NON WW & WW NEWBIES, OUR NEW LIFE, THE START OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL

Hi everyone

Late entry - I have been busy all day.

@trooworld - how do you find all the sites? You are a wealth of information. Maybe if I bothered I could find them but after being on computers all day - being on the net is the last thing I want, so I am super happy that you find links and more importantly share them - thankyou

@theslightedgeforever - I am glad you have bought yourself a new outfit. Your experiment may have failed but you have come a long way since I joined this group - well done

Catch you all tomorrow

Here's the thing I don't get about the low carb thing- fruits, veggies, beans are all carbs and I just can't think of them as bad. Like I get white rice, white pasta, isn't great. But the rest? I mean I'm not trying to change anyone's approach, I guess I just don't get it...my macro split right now is fat/protein/carb = 30%/30%/40%. So 40% of my calories is carbs which according to the low carb diet would be too high. But most of it comes from fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

So that's been my approach, of course I haven;t lost any weight lol, but I think that is because my calorie intake.

@theslightedgeforever vacations are really tough, I think you;re doing well to just be monitoring and trying to learn from it. I can't even manage dinners out half the time. It's definitely a slow learning process. Are you back at home now?

@trooworld glad your little dog is feeling better. I know it's an expense. I have two cats, they're thirteen and I love them but they'll be my last pets. They both need special food. My little Monkey- for a couple of years I had to take her to the vet once a month for an allergy shot, it was $100. She would itch and scratch so much her whole belly was bald if she didn;t get her shot. I used to call her my bald eagle Finally I think I found food that is okay, her fur is growing back and I haven't had to go for a few months. It's hard, they're part of our little family but it's tough when the cost goes up. Anyway glad he is feeling better.

I'm glad you got your new entertainment unit set up!. Is your condo unpacked now, or are you still setting things up?

@teresaw2010 congrats on the weight loss! And your husband has a smokin hot wife now! I'm sure he feels very lucky. Those scales that measure fat and bone density- they;re neat. There's one at my gym, but I don't use it all the time. It's not really accessible I have to get my trainer to let me in the room. I did it about 6 months ago and I haven;t since then. Maybe I should do it again.

So I'm still under cals. Saw trainer yesterday, but it was boring leg exercises lol. I went for a run today and did better than before. I'm running/walking about 5 km, I think that's about 3 miles, but that;s in 50 minutes so I'm pretty slow as I said. Still I am doing better than I have in a long time so I feel pretty good about it.

Tomorrow I see trainer again and it's arm day.

@its_cleo - Glad you are doing better than you have in a long time. I am with you with thinking about carbs as "bad. I think that they are part of eating, if you eat healthy foods in the correct portions, then it should be okay.

@trishastime I'm glad that you have recognized progress in me. I tend to only look at the negative it seems and forget the positive things I've done this year. I say ask for a referral. No one should have to live with pain. I wonder if some alternative medicine like acupuncture could help.

@trooworld My new outfit is yellow and gray tank with a pair of matching shorts. I haven't worn shorts in years.

@teresaw1020 Woohoo on more weight loss. A little each week adds up to big numbers by the end of the month. I'm sure your hubby loves you no matter what but I know what you mean. They are lucky to have us.

@its_cleo My own thoughts on the low carb thing is that it works for some and doesn't work for us. By that I mean long term. I could never do it because I won't stick to it long term so while I can get some fast weight loss by doing it, it will come back eventually. But that's just me. I know people who have done very well on that style of eating. Just not me. I lose weight consistently on about 48/35/17. (carb/fat/protein) I guess it's good there are so many plans out there since our bodies all react differently. Finding the one that works for us is our focus. Now I need to figure out this vacation thing. I was doing so well the first part and then I had to take that cross country trip. I'll be back home next Wednesday or Thursday. That's the plan anyway. I found this 6 week training plan just using my bodyweight that I want to try once I get back home and settled. https://skinnyms.com/bodyweight-workout-plan/

@RetiredAndLovingIt I hate when I lose a post. Enjoy your time with the family.

@its_cleo, I think there are carbs and then there are carbs. For a strict Keto diet, you must keep your carbs under 20 grams, which means no fruits, beans, and a limited amount of veggies. But you don’t have to go as low as 20 grams if you just are looking to do a low-carb diet. From my research, a low-carb diet is eating under 100 net carbs a day. That more than allows for some beans, fruits, and maybe even a potato occasionally! My goal is to stay between 50 and 75 grams but I’m not married to it. *see my comments below 😉

@TrishasTime, Thanks, lady! I have a whole folder of pictures that I’ve taken during the different stages of my weight loss. I take them wearing my gym clothes and when I’m dressed up so that I can see the difference in both. I also have this pink T-shirt that was super tight when I started, and I take a picture of me in it for every 10 lbs I lose. I enter all my foods into Carb Manager and have my settings set to track my net carbs. I also track on my WW app mostly out of curiosity to see where my points land now that I’m eating so much more fat and because I want to rack up my Wellness Win points so I can get some free stuff. I pay them enough money, so I want my freebies!!

