Shrinking Assets Team Chat - NOVEMBER 2021

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  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited December 2021
    My maintenance weigh in follows:

    Name: PatriceFitnessPal
    Weigh-in day: Thursday
    PW: 123.6
    CW: 125.2

    SW: 168
    Maintenance zone: 120-130

    I forgot to weigh-in last week because it was a holiday in the U.S. - and I’m not sure I checked in the previous week because I attended a funeral - so, it’s time to get back on schedule! I’m still within my maintenance goal range but I was off kilter most of November. My exercise routine is back on track but I’m still dealing with some sugar cravings. I’m slowly getting it back in balance but it takes a little time for me because small, incremental adjustments work better than big steps for me.

    One positive step in the right direction is that I was finally able to get a DEXA scan appointment. Usually, I can schedule my annual mammogram online but I had to call the office because my doctor also prescribed a bone density scan, which I requested to get baseline measures of my body fat, water percentages, etc. I must have called at least six times and left voice mail messages but I didn’t receive a call back. It was frustrating but I know other people are dealing with more serious health issues - and medical professionals are under a lot of pressure (like so many other people these days) - so I’m just glad I finally got an appointment on the calendar.

    In fact, I’ve been trying to approach each personal interaction in a way that leaves the other person feeling better than before our interaction. I feel as though living each day with this approach, I’m likely to have fewer regrets down the road. Is there a motto for this? Do you have a personal motto or saying that you use for guidance?

    ‘Seize the day’ is always a good one, especially in difficult times. It’s always a nice reminder to live each day the way we want to live our life; ultimately, a life is made up of those many days. I also like Gandhi’s aspiration to ‘be the change’ and one of my favorites is the Japanese samurai expression: Fall down seven times, get up eight.

    Another expression I use that my kids laugh about is: Adapt or die! We frequently visit the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC and our sons’ favorite exhibit growing up was/is part of the Museum of Natural History, which has an exhibit about evolution. So, that became a saying we used whenever we had to adjust our expectations, etc. When my son was applying to college, his friends asked if we had a family motto that guided or inspired him, but they decided our ‘adapt or die’ approach was too dark to write about in a college essay! 😱

    What value or motto guides you as you strive to be the person you want to be? Carpe diem!
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    Great question @PatriceFitnessPal !

    I have a couple of rules to live by, not sure if they count as motto… if I can increase happiness and wellbeing in the world without reducing my own happiness too much, I do it. Currently that means donating my leftover breastmilk instead of just dumping it (my freezer ain’t big enough for all of it), even though it takes extra hygiene work. I recycle despite the extra effort, volunteer my time to give back to my scouting troop and student organization, and we signed our daughter up for a vaccine research study that takes some extra effort in terms of appointments and health logs (side note: if someone wants to start up a discussion about vaccinating babies, vaccine research or anything like that, just don’t. This is not the place and everyone is entitled to their choices. The study is about scheduling an already approved vaccine to early childhood, so nothing wildly experimental.). The reducing-my-own-happiness creates limits, for example we had planned to use reusable diapers for our daughter, but the milk pumping and bottle feeding stuff (she has consistently refused breast since birth) takes up so much time there isn’t enough hours in my day to deal with both the extra dishes from pump parts and bottles and the extra laundry that would come from the diapers, so we use disposable ones. I still want to sleep, rest, cuddle and generally live my life instead of just doing housework all day every day.

    My other rule to live by is that there are three main resources in life, and usually one can be used to buy the other: time, money and irritation (in Finnish there’s a better word for irritation, but it’s both inappropriate and a language you guys don’t speak…). For example, if I get tired and cranky at a party late at night, I will pay money to get a quick taxi home instead of riding public transit so I can save time and irritation. I paid for good quality cordless breastpumps to make pumping quicker and easier, so I have more time to spend with my daughter and make life in general better than sitting chained to a pump for hours on end. I endure plenty of irritating crap at work and sometimes put in long hours to earn my executive-level salary. The list of examples goes on and on.
  • jessicakrall8
    jessicakrall8 Posts: 5,009 Member
    6l98r8sr9www.png

    Hi Team! After SO many great suggestions and voting, the name chosen for our newly combined team is [drum roll please], Shape Shifters!!! Like several of you have pointed out, it gives a positive glow for our team, as we all work very hard to shift our nutritional/fitness goals for the future!! Thank you to each of you who provided your feelings on the new name. I'm really glad to see our two amazing teams combine into such a great resource of support for all of us! I just know it's gonna be awesome! Reading through all of your thoughts has given me a glimpse into all of your creativity and passion for life!

    We are stepping into the busy holiday season for December, with all new opportunities to be more active, a few holiday nutritional challenges, but those are always on-going. With this great team, I'm sure we will work together to keep each other moving in the right direction, feeling uplifted and motivated!!

    Thanks to the MODS who helped with this process! I'm looking forward to working together with Bob as we move forward.

