Women 200lb+, Let's Stay Fired Up This February!!!

vegasgirl0825 · February 2020

@mmdeveau - I agree with your statement about "The only person who can lose weight for me, is me." I used to be on a "diet" and eat "bad" food and think that no one would know so it was ok...that obviously didn't work well for me! I soon realized that I was just cheating myself! Now, I don't think of it as a diet, or good/bad food--just low/high calorie food--and I budget accordingly! Everyone definitely has to find what works for them and I think to be successful really has to look at it long-term, not just lose the weight and I'm fixed!

AlexandraFindsHerself1971 · February 2020

@vegasgirl0825: Yes, exactly. This is a thing I have to do for the rest of my life because I have problems in this direction. It's not that big a deal, and I'm kind of used to it due to my food intolerances. I can't eat like "normal" people, and this is just a slightly further development of that.

taytaylewlew11 · February 2020

Hi all, I need help!

im 6'0"
orginally started at 255
was down to 227
current 250

I was originally down 35lbs but gained it all back. Now working at a desk job I'm having a really hard time losing weight. With my job I do get a free gym membership but im not losing any weight! I NEED HELP! does anyone have any advice??? Im really getting upset with my weight and dont know how to get re movtivated.

lbostic89 · February 2020

@mmdeveau this inspires me, hopefully it will for you too....
@taytaylewlew11 I'm pretty new as well, but these ladies keep encouraging me that as long as I am in deficit that the loss will come, if you are working out I know that if no scale changes are occurring it is likely you are building muscle as you are losing fat. I had to start doing some major body site measurements to see my changes as they have been happening because of the exercise.
Actually this is for all of us, we can do this!!

CupcakeCrusoe · February 2020

taytaylewlew11 wrote: »

Hi all, I need help!

im 6'0"
orginally started at 255
was down to 227
current 250

I was originally down 35lbs but gained it all back. Now working at a desk job I'm having a really hard time losing weight. With my job I do get a free gym membership but im not losing any weight! I NEED HELP! does anyone have any advice??? Im really getting upset with my weight and dont know how to get re movtivated.

Hey!

Welcome to the thread.

None of us can motivate you, that's the bad news. But the good news is, you can find things that motivate you.

Answer some questions:
1. Why do you want to lose weight?
2. What will you achieve when you do?
3. How do you think your health will change being at a lower weight?
4. Where do you find motivation in other parts of your life?
5. When do you want to look like you want to look (realistically. Like, when might you be able to be where you want to be if you started today)?
6. Who will you be after you lose the weight?

Once you find motivation, the rest is just technicalities. A good place to start is logging your food. For most people, calories in being less than calories out works for weight loss. And weight loss can't be done solely in the gym, it's in the kitchen where the most impact lies.

Give yourself a break. Take a deep breath, think about the you after you lose weight. There's the motivation. And then just... get started. We're here for you.

shorepine · February 2020

Helllloo everyone! This thread has been busy in an awesome way, but it's sure hard to keep up with sometimes- like now for me, as I'm away at a work training and not on my computer or phone much. I just read through like 5 pages though! Congratulations to everyone who made it to onederland, I hope to be there soon. And @KeriA I am so sorry about your kitty, that is so hard.

@Danielle__S I wanted to answer your question about music while working out, since I've found something that works great motivating me- I use an app called Aaptiv that is audio workouts, designed for the gym and also outdoor running. It is trainers coaching you through a workout set to playlists, you pick the music genre you like and the type of exercise you are doing, how long you want to work out, and difficulty. It is super fun and honestly at this point I have no idea how I would get through a treadmill or elliptical workout without it. It isn't free but for me it is totally 100% worth it. You get a monthly subscription. However they do let you try it for a while first to see if you like it.

This morning at the hotel gym I was using it and was being coached through sprinting, jogging, walking, going up hills, hopping off the treadmill and doing plyos, and all the while listening to a fabulous old school hip hop playlist. I was smiling and loving it, and I look over at the other people who were just trudging along looking fairly miserable and once again I was so grateful I found it.

