Skinny Cows [CLOSED GROUP]

SWilland

Im not a fan of the term "cheat day" because we are all making a lifestyle change. We are in this for the long haul ladies!! I believe a lifestyle change does not mean depriving yourself of all the deliciousness in life but enjoying it in moderation. What I have been doing is if I know im going out to eat I try to scope out the menu ahead of time and when I do want something that is higher in a calories (like that melty mushroom/onion/swiss burger with a side of fries) I make sure that I only eat half of it and bring the rest home with me.

This is a case of easier said that done. My test will be this upcoming weekend when I fly home to visit my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and of course hanging out with my old college friends (can we say homemade sweets and TONS of beer).

My will is strong now and i already have in my head that I wont be eating the healthiest but knowing that I am determined to enjoy myself but still keep everything in moderation. And ive saddled my mother into taking walks with me every day so I dont skimp on the exercise either

MissKittyrina

I'm in a serious slump. It's been hard staying motivated, plus I had the stress of driving my toddler to Kansas City by myself for my daughter's 13th birthday party (It's a 5 hour drive from my house). I pretty much blew the diet out of the water from the stress of trying to buy perfect presents for a non-girly 13yo plus have everything ready for the weekend. Then I got there and was stuck with her dad's cooking, which was horrible... for dinner we had chicken breast with too much pepper on it, served with canned pork and beans and potato chips and he thought that was a HEALTHY meal... It was pretty much downhill from there. Then I got sick and pounded down the colas trying to get energy to make the drive home where I collapsed into bed with, you guessed it, more junk food. 2am that night I woke to the sounds of a screaming toddler..... yes he chose THAT night to become violently ill, so ill that I rushed his projectile vomiting body to the ER where he remained hooked up on iv's and the such for 12 hours. My weekend was pretty much hell.

Today, we are almost back to normal. I'm an emotional wreck, but starting to balance out. Went to the grocery store and stocked up on produce and protein, and my fiance and I didn't bring home anything that got worse than a B on our Fooducate Apps... I think by the end of the week things will be balanced again.

But I'm scared to get on the scale, I have a feeling I have gained everything back!

StephieWillcox

Hi Ladies!

I feel terrible for abandoning MFP and all of you wonderful people for pretty much the whole of last week - you guys seem to be doing really well though, I am constantly inspired by your weightloss check-in's and your logging!

I took my second exam yesterday so now I am back and committed to staying on track!

I'm now eating less than 100g of carbs each day in an effort to step-up my efforts, and I'm feeling so much more full so I think it's working well - will weigh in on Friday to see what has happened scale wise too!!

@MissKittyrina - Oh my goodness what a horrible weekend for you to have to go through!!! I hope your little one is alright now! Don't worry about having a bad weekend - that's only normal! You can't be perfect all the time And one weekend of making worse choices isn't likely to have impacted you too badly on the scales (apart from the water weight gain from not drinking enough water/eating too much sodium from the junk food). It's unlikley you would have eated 3500 cals over your cal limit, even with some poorer choices!

@SWilliand - I completey agree with your idea of moderation - surely that's what we've all struggled with our whole lives!! If we had always believed in moderation we would be much closer to the weight we dream of being! I really really struggle with moderation STILL. For me it seems to be all or nothing, and that's really something I have to STOP! I don't want to get into the situation where I binge and then starve myself (or worse) to make up for it. So at the moment I choose not eating anything unless I have a set amount I can have (i.e. I can have something if I've bought a small portion of something and that's all there is for me to binge on in the house!)

@Lissa - I don't have "cheat days". I certainly have days where I make poorer choices, but I try to enjoy the naughty things I eat, and put them in context of what they are - i.e. processed, unhealthy food that may feel great the second you're eating it, but certainly make you feel worse a couple of hours afterwards, and even more so in the long run. I think calling it a "cheat day" is a way to glorify what you're putting your body through!!!

@Violet - Good for you trying on your jeans!! And that's awesome that you're only 10lbs away - hopefully that will fly by

Hope everyone else is still doing ok!

Steph x

MissKittyrina

I used to be a fan of "cheat day" but not anymore. It would seem that "cheat day" always turns in to "cheat weekend" and then finally "cheat week" which then completely railroads me!

