WaistAways Team Chat - NOVEMBER 2023

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Replies

  • micki48
    micki48 Posts: 2,322 Member
    edited November 2023
    I might as well face it. It’s been a hard three years. Here is my low photo and a higher side photo. Not sure what my exact weight was on photo day. But this is where I am. The thinner photo was my low right before the pandemic and two moves. AND I think I’m wearing the same sweater. 😕op41rdjgsyua.jpeg

    Oh and MFP was kind enough to tell me I’ve gained 25.1 pounds.
  • MaddawgMadsen
    MaddawgMadsen Posts: 332 Member
    edited November 2023
    @micki48 - I think you are beautiful in both pictures. You have such an incredible smile! It is hard to see ourselves larger than we think we are and then even more disheartening to get negative messages from those who care about us. My best advice (if you want it) is to first talk to your husband and let him know how what he said made you feel. He probably thought he was being funny, not hurtful. Then, if you don't like the way you look in the picture, know that is past you, and do your best every day to take another step towards your goals.

    Here is the picture from my friend's wedding in May that became my, "I need to change" and "I will never be there again" picture. I'll post a more recent picture in a minute. Almost six months and I'm only down 25ish pounds. It has been hard, but not as hard as how I felt about myself after seeing that picture.

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  • MaddawgMadsen
    MaddawgMadsen Posts: 332 Member
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  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 720 Member
    I honestly don't think I am brave enough right now to post pictures but I love that @micki48 and @MaddawgMadsen are! Maybe tomorrow. Mirrors are hard. But I think you both look great in both pictures. And these are all part of our whys.

    I'm having another weird night of appetite. Not really in the mood for dinner. I did my light workout. Going to see if a hot shower feels good, and get ready for bed. hump day looms!
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,234 Member
    Oh, the power of photos. It is weird how bad they can make us feel. We hate hearing our own voices too. And are shocked by how old we look (those of us who do!) even though we still feel the same inside. Dang it - and then keep going. Hugs to you @micki48

    I have had a very sedentary day - did get some pilates in, but I'm heading to bed early tonight for sure.

    Weigh-in update - due through Wednesday:
    @Betsy___
    @littlemzkitty
    @strong_fit_ells
    @MaddawgMadsen
    @Gidgitgoescrzy
    @KellyBgetsFit
    @JScottJr1988

    Thanks!
  • CarolAnnM2
    CarolAnnM2 Posts: 1,073 Member
    Thanks @jugar for reminding me! I looked back and found pictures which also helped me. They span 2 years. w9m454p1p9uy.jpeg
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    These pictures help me and my resolve not to go back there!
  • lauren_989
    lauren_989 Posts: 1,543 Member
    @micki48 I feel the same exact way! I don't realize how big I am until I look at photos. Once in a while, I will feel how big I am, but usually I'm like, no I'm healthy fat 😝 Then I try to jog and I'm like nope, just normal fat.

    This is from when I was my light and my biggest. I am now inbetween the two. The heaviest was when I graduated from undergrad in 2009 and the lightest from 2021. Also, angles can make or break a picture.
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  • MaddawgMadsen
    MaddawgMadsen Posts: 332 Member
    CW: 173.4
    PW: 173.8

    Tuesday, November 7th - 6,001 steps, 1 hour of CrossFit (so many deadlifts my legs were dead the rest of the day, hence why I barely made my step goal as I fell into bed)

    It's a small loss, but I will take it. I really want to get to the next decade because I promised myself CrossFit shoes once I'm in the 160s.

    Does anyone else have a non-food reward planned for a specific goal? If so, what's the goal, and what is the treat/prize?
  • MaddawgMadsen
    MaddawgMadsen Posts: 332 Member
    And, I want to say I love all the pictures! We are all beautiful! If you are someone who doesn't feel comfortable posting a picture, that is more than okay. What makes us all beautiful is that we come here as we are and not only better ourselves by being here, but help better everyone else.

    Cheers and happy Wednesday!
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,234 Member
    I hope you all had/are having a wonderful waistaways Wednesday. It was a good cold but lovely day here - and I walked the most challenging of my snowshoe routes to start getting in shape for snow time, if it ever gets here. Lots of big hills! I realise I have been getting spoiled riding my horse lately - it's so much faster with four legs. But it felt good to get working on the challenging parts of my winter routes. I was extra happy because I slipped and fell in some mud at one point (much bad language ensued) and the fall onto my left hand actually fixed a problem I have been having with my wrist lately! The pain is gone - I think something was out of joint, and the fall actually made it better. Sometimes slipping on the mud isn't half bad :smiley: Of course this means I have to get back to doing my push-ups and planks in the normal way. I have been either doing elbow planks or push-ups on my fists, or just skipping them altogether (ahem!). So, no more wrist excuse.