    Shape Shifters...let's jump into a great December!!
    JessicaKrall8 and TheMrWobbly
  • wtbarunner
    wtbarunner Posts: 162 Member
    Wtbarunner
    Wednesday
    PW 237.5
    CW 237.9
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 9,891 Member
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    hipari wrote: »
    @PatriceFitnessPal ooooh! Did your dad play for a Finnish team so you visited here?.

    @hipari - I realized I never answered your question about my visit to Finland. My Dad didn’t play hockey in Finland but he coached some U.S. National teams (World Cup, Olympics, etc.) so I think there was a National juniors tournament in Finland hosting the younger players in the development ‘pipeline.’ I always enjoy the rivalry games between Finland and Sweden because the fans are really energized. They often embody the term ‘fanatical’ 🙃!
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    hipari wrote: »
    @PatriceFitnessPal ooooh! Did your dad play for a Finnish team so you visited here?.

    @hipari - I realized I never answered your question about my visit to Finland. My Dad didn’t play hockey in Finland but he coached some U.S. National teams (World Cup, Olympics, etc.) so I think there was a National juniors tournament in Finland hosting the younger players in the development ‘pipeline.’ I always enjoy the rivalry games between Finland and Sweden because the fans are really energized. They often embody the term ‘fanatical’ 🙃!

    You’re right on about the Finland-Sweden games! As the saying goes, the only thing more important than Finland winning is that Sweden loses - so much so, that in World Cup and Olympics pretty much any team that plays against Sweden is a fan favorite on game day.

    @justanotherloser007 hopefully everything continues to go well with your skin cancer treatment! My dad is missing a part of his earlobe because it had skin cancer so they just cut the whole thing out, and finding out about that definitely made me more aware of UV protection. The sun up here isn’t all that dangerous, but I still end up burning at least some body part pretty much every year. Lately it’s smaller areas and not as badly, but I’m definitely at risk.

    @PatriceFitnessPal I just realized a sneaky way the public officials are encouraging me to walk more: public transit is free for anyone with a stroller and a child that’s younger than 6 years old, so I don’t have a monthly pass now as most of my travels are with the baby. I had a phone issue today and had to go to the store to get it fixed, and left the baby at home with her dad. My first instinct was to take the bus (we had just come home and I *really* didn’t feel like going outside or walking any more), but realizing I would have to buy a single ticket made me put my headphones on and walk. It wasn’t even that bad, it was actually quite nice to walk alone with my headphones on, but I was surprised how weird it felt walking without the stroller. Even though pushing it is of course extra weight, it also gives support to help balance and stabilize my torn-apart core.
  • cre804
    cre804 Posts: 341 Member
    Cre804
    Friday
    PW 194.0
    CW 194.0

    The last of our guests left on Tuesday and I still haven’t been to the grocery because my husband wants us to drive up to Virginia to see his sister next week. So we’re eating out of the pantry or eating out until I know for sure because I don’t want to stock up on a bunch of perishables if we are heading out of town. There are still too many snacks here. My sisters sent us a lovely box of cherry treats from Michigan and it’s been hard to ignore. But I’m trying to recommit to logging my food and drinking more water. Those two things alone will be a big help.

    It’s been interesting to read about all the locations y’all have lived or visited. I grew up in Michigan (also very fair) and now live in Fort Worth, TX. My daughter lives in Houston and spent a week in Finland in October!
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 9,891 Member
    The December Habit Tracker is up and ready for you to plan and set up for success in December. Be sure to plan which days you won't worry about, and which days you hope to stick to the straight and narrow!

    Go to https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10850312/december-habit-tracker#latest

    Find your team, and go for it! It is up to you to update your own progress daily.
  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 836 Member
    leni1us
    Friday
    PW 150.1
    CW 151.0

    Weight is slowly creeping up. I need to focus and get back on track. Trying to follow a Mediterranean diet is new to me & it is proving to be a challenge. Any tips or insights?
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 9,891 Member
    The December Team Chat is UP! Time for new month introductions, commitments, and starting off on the right foot. Continue final weigh-ins here, and head to the new chat to get December officially started, with your new teammates - go Shape Shifters!!

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10850333/shape-shifters-team-chat-december-2021/p1?new=1
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited December 2021
    @leni1us - It’s difficult to make big habit changes so I can definitely understand the challenge of adopting a new diet, which could include the need to adjust grocery shopping habits, recipes, and cooking styles. Whenever I am trying to shift to a more positive habit, I rely on the tenets of positive psychology by working to replace the unwanted behavior with a new behavior and build in a positive incentive.

    So, it would help to know what the specific challenges are that you face while trying to eat more foods from a Mediterranean-style diet.

    Years ago, I read the popular book by Charles Duhigg: The Power of Habit. There are some fascinating examples in the book but the author tells us to pay attention to three main components of each story when changing habits: the cue (or context), routine (what we do, behavior), and the reward (incentive, what we get).

