Accountability buddy

PatriceFitnessPal

@bitaniaisaac2900 - It’s great you’re enjoying the MFP groups. Which challenges are you doing?

I remember @highmaintnance had some good challenges going on with colleagues. Are you still doing your chair sit-ups and other fitness challenges? I suggested your idea to my team but they didn’t gain any traction with the group. 👎🏼😥. One of my co-workers joined MFP so maybe I can convince her to try a MFP challenge with me. I’d like to build some fun and movement into the day! I especially liked the recent goal @TheresaM787 set to laugh more ... a good reminder!!

I’m reporting my weekly progress:

Current weight: 134
Goal weight: 125 (by the end of 2021)

(1) Stay with daily calories - Over 2 days but the average for the week was within the goal. ✅
(2) Connect with friends and family - Sent cards, etc. and made future plans ✅
(3) Clear out unwanted household items ✅
(4) Finish one career or professional development task - Set up a schedule of appointments to build a new skill with some coaching; Finished annual bookkeeping but this still needs some organizing ✅
(5) Physical therapy (PT) and personal training ✅
No bonus soccer or walking but yoga was good

I didn’t do the PT home exercises ❌ but I took more breaks during the day to stretch after sitting at the computer too long. In the coming week, I’ll continue the same five goals and also add yoga on Saturday and replace one cup of coffee with water each day, with a goal of drinking 48 ounces of water each day. I’ll try to track it in MFP but that’s a bonus.

How’s everyone doing? I’ll look forward to reading about your progress and/ or what you’re learning. Go get those goals and happy weekend, everyone!

bitaniaisaac2900

@PatriceFitnessPal I joined a challenge on here called lose 10lbs by valentines Day. It started on January 4th and it really helped me set small goals and keep accountable. Everyone is so supportive it's great :,)

kiay131982

Good evening!! Thank you so much @PatriceFitnessPal for reminding me that there are often workarounds! my children are 19, 16, 13 and 5.... The older two are Just cracking on with their work. My 13 year old needs a bit of extra supervision and encouragement to stay on task. The schools are so much better prepared this time and a few of their lessons are Live online each day, so sometimes they clash and other times theyre one after the other leaving us with littlw downtime. But I can prioritise workouts as the first thing we do when we can... And if it doesnt happen then just accept that it wasnt meant to be that day!! And thats okay! Thankyou for reminding me of that

Replacing coffee with water is such a great goal, and one I should aspire too... I always try to finish my water bottle before putting the kettle on, but with so many of us home there are alot more offers of drinks! I should learn to say no!!!

PatriceFitnessPal

@kiay131982 - It’s amazing to see how much you are juggling with children, work ... and a relatively new (and adorable) puppy, if I remember correctly. Good for you!

Everyone really deserves a lot of credit for being here, tracking health progress and contributing to the wellness of others in the MFP community. I was reviewing old posts to reflect on how far we have all come and noticed that about 15-20 percent of the people who join this thread end up sticking with it. Of course, some people may have paired up with an individual buddy or continued to thrive outside of this space but I think it’s worth a little celebrating 🎉 🥳 🎉 on behalf of your commitment. Congratulations for continuing to focus on improving your health!

I’m going to add a few ‘shoutouts’ to some of the longstanding members - and I’ll try to add more later - but please forgive me if I don’t remember everyone today. Also, feel free to celebrate some one who has helped you along or pat yourself on the back for the good work you are doing here!!

You’ve been the champion contributor @kiay131982 since the beginning and there are others who helped me so much that I miss having around* ... how are you all doing? It would be great to hear an update!

@LARS2019 @mnalsa83 @CatieMay123 @jvando74 @As_ve @Cerizez @TeriKollerKaeding @BeUncommon @renaegry @Mahoganylit @crystalsan726

*This covers the most active members from April and May 2020 and some people are still core leaders after many months - @kiay131982, @kmccrom, @CatieMay123 and @renaegry, etc. - so I’ll pick up with June-August for more shoutouts in the future. Thanks to all of you for lifting me up and encouraging me on bad days and cheering me on when successful. I’m feeling positive today and want to share much gratitude for all your support! 🙏🏼

kiay131982

Awwwww @PatriceFitnessPal thats such a lovely post!! Thankyou!
I feel like you need to take a lot of the credit for the positivity of this thread, you are always here to welcome new members and take the time to post and support each and Every one xx Thank YOU!!!

