60 yrs and up
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Yummy snack @swimmom_11
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My head seems to be straightened out now. I'm dropping some on the scale and right now having a little snack of unsweetened coconut flakes and a serving of Lily's dark chocolate chips mixed in it.sandramarshall200 wrote: »Yummy snack @swimmom_1
It was only 1 Carb too! Kind of tasted somewhat like a Easter coconut egg.1 -
Elliptical Interval (HIIT) setting first session 124 minutes for 8.14 miles, zone 3. Then had to babysit for about 2 hours, then the second session Interval setting again 56 minutes for 3.75 miles, zone 3= 180 minutes, 11.89 miles.1
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Hello, I am back after a break and a weight gain. I know what I need to do- and I know I need to do it NOW for my health! I have done it before and I will do it again.6
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Welcome back!
Yes, now is the absolutely BEST time to do it. This time I challenge you to develop really good habits you'll take with you into the indefinite future so this is the last time you have to lose from a weight gain. Maintenance is just as much of a challenge, and it's just as simple. Not easy - simple.
You can do it, and you will!3 -
Elliptical Interval (HIIT) setting first session 124 minutes for 8.14 miles, zone 3. Then had to babysit for about 2 hours, then the second session Interval setting again 56 minutes for 3.75 miles, zone 3= 180 minutes, 11.89 miles.
@swimmom_1 it sounds like your getting back into the swing of things! I bet it feels good to get your groove back!1 -
Welcome back @1poundatax. And welcome to all who have recently joined this thread. This is a great place to come for support and advice.3
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I haven't posted in a while, but the day after I posted last, I tested positive again for Covid. The line was very faint so I had it confirmed by a diagnostic lab. Yep, sure enough, I had Covid rebound. Symptoms had come back but not as bad as before. No fever this time, but sore throat and sinus congestion along with headache and fatigue. The main symptoms cleared up in a few days, but the headache and fatigue are hanging on long after I tested negative again. I know these are just some of the long term side effects of covid and I am glad that's the only ones I have. It is gradually getting better. Yesterday was the first day I felt like I was getting back to normal. I wasn't exhausted after my water aerobics class and I did not get a headache yesterday at all. I have not returned to weight lifting yet but if things continue to improve, I plan to slowly start back with that next week. I'm just grateful I didn't have a much worse case of covid. It never went to my lungs and since I have asthma and COPD, I'm very thankful for that.7
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I haven't posted in a while, but the day after I posted last, I tested positive again for Covid. The line was very faint so I had it confirmed by a diagnostic lab. Yep, sure enough, I had Covid rebound. Symptoms had come back but not as bad as before. No fever this time, but sore throat and sinus congestion along with headache and fatigue. The main symptoms cleared up in a few days, but the headache and fatigue are hanging on long after I tested negative again. I know these are just some of the long term side effects of covid and I am glad that's the only ones I have. It is gradually getting better. Yesterday was the first day I felt like I was getting back to normal. I wasn't exhausted after my water aerobics class and I did not get a headache yesterday at all. I have not returned to weight lifting yet but if things continue to improve, I plan to slowly start back with that next week. I'm just grateful I didn't have a much worse case of covid. It never went to my lungs and since I have asthma and COPD, I'm very thankful for that.
Can I say that it's reassuring to me that you're coming through Covid OK, albeit understandably slowly? While I don't have asthma, I do have early-stage COPD, and I've wondered what that could mean if/when I do get Covid - as I so far haven't 🤞 - even now that I'm vaxed to the recommended extent, and now that we do have better treatment options. I'm pretty healthy - I think? - for this age and stage, but I haven't previously heard from anyone else with a pulmonary challenge of any type who'd had Covid.
Also, since I can't remember whether I've shared this here before:
I don't know whether this is helpful or discouraging, I hope more the former, but I'd run across this document (written for all-levels coaches and athletes) with medical guidance about return to workout routine post-Covid.
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/covid-19-return-to-sport-or-strenuous-activity-following-infection
The TL;DR is pretty much "take it gradually, slower than you'd think" for best long-term results.
Wishing you a speedy path back to full functioning, regardless!2 -
Welcome from me to the new participants, too! Please let us know how you're doing, and don't be afraid to ask for ideas if there are any challenges or obstacles you're trying to work through. There are folks on the thread with a wealth of experience. Not everyone's experience applies to every other single person, but IME asking questions (on this thread or in the Community at large) can be a great way to collect ideas to try, see if they suit you.
General status update: It's still Winter here, so I'm still in a bit of a slog.
