The Daily Water Cooler Thread

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  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    The scale intimidates me! I dread standing on it and seeing the ounces that fluctuate day to day. I'm due for another weigh in but may hold off for another week. I go to the doctor on 3/31 and they always weigh me. Hopefully they will record in my chart that my weight has decreased. I'm thinking I'm about 12 pounds down since my last doctor visit. This is going slow but I'm also not depriving myself of foods that I like, just using moderation and not every day.

    Nice day to get the bikes out mizpaden. I'm planning to take the old ancient dog for a little walk at a snail's pace I'm sure. He loves to walk on a leash! We'll probably make it to the corner and back but it's good for his attitude and the sun shining is good for mine!

    Have a nice day!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Hello everyone,

    I'm here to join! My name's Starla (I'm working on finding a picture of more than just my upper half for profile pic btw). I was told about MFP by a coworker a few weeks ago and I LOVE it!! I've been really motivated, logging calories EVERY DAY except sunday (my day off!). I have a very busy job- I'm a medical assistant at the university of WA med center in Seattle. I'm walking around ALL day going out to get patients, running to get things for doctors. While this is decent exercise most days (when I wear my pedometer I get around 8000 steps in a day) I rarely if ever exercise outside of that. At 27 I had gotten to my heaviest weight ever, almost 174lbs. I'm a 'shortie' also- only 5'3" so it's a lot for my little frame. I'm cursed in a sense though- my body spreads fat out everywhere, I don't gain or look large in one particular area- so it's actually "easier" to gain a half a dozen pounds and not notice a thing. Sounds like it would be nice but it's a curse I tell you, a curse! On top of that I wear scrubs every day at work, then comfy clothes at home so I can't even gauge weight gain by how my clothes fit. I hardly wear regular clothes! On top of reaching the all time high weight of 174 I had to buy a pair of size 14 jeans. sad. Anyways, this all motivated me to PAY ATTENTION to what I eat, and to attempt to find exercises I like and will do after getting home when even though I'm pooped from work.

    I've had terrible eating habits my whole life, easy things are always chosen first (i.e that bag of chips or box of something or other that will staisfy my hunger) and SUGAR is an issue. Pure addiction. I'm one of those people that feels the need to have a sweet treat after meals, thus sloowwwwlly gaining weight over the last 10 years. I'm motivated right now to overhaul myself by next summer (10 yr high school reunion): re-learn how to eat properly, get back into a size 8 jean and feel better about myself. I WILL do it!!! I duno about getting to an 8 within a year unless I were to do some serious things but I'm sure I can at least get to a 10. we'll see...

    Recently I decided that I'm not going to step on the scale every week. My weight body hides wieght too well. I need to MEASURE!! so I did my first measurements today:

    Height: 5'3"
    Arms: 11.5"
    Chest: 40.5"
    Waist: 34.5"
    Hips: 43"
    Thighs: 25.5"
    Neck: 12"
    calves: 15.5"
    BMI: around 30
    body fat percentage: around 40% (according to the online calculators, never done "officially")

    It helps me to share this stuff, be public about it. Gives me even more motivation to make those numbers less because anyone who looks at this post can see them!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Oh, and I've only read through about half of the previous posts on this thread, slowly working through them during down times at work :o)
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    Welcome Starla:smile: All very nice people on this thread. We set our own goals for walking and strength training if you wish to do so. Very informal in regards to reporting your progress and goals set are the individual's choice. Some of us use exercise tickers from tickerfactory.com to show our progress toward our goal(s). Some walk minutes per month and some walk miles per month. Not everyone is lifting weights but some of us are challenging ourselves to do it more consistently. Some of us walk indoors in bad weather to Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's/Walk Away the Pounds, and some walk outside, use treadmills/ellipticals, etc. Whatever you want to do... By challenging ourselves and supporting one another it keeps us active and moving to lose the weight and feel better. Sounds like you have a very active job! Do you wear a pedometer every day?

