I am going to try and stick with this (this time)

redfirebird68
redfirebird68 Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Been on here off and on. Never posted and I figured I might stay on if I actively post. So here I am!

I tracked my food for the past week and just weighed in this morning and I lost 2.5 pounds. Yeah! :bigsmile:

Been trying a new approach to burning calories since I run a computer all day, I made a standing computer station (so I stand all day instead of sitting all day), and I un-buried my treadmill from clothes pile and try to use in the morning.


So I am off to a good start and hope to stay on this course.

Jean

Replies

  • Cinabean
    Cinabean Posts: 44 Member
    Wow. That sounds like a great start!

    I, too, run a computer all day. I work from home. What did you do to build a standing station? Not sure I have the room to do it, but I'd like the option.

    I like the accountability this website has inspired in me. Just this morning I dragged my night-owl *kitten* out of bed and did Jillian's Yoga Meltdown before 7 am, which is a big deal for me. Why? B/c I posted that I was going to shoot for that. When my alarm went off this morning, I laid there thinking "I can snooze and go back to sleep....but then I'll have to tell everyone that no, I didn't meet my goal." SO...I got up, whimpered during the workout, and got it done. LOL.

    Feel free to add me if you'd like. I think we can all use all the support we can get!
  • nessa2cyndi
    nessa2cyndi Posts: 4 Member
    Congrats on your weight loss!! Take it one day at a time! Tracking really helps!!
  • bekah818
    bekah818 Posts: 179 Member
    Hi Jean! We're all in this together. Take it one day at a time and set small goals within your overall goal so that you won't lose courage. :wink:
  • redfirebird68
    redfirebird68 Posts: 3 Member
    Right now my standing station is make-shift. I still have everything on my desk, i just raised everything so I could stand instead of sitting.
    The monitor is on top of some books on top of the computer tower and the keyboard and mouse are sitting on top of a box.
  • Julie_Guidry
    Julie_Guidry Posts: 2 Member
    Hi Everyone! :smile: I have used the tracker in the past but never joined the forum. Recently lost my very best friend in the world (thank goodness I stil have my wonderfully hubby) and really need to focus my energy on somthing other than sadness. My issue is, I live a 14 and 14 lifstyle and I too live on a computer. If you have family in the oilfied you understand what I mean. Just as I get going good with a routine its time for my hubby to come home and then my schedule gets thrown out the window. So here I go, one more try...
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    IT guy here too. 85% of it is diet.... but you have to commit 100%. So, if you haven't stuck with it before, make it easier to stick to.

    focus on tracking, make sure you're eating enough, getting some exercise, and just wait for the lbs to start coming off.
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
    Don't try, just do it! Don't give yourself an option of not doing it. Its like brushing your teeth. You are just going to do it. :flowerforyou:
  • masdec7
    masdec7 Posts: 166 Member
    That is a great idea. I just commented to one of my co-workers yesterday that I should set up a waist-chest high desk for my work space so I could stand instead of sit all deay.
  • masdec7
    masdec7 Posts: 166 Member
    Good luck with that
  • alexandraleaden
    alexandraleaden Posts: 99
    I know you said you work from home, but the concept is still the same, if you can pull it off time-wise. I take the long way to the bathroom each time, I have to walk around my building. And I only fill my water bottle half way so that when I finish I have to get up. When I talk on the phone I take the phone in the hallways and walk back and forth (even for the long conf calls). And I pack my lunch religiously...

    for you if you stay at home, the point is do everything you can to keep moving, even if its "out of the way."

    also for those that stay at home, still pack your lunch - if you track your food the night before, put it all in baggys and in the fridge - that is what you are going to eat....thats what I do on the weekends.

    good luck!
  • Willipa9
    Willipa9 Posts: 4
    Good luck. Keep focus on your success and not the failures and you will obtain your goal weight and especially good health.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Adjust your language.

    Anyone can try, and if you mentally set your goal as 'trying', then you let yourself off the hook. "Ah well, I tried."

