30lbs to lose... Started AGAIN yesterday (Darn Lockdown Snacking)

191012141545

Replies

  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    I did it! I walked to the park, I walked a 5K with a friend, met some other friends from a distance and walked back. My feet are absolutely killing me!

    One of my friends brought the most amazing looking cake and you know what? I said that was really kind, but no thank you, because I was on a diet. Everyone else polished it off, and I did not.

    I said no to cake. No to cake!

    I'm trying to figure out what I'm prouder of, walking 7 miles or turning down the most beautiful looking homemade cake.

    Spurred on by being able to reject cake, I consciously rejected the opportunity to sneak past McDonald's for a breakfast on the way home. Hopped on the scales out of curiosity and my weight had reduced by a 1lb since the morning weigh in, so I'm drinking plenty of water to rehydrate as that's a 1lb that has sweated off in the sun, rather than real weight. Water never tastes so good as when you really need it.

    And that's another positive. Went straight for the mineral water rather than the fizzy pop.

    Today has been a good day, and it's not even 10am here yet. :)
  • suegreg2
    suegreg2 Posts: 38 Member
    Good morning! @MommaGemz You are off to a great start with your family stay-cation! I am seriously impressed that you are not only staying faithful to your exercise plan, but you have added crunches to it! Wow! Enjoy the rest of your week!

    @clutterqueen LOL! I do the same when riding my stationary bike - I watch a show my hubby refuses to watch (usually a Hallmark movie!), while my iPad is on the bars in front of me. This setup definitely makes time go faster!

    @thelastnightingale Way to go - passing up that cake! And I admire you for saying why to your friends. I still have difficulty admitting to others that I am watching what I consume. (I know it's just me. But everybody wants to give advice!)

    My goal this week is to get back to lower carbs and more protein. Little steps!
    Have a great week!!
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    @suegreg2 I decided impulsively to say I was on a diet, because I knew that would stop them from repeatedly asking if I was really sure. But between us, this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. :) It's just diet is more understandable from people who aren't on this journey.

    More protein has really worked for me this week - I think I'm going to have another good weigh in result on Wednesday. I have to actively select foods with protein in them, it's not easy to accidentally hit a protein goal, but it's been worth the effort for me so far. I hope you get some good results too - would be interesting to hear if you feel upping your protein and lowering your carbs has an impact. :)
  • suegreg2
    suegreg2 Posts: 38 Member
    @thelastnightingale I definitely feel less sluggish when I cut back on carbs. I had reduced my bread consumption (one of my trigger foods), but gradually started with a slice here and another there. Not good for me. Now I have to go through the adjustment process, again! Ugh! So easy to fall off the wagon, so hard to get back on!
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    @thelastnightingale I'll be cheering on your goals for August! So many congratulations! On taking a walk, saying no to cake and McDonald's, saying yes to mineral water! What great healthy accomplishments! 🏵️🏵️ And you are so right when you say, "it's not easy to accidentally hit a protein goal." Absolutely not. About 2 years ago I tried Keto and it was SO hard to eliminate all the "sneaky carbs."

    @clutterqueen I chuckle whenever I see your username, because I really could be clutterqueen myself :D I also love the feedback I get right from the stationary bike. I like seeing my heart rate and actual effort in RPMs. Walking is great, but I often don't feel like I've "worked" even when I walk fast. I used to do the same with my DVR during exercise - now, really good fast paced music is getting me through. But I really might go back to binge-watching a show only on the bike 👍

    @suegreg2 I've also been trying to sub out some of my foods and snacks for more protein options. After many years of struggling with carbs, and trying other food lifestyle types, I've come to a general understanding of the types of carbs that do and don't work for me. Potatoes are just fine. Rice is a NO-GO. For some reason it makes me retain water like a sponge. Bread seems fine, but I really limit my consumption of it because of empty calories. And just recently, after watching the scale and my reaction to it, pasta seems fine (I ate pasta last night, down 1 lb this morning with no bloating) - however, that is something I can binge-eat like a mad woman, so I very carefully portion it out and reserve it for only once a week.

    I home school my kids (we're only 2 months into this), but I recently started talking to them about nutrition, what calories are, how they help us, and the types of foods that make up our fuel. I ask them at meal times, "Where's the protein? Where the fat? Where is the carbohydrate?" So we can all see that the meals we're eating are well balanced. I don't demonize fat, because I do feel for me that healthy fats truly keep me satisfied between meals and it does have a physical purpose for our bodies. The next step is to start educating about sugar and making us aware of our intake.

