The Daily Water Cooler Thread

jrbanta

You've probably noticed that eating or not eating exercise calories burned is a big topic of controversy on this site. Basically MFP proposes that if you eat too few calories you will lose less weight because your body needs fuel and if it doesn't get enough your metabolism will slow down to preserve its supplies (fat,etc). The 1500 calories set for you by MFP is based on your current weight, BMR, goal for pounds lost weekly, and amount of exercise you plan to do weekly. 1500 is where you will lose weight. If you burn 400 calories exercising and don't eat them back, you are only taking in 1100 calories that day. MFP says doing this over time will put your body into starvation mode and slow your metabolism and cause other issues with your body.

Those people that are into rapid weight loss and quick results are not eating back their exercise calories but some are also wondering why they aren't losing the weight at the rate they expect to do so. Part of that could be not getting enough calories and part having too high expectations for pounds lost quickly. By eating back that 400 calories you are back up to the 1500 that has been set for you to lose weight and fueling your body to do what it needs to do. I eat back 1/4 to 1/2 of my calories if I'm just needing a treat or snack. If I'm really hungry I eat them all. I'm in this for slow weight loss so I don't feel panicked that the scale is going down slowly. I feel the inches leaving and the strength and endurance I've gained from being active and that feels good. It looks like your goal is more slower weight loss too. As you live your goal plan you'll get a feel for what works for your body and energy level. You've already set wonderful goals that make a lot of sense and seem to be very level headed. There are a lot of extreme dieters and exercisers on this site so just avoid those threads if they don't fit your needs.

Those of us on this thread seem to just go day by day and do what we need to do to move forward with our goals. We have glitches from time to time but just support one another and pick up where we left off.

Stay with us and we'll support you! My pedometers are in a drawer. They always fell off when I went to the bathroom or leaned over. One even stopped recording my steps accurately. I guess cheap ones aren't the way to go. Now I really want a Polar FT4 or FT7 Hear Rate Monitor but am giving it another few months to see if I'm still motivated and sticking with this. I plan to be but knowing my history for getting off track I want to be sure.

Jenny

mizpaden74

It's dark-thirty and I'm up at work - nice and early b/c that's how I roll. Jk. Early - to get payroll done. The good side is getting out early. That part is pretty kick arz. Had a half-ways decent weekend. The boys got their bikes out. The dog layed in the yard. I got some cleaning done and three good workouts. I feel like ick this am - hopefully that subsides soon and I can enjoy my early day.

Waves from NE.

Shirley61

Moring Ladies:

Went away for the weekend so I did track but found it difficult, since I was over
everyday and then some. We had friends with us so the temptations were there.

We opened up my mother-in-law's house so she can come back for the Spring and
Summer (house is on the a Lake). She is renting an apartment right now down by us.
D. found a brokenwater pipe under the house so he had to crawl under the house and fix that.
Two trips into town and we had water for dishes and showers.

My girlfriend and myself went shopping on Saturday so I tracked two hours of walking the Mall.
Then we had company for dinner on Saturday night and drinks.
The guys went ice fishing and caught 47 perch so we will be having a fish dinner sometime soon.
Really tired and will have to exercise when I get home from work.

Two more weeks before Florida trip and I am counting the days.

JENNY- Liked your thread and you are so right about eating or not eating your calories. I say if you
are losing then keep up doing what you are doing. There is so much controversy out there on MFP about
this. Now I have to get rid of what I gained over the weekend and I hope it is mostly water.
Have a great day everyone!!

Starlage

Hello ladies!

It was a GORGEOUS weekend here in Seattle. Sunny, blue skies and low 50's. NICE! Much needed break from the greynessa nd drizzle. This is one of the prettiest places when it's sunny. Everything's green and healthy from all the dang rain!

I don't get online much over the weekends- I'm on so much during the work week It's nice to have a break from it )

I've been lightly dieting and exercising for over three weeks now and needed a break. so this weekend I didn't use my diary and jsut ate within normal healthy limits with cheats here and there, letting myself have the naughtier treats... it was nice ) I'll get back to being good this week, lots of veggies, fruits, protein, little dairy and whole grains~ yum.

Today I plan on doing a half hour on the Gazelle (which I love by the way!). My other goal this week is to work out everyday- cadrio then yoga, switching each day.