My puppy is now 11 months old... And huge!! (Bigger than our grown up dog!!) Hes really given to my life, Ive trained as a dog trainer since getting him, the science behind it all fascinates me!! On the flip side it is something else that gives me guilt if I dont find time to train on top of life!!

So, I have been burying my head in the sand a little, Ive got an MRI on Wednesday, as I have had hip pain throughout my adult life... Sometimes severe (wheelchair bound in pregnancy) and sometimes just niggling and annoying. However an xray last year found that my left hip joint isnt formed properly, so the damage to the surrounding area is being assessed on Wednesday, but I may need to rethink my workout schedule anyway. A run can trigger a couple of days on not being able to weight bare (or, alternatively, it can have no effect!) but Ive been relying on running as part of my routine and I might be about to be told that it isn't appropriate for me anymore. Swimming is likely to be an option, but I am not good at it (25m and Im bored!!). So now I'm looking at other options alongside my strength training.... Pilates maybe?? Any ideas??

MLHC1

Feel free to friend me for accountability and motivation. I prefer the home feed vs checking in on the community posts.

I've been on MFP for several years with good and bad seasons. My health journey is just that, a journey. 😊

PatriceFitnessPal

Thanks, @MLHC1 ... I’m relatively new to this so it’s helpful to learn from others who have been on this journey a bit longer. I signed up for MFP around the beginning of 2020 but didn’t start interacting with the community until April 2020. It’s been helpful to hear what’s working for others and gives me an intentional space to reflect and make improvements. I’m always better about eating right when I track my food intake, but the MFP app has really built my tracking habit so that’s been great!

MLHC1

@PatriceFitnessPal That is completely understandable. You might like the JFT daily commitment community feed. There are tons of excellent women in there for support and motivation.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you like. Have a blessed Sunday!🌻

PatriceFitnessPal

@kiay131982 - It makes a big difference when a dog is trained properly. We have a Boston Terrier and he is such a wonderful communicator and so well behaved. My husband jokes that the dog is his favorite family member because he listens to him and doesn’t talk back ... I’m not sure if he’s really joking but that’s his claim. The process of behavior change is fascinating to me, too. My dog has become a bit too ‘food motivated’ over the years. He’s 10 now - and still very playful and fit - but I think a behaviorist theory of learning can sometimes lead to an over-reliance on external rewards. I remember trying very hard not to use food as a motivator for my children when they were toddlers because it can be so effective in the short-term ... but, of course, it’s detrimental in the long-term as so many MFP members recognize. I think even the dog training is supposed to move from food rewards to positive praise and attention, and that works with our dog, but we have to be careful not to get too lazy. The long walks, ball playing and other kinds of attention will keep us all healthier and happier than I quick treat. I’ll have to keep that in mind on this cold, snowy day!!

I’m sorry to hear about your hip pain. I have a similar problem because one of my legs is slightly shorter than the other so my hip adjusted to compensate. You’re probably right about swimming as the best option since it’s non-weight bearing. It worked for me while pregnant but it’s not my preferred choice of activity. Pilates would be good for strengthening all the small connector muscles and stabilizing you core so that sounds like a good idea, too. I find the elliptical machine and stationary bike are both gentler on the hips than running, and I hear a recumbent bike can help alleviate pressure even more. Maybe your doctor will have good advice - or make a referral to consult with a physical or occupational therapist - based on what you learn from the MRI. Best wishes for finding a way through the pain and congratulations for UN-burying your head from the sand! 😉 It’s understandable with everything on your plate, but head burying can cause terrible neck pain and breathing problems! 😂 Hang in there ... sending positive and healing energy your way.

beshamama

And I’m back!
The past week was really bleak. I was depressed and just in a really dark place. It was rough.

