30lbs to lose... Started AGAIN yesterday (Darn Lockdown Snacking)

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  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 124 (Monday)

    Happy Monday everyone! I'm trying my trick this week and I'm wearing the tight pants! I need that extra reminder that I'm not out of the woods and I'm certainly not done yet, so I've got to stay on the ball. I lost another pound of water weight, so I'm hoping to be back at my low point again by the weekend.

    Today I was generally more hungry than normal throughout the day. I kept to my pre-planned eating menu. And I got in all my steps today. It's super hard during the Fall because I love Pumpkin flavored everything! Pumkpin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin muffins, lattes, cheescake, pie, ice cream - you name it! I had a few carefully measured desserts over the weekend, but it just leaves less room for actual meals. So I'll have to cut that out until Thanksgiving week.

    Daily Goals:
    Calories - ✅
    Steps - ✅
    Water - ✅

    @kcd394 Hiking during the Fall sounds divine! I am so jealous that the leaves change color where you are! Wishing you that wonderful "whoosh" soon!

    @GabiV125 I'm hoping your shoulder is feeling better!

    @clutterqueen I can't imagine what it would be like to live alone during this pandemic. My heart goes out to your daughter that she feels better soon. It's taking a tool on everyone for sure. Hugs!

    @thelastnightingale What do you think you'll do on your time off?

  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    Hi there!
    @MommaGemz - if a full day of rest is not always working out, maybe some partials could, like some relaxing evenings. I’m with you with the logging- I can give a day or a meal break, but won’t stop it until I get where I set to be. I did in the past and lost the momentum.
    @kcd394 - a long hike in fall colors sounds amazing. Pretty green where I am, but looking forward for autumn. Congrats on the scale going down!
    @clutterqueen - my heart goes to you and your daughter. It is good news that she talks to you, just not easy to gouge from the distance, if your words made a full impact. Keep on talking and listening.
    Mine is the same -we are lucky she has a roommate she likes, but she still gets gloomy some days. I turned into my parents-yesterday I reported the color of the new neighbor‘s dog, when we ran out of updates.
    @thelastnightingale - how is your staycation going? I hope choke full of relaxing activities.

    My left shoulder hurt for about 2 months now, on and off. It improved but I still can’t reach my arm backward, and I wake up with sharp pain some nights. I couldn’t get myself to go to the doctor, because it will most likely mean more than one visit for a steroid injection. Who knew I move it so much?
    Any yoga shoulder stretches are greatly appreciated Clutterqueen

    On the other hand, I’ve been eating much better and after analyzing my last 3 months it looks like my trend is 1lb in 3-4 weeks. That is 12-16lb in a year, not bad at all.
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 125 (Tuesday)

    This day was all STRESS. It's not that anything bad was happening, but that (beyond my control) several events got reschedule to all occur today. This included my first working call with my book publisher. I do feel better at the end of the day though. Now that I know what to expect from the whole book writing process. I tackled most all of the events for the day. Voting will have to wait until tomorrow because the "computers were down." Boo.

    Daily Goals:
    Calories - ✅
    Steps - ✅
    Water - ✅
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    @GabiV125
    My favorite yoga stretch for hurting shoulders is “clock pose”. The clock poses I saw online were not what I was taught in class. They involved a standing pose and I believe it’s more effective lying down.

    First start with lying down and extend both arms to a “t”,Palms up, with knees bent. Then gently lift hips and slide them a few inches to the right and then let legs together gently fall to the floor on the left. Leaving your left arm and hand still, Take your right hand and slowly, gently move it in a circle, like a clock, keeping your upper body’s fat head still, only moving the right arm. You should Stretch the arm out so the right hand touches the left hand as it goes by. Make sure to keep the right arm pretty even with the floor, almost dragging it along the floor in a circle. The second rotation I do, I pause For about 40 seconds at each place I feel tension. You may only move a couple more “degrees” before pausing again if you have a lot of shoulder tension. When you finish that rotation, complete 4 more, pausing as often as needed. The last rotation should feel better than the first. After you’ve completed 6 complete rotations, move your arm the opposite direction and complete 6 slow rotations this way. When you’ve finished the 6th, bring arms back to a “t”,gently raise knees back up. Center the hips. Then raise hips and move them a few inches to the left and let knees fall to the right. Repeat entire sequence on the right side, moving left arm around the circle, keeping head and rest of the body still. After you’ve paused at tight spots on 2nd rotation, complete six rotations and then switch direction and move the arm the opposite way. Complete six full circles this direction. Then with arms back in a “t”, raise knees back up and you are done. You can do this more than once a day if needed. I used to have a herniated disc at c4/c5 and this stretch has given me much needed relief over the years. If you can’t figure this out from my written directions, let me know and I’ll try to make a video and figure out a way to attach or send. Also “thread the needle” is a good shoulder stretch( although it doesn’t give as much relief to me as clock pose). You can google it and find video instructions on YouTube. Once again, let me know if you can’t understand my directions.
    The other thing you may want to do, is be aware I you are keeping your shoulders up instead of relaxed. Don’t wear your shoulders as “ earrings”! Make a point to bring them back down. It took me a long time to realize that when I was driving and someone would cut me off or brake hard in front of me, I’d tense my shoulders and then keep them up the rest of the day instead of making it a point to relax them back down where they belong.

