WaistAways - January 2021 Team Chat
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@micki48 Here's a WIP photo. At this point, we've stripped the metal from the boards (barring a couple of nails that will not come out), sanded them to clean them, treated any parts which were soft, and filled the worst of the damage (the really pale bits, which should stain to match). We're trying to keep the character of the boards, whilst making a nice surface to work on. There are 4 in total to make two corner desks, each one is 3 boards wide, by about 5-6ft long.
By the time we've bought everything to do it, we probably could've bought pre-made desks cheaper, but I couldn't find anything that made the best use of the space we have.
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I did the food shopping yesterday, and binge-shopped. I was definitely buying comfort food... white mini chocolate eggs (the white Milkybar ones with the crisp shell, for UK peeps), Creme Eggs, and some sweets. A key difference to normal is that I haven't binge eaten; I'm still happily weighing out portions so that's fine, and specifically bought stuff that would be easy to weigh out or count.
The reason behind my comfort shopping - my (step) father in law had a stroke on Sunday morning. As England is in lockdown, nobody is able to go to the hospital with him, and he was taken alone in an ambulance. We don't have any news; I know he still can't swallow, and has limited use of his left side, it didn't appear to be caused by a bleed. I don't know anybody else who's had a stroke, and I guess I expected it'd be mild and he'd already be showing signs of recovery.
I'm worried about him, my mother in law and youngest brother in law (who's only 15, FIL is his father). They bought their dream house last year - a farm/small holding - and it's needs a lot of work, plus the maintenance is FIL's thing. The house isn't really suited to somebody recovering from a stroke, either. It made me think about my own health; I'm obese, and my stress levels are typically high. He is quite young (57), a little overweight but not much, and generally healthy but also has high stress levels (and high blood pressure). Bit of a wake up call.4 -
Hey, everyone -
I just thought of ONE more thing to pester you about! I know, I know - but it helps make you feel awesome at the end of the month.
This month we started entering everyone's original highest weight into the spreadsheet so that we can celebrate when someone hits 25, 50, 75, 100 pounds lost - one of those lovely numbers to set off fireworks. I am missing some people's original starting weights, and would love you to give them to me if you choose to. Some of you have been here a while and I just didn't keep track of it, and some of you are newer but I did not catch it in your intros or something. Once it is there, you'll never need to do this again - so please post it or send it to me by message if you prefer. This highest weight can be from any time - it does not have to be from when you started with this team or with MFP.
Here is who is missing from the list:
@ells_runs
@offitgoes
@evelynladams527
@KellyBgetsFit
@conleywoods
@eggfreak
@SMcFall0215
@CanadianGiraffe
@Pearl4686
@Steph1498
@Gidgitgoescrazy
Thanks for this!
I’m not really sure what my originally starting weight was when I came to this group last year but when I started my journey 4 years ago I was 230 pounds.
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WOW! That's a great drop (3.6 pounds) and @MandiSaysHey too (2.4 pounds). Look at Week 4 taking off!!CurvyCalorie wrote: »
@jugar Wow! I had to go back and look. I was feeling like it’s been pretty stagnant, and getting frustrated.
Now I’m really happy!! Hahaha
@MandiSaysHey Great job!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Have a great day everyone! 💕2 -
CW:212.71
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@DD265 I also have a Garmin Vivosmart 4. I like the size of it, and I feel the tracking is more accurate than my step daughter's Fitbit as we went on a walk together and my device said we did 3km and hers said 4km (the gps on my phone verified we went 3). Perhaps setting up the custom stride data in the app would fix that. I definitely am jealous I can't join the large Fitbit community, but I like how my sleep data is displayed in the Garmin app, it was much more detailed than the Fitbit. They're probably all waterproof these days but I swim a lot in the summer so that was important to me. When I first got my Garmin, the band was on the second to last hole so I was worried it wouldn't fit, but it has since stretched to a comfortable size so I'm 6 holes from the end.3
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@micki48
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/Coronavirus-germ-covid-19
I can't add photos on mobile, I can try again once I get my computer back from hubby.... If ever.
This is the full size, the key chain is about an inch tall total. I don't sell them, but you can probably get them on Etsy. The pattern is free, and they take 3 hours to make the mini ones2 -
I don't know where else to share my excitement about this, but we finally figured out how to make it work so we bought a kotatsu (heated, blanketed table).
Now we just need a plush rug and comforter, both of which we can probably get from Walmart or Costco.
