Beautiful Behaviors - July 2017

jessiquoi
jessiquoi Posts: 400 Member
in Motivation and Support
This thread will be for people who are focusing on creating a set of gorgeous habits that support a healthy lifestyle.

Weight loss is a byproduct, and not the focus. We will practice self-care by eating healthy foods, moving our bodies, drinking enough water, and other activities that make us FEEL GOOD without harmful effects.

For example, taking an hour with your current book on your favorite lounge chair is a great way to take care of yourself. Get a massage or facial, spend time with a friend, crafting… all good ways to make us feel good without the harmful effects of immediate gratification activities like overeating or indulging in other unhealthy activities. It’s all about taking care of ourselves and loving ourselves and making ourselves happy EVEN IF we are not at a weight we love right now.

Yes, we want to lose weight, but there’s more to life than that. Sometimes giving yourself a foot massage will keep you from the donut. Sometimes it won’t but you will still feel better.

This is a judgment free zone. Let’s support each other and leave the negativity offline. I’m tired of beating myself up about my size. I want to plan to do the best I can and not feel guilty about life getting in the way.

I’m a big believer in baby steps, and setting realistic goals, and celebrating every little success! No reason we can’t enjoy the journey to a healthier lifestyle, no reason we have to feel “wrong” because we are where we are.

If you like the way this sounds, please introduce yourself in this thread. Share whatever you like and come back often! I look forward to meeting people with similar attitudes towards life.
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Replies

  • aleahurst
    aleahurst Posts: 325 Member
    @finngirl61 - posts here have a way of disappearing before you post them :(
    Especially if you are on a mobile device using the MFP app! Going straight to the internet page is a little more reliable, but not as user friendly. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    @katadx - that sounds good. I also allow myself some kinds of recreational foods. You know, foods that you eat because, darn it, you like it! If your core intention is to be mindful and self caring, you will be self caring about ice cream portions. The more mindful you are, the more slowly you eat. The more slowly you eat, the more you actually taste the stuff that you enjoy! It's a win! I think I'm preaching to me here.

    New self care habit, hmmm....

    Eat all foods more slowly, so that I can better discern smells and tastes! I am going to spend July tasting what I eat, not just scarfing it down. My Aunt Lora used to sniff all foods before she ate. The family thought it was an old habit developed during the great depression years. What if she just wanted to enjoy the smell?

    @jessiquoi - thank you for our new thread!

    Love to all.

    Lea
  • aleahurst
    aleahurst Posts: 325 Member
    edited July 2017
    Okay. I stopped to smell and enjoy my food last night. I'm surprised. I like the taste of steak. I don't like grilled broccoli. I love grilled mushrooms. I thought I would hate the smell of steak and love the taste of broccoli! I'm the autistic family member who, when going to a restaurant, shuts up and cleans her plate, by golly. It was not so last night. I'm surprised! I will do this again.

    Oh my @rheddmobile , the smell of peaches is so sweet and earthy! Yum! Good for you in requesting some diabetic friendly foods for the holiday. You can stand up straight, pick the good foods, let your curves show, and tell your family to just watch you taking good care of your body!

    Deep breath. I will do some food prep in order to pre-measure my portions throughout July. Then I will stand up straight, flutter my southern eyelashes, let my curves show, smile as though I am the keeper of a secret, and accurately record my foods.

    @finngirl61 - stress eating is rough. I will read your posts when you want to write down your feelings.

    Love to all.

    Lea
  • finngirl61
    finngirl61 Posts: 122 Member
    Happy 4th of July to all of you!! Enjoy the day, take care of yourself, and make good (not perfect) choices. Thanks to @rheddmobile and @aleahurst for your encouragement. ☺❤
  • rencawdor24
    rencawdor24 Posts: 157 Member
    This thread speaks right to me! Thank you for creating this thread. I am just starting up my weighloss again and love the idea of looking after ourselves with weighloss being a by product.
    My key this week & weekend is to try pre-plan my food and start up exercise in a few days.
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    Hi ladies,

    Sorry I have been MIA. I had a very busy extended weekend. I did over eat but I stayed very active with volleyball with the family. Now to get back on track. Meal prepped again last night. Second week in a row and I feel it helps a lot. Added more protein to my diet too.

