What's on your mind today?
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So much unhelpful advice out there about health and nutrition I honestly have a hard time figuring out what is real and what is someone’s ‘personal philosophy’ or some such nonsense. I’m very fact, logic driven person and I just can’t make sense of all the hocus-pocus and snake oil out there. So this is what’s on my mind today. Just going to pull out some books with nutritional facts about food and go with that to create balance!
Totally agree. And, what is good today is bad tomorrow. I have learned anything claiming magic/improbable results is garbage. I typically stick with the major medical publications, but there are also retractions there too.
And, each of our bodies reacts differently due to genetic makeup, internal and external factors, age, hormones, sickness, etc. So it's a constant study for us and it is about finding what plan/strategy works for us.
And, as you already know the formula is simple (ha). If we want to lose calories must be less than what we burn in a day, if we want to gain the opposite, and if we want to maintain equal.
I am working upon balance too. I want to enjoy my favorites but need to make sure I do not overindulge and/or make sure my output is higher when I decide to eat/drink more. It has always been my challenge and I am sure I will be working on it for the rest of my life. I am not so young anymore and have to be diligent to the little signs my body shows me.
Hope your reading/study is beneficial and helpful.2 -
juliemouse83 wrote: »I’ve got to go through my closets, too, once I can get back into them. Vent is in the spoiler.We still have no flooring and movable items have been stashed in all not-being-floored areas of our “home” as five weeks ago they ordered our flooring and were FINALLY able to reach someone by phone Last Thursday. He said our flooring had come in the previous day and would call us Friday to schedule the installation for this week, then went radio silence on us again. Voicemail is full, they don’t pick up and finally my husband reached their corporate office today. Apparently, they can’t reach the guy, either and stated this is totally unacceptable. Ya think? 🙄🤬
I’m starting to feel less anxiety and more depression.
Half the dining and kitchen floors came up on February 18, which means my soap room is full of my home office, so I have not been able to work my small business since then. We have had our second bathroom unusable since March 3. The commode has been on the front porch for over three months. It’s quite Jeff Foxworthy-esque... you might be a redneck...
On the work-front, I believe I am going to lose right at half my department due to layoffs by Thursday, which gives me exactly one day to come up with the new schedule that rolls out on Sunday. I’m heartbroken because every single one of my team is family to me. I love them all. 💔😢
I don’t say much at home anymore because I’m sure DH is tired of hearing me cry about my now-permanently-changed job duties. Today I had to cover dispatch while transporting at the same time. Can you imagine, moving a bed with a patient in it, and having to stop and answer the phone, write down the Information on paper to put into the computer as soon as I’m done with the current transport? I’m going to have to resign from my extra duty as the coordinator for the Transfer Mobility Coach team because I won’t have time to train new hires or coordinate the activities, now that I’m no longer flying a desk. 😢
Our covid positive patients hit an all time high today.
I miss going out to eat. I miss our old way of life. I miss hugging so much. I hate we are never going back to what it used to be. I am tired of crying at the drop of a hat. I sing in the hospital choir at Christmas to carol for the patients, but I don’t see that happening this year.
I hate wearing a mask for 8 hours a day. Think about how it would feel to do a light jog with a paper mask on. That’s what it feels like to move beds across the facility masked. Figure the bed weighs about 200 pounds, and our bariatric patients run between 300-500 pounds. They wonder why we don’t make conversation and we explain that we are doing well just to breathe. My husband complained that he had to wear one at the doctor’s office yesterday. I really just wanted to clobber him for bitching about wearing a mask for a whopping 30 minutes while sitting still. 🙄🤬
Forgive me for venting here. My therapist had to move my appointment back a few weeks, so I’m overdue. I cancelled my hair appointment last week because my gal is immune compromised and I was exposed the week before. I get to go in July, assuming I don’t get exposed again, lol...not that it matters, it’s all stuffed in a bonnet at work, anyway. 😂
On the bright side, I am still gainfully employed, have my benefits and am not sitting at home stewing about what is going on in the world outside of my front door or worrying how I’m going to meet the bills. I’m also a few days shy of two weeks from the exposure and have not developed any symptoms. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Oh! And I have lost a couple pounds since I started moving patients.