Once it's all assembled I'll share pics.4 -
Tuesday Weigh-In
PW: 181.4
CW: 185.6
Ooof!!! But frankly, not as bad as it was two days ago so I will take it. February can watch out. I have some of my favorite dinner items planned for this week and I'm going to try a host of new vegetable recipes this weekend (I love pearl onions at Thanksgiving, so why have I never made them myself?? Who knows. Also, mushrooms are the best and I should eat them more.)
@jugar the heat is back! Toasty 71 in here. I am not convinced they actually fixed the problem, but I will be ready with a space heater and heated blanket should it (inevitably) happen again.
@Terytha given my heating woes the last few days, that table sounds absolutely amazing. I'm googling this thing now. Incredible.
Sorry I'm not adding to the losses this week, but some awesome progress elsewhere! Way to go guys!4 -
@Kali225
February can watch out indeed! You're
This close to hitting 50 pounds lost! You put your toe in this month, but in February, you're going to get in and keep on swimming!
@DD265
I'm so sorry to hear about your step-FIL. Strokes are really tough. I know some people make amazing recoveries, though, and you can certainly be his diet and exercise buddy so that you both get healthier together. I hope he is not in hospital for too long, and that there is good support for physio, etc. afterwards. High blood pressure is sneaky - gotta keep after that stuff. Big hugs coming your way! And your desks look like they will be amazing. No store would carry anything like them.
Have a great time today, everyone!5 -
For some reason I slept really late - so late that I decided not to workout and to just try to get my steps in some other way today!
The good news is that I have eaten well today and everything is logged. I've even managed a litre of water too. I'll try to guzzle more before bedtime.
Have a good day everyone!
Yx5 -
Hello Team!
It's almost the end of a big and busy January. That means it is time to see if anyone else would like to join our team! We are keeping recruitment small this month so that we really have a chance to spend time with each other. Do you find the team helpful? Invite a friend to join you! Just send them this link, they can sign up and request your team. It is more fun with friends
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10822656/february-2021-sign-up-for-new-members#latest
CONTINUING members do NOT need to sign up again! You're automatically carried over into February.2 -
Training is going well, but not alot of time to chat... doing great with my daily goals this week so far ! Will catch up sometime this week..
Have a good week!4 -
I was thinking today about how every month starts with a bang - good commitments, realistic goals, etc. Some of us power right through and keep at it just about every day, and others have a couple of good weeks, and then slide. I do this a lot especially with certain kinds of exercise. I also get sloppier with logging my food, and watching those little extras. Every month sure starts well, though!
I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing, as long as it balances out all right. It might be slow, but it works. For food, I don't think anyone is perfect all the time, but we can help each other with logging strategies, recipes, different plans to try. Exercise is trickier. When we could exercise with friends, go to the gym, play a sport, or join a group of some kind, finding inspiration to get through the blah days was easier. These days, we are exercising at home and usually alone. Yes, there are tons of great apps and videos out there. But exercise with others is more inspiring. Or guilt gets us there - depends on the day!
This team is one kind of community that is possible right now. How can we make it better? What would help us eke out a few more days of sticking to our goals when we're feeling kind of burned out? We have the chat, the stepping team, people reporting their exercise (yes!), and the weigh-ins. What else? How can we support each other even better?
One thing I would enjoy is some video links if you have found a workout or a dance thing or something others might like to try. The crazy Bhangra dance guy in the Yukon? He's my fave mood booster. What works for you? Or what do you need?
OK, I'm just full of questions this evening. But let the discussion roll if it interests you 5 -
Weigh-in Update!
Overdue:
@ChiaGnome
@ells_runs
Due Wednesday:
@offitgoes
@PlaneMonkey
@AshenMoon
@evelynladams527
@KellyBgetsFit
@tschwery1 -
Met all goals today. Steps 12,387.6
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Steps Tuesday 11,773 plus 30 minutes shovelling snow... do we get a step equivalent for shoveling? Lol
I did mostly good today, but I did eat back some of my exercise calories which I am trying not to do this month. Not enough to concern me though.3 -
MandiSaysHey wrote: »Steps Tuesday 11,773 plus 30 minutes shovelling snow... do we get a step equivalent for shoveling? Lol
I did mostly good today, but I did eat back some of my exercise calories which I am trying not to do this month. Not enough to concern me though.