    It would also be important to clearly understand your reward (e.g., please the doctor, enjoy the taste of your food, improve heart health or another indicator shown to improve through the benefits of a Mediterranean diet). Once you have a good picture of the cue/driver and the reward, it helps to select a new behavior that will likely work to replace the previous habit. For example, if I really want to enjoy my food - and I’m trying to switch to a Mediterranean diet - I’d probably start by making a list of things I already like within the diet, such as fish, white meat, vegetables and olive oil. I’d start by eating those ingredients and building the habit of selecting fish and white meat instead of red meat.

    Then, I’d select one context/cue - such as a specific meal time or ingredient - which I’d use to replace an existing behavior. For example, I didn’t grow up eating a lot of legumes. I love chick peas, lentils, and food made from legumes - like hummus - but it wasn’t my habit to buy, prepare, and eat them. So, I’d pick lunch as an opportunity to add legumes to my usual meal. Maybe I can add chick peas to make a salad more filling so I don’t feel the need to eat a piece of bread, or I could replace my regular yogurt with kefir. My sister’s husband is originally from Lebanon so she has a traditional Lebanese breakfast drink to start each day. My brother-in-law incorporates a lot of fruit and nuts in place of desserts, too. He would definitely turn to fruit after a meal instead of ice cream, which is probably a good habit.

    It takes some time to make this kind of change so I hope you also give yourself grace. You don’t have to eat the perfect Mediterranean diet if your goal is to replace unhealthy fats with healthier fats, etc. I trust you’ll learn what balance works for you but I thought I’d just share some of the insights, from that long ago book, in case there is some takeaway you can use. Best wishes!
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 9,891 Member
    Let's get those last weigh-ins done! Please post by 8 am Sunday, Eastern time. Thanks!
    @TheMrWobbly
    @peachplace
    @toriirving
    @thetigers
  • peachplace
    peachplace Posts: 67 Member
    peachplace
    pw 231.5
    cw 229.1

  • leni1us
    leni1us Posts: 836 Member
    @leni1us - It’s difficult to make big habit changes so I can definitely understand the challenge of adopting a new diet, which could include the need to adjust grocery shopping habits, recipes, and cooking styles. Whenever I am trying to shift to a more positive habit, I rely on the tenets of positive psychology by working to replace the unwanted behavior with a new behavior and build in a positive incentive.

    So, it would help to know what the specific challenges are that you face while trying to eat more foods from a Mediterranean-style diet.

    Years ago, I read the popular book by Charles Duhigg: The Power of Habit. There are some fascinating examples in the book but the author tells us to pay attention to three main components of each story when changing habits: the cue (or context), routine (what we do, behavior), and the reward (incentive, what we get).

    It would also be important to clearly understand your reward (e.g., please the doctor, enjoy the taste of your food, improve heart health or another indicator shown to improve through the benefits of a Mediterranean diet). Once you have a good picture of the cue/driver and the reward, it helps to select a new behavior that will likely work to replace the previous habit. For example, if I really want to enjoy my food - and I’m trying to switch to a Mediterranean diet - I’d probably start by making a list of things I already like within the diet, such as fish, white meat, vegetables and olive oil. I’d start by eating those ingredients and building the habit of selecting fish and white meat instead of red meat.

    Then, I’d select one context/cue - such as a specific meal time or ingredient - which I’d use to replace an existing behavior. For example, I didn’t grow up eating a lot of legumes. I love chick peas, lentils, and food made from legumes - like hummus - but it wasn’t my habit to buy, prepare, and eat them. So, I’d pick lunch as an opportunity to add legumes to my usual meal. Maybe I can add chick peas to make a salad more filling so I don’t feel the need to eat a piece of bread, or I could replace my regular yogurt with kefir. My sister’s husband is originally from Lebanon so she has a traditional Lebanese breakfast drink to start each day. My brother-in-law incorporates a lot of fruit and nuts in place of desserts, too. He would definitely turn to fruit after a meal instead of ice cream, which is probably a good habit.

    It takes some time to make this kind of change so I hope you also give yourself grace. You don’t have to eat the perfect Mediterranean diet if your goal is to replace unhealthy fats with healthier fats, etc. I trust you’ll learn what balance works for you but I thought I’d just share some of the insights, from that long ago book, in case there is some takeaway you can use. Best wishes!

    Thank you so much for the insights. I've been on a low carb diet since February. This involved red meat, cheese, fish, vegetables, bacon, butter, berries, cream, etc. After routine bloodwork, my cholesterol was super high (300). High cholesterol runs in my family so.....my low carb diet shot my cholesterol to the stratosphere. My Dr. wants me to follow a Mediterranean diet to get my cholesterol under control ( I guess it's been proven to lower cholesterol). A lot of that way of eating is counter to a low carb diet - the focus is on beans, whole grains, fruits like pears, apples and bananas. Red meat, eggs, shellfish and high fat dairy are a "no go" or very limited. I'm not trying to be perfect just continue to lose weight and manage my health.

    I ordered a couple of Med cookbooks. Hopefully, they will help me.
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