Yes, you should go see a specialist!! Your GP only knows so much and a foot specialist might have pain management ideas or even find something wrong that can be fixed. Don’t suffer if you don’t have to. ((hugs))

@RetiredAndLovingIt, isn’t that so frustrating!! I’ve done it before and now what I do is type my responses to you all using a Word doc. I minimize it on my screen so I can type and see the post I’m replying to at the same time.

@trooworld, my scale is the RENPHO Smart Scale. I asked a very large group I belong to on FB and that one was the overwhelmingly favorite. It only cost less than $30. I did have to watch a YouTube video when it wouldn’t sync correctly but once I knew what to do it was super easy and it’s fun to see all those numbers. My bone mass weighs 9 lbs. Have fun celebrating hubby’s birthday!!

So, yesterday I ate Mexican and I'm NOT sorry for it!! The staff and I had a really long meeting and then we were all working on the vacation Bible school decorations and other stuff and I hadn't brought any food with me thinking it would help me fast longer. Well, by 12:30 I was starving so when pastor motioned for me to come to lunch with them I didn't even bat an eye and jumped in his truck. I had the lunch portion steak fajitas and about 6 chips with cheese dip. And two Diet Cokes!!! Luckily my weight was actually down this morning, which I contribute to my 21 hour fast. I like low carb eating but I'm not going to live a life where there are no Mexican lunches!

@retiredandlovingit enjoy your time with the grandkids! I really like your avatar by the way.

@theslightedgeforever your experience with carbs is the same as mine. That’s great you found a worout plan and bodyweight exercises can be great. I looked at Week 1 Monday- couple of comments: #2 pushups- pushups are very hard to do properly, it’s one of those pinnacle type exercises. I would try it from the knees first. I know other modifications as well. #5 hip extensions. It’s hard for people to do this exercise properly bc the key to it is keeping your hips level, but you can’t actually see in that position. A lot of people will end up opening on one side. A different exercise which is easier to do properly and hits the same muscles is just a standard bridge.

https://coachmag.co.uk/glute-exercises/2333/glute-bridge-how-to-do-it-benefits-and-variations

I could look at the rest if you want, or when you start. I’ve learned a ton about different exercises, doing them properly, etc from working with trainers for yrs. Or you can disregard my comments lol, no worries.

@trooworld have a great time with your husband!

@TeresaW1020 thanks- that info on carbs is really helpful. So I checked mine are high, around 150-180 g but that is on a 1800 cal diet, which is a lot of calories. I’ll keep an eye on it, maybe I can lower it to 125. Just experiment. I’m trying small steps so I think under 100 would be too much at once for me.
Lol about the Mexican lunches, sounds great!

@cbabie, I hope the cast helps, it still sounds painful. Yeah exercise can be boring for sure lol. And I hate stretching. One of the reasons I like running is outside, so at least I can look at the houses, gardens, etc.

Well, yesterday I was over calories by about 200, but I think I can make up for it today. Yesterday I also did the stairs again and it was arm day with trainer. We did some shoulder presses and assisted pullups and rows. Shoulder presses I had trouble with for a long time, bc my back and core were weak, but it is much improved.

Speaking of pets my other cat Griffen has me at my wits end. He is 13. He throws up every night, and now the last two nights he has pooped a bit on the floor in my living room. I wouldn’t mind so much but I have carpet unfortunately so it’s hard to clean. I don’t know what to do, I’m just tired of having to wash the carpet every day, and tbh it’s pretty much ruined in spots. There is nothing physically wrong with him, I don’t think. He just eats too fast, so that causes the throwing up. The pooping- I don’t know.

I was thinking of taking him to the vet but it is such a hassle. I have to sedate him first (the vet gave me a sedative) bc he goes ballistic if I try to get him in a carrier, and he’s pretty big so I cant do it unless he is sedated. Then he usually poops/pees in the carrier bc he’s scared. It’s awful, it’s such an ordeal.

So I just feel kind of worn out with him sometimes, and then I feel guilty about it. Anyway not sure what to do. If he poops on the floor again tonight I guess I will bite the bullet and take him in to the vet.

