2018 - The Year of " I AM "
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Suzy - I think you leave on your trip in about 10 days? Are you getting excited yet?
Im making some progress in getting my groove back... tiny steps like more fruit instead of cookies; smaller portions, more water... small changes but it's helping with my attitude adjustment... im changing my focus from losing weight back to simply getting healthier.. i decided i'm not going to "try" to lose weight - im going to concentrate on the moving more/eating better aspect.. and i am just going to assume weight loss will start to occur while i'm working on this.. i feel better and more positive now... maybe taking the pressure off myself by not worrying about the actual pounds being shed right now.. but on overall just .. doing better all around... is helping cause now its about the bigger picture.
And im getting back to remembering all the food i love thats good for me.. so making sure what i choose is not only better for me, but are things i enjoy - no kale for this chick LOL.. i'm all grown up and i dont have to eat it!! haaaaaaaaaaaaa
I got a lovely email from a woman i met at the pickleball drop in letting me know about FREE lessons and play thru the summer at a place near me.. woo hoo! Its more of a winter sport, running sept-june (indoor) so after discovering i had such a blast playing it i was kinda bummed htinking i have to wait til the fall to play... it starts mid june and there are 3 sessions a week at various times which will work nicely with my shifts too! So i'm hoping to play at least once a week; twice a week if my body can handle it lol.. but i have to admit.. altho i was sore after both of my first two rounds - i did it!! Fingers crossed the mroe i place the less ow effect afterwards as my muscles get used to being used ha!!!
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That's really good news about the pickleball! Well done for doing it (and working pretty hard at it, if the pain is anything to go by!). It sounds like you really have it sorted at the moment, with all those "tiny steps" which will hopefully add up - as you say, regardless of the effect on weight, it will still be good for you. I am so with you on not eating things you don't want!
I've had some good news too - hopefully! My doctor's agreed to refer me to a weight loss programme. We'll see if I will be accepted or not, as she said I may not be big enough - lol! Anyway, I usually avoid getting weighed at the doctor's because I know I'll just get told to eat less and move more (and will want to say "what do you think I'm TRYING to do!), so I hadn't been weighed for ages ... so long in fact, that I had lost about 20kg (44lb) since the last weight. The doctor was impressed!
The weather has been good here and I went for a bike ride with one of my groups today. The place I live is kind of downmarket, but I think it's very special ... it's next to the river, and it's a short walk along the riverside to get into the centre of town. However, if you walk down the river the other way, we're in an area that gets flooded often, and so about 100 yards from my house are meadows that have been kept to hold the water during floods. At the moment they are full of clover, buttercups and cows. I'm sure my area is quite unusual in being so close to a city centre and countryside, and being able to reach both by hardly going on a road. I certainly can't afford to move, so I'm glad I'm feeling good about where I'm living!2 -
Yes, we leave on the 9th which just happens to be the day before my birthday. I’m busy planning our trip and finding that tours are sold out but it’s fine...there’s still plenty to see and do. We’ve decided to go to Shenandoah National Park for the second half of the week and do some hiking. I’m very excited about that. It’s supposed to be absolutely gorgeous!
I’m glad your small steps are working for you. I find that I do great during the day but am completely losing it at night. It’s time to get serious. I know I can do it, I just have to make my health a priority.
Vail, it sounds like a lovely place to live! What’s that saying, “bloom where you’re planted.” We consider ourselves very lucky to have so many wonderful places to hike within driving distance.
Okay! Next week I’m back on my routine of eating well and going to the gym and walking after dinner. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend for a hike!1 -
" I find that I do great during the day but am completely losing it at night. It’s time to get serious. I know I can do it, I just have to make my health a priority."
This is me exactly, Suzy.
Have a great trip!
Pickle Ball? I've got to look that one up...sounds fun , Snoozie.
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Thanks for that saying, Suzy "bloom where you are planted". I hadn't heard that one before but I really like it! It's great that you have good hiking places in driving distance. Have a wonderful trip! I googled Shenandoah National Park because I'm not familiar with it. It looks absolutely beautiful!
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Morning Hatters...