Today we're having an ice storm - sleet - snow - rain - wind kind of Winter storm experience, not rare here (mid-Michigan), but this one enough to have provoked Winter storm warnings and concerns about possible ice/wind power outages. So far, as of mid-afternoon, things are OK in my neck of the woods, but this is slated to continue until late afternoon tomorrow.
On the personal front, most recently I'm having some minor issues with rotator cuff irritation (not believe to be a tear), so am doing physical therapy. (I love physical therapy. I always learn useful things.) Today's appointment got moved earlier in the day because of the worrisome weather.
This would usually be the time of year I'd be incorporating more weight training (which I usually shirk), but right now I'm limited in what I can do (and likely to use any excuse to skip doing it, gotta admit, since I don't find it fun). I'm also not machine rowing for the moment, though I'm trying to reincorporate some of that slowly. Mostly, I'm just doing an hour of stationary bike most days, plus my PT home exercises, and the occasional cautious experiment with lifting or rowing.
Weight is maybe starting to drop slightly post-holidays, but ever so slowly. Not too concerned, as long as the general trend is down, since I'm at the stage of managing maintenance fluctuations after the major loss a few years back. Up a few pounds over the holidays and in Winter generally is normal, just need to manage it gradually down instead of letting it creeping steadily upward.
Slowly chipping away at my year-long art journaling virtual class (I'm behind, and BTW it's visual journaling in my case, not very artful! 😆). A more musically competent friend helped me restring and tune my banjo, so I'm starting to practice again after a long hiatus (so painful to hear myself! but I'm having fun). Doing a little Winter socializing now and then with some rowing buddies and friends from an elder orphans group I belong to. Couple of recent events I've been helping woman the rowing club booth for general community relations, and to recruit people for our learn-to-row program. (Events were Women's Expo, and upcoming expo/symposium.) Nothing new and exciting blooming outdoors or in right now except the snowdrops shared previously, but rock garden iris should emerge semi-soon outdoors, I hope.
I hope everyone else is doing well - let us know, maybe, if you feel up to it? 😊5 -
@AnnPT77 Yes, I understand what you mean by wondering how you'd do if you get Covid. I was in the same boat. Respiratory infections always hit me hard. They tend to be worse and last longer than most people because of my lung issues. So I was pleasantly surprised the covid did not drop to my lungs. Like you, I was fully vaccinated and boosted. Thank God for the vaccine. I absolutely feel the vaccine was the reason why I did not have a worse case. Or possibly the combination of vaccine and Paxlovid. I took a 5 day treatment. Paxlovid keeps the virus from replicating but only works if you start taking soon after testing positive or start of symptoms. But you are more likely to have a case of covid rebound after Paxlovid. They think that's possibly because 5 days may not be long enough for omicron. It was tested on Delta and stopped the testing early because they found that it was working so well. Only 10% of the general population get covid rebound while 25% of those taking Paxlovid do. I'd still take it again. It is proven to be very effective at keeping people out of the hospital.
You did send that article in a previous post. Thank you. I found it very helpful. It convinced me to start back with exercise very slowly. So I'm going to my aqua aerobics class every other day instead of 5 days a week and decided to wait even longer to resume weight lifting. I'm taking it slow.
Sorry about your rotator cuff issue. I know how much you love to row. It must be very frustrating for you. Hoping your PT can help you get it resolved before your outdoor rowing season starts. In the meantime have fun with your Journaling and bango!2 -
@ HaHa! Sorry Ann. That was meant to say have fun with your banjo, not bango. Lol
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@ HaHa! Sorry Ann. That was meant to say have fun with your banjo, not bango. Lol
I translated. 😆🤣
There's certain poetic appropriateness to that alternate name, though. I really just started trying to learn to play in these last few years. Trying to figure out a musical instrument - first one I've seriously-ish tried playing since junior high - and a difficult style at that (bluegrass, 3-finger picking) . . . well, I'm honestly kind of banging away at my bango/banjo. I'd better be having fun, because I'm not actually making music (yet). 🤣5 -
Good Morning. Well, Ann, I was in a way, glad to read that you are just now dropping the holiday excess. I have spent January and February trying to kickstart the weight loss, glad to know it’s not just me.. Finally it is beginning again. I am swimming most days now. I know weight loss is about calories, but my body does better when I move more, Problem is that I get out of the pool ravenous. I have to breakfast 1st thing as I take medication with the food, and it’s often hours until the next meal is due. I try to go straight into housework or gardening, but my muscles are already tired. I’m wary of snacks, I dont have an off button for them. Also, I observe that my dogs are always most crazy for food immediately after being fed. Think I’m the same.