I haven't been home in days and haven't weighed myself since there are no scales in hotel rooms. I'm trying to make good choices though, despite being so sedentary at the training. The early morning workout today was a huge win for me, I hate working out in the morning but it was the only time I had. I also went for brisk walks during the breaks. I don't get home until Friday, so I'll weigh myself Saturday and see what's going on.

mmccloy12 · February 2020

Hi guys! I did something out of my comfort zone tonight! I opened up my diary

Not sure why it gives me anxiety. I guess I feel I might be judged by what I eat. And I know that's silly!

Anywho...its wide open

There have been some great conversation s going on here! Love it, read through every post...hope to reply soon when I am not on my phone.

Until then have a happy healthy week!

aliciap0116 · February 2020

@taytaylewlew11 welcome to the thread!

My suggestion is to take it step by step so you don't get overwhelmed. For example:

Week 1: Log everything you are eating right now for one week to get used to the logging process. Take measurements (neck, bust, waist, upper/lower arm, hips, thigh, calf) and front and side pics
Week 2: Identify one or two food areas/meals you can make better choices. Focus on food rather than exercise first, that is where you have the greatest opportunity to make a difference in your calorie deficit.
Week 3: Add in exercise; start with walking for 30 minutes or something else manageable....

Etc, etc, etc. Each week, add something new that seems like the next improvement you are ready to make.

Also, I have found the Phit-N-Phat podcast hugely motivating and informative. I don't advocate not tracking (she recommends planning your food and listening to your body's hunger cues) but I love her straightforward approach. I started at the beginning and am working my way forward. She does have a podcast on motivation BTW. Basically, she says don't wait to be motivated; just start. You will start feeling motivated when you start following through for yourself and start seeing progress.

And check back here regularly. It is a great community and getting involved in the discussion with people going through similar things is so helpful.

KeriA · February 2020

@vegasgirl0825 I haven’t done WW but from others experience I too saw that they gained the weight back. But then I lost 40 lbs a slow and healthy way and gained it back but that was because I didn’t adjust my calories down when I wasn’t able to exercise as much.

@stefsc1 I hope you like your new unit.

@taytaylewlew11 Yes, see above. I have a desk job too. I have a commute. With a lot of effort I stopped the gain with exercise 3 days a week but losing is proving harder and if I don’t pay attention I gain. I love the good suggestions you are getting.

@mmccloy12 I am impressed. I still haven’t done that. I have explained it is because I had a mother who was critical and was a health food nut before it became popular. We didn’t have sweets or sodas. Our diet was low carb. She threw out our Halloween candy by the next morning. But we never got colds or the flue. On the other hand I never learned how to self-regulate candy and sweets. My kids know how to do that. I feel like I wouldn’t want anyone making comments on what I eat since I got too much of that growing up. We did always have fruit around. We had 2 veggies and a salad for dinner every night with a meat dish.

I lost weight before mostly by exercise and calorie counting. Now I do concentrate on eating healthy foods at home but I need some sweets here and there when I can afford them. I am picky what ones I eat since I do limit them. Now though I think I do have to cut out some bad habits since I get limited exercise.

I have been tweeking breakfast and I just bought something at Costco to replenish my original healthier breakfast supply. Last week I made it through more healthier breakfasts.
I had an extra glass of water today at work.
Today was the 1st non aquafit day for the week and I suggested to my husband to take a small walk and we did so my focus at adding at least a small bit of exercise on another day of the week was achieved.
I have logged each day so far (it is only Tuesday!)
I have gotten on here more so far.
Tomorrow is aquafit so we will see if I keep logging etc.

A NSV was that the safety vest my husband got me so we could walk at night didn't zip up before. Today it did.

Usually on Mondays my weight starts to go up but Monday and Tuesday I was down more than the day before. Last weeks high was lower too.

On the other side we had dinner at Costco. I even tried the Chicken bake some of you mentioned but my husband, daughter and I shared it so not too bad. I am still below my calorie goal. However I may still see it tomorrow on the scale.

