July 2022 - Daily Discipline
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Happy weekend all. I am so impressed and inspired by this group. It really does seem that everyone is on the right track in a good place.
I’ve been drinking a ton of water and it really does help with appetite. I could definitely use more sleep. Exercise is pretty good but yes - @SparkSpringtime69 i don’t know how you do the heat and humidity in SC. I’m miserable right now in NY. Too many days in the 90’s. Can’t wait for Fall….
@CeeBeeSlim i am in AWE. 8lbs in 2 weeks - amazing!! So inspiring!!1 -
@zenobia9777, Sounds good, I'm in.0
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The heat is oppressive! Started a walk and glad i made it to 30 minutes. No escape. Between my parents healthcare needs and my home - there’s no respite! NYC ! DC heat! SC heat ! NC heat!
The only good thing is that it tends to zap my appetite. Scale is staying the same but I think it’s water retention. I’m happy that I’m able to increase my weights so I’m getting stronger and sore! Clothes feel the same so alls good.
Did so much planting yesterday - so proud of my containers - until - our ring camera captured a deer feasting on them and nada left! 😡I was tempted for 15 seconds to just make waffles, and then I calmed down. Eggs - scrambled with zucchini, spinach, bell peppers and onions. I feel proud! But those waffles would’ve been 🤤🤤!
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@CeeBeeSlim Sorry to hear about your deer problem. DH and I were just talking about starting a vegetable garden next year and he mentioned we'll probably have to put a fence (chicken wire or whatever) around it so there will be some food for us LOL0
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@zenobia9777 Planks done WOOHOO! When I did them last I had 4 at 55 seconds, so I started at 30.
Did 30, 40, 50, 55, 60 and 60. Thanks for the challenge, how did you do?0 -
Iitstuesday wrote: »@SparkSpringtime69 i don’t know how you do the heat and humidity in SC. I’m miserable right now in NY. Too many days in the 90’s. Can’t wait for Fall….
I stay inside a lot
. But seriously, I'm hoping I'll get used to it by next summer. Although, I think NJ/NY were hotter than us the last day or so. 0 -
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@zenobia9777 do you do them every day or take break days in-between? If you're up for it, we can make this a standing accountability commitment, or just an ongoing challenge, with break days or without. Let me know what you think, and if anyone else wants to join in, you're certainly welcome of course.
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@SparkSpringtime69 that is impressive! I did not mean to say double each time, but you had a good plan. You are strong!
I am fighting off a GI bug right now..maybe pose a weekly plank goal?
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@zenobia9777 I hope your bug goes away soon.
I do the forearm planks right now not the full straight arm ones. My ultimate goal is to do 3 sets of 2-minute straight arm planks. Once I get up to 2-minute forearm ones, I'm going to switch out to the straight arm.
This week's goal - 3 sets of 60-seconds, 3 days a week (then add 5 seconds each week until I'm up to 2 minutes).
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I miss planking and may start them back up. Was doing a challenge last year and getting pretty strong until I experienced some rib pain - costochronditis - had never heard of it. 😡Can act up every once in a while!0
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@CeeBeeSlim I just looked that up, sounds painful, I hope it doesn't flair up too often. Planks definitely help make my tummy look better; I also do back extensions to strengthen the back muscles.0
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@SparkSoringtime69, I will try this challenge tomorrow. I do feel better, thanks.Retested for Covid and it was negative.
@CeeBeeSlim I have a mini garden, mostly for the grands. We only harvested a few delicious cherry tomatoes and strawberries. But they get so excited about it!
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Hello all!
What's the plank challenge exactly? I'm in! 6 long planks with a rest in between? My bootcamp instructor/trainer told me that the straight arm planks are a bit easier than the forearm planks (if youre doing them right). I'm not totally sure why- something about being able to lock your elbows? In forearm plank, if you draw your shoulders down from your ears and tighten everything from your shoulders towards your core, then you're actively working (and not just hanging out suspended in air)!
@CeeBeeSlim I've had a veggie garden for many years (nothing fancy - basically growing only what my kids will eat) and for the first time ever this year, I had a rabbit demolish all my beans, beets and lettuce in one day!!! I saw him munching away from the window so I released my dog who chased him away but he was back a day later!!! So frustrating. Ironically, he didn't touch the carrots!? At least not yet. Gardening is still worth it though - keep it up!
The heat is really bad but so far for me I'd say it's not worse than most hot muggy summers. I really wish I enjoyed swimming more. It's just not my thing but I can objectively appreciate that it's a really good workout and it's cooler than going for a run!