    I was out for 4 days from work...the place fell apart(as always). Now its so frustrating to try to "fix" everything that got either screwed up or didn't get done. Had to walk away from my desk and ran to the store to get a payday and a dt dew. Not a good combo by any means but I feel better now so back to work. Keep on keepin' on ladies. I will be back later to chat and read all your posts.
  • NRTL
    NRTL Posts: 16 Member
    Hey everyone, like @gillykh I'm new to this, but I so love the sound of it! For me, journalling and meditation are hugely effective self care practices that have a habit of falling by the wayside, looking forward to joining you in a recommitment to these daily rituals and thanks for starting this thread!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    @sosteach on the bright side, it didn't budge in the other direction either! It's probably just a temporary stall due to some water weight or something! You have an amazing outlook on why you're doing this too! It's all about the big picture.
    @str8bowbabe protein always does the trick for me to help keep cravings at bay.
    @nickiphillips1 I'm sure your son was so glad for your support! Going off to college is intimidating and orientations help especially with family there. Congrats on the lb!
    @gillykh Welcome to the thread! Balancing time is so important I'm glad you're feeling at peace. I'm just adding a second job for two shifts a week and am quite nervous, but it's summer so I have some time until I go back to college in the fall.
    @NRTL Hi!!
    @happysherri that sounds amazing!! Hopefully the rain holds off.

    I've been enjoying my nightly ice cream being fit into my calories. I'm not so afraid of it anymore! Work has been crazy this week and I haven't been able to eat lunch until 3 or 4 some days. My manager tends to assume I'm okay waiting to eat because I sometimes wait till 2 if i'm done at 2, but 3 or 4 is ridiculous and makes it hard to eat enough before I go to bed. Once my new job starts I need to talk to my manager and make sure I get appropriate time to eat so I have energy to go from here to there. I'm concerned about being too tired- but I think i've just been having a hard time due to the late lunch. I'm going to try being better at packing quick snacks to take with me, and maybe upping my breakfast calories.

    Does anyone have advice for working two jobs? (going from one shift in the day to a shift from afternoon-night at another with no break?) I'm starting to drink black tea for the energy but I can't think of any other ideas.
  • gillykh
    gillykh Posts: 22 Member
    @katadx , I do have a lot of experience working more than one job and trying to keep my calories in check...not always successfully.
  • gillykh
    gillykh Posts: 22 Member
    I just posted a rather long reply...but of course most of it vanished into thin air. Ugh. Anyway, the net/net was that I rely on prelogging for the day and things I can eat piecemeal...boiled eggs, crackers, string cheese, bits of chicken. Protein and the ability to eat 2 peanut butter crackers and then go work for an hour help keep me satiated. What type of work do you do?
  • jessiquoi
    jessiquoi Posts: 400 Member
    edited July 2017
    Good morning, all! LOVE seeing all the new posters... welcome everyone, you've found a safe place to plan and vent and live without worrying about people hating on you or shaming you. we've all been there... we all ARE there... and this is what works for us long term. it's all about loving yourself first!

    it's a lesson i'm still learning. i had a terrible week, food wise. john was away and i did not respect my body's needs or my own goals and plans. :( however, i'm ready today to take back control! LEA, i'm starting today. I commit to tracking every bite four days per week. These will be days that I am not in the office, because those days miraculously are so much easier than the days I work from home.

    last month i committed to drinking 2 qts of water a day, and that's become a habit. this month i'm working on tracking. lea and i are trying to build a beautiful habit each month. i haven't lost an ounce though... my body and mind fight me the minute i try to make a change. i'm going to be persistent though... that will be what's different this time. no quitting, just continuing in the up and down of it all.

    breakfast is coming! i'm so lucky that john loves to cook breakfast. i have a good one every day he's home.

    enjoy your day, and be extra good to yourself!

    jess
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I made it through the Fourth without spiking my blood sugar! Bizarrely, my sugar which has been high for me lately was unexpectedly low all day - I tested after eating and it was under 100, so I ate more and later it was in the 80's. Probably because I worked out so much the day before. Tabata in particular will make my glucose levels drop the day after.

