At Goal & Successfully Maintaining. So Why Am I Doing This All Over Again?
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LifeChangz wrote: »@springlering62 ~ saw a fab looking plate protein pancakes you recently posted elsewhere. maybe you've posted recipe here, but, would you please repost pic and recipe here? my inner 2 yr old child's eyeballs clapped! lol
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10881740/cake-mix-protein-pancake-recipe#latest
^^333 calories, including the “cream cheese” and coffee with the heaping mound of froth.
For a fabulous hand frother you can’t do better than this:
https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Coffee-Frother-Technology-CFFROTH/dp/B016ULW6T0/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=3U2SR2B5I2CLX&keywords=ninja+hand+frother&qid=1673471403&sprefix=ninja+hand+frother,aps,134&sr=8-3
Works best with cold skim milk. Microwave after frothing, and watch it explode like a science experiment you can actually eat and enjoy.
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@springlering62 ~ Thank you! the cameras these days take such good crisp details and that plate of pancakes amazing - I would not feel deprived eating any of the variations described in your recipe! yummers!0
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LifeChangz wrote: »@springlering62 ~ Thank you! the cameras these days take such good crisp details and that plate of pancakes amazing - I would not feel deprived eating any of the variations described in your recipe! yummers!
Enjoy, and I’m just relieved the crisp photo doesn’t show the crumbs and cat hair lol. Favorite perch. 🤦🏻♀️0 -
@springlering62, having had cats all my life (until a couple of years ago), I figure cat hair is both an essential nutrient by now, and a fashion accessory.8
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So, an update. We just got back from the west coast a couple of days ago. Because I’m a fruitcake and think it’s a fun pseudo-scientific experiment to weigh after a trip, I immediately weighed myself, and have two or three times a day since. I always put on a shedload of cabin pressure weight, and it’s so darn satisfying to see the scale just tumble the first few days after returning.
Naturally, I asked BL if he’d weighed himself. No? When was the last time then? Mumble mumble. What’s that? It’s been maybe six months since he weighed?
So while he was making his breakfast, he finally admitted to weighing in this morning, and was blue. “I’m down five pounds but am still six over my lowest.”
I immediately launched into reassurances: I sure can’t see it, probably cabin pressure, that pulled hamstring may be causing some water retention, too, and since he’s cut back activity to nurse the hamstring, maybe he should cut the calories temporarily. And anyway, he’s picked up some muscle in the past few months and muscle weighs more than fat…..
Next thing I know, he’s shaking a spoon at me and loudly growling “Enough!!!!!”
I was actually typing a reply at the time to a returning member who goes by the snappy name of @ObsessivelyObsessingObsessions
It occurred to me that might be apropos for me, too.
Two MFP members in one household, one silently trying and the other wildly gung-ho.
Fun times.
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@springlering62, I always enjoy your posts. My wife and I are similarly both users but have varying styles and levels of interest in the details. She refuses to weigh herself at all and loathes the act of tracking and logging but likes the way she feels when she gets enough protein and properly fuels her running exploits, whilst I ensure I weigh daily under precise conditions and instinctively weigh portions, even when they're not for me.
We had an interesting conversation the other day; I mentioned it would be nice to have a few more pairs of golf shorts I particularly like as a Fathers' Day idea were either of our mothers to ask her. She rebutted that shorts are harder to buy for others than shorts because of size, to which I replied that I've been the same waist size since I was 17 (the fact that itself is a 17 year span was a tad shocking). She was pretty dumbfounded by that given that my weight has probably fluxed a solid 30 pounds over that span (~155-185 lb), though carried differently as my fitness pursuits and body composition are noticeably different.
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The BL has slacked off on weighing. He’s been pissing and moaning about not losing weight.
He fell into the classic trap. He buys barrels of peanut butter and went through one in about two weeks.
I noticed because I’ve started buttering my chocolate protein pancakes with 16gr of melted peanut butter.
Me: Still weighing?
No, I eyeball it now.
