Motivation, Support and Accountability Thread, May 25th - 31st

Italian_Buju
Italian_Buju Posts: 8,030 Member
Last week of May! Summer has arrived (mostly).

Overall I had a good week last week, and the scale seems to be (slowly) moving in the right direction again....which is a good thing, because sooner or later, my doctor is gonna remember to weigh me when I see her, lol.

How was your week last week??

This week my goals are:

1. Proper morning hydration
2. Post to this thread everyday
3. Log my food six days (But be mindful what I eat on my day off)
4. Get to the YMCA three times
5. Make my 10 thousand steps every day
6. Try and get some sun a few days this week (it helps my skin)
7. Go to bed by 10pm four nights this week
8. Manage my stress levels and try not to stress eat, be mindful of it

What are your goals this week??

Weekly Mini Goal

Tell us about one NSV you have had so far, and one in particular you are waiting for. If you are at the beginning of your weight loss, just tell us what two NSV you are wanting most.

Replies

  • craftscout
    craftscout Posts: 290 Member
    *pokes head in cautiously*

    Ummmmmm, hi? :)

    I know, I know, it's been a while. But I didn't fall off the wagon, promise! Just got too busy being active to be active here. But it's Memorial Day, so we're having a lazy quiet morning, and I thought I might check in and let you know I'm ok. :)

    I've been playing with my CI,CO numbers the last couple of weeks. I decided that I would shift my calorie goal based on being "lightly active". I had spoken with my Physical Therapist, wondering how you know when you no longer have a sedentary lifestyle. He seemed really surprised that I still considered myself to be sedentary. He pointed out that I work out everyday, for nearly an hour, if not more than. He said that I never talked about sitting activities, just how was I going to go backpacking and hiking without killing my knees.

    So I finally shifted my designation to "lightly active". I had been trying to maintain a daily CI of about 1400 calories, based on what my nutritionist told me nearly a year ago. At "lightly active", MFP puts my daily calories at 2000! My husband thinks that makes more sense, and told me he was worried that I was eating so few calories before. He thought I was keeping my body in starvation mode. Not good if you want to lose, right? :)

    So, I have been eating 1800-2200 calories the last couple of weeks. Including cookies, ice cream, chocolate, beer, French fries, Indian buffets, naan and pita, sushi (lots of sushi), and LOTS of crawfish. But I have also been eating lots of vegetables, whole grains, brown rice, and healthy meats. And I have been chugging water like its beer at a college frat party.

    And I stopped using MFP to determine my CO. I have a Fitbit Surge, which is a way more accurate calorie burn measurer. I switched my primary goal from being total steps to being total calories burned - with a goal of about 3200 calories everyday. Which means that in addition to my strength training each day, I have ended up walking for at least 30 minutes everyday the last week or so.

    So, since the last time I was here, two weeks ago, I've lost a total of 5.8 pounds. I spent the first week bouncing around the same 3-4 pounds (effectively, not losing any), but last week I think I got it sorted and went from 275.6 to 268.5!

    Goals for this week:
    1. CI: eat 1800-2200 calories each day, not processed, lots of veggies and healthy proteins
    2. CO: burn at least 1000 calories more than I eat, 3200 or more each day, strength training at least 5x a week
    3. Hydrate: drink at least a gallon of water every day, more if I go hiking
    4. Ooooooooh, go hiking since I am off this week! :)

    Mini Goal:
    I had my final PT visit last week, and he assessed how much I improved with my knees. After 6 weeks of strengthening and stretching, my therapist said there was objective, measurable improvement. And my walking speed increased. :)
  • craftscout
    craftscout Posts: 290 Member
    Ooooh, and I'm totally ready to not be wearing Plus sized clothing anymore. I'm in a 20 right now, so it's close enough that I can almost taste it! ;)
  • Italian_Buju
    Italian_Buju Posts: 8,030 Member
    Hey Scout! Nice to see you back! Awesome loss for only two weeks!! Sounds like you have been doing great!

    I have been bouncing the same 6 or so pounds around for weeks now, so I am gonna try and crack down a bit more starting today....ugh lol

  • slgibbs1987
    slgibbs1987 Posts: 194 Member
    Hey!

    I tried to start my healthy eating last week, which went well until Friday evening hit. When the weekend hits, sometimes I feel like I have no control. Being at work, I am restricted to when I can and cannot eat, so that does help overall. While at home, I just go a bit on the crazy side. I think a lot of my eating has been emotional eating. A lot went on this weekend.

    Even though, my days over the weekend were not good, I still managed to log everything I put into my mouth. That is a real victory for me, because before I would have just acted like that day never happened. Looking at the calorie intake was not a pretty sight but it's really an eye opener to see how I have got to be 360 pounds in such a short amount of time.

    I need to look forward and try to do better this week/weekend.

    Goals for this week:
    1) Drink a over 3 liters of water everyday.
    2) Keep my calorie intake under 2200.
    3) Add more veggies and fruits to my meals.
    4) Go walking 3 days this week for at least 30 minutes.