But this week is my “birthday week” so his could I be sad? 🤣 We are also in talks with adopting a puppy!! So exciting! Hopefully the puppy will help my current dog want to go for longer walks. As of now if I want to go for a long walk with him it involves a lot of pulling on his leash to force him 🤣

Goals for this week:
Get to bed at a reasonable time! Last week I was staying up till 2am every night 🤦‍♀️
Get back to eating breakfast
Go for walks again
Log food again
Work out on stationary bike or rowing machine at least 2x
I also really need to not be on my phone so much.

Let’s do this! 💪

dwumapathy

I need an accountability buddy.

dwumapathy

Weekly weigh in motivators needed.

kiay131982

Morning!!!

@PatriceFitnessPal so with rewarding behaviour we start off with lots of food (or a toy if thats the dogs bag), and then can lessen that and move To verbal praise... But would always occasionally top up the behaviour with something high value just to keep them guessing. We very rarely use dog bowls to give food in, and all food is earnt or played games for that way food is worth something and not just accessable easily. I'd never stop rewarding with food entirely. Once a behaviour is solid then it would be an occassional reward, but I would never go back to putting a bowl of food down. I could talk all day about it!! 🤣🤣

@beshamama what kind of dog do you have? What type of puppy are you looking at? X Probably teaching you to suck eggs but if you think about all the delicate organs within a dogs neck (spinal cord/ windpipe etc) then its not great to have pulling through a collar. Some dogs find the pull itself rewarding, so will do it even though it can cause serious damage xxx If your dog doesn't want to walk I would look at why that was rather than force. Happy to help if you want it!! X

@dwumapathy welcome!!! Please join us!! Weigh in whenever suits your needs, and let us know your goals and plans!!!

I managed to get a dog walk in yesterday but no other workout... Really need to find more time to move in the day at the moment!! Gym class this morning though

PatriceFitnessPal

@beshamama - I’m sorry you were feeling down last week but I’m so glad you checked in! I know how much you’ve been missing your family and I hope you can see them soon. Are you able to connect somehow to celebrate your birthday? I’m glad your birthday week is cheering you up ... Enjoy!! 🎉

Lately, I’ve had really mixed emotions because I’m seeing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel as more people are vaccinated, but it’s still going to take a long time before we’re able to travel freely, etc. I also really miss all my sons’ teenage friends, who used to spend time at our house. I sometimes deliver baked goodies to a few local friends - and send occasional care packages to them at college - but it’s definitely an adjustment. I’m going to make a conscious effort not to post my concerns about the work I do because I don’t want you to feel depressed again ❤️ but I feel some (limited) satisfaction about supporting staff wellness for some of the ‘front line’ practitioners working directly with children, youth and families. Hang in there and let’s just keep putting one foot in front of the other to gather momentum from one another! I’ll be thinking of you this week and feeling grateful to have you here. Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow is my weigh in day and, usually, I post an update on Thursday but I’m feeling hungrier than normal tonight so let’s see if I can distract myself by checking in a little early ... I was over my calorie goal slightly, according to my food diary; but I didn’t log the shoveling I did this morning - or the 60 minutes I spent at physical therapy - so I might exceed my goal by a bit more if I still feel hungry in the next hour or so. Like you, @beshamama, I went to bed very late a couple of times this week, and woke up early, so I’m wondering if I’m actually tired and not hungry.

@kiay131982 - Yes, your dog training tips resonate with my experience. We don’t have too much trouble with our dog refusing to walk (except along the trail near Pet Smart when he tells us he’d rather visit there! 😀) but I remember feeling very frustrated by my brother’s dog when he wouldn’t budge. Do you have ideas about why they decide to sit down in the middle of a walk? I only saw my brother’s dog while visiting on vacation so I’d just wait him out. I suspect he may have worried about leaving the more familiar surroundings of my mother’s house where we met or not wanting to leave ‘his people’ (I can’t remember if my brother was there, too, or just the dog), or maybe he was just making a play for ‘alpha’ role and I lost. 😉 Anyway, I liked the harness instead of collar so I could at least give him a little lift in the back end and redirect him ‘home.’ I don’t think I’ll be able to get another dog once our dog passes, but it’s nice when they can enjoy another dog’s company. We have some friends whose dog is best buddies with ours and they love to spend time together if one family is traveling, etc. It’s a great situation!

