September 4
Replies
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Aug 4:
✅ ✅ ✅
Exercise was walking 40 mins tonight with 2 of my grandchildren so their dad and grandpa could watch college football!4 -
September 4
Hello! Today was a good day, I hope yours was too
Exercised?: Yes. Zumba class.
Calories?: Yes
Tracked?: Yes
No Pass days used.5 -
I just started the challenge today, so hoping I am doing this right. Taking a pass on the last 3 days.
Today Sept 4th
Exercised- Yes- walked 30 min and rode my horse 30 minutes.
Tracked- Yes
Stayed under calorie budget-yes6 -
Yes x 34
-
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? ✅ Had a wide variety of exercise today... formally walked 97 minutes and also went on another walk with a friend that was lots of starts and stops so I didn't track it but it definitely added to the steps. Also went out with my husband for 30 minutes and played a combo of catch and then Frisbee.
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? ✅
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? ✅
I enjoy tracking my food because it gives me freedom. I'm sure that could seem counterintuitive, but without food tracking, I lose all semblance of control. My default is to eat a massive amount of food. If I track, I don't have to think about it much... I have a budget, that's it. My thinking is pretty black and white about it. I know what the outcome will be if I'm not... and I'm sick of living that way.
I know Half Size Me is very adamant we shouldn't do anything we're doing to lose weight if we're not prepared to do it in maintenance. While I've never maintained, I think that will be true for me. I imagine I'll always have to track, and I'm okay with that. I like the way life is now, and I'll try to be grateful for the fact I found my way with this!6 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »donna25trinity wrote: »@biketheworld @lesdarts180 @TerriRichardson112 and @genevermfp i can relate to all ur comments. I am a big eater and love my food so tracking is the only way I can know how to stay under my calorie threshold. Picking at food/grazing wen im cooking and my sugar intake are 2 areas I'm currently trying to strengthen. All my grandparents and my bro hve diabetes and I'm a massive sweet tooth so i need to be extra careful. The sugar intake is only something I hve just started monitoring in September it's been an eye opener going back and looking at how much sugar I was eating sometimes double and triple the amount I shld be eating. Pretty shocking! @MadisonMolly2017 im pretty sure we hve spoken about sugar & salt intake and I know u monitor both very closely. I am finding the less sugar I eat the less I'm craving it and the more I ate before the more I was craving it. I think this is something u hve mentioned too. Xox
@donna25trinity YES. Definitely.
For refined sugars. I don’t find it to be true for fruit - for me, at least. I have read fiber in the fruit slows down response to the sugar.
Ditto salt. It usually takes me 3 days of sodium Uber 1,800 mg & sugars < 100g for my “mouth hunger” to disappear again.
So glad we have figured this out == greater chance of long term success!
🌸Best,
Maddie
@MadisonMolly2017 great to know, thanks. Can I get sum clarification wen I go to nutrition part of mfp it has sugar goals set at 45g and sodium is set at 2300mg. So my question is are u aiming for 100g of sugar instead of 45g and 1800 for sodium instead of 2300? If so that wld be heaps better 4 me as I'm finding it hard to fit in much friut at 45g. Alto I must admit I am having a little refined sugars treat every night. Atm I am just focusing on the sugar part then next month im hoping to monitor salt as well.3 -
Tracking consistently does bring good results. Unfortunately I don't tend to track consistently. That's why I decided to join UAC this month, to get in the habit of tracking on a regular basis. So far 4 days in a row tracking, yay! 😀
Yes, yes, and yes. Exercise today was running 3 miles.🏃♀️
Babs
7 -
Yuuuuup!
Yuuuuup!
Yuuuuup!