Well, you’ve been eyeballing a 56 serving jar of peanut butter into empty in a couple of weeks!
Input unappreciated. I head him mumble “Diet Nazi”
Still, he’s maintaining and that’s a win.
Am still learning, you cannot nag someone into weight loss. I, of all people, should have known that from the “don’t let me eat….” days.
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Sheesh, peanut butter is one of those foods where intuition always gets you in trouble! But yeah, nagging is unlikely to be productive
Imperial measurements do my head in, but isn't that over 10,000 calories per jar? Over two weeks, that's 720kcal of peanut butter per day, yikes!1 -
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Wondered how BL was doing, it's been a while.1
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Wondered how BL was doing, it's been a while.
He’s doing well! Maintaining, by eyeball, since he still refuses to weigh. Still wearing the smaller pants size, wish he’d get more since most his pants are clown size now, but it doesn’t bother him. He did trade in his faded, ragged perpetual polo shirts for some nice short sleeve button shirts, but had to stayXXL. He has the hips and ankles of a prima ballerina but the shoulders of a linebacker.
I will say, I saw this fella walking past a neighbor’s house and thought, “For a grey headed possum” that’s a nice looking fellow, and nicely dressed, too.”
Imagine my surprise when I came inside and saw the same handsome possum in my kitchen making himself lunch. I hadn’t even recognized him in his spiffy new duds.
So now, he won’t wear anything g else. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻10 -
You have a talent for making me laugh---not to mention some of your posts conger up some pretty funny head pictures, too!2
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"A grey headed possum." That made me laugh! 🤣🤣🤣0
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springlering62 wrote: »Part of losing weight means trying new foods, or taking a new look at old ones.
Many people don’t care for sugar-free products. I’ve found them to be a godsend. But you never know what you’ll get.
I add half an ounce of Jordan’s zero-cal chocolate waffle cone syrup to our smoothies, along with some Trader Joe’s cacao powder. It makes them taste like ice cream, which makes them a treat.
Last night we boiled a couple pounds of shrimp. (If you didn’t know, you can have a serious pig out on shrimp for not many calories, and they’re a great protein booster. )
We were looking forward to trying the sugar free cocktail sauce from one of our favorite brands.
Epic fail. It tasted like the ancient bottles of insecticide smelled in my dad’s old shed. Yuck yuck yuck.
BL was vastly disappointed. I didn’t know what to do, so pulled out a lemon and just squirted it on the shrimp.
To our surprise, we really liked the lemon better than any cocktail sauce we’ve had.
So, we’re both still learning.
(Lesson learned: order bulk of products you already know you like to get that free shipping, and only get one bottle of whatever it is you’re wanting to try. I ordered three bottles of this noxious cocktail sauce. 🤦🏻♀️)
Have you tried the Swerve brand sugar substitute? The have brown sugar and regular sugar options. They are the best tasting sugar replacement that I've found. You can also bake with them and the ratio is 1:1.2 -
springlering62 wrote: »Part of losing weight means trying new foods, or taking a new look at old ones.
Many people don’t care for sugar-free products. I’ve found them to be a godsend. But you never know what you’ll get.
I add half an ounce of Jordan’s zero-cal chocolate waffle cone syrup to our smoothies, along with some Trader Joe’s cacao powder. It makes them taste like ice cream, which makes them a treat.
Last night we boiled a couple pounds of shrimp. (If you didn’t know, you can have a serious pig out on shrimp for not many calories, and they’re a great protein booster. )
We were looking forward to trying the sugar free cocktail sauce from one of our favorite brands.
Epic fail. It tasted like the ancient bottles of insecticide smelled in my dad’s old shed. Yuck yuck yuck.
BL was vastly disappointed. I didn’t know what to do, so pulled out a lemon and just squirted it on the shrimp.
To our surprise, we really liked the lemon better than any cocktail sauce we’ve had.
So, we’re both still learning.