I do occasionally let myself have 1 treat, but try to limit it to maybe a treat every couple of days or so and not let it get out of hand. Lately I've been looking for faux cheats... things that are similar but better. For instance I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Smokehouse Salad at ****ey's. But, it's loaded in fat. I've been able to snuff out the cravings with my own version. Instead of pulled pork, I used chicken cubes. I don't put the fried onion tanglers on at all (I skip those at ****ey's too). I use spinach and other vitamin rich greens instead of iceburg lettuce. I add only 1 tablespoon of ranch and 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce instead of drowning it.

Unfortunately there are some things you just can't make healthier.... but at least I try

Liss416

Hey guys... just read a link on mfp message board about how amazon.com is offering a free download of the couch25k application for android phones.... don't know if any of you have an android phone - or the desire to do the couch25k program, but it is free on amazon.com today only. I just downloaded it - and it is definitely free.... I know in theory, that you don't need a telephone application to train for a 5k - but I thought it would be fun. I have a chronic achilles tendonitis issue, so I'll have to take it SLOWLY...

Here's the link...

http://www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011

Have a great day!

MissKittyrina

@Liss416 Yes that is the free AP for today. I downloaded it this morning. Not sure when/if I will use it but I love the free app of the day when it's something decent I just need time to fit it in now, or a stroller that I can run with ha ha.

SWilland

Oh man vacation starts tomorrow! Yay! I've already informed my parents (that's who i'm visiting) that im going to eat healthy (or try anyway) since ive been working hard to lose the poundage. My moms on board and also said she would walk with me everyday.

If I dont have a chance to log on you guys have an awesome weekend! Ill have my iPod with so ill continue to update my exercise and food diary but i might not have access to this forum.

MissKittyrina

Have a safe and wonderful trip

MissKittyrina

Is it just me, or is everything EXEPT profiles and the home page is working? I can't see updates or anything

mugwump71

How was everyone's weekend? I was out of town at a huge party, and so am not looking forward to weigh-in, but i will do it first thing tomorrow morning.

abjedi

CW 191.8 same as lat week... Hope everyone has great week..

StephieWillcox

Hi ladies - I had a dramatic fall off the wagon over the past couple of weeks (no weight gain, but just poor choices & no exercise), but I am PROPERLY back now, not just fake back like last week!

How is everyone doing? The thread has definitely petered off

Since Lisa is having a tough time I thought maybe I would start another challenge off to kick us (and by us I mean ME) back into drive?

I will have a think tonight and post my new challenge tomorrow!! Any suggestions are welcome

Steph x

MissKittyrina

I fell off the wagon too, very poor food/beverage choices and less exercise. Haven't been logging in, etc. Gained a few pounds but surprisingly not inches! My yoga pants are still WAY to big so I went to Walmart and bought a pair one size smaller going from XXL to XL. Got home, put them on, and they are too big!! I'm shocked after my bad week. I guess I don't have to worry about putting them in the dryer ha ha!

StephieWillcox

Haha - that's a fantastic surprise!! You should go back and just get a L - you might be surpised even more!!!

I think sometimes we get to down on ourselves for a bad period of time - it doesn't always lead to disasterous results, and every pound gained can be lost again.

Weightloss really isn't an "all or nothing" scenario, and I think my problem is that I totally see it as one. If I fail, give up the whole day/week/month and then start all over again. It REALLY shouldn't be like that!!

Steph x

mugwump71

Give yourself credit for getting back "on the wagon" rather than feeling bad that you fell off. Everybody falls off (I don't believe anyone that says they never had a misstep), and its harder to get back on than it is to just give up.

Everybody's been in the position of "well, i've already had these 3 cookies, and my diet is ruined, i might as well have some more... "and then maybe the whole box and then maybe the whole day is messed up and might as well start over on monday. Definitely the black and white thinking Steph is talking about. But it's actually a decision process at every step. If you stop after those 3, you're still better off than if you had 5 unplanned cookies. and even if you had those three, if you do it knowing what you're doing, you;re still being more mindful of your eating habits. if you can stop yourself, you can say, why/ how did that happen? and this can help me prevent it again.

im doing well over here. I have to say, that having MFP on a phone app was insanely useful when i was away at the wedding. my "guestimating" probably would have been a bit too liberal otherwise, and i managed to lose weight despite the trip. (it helped that i didn't binge drink at the wedding, which, to be frank, is my normal MO. it's weird, bc, i dont actually drink that much, but its so much fun to at weddings).