Shoveling snow gives you 150 steps per minute!! So your 30 minutes adds 4500 steps
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@DD265 The wood you are using is beautiful. I'm sure you will love your one of a kind desks. Thanks for sharing.
So sorry to hear about your FIL. He is young for sure. I will be turning 57 in June. So that is kinda scary. I have some experience with strokes. My husband, out of no where, had a stroke early one morning when he was 48! They never figured out what caused it. Not a bleed. My theory is that it was related to sleep apnea. He snored a lot. In any case, he spent a week in the ICU, but luckily recovered completely. One would never know he had the stroke if you weren't told. He is now 66 and we have never had any issue again. He is on blood thinners for life, but so far he has not had any ill effects. I hope your FIL recovers quickly. It is very scary, but also amazing how the brain can recover. I wish you all well.
@PlaneMonkey Thanks for that link. They are cute little nasty things!
@Terytha I had to look that up. How exciting and what a comfy cozy thing to have.
Today I had my granddaughter over. She is such a piece of work. I was trying to get her to nap and she was singing a "Jazzy Jingle Bells" then she licked my face and said she was a kitty. She makes me laugh so much. My eating was fine today, but I haven't logged everything yet. Today was one of those recurring "Covid -- Don't care days." I think for me, as this pandemic has dragged on, some days I just can't be bothered to be "good". This past year has been quite unusual and difficult. We never leave our house. I mean NEVER. We are probably a bit crazy about it, but we are just trying to be safe. Well, some days, it's all I can do to just get through the day. Discipline is not my word for today. Grace will have to be my word. I will forgive my lack of discipline because I guess it is what I needed to get by today. Log my food - Not yet
<3Drink 80 ounces of water - ALMOST
<39,000 steps - No
<310 minutes of exercise (baby steps) - No
<3Read 30 minutes - Read things (like tracking down vaccines), but not my book again.4 -
@micki48 Thank you, that story gives me hope. I am glad your husband is well.
Thanks all for the good wishes. FIL was able to sit in a chair yesterday which sounds like a good omen. I have everything crossed.
I kind of messed up yesterday; we went out for lunch (to buy a sandwich/wrap - we do this once a week to break up the monotony of WFH) and my 'rule' is when we buy a meal out, I can get a soft drink with it, if I want. I picked a can of Monster - zero (15...) calories, but mango flavour - I LOVE mango. I bought it entirely for the taste, not the stimulation, drank it yesterday between 1pm-5pm. Could I sleep last night? Ended up taking sleeping pills at 2am.
It's weird, because I used to neck Coke Zero or similar, and energy drinks, like they were going out of fashion, and I slept. I think the quality of my sleep was probably very poor. I don't really miss them though, and I think this, plus a similar-experience from a bottle of Coke Zero a couple of weeks ago - has told me that I would probably prefer to avoid them, or I suggested to OH that instead of a bottle/can each, we share. There's a caffeine free Diet Coke, so maybe we could get some of those cans to keep in (cheaper, too), though I don't know what it'd taste like, and I don't know if I care enough.
I'm finding myself snacking less. Yesterday I had three meals, and a 500 calorie flapjack - it was so worth it. Admittedly I was a little hungry come meal times, but not unbearably so. It wasn't really deliberate, just a matter of being engaged in something at work, or too lazy to get up for a snack. I suspect it's less a case of my body getting used to a new routine, and more that my mind is getting used to a new routine, where 'we' eat because we need calories (or because MFP tells me I should eat the calories, at present - the goal still feels high) rather than because we need an emotional crutch.1 -
@jugar my highest weight was probably more but I recorded 198 as top. My current weight is 187.5. I seem to be in a plateau, again.
Today I said I’d drive Monica to zBoston for dental appointment - I hope, instead that they’ll move it later so the roads will be cleaned up! More soon.2 -
New day and my exercise is decided for me by mother nature - a few inches of wet snow out there, must take care of the driveway before someone drives on it (so annoying) and packs it down to turn to ice. I've heard the announcement that Feb 1 over 75 can be vaccinated - now to find out where for mum and dad - will be one step toward less stress.2
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PW: 207.2 lbs
CW: 207.6 lbs
LTD: 36.4lbs
Small rebound after last week, pretty understandable. It'll probably be off again by tomorrow knowing my luck! We got another dumping of snow again last night that I wasn't expecting so this evening's main activity after work is already decided as well for me!