Play Ball my fit and motivated friends!7 -
@MadisonMolly2017 great to know, thanks. Can I get sum clarification wen I go to nutrition part of mfp it has sugar goals set at 45g and sodium is set at 2300mg. So my question is are u aiming for 100g of sugar instead of 45g and 1800 for sodium instead of 2300? If so that wld be heaps better 4 me as I'm finding it hard to fit in much friut at 45g. Alto I must admit I am having a little refined sugars treat every night. Atm I am just focusing on the sugar part then next month im hoping to monitor salt as well. [/quote]
Hi Donna aka @donna25trinity!
SODIUM
“ The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.”
The Canadian recommendations are stricter:
“Articles in this release > Sodium
Canadians consume a large amount of sodium. Although some sodium is needed to control blood volume and to help cells function properly,1 most Canadians consume far more than is necessary, or recommended. Results from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS — Nutrition (see Data source) indicate that, among people aged 19 to 70, over 85% of men and 60% of women had sodium intakes exceeding the recommended upper limit beyond which health risks increase (Table 1).
Most sodium is consumed as sodium chloride, usually called “table salt.” In fact, a US study has estimated that 90% of sodium intake comes from sodium chloride.2 Processed foods are the main source, accounting for 77% of average daily sodium intake. Another 12% occurs naturally in foods, and salt added during cooking (6%) or at the table (5%) makes up the remainder.2
Recommended sodium intake
Dietary recall
All ages exceed recommended levels
Salt and more salt
Risk of hypertension
Provincial differences
Slightly below US intake
Recommended sodium intake
The Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 recommends the following “adequate intakes,” or AIs, per day:
1,000 milligrams (mg) for children aged 1 to 3
1,200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
The IOM has also established a “tolerable upper intake level,” or UL (see Definitions and Limitations), which ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,200 mg of sodium per day for children and adolescents aged 1 to 13, up to 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 or older. Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.1
Note: they also say not to go over 2,300 mg per day (for adults).
🌸—> I have low blood pressure, so I average 1,800-2000mg per day over each year.
In 2018, my average sodium was 1,444 as I was working to keep it under 1,500.
🌸in the past 7 days, my sodium average has been: 1,497. Down 600 from the previous week.🎉
Fruits & Sugar
I eat a little 82% dark chocolate each day - about 6 grams of sugar. Most of my sugars come from apples (40 g most days) & nonfat milk (13-26 grams per day.) Some dates & raisins have been driving up my sugars, so I’m not replacing them when the containers are empty.
The recommendation I saw for sugars from the UK’s NHS:
“Eating too much sugar can make you gain weight and can also cause tooth decay.
The type of sugars most adults and children in the UK eat too much of are "free sugars".
These are:
Any sugars added to food or drinks. These include sugars in biscuits, chocolate, flavoured yoghurts, breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks. These sugars may be added at home, or by a chef or other food manufacturer.
Sugars in honey, syrups (such as maple, agave and golden), nectars (such as blossom), and unsweetened fruit juices, vegetable juices and smoothies. The sugars in these foods occur naturally but still count as free sugars.
Sugar found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables does not count as free sugars.❣️❣️
We do not need to cut down on these sugars, but remember that they are included in the "total sugar" figure found on food labels.
How much sugar can we eat?
The government recommends that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purées – should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.
This means:
Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes).”
🌸I eat about 2,100 calories a day.
NHS is saying 5% of calories about 26 grams of “free sugars” per day for me.
US says 10% of calories 52 grams
I think I’m averaging about 6g - 18 g + dates now.
But when I was going nuts with Graham crackers (all tracked!) that number went up to 7 times that & so did my appetite lol I was also eating many more dates.
Another day I found I had a shocking sugars number due to a lot of dates spread throughout the day. Clearly my sweet tooth was activated.
So, to answer your question..
You want to have fewer than 5-10% of your calories coming from “free sugars” and you probably know a gram of sugar is 4 calories, so it’s easy to calculate the grams you can have per day.
I’m not familiar with MFP’s algorithms as I use My Net Diary. They recommended <25% of daily calories from all sugars. 131 grams for me.