StephieWillcox

Love this ^^^

In the future when I have a little blip I'm going to toally take that on board. If I have a little bit too much of a bad choice I will just stop myself and remind myself that one little blip is ok, but there's no need for it to go any further!

I also love having MFP on my phone - I started using the little notes section the other day to talk myself through some the bad/good choices I make, and my gym work - I find it helpful to write down the bad things I'm thinking of eating so I can control myself and not eat them!

Well done on your continued weightloss - it's great to see at least one of us skinny cows is sticking with it! And thanks for sharing your motivation - it helps kick me back into gear!

Steph x

Terri813

Sorry I have been MIA- I have been really struggling with motivation the past few weeks. After gaining two more pounds this week- I decided I have to get back on the wagon or I will end up back at square one again. So my goal this week is to look everything I am eating and stay as close as possible to my calorie goal. I pulled out my GoWearFit band so I can accurately track my calories out.
Steph- I am going to try your idea of using the notes sections.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

abjedi

Is there a different place to post it weigh ins?? I fell out of the loop.

SWilland

Hi everyone!

Sorry i havent been logged on (or even recording) for the past week. Vacation was great! I stayed on track and ended up loosing 1.6 lbs while i was gone . However when I got back that's when i feel I didn't do so good. To be fair I did pick up a head cold/flu so when i did fly home my ears didn't pop and I couldn't hear out my left ear for a few days. No walking done in that time Today is the first day I feel better, though i'm still taking a half day off of work.

Im not going to look at those past few days as a set back.. cause overall I still lost some weight (under 200!!!) but its time to get it into high gear so I can get goal one (190lbs) accomplished by the end of the year. Plus with all the awesome holiday foods that will be coming up might as well get a head start on it.

Liss416

Hey ladies! I have to vent... do you have a moment? As you guys know, I'm almost at goal weight and have been making healthy choices (and not beating myself up over the might-not-be-the-healthiest choice)... and I have been loving all the exercise I have been doing... endorphins, etc... Well about 2 months ago, I had this epiphany that I want to be a personal trainer when I grow up. I started doing research about how to become one, etc. Oops let me back up... I had to take a leave of absence from my current job because my Mom's health was failing (she's better now)... So I interviewed with my local YMCA - it would be a part-time position (clearly a pay cut - but don't know exactly how much $) no benefits (sigh... and my husband is a sole practioner and so we rely upon me for insurance)... BUT the YMCA would train me to become a trainer... and working in the field would keep me focused on my health/fitness... and I think it could be a stepping stone to a great career...

Meanwhile... I friend of my Mom's called me and told me that her company was hiring and she submitted my name/# for consideration for the position.... I had 2 rounds of interviews... Just received an offer... more money, benefits, etc... downside is my 4 kids would have to be in daycare - big boys would be before and after school and the babies would be full day (as opposed to the YMCA hours would around when my husband was home)... but I live in the suburbs, so a position like this doesn't come by that often... and the need for daycare would be only the next couple of years....

argh... so my dilemma is... I feel I have to take the position at the funeral home (I'm indifferent about the industry, it would be a behind the scenes position) and yet... I would prefer the YMCA... I'm torn between the right thing to do vs the right thing for me... and I know... know matter how health focused I am... I'm afraid that I'm going to gain weight again... the hours for the job with transportation, make it close to impossible to exercise daily... in the past once I stopped exercising, eventually my healthy eating goes out the window too... and I say this because after today's interview with the offer, the first thing I did when I came home was open the pantry door and grabbed a bag of chips... the only reason why I didn't eat them is because my husband came home...

sigh... what to do... what to do....

Well... thanks for letting my vent...

mugwump71

abjedi- we haven't been posting weekly weigh-ins, although I suppose we can start

Swilland- staying on track during vacation is something to give yourself credit for! Maybe we can discuss how to handle the upcoming holidays this week. Halloween + Thanksgiving + Christmas = triple threat.