Busy day at work in the clinic today, a couple of coworkers out. Gotta get back to being busy!

Starlage

oh, and I'm trying not to step on the scale this week... or next week. not until next Friday when I will measure and weigh (going for an every two weeks check in so that I don't get too hyper focused on it )

jrbanta

Well my volleyball team ( ladies fun league) had our final season playoffs tonight. We played terribly and lost our first match. I think we all preferred to go to the Mexican Restaurant that sponsors us and have a drink and eat food that is bad for us! I had fajitas and chips and salsa and one 12 oz. light beer. Still over my calories for the day but oh well. I'll call it a splurge meal and get on track tomorrow. I didn't go to my Zumba class tonight because I was needed on the team to have enough players for the game. Luckily a friend sent me an invite on Facebook to attend a free Zumba class tomorrow night at a training gym. It's going to be a late class, 8:30pm - 9:30pm so I will be beat afterwards. I'm excited to see what a different instructor does with Zumba. So I'll burn some high calories tomorrow eve since I didn't tonight.

I'm not weighing right now either. I do it randomly when I feel the need to get on track or see how I'm doing. I'm going to wait until the end of the month before I go to the doctor for my check up.

Well I need to shower and get to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day... Good night!

Starlage

VOLLEYBALL!! Sounds like fun ) Been a looong time since I've done that.

Well, yesterday's exercise goal was unsuccessful sadly- got home and the internet wasn't working (modem died) so had to deal with that pronto! A little sad how important the internet is now. Wonderfully internet is fixed now thanks to a brand new modem. I DID however eat wonderfully yesterday, no cheats- only a sugar free pudding cup. It's getting easier and easier and the weeks go by to ignore mental urges for sugary treats )

Anyone else have a hard time staying under daily sugars? I eat a ton of fruit. I prefer it to veggies.... I'll just have to see how my weight loss goes over time, maybe I'll have to change that so that I can be closer to my daily sugar goal. I go WAY over everyday thanks to 3-4 servings of fruit a day and my "breakfast" of slim fast.

Anyways, today I WILL do that darn Gazelle for a half hour! No distractions or excuses! It's so easy to talk myself out of it )

Starlage

Oh, and ohmyGOSH, mexican food sounds AMAZING! Been over a month since I've been to a restaurant!!!

jrbanta

Too many splurges for me this past week! Slim Fast is very high in sugar. Have you tried the Pure Protein Chocolate Shake? They come in a 4 pack and there are different flavors. High protein drink with very low sugar. Don't taste too bad either. Yeah fruit puts your sugars above the daily allowance but they are healthy. Just watch and see how your body responds to eating 3-4 fruits per day and if you still feel weight loss. They're a good source of fiber and vitamins, lower on the glycemic index I think, but if you crave sugar too much fruit may increase that craving too.

I'm suppose to go to a free Zumba class tonight, it's a promotional Zumba party at a gym. Weather is cruddy and icey rain was falling earlier. I hope it doesn't get worse because it is at least a 20 minute drive from my house.

Happy evening everyone!

mizpaden74

have a terrible time here with sugars. It's no real brainer why I am so slow on the downward, because I don't limit sugar hardly at all. I stay in my range calorie-wise 90% of the time, so I'm sure it's because of the choices I make food wise that keeps me 'back.' But, that said, I have come a long ways towards making some better choices. I have almost completely cut diet soda out. (Some articles have alluded to artificial sweetners can cause sugar binges) I used to drink one or two a day. Now I drink only a quarter or half of one every few days. And I'm doing a much better job with protein - hello almonds. Veggies are an issue, saw a blog about changing my thinking about how you think you hate to eat 'x'. and switch to how you love to treat your body so well and eat 'x' is great.

It was nearly 'hot' here yesterday, but a cold front came through and today is quite chilly. Tis that time of year, back and forth.

I wonder why it is when I am trying to communicate with someone who doesn't speak English, that I end up talking louder and louder. Lilke they are deaf or something. I know I am doing it, but still do it all the time. (I work in a manufacturing environment that is very diverse - especially for NE).

Back to the grind, later me lovlies!

jrbanta

mizpaden- I do the same thing when communicating with immigrant and refugee families on my job (early childhood special education/speech clinician). Not only do I talk louder but I repeat myself too much. Too much talk! Aware of it but haven't been able to change it.

