2021 One day, or today. You decide
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OK great - we're all in for 2022 - now we just need a motivating topic line to start us off on a positive note so let's put our thinking caps on before the 1st
I'd appreciate if it you find any decent looking mains in the book Suzy.. you'd think with all the online recipe sites i would have come up with some... altho i have to say that mushroom stroganoff was excellent.. but again.. noodles.. (and it wouldnt kid anyone its beef .. and I DO love my beef..but it was delish).
I managed a 30 min walk outside today.. near froze some parts off mind you and its not even really cold here yet.. only about 32F .. so its going to have to be videos or nothing for me in January and Feb lol.. I'm going to have a cup of tea before i tackle my cardio one tho.. fingers crossed i can get even a minute more today.
Vail - i googled your Fast800 - from the sounds of it he's quite well known in the UK but i'm thinking maybe not so much here on this side of the pond? or he may well be quite well known for those who are in the "know" lol.. but seems like he has quite a solid background in science. As for going below the MFP calorie levels... honestly at this stage of our lives i think we all know enough to do what works for us and what's healthy and whats not sustainable.. i know i've been much lower than 1200 many days with my gut being off.. but i also know its not been a healthy weight loss for me its just because nothing stays in or down!! But things are improving a wee bit right now.. and i would never stay permanently at a very low calorie intake.. but i survived low days ! im pretty sure you know more than most nutritionists by now LOL.. so if you're comfy with a lower cal day then i'm with ya !
I've been really trying to push my water intake the last few weeks.. i find it harder in the winter to drink water than in summer... and my biggest mistake is i tend to drink more in the evenings LOL... which as we all know... means up at night! ah well.... progress, not perfection right??
I took a beef stew i made out of the freezer this morning for dinner... but now im not feeling it lol. maybe by dinner time i will!1 -
I sure hope you can get your stomach issues figured out soon. It sounds so miserable.
I’ve been thinking of trying some kind of tofu or plant based meat substitutes. I need to get more creative with my meals.
I was on an extremely low calorie diet back in the mid eighties. I lost a good bit of weight but when I ate my first hamburger after a couple months of it, it made me quite ill. That was enough of that for me. Of course, I put the weight back on…plus some. Snoozie is right, though. We all know by now what our bodies can tolerate.
I went for a coronary calcium score CT today. It’s supposed to tell me how my arteries look; how much blockage I have. The results will determine if I have to go on statins for my cholesterol or if I can try to manage with diet first. I must be a “glass half empty” type person when it comes to these things because I automatically think that it’s going to be awful news. Hopefully I’ll know something soon.
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Good luck with your results, Suzy. Fingers crossed for you! I suppose at least the statins are there if you need them. I have been on statins for many years, with not too much ill effects that I've noticed. I am the same about thinking the news will be bad. I think it's part of psychologically preparing yourself, so that you can deal with it if it is, or be relieved if it isn't!
Snoozie, I've realised that's part of the problem I have with batch cooking. I don't tend to do it because I have a tiny freezer, but also I like to be flexible about what I'm eating and if I've defrosted something I then have to have it! I hope the stew became more inspiring!
I'm guilty of not drinking enough water in the day then drinking it in the evening too! I try not to drink late in the evening, but even so, a night without getting up is just a pipe dream to me.
The very low calorie diet isn't as a low as those 300-400 calorie ones from the 80s, thankfully! In fact, it's quite high to be very low for somebody with my stats. That's one thing that annoys me a little about MFP as I think it's designed for the 19-50 age group really. Recommended calories for older people are different. My maintenance calories if I ever get to my goal would be below 1200 a day, so there's no way I could get to my goal unless I went below 1200. Even as a (just!) obese person now, there's only a deficit of about 500-600 calories on the Fast800 diet, which should mean a very non-extreme weight loss of about a pound of week. If I stuck to 1200 weight loss would be incredibly slow, and in fact I'd probably wipe it out by miscalculating!
The recipes with this diet are a bit hit and miss, but they do have a recipe feature I quite like where you can search for gluten-free, keto, calories, vegetarian, etc. So for instance, if you were looking for gluten-free vegetarian recipes, it comes up with things like a moussaka using aubergine sweet potato and tinned lentils, tofu and tempeh curries and stir fries, frittata, dahl with roasted spiced cauliflower, aubergine and ricotta lasagne, pea and paneer curry, bean burgers, quinoa cheese and broccoli bake, baked sweet potato with black beans and egg, if that gives any ideas. There's an awful lot of things with tofu, chickpeas, eggs or quinoa!