    I like the non-food reward question. Mine are mainly just for having a good clean eating day, or for hitting exercise goals. The good feeling is already a reward, but indulging in a nice lazy read on the couch session, or a full on stretching half hour while listening to some interesting music are my go tos. Stretching just feels so amazing - no plan, just stretch whatever and flow along from one to another.
  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 720 Member
    Hi friends! Cold here today too but it felt energizing on my walk. I needed it. I think maybe I pushed it too much on a small incline with my pace - my foot did get pretty tight. But I rested on benches as usual and iced when I got home. Feels okay.

    I have had various rewards systems over the years, some successful, some not but currently I have a little table with each level of weight less (10 lbs, 20 lbs, etc) and then what the reward will be. I crossed the 10 lb mark and I got a habit tracker journal from Amazon. Loving it. The next level is 20 lbs (I am 0.6 lbs away from my starting point in this file - might not line up with my MFP SW currently but close), and I get some new sets of bedsheets at that point!! I am in desperate need so it has been really motivating. I think in the past, some of the rewards I chose were either not motivating enough or something I needed so much, I didn't bother to wait for the weight to actually be lost. Some other rewards on the list; hoop earrings (my earrings collection is sorely lacking and mostly very cheap materials so trying to upgrade the whole thing), Tatcha skincare, a Garmin fitness tracker, taking a day off work, and a solo trip to New Hampshire! I hope to hit them all. :)
  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,234 Member
    Wow - some great rewards in there @Kali225 - I like the idea of saving money for something you really need or want, and building up health capital at the same time. Inspiring!

    There are quite numbers missing for this week so far, so I am here in my official capacity! You know I'm
    cdu8x1m0m0vu.jpg

    Due Sunday - Wednesday: (consider yourselves nagged!)
    @Betsy___
    @littlemzkitty
    @strong_fit_ells
    @KellyBgetsFit
    @JScottJr1988

    Due Thursday:
    @ashleycarole86
    @conleywoods
    @eggfreak
    @bowens1973

    Thanks!
  • EvMakesChanges
    EvMakesChanges Posts: 568 Member
    @Kali225 where will you go in NH? I’m just across the Connecticut River in Vermont so you’ll be closer than normal. It’d be fun to meet up for a walk or cuppa.
    I’ll write more later tomorrow. We’re due for some icy weather but I still hope to get to my first session with KDR fitness folks in Enfield, NH. We’re targeting good change and strengthening my bones over the next year. It’s a good approach for me with pillars of support including nutrition, zoom-exercise time with personalized schedules, and in-person time at the gym. Whee!
  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,319 Member
    @micki48
    I don't know you in person of course, but I adore you
    Screw your class pics .. you are a fabulous person and you deserve to feel that way
    Hope you find your peace because I guarantee you deserve to feel like the queen you are no matter what
    We are here for you, always!
  • strong_fit_ells
    strong_fit_ells Posts: 156 Member
    Good morning Waistaways, as always I'm late with weigh in 🫣 sorry ❤️
    Nothing much to report 😢
    I stayed the same.

    CW 228.2 😢

    Oh well, here's to the new week 😍

    Have a lovely day everyone ❤️
  • Gidgitgoescrzy
    Gidgitgoescrzy Posts: 297 Member
    Soooo tired this morning, I did not sleep well, and I have no idea why. I've had 84's all week, and today it's a 68... wahhhh

    As for rewards, I have found they don't really work for me. I've tried and never followed through, and I don't like to tie something I need or want to my weight. I am currently pushing a little harder so I have an easier time on my vacation, but I am going on my vacation successful or not. I guess I look at my reward as just feeling better and being healthier.

    I once told myself, I would not book any vacations of any kind until I lost the weight, that was just depressing and made me feel worse.
  • ashleycarole86
    ashleycarole86 Posts: 6,319 Member
    Username ashleycarole86
    Thursday weigh-in

    PW 220
    CW 221
  • cleaneater80
    cleaneater80 Posts: 476 Member
    @micki48 Husbands are not good a good judge of anything related to looks or our relationship with weight. We are here for you and there's so much more to you than your weight and looks. As I look back on pictures I know what my weight was and how I felt in my body at that time. We are all on a journey and this may be the picture you refer to when you want to throw in the towel and give up.

    @MaddawgMadsen @CarolAnnM2 @ashleycarole86 thanks for sharing your pics

    At the moment I don't have any rewards - I've tried in the past but were never motivating enough so not on my list as part of my weight loss journey at the moment.
  • MaddawgMadsen
    MaddawgMadsen Posts: 332 Member
    @ashleycarole86 - Wednesday, November 8th - 8,904 steps, 35 minutes of spin class, bowling league

    I had a couple light beers at bowling last night. I fit them into my calorie budget and planned for it since it is something I sometimes enjoy at bowling. It is kicking my butt today. My sinuses are so inflamed. It hurts. I guess no more beer for me or at least not for a while.