    Get this, my son is actually underweight and has had trouble keeping weight on just about his entire life. I am ALWAYS stuffing him with anything he will eat. While I am.... tracking my calories. There are always high-fat and high-calorie food snacks in the house for him. Sometimes life isn't fair :D
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    @suegreg2 It's hard to get back on, but I know you can do it. Bread is one of my trigger foods too, I never keep loaves of bread at home or I would demolish them. Strangely, I've found I really enjoy teeny tiny brioche rolls, but can manage to portion control them. I don't need to eat them with any condiments, but because they're shaped like rolls rather than slices, psychologically, I find it easier to just have the one that I've planned into my diary, rather than the whole packet.

    They're particularly great as they keep for ages due to the fat ratio (about 30%). The other thing I've tried is having a lone breadstick with soup rather than bread itself - that also works for me.

    Good luck finding some adjustments that you can live with. And remember, it's 12 weeks to form a habit, so pick something small and achievable and plug at it for that long, and it will become second nature! :)

    @MommaGemz I think it's brilliant you're teaching nutrition to your kids. Understanding how to make healthy choices and learning how to budget are both two essential life skills that I think we often don't teach kids (at least in the UK). I take full responsibility for my bad food choices in life, but I might have thought twice if I'd known more about the science behind my choices. You can't make your kids eat healthily when they grow up, but you can send them into the world fully armed with enough information to make their own informed choices, so bravo to you for giving them that power. That's a great mom gift.

    I'm still quite proud of that cake moment. I'm something of a baker, so I could tell from looking at it that it was a good cake, but I said no. It's about thinking ahead more than 5 minutes. I would have really enjoyed the cake, but in 5 minutes' time, I would have had my diary knocked off for the day, and was that worth it to me? Honestly, no. There might be some occasions where it's worth making an exception for something, but I decided today, this was not one of them. Ooooh, willpower, I think I'm starting to develop some! :lol:
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    @lastnightingale Congrats on the LONG walk AND saying no to cake and McDonald’s! Most people would’ve said to themselves,” After all that walking, I DESERVE to have a slice of that cake!” But you were strong and thinking beyond those five minutes of enjoyment! Nice NSV!
    @MommaGenz my user name clutterqueen is ironic because I am one who doesn’t have much tolerance for clutter! And dusting is my least favorite household chore, so I don’t have knickknacks that need to be dusted! I do, however, collect colorful birdhouses that I display on top of the kitchen cabinets. I don’t get up there and dust them too often though. (My aunt is a border line hoarder so I decided best not to let things start to pile up!)

    I know I need to up my protein. I used to be so much better at it. It was easier when I used to eat red meat and pork and not just chicken and more chicken. I used to grill fish on my George Foreman about once a week or so when my husband traveled. But he rarely travels now and isn’t a fan. I finally made tilapia this week that I lightly sautéed and added lots of seasonings and he LOVED it! I guess if I’m going to eat fish, I’ll need to sautée. He refused to eat the last time I grilled it. Too healthy for him! But I much prefer it grilled! That was my first time sautéing it.
    I’ve gotten a little tired of all my chicken recipes lately. But what a 1st world problem to have and what a brat I am to say that! I need to just be thankful we have money for food! I’ll work on that!
    If anyone has any great chicken recipes that don’t involve frying, let me know!
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    @clutterqueen Is it the texture of fried food you don't like, or the extra calories from oil? I pretty much use one-cal spray for everything now, apart from salad dressing.

    I find chicken caesar salad oddly filling (if you're clever with ingredients and portions, you can get the macros where you need them to be, but you do have to measure). I also like chicken and sweetcorn soup, but I imagine if your partner doesn't like his food to appear too healthy, he's probably not the sort of person who would accept a liquid dinner!
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    @thelastnightingale I try not to eat much fried food in general. But also I don’t like frying at home because I feel like the air gets saturated with molecules of oil. Sautéing doesn’t seem to have the same effect.
    Thanks for the suggestions.
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 53

    Yeah, soooooo. I had "intestinal issues" today and didn't feel like doing any sort of physical activity. So I ended up watching movies with the kids most of the day until Daddy took them outside to play. Hey, it's vacation, and I call "slack day" :D

    At least I kept a close eye on my calorie intake and closed my Diary day under target for the day 👍

    Daily Goals:
    Calories - ✅
    Steps - Nope
    Crunches - Nope

    50180345311_978f7f5038_n.jpg
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    Sunday afternoons are always a Challenge for me. I think I relax too much and want to snack! But I made it through.
    Logged all✅
    Under calories✅