I love mushrooms, Snoozie, and I do think they have a nice slightly meaty, savoury feel that I agree isn't the same as beef but is pretty good. I have done mushroom stroganoff in the past, so may do it again - thank for the reminder!
Anyway, this morning I was really hungry, so I did the exercise video of the day, and amazingly the hunger went!1 -
Suzy as Vail mentioned - I think we're all the same when it comes to waiting on test results.. and I think sh'es right in we all always assume its going to be the worst for some reason... but honestly I think your new doc is great... she really seems to be doing the full gamut on getting baseline numbers for you in everything so you both know where you're at going forward.. you mentioned a coronary calcium test.. does that specifically check if there are any blockages in the arteries around the heart only, or all over? Just curious as mine was on the carotid arteries where the blockages are.... that was when my doc told me to try the mediterranean diet to reduce the cholesterol overall.. i did try it but even after years of shift work eating anything at any time of the day.. i can't do feta and veggies for breakfast.. i HAVE increased my veggies and i roast a lot of them in olive oil now.. and cut down on beef and butter a lot.. and i've also been on statins for probably 8 yrs or so now? Everything combined DID bring down my cholesterol overall a few points.. the only thing I DO remember is when i finally got it down to around 2 (down from 4 ish) which is where my doc wanted me to get to... when i did i was like woo hoo.. she said great.. now i want it down to 1.85 ... LOLOL.. i was like seriously woman... every time i get where you want me, you want more!!
i totally get you're a little anxious waiting for your results.. but i honestly do think that having everything checked out now like she's been doing is a good thing... even tho its a bit scary for sure. Hang in there and think positive!1 -
Vail.. i just had to laugh when i read your line .. " things like a moussaka using aubergine sweet potato and tinned lentils, tofu and tempeh curries and stir fries, frittata, dahl with roasted spiced cauliflower, aubergine and ricotta lasagne, pea and paneer curry, bean burgers, quinoa cheese and broccoli bake, baked sweet potato with black beans and egg, if that gives any ideas. There's an awful lot of things with tofu, chickpeas, eggs or quinoa!"
I've never considered myself a picky eater at all.. but honest to god.. about the only thing i would eat in that post are the baked sweet potato and eggs!! HA!! I hate any kind of curry.. the smell, the taste.. makes me gag. i know its very popular in the UK, and its becoming more so here but its just not my thing at all. I tried quinoa on the med diet and i dont like the consistency of it... i did try a grain called farro which i quite liked and actually forgot about til i read your post lol... i cooked it up and it freezes well, and you can reheat it with onions and mushrooms and broth or whatever you want.. so i will dig that out. I actually do applaud you on using a lot of plant based things like the tofu and tempeh ...
and I totally agree with you on the needing less cals now just to maintain even, and that MFP is targeted to the younger crowd.. i think honesty they use the 1200 baseline so they can't get sued or something lol... but we all know the older we get, the less cals we need, especially if we aren't moving as much (raising my hand here!) and we're all smart enough to know by now what we need for ourselves. And yep that stroganoff was really good i must say ... i think i used the "no yolk" noodles in it as well (the no cholesterol ones) and it came out fine.. so i'll def put that back on the menu as well..
Huge kudos to you on doing that exercise video first thing. I am mad at myself cause i didn't do it yesterday.. i DID get in a 30 min walk but i think i just didnt want to be depressed if i couldnt do longer so i just skipped it.. just call me ostrich!! but i will def do it today!
I think i have pretty much decided to skip pickleball until the spring... unless we get a few warm days.. im just not up to playing in the cold this year, especially because a couple of the people i really like are heading to florida in january.. and the ones left are not all particularly fun people to play with LOLOL.. they take it just a little too seriously for me and since i only play it for fun and exercise... i think i'll do better mentally to skip it unless things open up inside if we ever get this omicron variant under control.1 -
So in thinking of our "motto" or topic line for 2022... I thought i would start the ball rolling with a few possibilities.. if any resonate with you let me know, if not no worries... its just a start lol
The first step to getting what you want is to have the courage to get rid of what you don’t.”