Liss- no matter what you decide, you can find a way to make it work for your health too. You may have to steal time to exercise (giving up other things, working out more efficiently with the time you do have, or squeezing it in during lunch hour, or just adding more activities like taking the stairs or walking to the grocery store). Or if you can't you'd have to trade in for being more diligent with what you're eating. planning out healthy meals technically does take more time, but once you have a routine it gets faster and faster. When I first started my plan, I thought it was daunting and a lot of work, but once you routinize it, it becomes easier over time. Don't listen to people who tell you "It's too hard to do X and still be healthy". Think about how you can make it work. It might involve creative solutions.

Im doing good here. I had a long streak of consecutive days where I had weight loss, except for today, although I do think that's just random noise and not real weight gain. I had something of a NSV- someone I only see about once a week just saw me and said I've been losing weight and that I look good. That was really the first person who noticed. My workouts haven't been that intense because i've had a head cold the past week but I think i've gotten better. I've been looking to add more physical activities into my hobbies-- I think I'll be kayaking when I'm on vacation in CA, and I was really excited to find out that there is a kung fu place VERY close to where I live. I took a martial arts class when I was in school and really liked it, and think it may be a fun way to get a work out, and to learn something practical that you can advance through stages of. (I like to feel like I'm making some sort of progress other than burning calories, which is why i like lifting weights more than cardio).

SWilland

Liss - What an opportunity but what a choice! I totally understand having to choose between what you love or what you can afford. Have you and your SO sat down and talked about it financially? Let me know what you end up doing!

Mug - Good for you picking up new hobbies! Im all about expanding your experience. I recently tried my hand at crochet and found I LOVE it! Plus its something to keep my hands busy during TV time so ive noticed a cut back on the munching. I found somewhere you burn approx 100 cal per hour crocheting.... one can only hope thats true. Im thinking of trying my hand at Zumba when I hit my first weight goal. Id go to the class instead of getting the tapes. Anyone here tried it?

I have a halloween party tomorrow im pumped for. I got a cute costume and everything Plus its cooled down now in TX so its been AMAZING walking the dog in the evenings.

Liss416

Hey all! Thanks for the advice... I accepted the funeral home position (not entirely comfortable with the decision)... but it was the right choice for my family. I was feeling incredibly sorry for myself - because (1) I always do the right thing for everyone else - not necessarily for me personally and (2) I really was excited about the idea of working in the fitness community. At the end of the day... with this economy and the fact that I have 4 children... the decision was a no-brainer... Admittedly, I spent 2 days pouting... but I'm over it... I have to learn to become a better runner - so that I can run during lunch... that way I can continue exercising without doing it during my family time... I had downloaded on to my phone the couch to 5k app and started it last week. In 9 weeks, it slowly guides you into running 5k... Week 1 - warm up/walk 5.5 minutes then run 60 secs, walk 90 secs x 8... and then cool down walk 4.5 minutes... I think week 2 flip/flops the run/walk times... but I'll let you know...

Speaking of letting you know... I read a post on the mfp message boards about Fleetly.com... have you all heard about it? I just joined (free)... it's an exercise site that you can log your fitness and you earn points for the types of activities you do... you can join challenges (abs, walking - 100 miles before the end of year, etc...)... makes it a smidge competitive and fun. It has an app for iphones, but not droids... You can have friends like mfp, etc... you guys should check it out...

Okay, I'm off to spend time with my little guy (the 3 yr old... he has a temp and feels yucky)... Have a great rest of the weekend!

Liss

abjedi

Sorry I fell like I've been out of the loop... Hope everyone is well ... CW 190.8

mugwump71

Hope everyone is doing ok. I've hit my second plateau. While I also hit a recent milestone (went shopping because my work pants looked ridiculous and discovered that I am down a pants size) being at a plateau is really frustrating. Last time it was after my first 5 pounds or so, and I just stuck to what my plan said: stick it out for a week or so, and then evaluate what to do afterwards. Luckily, the plateau ended after a week. (I really don't want to reduce the number of calories I'm eating unless I really have to). So here I am again. I'm just sticking really closely to my eating plan and having really intense workouts (but without making myself crazy.)