    Thank you everyone for letting me join the group!
  • kcd394
    kcd394 Posts: 382 Member
    Hope you don't mind if I jump in here. Went through and read the whole thread. You're all making great progress! I'm a 31 year old living in Minnesota. I have now been working in my career field for a whole year, after a very long 12 years of post high school education... at one point between my master's degree and going to veterinary school I had managed to get down to 168 pounds... but the stress of preparing to move out of state (from Idaho originally), leaving a 3 year relationship, and then the next 4 years of crazy vet school studying (punctuated by the loss of a few important folks in my life while stuck thousands of miles away) really got to me. I didn't take as much time as I needed for self care, cooking good food, or even moving a good amount. I did make some attempts in there to get back to a healthier lifestyle, but never seemed to get the scale to drop below 189. At my worst last year I hit 205. I had purchased a dress for a friends wedding back in 2017 and found myself needing to wear it again for my grandpa's wedding. So I got back on the wagon and made it to 192 and was successfully able to wear the dress. Despite feeling good that I had made progress I slowly began creeping back up and had reached 198 or 199 again and have since climbed back on the wagon.

    My success back in 2014 was likely because back then the forums on noom were still free and available. I had found a support group like this one and was posting there frequently. We also lived almost on a walking path that I could go to anytime. I was also between degrees with some free time. I am hoping to find a group and hopefully the forum won't get randomly shut down as it did with my last one.

    Great work so far, all of you!
    My goals for now are to just keep the habit of logging meals, and cook healthier foods. Perhaps this week I will start working on step goals. I wear a fitbit but rarely hit 5k steps a day.
    After a recent jump up to 197, I have come back to the 193 range... today for the first time this go round I was under the calorie goal mfp gave me, even with the very few steps I got today! been drinking more water last 2 days and my other goal is to stop doing what I'm doing right now (staying up late) in favor of more sleep lol

    Goals: log meals every day, hit 5k steps a day (gotta start somewhere), go to bed by 10:30.
    Start weight: 205
    Current: 193.8
    Goal: 160
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    edited August 2020
    @clutterqueen Well done for resisting the tempting snacks!

    Welcome, @kcd394!

    Start small. Just getting into the habit of logging is big victory, especially if you take the time to weigh things out properly. Knowledge is power on this journey.

    Well, I am in a whole world of pain today (thus proving why you should start small). I thought I might put on weight as my muscles are crying and usually that means they hold onto more water, but because I weighed earlier than normal yesterday, that may be masking it.

    Will be sticking to my allowance strictly today (I always do anyway) and drinking lots of water, so I'll be in a better position to see the side effect on the scales tomorrow. Never mind DOMS, this was immediate and continuing pain! All totally deserved for upping my physical activity without working up to it, but I'm still glad I did it, and hopefully this will encourage me to do more exercise (working up on a gradual basis!) when I can move again.
  • suegreg2
    suegreg2 Posts: 38 Member
    Happy Monday! Welcome, @kcd394 ! So happy to have you join us. I think we all started as you did - looking for support on this journey to better health - and we found the wonderful @MommaGemz .

    Feeling a bit overwhelmed today by lots of stuff (beyond my control - and I am a control freak!) going on around me. The one thing I can control, though, is what I eat. I feel so much better when I'm not eating carbs early in the day. As we prepare to go back to school (I'm a high school teacher), my challenge is to eat a high protein/very low carb breakfast that will stick with me for six hours, until my lunch break. (I am a "grazer" - must break that habit.) Now is a good time to experiment with different foods. I am open to suggestions!
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    Welcome @kcd394! I recently joined this group as well and am already finding support and helpful suggestions!

    @suegreg2, I’m sure it’s very stressful to think about going back to teach high school at a time like this! I taught school for many years, but since we’ve moved to TN a year ago, I decided not to here. In fact my last several years, I only substitute taught, mainly in high school. I have been telling my husband that it was a battle just to get some kids to remove their hoodies from their heads , forget about making sure they wore a mask properly! One thing I liked to do then which made things easier was eat a protein bar for breakfast and 100 calorie pack of Emerald almonds for a quick snack between classes or on a break. My protein bars have 20 grams of protein, so they stay with me a while. Before that it was oatmeal and blueberries, with added crushed flax seed for extra protein. After years of it, I got kind of tired of it. Anyway, just a thought.
    When is your first day with the kids? What subject(s)do you teach?

    @mommaGemz I’m impressed how well you are doing on your staycation! I’m really bad about that. If I take a day off exercising ( seldom) I end up eating very poorly, or maybe I should say RICHLY because of all the rich foods I end up indulging in. I’m trying to break away from the All or Nothing mentality I, unfortunately, seem to have!
    So it’s good for me to see you take a day off exercise and still maintain your logging and being under( which is SO much harder when you don’t have those exercise calories!!)
    Keep it up!👍
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    @thelastnightingale Did you properly stretch your hams, quads, hip flexors and calves after that long walk? If not, try to do some today. I’m sorry you are feeling it so much today! A bath with Epsom salts might help.
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    @clutterqueen Congrats on avoiding the snacks on Sunday! Making it under your calorie goal is a big win!