Keep up the good work all.

orangequilt · February 2020

Oh and another revelation, from talking to a friend last night, i realised i treat myself like a toddler around food. If i go on a plane or train, go on residential training like i am at the moment, i take loads of extra food in case there is no food. This can even be for a 3 hour train trip! Then i will buy more food at the station, end up eating the food on the plane/conference as well as the fiod i brought with me. This is what you do with toddlers so you don't end up having to deal with a tantrum. Middle aged obese women don't need to have tantrums if they get a bit hungry or eat something they don't much like!

fitchick37 · February 2020

@mmdeveau that bit about your father having words resonates so much with me. My step daughter is 11 and about 160 pounds, it’s starting to register with her that she’s overweight. Her mother is big, I am too, her father could lose a couple of pounds but he’s not massive. Her parents seem so wary of upsetting her that nothing gets said or done to moderate her eating and if anything cupboard love rules. I’ve no idea what the answer is, I keep quiet, she’s not interested in walking the dog etc.

Anyway, I’m happy news:

SW 1st January 2020 250.6
CW 12th February 2020 230.4

So 20.2 pounds difference and a fifth of the way to my target 100 pound goal.

lbostic89 · February 2020

@fitchick37 I understand your feelings about your step daughter, my youngest daughter (middle child) has always been a chubby baby, chunky toddler, and now overweight 5 1/2 year old. Part of my husband and my realization that we needed to change was when the pediatrician told us that Sass (nickname) was in the 99th percentile of weight for her age group and she was considered obese based on her size. You know it is a totally different thing to be told by YOUR (my) doctor that you (me) are considered obese based on BMI and you are at risk for x, y, and z. BUT that takes on a new meaning to you when your child's pediatrician tells you "YOUR 5 YEAR OLD IS AT RISK FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES" I felt like I had been hit by a train. The way I cook and the unlimited snacking that my husband and I did influenced our child to the point of endangering her health. Sass is still struggling with the changes we made for our household; she still wants large amounts of food, and we have to ask her, "Are you really hungry?" to which she says "I don't know" and we ask "is your tummy grumbling?" and 9/10 times she says "no" and we have to tell her that means she is not hungry and she is bored and needs an activity, and we usually implement some sort of physical activity to try to help her be more active. I hope that everything goes well for your SD and that her parents find the right words to encourage her to be healthier. It is so much easier with Sass because she is so young and doesn't immediately get offended when we ask her about her hunger or ask her if she wants to get healthy, etc.

Sorry for the big splurge everyone! Feels good to get that off my chest, my husband and our parents are the only people in my life that knows anything about this and helps a little to share the information.

katarina005 · February 2020

I'm not in this category, but I was and lost it. I wanted to offer my support and feel free to befriend me for support. If I can do it you can too! I'm 180 now, almost there again and want to get to 135 or 140. I know how hard it is..it took me almost a year but it was so worth it.

kayonaise2 · February 2020

Agreeing with everyone who says treating it as a numbers game really helps. I read 'Conquering Fat Logic' this time last year and found it massively liberating to discover that it really is as simple as a calorific defecit, enough protein and maybe some strength training.

The other week when I wasn't seeing the losses I'd hoped for, I looked back over the week and saw I'd been over my calorie budget most days, and it was clear cause and effect! I don't know if it's the numbers game thing or I'm just in the zone right now, but I managed to look at that quite unemotionally and just resolve to keep below the next week.

Another case in point - I knew we had a high calorie dinner planned last night but could see that even with my usual Tuesday swim it was going to take me over my goal for the day. What was knew was that instead of shrugging my shoulders as if there was nothing I could do, I added another 10min to my swim to make the numbers add up.

@Terytha if you love an RPG have you come accross Habitica? Its a habit-forming app where completing habits (of your choice) means you can level up, get gear, defeat bosses etc. I love it and it sounds right up your street!

