January Join our Shrinking Squad

SherryRueter
SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
Hello ladies, here we are again, new month and new opportunities.

It's the time to eat according to your GOALS and get started on that SPRING body!
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Replies

  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    1/1/2024: (Day 7 of 84 ) Week2: Day1: Upper Body Circuit 1. + PiYo
    Started my day out with PiYo (Pilates/Yoga) for 30mins.
    logged into work to do month end processing....to find it delayed.
    So I completed my Upperbody weight session with Shaun T.

    Nothing would please me more than to find myself on next week Sunday morning having stuck to my whole foods eating plan instead of conisstenly choosing crap foods.

    Lets see how this week goes!
    I hope y'all crush it!

  • Zaxa2021
    Zaxa2021 Posts: 694 Member
    Hi, I'm new to this group, but been a part of MFP consistently for several months. I'm currently fluctuating around 135, and am struggling to lose the last 10 to get down to 125.

    I need to work on consistency. Consistently track my food. Consistently go for my runs. I want to incorporate some sort of strength training but I have a really hard time finding time for it and honestly I don't really enjoy it. I'm wanting to consistently check in to keep my head in the game. I know what I need to do, I just need to do it.
  • ScienceofTeaching
    ScienceofTeaching Posts: 107 Member
    Hello everyone! I just joined this group, and I'm hoping that it will help me. I've slowly gained weight for the past decade or so, and I'm not where I would like to be anymore. Last year, I lost 10 of the 20 pounds that I wanted to lose, then fell off the wagon and re-gained the 10. To be fair, it took me 3 months to lose it and 9 to gain it back, so I guess it could be worse...

    Hoping that having a group to check in with can help me to get back on track. Started the year off strong by dusting off both MFP and my treadmill, so hopefully I can keep up with both!
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    5’4” 46y/o

    1/01: 137.2

    Happy New Year, Ladies!

    Goals:
    Exercise 5-6 times a week
    Eat reasonable calories
    Drink 64oz of water a day
    Dry January
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    4jkjr5xvcsjk.gif

    Hope everyone is having a fantastic first day of 2024!
    Spring
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    edited January 1
    Welcome to all the new members!! :)

    2024
    Early 60s, 5'-8" (ish)
    SW (02.10.22) - 150 lbs
    CW - 151.4 (01.01.24)
    January GW - 146.0
    Final GW - 125 lbs (or may possibly stop at 130, depending on how I feel and look)

    I had lost about 15 pounds last year, but the last couple months I have really not been taking such good care of myself and the scale is showing it. I posted on the December thread, but I'll repeat here.

    I'm making a commitment to start in January vegan-forward - basically 100% vegan at home and as vegan as I can when out. I've done it for weeks at a time, but just always fall back to eating cheese. I'm also going to cut out the processed food - it might be giving me a lot of protein, but it's also giving me a lot of sodium, sugar and preservatives. So 2024 is my year to truly go Whole Food, Plants Only!

    I also have to commit to a regular gym routine - it's been pretty inconsistent since mid-September and I need my workouts back! A couple days of step classes, couple days of treadmill, ST 2x/wk and a few yoga and Tai Chi classes.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited January 2
    Welcome all new ladies!! So nice to meet you. A little about me- I was on the December thread and 100% believe that the group and posting daily matters with my success.


    5’1”” 52 y/o. Birthday 1/28/71
    From: South Dakota. Live in Tennessee the last 4 years.

    1/01: guessing 109.0. Not ready to step on the scale yet. I’m working on the 2 things that matter. If I stick to it this week Because I’m going to nail it this week- I will weigh in Saturday morning. (Friday might be too triggering for me).

    1. Getting 10,000-13.000 steps daily
    2. Staying in a calorie deficit.

    Promising that for today I will eat at 1300-1400 calories. No more! Also- no less than 1200z

    Happy New Year, Ladies!
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member


    @Zaxa2021 - those last 10# are SOOOO hard! OHHH MYY GOOODNESS... I have been working onthe last 5 for a couple years. Abeit - mostly I think mine is mindset. I'd rather have a *treat*
    In my opinion its more of consistency on eating ONLY WHEN I am HUNGRY and then stopping. Consistency in having WHOLE foods. Consistency in portion sizes. I am tracking calories...but its not my favorite thing to do..... then again cleaning the dishes and cooking aren't my favorite things to do, but I do them 3x a day because I like the end result. How is this ANY different?