They recommended < 10% of daily calories from added sugars. Or 52 grams for me.
So here’s why I track…I’ve kept ALL sugars under 100 for a few years, but look…NOT the past 3 months…
Thus, the issues with my appetite the past few months. And my weight. And actually I’ve been a bit more tired & “creaky.”
Thank you! I see clearly now what I need to change
I hope this helped!
Best,
Maddie6 -
Exercise: no (car, airport, plane, airport, plane, car- repeat on 4 hrs sleep) emotionally drained and physically tired.
Tracking food: yes
In budget: no again. 16 calories over.6 -
9/4/2021
Exercise at least 20 minutes? Yep. Got in a bike ride for just over an hour.
Did I track everything? I did. With some estimates.
Did I stay within calories? I did not, because... pizza.
I track every meal, every day. We eat out far more than we should. If we eat at a large chain, I can usually get the calories off the website. But, we also eat at locally owned places a lot, and they aren't required to do the "nutritional thing." I really wish they would. What I'll usually do, in that case, is find something similar from one of the chain restaurants (I'll go look at online menus if I have to), and plug that in, hoping it's close enough. It's definitely a bit on the depressing side when I think I've made decent choices that don't involve salad... or even if it is a salad... to see how many calories restaurant recipes have.
Whiny pity party below - just venting so y'all can skip this part.I'm in a shitmood lately (wonder if MFP will change that to *kitten*). I'm frustrated, irritated, and just generally tired everything going on right now. Bills coming out of nowhere for Aislinn's treatments that were supposedly approved by the insurance company - tens of thousands of dollars. (I will say that when she talked to the insurance company for which I had to write her a "script" since I was going to be at work, she was told that the billing agency needed to contact the insurance company because Ais is on AHCCCS (Medicaid), so she is not supposed to be billed by any provider.) Aislinn is off the ECT now and she's a fragile, emotional wreck, who still has too many moments of SI. She has to go in for an endoscopy in a couple of weeks to try to determine what's causing her to gag all the time. (Her therapist thinks it's somehow related to her childhood trauma, but wants to rule out the physical possibilities). Tonight, she found a small lump under her breast which could be something as simple as a zit or, given my history, could be a cyst. She'll get it checked though. Today, Sienna apparently got into a fight with her "boyfren," and thank the gods, no blood was drawn because I can't afford any more vet bills. Three friends have recently been diagnosed with Covid. Luckily all were fully vaccinated so have relatively light cases. However, the husband of one of them was diagnosed this week with esophageal cancer. They may not be "my worries," but they're friends, so I am concerned. Megan got someone's shoulder in her face during a soccer game last night and now has quite the shiner. We're horribly short staffed at work so "don't even bother with requesting vacation time and don't set any medical appointments unless it's an emergency." There have been more days than not, recently, when I just don't want to deal with figuring out how many calories I've eaten or whether I've over done my carbs for the day (as evidenced this past week by the night I had two Kiltlifters with my cheeseburger and fries, and then topped the night with sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. Yes, I did log all of that.) And I'm done whining for now.
I rode my bike for only about 10.5 miles today. (Felt pretty inadequate after reading @biketheworld 's post. LOL I can't wait until it cools off.) Hoping to run in the morning, so I'll say good night for now.
Keep up the good work, UAC!8 -
3rd September
3 x Yes
I have the most difficulty with Tracking in this challenge. I can do a 'wet finger' calories thing, but I know it won't be very accurate. Tracking is the most important measure here; if I don't track, I cheat and don't lose weight. In my case, it's best if I pre-plan. In that case I know how many calories I have got to play with. If I don't pre-plan, I often gave a problem and it makes it difficult not to cheat!⁸⁷4 -
Exercise: Core 10, Yoga 30, Arms 10 +20, Walk
Tracked: Yes
Calories: Yes
After losing weight twice before and stopping tracking only to gain the weight back, I've realized I will always need to track my food. I also find it really beneficial to pre-log to make sure I stay on track for the day. I also need to be pretty good about weighing and measuring food because I am far too generous with servings otherwise. The recipe match tool on MFP is very helpful, especially when entering from a blog.