@CupcakeCrusoe Thanks for the welcome! Why is it that other scales never weigh us lighter? It seems to be a law of the universe.

@taytaylewlew11 Don't panic! Just begin. @aliciap0116 and @CupcakeCrusoe have some really good advice. You can do it!

fitchick37 · February 2020

@lbostic89 thank you for this, I keep hoping a doctor or someone will have a stern word with the parents! She has type 1 diabetes on her father's side of the family and I believe her maternal grandfather was type 2. I'm type 1, she's seen what diabetes is like to live with.

Anyway, enough of that. On with the day. I'm still feeling great and going to go try on a dress I want to wear for my wedding anniversary two weeks today!

lilann1961 · February 2020

@mmccloy12 I did that a few days ago. It is a bit nerve wracking, especially when you (i.e. me) are being honest and logging the cheese sticks (in my case

) It has helped!

@lbostic89 You are amazing for realizing what was reality and making actual changes! Parents don't always acknowledge what the dr says, or pay attention to growth charts, etc, let alone take actual meaningful steps to change the dynamic in the household. Your entire family will benefit and you should be proud! We deal with anxiety/eating issues with my daughter as well (on the opposite end, pickiness and a habit of sneaking sugar--which is a red flag for future eating disorders). She is a ballerina, so you can only imagine the body issues once she hits a certain age. Right now, at 10, there is no weight issue, but her anxiety makes encouraging eating a well rounded meal a daily mindful action as her parent. But this is the same girl who will chastise me if I even mention the fact that I am overweight (I am the ONLY overweight one in the house, everyone else is fit and trim). It is hard raising little humans as you constantly question everything you do. You are doing great mom.

I ran my Week 1 Day 2 Couch to 10K run yesterday, so overall, I felt great at the end of the night. I swear I could feel the weight on my knees by the end, but I just went a bit slower and stretched really well at the end. Hoping to see a little progress on the scale this Friday morning.

I want you all to know the two threads I follow are this one and a "less alcohol" one, and I truly believe the commitment I have seen in myself over this month is because of you all commenting on them. You are all inspiring and I am learning so much. Everyone thinks they know how to lose weight, and that they just need to "do it." It just isn't that easy, as it involves undoing habits and refreshing your way of thinking. These two threads truly help me with that and I thank you all.

CupcakeCrusoe · February 2020

Good morning everyone!

@lbostic89 it's so great you're working hard in a healthy way to help your kid. I was a chubby kid raised by an anorexia-recovering mom, so that went... Poorly. Lots of "you don't need that!" statements

@fitchick37 enjoy looking at dresses

@kayonaise2 I totally use Habitica too!

@mmccloy12 it can be super scary to show total strangers what you're eating, I get it. Congratulations for doing it anyway!

@shorepine sounds like you had an amazing workout! Love those times!

@lilann1961 look at you C25King it out! You've got this! Having done it myself once, I know how hard it is. Welcome to the Running Club (first rule: always be talking about Running Club)

Me, I have had a couple higher weigh ins, but I know my calories are on point, and I am feeling that good muscle soreness from lifting, so I'm not too worried. (Also trying out different protein bars to see what I like is delicious! Today it's the Lemon Cake One bar)

Today is running day and I'm ready to hit the streets! Kick it in the you know what today, everyone!

aliciap0116 · February 2020

Good morning, weigh-in Wednesday for me!

Height: 5'6"
SW: 236.4 (9/8)
1/29: 200.2
1/31: 199.8
2/5: 199.8
2/12: 197.0
2/19:
2/26:
2/29:
Feb goal: 194

Non-scale goals for February:

Cardio 4 times a week (2 of 4)
Strength 2 times a week (0 of 2)
Water at 96 oz (about 90 oz)
Intermittent fasting 16/8 cycle 6 of 7)
Develop a meal planning system (working on it!)

I'm very happy with my loss this week, although I can't attribute this week's success to anything other than the weight loss gods. I just seem to have a pattern of holding and releasing weight even though my the week-to-week intake and output has been pretty consistent. I will take it!!