Big virtual hug to you. Your feelings are completely understandable considering there really isn't much balance in your life right now.
Maybe a call to the corporate office again stating you have spoken to your attorney and they are in breach of contract? Then simply state you want your money refunded and/or work to start no later than xyz date? It is terrible we have to threaten but it does seem the squeakiest wheel gets the grease.1 -
@BMcC9
SORRY, if I OFFENDED you. I believe I stated I would have a problem keeping my larger clothes around.
I know it's a great feeling to be able to pack and donate our larger clothing. I made another 2 bag donation to the Salvation Army.
Hopefully the alterations are easy for you so you can still enjoy the collection.
Take care.
@SuziQ113 - not at all offended!! I am actually quite proud that I am passing on so much of last summer's wardrobe, and that things that were still too small last year are too big this year. I won't be attempting what I know is actually beyond my sewing ability (which means pretty much everything that isn't sooo big that I could use it a yardage to cut a different much smaller item out of) I was just sighing over these favourite colours in these prints. As I moved down sizes, I would always donate too-big "interim" sizes and replace with others from the thrift store, knowing that they would also eventually be "too big before I was done" and donated back again. (I know where to find the resale stores that would get donations from more affluent neighborhoods, and could get high end labels I couldn't otherwise afford)
I am actually in a place that I haven't been for a long time ... looking more in the "new-off-the-rack" catalogues knowing that these will be long-term investments. and deciding what suits current-me long term lifestyle as well as my current new silhouette.
Isn't it exciting!? So happy for you, reaching your goals and now moving forward in your new lifestyle! And, big pat on the back to you - lots of hard work and determination on your part. We all know there is no magic bullet out there.2 -
@juliemouse83, please, feel free to "vent away". You are absolutely not overreacting to any of your current, less than desirable, situations, and since your therapist moved your appointment back, then this seems like as good a place as any! We can empathize with you; we just have no idea what it is really like to be in your shoes right now. The one thing I will say, is please don't lose hope. I am choosing to believe that we will go back to what is used to be (or almost) someday, just maybe a bit farther into the future than we would all like. (hugs)3
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Well, it happened. They laid off five of my team, two of whom were my of my best workers. I cried so hard off and on all day. I’m heartbroken. 💔 Those that remain will be working only 32 hours a week. I will be transporting 32 hours per week and supervising for 8. My world is all kinds of sideways right now. 😭10
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@juliemouse83, I am so sorry, Julie. I'd love to be able to give you back your workers, but all I can offer is a virtual hug.4
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Dear @juliemouse83, like @HASWLRS I can only offer you my total support and a virtual hug! It is almost the weekend, give yourself a break!4
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Just a general tech inquiry....is any one else having trouble with their news feed, as in not having one? There is nothing showing on either my phone or my laptop.0
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juliemouse83 wrote: »Well, it happened. They laid off five of my team, two of whom were my of my best workers. I cried so hard off and on all day. I’m heartbroken. 💔 Those that remain will be working only 32 hours a week. I will be transporting 32 hours per week and supervising for 8. My world is all kinds of sideways right now. 😭
So sorry to hear this....and, of course, layoff the cream of the crop. Wish there was something more I can do than offer support.0 -
Chinkiri....
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@juliemouse83 so sorry about the layoffs. And how frustrating that they decided to include two of your best workers. I know it must be so hard to balance losing a lot of what you loved about your work along with losing a lot of the joys of life pre-covid. I hope that there are at least some things you still have that bring you joy that can keep you going, even if so many other things are rough right now.
@lexabeep I agree-- there's a lot of whack medicine and dads out there. Even when finding solid sources, the recommendations seem to change (anti-fat, anti-gluten, anti-sugar?)
In other news, I'm about abpoiund a way from transitioning into maintenance, though I think I'll still have some body recomposition happening as I continue to take long walks and do calisthenics. Do any of you have tips for moving into maintenance? How abruptly or gradually did you change your calorie allotment? Are there things you can ease up on?4 -
In other news, I'm about a pound a way from transitioning into maintenance, though I think I'll still have some body recomposition happening as I continue to take long walks and do calisthenics. Do any of you have tips for moving into maintenance? How abruptly or gradually did you change your calorie allotment? Are there things you can ease up on?