It's weird to be in some sort of limbo space, where on the one hand there are some really tangible benefits to the weight loss I've already experienced, but also to be frustrated that I have a ways to go. My goal is really only a pound a week, which is what I have been doing, so I guess I just need to have patience. I'm going on vacation to see a bunch of my friends (some of whom I haven't seen in a couple years) and I'm hoping to look pretty good by November, when I see them.

Is anyone scared for Halloween for non-zombie reasons? I decided that the thing that gets me through holidays is to plan in advance to have a little bit of the holiday spirit, worked into my caloric allotment. for me this is individually wrapped reeses peanut butter cups. Somehow they are better on Halloween...
-Violet

SWilland

Reese's Peanut Butter cups are my Kryptonite. Im not buying any Halloween candy this year since we live in an apartment and we've never had trick or treaters since we have lived here (three years now). Sooooo to avoid any temptation I may have, I have chosen not to have it in the house.

It sucks about the plateau. I've been there myself. Might be there now acutally. I've been the same weight for the past three days. But patience is a virtue in this battle. Your right, we just need to hang in there and if we are still stuck then re-evaluate.

abjedi

Hello all!! Ok Good I though I was going way out of the loop... My weight loss is very slow I need to step it up some how... Thanks everyone... I hope everyone is well. Till later

Liss416

Hi everyone! Violet, congrats on losing a pants size. That's fantastic! I'm sorry about the plateau. I know EXACTLY what you're going through. Are you eating all your exercise calories back (or most of them)? That's what did the trick for me. If you already are eating the calories back, maybe you need to mix up your exercise routine. Confuse your body with different exercises instead of changing your eating habits. We have talked about zig zagging calories before - I'm not a fan - I've never tried it mind you, I just don't feel comfortable with it - makes me feel like I'm on a diet vs. a lifestyle change. I'm not being coherent, but I think you all know what I mean. What's your sodium intake? Could you be eating too much sodium? The last possibility is how much weight you have lost vs how much more you need to lose... The closer to goal weight the smaller the weight loss. One pound/week loss becomes 0.5 pound/week... Maybe you have lost pounds, but you have lost inches. Don't let this frustrate you - focus on the nsv's and as my Mom always says "This too shall pass."

mugwump71

I think my body is just saying "hold on a sec here". I don't eat a lot of sodium (I don't like the taste) and I think the people that add back exercise calories are on a much lower calorie diet than me. (If I added calories back, I could be eating 2000-2300 calories, which is pretty similar to what I was doing before this--working out a lot but also eating a lot, which wasn't losing weight for me).

I'm going to try 3 things, and will let people know how they work out. Right now I'm going to stick with my typical calorie allotment (1800) but vary what I am eating and when. I have literally been eating the same calorie breakfast, at the same time, the same snack at the same time, etc. I think my body may have just gotten used to this (I noticed that I when I first started I felt more hungry more often, but not so much now). So I think sometimes I will have a "dinner" sized calorie amount for breakfast, and switch up the time when I'm eating to confuse my body. I'll try that till the end of October. If that doesn't work, I'm going to try the calorie cycling. Yeah, I think some of the people doing it on this site are doing wacky things like eating 1000 calories Monday, and 2000 on Tuesday. I'm going to float around 1800 but change it every day so that it averages to 1800. For me, this wouldn't be making a huge change, just stuff like having a protein shake after working out, or cutting down on the size of my dinner and eating lower calories snacks. I think this might work ok with me because I'm pretty good with "this is what you're having to eat at this meal, and that is all." If that doesn't work, I'm going to try something I heard a personal trainer say works good for plateaus-- eat 25% more calories, but burn 25% more working out. I want to avoiding decreasing the number of calories I eat unless I really have to.

If anyone is interested, I did an excel spreadsheet that calculates your lean body mass and % body fat. You have to input your weight and some measurements with a tape measure. It's really hard to get an accurate rating of % body fat. My fancy digital scale has been saying i have 40% body fat *regardless of whatever my weight is*. I think I put a sack of flour on there once too. This calculation, which I got from a weightlifting for women book, is supposed to be a pretty decent estimate. It says not to calculate it more than once every 3 weeks.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. It is snowing here!!?

SWilland

Just joined a walking challenge for November Yay!