Suzy i have never heard that expression before either and love it!! Vail - it may sound silly but from your descriptions I had in mind that place frmo the movie "Holiday" ? With cameron diaz and ... ican't remember the other ones name... but they switch houses over xmas; one in LA and the other a cottage in a place called "Cottswold" or close to that in England..... anyway i remember her loving the cottage because it was far enough away to be in the country and close enough to a town for shopping/pubs etc... so that's how I pictured your place lol!! Hey wanna switch for a week?? sadly i don't have a mansion in LA... but.... ya know.... lol
I stopped this morning for my coffee after my walk and i admit i was considering a donut... but since i was like 8th in line while i was looking at them i realize they all have the calorie counts for each one next to them now.... well some of the "low fat" muffins came in at almost 500 calories... and even the plain donuts were almost 300 and i had time in the line to look at all of them and think... ya know what.. no.. SO not worth it... i still indulge in treats dont get me wrong... but i'm back to choosing "calorie worthy" only - it better be something i am gonna LOVE rather than just something.. because....
so just my coffee came home with me lol!
and I completely agree with those having the evening time probs... im actually grateful i'm working evening shift this week; keeps me a little less able to graze!
oh and Suzy... i totally get why you are reluctant to get your blood work done.. i really do... but.... maybe now is a good time to get a "baseline" set of numbers for everything - so moving forward you will be able to see how you progress. I know it's scary believe me.. but.. i guess because i've been taking my blood sugar levels more often the past week it came to mind.. they've been running higher than i want and its helping me remember thats what i came here for originally - to improve my overall health. So for me having the baseline numbers from a few years ago does help me to see if i'm sliding or progressing... but as i said i totally get that it is a scary thought ...
I'm sorry a lot of the tours you wanted are sold out, but as you said you will find plenty to do ... I am going to google the park too .. i love google earth to be honest... at work the other day we visited the Sistine Chapel via GE lol.. took a 360degree tour of it.... so i'm sure the park will be amazing!!
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Here’s a sobering thought:
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sUZY .. SO FREAKEN true... and something I particularly need to remember!! Perhaps if I can equate things like potato chips with poison in my mind it will help me realize they are NOT some kind of reward but self harm! I may print that out at work today - I need a new kitchen cupboard sign as I realized I have become so used to the other 2 I have I don't even "see" them anymore! Thanks !!
I reset my ticker last week or 10 days ago.. whenever it was I got on the scale .. and since I've decided to focus more on overall better eating and less on weight loss at the moment, i'm only going to weigh myself once a week on sundays to see if any weight loss is occurring as a side effect.. the wee bit of a loss showing today therefore is not from my new efforts but likely just from heading back down after gaining the extra... until I break that "set point" number on the scale where i was at for so long and start losing actual weight from there, I'm not considering it a true loss - just getting rid of the extra I had gained.. i'll still take it but until I get back to where I was "stuck" weight, its just fluctuation...
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That's a great quote, Suzy. I need to keep it in mind. So true. I think what got to me about the quote and the "medicine" thing, is that it's dose-related - I do tend to eat good, healthy food, but obviously I have eaten so much of it that it's damaging my body. I've actually turned this healthy, nutritious food into poison by overdosing it! What a thought!
I find the evenings difficult too. Some evenings I'm fine, some evenings I give in (WHY?) and have a little snack - it doesn't feel like I'm massively pigging out, but all those little snacks add up, and stop me losing weight. I do have strategies (herbal teas, going to bed early, having a bath, brushing teeth, etc.), so why don't I always use them?
Snoozie, sadly where I live is nothing like the Cotswolds, which is much posher and more picturesque! Well done on resetting. I still don't have the courage to do that! I'm the same as you with the loss, sadly - losses are showing on my feed, but they are just pounds I've lost before. Well done on getting only coffee too! I'm very much with you on calories having to be worth it! I'm not a big fan of having calorie counts in restaurants (partly because I think they can't possibly accurate, and also because I think they are inhibiting for chefs who would then have to weigh and measure precisely), BUT I can see why they are a good idea, and probably eye-opening, when something that looks like a little snack or treat has all the calories of a main meal.