    @nickiphillips1 Thanks for the suggestions! I manage pretty well when I don't have to worry about other people, it's eating at my mom's house or at restaurants that's tricky. I can generally tolerate up to about 50g carbs at a time, but lately it's been weird - I think because my lupus is acting up and probably raising my cortisol levels. Usually I have Greek yogurt with berries, or an orange and some cottage cheese, after working out, like you said, protein plus carbs.

    @katadx - melatonin can help you sleep when you need to sleep. That and being young are about the only tips I have for coping with swing shifts.

    @str8bowbabe It sounds like your back is letting you do more, good to hear!
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    Hello everyone! First I have never actually introduced myself...my name is Kristene. Cant believe I have not done that yet. LOL Anyway, thank you all for the kind words. I am still at it. Not doing great on my eating at dinner because I have so much to do outside at the house that when Im finally inside (usually right at dark) Im so tired that I just grab something or like last night I ordered pizza. GRRRRR! But ya gotta eat so...

    Anyway...welcome to all the new ladies in this thread. Love to see this thread spread.

    @aleahurst - hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Hope you are getting outside for a bit each day.
    @happysherri - glad you got to go on that mini vaca. Everyone needs one every now and then.

    My beautiful behavior this week...get in more cardio. I feel I haven't had enough cardio due to the back so going to try to up that. I have a double header on Friday night so that will definitely help. Also, I am trying to shoot my traditional bow every day. I want to get proficient enough to hunt with it this fall...even if its just small game. And finally more water, more water and more water.

    Have a great day ladies!
  • finngirl61
    finngirl61 Posts: 122 Member
    Hi all, glad to see the new posts. I love the encouragement and positivity. Unfortunately, I'm still going UP, and I've been logging. Very, very discouraging. I think it's partly due to too many carbs, and not enough protein. Plus, spouse stress continues and that gets me down. Any suggestions? I feel like I don't know if I can really lose weight ever. I need to lose 60 + lbs. more.
  • jessiquoi
    jessiquoi Posts: 400 Member
    @finngirl61 i feel you, i'm right there too. i've gained weight since starting this group in December. but i refuse to give up trying to improve my health. you're not alone! keep trying different things, upping your protein sounds like a great idea. i read that putting new good things into your life is more productive than trying to take out bad things... the good crowds out the bad. maybe focus on adding more veggies, or more steps, or more water, etc etc?
  • finngirl61
    finngirl61 Posts: 122 Member
    @jessiquoi - thanks for the encouraging words. I'm determined to continue to log my foods, and will add more protein, veggies, etc. You're right about adding more good things; it makes me think about weeds. The weeds will take over, unless you either pull them, or crowd them out with nicer plants. It gets so discouraging. I applaud your 'determination'. Thanks!!!!
  • jessiquoi
    jessiquoi Posts: 400 Member
    hello, everyone, and TGIF! today i am committed to tracking every bite of food. i'm usually great at this until about 5pm, when everything falls apart. today i am going to enter that time phase mindfully and remember that i'm committed. i refuse to let the usual amnesia take over and unconsciously feed myself. wish me luck!

    today is going to be a hard day, because i started it off by upsetting john and now we're both upset. i tend to eat that stuff away, but not today. when he wakes from his nap, we'll have to resume our conversation and keep at it until all is well. we're good at that, but this morning was a doozy. :(

    yay for the weekend! who has beautiful plans?

    later,
    jess

  • gillykh
    gillykh Posts: 22 Member
    @jessiquoi, that sounds like a solid strategy for evenings. I've struggled with that time of the day before, too.

    I'm having a hard time this weekend. I have a lot of free time. I would normally go to the gym or browse around a store, but I started experiencing some sudden pain in my knee last night, so I'm taking it easy physically this weekend. My husband is out of town. I feel both bored and like I don't want to do anything. I can't imagine what to make of that. :)

    Have a good weekend All.
  • aleahurst
    aleahurst Posts: 325 Member
    Hi everyone. I have been reading and keeping up with all of you. I have struggled with my health being good bad good bad good... I was much more successful at watching my calorie intake last month... Huh. So not much to write, but still love to you all.

    Lea

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