I won't have it in the house (only 100% whole natural foods). I made the very permanent rule that if they want to ruin their health by eating crap food then they do it on their own dime and away from the house. It is their lives and they have the same decisions to make as I have. I started my journey alone in the house and DH finally jumped on board after 6 months. Living by example really helps and you could look at your sister as a good example not competition. Hope that helps. Hugs!
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Lia, hope your back is feeling better. I so get what you mean about stressing over food making you want to eat more. Ah, that all or nothing-ness we know and loathe.
Karrie, good luck with your run. Don’t want those zombies catching up with you!
Laura, hope your daughter’s foot heals quickly. I can certainly understand your feelings about your sister. I think Zoot had some great ideas for you, might incorporate a couple of those myself. I don’t think anyone will be offended. The regulars in this group don’t really run in judgmental mode.
Zoot, I appreciate your thoughts in response to Laura. I think that I tend to do better when I am somewhat angry myself. I need to be totally focused and selfish. When I am too busy taking care of everyone else, I always start to slide backwards.
Today was pretty good. Still too high in the starchy carbs.
B: mashed avocado on sprouted grain toast and a plantfusion shake
L: BIG ol’ salad, a few almonds, a few blue corn chips
D. whole wheat pasta tossed with broccoli, cauliflower, nooch, spices, a touch of earth balance... (edit) and watermelon!
I really think I need to totally simplify. I bought too much produce and it is actually stressing me out thinking that half of it going to waste. I know I won’t eat it all, and I am working too much lately to have time to cook a lot. So I think back to smoothies for breakfast and lunch and salad for dinner. The more I keep things simple and avoid making decisions, the better I seem to do. I just have too much pressure in other areas of life right now to put the effort into making food decisions. The time I would spend cooking and planning meals during the week would be better put to working out.
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I got to see my younger sister (not the pregnant one) and she looks so amazing it hurt to look at her. She went in for gastric bypass surgery in February
I've read that surgery isn't all that easy, though. It's still a very tough road for most, as I understand it. So, while it was the right move for her, it isn't for everybody. I just read a thread here the other day, by a woman who said she is jealous of men. She may have jokingly said she hates men. Because, scientifically, it's easier for men to lose weight than women. I think we all suffer from a certain amount of jealousy of others, who seem to make it look easy, while we struggle. I know I just want to explode sometimes, when I read a thread where the original poster says they are struggling, and the shirtless mafia just tells them to move more and eat less. If only it were so easy.
You are definitely in the most supportive group on the whole forum.
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I think that I tend to do better when I am somewhat angry myself. I need to be totally focused and selfish. When I am too busy taking care of everyone else, I always start to slide backwards.
That is the perfect way to put it!
Great advice, Zoot!
Sloth, that's exactly it.... ie. when my fiance says "Just stop eating sugar then". Ohhhh I had never thought of that?!?
I pretty much got home from work and laid on my back the whole night until bed. It's still really pretty bad but better than yesterday, so that's promising. Maybe I needed a little break between workout programs? We actually have things going on most nights this week so maybe it works out well.
Mihani, I find the same thing. If I try and become superwoman in the kitchen/fridge department one week, I end up frustrating that things take so long and more stressed out lol. I actually threw organized dinners this week out the window so that I can come home and have something really really simple each night. Last night was broccoli!0 -
Laura, I understand your feelings completely, and I've been there. It's okay to be happy for her and also sad for yourself at the same time. Keep in mind that you are doing this in a very healthy, sustainable way; without any outside help, too!!! Your body is changing on the inside. Just keep on keeping on. Trust that it's working and that you can do this!! You are an inspiration in hard work and dedication!!!
Zoot I agree with you too - making sure to take time for yourself is KEY! AND in the end, it is truly unselfish. By taking that time for me, I know I am better at everything else - being in a better mood for sure makes me a better mom and wife. It's totally true, for me at least!!!
So even though I did NOT want to wake up this morning, I hauled outta bed at 5:20 and I got in my run. I just did a short 3km run, and then turned around and walked home. My knee felt great - not a single issue at all! And I picked up the pace each of the 5 times that I had a zombie chase in my mission. So total distance of 6km with 5 sprints. Not too shabby after just 2 weeks since an injury! Thursday I'm going to do either 4km or 5km, depending on how sore I am from my strength training class (that was my only issue today, in fact - my quads are still burning from the last leg day!!!)
My low-carb plan hasn't been perfect, but I've been doing SO much better already in such a short time. I've already lost 3 lbs since the weekend. I've got a ways to go yet before I can start tracking again, because as usual, I let myself slip and the weight has been creeping up. So stupid. WHY!?!?!? Ah well. No more. It's go time. I've got 26 more days until my half marathon. I'm aiming for at least 10 lbs lost before race day. With all the cardio I'm doing it shouldn't be too hard if I can just stay low carb!! Starchy carbs are my #1 enemy - way worse than zombies, even!!! Zombies make me run. Starchy carbs make me fat & lazy...
Alright, that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow is shoulders & back day. (I hate shoulder day. bleck.)
Have a good one!0 -
ok, I've got a couple of images to leave you with.
GET UP AND MOVE!!
MAKE IT FUN!!