My big NSV this past week was going ice skating. I was very nervous about hurting my knees because I had an injury a few weeks ago. But I strapped on knee pads and got out there with my son, niece, and nephew. It was a big moment for me. The combination of getting older, the extra weight, and being out of shape has made be feel weak and incapable over the past few years. I was super careful but getting out there and skating gave me a taste of reclaiming my body and fitness. This weekend we are going skiing, something I have not done in about 12 years. Going to take this slow too and am excited about the opportunity as well.

aliciap0116 · February 2020

@bluffgirl67 prayers for momma and you from all of us today. I hope you are feeling better and the surgery is successful.

@mmccloy12 I'm proud of you for opening your diary. I have found there is no judgment at all; if anything, I feel like my friends here are the only ones who would really understand why I ate what I ate when things go off the rails! And thank you, because looking at other's diaries is a way for me to get ideas about how to do this. Mine is open if anyone is interested in peeking; just send me a friend request.

@shorepine congrats on taking control over your busy week. I host conferences and seminars too. It is draining and really hard to find time for yourself and stay on track. I'm so impressed!

@lbostic89 great job on teaching your daughter about hunger versus boredom eating at such a young age.

@fitchick37 I think modeling positive behavior and being really open about what you are doing is really helpful with a sensitive topic at a sensitive age. I have no doubt that she will start talking to you about it when she is ready.

@lilann1961 you are doing great too momma! It is such a tricky balance, especially in the ballet atmosphere.

@mmdeveau hugs about your dad's comments. Those can stick with us for so long and I love that you have such a healthy perspective now.

@CupcakeCrusoe thank you for your positive energy and solid advice every day! I learn a lot from you.

@keriA what a fantastic NSV to zip up that vest! You are doing great!!

I can't go back further right now but I did read all of your comments and am rooting for all of you this week!

bluffgirl67 · February 2020

Sorry I've not been around. Weather pattern has been kicking my migraines in full force. Thanks for all who are thinking of momma. Her surgery is Mar 12..guessing I did a typo of Feb the other day. I have a lot to catch up on. Hoping to keep up now that I'm better.

sharpdust · February 2020

Height: 5'11"
SW: 299.8lbs (1/1/20)
CW: 285.8 (1/31/20)
Adjusted Feb GW: lose 6 pounds
GW: 199
2/5: 284.4
2/12: 285.8
2/19:
2/26:
2/29:
Total Loss: 14.0
Adjusted Feb goal: 279.9

Feb Goals:
1) Continued logging, keeping everything under 1800cals was lax on the weekend, that lead to a gain
2) logging 30 min of exercise at least 4 times a week via Apple Watch or MFP severely lacking, I WILL EXERCISE THIS WEEK

So at a glance you can see that I gained 1.4lb this week. However, I am happy with the small gain because it was much higher earlier in the week. Two bad weekends in a row lead to this, so unlike some of you who are doing what you need to and aren't seeing results, I did this to myself.

On Monday I was up 5 whole pounds! Just a little context for why I am rather happy with my small gain. Gains are gonna happen. Up to this point my weight loss has been pretty linear since the beginning of the year but I knew it would not always be that way. In a way, this is my first round of adversity in 2020 and I am using that as fuel. I grocery shopping Monday, got chicken and ground turkey, portioned, vacuum sealed and froze that for the future. I love my vacuum sealer, its a great way to have the right amount of food ready for you. I have vacuum sealed chicken soup from a few weeks ago so I am stocked with food.

My BF and I aren't big on VDay, so that saves me a fatty meal I don't need but our 1 year anniversary is Monday 2/17. With weigh-in on Wednesday, I just need to plan my meal ahead for wherever we end up going. There are always healthier options to choose from at restaurants, so eating out is no excuse. I hope to report back next Wednesday with a weight lower than 284.4 so that I can makeup for my gain this week. Also, I adjusted my goals so that I can realistically reach them. We all need to be flexible with ourselves and sometimes that means adjusting goals so that they are attainable.