    My day:
    Exercise: ✅
    Tracked: ✅
    Under: ✅ ( only ate a tiny piece of fudge today!)
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    Thank you so much Clutterqueen. The instructions are very clear, and detailed, truly appreciate this. I’m starting this stretches after my full day zoom training .
    I did chuckle at what to do with my fat head 😁
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 126 (Wednesday)

    This day was fairly calm and relaxed. I wore the tight pants again. Everything was completed today without this sense of rush or pressure. I even did some meditation and worked on my book in the afternoon. The scale is creeping back down again, so I'm happy to see that. It was only .6 up from my "low."

    Daily Goals:
    Calories - ✅
    Steps - ✅
    Water - ✅

    @clutterqueen "Don’t wear your shoulders as “ earrings”!" I love this!! <3
  • darleenturner
    darleenturner Posts: 79 Member
    MommaGemz wrote: »
    Hi everyone! The lockdown (and all of the snacks around the house for my kids during the lockdown) have had their effect. I did have 25lbs to lose anyway and ended up gaining another 5 due to stress, snacking and comfort eating - Booooo.....

    I'm married, in my 40s, and have just started home schooling 2 young kids who are not old enough to really work independently. There is alot of sitting in my day while I teach them. For exercise, I'm just trying to start out with getting in 10,000 steps a day. I figure that is the baby step for exercise. In Texas, it's already really hot so I have to do most of that walking indoors. My main strategy to begin is to track my food diligently, drink more water, and get in those steps!

    I'm looking for some accountability friends to help with support and motivation. We can check-in and commiserate together :smiley:

    I feel your pain. Put on 25lb during lockdown and now have about 50lb to loose. Try to do 10000 steps a day but on busy work days I am stuck at a desk and its very cold and wet here in England so cant be bothered sometimes to get huddled up to go for a walk.

    I have done some indoor walking but its not quite the same without a treadmill.

    I have always taken it one step at a time and aimed for little goals. I only look at loosing the next 7lb.

    Please feel free to add me. Use my mobile so wont let you add friends
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 128 (Friday)

    I feel like I should start putting a warning label on Friday. Bad choices are made on Fridays. Fridays I feel exhausted from the week. I'm physically, mentally and emotionally tired. Teaching, working, writing, "Momming," and I desperately feel the need for some sleep and a day off. It's the day I'm most likely to say "screw it all" and quit everything.

    Poor choices were made today, I've lost my motivation and energy for losing weight, and I just feel stuck.

    This is likely just "Friday" talking. I'll rest tomorrow, and feel more positive on Sunday. I hope.
  • kcd394
    kcd394 Posts: 382 Member
    @mammagemz i also said screw it today...

    It was less busy today and i actually left at 530 (wow!), But today i ate way too many calories... partook of the treats i bought my techs a couple 3 times through the day. Then i bought some steak to have with my salad for dinner. Bad snacking choices were made. I am still kinda slacking in motivation to keep going, but i did clean up the kitchen and put effort into cooking today. I did feel the whoosh finally this morning and noticed my ring was really loose on my finger this evening before i ate. I had a mini goal of 180 this weekend but i was at 183 this morning... may not happen for a couple more weeks. Haven't added any exercise yet cause I've been getting home late. Gonna go to bed early tonight as i have to go in early to do extra things before regular appts start at 8. On the plus side this is my last Saturday i have to work until December (been doing every other one for a while). Have a good weekend all!
  • B_Plus_Effort
    B_Plus_Effort Posts: 311 Member
    edited October 2020
    hi my 40 something fellow I used to struggle with the pantry being full of oreo cookies and such and blame the wife and kids, but then i ranned into a super fit young lady ex body builder in her 50s (Asian) so she looked 28 ha ha at a party, we had a bit of a chat and she looked me right in the eyes and said, "no one's shoving all that junk food in your mouth" , I said Message Received Ma'am! and decided to put on my big boy pants and develop some self control