I am now ~ 1 month at the MFP recommended daily maintenance calorie level, after taking ~6 weeks to gradually, week-by-week, adding in the difference.
I was given a recommended extra 200 pre-exercise calories per day for maintenance intake when I did the Goal Reset thing.
It's just me, but I felt that by easing into the change - only adding ~50 calories a day (for a week at a time, then upping by another 50 again) plus eating more of my exercise calories meant that I could be more strategic about HOW I would add in the calories across the whole day instead of suddenly adding JUST high-calorie evening snacks. Especially in the current semi-lockdown environment with a very different scope for formal-exercise options than last year would have been (although that may be starting to change a bit in your area?) and my need to meet the corresponding increased NEAT-activity level despite (in my case) a "no end in sight WFH" situation and a tendency towards relatively sedentary hobbies.
Are there things that you could start using a slightly more calorie-dense version of again (choice of salad dressing; low fat instead of no-fat yogurt for instance) that you could add at lunch or for earlier-in-the-day planned snacks? Or serving SLIGHTLY larger (measured) portions of?
I know nothing about the macro-combo recommendations for body re-composition (although I imagine it would be strong on protein % age than the default MFP setting) but maybe there is a relevant thread or two in the Must Reads at the top of the Maintenance Board and/or the Gain Weight (name?) Board ... there is one Message Board specifically targeted for people into recomp / heavy lifting / cutting-bulking type exercise cycles and related nutrition, and am not entirely sure of the exact name. But I mean that one.
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@cjane917 go you! 💪
I’m enjoying an active weekend of gardening and mowing, lots of chill time. The weather is perfect! I planted artichokes last night and DH replanted the corn, as the first batch washed away in the torrential rains we had right after planting.
Not terribly excited about going back to work tomorrow. All the slack employees with longevity that got to keep their jobs are returning after two months of furlough, and many of them are not dealing well with their new schedules. I’d really like to tell them all to get bent, because while they have been reduced to 32 hours a week, they are still doing what they signed up for. Also, I am not the complaint department. It’s now above my pay grade. 😂 Still not sure how I’m going to cram all of my management duties into a mere 8 hours a week, but I’ll give it my best. It’s all I can do. It’s a plus that I don’t hate transporting patients, and it’s fabulous that the dispatcher was retired, so no more funny business within the dashboard. (She played favorites.)
I appreciate all of your kind words.
Also, @SuziQ113 , that recipe sound wonderful!
Annnnd, I dropped another .7 pounds this week, so I only have 15 more to go!2 -
juliemouse83 wrote: »Annnnd, I dropped another .7 pounds this week, so I only have 15 more to go!
@juliemouse83 Yay YOU!!!!2 -
@juliemouse83 You're a star!1
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@cjane917 congratulations on being one pound away from maintenance and @juliemouse83, congratulations on being 0.7 pounds closer to maintenance!!2
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@BMcC9 thanks for the advice! That makes a lot of sense-- it would seem too abrupt to suddenly increase by 250 per day. I like the idea of starting with just an extra 50 per day. Did you accomplish that by just making sure you stayed 150-200 under your calorie limit (in the green) after switching to maintenance settings?
Also I realized in my original post I wrote "and dads" instead of "advice." Oops haha. I didn't mean to insult all the dads out there!
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@BMcC9 thanks for the advice! That makes a lot of sense-- it would seem too abrupt to suddenly increase by 250 per day. I like the idea of starting with just an extra 50 per day. Did you accomplish that by just making sure you stayed 150-200 under your calorie limit (in the green) after switching to maintenance settings?
@cjane917
That making sure you stayed 150-200 under your calorie limit (in the green) after switching to maintenance settings might work for some, but not for me.
Start at "HOME" and go to "GOALS". The "Guided Setup" is how you find out what MFP recommends in order to get you what want ( in this case switch up to Maintenance). Looks like you already did that and now know that you are to settle 250 up from your "still losing" value.