    @thelastnightingale I hear you! My abs are screaming at me after my crunches on Saturday :D Well, they're going to have to get used to it, because these abs are gonna firm up!

    Welcome @kcd394 !! It sounds like you've have many of those major life stressors over the last few years. That can really have an effect on us as we find ways to cope. I too have gone up and down in the weight ranges over the last decade, but after I had my kids, 7 years ago, I could just never keep the weight off. After lock-down hit this year, I nearly crept back up to pregnancy weight :o We have nearly the same goal weight, so I think we're all kind of aiming for a similar target.

    I hope you find this thread/group helpful. And don't worry, the MFP forums have been around for ages, so I doubt they're going anywhere. These daily posts, and the group support, have helped me so much in determining my trigger situations, foods that don't agree with me, bingeable foods, and finding new ways to handle stress without food. And it helps so much to have team support during those successes and the rough days <3

  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    edited August 2020
    suegreg2 wrote: »
    Feeling a bit overwhelmed today by lots of stuff (beyond my control - and I am a control freak!) going on around me. The one thing I can control, though, is what I eat. I feel so much better when I'm not eating carbs early in the day. As we prepare to go back to school (I'm a high school teacher), my challenge is to eat a high protein/very low carb breakfast that will stick with me for six hours, until my lunch break. (I am a "grazer" - must break that habit.) Now is a good time to experiment with different foods. I am open to suggestions!

    I am a control freak too, and my food diary has helped me feel a tiny bit of control during these crazy times. My heart goes out to you and I wish you the very best going back to school. Is your school opening in-person or online only right now? We decided to home school our kids because of the uncertainties of the coming year. Suddenly become a home school Mom added so much stress this year. But I don't want to add any additional stress to my kids, our family, or any of the teachers by sending my kids back to in-person school. Wishing you the best!

    I second @clutterqueen 's suggestion about the little nut snack-packs. Also maybe high-protein greek yogurt? Oikos makes a "Triple Zero" yogurt with 15g of protein per cup 👍

  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    @clutterqueen If I'd properly thought about how far I would have to walk, I should have done some stretching, but the penny didn't drop until I was back home. Had a very long soak yesterday, will have another today - I'm sure I still have a packet of epsom salts somewhere. Totally self-inflicted and I have wallowed a little, but it was still good for me overall. Having monitored my tiredness levels today using my sports watch, I've actually been better than normal at not crashing out really early during the day. I think the outside time has had a positive effect.

    I'm a big fan of protein bars too - having nearly run out of my initial box, I've decided I do like them and subscribed for a recurring order. @suegreg2 I just read the reviews on Amazon until I found something I thought I would tolerate, and I'm actually grown quite fond of this type (it is a UK brand though, so no help to you). I typically slot in one or two protein bars depending on how low my protein macros are.

    I had quite a high protein low fat breakfast today - scrambled eggs with chopped veggie sausage, sundried tomatoes and parsley running through it. Now, I usually don't have the energy/time/inclination in the morning, but because I did some mise en prep the night before (chopping, weighing, pre-logging), all I had to do this morning was chuck stuff in a pan. Might be worth thinking if there are any high protein breakfasts you like but can't be bothered making, because if you do 99% of the work the night before, it can still be doable on a busy morning.

    I'm sorry you've got so much stuff going on - and well done you for making such an effort to hit your calorie/macro goals. I think we all know how easy it is to comfort eat, and how hard it is is to keep plugging on. So you have our total admiration for how you're holding up.

    @MommaGemz You keep shouting at your abs, and I'll keep shouting at my legs! :lol: No pain, no gain, as they say...
  • suegreg2
    suegreg2 Posts: 38 Member
    And this is why I adore this group! ❤️ Everyone is so positive, helpful, and encouraging!

    I teach science and math - mostly physics and calculus and whatever else along those lines. I teach at a private school and absolutely love my students and coworkers. But, kids being kids, the mask issue is going to try our patience, I think. We're going back in person, with classrooms and learning spaces adjusted for social distancing. Concerned parents also have the option of having their child do virtual learning (can be done live because of the technology in our rooms).

    As for protein bars, I'm seeing lots with high protein, but also high carbs. The hunt is on for the perfect protein bar! It could be a fun and tasty experiment. (Although some of those bars are nasty!)