Do you monitor your sugars as part of your nutrients on the food diary? You can change which nutrients are listed and show up with your calories. I do monitor mine because I believe the amount of sugar I eat affects my weight gain/loss, plus I'm Type II and trying to reverse the need for medication. Sounds like you've learned some things about yourself and are changing it up though, that's good!

My 13 year old black lab, Leo, isn't doing well and I'm worried I'll have to make a decision on his quality of life. He's not eating, isn't climbing the stairs as of yesterday, and just lays in the same place. Last night he was having a hard time breathing but seems better with that this morning. He did manage to walk outside to do his thing but was wobbly and slow.

Big storm hit Mpls. last night and today is winter wonderland once again. Roads are horrible but our district never calls school off no matter what. So I need to go for lab work and then off to work on these roads. I'd really like to take the afternoon for mental health day and stay with my dog. Maybe...

Have a good day!

Shirley61

Welcome Starlage!

My sorry to hear about your Lab Leo : ( I love dogs of all kinds. We had to put our down a few years back, her
name was Molly. :sad: I still miss her terribly. My husband thinks a dog now is going to tie us down so
we are dogless now. I do babysit any dog at any time.

Mizpaden: I am Type 2 diabetic, so I know what sugar does your body. Don't forget rice, pasta, noodles, bread, are
all things that turn to sugar. I have to really limit my diet on those items. Doing well though, have been still losing
and have to get to my exercise today.

Weather here is bad today, lots of snow.


\

mizpaden74

oh no... so sorry to hear about your puppy. I hope you can get out of work safely and in for an appointment with your guy. Anymore these pets are so much a part of our regular families and their illnesses and injuries can be just as upsetting. Sending hugs your way. Take care all.

Starlage

I also monitor my sugar intake on my diary- even though I go WAY over because of all the fruit I eat. (which only time will tell if I'll have to change if I'm not loosing). I just mentally subtract the natural sugars from fruit from my total. It's been pretty easy for me so far to stay under in all of my numbers- i count calories of course, carbs, fats, protein, sugar, and sodium- I only tend to daily go over on protein and sugar. Before I decided on my lifestyle change I wasn't eating much- only 2-3 times in a day usually (larger amounts). Now I'm up to 5 or 6 times a day, eating less at one time. I'm going for a slow but steady change.

Well, I gave in and stepped on the scale today. It's so hard not to!!! The bathroom at work (I work in a doctor's office) has a scale in it, just standing there staring at me while I pee. Really hard to ignore. Wonderfully though it hadn't really gone up or down- steady from where I was last Friday. Which is a good thing- I'm just glad that I'm regulating my eating patterns and excercising more (even if at this point its only usually 3 times in a week for a half hour each). I'm confident that as time goes on I'll loose naturally from a healthier lifestyle with WAY less sugar, fat, greasy fried things. I really dont think my body's made to loose quickly. 1-2lbs a month sounds good to me )

That's my daily affirmation for today.. hehe

Anyways, I DID exercise last night on the Gazelle, YAY ME! I was proud but pooped ) Tonight I plan on doing my MTV power yoga video. Gets me a good stretch while sweating it up!

Jenny, sorry to hear about your lab ( it's so hard to make those decisions. I may be only 27 but we've had animals my WHOLE life. My mom had to make that decision for our family dog when I was 15ish- he was similar sounding, stopped eating much, laid in one spot mostly, hard time getting up when he did. She was ready to take him to the vet to be put down, but the day before she was planning to do it he died peacefully on his own with us ) Sad that he had to go, but it was nice that he was able to go with us there- not in some vet's office. I feel your pain.

mizpaden, ditto on sugar struggles. As I said above I eat a lot of fruits. While it's natural sugar, it's still sugar. I imagine for the most part to your body "sugar's sugar". I may just have to LEARN how to eat more veggies. CHALLENGE! There aren't many I like eating raw, and when I do try I get tired of them really fast.... it's tough!

Well, this weekend looking forward to a binge.......... My best friend's little sister's coming into town for a burlesque/cabaret show in downtown Seattle called "viva oz vegas" so we've got a whole evening out planned, thus I've accepted that I'm going to eat bad foods and work hard the week after to get back on track. We all have to learn to indulge in moderation, right? I'm super excited for a night off after almost a month of being good.