I've attempted the limited Beachbody videos I currently have access to through my free trial and I gotta be honest, it just reminds me of step aerobics I did in highschool. I hate it! But what it has driven me to do is go through all my old workout plans from when I had a personal trainer and my gym was still open and I've compiled a list of the compound movements with low impact and only dumbells or bodyweight required into a program for myself. I have enough cardio in my everyday life from Mother Nature these days so I'm just going to focus on weights. I find doing freeweights still gets my heart rate up. I have to devise a reward system to keep me going though. I'm going to get a calendar and some stickers and figure out what's a valid reward for the effort. I'm thinking to begin (Baby Steps!!) I have to complete 3 of these routines per week, at least 1 whole round of the exercises and if I do that, I'll earn my treat. What's a valid reward for that kind of effort? I'm not a sweets person so a dessert isn't something that will motivate me. Maybe I'll put $5 or$10 a week aside for each week I complete it and after a month I'm allowed to buy myself a random gift online, or maybe each week I get to eat an extra block of cheese (my kryptonite) or a glass of wine as a reward. What works for everyone else?
Thanks for all the support WaistAways! I really appreciate you all.4 -
@jugar my highest weight I think was 182lbs. This was in 2019 before my move to Europe. I didn’t realize that I was heavier then even when I was pregnant with my third child in 2009. I don’t like looking at those photos for a few reasons.
I’m happy to be on this journey with you all and feeling better about photos!4 -
@DD265
Your comment about being hungry at mealtimes was interesting. One of my rules of thumb is that if I am not hungry at mealtimes, that probably means I ate too much at the last meal or snack. Being hungry is a great sign! I know when I don't feel hungry that I have overdone it for sure. If you're hungry all the time, or too soon after eating, you probably need a plateau to adjust for a bit before losing more. Lately I am not waking up super hungry for breakfast - so I know I am eating too late in the evening! This is usually not an issue for me, but the evening snacks have started creeping in. Even though they usually fit into my calories for the day, it is not a good time for me to be eating. I know things go best when I wake up hungry. That might not be the case for everyone, but it works for me.
@PlaneMonkey
Great job on the workout design. That's a great idea! I have dozens of old workouts from when I was working with a trainer too, and they are great templates. For a reward if you do this 3x per week? I like the wine or cheese, as long as the quantities are carefully handled (usually impossible with kryptonite!), but there might be other lovely things. I used to save up for a massage, but that's out these days with covid... What kills your stress?
@Steph1498
Photos are tough! I don't like them at the best of times, but it sure feels better when you feel better about yourself. You're looking gorgeous, by the way. Treat us to a then and now set if you want to - those are always amazing.
Happy new snow day, to those who are out there with shovels, skis, snowshoes - whatever takes your fancy. I'm happy to have more of the stuff, as you know!3 -
@jugar
That's an interesting way of looking at it, basically turning hunger on it's head. I was snacking mid/late morning, and mid/late afternoon, then 'using up' my calories in an evening, usually on (unhealthy) carbs. I'm satisfied after my meals, and the portion sizes are smaller than I was eating last year, so the day time snacks don't feel unreasonable.
I'm thinking I'll knock some calories off my goal for February (need to work out how many, thinking 50-100 not loads) and put emphasis on 5 servings of fruit or veg a day so there'll be less room for unhealthy snacking. A little bit of chocolate is fine, but I find I can have a couple of portions of chocolate, and a couple of portions of crisps a day, and still have calories left over. Ideally, it'd be one portion of a 'treat' a day - or even every few days - whatever form that might take. I see a lot of posts about people saying they really think about whether the food was worth the calories (based on whatever criteria, I suspect it changes according to food group) and prioritise the foods that are, and that's where I want to end up.
I know that if I'd tried to drop straight down to say 1400 calories a day and cutting out all treats, I wouldn't have lasted a fortnight, so I'm happy with my plan and progress so far.
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@jugar my life is fantastically low stress. Also, as I work in Ontario, I was able to get a massage last week at my chiropractic office. I'm still working full-time out of my home so I still see most of my favourite people even if it's from a 6ft distance.
I think getting to blow $20 a month on floating pool toys or cheap, cute bathing suit coverups for this coming summer might be the ticket. As soon as the ice melts I'll be floating on the lake again. Hopefully in a size 12 swimsuit!4 -
CW 152.8
PW 154.2
Highest weight 1581 -
You have a newcomer heading your way .....Please welcome @username252020 6
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PW: 176.8
CW: 175.44
Got to pull myself together. 
This discussion has been closed.