@TrishasTime you should totally ask about your foot. Chronic pain is pretty serious- not only does it not feel bad, but it affects other things in your body bc there is a constant pain signal going to your brain and other parts of your body and that has affects. Someone told me about it when I had chronic back pain but I can't remember anymore! Good luck with it.

@teresaw1020 The good thing I think about your plan is that you aim for balance. You restrict when you want and splurge when you want. As long as it gives you the results you want, then it's the perfect plan for you.

@cbabie I'm glad you got your cast on.

@its_cleo I always have to do knee pushups. I've never even when younger and thinner and stronger been able to do full pushups. I've never had upper body strength. Thanks for the bridge links. I really need to do my hip stretches. I have such stiffness in my hips. My hamstrings are way too tight. At this point I'm just moving my body. I used to lift weights years ago but got out of the habit. This is me easing my way back in. I know all too well about cleaning up cat puke and trying to get it into the carrier. That's why I don't have cats anymore. I'm done cleaning up after others. It's ME time...….

@trooworld I have a WW scale that shows the water, bone mass, etc. Sitting on a balcony outside sounds nice. It's rainy and yucky here.

I'm headed to see Toy Story 4 with my kids. Yes they are 25 and 28. It's a tradition since #1.

@theslightedgeforever I always do knee pushups too. Although I;ve been working on it, but the full ones I can only go part way down. Yeah, these are my last pets. I’ve had these critters since they were 6 weeks old, and now they’re 13. It’s been nice, but it’s a long commitment.

@TrishasTime I hope the physio can help. I know they can be really good for some things. I wish I could put my cats in the laundry at night. I just can’t. My cats are like special needs cats lol. First of all they can’t be separated for long, and secondly the Monkey (my other cat) would howl all night if I tried to keep her in another room.

Anyway last night was better. Griffen needs a special food and it is a dry food, but yesterday I gave up and bought him some regular wet food and gave it to him at night. I think he is getting sick etc bc he’s having a hard time digesting the dry food. The wet food is easier to digest…so it worked last night and then he had his dry food this morning, so I’m optimistic. I don’t think it will hurt him to have a little bit.

@cbabie yeah take the pain meds if you have them, a little bit won’t hurt. Pink cast sounds cool! Yeah the treadmills
now have all kinds of things, but reading a book on it is just as good.

@TeresaW1020 you are doing great! All your hard work is paying off.

@trooworld, sorry about the gift that sucks. It would hurt my feelings too. Maybe with time he will appreciate it.

Well today is the last day of the week for me and I stayed under cals for one week, by one calorie. I will take it!

Tomorrow I’m out for the day with some friends. We’re going to Stratford to see a play- Billy Elliott. It will be a long day, lunch and dinner out but I think it will be ok. The restaurant for dinner has a salmon dish so I think I’ll have that. I don’t know where we’re going for lunch. I don’t usually go to plays but I thought it would be good for me to do something different.

@trooworld, yayyy for getting a good physical! I hope the referral to a podiatrist can finally get you the relief you need. I hope you like the scale! I think it’s fun to see all my numbers. Your menu looks good this week!! I pinned the pork loin, chicken w/green chilies, and the meatloaf! Are green chilies very spicy? I love spice but I can’t go too crazy with the hubby. Ohhh and I’m really going to try Fathead pizza too!

@its_cleo, thanks so much!! I hope you have an amazing time at the play and eating out with your friends.

@theslightedgeforever, have fun and be safe!!

Vacation Bible school starts in three hours and I'm excited!! I very determined not to give in this week to any of the foods, candy, cookies, and other junk that we will have around. The last two VBS, I ate all the things and gained weight. Not this time!!

Good morning!

@TrishasTime, I am having so much fun being the VBS photographer. I love the freedom of getting to come and go as I please as well as getting to interact with everyone. How great to get new carpets and paint! I want to repaint my house but then I look around and think about all the work that would go into it and decide it can wait a little longer.

@cbabie, I’m glad you found something to help with the pain and inflammation. I hope you like Carb Manager. It took me a few days to learn but I really like it.

@trooworld, ouch, I had that horrible shot in my foot once! I hope they can offer something else. My foot doctor once gave me these oriental menthol patches to put on my food. They did nothing but make me smell terrible. That is great that your doctor approved you doing Keto! Where do you find almond flour?

Well, I've survived my first two nights of VBS and just have two more to go!! Last night one of my dear friends who is working in the kitchen tried to push a corndog on me. She actually said, "Just one won't hurt your diet." I told her to stop being a bad influence on me. Here is a picture of our stage that I took last night. I think it's the best we have done yet!