(Lesson learned: order bulk of products you already know you like to get that free shipping, and only get one bottle of whatever it is you’re wanting to try. I ordered three bottles of this noxious cocktail sauce. 🤦🏻♀️)
Have you tried the Swerve brand sugar substitute? The have brown sugar and regular sugar options. They are the best tasting sugar replacement that I've found. You can also bake with them and the ratio is 1:1.
Thanks for the tip. I use granulated sugar so seldom that a bag will last me several years.
I either eliminate it from recipes or use 1/3-1/2 granulated called for in the recipe, supplemented with an appropriate Skinny Syrup flavor.
I made some pretty awesome sugar-free mini apple pies for thanksgiving. Pillsbury had mini-crusts you out in a muffin tin, at 120 calories each.
I peeled and diced some apples, “sautéed“ them til soft in some caramel Skinny Sauce, lemon juice and cinnamon, and spooned it into prebaked pie shells.
I cut together a tablespoon of margarine, cinnamon, some pecan meal, and some plain 5-grain muesli and crumbled it on top of each mini-pie and baked them for about ten minutes.
BL is still hanging in there. I don’t think he’s lost any more (won’t weigh) but he’s “toning up” noticeably. It’s really nice having a partner on the same journey. I nag him, and he hides the nomnoms from me if he sees me overindulging.2 -
springlering62 wrote: »BL made a 750+ calorie breakfast this weekend. Realized his mistake by dinner time. Had enough calories left for the day for a reasonable dinner but that was all of them.
He studied his phone, and then his head popped up. “Hey, can we get some calories if we go for a walk?
He burned over 200 on his walk and I made him a giant smoothie of cashew milk, yogurt, cacao powder, zero calorie waffle cone syrup, and a buttload of ice for about 105.
(You can “buy back” calories via exercise. Many successful MFP users suggest eating back only half your exercise calories, to allow margin of error, especially for new users.)
The next day he thought ahead and planned his calories out for the day. He had nearly 500 left for after dinner, so got another smoothie and a bowl of yogurt cheesecake pudding. And an extra dinner roll, too. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
If I could only convince him to pre-log his meals. That’s been sooooo helpful for me, especially when I need to make changes on the fly. But he’s already reached the “thinking about it” stage, and that’s awesome.
Pre-logging doesn't work for everyone. I feel trapped by it. The moment I pre-log a meal--I don't want that meal in any fashion. Meal prepping makes me crazy. Mine is an aspect of my ADHD. I like structure but I also don't like to be limited. Pre-logging makes me feel limited.
BUT--I do limit the amount of calories for a meal--but I don't pick the foods out. I just have to stay the range.
On shrimp--sometimes I do black pepper. I've done peperoncini pepper juice as well. But honestly--black pepper and garlic works great. You can also hit with lemon. Lemon and black pepper go well together.
Good luck!4 -
Still around and still hanging in. We are both probably up a bit, thanks to holidays and kids visiting and wanting the foods of their youth (i.e. what the previous edition of me used to blithely serve).
It was worth it to see the wee one’s face light up as she sampled my homemade mac and cheese, and then start shoveling it in with both hands. Very gratifying to know i still got it.
They head out in the morning. Husband has managed to sneak out and get in a few classes, but is wild with frustration because tai chi doesn’t resume til after New Year’s.
We’ve already booked classes as far in advance as we can, and meals are pre planned through next week. I’ll be pre-logging this afternoon, while the bread for the final family meal offering bakes.
It’s just way cool to see, via looking at him, how we’ve both changed our lives for the better, look forward to simpler meals, and how workouts have become something to look forward to with anticipation rather than as a “chore”.
Now, if only i can disappear those too big tai chi pants he still holds up with rope and a chip clip. I told him he looked like Elly Mae, but that went right over his head. He’s just mortally attached to those pants for some reason.
Hoping all of y'all find the same satisfaction in the New Year!!!10 -
springlering62 wrote: »Still around and still hanging in. We are both probably up a bit, thanks to holidays and kids visiting and wanting the foods of their youth (i.e. what the previous edition of me used to blithely serve).