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Why oh why oh WHY do I sabotage myself every evening??!! I’ve got to break this awful cycle!!!
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I wish I knew, Suzy! I've had some recent evening sabotage too! What can we do?
I'll tell you about my recent one. I was out at a social event in the evening, where food and drink was being served. I managed the evening pretty well - I cycled there, so couldn't drink much anyway (I did have a small glass of wine) and didn't order food. Anyway, I came out, ready to cycle back and was looking straight at a KFC. SO tempting, but no. But because I'd been so good, I thought maybe I could have a small packet of crisps (chips), and a shop was open, so I went in and bought some, plus chocolate and cookies "for my son". And then came home and ate them with him. The cookies were not worth the calories, and I'm sure the snack not only wiped out my deficit for that day, but for the next day too.
I know WHY it was (apart from lack of willpower), I was pleased that I'd avoided temptation all evening at danger points, and I thought I'd SAVED those imaginary calories and could reward myself with something. Why do I think like that?
Anyway, thinking about, here are my thoughts
"I've been really good all day, so I've got some calories left".
"My meal was tiny. Maybe it was too small a portion, so I'll have a little bit more".
"It's HEALTHY food, so it's good for me"
"I feel really hungry"
"I'm craving something - I might as well have it, and then get on with my life"
"Wine is better with food",
"I've had a stressful day"
"I'll just have this tonight, then have a better day tomorrow".
I'm sure there's lots more. Looking at the list, I can easily think of answers to those - so why don't I think of the answers at the time? Maybe I should write out all the answers and stick them somewhere I'll notice them! I have done very well in the past with avoiding evening snacking, so I know I can do it. It's just getting the right mind set. Back to the herbal teas!2 -
That last one, “I’ll just have this tonight, then have a better day tomorrow.” That’s me. I know I just have to find the strength within myself to NOT do it but I’ve been giving up lately. Giving up on myself. I heard myself say recently that I’d do anything to be in that good of physical shape. Well, apparently I won’t do “anything” because I won’t control my eating. I won’t put my health above my cravings. I won’t put time at the gym or walking above my laziness. So I guess I’m not willing to do anything. I need to figure out how to get back to that deep desire to get in shape. Here in the south we say that I need a “come to Jesus moment.”
So...I’ll be looking for my motivation. When I get back from DC I’ll go get my blood work done. That was my original motivator...my A1C was high and my doctor scared me with the word “pre-diabetic.” I’m pretty sure that I’m back to that point.1 -
Suzy, I have started taking a long shower and a nap...top keep me from eating when I don't need to...we'll see if it works, no loss as of yet.
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re the evening sabotage reasons ... agrree with all of the above... AND...
"i'm bored" therefore i eat
And the sad part is there are 100's of things i COULD do - including a shower and/or a nap Gail! instead of grazing.... its been lovely weather i could go for an evening stroll, clean up the mound of paperwork on my dining room table..literally 100 things I could do yada yada... but no i sit on the couch - I do appear to be an "equal opportunity" grazer tho.. healthy (orange) and completley unhealthy (ice cream bar) all get equal time..
However... i DID find the original photo of me at my heaviest weight (the one i also have on my profile pics..in the blue t shirt and black shorts) and that is NOW posted on my cupboard alongside my signs.. AS i reminder to me i CAN lose the weight because i HAVE done it... and i do NOT ever want to go back to where I was - not after all the hard work i put into getting here. So even though I still have a ways to go, it reaffirms for me that I am capable of attaining my goal weight again... and it has "calmed me down" somewhat.. back to focusing on just eating well and eating less.. and kept me out of the cupboards for at least one night!
