Thoughts, Epiphanies, Insights, & Quotables
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Are your coaches or gym friends sharing any thoughts on eating plans? While I went to gym and worked out hard even at my highest weight (310!), it wasn’t until I started measuring and weighing food and logging that I made progress. Having been obese from childhood, learning portion control was truly eye opening.
Weight is lost in the kitchen, fitness is gained in the gym.2 -
They haven't and I'm happy for it because I haven't asked. The coach only wanted to make sure I wasn't undereating so I told her I averaged 2500 cals for a 0,5kg per week weight loss pace and that pacified her.
I'm not looking for advice on losing weight or logging or food. And I'm not going to the gym to lose weight. My weight loss journey was sparked by my increased activity level but that was accidental and I started logging food so as not to lose weight too fast.
I've been overweight since childhood and got to my current weight with an active lifestyle but portion control was never the problem. Stress and boredom were. I worked hard to get those dealt with a few years ago but then covid hit and my activity level dropped to sedentary for a year and a half so I gained some weight while I taught myself to eat more fruit. Now my natural way of eating leads to weight loss, I got rid of the extra pandemic weight, and I am thriving, both fitness wise and weight loss wise.3 -
Very interesting read, Bojaantje. I haven't been in a gym for a very long time. Your post has definitely piqued my interest though!3
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I've had great luck with the communities at the gyms and sports clubs I've been a member of, they've always been a main place I make friends. But I know not every place is like that.
One of the first times I trained here someone made a comment like "you're not going heavier than that? Really?" to another guy who was exercising and it rubbed me the wrong way. Never seen that person again. The owner of our gym is very strict about making it a safe space where you can be yourself (not just for overweight people but also for women and lgbtq+ people and I would assume people of colour too but I can't speak to that from personal experience) and can talk about behaviour that bothers you, even if it's a coach saying something insensitive. My relationship with the pilates coach greatly improved and the presence of me and another fat woman really changed her perspective it seems. It's just a place for growth (and optional shrinkage of body) and that's really nice.4 -
Bojaantje, it sure sounds as if you're on a good point in this endeavor. Both the fact that you enjoy the gym and that you have a very reasonable sounding eating target and rate of loss goal by the look of things! Woohoo!3
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Here’s a quote for those of us who have been around a while-
“The older I get, the better I was”3 -
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Absolutely.
But, we are all lucky enough to get a little (big!) help from our friends.2 -
For sure! I feel a lot of support here. ❣️ In my rational daytime life I rely on the friendly motivation.
When PAV is snarfing down chocolate pies in the middle of the night or when I think I need ice cream at bedtime, it just comes down to yourself and the spoon.2 -
Don't like using conflict terminology, but it is not each individual win or loss but the overall sum total.
And susceptibility to "disturbance" does change over time depending on the "local" starting point.
It is absolutely different to go off the reservation from a position of equilibrium and return to that position. It is totally different to get to it while susceptible after a previous loss or other disturbance or what have you.
Moving a full 2800 sq foot main, mid level and upper floor plus 1100 sq foot basement plus two car garage full of 💩 to a 470sq ft appartment and a 11x11 bedroom in another city and a storage room and a shed does use some energy even if I try to avoid doing as much of anything as possible 😹2 -
Our long distance military moves were good for 10-15+ lbs. The stress of packing, unpacking, tossing stuff and then driving to a location with different sized accommodations made for a lot of unplanned overeating. So yeah I get the chocolate pie!
Do be kind to yourself PAV. You will survive this. Word of warning though - if dad is like my mother he’ll be doing a lot of complaining at the new place. Mom would carry on for months. Nothing was right, as good as the last place, too much new stuff to adjust to .... resulting in more overeating trying to make her happy.1 -
So far no worries in terms of that AND every single person in the house is still alive!!!! Mind you I can see where multiple pies may be an issue. But for now we're still moving along at belt minimums pending the big dinner outing in a half hour!2
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Yesterday was the summer solstice which makes me very happy. No - not because it’s officially the first day of summer and longest day of the year.
I’m happy because from now until December 22, the days will get incrementally shorter. Less daylight, less heat!
I really love cold, rainy dark days which are rare where I live.1 -
I used to like you Yooly!
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Love the sturm und drang. Must be my Germanic genes. Or the dark forests of the Polish ancestors. I would do well in Canada or England. Somehow relentless sunshine just doesn’t do it for me.
It’s 9:30 pm, totally dark and still 91 degrees so .......1 -
I'm feeling very vulnerable to the relentless sunshine even here in Canada - can't imagine Texas!1
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I may be turning into one of those people who can mentally track meals and adjust as I go through the day. Kind of an auto reflex thing. When and how did this happen?🤔3
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Muscle memory, Yooly. Consistency has its advantages! 👍👏3
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Garfield: camping report?!?!?!?!
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Hmmm...camping report.
Why is it do you think that a simple camping trip turns into an excuse for a slide into calorific excess?
We camped five nights...arrived Monday late morning, decamped straight after breakfast on the Saturday.
Mon - 3,125 calories - included 3 cakes, cider, pizza, salted peanuts, crisps.
Tue - 2,980 calories - included 2 cakes, cider, chips, bacon butties, salted peanuts, cheese
Wed - 2,675 calories - included 2 cakes, cider, ice-cream
Thu - 2,285 calories - included 2 cakes, cider, chips
Fri - 2,650 calories - included 1 cake, cider, chips
Negligible exercise. Just ambling along with the dog because it was hot for England (28 degrees C) and muttski was suffering...a wasteland of bunnies. Just two apples across 5 whole days of camping. If cider counts, I had at least a couple of bunnies a day.