That is also where you confirm that your "lifestyle setting" (sedentary / lightly active / very active) is realistic to your current situation. Save changes if you haven't already just tweaked it.
Right below the "Guided Setup" link is the box showing your daily target calories and macro percentages. There is an edit button, and you can play with these numbers without going through Guided Setup.
I went from 1200 to 1250 - made sure my activity was covering the difference with no issue - 1250 to 1300 - same thing, upping the exercise - until I got to 1400 and was still consistently breaking even in terms of calories in to calories burned as shown by my weight (Saturday to Saturday) was staying stable.
I am an old enough hand at this to not be concerned about any given single-day variation. It is the trend (if you have a device that can track this) that is the more important measure.
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Thank you so much! I had no idea you could edit it-- that's great! I will do that and try your method of increasing slowly by 50, gauging effectiveness at each level before increasing. Thanks!3
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@cjane917 congrats on moving to the other side!
The time before when I went to maintain I kept eating really healthy and instead of going to ‘ maintenance calories’ I just ate back what I worked out. After about a month of that I stopped keeping track. I knew enough about what food should look like, what things worked for me and how many calories were in most foods to just try to eat well. I think checking the scale is important. Some times things are trail and error. You will have to find out what works for you.2 -
There are several threads on the Maintenance Board about "how often do I need to keep logging / weighing" variations. Lots of anecdotal replies there to shift though to spark ideas about "that would never work for me" or "maybe I could try that for a month, then consider tweaking my approach"
A lot will have to do with your own personality type / how you prefer to gather-compare data / how "ingrained" a behavoural habit has become or alternatively you realize that for YOU it will need to be an almost forever self-awareness tool ...2 -
Chinkiri asked for a picture of my yard, so here is a part of it. Been getting exercise lately by maintaining it. For now the riding lawnmower is down so I have been using the old push mower, great exercise. The whole lawn is a lot bigger than it looks in this photo.
Saturday I am leaving for 10 days of vacation in Florida. Not sure I can keep up daily logging and pretty sure I won't be able to exercise every day. However I will do my best, stay here, and shoot for the winner's circle in July.
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Thanks @lexabeep and @BMcC9
That's a good idea to strive toward in the future-- once I slowly get up to what seems to be my personal maintenance level and am stable for a good amount of time I could try out not logging to see how accurate my "internal mental food scale" is.
This might also change with circumstances too. I'm in my early/mid 30s and will probably attempt to start a family in a year or two. So I'm sure coming back afterwards to once again losing and maintenance, my body will have changed and I'll be readjusting.2 -
Omg, @alligatorob ! Your home and yard are gorgeous!
@Chinkiri and @BMcC9 , thank you! The scale said 166.6 this morning. 🤗
I hurt my back at work today lifting visitor chairs to get them and the potty chair out of the room, so I came home and kept ice packs down the back of my pants, lol. I’m going to be okay. The time off and rest was awesome!
So for fun? Here is a picture of one of the feral kittens at our house that we hope to adopt:
Her name is Buffy, given her buff color. 🥰
I am so grateful that this litter lets us socialize them.
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@juliemouse83, I just read your post from June 18th, and I actually gasped out loud. I am so, so sorry that this is happening to you. I hope your back feels better soon....those types of injuries are not fun at all! And I hope the job search yields a positive outcome!! (hugs)2
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Happy Juneteenth to my American friends! This American holiday commemorates one of the last announcements of the abolition of slavery in the United States, on June 19, 1865. Although it has existed for over 100 years, Juneteenth is now gaining popularity as a way to celebrate diversity and to reflect on our progress toward equality.2
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I just found this amazing thread on the Success Stories message board:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10800930/did-you-lose-anything-besides-weight#latest
Tilte: Did you lose anything besides weight? (we so often talk about things gained / added into our lives as NSV - more energy / more strength etc) This is the other "postitive losses" type NSVs.- lost chins
- lost defeatist attitudes
- lost aches and pains
- etc etc
Take a read, and maybe share here some of your own "positive losses" even if it ISN'T the 15th of the month / our traditional NSV-sharing day.1 -
Happy Solstice! (astronomical longest day / shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere; opposite (start of increasing daylight) if you are south of the equator.2
