Skinny Cows [CLOSED GROUP]

mugwump71

I read something yesterday that I loved:
Negative thought/feeling: "But everyone else is eating [insert unhealthy food]"!
Response: "What other people are eating has absolutely no bearing on your own weight." Not that you can't have a slice of birthday cake, but that being in a situation where everyone else is eating something unhealthy, and you're not hungry or haven't allotted it into your food intake, doesn't mean you should feel pressured to eat whatever it is too. But I liked reading this because it pointed out the inherent fallacy of assuming that doing whatever is normative is ok.

"But I'm traveling/ it's the weekend/ it's Christmas/ Thanksgiving/ my birthday/ my third cousin's Bar Mitzvah!"
Response: Your body processes calories the same regardless of whether or not you are traveling, or it is a holiday or not. There is a seemingly infinite number of "special occasions" as well!

I'm doing pretty good over here. I'm not sure, but I think I'm plateauing at 175. My old stable weight was about 180, 175 was a plateau back in school, then about 165 about 10 years ago. I am trying to break through the plateau by 1) staying on my eating plan and making sure the meals I'm eating are working for me 2) kicking up my workouts by being more mindful. Sometimes I turn into a zombie on the elliptical, or am mindlessly doing reps of weights. My workouts are in high gear if I really focus on them: like on a cardio machine, am I really working as hard as a I could be, or can I run a little faster? a little harder? Also, weight lifting is way more effective if you visualize what you are doing, and pay really close attention to working out at your limit, not under it.

For various special occasions, social events: if they are potluck style you can bring a dish of your own, so you'll know it will be healthy. If not, make pre-determined choices, where you factor in how many calories you'll be eating, and stick to it. If you think there is 0 probability of there being something healthy there, you can eat right before, or right after (or during if you stick something in your pocket). If you are worried about food/ drink pushers, you can hold one drink all night and no one will know the difference. You have a right to say no to food pushers-- don't ever feel bad about it.

For those of you with kids, is working out with your children an option? I don't mean having them do the 30 day shred with you (haha..) But playing sports with them if they are older, or putting them in a bjorn or stroller and going for walks. (I walk my dog sometimes with a backpack loaded with random stuff to weigh it down). Don't lots of kids like to dance? Is there another adult in the house where you can say, " my health is really important to me, and I hope it is to you too... Can you watch the baby?" (guilt trip, but whatever.) I don't have kids so these suggestions may be totally off base

abjedi

Hope all you skinny cows are doing well!!!

Hugs!!!

SWilland

Thank God its Friday!!!!!

Anyone have plans for the weekend?

Terri813

I agree Thank God it is Friday.
I have really struggled this week with my eating- Planning to get back on track starting tomorrow. I have to work all weekend and hopefully it will be less hectic than the past week.
Have a great weekend everyone,

SWilland

lol happy im not the only one who's had a tough time with eating this week. Today was good and tomorrow we're going hiking so that should get me back on the right track again.

If im not around everyone have a good weeked! Ill try to check in throughout the weekend.

mugwump71

Going to a bachelorette party tomorrow.. I'll try to behave. Food-wise, anyway.

abjedi

Do I post my weight here??
Well I will and let me know if thats not right..
CW 191.8 loss of 1 pound yippee!!!

Liss416

Hi all! Don't have time to chat... just wanted to check in and say hello... Hope all is well! Talk to you all tomorrow~

Liss416

Hi ladies!

I have been dieting "seriously" for a couple of months. And have succeeded. I think for the first time, I'm not viewing this process as a diet per say, and more of a lifestyle choice. I have been trying to devalue the emphasis that food has on me. Everything in my life has been surrounded by food... holidays, parties, celebrations, etc... what are we serving? what are we going to eat? Food has always been in the forefront and the event itself was in the background. Finally I feel, for the most part, that the food served isn't as important as the specific event (sadly, I used to think - "great, a wedding, I wonder what food will be served - and is it open bar?"...lol)

Today, for example, I had coffee at a cafe with my Mom... I ordered a regular cup of coffee with a little bit of skim milk. She ordered a French Vanilla Iced Latte (YUMMY!!!!) and an ENORMOUS chocolate cream cheese brownie. It looked scrumptious! But I wasn't tempted. YAY, me!