I'm on vacation for 10 days or so; no plans just took a midnight shift off so my biggest challenge for this time is NOT to just sit on my butt.. my shoulder/arm have been messed up for a few days but hopefully on the mend because the free pickleball starts next week and I plan to hit as many sessions as possible.. i have a few gigs at the livings arts centre in the living arts centre and may do a few more day trips like last year where i lucked into the lovely boat excursion - so i'll def be using google for "things to do around toronto!" ! I have one night of debauchery planned- one of my friends is retiring the end of the month and we're doing one of our 24 hr partys to celebrate; the 3 of us friends for 30 yrs getting a hotel room in the city; time to catch up and have a lovely dinner on a patio somewhere and perhaps a spa morning before heading home.. our 24 hr party started years ago when the kids were small and they could only get away for 24 hrs lol.. the locations have varied from renting a cottage to jammie parties at someones house while the hubby and kids are away... but we've kept it up over the years and its hard to believe now its been so long... time and distance often makes it hard to keep up friendships but i'm grateful we still make it a priority and as such, reap the benefits 3 decades later!
I'm off to the lake before the weekend warriors show up - and this morning our first farmers market opens nearby so can't wait to stock up on some veggies and try some new ideas.. i've been following a FB page called the Tasty Vegetarian; not because i plan to go that route but just because i want to incorporate more veggies and i'm bored with the steaming/roasting versions ... there's a grilled veggie sandwich that looks amazing with a pesto spread on one side and a roasted red pepper spread on the other - i may have to buy myself one of those grill pans (with those little lines across it) as i dont have a bbq... im betting someone will have em on sale this time of year.
ok enuf babbling... suzy i think you leave soon if not already for your trip??? have an amazing fabulous time!!
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Thanks Snoozie! We got to our hotel just outside DC a couple hours ago and went out for a nice relaxing dinner after that 10 hour drive. Salmon, brussel sprouts and beets! It was yummy! But so we’re the two gin and tonics. Lol!!! We’re supposed to get rained on tomorrow but we’ll find lots to do. I’ll check in when I can.
Have a wonderful week everyone!2 -
Suzy!! Didn't realize you were already on the road - I am completely jealous of your dinner... I adore brussel sprouts AND beets and salmon is a treat I only have when I eat out... now I want it all!! Hey I had my first frozen lime margarita on a patio the other day - so now it's officially summer in my world lol... also had a lovely gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce with balsamic mushrooms, carmelized onions, baby peas, arugula and grand Padano cheese grated over it.. honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten! It was a lovely indulgence with a good friend and don't regret it at all! So enjoy your indulgences while on vacation - just balance it with some walking and moving and you'll be just fine! and most important have a wonderful time and a lovely birthday celebration!
Yesterday I stocked up on tons of veggies at the market and realized by the end of the day i'd had a completely meat free day - not intentionally lol... but an added bonus! The strawberries were like candy tho.. so sweet I had to stop myself from scarfing down all of them!
I've been doing .. good wit better choices but like the rest of us, struggling with boredom eating at night! I did go for a short 20 min stroll after dinner but it didn't help as I just grazed when I got home... but i'll keep working on it!0 -
Those meals sound delicious! I hope you have a great time, Susi, rain or not. Well done on the choices, Snooozie!1
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I have been trying to up the veggies recently so trying some new recipes from a vegetarian site just to find new ways to make em… yesterday I made these veggie towers... well one tower lol.. I grilled thick slices of red onion, peppers, a few mushrooms on top of the stove in a pan (that's all I had left lol) and drizzled a bit of balsamic on it.. salt and pepper …. then stacked em all and topped with some mozerella .. it was amazingly good! and very filling... a nice change for sure...0
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Sound yummy and fun, Snoozie.... yea to more veggies.. I know and hope you are enjoying your vacation.0
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I've been derailed with some owies for a few days; possibly due to overextending myself at pickleball lol - I keep forgetting that my body is quite capable of letting me know I can't do nothing with it then go all out crazy for a few hours without paying the price! which means I have to do MORE daily movement - so i'm going to start trying that Essentrics Classical stretch episodes daily …
I've been doing okay with more mindful eating; still having moments of the evening crap chomp; I've decided I just can't have any crap in the house - I thot I could portion or control occasional treats but it aint happening so for the moment am going to resist having anything other than fruit for that "sweet" need - hopefully laziness will be a plus in this instance since i'll prob be too lazy to go out and get something if I want it and it's not here lol!