Anyone know what the "smarter" alcohol/cocktail choices are? I need to look that up before I go out. I always tend towards wine, but I know it's very sugary and will deter me from my low-extra-sugar goal. I imagine it would be fairly safe to go for diet coke and rum or something along those lines.

Starlage

Oh and Jenny I have been getting ready to transition away from the slim-fast. It's super high in suger, definitely! I've never been a breakfast eater, I don't usually get hungry until mid-morning once I'm already at work. I'm shooting for Dr.Oz's advice to eat within the first hour of waking- when I'm not hungry!- to help get your metabolism going for the day. So I decided slim-fast was good for that despite the sugar, and also a good trasition to healthier eating since it is so sweet. I'll definitely look for your suggestion or something like it. I like the ease of the pre-made slim-fast in the cans so I'll be searching for something canned that I don't have to prepare! Thanks for the advice.

mizpaden74

holy crud - having the crumb-catchers at daycare all last week because they were on spring break reminds me why stayed home for a number of years. $185.75. Cripes. Weekly net - uh, not worth it?

Good job Starla, you are doing an amazing job!

jrbanta

Leo, my dog, perked up for a little while today and climbed up and down the stairs. When I was doing my walking video he came down to the family room and plopped down in my exercise area to be with me and hasn't moved since. He hasn't eaten since yesterday morning but drinks a little water. The snow is deep again and when or if he goes outside he has a hard time moving around. I will watch him for the next day or so and see how he's doing. If this is the end of life for him I hope he dies on his own and I don't have to take him to the vet.

Shirley-I've had animals my whole life (cats and dogs) but after Leo dies I think this is it. As my kids are leaving home I want the freedom to go away for weekends or a week without worrying who will take care of them. My cat is only going to be 8 years old so he could live for years (he's a trouble maker) and he is high maintenance but can be left at home with the neighbor checking on him. Dogs need the social interaction and outside activity.

mizpaden-I work with some young women who have new infants and toddlers. Daycare prices have gone way up since my kids needed it. But even when daycare costs are over the expenses are still there. Clothes and shoes become more expensive as they grow, extra curricular activities at school cost extra in MN, car insurance, 3rd car, etc.

Starla- You have a very healthy attitude about your eating, exercise and goals. You're doing great!

I'll be curious to see what my A1c (blood glucose count) will be next week when I report to the doctor. I had lab work done today. I want her to check my good cholesterol (HDL) because that was too low last time and exercise is what will raise it up to normal range.

Well its been a long day and I have more to read on this site so signing off. Good Night!

Starlage

THanks ladies! Now I just have to wait for it to show on the scale and in the measuring tape ) oh and also I need to KEEP GOING!! I've got such a terrible history of starting healthy stuff and pooping out when it's not showing on the scale fast enough. Trying to keep a nice normal attitude this time and focus on how I feel. Also think about the future- can only be better the healthier I am!

Did my power yoga, whoo hoO! Felt good- yoga always makes me feel so strong. love it! Went over in sodium today ( will be bloated tmwrw I'm sure! I trry not to go above 2000 even though MFP sets it at 2500 - was clost to 2700 today! Gotta watch that. Wont help me feel good if I'm retaining water because of too much sodium.

mizpaden: Here's a shocking figure for you. Before becoming a medical assistant I worked in a monessori school/day care for 3 1/2 years as an assistant teacher in the toddler room- Was such a fun job! But amazed by the cost! Parents were paying up to 1100/month for their toddler to have full time care! Not much cheaper in the pre-school, around 800 tops I think. Crazy. I don't look forward to those expensive days if they're in my future. ack!

Jenny, glad to hear your dog had a perky second today ) I also hope he can go peacefully with you and not have to go to a vet- I'll pray for the best. Oh, and I bet your blood levels will be great results!! With all of your exercising and healthy eating how can they not be?? ;o)

Off to watch american idol... talk to ya tmrw ladies!

Shirley61

STARLAGE: Good attitude about weight loss. Hope all your good intentions do you well.
You are young and shouldn't have any trouble taking that weight off.