But there are rituals that my family and I share that I haven't mastered - I still have to make the conscious choice. For instance, with a house full of boys (4 boys, 1 husband and a boy cat) - we are a huge NFL football family. On Sunday after church, we all dress in our nfl attire (everyone has a different favorite team), play football outside, then we have a football party with chips, dips, etc. I know there are healthy options that I could serve - but not only am I trying to watch my calories, I want to manage my habits... I don't want to graze all day - whether it's grazing on junk food or carrot sticks - I don't want to sit and eat... so that's been tough... I've become a gum chewer... chomp, chomp, bubble, chomp.

Another little habit of which I'm aware... is the tv show The Biggest Loser. I used to watch that show religiously and would eat junk and have some adult beverages. My husband and I would joke about how much I love the show and never seemed to really be motivated to get off the couch - unless it was to fix up a bowl of snacks and ice the drinks. (Pathetic, right? sigh) Well the new season is on, and it was the weirdest thing to just sit and watch the show. I felt like I was missing something. Though I had just had dinner, I felt hungry and thirsty. Weird, right? So, I got up and got more gum... chomp, chomp, bubble, chomp.

Question of the week... What's everyone's take on cheat meals/days?

I feel like by terming it that way... puts too much emphasis on food. If you eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis... and you want a chocolate cream cheese brownie, then have one... and just make sure you still fall under your calorie allotment for the day (or do a little more exercise)... hey, maybe I should go back to that cafe... lol... when I've been on diets before, I would have this image of good foods and bad foods... and of course, I would fantasize about the bad foods... ultimately would break down and eat it, and feel that I have blown my diet and binge on everything else.

I just have been reading posts from other mfp members about cheat meals/days... and though I don't disagree with having them per say, I disagree with calling it that, just in the sense of the potential backfire... french fries are yummy, lettuce is yucky...

Anyway, I'm babbling... and full of run-on sentences... Have a great day all!

Lissa

mugwump71

Lissa,
your first paragraph really spoke to me in terms of "food being at the forefront" of events. I have totally been the same way, for as long as I can remember: thinking too much about food, getting overly excited about food-related events, thinking that so much about social events was all the great food that would be there. I started to notice this several years ago, at my book club when I realized that when everyone else was eating the pizza and array of desserts, but that I seemed to be eating a lot more of it (and was probably thinking about it/ looking forward to it / stressing bout it moreso than they were).

I view my current "diet" as more of a lifestyle choice, particularly given that I'm trying to change the way I think/ feel about food. A lot of the socializing I do is trying out new restaurants in DC-- a lot of my friends are foodies, and I like doing this. I'm learning how to do this in a way that is healthy (rather that viewing going to a restaurant as a free pass to eat as decadent as possible), and also trying to do more social activities that are active rather than food-oriented, like hobbies, physical activities, etc.

My plan has worked into it giving myself 200 calories of anything I want a day. (in my case, it is often chocolate). This has been pretty good at teaching me that I can have anything in moderation. I end up looking forward to the chocolate, and really savoring it when I eat it, rather than mindlessly shoving it into my mouth, or feeling guilty. I am wary of "cheat days" because some people can consume enough calories to discount or overcome the calorie deficit earned the rest of the week. Also on that one day a week I might end up practicing really unhealthy things: binge eating, eating whatever I want even if I know its unhealthy, and eating whenever I want, rather than when I'm hungry. As an overweight person I've had a lifetime of eating when I feel like it, rather than when I'm hungry. The diet I'm on emphasizes learning how to strengthen your "muscle" for resisting the urge to eat when you're not actually hungry.

This weekend was a triple whammy: bachelorette party, hanging out with my bf, and Octoberfest. The bachelorette party was the hardest. I had looked at the restaurant's menu ahead of time, and "banked" some calories, but ultimately I ended up ordering two drinks I didn't account for because it would have been socially weird if I didn't go along with everyone else. We ended up going to a bar after the restaurant and it was either get a beer or be the only one without one (I didn't finish it). We went to another bar and I ordered a drink and didn't drink it, which I'm fine with. I had fun with my friends without drinking. I managed to eat reasonably healthy when at a Mexican restaurant with my BF--it's helps that he's supportive of my trying to eat more healthy. Octoberfest was a *smidge* more calories than what would have been ideal, but I'm giving myself credit for not going for 2nds, and not eating desserts to the point that I would be stuffed.

Tried on my "one size too small" jeans and I still think I'm 10 pounds off. I was scared to try them on, but did so because one of my normal pairs of work pants looked too big on today. One day..
Hope everyone is doing well.
Violet

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.