Welcome, everyone! My updated progress is below. Go get those goals!

PatriceFitnessPal

Weekly Update:

Current weight: 134 (dipped to 133 one day)
Goal weight: 125 (by the end of 2021)

(1) Stay with daily calories - Over 3 days but the average for the week was just outside my goal by an average of only 40 calories per day (~280 for the week) with one day to go. The fat was a little high but not bad (2%) ✅❌
(2) Connect with friends and family - Sent lots of texts and pictures by phone but no cards. I’ll try to get some in the mail tomorrow. We also made plans for an outside visit this weekend to see a friend who is returning to her home country. Other friends are coming from the other direction and we’re all meeting in the middle state.✅❌
(3) Clear out unwanted household items - Still slowly making progress but I’ll miss this weekend so I’m feeling mixed emotions about breaking my slow rhythm but friends are more important so I think it’s worth prioritizing. ✅❌
(4) Finish one career or professional development task - Set up a schedule of appointments to build a new skill with some coaching and spent some good time studying and preparing this week.✅
(5) Physical therapy (PT) and personal training ✅ No bonus soccer or walking but yoga was good

I didn’t do the PT home exercises ❌ but I did add yoga on Saturday and it helped the injured shoulder ... still a beginner but committed.

I drank more water and tracked it better but still need to improve. I didn’t replace one cup of coffee with water each day but met the water intake goal and set the coffee to a small cup setting so that might help overtime. Whew! That was longer than anticipated! Thanks for helping me stay accountable! Best wishes for a successful week!

lia5423

Hey all, new to the group but I would love someone to keep me accountable and do daily checks so we could help each other! I’m looking to lose about 20 pounds by May and would love for someone to help me stay on track and maybe we could share some tips. Message me or friend me if u r interested, thanks

beshamama

@kiay131982 I made my dog walks seem more dramatic than they are 🙃 he has a harness so his throat is fine. I just lightly pull him the way I want to go and give him lots praise(good boy Snoopy! Yesssss good boy!!”) and some treats as a reward/thank you. He usually will walk freely once we get past the little grocery store in my neighborhood. Not sure why he thinks that’s the edge of the world. He has planted himself many a times and flat out refused to go on longer walks sometimes and I respect him and home we go. He loves going for long walks when it is more than just the 2 of us. Oh he is a mutt....they told us Jack Russell mixed with border collie but I’m pretty sure there’s some Pitbill in there too. The puppy we are hoping to get is another mixed breed of some kind. Still waiting to hear back if we get her or not. I hate waiting.

@PatriceFitnessPal sadly I won’t get to see my mom or sis on my my birthday. They both are still working in public facing jobs and it is full on winter here and they don’t like cold weather as much as me so would not be happy to sit outside around a fire. 😞 My husband said he’d be willing to have them in our house all masked up but I I know they would expect to eat and drink with us and we wouldn’t want to do that.

PatriceFitnessPal

@lia5423 - Welcome! I’m not the best about checking in with friends daily but I often ‘like’ or comment on friends’ updates. Feel free to send a friend request if checking in a couple of times a week will work for you. Feel free to post weekly goals here and we check in to share your progress or pick up tips from others.

Today is my weekly check in day but I’ve already posted a number of updates above ... while trying to distract myself from eating too many extra calories after dinner last night. The good news is that it worked. I ate a small piece of anise hard candy and it satisfied my sweet tooth. I was really just tired so I went to bed a little earlier than usual and woke up early to finish up some work. This is a good behavior change for me because I often found myself eating to help me stay awake but then I ended up procrastinating by searching the internet because I couldn’t focus. So, it was unproductive AND a waste of calories!