    In the past having non-food rewards hasn't really worked for me for many of the same reasons some of you have mentioned. What I am trying different this time is making it something I want that will help me exercise. It's not something I need, and it is tied to making exercise easier or more enjoyable which should in turn make losing weight easier or more enjoyable, and the cycle continues.
  • Kali225
    Kali225 Posts: 720 Member
    @EvMakesChanges the solo NH trip is technically my reward for 100 lbs lost so we are quite a ways off :D but I went to sleepaway camp near Lake Wentworth as a kid and I have always wanted to go back to the Winnipesaukee area. I've been living in Boston since 2019 and still haven't had a trip to NH! But it will also depend on the season when (NOT IF - WHEN) I get to that point because I also like to snowboard. So if it was winter, I would maybe opt for a mountain resort like Loon. I would love to meet up if I am in your neck of the woods!! See how it goes...


    @MaddawgMadsen I like exercise related rewards, too. The Garmin tracker is my 50 lbs lost reward. I had a fitbit for a long time and just got fed up with what I saw as shoddy craftsmenship - plus I couldn't walk as much or at all with my foot tendonitis so the step counter became useless to me. I had a garmin years ago that I liked a lot. I figure at 50 lbs down I will hopefully be more mobile again and will want to track more movement. Plus since I started swimming and kayaking, those are activities that I really can't estimate calorie burn for without a good tracker like Garmin. Will be fun to see some stats.

    I may not have said earlier but I am doing sober November! So you (all) are welcome to join in! Thanksgiving will be the toughest day for sure but like Jolene just said alcohol just doesn't sit well so it is just never worth it anymore for me.

    I have my deload upper body workout today, and hopefully a walk or swim tomorrow. the day is flying by!
  • micki48
    micki48 Posts: 2,322 Member
    @micki48
    I don't know you in person of course, but I adore you
    Screw your class pics .. you are a fabulous person and you deserve to feel that way
    Hope you find your peace because I guarantee you deserve to feel like the queen you are no matter what
    We are here for you, always!

    Aww @ashleycarole86 you are so sweet! Thank you for that I appreciate it and you, of course. I think you are pretty incredible too.

    Thanks also to @jugar @MaddawgMadsen @CarolAnnM2 @Kali225 @cleaneater80 @lauren_989 and everyone!! Thank you all for your photos, kind words and support. I really do appreciate it and I am grateful for you all.



  • jugar
    jugar Posts: 10,234 Member
    The ground is white! We got our first stick-to-it snow today, and even though it is just the beginning, it makes me happy. The snowshoes are stacked up and ready to go, eventually :smiley:

    I had a wonderful session with Jasper today - we were playing around in the big indoor arena (kinda slippery out), trying out some new ways of lunging that involved me running around way more than usual, then tons of patterns and transitions with me up. I'm using a bareback pad these days until my new saddle arrives, so it is an amazing core and balance workout! We laughed a lot. I swear he laughs.

    Today's update! Due through Friday:
    @littlemzkitty
    @KellyBgetsFit
    @JScottJr1988
    @conleywoods
    @eggfreak
    @bowens1973
    @EvMakesChanges
    @micki48
    @wishfuljune
    @Kali225
    @Pearl4686
    @leni1us

    A veritable shower of numbers it shall be :smiley:
  • Pearl4686
    Pearl4686 Posts: 918 Member
    PW 89.8
    CW 89.2
    Happy with that. A mixed week but mostly ate mindfully. Tried to listen to my body while logging calories. What I'm learning is that I don't need much in the morning. I prefer to blank calories for 4pm ish when I get the munchies. This seems to work better than pushing myself to eat a big breakfast, because I get the munchies regardless.
    Have a great weekend everyone!:
  • Gidgitgoescrzy
    Gidgitgoescrzy Posts: 297 Member
    So about 2 months ago, I was having some back pain again. Well, I started doing my typical PT exercises for it, and it's all better now, but I had a side effect, I wanted to share. My belly and waist are shrinking, the hubby noticed this morning and was like it's a significant difference. Turns out that the exercises I do are a "new trend" called stomach vacuuming. So it's not really a new trend, anyone with back pain should be doing this on the regular, and it's a base move in pilates.

    Anyway, I do this constantly throughout the day, you only have to do it and hold it for a few seconds at a time. No need for a mat etc. Just while you are sitting, sit up straight, and tilt your pelvis up, to flatten your back (pretend you are trying to push that bottom curve in your spine straight and suck your belly button up and in all at the same time). No one will even know you are doing it. It's like invisible exercise :smile:

    I read this article on this "new trend" , and they say you only need to do it like 3 times a day, 3 days a week. Well I do it, like 5-10 times a day everyday, and for quite a while before I get out of bed in the morning while I do bridges, as it loosens up the stiffness. Best part is, you can do it sitting, laying, or standing.

    So I challenge all of you to do this for a few weeks and report back. Also, do not hold your breathe while doing it, if you do you aren't working the muscles, you are working your lungs. :smiley:

    If nothing else, you are helping to stabilize your spine and take it from someone who knows, that's IMPORTANT!



  • bowens1973
    bowens1973 Posts: 197 Member
    CW 227.4
This discussion has been closed.