    Make your goals specific, measurable and attainable. Goals like these will lead to success (your actual goals may vary) :

    "I will keep a detailed food diary for the next year, and will log everything honestly"
    "I willconsistently eat below my calorie needs until I reach my goal weight"
    "Once at my goal weight, I will consistently avoid a caloric surplus, and track my weight"
    "I will consistently eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day"
    "I will do a 30 minute cardio workout 3 times a week, and build and maintain the ability to run 5km in 25 minutes"
    "I will do one hour of resistance training 3 times a week, and get and stay strong enough to deadlift 300lb"

    Goals like these will not :

    "I will get fitter" (You get fitter after every workout, so you could quit after any workout and still succeed)
    "I will get in shape" (What shape? What do you actually want to be able to do? How will you know when you meet your goal?)
    "I will eat better" (Better than what? Does better actually have to be 'good', or just not as bad. Only gaining 1 pound a week is better than gaining 2, after all)
    "I will try to be better" (Trying is for people who plan to fail)
  • Jarice12
    Jarice12 Posts: 135 Member
    I agree with the other posters. Diet is key. I sit almost all day as well, but I make sure that I get at least 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week- and I TRACK EVERYTHING, good and bad. You can look back at some of my days and it's like wow and you wanna lose weight. But it's accountability, and when I'm forced to look at that diary, I try to do better the next day. It's one day at a time, one meal at a time. Focus first on getting moving, then cut calories back. Don't worry so much about "eating healthy" at first, just cut back on how much you eat. It's a process. Stay with it and know that some days are going to be way better than others. You're in a good place-the mfp community is sooooo supportive.
  • Cinabean
    Cinabean Posts: 44 Member
    I know you said you work from home, but the concept is still the same, if you can pull it off time-wise. I take the long way to the bathroom each time, I have to walk around my building. And I only fill my water bottle half way so that when I finish I have to get up. When I talk on the phone I take the phone in the hallways and walk back and forth (even for the long conf calls). And I pack my lunch religiously...

    for you if you stay at home, the point is do everything you can to keep moving, even if its "out of the way."

    also for those that stay at home, still pack your lunch - if you track your food the night before, put it all in baggys and in the fridge - that is what you are going to eat....thats what I do on the weekends.

    good luck!

    Yup. On days I don't get a regular workout in, I try to do things like lunges to the bathroom & other stuff. I also will try to take breaks every hour and drop & do a couple of pushups or squats or something.
  • jld0411
    jld0411 Posts: 29 Member
    Good for you! I second the "one day at a time" comment. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. You've got this! I would recommend getting a HRM (preferably one with a chest strap as they are more accurate). It's fun to see the number of calories burned climb while you're exercising.
  • Just2Bhappy
    Just2Bhappy Posts: 113 Member
    Good job! Even if you just walk in the mornings it's a good start. Try running for 1-2 minutes walking for a bit. Unless your already able to run for 20-30 minutes at a time. Then have fun. LOL
  • Jenn728
    Jenn728 Posts: 683 Member
    Congrats on your weight loss! Keep it up!
  • ckseevers
    ckseevers Posts: 11
    Thanks for shaing. I have been on MFP for 14 days straight. I have faithrully tracked my eating to see how I am doing. I stay well within my calorie allotment but It appears I eat foods too high in surgar content. I work out 3-5 times per week but manage to only get in 30-40 min per work out with most of it primarily cardio. I have lost less than 1 pound in 14 days and am DISCOURAGED. I am 46 and weigh 143. I really should be at a maximum of 130 pounds....I am only five foot 2. I have 2 big events coming up and a trip to Hawaii this summer. I really would feel better about myself if I lost this weight but I feel like I am on a merry-go-round with up one pound down 2 pounds, back up one pound....At Christmas, I weighed 148 pounds. I cut out gluten because of an autoimmune disorder but I am stuck at 143....advice?
  • redfirebird68
    redfirebird68 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for shaing. I have been on MFP for 14 days straight. I have faithrully tracked my eating to see how I am doing. I stay well within my calorie allotment but It appears I eat foods too high in surgar content. I work out 3-5 times per week but manage to only get in 30-40 min per work out with most of it primarily cardio. I have lost less than 1 pound in 14 days and am DISCOURAGED. I am 46 and weigh 143. I really should be at a maximum of 130 pounds....I am only five foot 2. I have 2 big events coming up and a trip to Hawaii this summer. I really would feel better about myself if I lost this weight but I feel like I am on a merry-go-round with up one pound down 2 pounds, back up one pound....At Christmas, I weighed 148 pounds. I cut out gluten because of an autoimmune disorder but I am stuck at 143....advice?