    Here's what works for me during the weight loss phase (not long term just when I'm loosing weight) write things down, me and you are about the same age so we are no strangers to putting pen to paper, so do it manually, make it a ritual, and write down on a piece of paper everything you eat, don't get carried away you don't have to put down 17 M&Ms or 42 grapes, just be generic, even that will prevent you from eating just so you don't have to write it down

    here is mine as an example, it's just Monday - Friday

    h3bix7slqb38.jpg
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    @MommaGemz You were exhausted from wearing so many hats all week. Tomorrow you will take some time for yourself and feel refreshed and ready to get back on track. I’m still wondering if maybe you’re restricting your calories too much, not eating enough of your exercise calories back. That can definitely cause fatigue right there, without everything else you are tackling. Tomorrow, take a moment and get out some pants you were when you started this journey. Even put them on, and watch them fall right down! You did that! You are one of the most disciplined people I’ve encountered. But perfection isn’t realistic. So value progress, not perfection.

    @kcd394 I have a feeling when things settle down a little and you have time to exercise, your weight is really going to start dropping!
    In the meantime, do what you can!

    My day:
    Exercise: ✅
    Tracked: ✅
    Under: ✅

  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Ha Ha Ha.... And just when I feel like throwing in the towel.... **Whoosh!** It's not a new low, but pretty darn close. (And I also slept until 10am this morning - Ahhhhhhh, I feel so good)

    @clutterqueen It could have been a "eat some more food" and my body felt better day. I am definitely going to take your suggestion to heart and try to adjust the calories and see how I feel.

    @kcd394 We can do it, we can do it, we can do it. Slow and steady. Our group has seen some ups and downs and we will steer through this one as well. I hope your Saturday work goes quickly!
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    It's a long catchup one...

    I had a bit of a fail when it came to taking any days off this week - I ended up working so much on my days off, due to urgent things happening and my colleagues needing my specific help.

    Honestly, one day I didn't go to sleep at all (worked through the night, took a power nap at lunchtime), it was that crazy. And because I didn't sleep, I had to eat more to stay awake, which meant I ate right up to 100% of calories burned.

    That's the bad news.

    The good news is my weight has started to fall again, so the sudden shakeup in routine has actually helped. (What a silver lining!) Things had been stubbornly stagnant for a while, but my weight is falling and my appetite is normal.

    I did a virtual race today and whilst it was super hard, I finished. When I first started, I couldn't breathe properly, to the point where I walked for a little bit and thought I might need to abandon things and go home to die, but I managed to work through it and breathe more normally and run the rest. I haven't moved this far in such a long time - way pre-pandemic, for sure.

    My legs are OK, so I think I might have been allergic to the pollen where I ran - I'm going to be more strict with taking allergy meds and will keep an eye on it. I drank lots of water and took some allergy meds when I got home, and am completely fine now.

    The other good news is I got some feedback at work before the weekend and whilst there were some things for me to work on (who doesn't need to keep improving?), there were also some things that really just made me feel appreciated. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it. There's nothing better than when a group of people turn round unexpectedly and tell you that they see your contribution and they value it. It's such a gift. I feel thankful.

    I'm also watching a digital show tomorrow - I was very into the arts before the pandemic hit, so this is me doing something nice and familiar for myself. (Running badly is also familiar, I guess!)

    So, whilst it wasn't the week I wanted, I feel like I'm ending on a point of positivity where I feel more like me, I feel happier, and I feel like I'm accomplishing things again. I didn't think I could do the run, but I did it anyway. I used to be very much 'feel the fear and do it anyway' pre-pandemic.

    I'm also going to try to re-take some of my missed holidays next week. There's something big happening at work, but it's just one thing as opposed to a million things, and one of my colleagues (same grade) has agreed to cover for me if I need it, so that's really nice. It's a genuine offer as well.

    And now I'm off to take a bubble bath, because again, doing nice things for me should be a priority. (Also, it might help with muscle aching tomorrow after my run.)

    @MommaGemz Two hours to vote is quite something. We have local polling stations over here for every few streets, and we have a whole day to vote, so I've never had to queue for more than a few minutes (yes, we're very spoilt that way).

    Nice to see you whooshing too - this group is so in sync sometimes, it's hilarious. :)

    @muszyngr Great strategy - I'm not really into pen and paper, but as well as using the MFP app, I keep a spreadsheet with extra data to hold myself accountable, which is a similar way of doing things.

    What a bit of tough love... hard to hear, but true. No one is shoving the junk food in our mouths, we're all responsible for our own food choices.

    @kcd394 I'm with @clutterqueen on this, you sound exhausted. If you're not happy you've got the balance right with knowing how many of your exercise calories to eat back, try having a really lazy day where you only have your regular calories to worry about, not your exercise calories too. I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite when I say rest is important, but hey, it takes one to know one!