@spirittrail I'm also Canadian! You clearly make excellent (veggies!) choices for your health which is awesome. But I think there are plenty of demographics (urban, lower income, less educated?) that do choose fast food all the time for a bunch of reasons. It depends greatly on where you live and what you know. I agree portion control is a BIG part of it (hence why tracking on MFP is so key!), wherever you live.
And I'd never thought of my 7pm to 7am period as a "fast" but I guess it is. It wouldn't be too hard to go another few hours I assume, except for my coffee or tea. I need that as soon as I wake up! Is that allowed?
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@k8richer this is it from @SparkSpringtime69 forearm planks with rest in between. I don't know how long to rest. Please tell us!
This week's goal - 3 sets of 60-seconds, 3 days a week (then add 5 seconds each week until I'm up to 2 minutes).
I will try these today.2 -
Hey all I'd love to join in and see if I can get myself moving on the health goals I have for myself!
I have been using MFP for 10 years on and off, but maybe I need to engage in community and sharing a bit more?!
really struggling the past few years to have consistency in any area of diet or exercise. I have lost a lot of weight, gained a lot of weight, and everything in between. went from just over 100lbs to almost 200lbs in SUCH a short space of time.
I bounced down to 120 and now back up at 152
It's a rollercoaster.
So
5'7"
Current weight 152lbs
GW 128-135lbs
Health issues have meant I have no fitness routine or exercise and I am really struggling with starting off again, and I know it's a huge part of how I can change things, but knowing where to start is the issue!
Sorry for the long post, lots of good support in this thread, i enjoyed reading all of your wins and support!
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@zenobia9777 and @k8richer I generally get 2 minutes or so in between because I do some other exercises, usually squats and back extensions. I didn't know the straight arm ones were easier, I guess they seem harder to me because my wrists don't bend back quite 45 degrees so that discomfort makes the time seem so much longer LOL.
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Hi friends. Hope everyone off to a good start this week. At least it is a bit cooler. Feeling totally discouraged as my weight is right back up to where I started. It’s 2-3 lbs I lose and gain. But really slowly climbing up over the years. It’s ultimately 5 lbs my body not willing to part with again after not having it around for 8 years or so! I’m doing all the things - always have activity. Eating well. Drinking water. Just. Ugh.
Hope you are all doing better! Look forward to hearing your good news.2 -
@itstuesday Don't worry about 5 pounds Focus on exercise, water, positive things This generation places FAR too much emphasis on the scale over feeling strong in my opinion.
@BBlueLuca Welcome! You sound like me!! MFP for about 12 years, off and on, up and down. Now I focus on FEELING healthy and strong. I don't concern myself with time. I weigh myself once a month on a very accurate Community Centre's scale. My scale, digital, was clutter in my opinion. I'm the one who's focused on SIZE, measurements, lung capacity and strength. I often joke I'd rather be a size 8 160 than a size 12 140. 😜1 -
@k8richer Hello!! I wondered when a fellow Canadian or Commonwealth citizen would show up! 😊
Lol! I don't know whether there are any fasting rules. I just decided one day to see how long I naturally fasted when my sister complained about a 12 hour fast for blood work. I told her it sounded easy. I noted when I stopped eating naturally and when I ate breakfast and it was about 12 hours. So I now do that daily. Soon, it was easy enough to do 14 hours some days. Stop eating at 7pm, eat again at 9 am or even 10. I'm not a coffee drinker....I start my day with water. 😆 I think if it interests you, yes, it's not as intimidating as it sounds. Some people like my sister who nosh at 10pm and eat at 7am may have to move more slowly....but I sincerely believe a 12 hour fast is doable for almost everyone.2 -
I live in Vancouver,BC.....Canada's California. Obesity is extremely rare here compared to the Maritimes or Prairies. I have personally traveled as far East as Ontario....every Province in between. I personally have never seen a huge proliferation of fast food restaurants all clumped together. An A&W across a highway from a McDonald's is the worst I've seen. 😆 Just the whiff of all that grease makes me feel sick. Lol! I just reminded myself of the time a cousin came for a visit about ten years ago. He was STUNNED we had no fast food places in our area, and as the week continued, STUNNED he saw absolutely zero Black people and finally...while in a large mall.....STUNNED that shoppers weren't bogged down with shopping bags! Just bought what they apparently needed. Later, his father told me that he had said....My place was pristine. 😆 His mother has clutter all over their home, unusable rooms. Poor kid. I digress....