    So are you working out presently? Strength training? What's your workout schedule. Just curious is all.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @ScienceofTeaching - Maintenance is just as hard, and harder than weight loss itself in my opinion. Not gaining is just as much of a win as losing weight is. AND - great job on checking in!
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @Cora0477 _ welcome! Nice to meet you. Do you workout already, or is this a new thing? Have you done Dry January before? Just curious.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @SparkSpringtime69 I'm SO glad you reposed the details. I have a harder time remembering how old everyone is and blah blah blah. You're quite tall compared to me at 5'1" - What I have learned over the past year is that us ladies are ALWAYS trying to make ourselves more beautiful and this relationship with food is ever present. Love your goals.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    It looks like I'm a real chatty person. IDK....maybe....

    1/2 : Day 8/84 Total Body. 388 calories on apple watch. 70mins

    Today was 7mins cardio warm up. Then Total body: Upper, Lower, Core. All body parts. Chest, Back, Tricep, Bicep, Shoulders. Obliques, Lower, middle, upper abs. Quads, Hamstrings, Outer thigh, inner thigh. I just go slow and heavy. Todays workout was more in the 16-22 rep range. So by the time I hit 12-15reps - I needed to know that it was burning - otherwise I increase my weights. And when I increase the weights, then I need a longer recovery time after the move. Great workout.

    Today, my promise is to eat my 1300-1400 calories. and drink my water. Yes, my promise that I am making to myself. And just for today. A baby steps. FOR TODAY I am keeping this one promise to myself.

    I was listening to a trainer and he re-iterated something I already know.... to lose weight you need to eat in a calorie deficit, consistently. The other stuff that the media is pumping at you is fluff. The Calorie deficit is where the results lie. I already know this but, It just hit me differently. SO, I just need to focus on my calorie goal. Go bananas on what I put in there, that part is LESS important. but to hit only my calories. Of course I am trying to be Whole foods vs processed. Of course I am trying to hit good nutrients and my protein. BUT.... Calories and stopping at 1300-1400 is where I am going to see my results. SO I am doing just that . The one promise I am keeping today. I will eat my calorie range.

    Sherry.
  • Zaxa2021
    Zaxa2021 Posts: 694 Member

    @Zaxa2021 - those last 10# are SOOOO hard! OHHH MYY GOOODNESS... I have been working onthe last 5 for a couple years. Abeit - mostly I think mine is mindset. I'd rather have a *treat*
    In my opinion its more of consistency on eating ONLY WHEN I am HUNGRY and then stopping. Consistency in having WHOLE foods. Consistency in portion sizes. I am tracking calories...but its not my favorite thing to do..... then again cleaning the dishes and cooking aren't my favorite things to do, but I do them 3x a day because I like the end result. How is this ANY different?

    So are you working out presently? Strength training? What's your workout schedule. Just curious is all.

    I run somewhere between 3 and 6 times a week. My goal is to make it closer to the 6x. I'm also working on upping my distance. The problem I have is I can only go after the kids are in bed, due to husband's schedule. Usually by that time I am tired and it becomes easier to talk myself out of it. It's something Im working on. I know I should strength train but I haven't worked that in yet.
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    @Cora0477 I'm doing a dry January too! It's really the only way I can stay in my calorie range.
    @SherryRueter I list my height as "ish" because I always measured to 5'-7 3/4" so I'd round to 5'8". But I haven't had a height measurement at a doctor's office for years and, now that I'm older, I'm not really sure what my actual height is, it may be less now :/
    We really do fret about our looks sometimes, don't we. I'm more concerned about the health aspect at this age, but I do like to have a flat tummy and haven't had that for probably a couple of decades now :s
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    edited January 2
    @SparkSpringtime69 i don’t have a problem fitting the calories in, but I find it is bloating, constipating, and keeping me up at night the older I get. I was a little on the fence about doing the whole month dry because I have a formal event at the end of this week and I usually like to have a cocktail to ease my social anxiety, but I’m going to try to stay dry.