Trust yourself that you can do it and get it.
I can and I will. Watch me.
I choose self care.
Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.”
Believe you can and you’re halfway there
Become a priority in your life
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I don't know if you guys will be able to see this.. i coudnt figure out how to post the link to the video other than thru facebook... but its a great little short video from one of the psychologists in a diabetes/weight loss group i belong to.. its quite short and called "3 tips for setting the right goals".. i quite like in particular the one about "focus on a do instead goal" - rather than "i'm going to give up junk food" .. anyway hopefully you can see it cause i'm technologically challenged LOL
https://fb.watch/ac9efvhegd/
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Good tips on goal setting. I’m going to think on that one.
Vail, all of those recipe ideas sounded good to me but I’m way more adventurous than my husband. He may just have to suck it up and either eat what I make or have a bowl of cereal. Lol.
I definitely don’t lose weight on the 1400 calories that I used to use for a daily maximum. You’ve both made me realize that I’m going to have to lower my daily calories. I honestly just hadn’t thought about it. I think my two biggest issues now are lack of movement and portion sizes. I’m eating better but eating too much. I guess I need to start weighing and measuring my food more accurately.
I like the “today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want” and “become a priority in your life.” They both speak to me and where I’m at right now. I’m going to print those off and hang them in my kitchen and on my bathroom mirror.
Sorry about the pickleball, Snoozie. I’ve never thought of exercise as being something that I want to do (except when my bestie and I would walk or workout together). I need a new mindset on exercise. Where can I buy that? Any thoughts? Does Amazon carry that?
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i was kinda leaning towards both those lines, too Suzy lol! Theyre just some suggestions - happy to hear any your or Vail think would work for all of us going into 2022..
And i was exactly the same (and still am) about actual exercising.. its always been a chore until i found pickleball.. it was just so much fun and great social too that it didn't feel like exercise at all. maybe that's why i like it haha.. but it isn't FUN playing for me playing with people who are more competitive.. took me a while to realize that so i'd rather wait til i can play indoors again with others who also enjoy recreational, or til the spring when the snowbirds come home ..
ha on the mindset.. if we could get it at Amazon i'd buy stock in that company!! i think honestly.. any form of movement thats fun for you or that you enjoy is about all we can hope for.. i know Vail likes her dancing.. what about gardening, or badminton (if you guys can go indoors to a community centre?) Some of my friends like curling.. is that an option there? (showing my Canadian ignorance with that lol) Without pickle i don't know what i'm going to do for exercise - the videos are a "have to" not a "fun do".. so who knows.. im a terrible dancer so maybe i'll look for some free salsa lessons on youtube or something ha!!
It's funny about the portion stuff tho... I've become so used to eating just a little bit at a time because of my gut... that now.. i have noticed if i eat a "normal" size portion of something (last night i had the bowl of a stew and a roll.. and then of course Xmas dinner where i ate 2 platefuls!) then i feel awful afterwards.. i think my tummy has just gotten used to the smaller amounts and now when i overeat it just can't process it... altho im sure part of it is also whatever is going on with my gut too... but i do think we can get used to smaller amounts gradually. I did get rid of my huge 12" dinner plates and bought 2 normal sized ones last year .. no question the visual definitely has an impact as well.
LOL @ hubby and the cereal box !!
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I like both the ones Suzy mentioned. Nice and positive! We've got to believe we can make change!
I also liked the goal setting video, and that point about actively doing something or replacing something, rather than just stopping something was really good. I'm going to have to see if I can frame things that way. Rather than "I'm going to stop snacking in the evening", maybe "I will keep a glass of water next to my chair and have a drink whenever I feel hungry". The 90% one I'm not so sure on (setting goals that you're 90% sure you'll reach) just because I'm 90% sure about so little. I'm not sure I can stick to my plan for the next day, never mind the next few months! I actually put quite a big weight loss in my goal this time, because I've always put an "achievable" one in and then never achieve it!
I shouldn't have read that bit about the cereal: now I'm craving cereal!
I think you're right about getting used to smaller amounts, Snoozie. I only eat off small plates now. I think that does help, although only for that meal!