    My sister has RA and she is gluten free also and she can't lose the last 20 she would like. I'm not sure if it is her meds that are keep her at a stand still or not.
  • tommy5928
    tommy5928 Posts: 2
    I'm just starting back after a long time away. Still heavy but I got to reduce weight for medical reasones.:smile:
  • tommy5928
    tommy5928 Posts: 2
    Anyone out there in their sixties and trying to start lifting weights?
  • workinprogress1533
    workinprogress1533 Posts: 25
    Wow. That sounds like a great start!

    I, too, run a computer all day. I work from home. What did you do to build a standing station? Not sure I have the room to do it, but I'd like the option.

    I like the accountability this website has inspired in me. Just this morning I dragged my night-owl *kitten* out of bed and did Jillian's Yoga Meltdown before 7 am, which is a big deal for me. Why? B/c I posted that I was going to shoot for that. When my alarm went off this morning, I laid there thinking "I can snooze and go back to sleep....but then I'll have to tell everyone that no, I didn't meet my goal." SO...I got up, whimpered during the workout, and got it done. LOL.

    Feel free to add me if you'd like. I think we can all use all the support we can get!

    I have been telling myself for the past week that I would get up 30 minutes earlier and do some cardio. I set my alarm 30 minutes earlier every morning and end up re-setting it when it goes off!!!
    I have yet to get up and exercise before work :(
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    I just lost 40 pounds in about 4 months. From that experience I learned that weight-loss is simple math. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. It's really that simple, but you have to know the numbers.

    Make sure you know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, the number of calories your body needs to function) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure - how many calories you burn in a day). Try this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I used "Desk Job with little exercise" and then tracked my exercise separately. Since you don't sit anymore (cool idea, BTW) maybe you can get away with using "light exercise". You can always make adjustments if needed depending on how things go.

    The exercise program I followed to lose the weight so quickly was pretty ambitious, which was my choice. But if you set your goal to 1 pound a week and track your calories carefully, you can easily do it without going crazy. Remember, even if you miss your goal, as long as you're under your TDEE you will lose weight. This is important to remember since you started and stopped before. Maybe your goals were too ambitious before. Don't try to lose 2 pounds a week every week unless you're willing to do the work and sacrifice a bit. I'm worried you may get frustrated and quit.

    Instead, commit to the long haul and remember you will lose weight if you stay under your TDEE. Just do it and keep doing it!
  • ckseevers
    ckseevers Posts: 11
    day two of 30 day shred. WOW. I am sore today and it took everything to get changed and force myself to do the 20 min. anyway. DONE! I think I would have eaten more today but it hurt too bad to get to the fridge....there might be something to this exercise thing. LOL
  • 1980karen
    1980karen Posts: 92 Member
    I started ova again on Monday and so wanting to do it this time! Add me!
  • toots2u2
    toots2u2 Posts: 3
    What a wonderful idea, packing your lunch the night before, and for me it would be a perfect way to not indulge in "just one potato chip" (every time I walk past the dishwasher). I do have lots of will power, it is the WON'T power I have been lacking until now.
  • Harshberger24
    Harshberger24 Posts: 155
    This made me laugh, this is my third time of
    Trying this. My busy life with three kids gets ahold of me and I just give in to their lifestyle and put mine on back burner. I feel more dedicated this time though. Worth a shot! Good luck!!

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