MIZPADEN: I never had to pay for daycare, those were the days when you could stay home with
your kids and only one paycheck and one car . That part sucked. There will be
light at the end of the tunnel sometime. I don't envy you paying such amounts.

JR: I hope your pooch gets better, but if its his time you will know. I was hoping our
dog would go by herself too but that didn't happen.

Today had lunch with a cooworker who used to work with me, and ordered a slice of vege pizza
and water. Not too bad and I really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is my visit to the doctor and I have the same problem with the HDL being too low.
I think he will probably send me for my usual bloodwork on this visit. Curious to see next time
what my readings are because of all the exercise and losing weight I have been doing.
JR, good luck with your results.
We had a winter storm and now the sun is shining but very cold. The temps are going to creep
up next week. We can only hope.
Have a great rest of day!!

mizpaden74

post for today - guh. The end.

Starlage

blah, i'm pooped! Busy busy work day in clinic today, running around for those doctors all day! I wish I had my darn pedometer already! I HAD to have gotten enough steps in today beacuse I'm too tired and sore (lower back) from so much walking and moving around clinic today.

My one and only goal today (since i've already gotten enough water as a result of my sweaty work day) is to get off the bus earlier than usual- maybe a mile or so and get a little extra walking before I get home. more walking I can do- That'll be the extent of my exercising ) Oh!! I lied. Second goal- DONT GO OVER IN SODIUM!!! I had way too much yesterday. Only dinner to plan and have had 1436 in sodium so far. Should be able to stay under 2000 easy!

Shirley thanks for the encouragement!

jrbanta

Ok ladies I read the thread regarding free workouts on On DEMAND on my TV. I'm amazed at all the free workouts I now have access too. The yoga looks wonderful and I'm looking at a Hip Hop dance one right now and it looks fun. The workouts range from 5 minutes to an hour depending on what you choose. I think I'll try some of these to change up my exercise routines. I'm stuck at a plateau of 11 pounds so I'm studying my foods (need to stop eating so much pasta and potatoes) and maybe sticking to 30 minute workouts and not overdo it.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts regarding my dog Leo. He's doing better today. This morning I expected to find him dead but he woke up but with no stamina and energy. He managed to drink a sip of water and go outside briefly. My husband checked on him mid day and he wagged his tail, ate half of his food (hadn't eaten since Tues. morning), climbed the stairs and wanted more petting. He greeted me at the door when I came home from work! Ate the rest of his food and went outside briefly. Then he joined us upstairs and begged for eggs when we ate omelettes for dinner. I guess he's decided life is good or he's just having a better day.

mizpaden-did you have a bad day?
Starla-good idea to get off bus early, WTG! Next fall my school office will be base out of an old elementary school near my home. It's one mile from my driveway do when I don't have appts. with families and kids and am just in the office that day, i'm going to walk or ride my bike to and from work.
Shirley-good luck with your HDL too. Sounds like you used restraint and made a good eating choice at lunch.

Cold here but the sun was shining today so it was a cheery day. Suppose to be a cruddy weekend but hope spring like weather will emerge next week. We always say "and why do we live here?" when it is winter in Minnesota.

Have a nice evening!

Starlage

Hello ladies!

Well the gray, wet and drab has returned to Seattle :noway: It was SO unseasonably warm (in the low 60's), blue skies- lowvely for three days in a row. It was a real treat! Now the goal is to not get depressed by the rain and gray returning! Such a tease when we get a weather break!

I'm REALLY looking forward to going out with my girlfriends this weekend in downtown Seattle! I plan on not restricting myself from things- just try to make the best of the worst choices. We'll see how it goes We're going to a really fun show- called "viva oz vegas" It's apparently a vegas- style cabaret/burlesque show that is more of a play- a take off of the wizard of oz (in this he's called the wizard of BRAS, lol) I'm excited. Always fun to go see goofy things like that.

Well, I measured in today- unchanged!!:ohwell: Oh well. I'd rather it go down, even if it's an 1/8" or something- but at least it didn't go up!! Here are my measurements, sharing to help me stay accountable!