@MadisonMolly2017 I'm glad you like yours! I've pretty much decided now that it will be my reward.😀4 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@MadisonMolly2017 great to know, thanks. Can I get sum clarification wen I go to nutrition part of mfp it has sugar goals set at 45g and sodium is set at 2300mg. So my question is are u aiming for 100g of sugar instead of 45g and 1800 for sodium instead of 2300? If so that wld be heaps better 4 me as I'm finding it hard to fit in much friut at 45g. Alto I must admit I am having a little refined sugars treat every night. Atm I am just focusing on the sugar part then next month im hoping to monitor salt as well.
Hi Donna aka @donna25trinity!
SODIUM
“ The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.”
The Canadian recommendations are stricter:
“Articles in this release > Sodium
Canadians consume a large amount of sodium. Although some sodium is needed to control blood volume and to help cells function properly,1 most Canadians consume far more than is necessary, or recommended. Results from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS — Nutrition (see Data source) indicate that, among people aged 19 to 70, over 85% of men and 60% of women had sodium intakes exceeding the recommended upper limit beyond which health risks increase (Table 1).
Most sodium is consumed as sodium chloride, usually called “table salt.” In fact, a US study has estimated that 90% of sodium intake comes from sodium chloride.2 Processed foods are the main source, accounting for 77% of average daily sodium intake. Another 12% occurs naturally in foods, and salt added during cooking (6%) or at the table (5%) makes up the remainder.2
Recommended sodium intake
Dietary recall
All ages exceed recommended levels
Salt and more salt
Risk of hypertension
Provincial differences
Slightly below US intake
Recommended sodium intake
The Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 recommends the following “adequate intakes,” or AIs, per day:
1,000 milligrams (mg) for children aged 1 to 3
1,200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
The IOM has also established a “tolerable upper intake level,” or UL (see Definitions and Limitations), which ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,200 mg of sodium per day for children and adolescents aged 1 to 13, up to 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 or older. Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.1
Note: they also say not to go over 2,300 mg per day (for adults).
🌸—> I have low blood pressure, so I average 1,800-2000mg per day over each year.
In 2018, my average sodium was 1,444 as I was working to keep it under 1,500.
🌸in the past 7 days, my sodium average has been: 1,497. Down 600 from the previous week.🎉
Fruits & Sugar
I eat a little 82% dark chocolate each day - about 6 grams of sugar. Most of my sugars come from apples (40 g most days) & nonfat milk (13-26 grams per day.) Some dates & raisins have been driving up my sugars, so I’m not replacing them when the containers are empty.
The recommendation I saw for sugars from the UK’s NHS:
“Eating too much sugar can make you gain weight and can also cause tooth decay.
The type of sugars most adults and children in the UK eat too much of are "free sugars".
These are:
Any sugars added to food or drinks. These include sugars in biscuits, chocolate, flavoured yoghurts, breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks. These sugars may be added at home, or by a chef or other food manufacturer.
Sugars in honey, syrups (such as maple, agave and golden), nectars (such as blossom), and unsweetened fruit juices, vegetable juices and smoothies. The sugars in these foods occur naturally but still count as free sugars.
Sugar found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables does not count as free sugars.❣️❣️
We do not need to cut down on these sugars, but remember that they are included in the "total sugar" figure found on food labels.
How much sugar can we eat?
The government recommends that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purées – should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.
This means:
Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes).”
🌸I eat about 2,100 calories a day.
NHS is saying 5% of calories about 26 grams of “free sugars” per day for me.
US says 10% of calories 52 grams
I think I’m averaging about 6g - 18 g + dates now.
But when I was going nuts with Graham crackers (all tracked!) that number went up to 7 times that & so did my appetite lol I was also eating many more dates.