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I haven't had farro. I used to eat a lot of freekeh which might be similar? I liked it, but I think it's a form of wheat, and has gluten. I was just searching for the vege gluten-free recipes, thinking about you trying to avoid it, Suzy. I am not actually following the recipes, just getting ideas, and at the moment I'm not eating much tofu, etc. I'm just finding it handy to search the recipes and it reminds me I can make dahl, kebabs, or something else I'd forgotten about. Although the kebab recipes are annoying - they picture a stack of kebabs, but then the recipe only allows you to have two! So I'm tending to make my own trying to follow these guidelines:
- calorie restriction
- Mediterranean style food
- Lowish carbs
- No processed food
- Time restricted eating/no snacking
- aim for 50-60g protein a day
So not really much different than what I try to do the rest of the time, just with more structure and less calories, lol!
I was talking to an old friend about this recently and it's as we keep saying here, we do know how to lose weight, it's just dealing with the psychological stuff that messes up our plans! Just hoping a paid for diet helps with that!
I made an interesting observation today. I like looking at the reports section on MFP, and I weigh daily, so get a good idea of my progress. I was actually really surprised to see that over the past YEAR, despite all the periods of dieting mixed with periods of overeating, my weight has stayed within the same seven pound bracket. I was stunned at how consistent it looks on the chart! It's a few pounds above my previous maintenance weight, but I realised that rather than my body being a dysfunctional mess (which is what it feels like), it has actually very efficiently been maintaing my weight for a whole year, no matter what I throw at it!
Anyway, I know we've talked about set points before and the science is a bit hazy on it, but I do seem to be at a set point at the moment, which is a higher set point than the one I was trying to maintain on previously. This follows from last year where my weight was all over the place, but eventually "settled". The positive thing (I'm telling myself) is that it shows the set point is still open to change, and maybe it will be possible to reset it to a lower one, as long as you can get to a lower point (first challenge!) and then maintain for a couple of years (second challenge!).2 -
Vail farro is a high protein, high fibre grain but its definitely from wheat so no, not gluten free.
I really liked the "do instead" tip as well.. and the behaviour based goal as well... it's so true that really so much is out of our control but i can control my behaviour (sometimes lol).. i'm going to give both of those some thought on how to incorporate them. I actually really liked your suggestion about the water because i don't drink enough as it is.. but perhaps my "do instead" could be if i feel i might be hungry, I will instead drink a glass of water or ice tea and wait 10 minutes... if i still find im hungry after then i'll eat.. but I think thats a great idea you had for the do instead option..
I really like your plan and how you're tweaking it to what works for you.. its so true - seeing a plate of kebabs in a recipe.. but a serving is 2 LOL!
and i think that's AWESOME about the chart showing you pretty much stayed at the same weight all year!! 5-7 lbs i think is considered a normal fluctuation for anyone in a year, so you're absolutely right you basically returned to your current set weight after a minor fluctuation! Wow.. that HAD to have been a very positive discovery for you - and may help you reset your mindset you mentioned from thinking u were dysfunctional to realizing you did damn good!!
And /i agree we can reset our bodies "set weight" .... personally i firmly believe when you are at a certain weight for a while your body gets comfy there and says ok this is where we are.. so even if we lose a pound or 2.. it says hey no messing with my comfy set point thanks .. and back we go to that weight..
So I think it has to be a substantial loss of say at least 10 lbs (which to me is a HUGE loss) before your set weight can actually change.. and that's the hard part.. we lose a pound or 2 or 3 and think YAYYYYYYY.. which helps motivate us to continue.. then suddenly we're back up that pound or 2 and think what the hell??? So i think its gotta be that we give ourselves a chance to get ourselves to that 10 lbs gone.. to just keep going til we hit a 10lb mark and then our bodies may go.. hmm ok.... this isnt just a fluctuation here.. we're moving down... so time to reset....
but thats just my thoughts LOL..
So i hope you're doing the happy dance Vail after realizing you've done really well after all this past year!!
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by the way Suzy... Vail's post reminded me about the recording of stats/charts and i don't know if this is of any interest to you.. but in the "check in" section where we record our weight? You can also add anything else you want to track .. I added my A1C, cholesterol and BP and every time i get bloodwork done and the results, i update the numbers so I can see over time how i'm doing..