I'm 5'3"
Weight (yes, I gave in....): unchanged at 169
Arms: 13"
Chest: 40.5"
Waist: 34.5"
Hips: 43"
Thighs: 25.25"

Really though I have no idea what my goal is- like I said before all I want to do is reduced my pants size to an 8-10 (currently 14 regular, 16 petites). I was really comfortable there. I'll just keep steady as she goes!! I'm not going to make any huge dietary changes, I'm doing so well right now just making sure I eat 5-6 times a day in smaller amounts so that I'm not hungry all the time and binge like I used to. The only changes I am going to do are to take Jenny's advice and look for a healthier/less sugar protein shake to have for breakfast, and this next week try to shy away from the easy frozen lunches that I'm so used to packing- get some salad goods I think and have a nice healthy salad for lunch every day. Also this next week I plan on uping my exercises from 3/wk to 4 or 5/wk!

Jenny I also LOOOVE the on demand exercises! I used to use them often- haven't yet this round. There are so many choices and they change some of them every month or two. It's excellent for changing up your exercise routine, do something different. They're got all the different kinds that you could think of!

Have a great day and weekend ladies!

mizpaden74

where are the exercise on demand thing? I have Dish Network?

Very glad it's Friday. Very tumultuous (sp?) week at work basically the whole HR department resigned and I am supposed to jump in and learn everything they do and how they do it and then train whomever they hire eventually - oh, and continue to do what I currently do. Sweet. Next week will be awesome - insert sarcasm font.
Hoping to make a ginormous pot of 'free' veggie soup this weekend to eat during the week to help me get my veggie intake up.
The 6-year-old and class sings at church Sunday and they are just so cute, it almost makes me tear up.
Kahlua-thirty here I come.

mizpaden74

Hoo-rah! Friday and got my Cardio Interval in. Come on weekend. Hope you beautiful ladies have a wonderful weekend.

jrbanta

mizpaden- I have cable TV (Comcast) and we have ON DEMAND. Dish probably has exercise channels or networks but not Exercise TV ON DEMAND. So I can't help with that. Do you get Netflix? I guess you can download movies, exercise videos, etc. through Netflix to your computer and to your TV if you have the right connector.

My son has a late track practice tonight so hubbie and I went to eat at a restaurant by ourselves. I had a Buffalo Burger with swiss cheese. The buffalo meat is so lean and tastes great! I'm not exercising today but will in the morning.

Hope you all have a great night! Oh yeah, Leo is holding his own but his breathing is labored today. He is climbing stairs, eating, and greeted me at the door again today. So we just have to watch him over time I guess.

Bye-Bye!

Shirley61

Hi Ladies:

Today hubby is painting the laundryroom and we are also getting some new flooring.
Starting to pack for Florida so I don't have to run around like a crazy person.
Wednesday my daughter moves, so we will be helping her out . I hope she stays a while.
I am getting too old for this.

We have to go to the bank now so I have to close for now.

Have a great day and keep on losing.

mizpaden74

Hey all - thinking of you and Leo!

jrbanta

Shirley-where are you going in Florida and when do you leave? Enjoy warm and sunny weather and walking on the beach! So envious... Spring will hopefully arrive in Minnesota soon!

mizpaden-thanks for the well wishes for Leo. He is doing much better today. Begging for food, eating popcorn, greeting people who come to the door. He sleeps in between but seems happy. Breathing was labored last night but today seems normal. So we'll see...

Ok I did some workouts this morning from On Demand TV. I did 45 minutes of something called "Dance Your *kitten* Off" which was a combination of Hip Hop and Latin Dance Moves. Hip Hop raised my heart rate but I didn't enjoy the moves as much as other type of dancing such as Latin steps. Must be my middle age of 50! I tried two short yoga workouts. The first was a 14 minute yoga stretch and moves to work the whole body. The second was 12 minutes of abdominal yoga moves. The stretches felt so good after doing the dance workout. Then I went to visit a friend I hadn't seen since fall. We walked 2 brisk miles outside (her neighborhood has 7 miles of paved walking paths) while we chatted and caught up on life.

Dinner was a casual affair. Hubbie and I decided to watch Dancing With The Stars for the first time (better late than never LOL!). So we had popcorn, cheese, crackers, and hard salami, with apple slices, cara cara oranges, celery, carrots and dip as a "buffet" and ate in front of the TV. So nice to be lazy and hang out together.

Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Jenny

mizpaden74

Sounds like good weekends all around. :>)