    Weekly Mini Goal

    One thing that I am looking forward to... I have a lot of pants that are size 16-22 that I have held on to. I would love to be able to fit into those again. I am currently a size 24 to 26.
    Also, feeling like I have more energy. There are some days I just sit and do nothing. I would love to have that feeling of constantly wanting to stay active and get things accomplished.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    Slow and steady progress is the name of my game :) Being overly busy the past two weeks led to a flare of my autoimmune disease, so self-care trumps everything this week. Luckily I have the week off, so I'm going to use the extra time to make a game plan for more challenging times.

    Goals this week:
    1- 3000 steps a day for 5 days of the week, all 7 days is a bonus!
    2- At least 25 grams of protein each breakfast
    3- Develop a few weekly plans for high-protein breakfasts, and a few eating plans for the times when I'm traveling for work and most likely to overeat fast food. These plans will have a focus on the Paleo AIP, I need to re-do this diet since my health is so much more stable than the first time, I'm interested to see if there are other foods I'm sensitive to.
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Its been a down day over here, the weekend was good and then little things started to get to me now i am down and crabby i over ate right from breakfast my tummy hurts because of it, and i realized that im sabotaging myself. So i stopped my snacking threw out all the left over junk from the birthday party and im going to bust my butt to loose another 3 lbs to get to my first goal!

    Goals) stay in calorie range
    Drink water
    Make my own lunch for three days this week, and make a smart choice at my lunch out thursday

    Be honest with myself
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Wow scout sounds like a great week
    Slgibbs i feel the same way when i am at work and home, i never cheat from work
  • craftscout
    craftscout Posts: 290 Member
    Huggggs, HLaR. Being honest with yourself is hard. Probably the hardest thing about this.

    Ate about 2000 calories yesterday, burned over 3400, and gained a pound this morning. Argh. Oh well. Still under 270, two steps forward, one step back.
  • Italian_Buju
    Italian_Buju Posts: 8,030 Member
    Yesterday was not a good day for me. I was so busy at work I ate lunch super late, so I was not hungry for my afternoon snack. I had a meeting that I thought was going to be over before 8, but lasted until after 9. Then my kids needed help with some things, so I ended up eating my afternoon snack at 9:30pm while making my dinner. Overate at dinner, and then was craving something sweet and had TWO desserts.....UGH

    I went to bed and slept almost 12 hours, I was so wiped out....and am bummed that I forgot to put my fitbit into sleep mode so I cannot see how well I slept....

    But, today is a new day....and while I am not gonna make it to the gym as I have PT soon and must go there instead, I can at least be more careful with what I eat and hopefully stay well rested....

    Have a good day everyone!
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Scout, the next two steps forward will be worth that one back! And thanks i am feeling better today
    Italian: those days are very hard.hopefully you have a on schedule day today.

    Though i was in disagreement with my scale this morning I have had a much better day, drank lots of water, brought my lunch to work and am planning a very healthy dinner.
  • shballa
    shballa Posts: 133 Member
    I was happy that my 8-pound water weight gain from my busy weekend at the beach finally went away. I knew it was not a real gain because I tracked all my food and was under my goal. It just really stank seeing the number up so high and it took a week to come back down. I attribute it to overworked muscles and dehydration.
    My goal for this week will be 5 fruits and vegetables every day. Lately my eating hasn't been so great. I have been eating too many high calorie foods so I'm hungry all the time.
    Oh yeah. One great thing that happened to me is that I had to buy jeans in a smaller size. I am now down 5 sizes - from a 32 to a 22.
  • Ginnaye2014
    Ginnaye2014 Posts: 36 Member
    Shballa that is amazing. Way to go
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Shballa, that is amazing, i hope you keep on going :smiley::smiley:
  • zilannoj
    zilannoj Posts: 138 Member
    Goals this week:
    • Walk to work everyday and walk during my lunch
    • Stay within my calorie goal
    • Drink at least 64 oz. of water everyday

    One NSV I've had so far that is huge for me is that I realized how consistent I am. It was so hard forming these habits, and I've spent almost a year working really hard at this. One that I hope for in the future is to finally fit in to my goal jeans. I hope to fit in them by the end of this year.
  • MimiOfTheLusciousLawn
    MimiOfTheLusciousLawn Posts: 2,212 Member
    My first time posting on this type of thread, so here goes!

    Yesterdays weekly weigh in was a 0. A bit disappointed but not discouraged. The previous week was -5, so it's just my body getting itself figured out. So my goals for the week are...
    ♡drink, drink, drink lots o'water
    ♡complete the last few days and start the next 30 day 10k walking challenge on the 1st
    ♡do 3 days of strength training
    ♡plan dinners better so we don't end up eating fast food

    My NSV this week was having to return the size 26/28 workout capris for 22/24s, and they look great on... and my legs look so skinny in them!!
  • Italian_Buju
    Italian_Buju Posts: 8,030 Member
    Alright, as per my usual, I had a binge last night. I can never seem to fall off the wagon for one day and get back on, it is always at least two days. I ate so much sugar last night that I am pretty grossed out today. So, while tonight I would usually have snacks while watching the Big Brother finale, I am gonna try and stay away from snacks and dessert for the rest of this week.....if I am legitimately hungry I will have some fruit or cereal, something along those lines.....