    Hi, @SherryRueter! I’ve been on here for a long time, just didn’t join December because we had so much going on. Was it you who also had a parent die at the beginning of last year? My mother died in February. I’ve had an emotional time at the end of this year missing her way more than I expected.

    I did Dry January a couple of years ago. I really should do it more, but things have been moving at a super fast pace this last year and I’ve been using alcohol to cope more than I should.

    As for the diet and exercise, it is something I already do regularly, but I’m trying to up my game and be more consistent.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @Cora0477 yes, my father in Feb. passed away unexpectedly. Really threw me. And yes I also thought of him more than expected in Dec.

    Thank you for the details and background. I really don’t keep track of all online people that well.
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    @SherryRueter I’m not great with knowing who is who online either, but sadly I’m worse in person. I ran into someone at the grocery store the other day and we exchanged pleasantries, but it didn’t come to me until the middle of the night who she was and where I knew her from. And that’s the norm for me 😁
  • CeeBeeSlim
    CeeBeeSlim Posts: 1,347 Member
    Happy New Year, Everyone!

    Quick summary - 59 years young, 5’2, curvy, currently 132.0, with a goal to hit a range of 117-120. Lowest - 112.4 (too low); highest - 146 (nope. Never again)

    Gained a fair amount of muscle this year after following several of Caroline Girvan’s YouTube strength training videos so clothes fit the same at 132 as they did at 120. Would really be happy at 125 then review.

    Main problem - consistency. Been main eldercare giver for both parents for the last 10 years and when the stress really hits, I convince myself that life is too short to not to have a “treat” or “reward” for all my hard work so I indulge - only to conclude afterwards that my body doesn’t feel like I “treated”
    or “rewarded” myself. Rinse and repeat. I need to stop.

    My plan and short term goal - doc appt mid Feb - hope to lose 7 pounds by then. More water, less processed foods. Workouts are set. Deloading this week with Pilates and stretching and walking.

    I. Will. Shrink!!! 💪💪

  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    1/3 : Day 9/84 Leg Day . 407 calories on apple watch. 70mins again.
    sorta bothers me that I cannot get this workout fit into the 45mins that the DVD has.
    Then again, I think I am pushing myself, and that counts too.

    Today was 6mins cardio warm up. Then Legs: Squats, step ups, lunges. Hip thrusts.
    20 Reps, 16 Reps, 12 Reps. Attempted to increase weights here and there - being the 2nd time thru the workout, I had notes on which ones I started out too light on.

    I kept my promise yesterday to eat within my calories ✅

    Today, my promise is to eat my 1300-1400 calories. and drink my water (already on bottle 2).
    The promise is just for today. A baby steps.
    FOR TODAY I am keeping this one promise to myself.

    @cora0477 - LOL
    1/2: 388 calories on apple watch. 70 mins
  • jsutliff01
    jsutliff01 Posts: 5 Member
    I'm doing a 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule for 2024! My problem so far is finding a filling and healthy food idea for my meal and/or snack time.
  • Zaxa2021
    Zaxa2021 Posts: 694 Member
    I'm 35 years old, 5'3, 134.8 lbs.

    I stayed on track yesterday. Logged all food, was under calories and went for a run (4 miles). Did not sneak bites of my toddlers' food (their leftovers, handful of crackers while they munch, a bite while making their meal, etc). I know it sounds silly, but I have a hard time mindlessly nibbling during their meals and I'm sure it adds up throughout the day. I'm trying to be conscious of EVERY bite that I take, no matter how small.

    Today's goals are pretty much to do the same. Log all food, stay under calories, and go for a run.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @Zaxa2021 I really do believe its those small, teeny things such as extra bites that are keeping SO many of us away from making progress. GOod for you on not nibbling!
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    edited January 3
    5’4” 46y/o

    1/01: 137.2
    1/03: 136.6

    I know it’s only day three, but so far so good this month. Diet, exercise, water, AF: check.