Suzy - i'm not exactly sure what date your birthday is/was but I know it's sometime around now so wishing you a very happy celebration of YOU !!!!1 -
Thank you Snoozie! It was last Sunday. DC was great. We’re still at Shenandoah National Park. Saw a bear today on the trail. It was waaaay too close for comfort. Scared me to death! We had to back up the trail and waited for another group of hikers. A young guy with them scared him off. We’re hiking our feet off. I’m so exhausted!! I better not go home and find out that I gained weight!!!
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ok there isn't an emoticon option for what I felt when I saw that pic Suzy!! Jeez I went up over the wee hill on my path this morning and saw a skunk running down the middle of the path right towards me - and I turned and RAN.. I CANNOT even THINK what I would have done seeing a BEAR!! omgggggggggggggg … im so glad u went back to be with the other hikers.. holy cow.... here's hoping no more encounters of that kind while you're there and so glad you had a great birthday and are having a great time!!!! I may have nightmares tonite over that bear lol0
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I was sitting on my bench the other morning and didn't even notice someone else was also just quietly enjoying the view
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Oh my goodness, that bear, Suzy! I don't think I have ever been so close to so dangerous an animal in the wild! Only adders - and at least they don't normally kill and are quite small - lol!
Sounds like you are putting a lot of effort into hiking. I do find sometimes that when I do a lot more exercise than usual my weight goes up rather than down. I presume it's water retention or something. So I hope you do lose, but if you don't, it might be a bit of that and will come off soon after. Anyway, I'm sure the hiking is doing plenty of good for your health!
Your lakeside walk looks so lovely, Snooozie. I was just talking today about how important it is to be close to bit of "outdoors", and how big cities need parks, etc.
I've been hit and miss recently. I have been quite strict with myself, but had a blip on Saturday where I succumbed to peer pressure and pizza and ale. I regret it. Back to the grind today. I'm trying to do Couch to 5K, goodness knows why, because running does NOT suit me, but I seem to be struggling with anything I do at the moment. I'm combining it with strength exercises.2 -
Vail, couch to 5k sounds awesome! I am NOT a runner and never will be but I applaud your commitment!
I weighed this morning. I am choosing to let it motivate me instead of letting it depress me. I am now half a pound heavier than I was on January 1st. I got myself into this mess, now I have to get myself out. I know some of it is water retention but mostly it’s bad choices. I do recognize that my fitness level is not directly tied to that number on the scale but I’m just not comfortable in my skin right now. I’m going to the beach with my daughter next week and I may have to go buy a larger swimsuit. I got rid of all my larger (more coverage) ones. Oh well. It is what it is....now I’ve got to make it better.
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This made me laugh out loud! So true!
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omg suzy love that sign!!! lmao and soooooooooooooo true !!!
I've been playing pickleball 2x a week, eating better and cooking more veg etc and i'm up 2 lbs suzy!!!! So I hear ya on the fitness vs weight - being comfy with one and not the other! I'm gonna have to start logging again I think cause I swear I am eating way less and moving more and its going up!! argh lol
welcome home btw!1 -
This may be my next "kitchen cupboard" sign !!
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That’s a really good one!
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It's good, but it kind of depresses me because of being on so much medication! I wish I could stop it, but I'm told that I need it and don't want to take any risks.
I suppose the weigh-in could have been worse, Suzy! At least you have got it over with, and know where you are, and at least you haven't gained this year (apart from half a pound, which doesn't count). I'm almost the same as you ... within a pound of my first of January weight, despite all efforts over the past few months! I gained weight and now have got back to what I was so it feels like progress, but kind of funny when you mentioned your 1st Jan weight and looked mine up and saw I was in the same place!
Fitness versus weight - yes, I'm a strong believer that fitness is good for it's own sake, no matter what the weight. But I'm really struggling with fitness at the moment, and wondering if losing some more weight would help. When I'm running (and I say "running" in the very broad sense - my body really does not seem to know what it's doing. I'm floundering about and I think it probably looks something like as if I'm trying to swim, without actually being in water. Also, it's very slow) it feels as if there's a huge weight crashing down on my feet and knees at every step. Never mind the aesthetics, I think my poor knees need me to lose more weight!1
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