    Hope you manage to get some downtime at the weekends from next Saturday onwards - that will be nice, having more time at the weekend to relax.

    @darleenturner Lovely to see another new face - I didn't put on as much as you during lockdown, but because I was already at my heaviest, that extra lockdown half stone put me in a bad place and my overall goal was, therefore, higher than yours. I'm now about 34lb down since May, so it can be done. I've found this thread really helpful in that regard - we're all accountable for our own actions, but it's just really nice being able to support each other when we're all on a similar journey.

    Hope to see a fellow Brit stick around!

    @clutterqueen Well done for voting - it's very strange over on this side of the pond seeing how long it takes for the result to be known.

    We've just moved to stricter rules where I live, so we're not allowed to mix indoors anymore over here unless it's with someone you already live with. I think a lot of us might have made different decisions a year ago had we known what would happen now, but we can't go back and get a do-over, we just have to keep making the best choices we can every day and look forward. I really feel for you being apart from your mom and wishing you could do more. I have no answers, just empathise with how tough that feeling is. You haven't done anything wrong, even if it might feel like you have sometimes.

    Well done on your run - 6 1/2 miles is quite a distance!
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 129 (Saturday)

    Rested today and didn't log. It's feeling like Fall here in Texas, so I made a nice beef and veggie stew. I miss cooking foods like that, but they are so, so very hard to put in the food tracker. I could do the whole recipe calculator, but it's really such a pain. So I avoid soups, stews, casseroles, and anything that is "combined." I also had some Maple cookies and a few bits of Halloween candy. It'll probably offset the whoosh from today, but I just needed some comfort food today. Back to steps and logging tomorrow!
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    @MommaGemz -end of busy weeks are hard and emotional for the entire family, because we are influenced by their moods, too. I never knew either when my body just wants a little more food, or I just messed up and moved my bed in the pantry. Glad to hear you got your big woosh and some extra rest.
    @kcd394 - don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re coming off a long and very busy period at work . Your body has been fighting to stay afloat, once you get the well deserved rest, you’ll see the results on the scale too.
    @clutterqueen - sorry to hear about your mom. It’s already hard as it is , but to cut the traditional holiday get together , is feels like a separate slap. Sorry. You run 6.5 miles? And leave to tell the tale? The snail in me is speechless.
    @thelastnightingale - group work appreciation is the unicorn of workplace - congrats. Also congrats on the scale budging after being stubborn for so long. I’m googling virtual race after this message for sure. You turned a potentially bad week into a very accomplished one, I’m so impressed. So happy you’re happy ,but please do not lose any more nights for work. If in a year nobody will remember the current emergency, then it’s not an emergency. Value you first. Always you. Wish you a great vacation-staycation .
    @darleenturner -welcome and do not look back, just focus on today.
    @mszyngr - welcome and thank you for sharing your trick. Glad it worked for you.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,114 Member
    As for me, I finished the week with 2 weird long days at work, barely hitting my 10k steps, but ate ok. I’m visiting my daughter at college this weekend (4h driving) and last night, Saturday, I had my off the charts snacking. We waited a little too long to go to dinner and the girls wanted different foods, so we picked from 2 places and brought the food in the hotel room. So after dinner just opened one snack after another, and sure enough I got a 4th night in a row with bad sleep.
    We’ll drive back today and starting tomorrow, I’m getting back in the game, and then one of these days, the scale will smile to me too.
  • MommaGemz
    MommaGemz Posts: 494 Member
    Day 130 (Sunday)

    Sundays are a true work day for me. They are the "get everything done that requires no child interruptions" while Daddy is watching them. I finish these days feeling worn out, but also very accomplished.

    One change I have made is to reduce the number of steps I aim for each day. Since I have some required "butt in chair" time, it is just getting unreasonable to also get 10K steps on top of home schooling, work, and writing. My new steps goal (until book is done) is 7,500. It was actually totally manageable today and not stressful. It is still a good number that requires me to get up and move intentionally, but not so high that I have to carve out an extra hour at night to finish it. I logged all food today and got that important water in. It has become so apparent lately that when I skip my water, then next day I'm all bloated because my body decides to hoard it all.

    Daily Goals:
    Calories - ✅
    Steps - ✅
    Water - ✅

    I hope you all had a great weekend! @GabiV125 I hope you have a wonderful trip visiting your daughter!

    @thelastnightingale Wow, way to go on that virtual race! Sorry you didn't get the time off you were looking for - maybe soon you say? Rest is so important!

    @darleenturner Welcome! I don't actually engage with the Friends list because it's just one more thing to track on this site, but do feel free to post here and tell about your goals, and life, and how your days are going :)