    This morning it struck me yet again how much better I feel when I wake up and I’m not still bloated from the day before because I made good food choices.
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    Yay @Cora0477

    I did excellent and then had pie and a sugar cookie extra. Tasted so frikin amazing. Put me around 1800 cals for today instead of 1400. Im going with it was worth it mentally.

    The question is …. Why did I need that? I haven’t had fluids since I got home from work . I bet that’s part of it, most of it. My bottle is still full …. Whoops! I’ll need to make tomorrow a 1300 day. Maybe Friday as well.
  • Kitri2020
    Kitri2020 Posts: 72 Member
    @jsutliff01 finding filling meals and snacks is hard for me too. I found tuna packets to be a pretty filling and low calorie/ high protein snack that generally satisfies me. And drinking water before i eat anything has helped alot too. Sometimes my snackiness and my sweet tooth is actually just because im thirsty lol
  • SparkSpringtime69
    SparkSpringtime69 Posts: 1,225 Member
    The first 3 days for me have been good. I've been getting exercise in everyday and staying in my calorie range. I had some ricotta cheese still in the fridge, so am not yet 100% vegan at home, but that'll be gone by Friday so I'll see how it goes over the weekend.
    Hope everyone else is having a good start to their new year B)
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    @Kitri2020 I've been using Tuna creation packets as well. Great way to get in that protein!
    and I second the drink your water!!!! My snackiness seems to be FAR less when I'm hydrated, which can be super hard to do in the colder months.


  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member
    yesterday I found my sugar cookies. They were good. Put me at 2000 calories for the day. Now I have to say, that's about 600 above my target range. A friend looked into an online calculator for my Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It believes that my daily expenditure is 2000, which matches what my apple watch states for my total daily calorie burn.

    THEREFORE< Maybe 1400 daily is too low of a target for me and that is one of the reasons I gravitate towards snacks. OR/and combined with I am trying to make a lifestyle shift right now and its NEW and its not 100% easy to do.

    SOOOO, I'm thinking to myself....Maybe I should do 1 day at 1400, the next day at 2000, the next day back to 1400, the following back to 2000 and just bounce/ calorie cycle it. I wonder if I would be happier and more consistent with my calorie intake that way.

    Do any of you do that?


  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 3,307 Member

    @Zaxa2021 how old are your little ones?

    @SparkSpringtime69 Yay for the first 3 days being great. My challenge occurs somewhere between day 2 and 5..... I know its all mental bull* that my brain throws up at me.

    I was just listening to a webinar that the trainer said, "2024 you have to focus on nutrition". Its so true. The other bull* is just fluff. Its calories. I have to focus on getting in the right number of calories to meet my goals. I have to focus on how I feel when my calories are "off".

    By that I mean this:
    Did I eat crap foods? How did I feel 10minutes afterwards? Not good?....Ashamed?...Guilty?....Angry...{color=blue] To me this is not a surprise or a shock - I know that I feel like a drug addict when I eat sugar and processed foods[/color] Next, I need to remember: How do I want to feel? Joy...happy...proud.... That comes from being aware that when I eat XYZ I will feel [fill in the blank]

    AWARENESS.

    Also, same web talk....and the subject was how foods feed disease or they starve it. What a great picture that paints. Donuts, sugar cookies, cake, pie = I visualize little germs gathering together like a DNA structure and that forming the perfect environment for disease to grow.

    Where as when I feed my body healthy foods. Pure fish, chicken, beef. Whole fruits, vegetables. THAT will feed my muscles, fuel my body. Fight disease.

    Which foods will help you as you age? Which foods...if you eat them over and over and over again... will make you STRONG as you age.... BULLETPROOF???

    Sherry

  • Zaxa2021
    Zaxa2021 Posts: 694 Member
    I'm currently a stay at home mom to my two year old twins boys.

    The webinar sounds interesting, thanks for sharing. I particularly like the part of food either feeding disease or starving it.

    Similarly, I've been trying to focus on how food is only fuel, not for boredom or emotions etc. When it comes to my running, what is going to help me perform my best? What is going to help energize me throughout the day? I am far from mastering it, but looking at food from this perspective helps to take the emotions out of eating and (hopefully) eat the food that will promote health and longevity.