Last night I made a chicken stir fry with veggies. NO STARCH. Just the neat and veggies 😋.....I question WHY we need the rice or noodles. 😩
In this heat....I'm firmly at 2800 ml of water!! Have finally been holding there for about 3 days. Really close to one gallon a day again! Just start with your base number...and aim for half gallon to start. On e you hit that, hold there for several months. That's how I started a few years ago. Right now I'm working back up to my "usual " gallon but taking my time. If anyone is interested, that's my advice. Start where you are and the ultimate goal is half a gallon daily. Soon your body accepts this as normal and wonderful things happen ✨️ 😊.1 -
So many good posts today. I hope my thoughts are helpful to the rest of us who are struggling, including me.
Welcome, @BBlueLuca in my experience the worst enemy is in your own mind because I tend to get overwhelmed and I feel like I can't begin something.
Begin where you are and put the past behind you. Just do something, anything, every day to get started. Baby steps. It's sticking with any projects that gets you interested and seeing progress. Make a plan that you can believe in.
I found that I had to join a gym because otherwise I just would not do enough. If money is an issue there are often gyms that offer extremely low rates. Or you can join a meetup walker's group. That helped me a lot for several years and eventually got me doing more cardio-intensive exercise.
Everybody's got a trigger that makes them accountable and you just have to find what it is. MFP helped me a lot because I like to express myself in words.
For a while I had some real life running buddies. They could run and I could pretend to run (brisk walk) but it was a great motivator. We did a lot of the 5K events.
I also had a friend who used to go to the gym with me, but she moved away and I have not made a new friend at my new studio.
I hope some of these ideas help you. Forgive yourself your lapses...I had a big one yesterday. You may want to totally reconsider your food choices. I think giving up bread and grain except for in the evening has been a huge help for me. I keep repeating myself on this note but you haven't heard it yet. LOL
Sorry if I sound like a preacher. I'm really talking to myself. Hello just a
Good luck!
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5'7", 43 years old
Starting Weight 1/3/22: 155.8
GW: ~128-132ish
2/23/22: 150
3/30/22: 147
4/22: Missed
5/31/22: 149.4
6/29/22: 152.4
7/6/22: 155
7/13/22: 153.8
7/20/22: 152.8
7/27/22: 150.6
Made my end of month goal, which was to get back to where I started the BLC Spring challenge (another group I've been a part of for years previously on Spark People), and my weigh in today just happened to be exactly where I started!
Still have a long ways to go, but the pants are starting to fit better at least LOL!
Also - got the rejection from the job I really wanted on Friday, so was able to proceed with my previous company without hesitation. I got them to match my current salary (which is significantly more than I used to make there), job title, and add in the annual bonus, their insurance premium coverage, and remote work, and it will effectively end up being an almost 15% raise - plus will at least be doing the type of work I expect to be doing.
Start back there on Tuesday, I don't have much to hand off here, so not too worried about the short notice...last day here will be Monday, which should extend my health coverage through the month....2 -
Did well today. Was going to cap off my strength training with a walk but was startled by what my husband says was a fox. Ran all the way home. I knew it wasn’t a dog. As a NY’er I can handle pigeons and squirrels. The deer, fox, and coy wolves are scawey!! 😂😂
@litstuesday - those 5 pounds can and will come off. I have a scale weight “thing” - bad ! - but when my weight isn’t moving I can pinpoint it to slightly overeating, water retention from exercise, increased carbs or sodium. When I was more successful, I weighed everything. To be honest, I thing the slow weight loss is due to me not weighing that extra teaspoon of hummus, smear of jam, and extra couple of chips - with so little to lose I have to be militaristic ( is that a word😀?). Plus I need to be at 10,000 steps to see real progress.
Can you point to anything?
@BBlueLuca Stick around! Great group here and @zenobia9777 makes great points.
@HoneyBadger302 Sorry about the other job. Hope the weekend is enough transition time for you!0 -
@HoneyBadger302 congrats on some fine negotiating and on your weight loss!
@CeeBeeSlim I know what you mean about measuring everything because it just creeps up on you. I have been slacking off on logging but I did it this morning.
Not sure what I did in yoga yesterday but I was very proud of my arm strength, so I have seen progress more quickly than I expected. I have never had strong arms so it is nice to know it is a possibility.
Back to yoga in a few minutes.
Going to finish the week stronger than I started, in more ways than one. Maybe my balance will even be better today!
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Oh ladies!! Measuring your food? Life is too short for that.....just my opinion. 😊
I had my monthly weigh in yesterday. Thank goodness I don't rely on the scale as my make or break metric. I am negative one pound in the end. That's it. If I hung on to the old me....my entire month would have been wasted on feelings of dread, anger and self loathing as I jump off and on the scale DAILY. Wringing my hands in despair!