Another day I found I had a shocking sugars number due to a lot of dates spread throughout the day. Clearly my sweet tooth was activated.
So, to answer your question..
You want to have fewer than 5-10% of your calories coming from “free sugars” and you probably know a gram of sugar is 4 calories, so it’s easy to calculate the grams you can have per day.
I’m not familiar with MFP’s algorithms as I use My Net Diary. They recommended <25% of daily calories from all sugars. 131 grams for me.
They recommended < 10% of daily calories from added sugars. Or 52 grams for me.
So here’s why I track…I’ve kept ALL sugars under 100 for a few years, but look…NOT the past 3 months…
Thus, the issues with my appetite the past few months. And my weight. And actually I’ve been a bit more tired & “creaky.”
Thank you! I see clearly now what I need to change
I hope this helped!
Best,
Maddie[/quote]
@MadisonMolly2017
Wow i love love love this Maddie! Thank u so much for your time and all the detail. This is just amazing, I really appreciate it and i knew that u were the person I needed to come to wen I was ready to stop ignoring the need to tackle the whole sugar/salt issue. Ill keep u posted with how it all goes. Thanks again. Xox3 -
Exercise - Yes, lots of walking at the fair
Tracking - No
Under calories - No
I hadn't been to the county fair in 3 years, because of COVID and because I was sick the year before. I actually did a lot better than I usually do. In the past, before I was trying to lose weight, eating was kind of the point of the fair. This time I did eat some treats that were difficult to track accurately and probably a million calories, but I didn't keep going back for more. My 5 year old was actually a very moderating influence, because he is in a stage where he will not eat unfamiliar food. So, he said "NO!" to fried oreos - and I couldn't really justify getting them just for myself or to try to convince him to eat them - so skipped those. But still had plenty of junk.
Tracking is definitely the thing that I struggle with most, the thing that is most important, and the thing that I joined this challenge to try to inspire me to do. I would say, though, that I really don't track - I plan. When things are going well, the night before I plan out all my food for the next day. Pre-COVID, I would also at that time pack up all my food because I mostly ate at work. Now I am home all day, but it goes best if I still plan what and how much I will eat. If I have the plan and it's a good one, I can follow it. I have a placeholder for a 150 calorie bedtime treat, with a few different choices that I can actually chose from at night, and that helps me feel like I have some freedom and fun.
Tracking restaurants is a big challenge, though. My main strategy is to try to keep restaurant meals to a minimum or to pick something that is trackable. I try to eat out only once a week. The fair was it for met his week I hope.
I have been on "maintenance" before - I lost weight after college and kept it off for ~9 years until I got pregnant. I did not track daily for that, but I weighed daily. If I was up 3 pounds, I had to take a look at what I was eating and just try to eat healthier - usually some new treat I bought or some new restaurant I was going to was derailing me. If I was up 5 pounds (usually after holidays or stressful times) I had to go back to tracking until I lost the 5 pounds. I usually had to do that about once a year.5 -
For me, it is tracking. I had no idea I was eating so much before I started to track. At first tracking was a time consuming pain but now it takes just a few minutes for each meal. I pretty much eat a rotation of the same things and that makes it even easier. Plus it helps me to make sure I’m eating enough protein or I will just eat all day. My activity has always been pretty consistent. My weight issues are purely related to eating far too much.
Saturday, September 4
Tracking: Yes
Calories: under with some exercise calories but it was an active day and I needed a bit more fuel so all good.
Exercise: Yes, full body warm up 10 min, core 10 min, lift upper body 20 min, lift arms & light weights 10 min, fully body stretch 10 min, chest & back stretch 10 min, focus flow yoga hamstrings 10 min & pigeon 10 min, golf 9 walk.