It was worth it to see the wee one’s face light up as she sampled my homemade mac and cheese, and then start shoveling it in with both hands. Very gratifying to know i still got it.
They head out in the morning. Husband has managed to sneak out and get in a few classes, but is wild with frustration because tai chi doesn’t resume til after New Year’s.
We’ve already booked classes as far in advance as we can, and meals are pre planned through next week. I’ll be pre-logging this afternoon, while the bread for the final family meal offering bakes.
It’s just way cool to see, via looking at him, how we’ve both changed our lives for the better, look forward to simpler meals, and how workouts have become something to look forward to with anticipation rather than as a “chore”.
Now, if only i can disappear those too big tai chi pants he still holds up with rope and a chip clip. I told him he looked like Elly Mae, but that went right over his head. He’s just mortally attached to those pants for some reason.
Hoping all of y'all find the same satisfaction in the New Year!!!
Glad to hear you're doing well and getting to see family for the holidays.
I'm always pretty introspective, sometimes to a fault, but definitely prone to ruminate on thoughts of the year toward it's end. Back into late '22 and through the first half of '23 waves of medical issues lapped harshly upon the shores of many close to us. Thankfully, overall outcomes have all been positive but not without obstacle and worry. It certainly provides perspective when it comes to family gatherings and reinforces the commitment my wife and I made to each other early in our relationship to keep each healthy and accountable. At the time, probably over ten years ago now, it was mostly "hey, don't let me get fat" for vanity, but as we've aged, become parents, and see our parents age, there's undoubtedly more thought to longevity behind it.
Warm holiday wishes and hope for a fortuitous 2024 to all.7 -
How lucky to have such great help and support. I hope I can absorb some inspiration from what you have accomplished!2
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Yay to my Beloved!
I told him he’s getting nice definition in his thighs and he preened.
Then he blushing admitted he can feel his adipose ( visceral?) fat shrinking, and he poked and pulled to prove it to me. On one side. He is puzzled and disappointed.
I’d laugh, but I feel for him. It’s always the belly, isn’t it?
Regular exercise has been life changing for us both. I look at him, literally getting younger, while most the other guys at aquafit (my “pool” for comparison) are getting older. He’s not the youngest fellow in the class, but by golly he sure looks like it. 👍🏻
BTW, the last MFP app update obliterated the ability for iOS users to easily share and copy diaries with friends or family. There is a workaround. If anyone needs it, post here and I’ll share screen shots how to do it. 🤦🏻♀️4 -
@springlering62 apparently there is an update for the sharing issue, but since answers are pinned to the top of the thread (first page) the message is not as visible.
I quoted it just now in the relevant thread, to improve visibility in the thread.2 -
Phew! Found this thread 3 days ago, been reading it between work meetings, took a while to get through several years of posts!
I admit, I initially opened the thread on a whim, just because I know @springlering62 other posts are worth reading, and here's a thread which she started? Once it became apparent she was going to make repeated posts, I bookmarked to read the entire thing.
What can I say, the author in me enjoys reading good prose.
Lots of kudos to BL and others who shared their successes and frustrations in this thread. Only real frustration I had was seeing a conversation from two years ago, and knowing I couldn't contribute my two cents, lol. Well, now that I've read the entire thing, here's a few inputs I would have made at the opportune times...
*****
When I joined the military, I was a very fit and trim 160lbs who could run like the wind. (Earned my letterman's jacket in both track/sprints and cross country/5km.) Fast forward a decade of a sedentary office job (yes, those exist in the military), getting married and having four kids, and I'm staring in the mirror at a guy weighing 220lbs, my six-pack was now a keg, my knees ached too much to run, and I just got shown the door by the military as part of their down-sizing. No job, very little savings, young family asking when's dinner, out of shape and hating my mirror image...not a very good head space.
With no job prospects in sight and my world feeling like it was spiraling out of control, figured the one thing I could control was my own fitness. Couldn't run any more, but a buddy introduced me to lifting weights, something I'd detested as a kid but now for some reason just *clicked* within me. He also recommended MFP, which fed my inner geek to manipulate numbers (calories) to achieve results. (A month later I got hired to the job I still hold to this day.)
