Challenge, Reflection, and Looking Forward

elizabethpikalek

Mucho Gusto!

I started using this app on the sixth, reintroduced myself to my Fitbit yesterday the seventh, and started the Jumpstart your Health Challenge yesterday as well.

When I previously tried to use an app to track my calories I found it difficult and burdensome. There was no motivation and I did not see benefit in 'wasting my time' to do the task. Now my priorities changed and i am seeing more value in myself so my own betterment has become my main concern.

I decided to try intermittent fasting due to my constant snacking, and use my Fitbit to ensure 10,000 steps are taken. The Fitbit is a great tool that I wish I had utilized previously, but all I can do now is begin again. Almost 10,00 steps today!

The intermittent fasting is more difficult, due to having my life centered around food and snacks. I was going to try to see what i actually did eat in a day before restarting my process, but logging and tracking food made me much more conscious to my intake. The start button for my fast is like a cease and desist for snacks and food to come to my thoughts. I am now more focused on the fast itself and thinking of the implications of the fast.

The challenge for the yesterday was not difficult. I made myself do one workout for 37 minutes, decided my main goal is weight loss so I can make a habit of drinking more water, and the meal logging itself which is a habit to create. Today is about focusing on meals. Meal planning, shopping lists, healthier staple choices, and a recipe. Shopping is the thing I detest most so this will be difficult. I'll have to tell myself that creating a list will make the experience faster in order to trick myself to build that habit.

Thanks for reading. The first two or three weeks will be the most difficult, but we got this.

mtaratoot

It's nice to meet you too Elizabeth.

Congratulations for realizing that YOU ARE WORTH the time it takes to invest some time in being a healthier and ideally happier person.

You are wise to realize it's about creating good habits and eliminating those that move you away from your goals. I assume you also recognize that you shouldn't try to start any habits that you're not willing to continue on indefinitely. Once you reach your weight-loss goal, you don't get to stop. You have to maintain your loss. Some people actually find that more difficult than the weight loss phase because you don't get to keep watching the scale go down over time. You have to change your mindset that you get excited watching it go up and down over and over again like a yo-yo in a small range of maybe five or eight pounds. You get to gain and lose that same three pounds over and over and over. You already know this.

If fasting is a tool that helps you comply with keeping your intake within your calorie budget, you're not alone. Many people find that it helps. Just don't forget to log all you eat, because the driver of weight loss (fat loss) is eating at a calorie deficit - less fuel than you burn. Doesn't have to be a deficit every day, just on average over a week or some other time period. It's great that you were able to tell yourself, "The Kitchen is CLOSED" when your fast started. That really will help.

Shopping list: good idea. If it's not on the list, it doesn't go in your cart. That keeps the temptation away at home because you don't bring home the Kettle Chips like I did the other day.

Keep setting goals. Share them if you like. Short-term and long term. Keep finding new strategies to insure you move towards your goals and then obtain them and set new ones.

elizabethpikalek

Thank you for your thoughtful and helpful reply! I must confess I am a little more motivated due to having a project for my lean six sigma green belt certification class. While researching the project and my weight/BMI/blood test results I was even more determined to be successful and change behavioral patterns for the better.

The tips and challenges are helpful with not only researching for my project, but to see where my behavior is at present and where I can make some small changes in my own processes.

I think the most surprising aspect of this whole situation is the support available. I know that anything we do will need others to help to ensure any progress, but it is so beneficial.

Right now I am setting a simple goal or two for the day and have a 6 month goal to strive toward. It’s only the beginning so I have time and learning before I set any lengthier goals. It is the plan but I want to set smaller goals first.

mtaratoot

Small goals are great. They let us see progress more clearly. If you're getting closer to a mountain that's 100 miles away, you hardly notice you're getting closer. If you just walk to that big tree right over there, pretty soon you're there and can walk to the next tree.

I'm sure you're also thinking about some strategies that will make it more likely you'll make progress towards and reach those small goals.

Even with the small goals, don't lose sight of that mountain. The view is awesome from the top. Don't get lost in the trees!

AnnPT77

Great advice from mtaratoot, as usual!

One thing to add: Calorie counting has a learning curve. At the beginning, it takes way more time (and mindshare) than it will in the long run. On top of that, IME things feel more time-consuming when I don't feel totally confident in how to do them.

At first, you'll be learning things like how to most effectively choose accurate food entries from the database, populating your time-saving recent/frequent foods (they'll come up first when searching), learning how to use MFP meals and recipes most efficiently, maybe figuring out the tips for using a food scale to save time (not just for better accuracy), and more.

It can feel like a lot, for the first few weeks . . . then you'll figure out how to make it work for you. Others can give you tips that work for them, but I think there's always a little personalization, since we all have different routines and preferences.

In a typical day, I don't think I spend even as much as 10 minutes on calorie-counting-related tasks now (in year 7 of maintaining), even though I'm one who's mostly kept logging. For me, that's a small price to pay for feeling this much better than I did when I was overweight/obese! But it definitely was more time-consuming and attention grabbing at first: Now it's pretty automatic.

Hang in there, it sounds like you're off to a great start, are committed, and are being thoughtful about the process.

Good stuff!

elizabethpikalek

Thank you!

I definitely feel as if this is taking up a lot of my thought and emotional space right now, with planning out food, meals, saying no to all the snacks my coworkers bring in, I know it will be worthwhile and I am learning a lot about myself and the choices I make.

I am very grateful for the advice and the gracious response from you both. This is stressful starting out since it is a big change. Hearing from others is so helpful in getting me going through this.

I had bought a food scale my previous attempt, and was so glad I did to measure out my portion for dinner last night. It made it so much easier to know how much to log instead of eyeballing. Last time it sat unused, but now I have this tool to help as well.

Thanks again!

kmcintosh1988

Hello Elizabeth! Sounds like you’ve got yourself a good plan going. Making small changes everyday is key to success.
I just joined a week ago. Still trying to navigate myself around this app.
I’m a former weight watcher leader and a life time member. However the past four years have really been a blurrr. The husband retired so I quit my job to be with him and start yea ing and enjoying some life together. I eventually gave up every good habit I formed. I began enjoying our life together and enjoying trips and food. I’m embarrassed to acknowledge but acknowledging is half the battle I’ve gained the weight back. I’m definitely in the right head space to get it done again. Just looking for friends along the way to inspire each other.