PatriceFitnessPal

@beshamama - I like your idea of gathering around the fire but it’s sometimes difficult to find the right balance while trying to get together. Good for you in setting safe boundaries and offering creative solutions! We’ll get through this ‘soon.’ 🤞 I still want to hear about your celebration! ...

As I plan my goals for this week, I think I have to set even lower aspirations than usual. I’m going to New York City (NYC) to say goodbye to a friend, and it’s ‘Restaurant Week’ (or month during covid) so I’m sure I’ll be eating and drinking more calories than usual. My friend is vegan, and I doesn’t drink much (maybe not at all now?) so I don’t think I’ll go too far afield. However, we’re driving about 4 hours to order dinner and eat outside before returning to our hotel - and then driving back another 4 hours Saturday morning - so I fully expect to indulge a bit more than usual. I think I’ll just set my weekly goal to eat maintenance calories in the coming week, with a plan to hit my daily target every day except Friday ... and maybe Sunday?

I’ll have to think about that day because it’s Super Bowl Sunday and I offered to make some things to deliver to my son’s friends. They used to come here to watch the game but my son is now at college and only a couple members of the core group are still local. The food won’t be terribly unhealthy because they are trying to eat well ... so I think I can still commit to staying within my calorie range on Sunday. 🤔 My other goals are all continuing (albeit slowly) but I’m satisfied with the progress I’m making to integrate new habits. It’s taking regular practice and repetition but I’m sticking with it (e.g. tracking is almost natural now).

I’ll move my yoga goal to Sunday morning instead of Saturday and we’re planning to return from NYC early enough to make our personal training session on time. Next week, I’ll concentrate on a more solid plan for the downsizing project but the professional goals are moving along and I am really making sure I get dressed each day as if going to the office. I was getting a bit sloppy by wearing casual clothes - and even workout gear while keeping my camera off - during virtual meetings. Now, I’m using the time to decide if I can donate any items that I’m passing over while getting ‘properly’ dressed each day. Someone complimented my hair this week, which made me realize I had been getting really lazy about my ‘professional’ appearance when working from home. 🙄 Oh well, that pesky global pandemic 😷 sometimes creeps into my emotions so I’m just going to appreciate that I had the opportunity to wear sweatpants and schedule appointments around my rowing hobby this past summer. But, I’m really loving the simple - but intentional - time I’m spending each morning to eliminate one or two things I don’t wear any longer.

How is everyone else doing? I’ll look forward to hearing about your progress and/or what you’re learning on your health journey. Go get those goals!

kiay131982

Morning all!!

@PatriceFitnessPal you always sound so busy!! I think the pandemic has changed everyones professional appearance.... Going out to meetings was the only time I ever looked smart!! 🤣

When dogs choose to sit down on a walk it is usually a sign that they are a bit worried about something. It might be something they can see, hear, or a past experience they are associating with that place. Dogs can walk out of their front gate, hear a car door slam, decide that scary noise was associated with passing the threshold and then begin to refuse to walk out that way again. And often we, as humans, can't work out what the trigger was. Best thing is to instill confidence in the dog and not to force them if they are unsure ever. Obviously a young pup may just sit down as they are tired though!! I find the whole behaviour of dogs absolutely fascinating! And on the other hand, having more knowledge makes me feel a bit bad about some of the training techniques that we used with our older dog before we knew any better.

@beshamama we need puppy pics if you get her though!! I will pay tax and pop a big of mine up 😂

I had my MRI yesterday, it went ok but the position I had to lie in made me a bit sore, so I went for an hours dog walk and then in the evening tried a youtube pilates class. I havent done Pilates before but I think the fluidity and strength aspect may be right up my street! Can anyone recommend a youtube pilates??

The weather is wet here today (hardly surprising in the UK) so I think its going to be a housework day once work and homeschooling are finished!!
Feeling positive about weigh in this Saturday!!!! Xxxx