    Sandy started this group and is very inspiring because she has logged in almost 365 days straight. She has about two weeks to go and she'll have been logging for a year! All the rest have their stories and check in weekly, daily, etc. to give encouragement, report progress, and chat. So welcome and good luck.:bigsmile:

    Jenny
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    Welcome Starla:smile: All very nice people on this thread. We set our own goals for walking and strength training if you wish to do so. Very informal in regards to reporting your progress and goals set are the individual's choice. Some of us use exercise tickers from tickerfactory.com to show our progress toward our goal(s). Some walk minutes per month and some walk miles per month. Not everyone is lifting weights but some of us are challenging ourselves to do it more consistently. Some of us walk indoors in bad weather to Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's/Walk Away the Pounds, and some walk outside, use treadmills/ellipticals, etc. Whatever you want to do... By challenging ourselves and supporting one another it keeps us active and moving to lose the weight and feel better. Sounds like you have a very active job! Do you wear a pedometer every day?

    Sandy started this group and is very inspiring because she has logged in almost 365 days straight. She has about two weeks to go and she'll have been logging for a year! All the rest have their stories and check in weekly, daily, etc. to give encouragement, report progress, and chat. So welcome and good luck.:bigsmile:

    Jenny

    Okay Starla I'm losing my mind. This is not the Swat Walking Group Thread that I'm also on. I've made this same mistake with another person! This is just a daily chat group who encourage each other and chat about our kids, eating, exercise, etc. Welcome:laugh: Although feel free to join the SWat Walking Group started by Sandara. It's a great motivator and another group of very friendly people that give lots of support. There's a few of us on this thread that have hung in there to connect with others on the same journey. The person who started it no longer is chatting but a few of us keep it going. So Welcome!
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,729 Member
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    Hey there Starla - welcome! I just like coming in to this thread because its low-key and never harsh. Just a bit of chatting and lifting each other up.

    You do a fantastic amount of walking, that will be a big help to you.

    I finally found some dvd's I adore. I am barely able to move the scale after six months of consistent calorie logging, but I am stronger than I have ever been, and that's what I carry forward when I get into a 'bad place' with the number on the scale.

    Did my 60-minutes of Cardio Interval Training, so the weekend is off to good start. Bikes out, dog laying in the yard, and a CROCUS blooming. It might just about be spring!!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Welcome Starla:smile: All very nice people on this thread. We set our own goals for walking and strength training if you wish to do so. Very informal in regards to reporting your progress and goals set are the individual's choice. Some of us use exercise tickers from tickerfactory.com to show our progress toward our goal(s). Some walk minutes per month and some walk miles per month. Not everyone is lifting weights but some of us are challenging ourselves to do it more consistently. Some of us walk indoors in bad weather to Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's/Walk Away the Pounds, and some walk outside, use treadmills/ellipticals, etc. Whatever you want to do... By challenging ourselves and supporting one another it keeps us active and moving to lose the weight and feel better. Sounds like you have a very active job! Do you wear a pedometer every day?

    Sandy started this group and is very inspiring because she has logged in almost 365 days straight. She has about two weeks to go and she'll have been logging for a year! All the rest have their stories and check in weekly, daily, etc. to give encouragement, report progress, and chat. So welcome and good luck.:bigsmile:

    Jenny

    I've set my own small goals for now. Having only started getting hard on myself (eating habits, exercise habits) for about three weeks I'm not doing anyhthing drastic. My personal challenges are to first of all eat healthier! Before it was pretty rare that I'd get more that one serving of fruits/veggies in a day. Second eat SMALLER amounts at least 5 times a day- 200-300 cal breakfast, 100-200 cal snack mid-morning, lunch maybe 400 cals, another snack mid-afternoon and the dinner tends to hover between 500-700 so I usually end up pretty close to my goal calories everyday (MFP set me at 1500/day). MFP's made all the difference in that sense! I've tried food diaries in the past but ended up stopping/losing interest beacuse of all the extra work. MFP is SO EASY and I love that I can use it from my phone. My third goal's a slow but steady one- 1-2lbs lost per month, inches-wise I'm not sure yet. I haven't figured out yet how that'll go. I've never been a measurer before- always focused on that evil scale. I'll figure that part out as I go. 4th goal, lower blood pressure! My BP's not high, but the high end of normal. My mother has all kinds of heart related things, there's no way I want to go down that path. I'm lucky enough to not have any health issues except for reflux (which I expect to go away with weight loss). Last but not least I want to get myself to exercise at least 30 mins every other day to start. Here is Seattle the weather's not nice enough to do things outside... once the weather's nicer I plan to walk like 20-30 mins a day. For now though, indoor things: I have a Gazelle exerciser that I like using. I have tons of DVDs/VHS- I love doing yoga, always have. I figure when I REALLY dont want to do that half hour the least I can do is yoga. It's easier but at least I'm doing SOMETHING. I'm a big fan of the MTV yoga and MTV power yoga. They're both faster paced yoga that makes you sweat and gets your heart up. love it! ok, so sixth goal: don't stop!! I go through spurts of motivation regarding exercise and dieting and it always seems to fizzle out. I'm going to make it stick this time and strive for a lifestyle change!! I need one. I'm too young and healthy to be over weight!