Pass days to date - 03 -
@seilidhe - my heart breaks for you and all the stress you’re under. I applaud you for continuing to run, bike, and track (even if it’s not within your calorie goal). That confirms to me how strong you are - you know what’s beneficial and you stick with it. I said a prayer for you this morning, not sure how you feel about that, but I can’t knock on your door with a casserole (low cal of course) or give you a hug, or punch the person who stole your bike, or wave a magic wand and relieve your stress, so a prayer is all I have.7
-
September 4
UAC goals
✅ Exercise 20+ minutes
✅ Calories within budget
✅ Tracked every detail I consumed
Pass days used: 0/3
Additional challenges
✅ 3+ strength sessions in last 7 days (9/3, 9/1, 8/30)
✅ 17k+ steps (23,960 steps)
✅ 7 day avg. 7.5+ walking miles (9.4 miles)
Additional challenges met: 4/4 days
Today's Activities
🚶♂️ 44 min Afternoon Walk (2.32 miles)
🚶♂️ 98 min Evening Walk (4.67 miles)4 -
.
~~~9 / 4 /2021~~~ Waving Hi ~~ 🧚🏼 ~~ BLESSings ALLways ~~ 💖 ~~
Exercise for at least 20 minutes .................................... ✅ ... 170 + min.
Stay within my calorie budget for the day ...................... ✅ ... I am
Keep track of everything I ate and drank ....................... ✅ .... I did
STEPS.......... 18,600+ ........140 m Walking .... 30 m house cleaning .....
@WhatMeRunning Thank You for your insightful words... I agree ...
Tracking my food is the best Way I found to keep me on Track to reaching
my personal HEALTHY Weight... By doing so, I have learned how dif. foods
affect my overall well being NOT just my weight... & helped me be Mindful
of which are HEALTHY Foods based on what they consist of
I must admit... My fairly new Smart Watch has been an excellent tool in
helping me stay on track Walking has helped me with much more than
losing weight... its helped me lower my stress, shift my body fat / muscle
relieve pain from arthritise & much more
Both have literally become a part of my daily Routine (LIFEstyle)
Documenting My CONSISTANCY = For personal ACCOUNTABILITY
(if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
1-2-3-4
.5 -
Yes x3
“To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing.” – Mark Twain4 -
9/04
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? 👍🏻
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? 👍🏻
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? 👍🏻
3 Pass Days Remaining3 -
September 4
1. Tracked it all ✅
2. Kept within calorie limit? ❌ 60 calories over. Was pretty sure I’d be taking a pass day, but tracked to be certain. Have daughter and partner here for the long weekend. Aperol spritzes were enjoyed as well as a delicious barbeque. We had a campfire in the back yard after dinner and I limited myself to (and thoroughly enjoyed) one toasted marshmallow. Happy with my choices for the day!
3. Moved for 20 minutes or more? ✅ walk with the puppy; 1 hour gardening, hauling compost and boxes.
💡 First pass days used September 4Extra goals for September success:
8000 steps? 🤯 left FitBit on charger all day
Reached protein goal of 88g? 👎🏻 (66g actual)
iPhone ban success? 👍🏻 But a terrible sleep nonetheless2 -
Yes, no, no.
Pass days used 33 -
3xyes3
-
@seilidhe Sending you a hug for strength. 🫂💞1
-
Yes x 33
-
Exercised 20+ minutes: Yes to the 5th power. So much gardening I was flattened by it all. 3 hours then a break the another hour. Whew!
Tracked all intake: Yes
Kept with my calories: Yes with a generous allowance due to all the exercise.
3 -
IDK, I suppose I will see what happens. I just can't envision what tracking looks like once I hit maintenance. It's one thing when I can weigh, measure, read labels, and know every ingredient that I am consuming, but how do I do it when I eventually eat something I don't personally prepare at home? How do you rock star maintainers manage?
Hey there I still out prob once a week and I just estimate based on what I find on Google and mfp. I usually try to over estimate to account for extra sugar sodium and calories that comes with eating out. Xo3 -