This was fifteen years ago. From that first day until now, I'm still logging every. single. day. (My login streak is less, because there was no wifi when I went camping with my son's Scout troop.) I also pre-log A TON. Started out by getting sick of my kids constantly asking my wife "what's for dinner" while I (the family chef) was at work, so I bought a dry-erase board, stuck it to the food pantry door, and every morning wrote out "dinner tonight is...". This soon turned into listing out the next week's worth of dinner menu. I found this to be unexpectedly immensely helpful to ME, as I could plug in the expected dinner for the next week, which told me in advance what my probable calorie level would be, along with how much protein I would consume. From this I could then plot which of my Tupperware leftovers to take to work for lunch to sync up with dinner...high-cal dinner, take a low-cal lunch; low-protein dinner, better take the high-protein lunch.
You can probably already guess that I don't do much weighing and hyper-specific measuring of ingredients. When I started, I would divide meat packages from the store into 4-oz or 8-oz sizes (take a 32-oz package of chicken breasts, split into four equal-ish parts). Memorized about how big they were, and that's been my gauge since then. Same with a "cup of rice" or "two cups of milk". If it's close, and my weight trend is steady, I figure that's close enough. Helps that I don't care for tons of extras, like cheeses or sauces...just salt and garlic and I'm good to go. (My wife of 21 years has been leaning on me to expand my seasoning repertoire, and spices are calorie-free.)
My initial goal upon joining the gym and MFP was to lose weight, which I did, about 30 pounds back to 190, but then for years my weight stalled there. Weight stalled, but inches kept dropping, or rather relocating, from my gut up to my shoulders and arms. (Never my chest, much to my weightlifting chagrin.) Weight naturally floated from 190-195 and back, over and over, figured I was just in a natural status-quo for my body and stopped trying to change it. This scene lasted for well over a decade, until a lifting injury prevented me from lifting, but not from doing cardio. Somehow got a burr under my saddle that I wanted to try to lose as much weight as possible, so when I was allowed back in the weight room I could simultaneously try to ADD muscle, rather than what happened before when I transformed fat into muscle. (Yes, I know that's not what happened, but it sounds better for the story, so hush.)
By the time I could lift again I'd dropped another 15 pounds down to 179, which according to BMI standards said I was borderline healthy for my 5'9" height, but I felt looked too bloody skinny. So I gleefully jumped back into lifting along with increasing calories to actually GAIN weight ON PURPOSE.
Turns out, it's not as simple as just stuffing your face with whatever sounds tasty at the moment, and not just because of wanting to gain weight "intelligently" by maximizing muscle and minimizing fat-gain. I could do the math in my sleep (I am an astrophysicist, after all). But I discovered something completely unexpected:
After a decade and a half of trying to control and reduce my calories consumed, flipping the switch to go the other way was a total mind-*kitten*. The first few days of hedonistic eating were fun, sure, but after that my appetite tried to go back to what it's been doing for years, and I actually had to exert willpower and force myself to eat more. I'm now eating breakfast for the first time in decades; I keep a jar of peanut butter at my work desk as an afternoon snack when my pre-logging says I'm short calories for the day.
It's taken about a year, but I've finally gotten accustomed to this level of eating, and the results in the mirror have been VERY gratifying. Not to mention the increased weights I've been able to throw around in the gym, weights at age 46 which would make age 31 me blush in shame. I tell you what...if I could combine the willpower and knowledge I have now, along with the natural testosterone I had then, the result would be something special. Not Arnold Schwarzenegger level, but special. For the guy who still vividly remembers being the scrawny geek who got zero attention from girls all through school, I can only dream of what could have been.
(I have ZERO interest in straying from my wife of 21 years. But a guy can dream of a different history from before I met her, can't I?)
*****
Ok, I've hijacked the thread long enough, sorry about that, lol. Move along, citizen. Nothing further to see in this post; return to your normally scheduled activities.12
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