    Glad to see this thread so active!
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I didn't do this i don't think i have any NSV right now, but i have two that im almost at!

    1) i am just a bad bloated day away from buying a size smaller of pants!

    2) i am very close to being able to walk for 30 minutes straight, i got up to 23 minutes before my body betrayed me last time. I can walk longer i just have to rest in between. And i want to be able to walk 5k again.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    edited May 2015
    It's so motivating to read the open sharing of everyone's progress and bumps-in-the road! I'm not alone and as human as everyone else here!

    Great job with the walking progress, HLaR79!!

    I've been hitting my step goal and breakfast protein goals, happy with that and I'm going to keep them as goals until they're a habit.

    Fell into an old bad habit of snacking while driving yesterday, binged on a grab bag of fritos and donut. Ugh, feeling the repercussions today with achy swollen joints after the sugar, gluten, and canola/soy oil, probably. Wondering when I'll learn...

    Anyone struggle with snacking while driving? I drive up to 3 hours a day for work, so it's a hazard for me!
  • ScrAgnX
    ScrAgnX Posts: 368 Member
    edited May 2015
    Cheesy567 wrote: »
    Anyone struggle with snacking while driving? I drive up to 3 hours a day for work, so it's a hazard for me!

    I commute 75 miles (1.5 hours) each way, and have found planning to eat something, and keeping plenty of water to drink helps. I will normally have a protein shake (half my breakfast) halfway to work, and an apple on the way home. I typically drink 32oz each way (but this may cause frequent stupid on long trips).
  • shballa
    shballa Posts: 133 Member
    Lots of times when I was stuck in traffic getting to work, I used to start eating my breakfast out of my lunch box. Then I would get to work and eat breakfast again. Now I take a small orange juice box along and I force myself to not eat anything else. I hope since I NEVER allow myself to do it, I will not fall back into that bad habit.
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
    Today I made a few batches of protein gummies to try out for the long drive times. The first batch was almost no-carb and not the tastiest but not disgusting either. The second had an orange juice base and was a bit better. A batch with strawberry purée is setting up now. At least they'll keep my jaw busy if a craving hits!

    Spot-on my goals today. How'd you do?
  • shballa
    shballa Posts: 133 Member
    Even though I was under my goal for today, I still ate too much junk food. I know I'm having pizza for dinner tomorrow so I am going to try to make better choices throughout the day.
  • jltheis7
    jltheis7 Posts: 496 Member
    Late posting here again. My goal this week is to complete my journaling daily. I made it to 20 day streak today for the first time in a long time. I haven't had a NSV in awhile so it is time to set some for the summer. I am a goal-oriented person so this is an important motivator for me. I just gotta make sure I don't set too big of ones!

    Thought about the snacking while driving. It isn't something I struggle with unless it's a long trip or a stressful day; I use food as a soother then so I make sure I pack a car bag with something to drink (ice water with a little mint), crunchy veggies and sweet fruits and protein. Journaling helps me track when I am likely to be stressed out on the drive home (like tonight) and I had water, a banana and almonds ready in the car waiting for me. Yeah people make fun of me for having 2 or 3 lunch boxes but I feel empowered when I'm prepared. And I can't justify buying something when I have something already.
  • HLaR79
    HLaR79 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Cheesy, i love to snack at night, so instead of cutting it out i plan it in! bring healthy low calorie and or high protien snacks like carrot sticks, hard boiled egg (yup it is weird walking around with a hard boiled egg in your purse but they are filling and high in protein. You may even want to try some.protien bars!

    I didn't post yesterday and i meant to but my day just stayed crazy!
    I met with my diabetes dietician yesterday and she said i was doing good! Im worried because I'm not losing much weight but she said it would come with time and it was more important to make small changes over a long period of time. So i got the water/hydration thing and breakfast down now im working on lunch and dinner as well as tracking my fasting blood sugar

  • kiveya
    kiveya Posts: 1 Member
    Hi all! I'm new and trying this out, being on a community that is.

    Um, looking at examples above I guess my NSV this week has been finding out I fit better in a Torrid size 4 top instead of barely fitting into a size 5.

    My goals this week I'm keeping it simple:

    - drink more water
    - plan my lunches ahead, pack, and carry them to work
    - walk at least 15 min 3 times


    It took me months to fully stop drinking regular pop and drink only diet pop. Now I'm starting to notice I still occasionally crave a pepsi, but once I have it its not really satisfying anymore and not in the "I wish I had non-diet pepsi" sort of way, just a "I don't want to drink this anymore" way. I can barely finish half a can anymore so I think its a good time to focus on drinking more water instead of pop.