    Oh, and to answer the pedometer question: I did for awhile! But sadly I lost it on the bus!! :o( Didnt realize until I got home. I've ordered another in the mail, hopefully to come soon and plan to wear it every day and get off of the bus sooner than usual to get some extra walking in at the end of the day. My job's super active and the clinic I work in is HUGE so I do get a ton of walking in during the day, luckily! I fear that if it wasn't that way and I had a more sedentary job I'd be even more overweight!

    Thanks for the welcome!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Hey there Starla - welcome! I just like coming in to this thread because its low-key and never harsh. Just a bit of chatting and lifting each other up.

    You do a fantastic amount of walking, that will be a big help to you.

    I finally found some dvd's I adore. I am barely able to move the scale after six months of consistent calorie logging, but I am stronger than I have ever been, and that's what I carry forward when I get into a 'bad place' with the number on the scale.

    Did my 60-minutes of Cardio Interval Training, so the weekend is off to good start. Bikes out, dog laying in the yard, and a CROCUS blooming. It might just about be spring!!

    Thanks for the welcome! I like that it's low key also. It's fun to look through threads but some people are so harsh and have such strong opinions and PUSH them. Nice to find the threads that are slower and SANER!

    I aslo have DVDs I love- I'm not a gym person. I really dislike going and being around a bunch of other people blah blah. I prefer coming home, having a snack and exercising all by myself :o) Like I said before I love the MTV dvds- I have the yoga and power yoga that I use the most. I get a good sweat and soreness out of those. I also have the pilates dvd from MTV. I have the whole set of windsor (sp?) pilates, the set of tae bo videos and a smattering of other dvs, mostly pilates and yoga. I just have to get myself to DO them at least every other day, eventually every day. I'll get there.

    Today I did 30 minutes of power yoga and was exhausted and sweaty afterwards so it was very fulfilling :o)

    You two have been doing this MFP thing longer than me- I don't want to post a question on the main boards and get fifty contrasting opinions. What do you think about the calories you earn from exercising? I feel like I should stay around the 1500 MFO oroginally set for me... I don't see how if I earn 400 or however many from exercise how it'll help to eat those. Guess I'm just not getting it!

    It's SUCH a change for me to eat so much. I wasn't eating often enough before surprisingly. Just eating BADLY and way too much around 3 times a day. I've gotten good at 5-6 times mainly fruuits and veggies with some protein and dairy. :o)
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    well, I can't figure out how to put pictures I found on my profile and have the smaller version that shows on threads show my face... but at least they're on my profile to glance back at. Found two that I hate! good reminders.:wink:
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,729 Member
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    Just another opinion on the exercise cal - I tend to eat them - but I luv to eat! I do know tho that you don't want to have you daily intake too low, lest your body think it it being 'starved' and will then cling to all it has.

    I have never heard or seen MTV yoga - will have to look for it. I only have a couple of yoga dvd's, but I really enjoy them.

    Am in a bit of a stupor from actually sleeping in this morning. Scrounging around for something I want for bfast. My cereal is gone and nothing I want to 'treat' myself with. And I also am not the type to be able to workout until I have a comfortably full tum.

    Lots of chores looking to be done this weekend, will need a good dose of chutzpah, so off I go to refil my mug of 'go get em' and get after it!

    Later lovlies!!
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    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.:smile:

    Jenny
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,729 Member
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    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
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
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    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. :tongue:
    Have a great day everyone!!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    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 :o)

    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 :o) 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
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    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 :o)
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    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
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    VOLLEYBALL!! Sounds like fun :o) 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 :o)

    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 :o)
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Oh, and ohmyGOSH, mexican food sounds AMAZING! Been over a month since I've been to a restaurant!!!
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,277 Member
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    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
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,729 Member
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    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!

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