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whats_her_name wrote: »Starchy carbs are my #1 enemy - way worse than zombies, even!!! Zombies make me run. Starchy carbs make me fat & lazy...
LOL this made my day!!!
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Hi all! Thank you so much for all your kind responses regarding my post yesterday. I really feel so fortunate that I found this group!
Yesterday wound up ending ok. I had a long talk with my mom, where I kind of downloaded as well. She (as always) provided a great ear to listen and some good mom advice. I managed to finish the day strong with my food choices which made me very happy. I struggled to get to sleep, probably too many thoughts running through my head. Just means I have got to get in bed at a decent time tonight. Two nights in a row of not enough sleep and I am feeling it today. Hoping to get in a walk as soon as I get home tonight. Thinking some time outdoors would be good for me too.
Liapr – thank you so much for the reminder that I have accomplished things to be really proud of. I do spend a lot of time totally belittling what I have done. It gets to be kind of frustrating that I don’t give myself credit for anything. I wish I could figure out how to do that. How to really recognize and give credit to those things and be proud. I am slightly relieved to hear I am not the only one that struggles with their sister. I love her to pieces and would never even breathe any of this in her direction which is what really makes it so hard right now. I don’t like feeling that way.
Zoot – Unfortunately they don’t want her riding on anything right now. Ideally they would really like her to just stay off of it as much as possible. I like the idea of the trip to the library. That is a really great idea as she completely LOVES the library. I think my mom and you must have talked last night! She said the same thing – “you are way too stressed!” We did a lot of talking about school actually. When I was on break from school I felt very much in control of things or at least much more able to cope with the craziness of life. We got into a deep conversation about why was I going to school. As I talked to her about all the reasons why I felt like I SHOULD go to school she listened silently. Then she said “Laura, all you keep saying is why you SHOULD go to school. Do you feel like you HAVE to go to school? Is this something you really WANT to do?” Which, made me pause and think. We talked some more and she suggested that maybe part of why I am so stressed out and beating myself up is because I really don’t want to be back in school and I am turning a lot of that anger inward and using it to beat myself up because that is the only way I feel is acceptable to deal with it. I found this interesting. She then said “That is an awful lot of money to spend to simply make yourself miserable doing something you only feel you should be doing and on something you don’t really want to do…” It has made me think and rethink everything I thought I had figured out before. It is something to really contemplate. I think you are right though about finding things that can help de-stress on a regular basis. I know I am always worse for the wear when I am sleep deprived and that I always feel better when I am outside taking a walk. Perhaps those are places to at least start consistently. And you know….you are right…when it comes to my life, my body and my health I should be the one that makes the decisions on how to treat it. I feel pretty good about what I am working towards. I decided to start plowing through ETL again and that is helping me to feel more empowered about my decisions. Thank you for sharing so much with me. I found a lot of really useful guidance in your post!
Mihani – it really is refreshing to be part of a group that is solely here for support. I feel like I have searched a really long time for a group exactly like this and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! I have to say too, I really envy your smoothies! I love mornings when I get to do a big green smoothie for breakfast. They are my fav!!
Sloth – you are absolutely right. I have watched my sister as she has gone through this and it really is not easy at all. It is definitely not something I would want to go through if I could help it. The results definitely make it look great until you really hear everything that goes into it. It is a constant struggle with a variety of things for her. I feel confident in deciding to move towards ETL and that it is the right move for me. I was LOL over the “shirtless mafia” that was just awesome. I hate to see that happen when people are really looking for support and a helping hand.
WHN – It is such a confusing place to reside right? Hugely happy for someone yet immensely sad for yourself. Geesh! Thank you for the important reminder that while all the changes won’t be visible on the outside they are definitely happening on the inside. That is easy to forget sometimes. Your running sounds wonderful! Glad you were able to get back to it with no issues. Fingers crossed for a perfect knee Thursday! Loved the images – made me smile.
OK, novel done. Time to sign off for the day! Will check back soon.
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So, the best news of the day is Karrie ran, and the knee is good. Woohoo! I am with Lia, the quote about the zombies making you run and starchy carbs making you fat and lazy was brilliant!
Scott, I agree about this being a super supportive group on mfp. I think maybe some people need the “kick in the *kitten*” type motivation, but that’s not what we are about here. It is easy to say move more and eat less. It’s easy to do really, I guess, in theory. But in practice, we struggle.
Lia, I am about ready to really do a total re-boot and just simplify my life and diet. I think I’m going to go with smoothies, salads with some beans and nuts/seeds, and veggies and fruit. Period. No starches, no snacks, just focus on exercise and mental well-being, quit stressing over food. I really hope your back is feeling better. Back pain sucks!
Laura, I’m glad you feel good here. I think your mom is very wise, but don’t let yourself fall back into indecision and stress about it. I tend to do the same thing, and indecision and over-thinking things is hugely draining. I saw a quote a long time ago, and I actually printed it out and it is taped to the bottom of my monitor at work. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis” This has become my stay-sane during days I really don’t think I can do it anymore. Because there is hope, right? We don't have to do everything today.
Pretty good day, but still too high in the starchy carbs. Leftovers. I am going to start my new plan tomorrow. I did get exercises done this morning before my shower. Yay!0 -