Its great for me to be able to look at the graphs and reports and monitor how i'm doing .. so just mentioning it in case with all the baseline numbers you've been getting from all the recent bloodwork it might be handy for you as well (and wanted to mention it before i forgot in case you didnt know u can track lots besides weight lol )
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and last but not least... since we all seem to like those 2 specific options ... how about we make the
"Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.” our announcement for the year (it will show at the top of each page) and then make our actual topic line for 2022 " become a priority in your life ...
does that work for both of you ?? its one way to get both into our lineup for 2022 lol (but if anyone wants something else, happy to change too!)1 -
I like it, Snoozie! Sounds good.
I didn’t know you could track other things besides weight. I’ll definitely do that.
I agree with Snoozie, I think seven pounds fluctuation is a success story, Vail. I love that you use the reports like that and that your scale logs your weight every day. I may have to update my scale. I never use the reports so I need to check that feature out.
I got my cardiac calcium CT results. I do have a minimal amount of plaque and the doctor wanted to start me on low dose Lipitor. I told her that my rheumatologist recommended a gluten and sugar free diet and that I’ve started that, so I’d like to give it six months and then retest before I go down the statin road and she agreed. She said I have to get five days of cardio in each week. She was able to see my lungs on the CT and that’s all good. However she’s concerned about fatty liver deposits. So…lose weight, exercise, eat healthier. Duh. Time to get serious. Today really is my opportunity to build the tomorrow I want….literally. Hubby and I are going to the Y tomorrow for the first time in months. I’m hoping no one will be there at 1:00 in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Anyway…it could definitely be worse but I’ve got to make some serious changes.
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Where do you enter other measurements and see your reports? Is it only on a computer? I can’t find it on the app.0
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Also, Vail do you mind if I ask what type of scale you have and how you like it?0
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Suzy I gather u mean the app on your phone so I opened my phone app (I have the web version as well on my laptop) but on my phone app on the homepage across the top are all the tabs for everything and there is one that says check in - The same place you go to log your weight.. and at the bottom of that check in page when you get there, it says track additional measurements and you just click on that and then you can add anything and title it whatever you want. I don't think there's a limit on how many you can track...
as you can see I have weight/A1C/cholesterol and BP on mine).. and once they are set up, you just go to that line in the check in area and enter your last test result anytime you want
this is what it looks like on my app screen and I circled the check inbox
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Sorry - i didn't realize that would show up so big - i used the app to post that msg and now i'm back on my laptop cause i can type easier there lol..
I'm glad you got your results back - and also glad that's it's considered "minimal" (even tho i'm sure just hearing you had any freaked you out.. but minimal is good!) It's also good she agreed to hold off on the statin (the lipidor) because (IMO) it means she's involving YOU in your own health care - an active participant if you will and i think most doctors are thrilled to have patients who listen and want to work on their health ... and vice versa.. having a doc who is a partner with you in your health is a great thing so im so glad you found her!
I can imagine the past few months has been quite stressful for you tho.. with all the bloodwork and tests and waiting for results... but i hope you are happy you decided to take that plunge and knowledge is power, right?
i don't know if it will help, but in trying to reduce my own cholesterol (plaque) I googled some low cholesterol recipes and cut out red meat a lot from my diet.. cholesterol is only in animals and animal products (like butter cream etc) so veggies and nuts and any plant stuff is all good really.. .. i also buy the "no yolk" cholesterol free noodles.. they are actually good i can't tell the difference really .. i rarely use them except sometimes for that mushroom stroganoff, or if i want to toss a handful in when i'm making soup..
it was actually for my choleserol/plaque she wanted me to follow the mediterranean diet.. and while i can't embrace it totally.. i DO still roast a lot of veggies and potatos in olive oil these days, and i use it to sautee peppers and onions or stir fries.. anyway the whole point of this babbling is that you might want to look up some low cholesterol recipes while youre hunting for stuff too lol..
I think it's awesome you are hitting the gym tomorrow with hubby!! Well done YOU!!
And remember - they say even a 10 lb loss will start to make changes to all the inside stuff as well as the outside.. so i was thinking about a 10lb one for myself, that a 10 lb goal falls into that "pick a goal that you 90% believe you can accomplish" .. and i think I can even up that to believing about 95% i can do that..
Hugs - and it looks like you've already started a bit early with our new 2022 motto of making yourself a priority - way to go!!!!!1 -
That’s not what my phone app looks like but it is what my computer website looks like. Weird.
Heading to the gym now! Wish me luck…. I have a feeling that I’m going to need it. I think it’s going to be a humbling experience.
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