GM everyone

@trooworld _ I hope your appointment with the podiatrist goes well. It is strange to me that you need a referral. Here we just ring up and make an appointment without seeing a doctor first. My physio is also dealing with my plantar issue. High 5 on the Doctor noticing your weight loss

@cbabie -I am glad you found some oils that are helping you. I always like the non evasive ways first

@its_cleo - Why is Griffen struggling? Last I heard that you were taking him to a vet. I am sorry if I missed the outcome. I am glad you are sticking as much as you can.

@teresaw1020 - Wow - your church is artistic. I am glad you are having a fun time being the photographer.

Hello to @theslightedgeforever, @prisoner2food, @RetiredAndLovingIt and anyone else I missed

Take care

@trooworld You know the great thing about your post? you were feeling anxious and stressed and you didn't turn to food. You turned to relaxing yoga instead. Kudus to you. The korma was good but my first bite got hung in my esophagus and after that little ordeal I was afraid to eat more. So I took extremely small bites and chewed it about a minute before swallowing. I didn't eat very much. My dad had this problem during his life way back when I was a teenager and the end result was that at the end of his life he couldn't eat much. So many times he had to go to the ER and they manually removed the food. It's usually beef or chicken. Which is the same thing that I faced mostly on this trip. I had it happen 6 times. Once was nachos. It's at the mid lower part where it gets hung. Always at restaurants which I think is weird. I had a barium swallow test done a couple of years ago and they said I was fine. I didn't feel fine this past 6 weeks. So I'll just keep an eye on it. I guess the trick is less chicken and beef which is probably better for me anyway.

Still didn't get groceries. I'm so tired. It was nice to do nothing. But that doesn't take weight off my body nor earn me any stickers. I did journal though and made me a list of things that need restoring in my life. I had six action steps and did 2 of them. Track my food and notice which foods give me heartburn/digestive issues/etc. was for restoring my health plus unpack all the suitcases was on the list for restoring my house. So I guess I did do something besides sit all day long. Time for me to get back to my routine. I do so much better with a routine.

My son bought a Smart Scale while I was gone. So he got me started on that to use as a baseline. I'll weigh on my everyday and then once a month weigh on his to see my numbers. I expected to have more visceral fat. So I was glad about that number. I was surprised on my high metabolism numbers. I'm like WTH? Think how much fatter I would be if it was normal or slow. There must be a mistake on that. I don't know. Water was low which I expected. Anyway, it will be fun to watch the numbers change.

Good morning!

@gemwolf110, good to see you!! You might be lacking motivation but at least you are keeping active! I don’t buy into the concept of motivation because it comes and goes and isn’t sustainable. You need a commitment to your plan and only you can decide what that looks like. Are you being too hard on yourself considering that you have a lot going on right now? Or do you need to focus a little more and say no to yourself more often than you say yes? I have confidence that you will get back on track.

@trooworld, my scale told me that I’m 57 years old too and I’m only 53!! Let’s get those numbers down!! Hubby bought me some almond flour yesterday and freaked over the price. I told him that is just the beginning of the new list of foods I will be buying. The deeper I go into this lifestyle the more healthy I want my ingredients to be. Good for you for turning to relaxation instead of food when you had a stressful day. Progress for sure!!

@its_cleo, glad you enjoyed the play! Great job on your eating choices too. It can be so hard to stay on plan when we are eating out but it has to be managed so we can have fun with our friends and family and not be bogged down with guilt over our choices. Although, I’m a big proponent of the “planned indulgence” every now and then. 😉

@TrishasTime, our church is blessed to have a real artist and our pastor is a builder in his day job so it makes doing stuff much easier.

@theslightedgeforever, OK!! I went to YouTube and looked up the Corndog song. Wow!! First of all, there are more than just one song!! But this one really has their lyrics down pat…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an5xNRDOeFM


All I can say is thank God VBS is over!! It was an amazing five days and the 50 kids we had all had a wonderful time and most importantly learned about how much God loves them and how good He is! But, I'm tired! I must have taken over 1000 pictures! I'm still sorting through them all so I can post them on our church FB page. Thursday evening I was in charge of the final Family Night, which was a carnival with a bounce house, games, pizza, sno-cone, popcorn, and other assorted candy and fun. I was there for over four hours setting up, taking pictures, and then tearing it down. My poor feet literally were on their last steps when I finally got into my car to go home. I did end up eating the top of a sausage pizza and about 1/2 the crust and two small chocolate chip cookies. Not proud of it but also not very upset because considering all the junk that I was surrounded by for five days that was all I gave in to. The two years before that I ate all the things and ended up with huge gains and tons of guilt. Not this year!!