At Sunday's face the music weigh-in I weighed 63.8kg (up 1.0kg over previous Sunday). I'd feared it would be worse.
I've run good deficits all this week to compensate for last week's excess. My intake was as follows:
Sat - 1,330 cals
Sun - 1,278 cals
Mon - 1,352 cals
Tue - 1,597 cals
Wed - 1,609 cals
Thu - 1,592 cals
This morning's weight is back down to 62.6kg. So that's encouraging.
On the one hand I feel a sense of despair at the re-emergence of old, destructive behaviours as soon as there's a change in my routine. On the other hand, I feel a sense of optimism that I was able to get straight back onto the wagon both after camping and BIL's visit.
If I'm thinking in terms of disordered eating as a medical condition, BIL's visit and camping would constitute flare-ups, which prompt management prevented from developing into a chronic episode. I'm now back in remission...
Is that half a success story?3 -
Well.... it is a story
Bad news department: part of your "small" increase was because of lack of exercise. Your biking has a considerable amount of excess muscle repair components that hide the scale impact.
Good news department: you reacted.
My only advice to you is to try to keep a more even keel in the beginning of maintenance or as even a keel as possible. The big ups and downs do get tiring and the feeling you have to react all the time has the potential to not be get caught during a *kitten this* moment. Aim for every day as if it were a normal day (only your aim is maintenance levels).
I admit to you that I personally did in the past and still do aim for a "perma-deficit", albeit only a very slight one (100-200 Cal a day). My natural inclination being to go over more often than not... it just keeps things in check. And hey... if I am consistently hitting new lows (or am tired blah blah for no apparent reason) that's why it is a log and we can review it
I tried the big adjustment routine and very quickly tried to move away from it. FEATHER. DON'T SLEDGEHAMMER.
Cause the sledgehammer down then goes the other way around when feasts are coming. Really. the ideal OUGHT to be where we're eating to fullness and recognize that the "good food" will still be there tomorrow. Of course this is absolutely NOT the case with double chocolate pie and me. But wouldn't it be a nice ideal if I were capable of only eating the small piece that fits in my calories!!!!
But yes, I am not a big fan of going for the big ups and big compensations. Even there, I would compensate over an extended period of slightly low calories. Why? To get you in the habit of being near the maintenance average more often than not. At least that's the reasoning!
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Anyone heard from our Connie? She hasn’t been here for a while. Hope she’s okay2
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A few days ago she said she was taking a break
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... I am not a big fan of going for the big ups and big compensations. Even there, I would compensate over an extended period of slightly low calories. Why? To get you in the habit of being near the maintenance average more often than not. At least that's the reasoning!
This is good solid reasoning PAV. Definitely clicked in my head...funny how you can hear the same idea over and over and suddenly something shifts and you "get" it!
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Well said Yooly!0
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I've been thinking about tweaks to make to try to prevent a repeat occurrence of the meltdown I had during BIL's visit and my camping trip. In both cases the poor eating was limited to just 4 or 5 days, and I was able to get straight back on track afterwards, but I'm concerned that one day I may have a slip that turns into a slide, that turns into a complete meltdown. So I'm keen to add more defensive layers, more safety nets, to prevent that happening.
One thing it may be good to tap into is the pride that I sometimes feel in eating healthily. Often I don't give much thought to what I eat, just taking it for granted that I usually make good choices, but occasionally I'll realise how far I've come from the days when I used to eat crap all day, and that makes me feel proud and happy. It's a good feeling to tap into and draw strength from.
Because pride is a good motivator, isn't it?! I recall one day, just before the lockdown, when I was walking through the city and because I was hungry I stopped at the market and bought an apple. There were lots of market stalls selling doughnuts and chips and churros and cupcakes and crepes but I chose an apple, and ate it as I walked along...and a homeless man selling The Big Issue drew attention to me by shouting out "And here comes a woman walking towards me eating an apple. She looks like a kind woman who will buy a copy of my Big Issue..." And as people looked at me, I recall feeling proud (and relieved!) that I was eating an apple rather than a cream cake or a bar of chocolate!
On another occasion, my husband was away for a couple of nights, and I daydreamed at work of all the crap I could eat when I got home....I could stuff my face for hours on end, without any witnesses! But by the skin of my teeth I dredged up some willpower and stopped at the Italian deli on the way home and bought a GOOD bread roll, some crisp salad leaves, some marinated anchovies, a couple of slices of ventricina and some firm queen olives....and I had a veritable feast when I got home, all for under 500 calories. And the feeling of pride was amazing....pride in having overcome temptation, pride in having chosen to nourish myself with good quality food rather than over-processed crap...
So it's something to tap into. From now on I'm going to try to think of myself as an athlete...because, after all, I incorporate exercise in to my daily life each and every day, so I deserve to apply the appellation to myself! And nowadays the best athletes nourish themselves well, on healthy, nutrient-rich food. Not on cakes and burgers and cider...5 -
Pride maybe? More likely a well earned and hard won self respect! We deserve better than filling ourselves with junk food every day.3
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Actually Bella based on your little bike adventures you definitely qualify in the athlete category. And given that you are in that little island off the coast of Europe which is famous for its college rowing teams... and given the amount of competition that takes place using concept 2's.... Have you ever given any thought to rowing?3