CupcakeCrusoe · February 2020

@bluffgirl67 feel better! migraines are the worst!

@sharpdust I'm very impressed. You've got the right attitude, and you can do this! This setback won't stop you.

I, too, have an anniversary (dating anniversary) coming up on Friday (yeah, our first date was Valentine's day.

It's going to be sushi, so I can log pieces as I eat. Or keep tally on a napkin. Or something. But high protein, low carb, should be good for my goals!

AlexandraFindsHerself1971 · February 2020

Well, I have a challenge in my future. We're gonna move house.

I am more worried about my eating habits and pattern over the time of the move itself. What does everyone recommend? Set that weekend on maintenance til I get my kitchen moved and restocked? (I do most of my own cooking.)
Have found somewhere on the side of town we're moving to to board our two cats, and am doing things like packing up my sewing room (I'm not making costumes til I've dropped the weight, so I'm not sewing right now) and packing the Christmas cookie cutters and such, until the timeline narrows a bit.

I prefer to identify potential problems and work to handle them before they reach critical stress and fail. (Yes, I should have been an engineer.)

lbostic89 · February 2020

@theleadmare we aren't going through a move right now, but softball season starts soon for my girl;; so our plan for the upcoming season is pre-packing grab and go snacks, I plan on making these weekly so they will be ready to go; I'm portioning things like low sodium pretzels, small servings of cheese cubes, carrots, and I always keep some fruit on hand for the girls for their sugar fix. I am also going to freeze some already cooked portioned meals so they can be microwaved, if needed, or warmed stove-top for a quick, small meal. I don't know if those options will help, but maybe they will.

aliciap0116 · February 2020

@theleadmare I'm not sure how far you are moving, but you are super organized! So to the extent you can fit it in your freezer, pre-make and freeze a week's worth of meals so you are covered during the heat of packing, moving, and unpacking. And I love @lbostic89's suggestions about the healthy snacks.

CupcakeCrusoe · February 2020

theleadmare wrote: »

Well, I have a challenge in my future. We're gonna move house.

I am more worried about my eating habits and pattern over the time of the move itself. What does everyone recommend? Set that weekend on maintenance til I get my kitchen moved and restocked? (I do most of my own cooking.)
Have found somewhere on the side of town we're moving to to board our two cats, and am doing things like packing up my sewing room (I'm not making costumes til I've dropped the weight, so I'm not sewing right now) and packing the Christmas cookie cutters and such, until the timeline narrows a bit.

I prefer to identify potential problems and work to handle them before they reach critical stress and fail. (Yes, I should have been an engineer.)

I love @aliciap0116 's suggestion about freezer meals! And I'd take it one step further- maybe make them crock pot friendly, so you can move your crock pot as one of the last things you move, and then you have your method of cooking all unpacked without having to unpack pots and pans?

AlexandraFindsHerself1971 · February 2020

We're moving from one side of a large city to the other; this puts us midway between his parents and my family, and closer to the area where jobs in his industry tend to be concentrated.

These are all good ideas. I do a lot of pre-prep using my freezer, anyway. Right now I'm working on drawing down the big upright freezer's contents. That way I have less to find cooler space for. (grin)

Crock pot is a problem because a lot of stews and soups are off our menu due to food issues we have. But I think I can come up with some good stuff.

speyerj · February 2020

This little pearl of wisdom showed up in my inbox today:

https://vitalsmarts.com/crucialskills/2020/02/how-to-turn-a-resolution-into-a-habit/

This is the upshot of the blog post:
"A major misconception around habits is that willpower is the source of sustained change. It is easy to see others who have healthy, effective, rock-solid habits and assume they have unnatural reserves of self-discipline. But research has shown that willpower is like a muscle; it gets tired when exerted for extended periods of time. So, building new habits is less about grit and more about strategy."

Do go on to read the whole article. I learned some new things that I think will help me reinforce the habits I am trying to build and help me shed the habits I want to kick.