Instead, I CELEBRATE the one pound! I also lost ONE INCH from my waist AND HIPS!! Which is far more important to me personally. I view the entire experience holistically....and ask....What did I do RIGHT? I increased my water dramatically! What can I IMPROVE? I am slowly adding exercise days to my week. Currently at 4x30 minutes this week. What was NEGATIVE? 😆 Ice cream on a weekly basis. That was it. That was the cause of my weak showing on the scale....I can fix that.
For the month of August, now that I have reached my goal for water intake, I can "relax" as it is now a daily habit. Eating healthy and avoiding sodium, excess sugar and chemicals is now a daily habit and can also go in the "daily routine " category. Still needing attention are daily exercise of 30 minutes daily and my weekly ice cream habit. Time to focus on one or both. The next step to reduce ice cream is once every 10 days. I'm already feeling a wee bit sick after eating it. 😕 I'm exercising 4x30 this week, 5x30 next week.....then plan to "hold" at 6x30 minutes for the rest of August.
My goal may be more long term so I don't allow daily weigh ins and food cravings to distract me. Instead, my focus is losing the cravings permanently. Focusing on living a healthy lifestyle of nourishing food and water, moving daily, increasing lung capacity and maintenance of healthy muscle.
If this is helpful to anyone....KNOW WHY you want to be healthy. Don't blindly follow what the herd is doing. Time is ALWAYS on your side! 😊
Bust 38 Waist 30 Hips 40
Size 8/10 Canadian (down from 10/12). Shocked to be a size SIX in some US brands
Largest size.....16 Euro or 14 US0 -
@CeeBeeSlim you are so right. You really do have to be so precise. And I know it’s probably lots of little things all together. But it’s frustrating. And TBH it’s not really this 5lbs - it’s the next. That slow gradual creep up. And what has worked in the past is not working anymore. But Im doing all the right things - and someone said this before - I need to change my expectations. What worked in the past after 50 does not work as quickly. It’s a marathon. But Im up for it.
And did you really see a fox? Are you in upstate NY or southern outside city? I’m outside city and have seen foxes 🦊 around here. Love to see them but also freaked out! Im sure you ran fast!
@HoneyBadger302 congrats on hitting your month goal and great job negotiating your salary and perks at your new/old job. I know you wanted to other job but at times like that I always think everything happens for a reason. Glad you are getting out of that hot mess job.
Hope everyone is having a good week in this blazing hot summer!1 -
@litstuesday Boy, do I know it! I could lose 5 pounds in no time when I was a young’in! Now I just have to shake my head when realizing a .5 pound a week weight loss is good. 😩
@spirittrail I know! If you told me I’d be measuring grams of food, ever, I would’ve thought you were insane! But it did teach me about portion sizes and why I was creeping up. You did remind me to stop focusing in the scale and start measuring. I’ll do that and post tomorrow. Gulp!
@zenobia9777 congrats on the increased arm strength. Do you feel you’re back to 100%?1 -
@CeeBeeSlim I went to circuit training today and she really worked us hard. I was using seven and a half pound weights and they felt awfully heavy! I was really exhausted. That's a good thing. So I don't know if I'm 100% or not. At least I got to the studio three times this week.
Reading through these comments, I am reminded I also have an ice cream problem!
Happy weekend, everybody. Right now I'm just trying to get one good day.
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@litstuesday I think if you keep focusing on the positive things you've been doing, those pesky pounds will eventually go away.
@spirittrail I do pretty much the same - dinner at 5 or 5:30 and then breakfast at 7 or so. I don't really think of it as a fast, but I guess everyone "fasts" while they're sleeping. Regarding fast food - it's soooo sad how much junk us Americans eat (not me though
) Great results with the inches lost.
@BBlueLuca welcome! I hope you enjoy the group.
@zenobia9777 you gave some great suggestions, and improved arm strength is a big deal. Slow and consistent is the best way when it comes to strength training, three days a week is great.
@HoneyBadger302 sorry you didn't get the job you really wanted, but what a fantastic job you did negotiating such a great new salary and benefits. Glad to hear you made your end-of-month goal. I was in a Sparkpeople BLC Challenge too! I think there were two different ones, I was (and still am here) in the Resolute Renegades.
@CeeBeeSlim I always weigh/measure most foods when I'm seriously trying to lose weight; even though counting calories and tracking is a big pain, I find it helps me a lot. The only things I don't bother weighing are fruits and vegetables unless they're the starchy kind.
I've been overeating a bit this week, some nighttime snacking, which I rarely do. Got in one day of planks this week and tomorrow's the last day of the week so I'm going to end up one day short of my goal for the week.
I think August is going to be "get my lazy you-know-what back into a regular exercise routine" month.1