How do others manage this? It may be that just distracting myself is best.
Second issue I have is that a lot of you seem very precise people, and I’m just not, I never can accurately count my lengths at the pool and I cook in dollops and handfuls, not pounds and ounces , or cups. I am trying to weigh my food more, but when someone else cooks and that would be rude, I wonder if there is some rule of thumb for a reasonable portion. I try to fill half my plate with salad or non starch veg, and I’ve probably halved the amount of carbs I would put on my plate, but still not sure if I always get it right, and how do I know I’m not fooling myself?
Sorry this is long. Hope it makes sense.
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@sandramarshall200
Part 1: Weighing and measuring food is about forming a new habit. That's all. It's hard to remember at first, but eventually it just becomes a natural part of your life. You measure your dog's food, why wouldn't you measure your own? And then once you've been at it long enough, you'll know how to "eyeball" portions so when someone else had made your food, you'll have a pretty good idea of the calories involved. No rudeness required!
I've been doing it long enough that there are certain things I don't measure anymore because I just know. However, every so often I do a quick check to make sure. One day I realized that I'd been logging my daily breakfast yoghurt as 1 cup when actually my "dollops" were only 3/4 cup haha. But it's particularly important to measure calorie dense foods, like nuts. A handful of nuts can have big consequences if not recorded accurately. Oils and cheese too.
So bottom line....I'm sure you have developed other habits in your life. You always put on your seatbelt. You turn lights off when you leave a room. You brush your teeth. Weighing and measuring food is no different.
Part 2: Would sitting down for a cup of coffee or tea after swimming "take the edge off" your hunger? I find that it often does for me. For example, when I still worked I would stop at the gym on my home every day. I'd get in the house, be ravenous, and eat half a meal while preparing dinner. But then I changed things up. I'd put the kettle on as soon as I came in the door and sit down with a cup of tea. Once that was done, I felt more in control and could start making dinner.
This whole weightloss journey is an opportunity to learn what works, and what doesn't. You take some people's suggestions, and some you toss. Or what works for a time no longer works and you have to change it up. There's some healthy middle ground between being cavalier about weighing and measuring your food, and being overly obsessive. You just need to find that and you'll be golden 🙂5 -
@sandramarshall200 I second everything that @ridiculous59 just said. The best advice I have received through this forum was to buy a kitchen scale and weigh your food instead of trying to estimate your portions. Even using measuring cups, etc does not give you the accuracy of weighing your food in grams. It does become second nature after a while.
As far as hunger after exercise, perhaps a small low calorie high volume snack would help. Carrots, celery, cut up raw vegetables come to mind. I sometimes buy prepackaged baby carrots ready to eat. They come in 3 oz packages and are just 35 calories. I also agree with the statement to watch out for nuts. It's really easy to consume too many calories with nuts. I love them but I absolutely must weigh them out then put the jar away. I usually don't have them too often now. I need a higher volume lower calorie snack to be satisfied.2 -
sandramarshall200 wrote: »Good Morning. Well, Ann, I was in a way, glad to read that you are just now dropping the holiday excess. I have spent January and February trying to kickstart the weight loss, glad to know it’s not just me..
You're definitely not alone. I'm in year 7+ of maintenance now.
Early in weight loss, I got used to my "short cycles" - the way my body weight would be up and down on the scale daily because of water retention or food in my digestive tract, even when the overall weight trend over weeks was downward.
After multiple years in maintenance, I feel like I have a better feel for my "long cycles", and that seems to help me stay calm and feel in control.
Everyone will differ, but I tend to have a really crave-y phase in Fall, as it gets colder, days shorten, and my favorite summer activities become weather-unviable. I have more incidents of eating over goal at that time, but usually get things reined in again. In November, I always indulge around my birthday, and then there's US Thanksgiving, a big food celebration here.
On Thanksgiving, the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge starts (machine row 200k or bike 400k or a combo between then and Christmas Eve). That gets me into Winter exercise mode (and burns a couple of calories, but I eat them).
Then comes December, with Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve & Day. I try to keep it as holiDAYS, not holiMONTHS. But I usually gain a few pounds over the Fall/Winter, need to creep it back down post-holidays. Come Spring, my TDEE goes up a little (more outdoor chores and stuff), so things get a little easier.
I've learned to trust and manage that "long cycle". So far, so good.