Happy Anniversary to @sharpdust and @CupcakeCrusoe !

MuttiNM · February 2020

Weigh-in Wednesday.

Highest weight: 435 (11/1/18)--lost 50 lbs. by the end of 2018 but got off track and gained back almost 31 lbs.
SW: 415.8 (4/17/19)
1/31: 284.4
2/5: 281.6
2/12: 282.0
2/19:
2/26:
2/29:
Feb. GW: 276
GW: 160 (then reevaluate)

Fitness goals for February:
- exercise bike 5 times per week - didn't do
- short walking videos twice a day 5 times per week - 1 day
- strength training 2 times per week - didn't do
- chair yoga 3 times per week - done

This week was again not good for exercise. I only kept up with the chair yoga as planned. However, my calorie deficit was okay. One day I went over my planned calories...by 10 whole calories. My deficit for the week indicated about a 2.1 pound loss but as you can see that didn't happen. Since I started last April, I have had a calorie deficit every week that should have given me at least a 2 pound loss but, as we all know, "weight loss is not linear". I've had 4 weeks where I gained weight for some weird reason. The highest gain was .6 of a pound so I guess that's not too bad. Looking back at my spreadsheet, the losses really do catch up to the projections over time so the gains don't bother me (too much).

My goal for this week is to up my exercise by just a bit. That may be a challenge as I've been sick the past couple days and have to go to my parents 3 times for their appointments. I'm just going to try for a slight improvement over this past week. Any increase over this week will be a win in my book.

I also deal with depression periodically. Right now it feels like the depression wants to grab ahold again. I know this is impacting my motivation to exercise. I started exercising after I had been logging my food for 3 months. In that time, I had one other week where I didn't do any dedicated exercise at all. That week I was also feeling like the depression was on its way back. I'm kind of scared if it returns with a vengeance because that's when I gain weight. I guess I use food to self-medicate. So far I haven't gone back to that when I've had down weeks since April but I'm really afraid if it turns into a full-blown depression instead of just a few bad weeks now and then that I'll undo all the progress I've made. I'll really have to try to at least keep logging and remind myself of the more nutritious and less calorie dense food that I really like.

That's one thing I did this time when I re-started. In the spreadsheet where I track my calories for the week, my projected loss, actual loss, and averages, I created a tab where I list foods I like that are healthier than the junk I eat when I'm not tracking and just don't care. It really has helped me, especially in the beginning, to review the list when I make my grocery list. I can see that there are "healthy" foods that I really like and won't blow my calorie budget. It really helped last summer when all the delicious produce was in season. I probably ate more nectarines last summer than the previous 3 summers together just because I was more mindful of what I was eating and could remind myself of a delicious favorite of mine.

Okay, end of my rambling.

Continued success to you all!

AlexandraFindsHerself1971 · February 2020

speyerj wrote: »

This little pearl of wisdom showed up in my inbox today:

https://vitalsmarts.com/crucialskills/2020/02/how-to-turn-a-resolution-into-a-habit/

This is the upshot of the blog post:
"A major misconception around habits is that willpower is the source of sustained change. It is easy to see others who have healthy, effective, rock-solid habits and assume they have unnatural reserves of self-discipline. But research has shown that willpower is like a muscle; it gets tired when exerted for extended periods of time. So, building new habits is less about grit and more about strategy."

At least to me, it feels like I use willpower but I use it in little short bursts here and there all day long. Of course, I try to make sure I don't need willpower with things like cooking well, but just enough for the three of us, having the food ready when the hunger hits, and having single-serving chip bags to go with sandwiches. The little bursts aren't long enough to burn much of it off. Just the occasional, "I could snack now." which is easily dealt with with a, "Nah, let's go do something." or "Oh, well, time to get off the couch and go fix a meal." and so I don't feel I'm ever really having to flex it. Dealing with stubborn toddlers? THAT's a willpower situation. This, comparatively...eh, most of the time. Which is why it works so well for me.

Women 200lb+, Let's Stay Fired Up This February!!!

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