I agree that it might be worth trying a warm beverage after swimming, to see if that helps. You might even take some herb tea or something to the pool in an insulated Thermos jug/mug or something, to drink right after. Pools - even warm ones - are usually cooler than body temperature, and that can potentially spark appetite, IMU.Finally it is beginning again. I am swimming most days now. I know weight loss is about calories, but my body does better when I move more, Problem is that I get out of the pool ravenous. I have to breakfast 1st thing as I take medication with the food, and it’s often hours until the next meal is due. I try to go straight into housework or gardening, but my muscles are already tired. I’m wary of snacks, I dont have an off button for them. Also, I observe that my dogs are always most crazy for food immediately after being fed. Think I’m the same.
How do others manage this? It may be that just distracting myself is best.
Personally, I do find quick exercise hunger easier to manage with food. Technically it's a snack, but I eat something that contributes to my all day nutrition, so I don't stress about it. When I was taking 2 classes back to back at my Y (spin class and kettlebell, say), I found I did much better if I ate something between the two, such as a small carton of milk (shelf stable), one of those little packets of no-sugar applesauce, or something like that. If it was not between classes but after (so not as big priority on quick to consume), I'd eat something protein-y but fairly low calorie like lowfat string cheese, hard-boiled egg, or crispy broad beans. Doing that helped both energy level and appetite, for me.
This will horrify some dieters, but if I feel low-energy before a scheduled workout, I will eat something small that's pretty much just sugar. For a while, it was Tootsie Roll lollipops that are green apple flavor with a bit of caramel in the middle, energizing for me and only about 60 calories. Sometimes it's dried pineapple, mango, or prunes. Since I ate it right before the workout, it wasn't sparking my appetite in any troublesome way. (I'm not diabetic or insulin resistant. This might not be good, for a person who is.)Second issue I have is that a lot of you seem very precise people, and I’m just not, I never can accurately count my lengths at the pool and I cook in dollops and handfuls, not pounds and ounces , or cups. I am trying to weigh my food more, but when someone else cooks and that would be rude, I wonder if there is some rule of thumb for a reasonable portion. I try to fill half my plate with salad or non starch veg, and I’ve probably halved the amount of carbs I would put on my plate, but still not sure if I always get it right, and how do I know I’m not fooling myself?
Sorry this is long. Hope it makes sense.
I'll second (third?) the food scale idea. I'm also an impromptu cook, and I think the scale is perfect for knowing what my portion was. What's important is to learn the tricks. Here are a couple:
If you're scooping out some peanut butter or whatever from a jar, take the cap off, put the jar on the scale, zero it out, and take out whatever amount you want to use. A negative number will show on the scale. That's the amount you took out. Log that. (I usually note it on a piece of scrap paper until I'm done cooking, so I don't muck up my device with food.) Same works for (say) hunks of cheese or meat: Whole thing on the scale, zero, cut off however much you want, log the negative number. Easy.
For a sandwich or salad (even something I'm going to cook in one pot), I'll put the plate/bowl/pot on the scale, and zero. I'll use the sandwich example: Put the bread on the plate, note weight, zero. Put the mayo or butter on the bread, note weight, zero. Put the cheese on the sandwich, note weight, zero . . . and so forth.
I do a similar thing with stuff I'm chopping up to add to a dish(es): Chop little piles of stuff on the cutting board, put the board with foods on the scale, zero. Pick up the board, push ingredient one into a pan or onto a dish, put board back, note negative number, zero. Repeat with ingredient 2 and beyond.
No extra dishes for measuring, no fiddling, very quick, very easy, no rigorously regimented portion size, very accurate. I do have common combinations saved as MFP meals (not recipes). When you log a saved meal, it brings the whole list of ingredients into your diary, then you can adjust some of the portion amounts or delete/add for minor variation - less work than repeatedly looking up and logging those common combinations.
If you're saying you don't even want to log food, just manage it by eye . . . that I don't have advice about, other than what you're already doing. For me, calorie counting is perfect: After getting past the early-learner phase, it takes me at most less than 10 minutes per day, lets me eat every delicious calorie I'm entitled to alongside achieving my weight management goals. I love it.
The time is a very small price to pay for reaching and staying at a healthy weight, which has been such a quality of life improvement for me.
I agree with others that with practice, you'll get good at estimating foods you eat elsewhere but can't weigh/measure. I do take phone photos of my plate sometimes (no flash, ever!) in cases/places where it wouldn't be rude to do so, keeping something standard sized (like a fork) in the photo, so it's easier to log the meal later.
Just a few ideas (embedded in my usual ridiculously long essay 😬).
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Thanks all. I will come back to these tips time after time. Think I may have made myself sound more slapdash than I am. I do weigh and log, honest! Photo for when out is an excellent idea.2
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Hello all. I used to be on a lot,but life & my health took over. Doing better now. Nice to meet everyone. Tleona6
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xvx5585rb8 wrote: »Hello all. I used to be on a lot,but life & my health took over. Doing better now. Nice to meet everyone. Tleona
Welcome Tieona! Your first post for us!0 -
Welcome back Tieona!0
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Welcome Tieona!0
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@Kmcintash1988
I am a salty crunch person and sometimes I just gotta crunch. I found a company called schoolyard snacks, and yes unfortunately they are pricey. For me I found it’s worth the few extra bucks then to eat everything in sight and still not be satisfied. One bag is 110 or 120 calories and they are keto as well. If you are like me you might want to give it a try. It’s like Loreal….. and yes I’m worth it😉 My guess is you are too!5 -
trekkie123 wrote: »@Kmcintash1988
I am a salty crunch person and sometimes I just gotta crunch. I found a company called schoolyard snacks, and yes unfortunately they are pricey. For me I found it’s worth the few extra bucks then to eat everything in sight and still not be satisfied. One bag is 110 or 120 calories and they are keto as well. If you are like me you might want to give it a try. It’s like Loreal….. and yes I’m worth it😉 My guess is you are too!
I like salty crunch too and find that rice crackers do the trick. I'll spread some on a plate, sprinkle cheese on top, and heat it up for a 200 calorie nacho-type snack. I really like them to scoop my tuna, chicken, or egg salad. You know how there are things that you just always have on hand? Rice crackers are one of those things for me. 14 crackers = 120 calories.4 -
Argggh, time to get back at it. I fell off the food tracking and exercise wagon before xmas, and (of course) gained back most of the weight i'd lost. I'm one of those 'skinny-fat' people - my arms and legs are toothpicks, with all excess weight ending up around my torso. Makes me look like a toad, and I don't like it!2
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Just a few ideas (embedded in my usual ridiculously long essay 😬).
[/quote]
AnnPT77 - I'm glad you write these, because i find them inspiring. Thank you!
Bethe
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Just a few ideas (embedded in my usual ridiculously long essay 😬).
AnnPT77 - I'm glad you write these, because i find them inspiring. Thank you!
Bethe
[/quote]
Aww, you're so kind: Thank you!
Followed by a random status update/rant:
I love physical therapy. I will encourage my docs to give me a referral at the mildest excuse - not fraud on my US insurance company, but maybe a tiny bit shameless in how I want it and use it to keep my body functioning well so I can stay healthy. I choose PT providers carefully, then go, do the exercises they give me faithfully, but also pepper them with questions so I can learn more about exercise and my body.
Recently, I had some fairly minor (but unpleasant) shoulder pain, genuinely interfering with daily life, which my osteopath (real doc at a university clinic) diagnosed as rotator cuff irritation, unlikely to be an actual tear. So, off to PT. The symptoms are improving for sure, but I got lucky and drew a physical therapist with pretty extensive sports-movement certifications. So good!
He's had me doing some resistance band and weight exercises that use smaller rotational muscles I usually neglect, plus some stretching and self-massage to wake up my neuromuscular connection to some under-used areas.
Last appointment, in casual conversation, I mentioned that I was striving for better quad/hamstring balance (front/back of thighs), which obviously is completely unrelated to the shoulder . . . so he set me some shoulder-stabilization exercises that are single-leg Romanian deadlift variations - things that help the shoulder problem, but also work the hamstrings (which I tend to under-utilize in my routine workouts). I have (mildly) sore hamstrings and glutes from my "shoulder physical therapy" exercises now! This seems pretty excellent to me.
Repeating: I love physical therapy!6 -
@AnnPT77 I love physical therapy too! Shattered a knee cap into many tiny pieces a few years ago and was surgically repaired with screws (which I can feel, and dont ever kneel on). They didn't think it would heal well enough and that I might need a brace the rest of my life. With excellent PT my knee fully recovered and the angle of bend is just as good as a non injured knee. I took my PT seriously, did the exercises they recommended to do at home in between appointments, and I healed great! I did a 5K at 5 months post surgery. PT feels so good! I think I am getting a rotator cuff issue, so your experience is encouraging, I may quit procrastinating and go have it looked at. I notice that if I don't exercise, my knee aches and bothers me, but if I keep up regular exercise it is just fine. I guess a plus of "use it or lose it"!
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Pic where I live for fun, the aurora sure was incredible all around the globe a week ago. Waiting for spring!
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Spectacular!!!1
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