Accountability buddy

I think whatever works for you! It’s all so different for everyone but remember when doing a hardcore program like t25 you eat as they suggest or the meal plan with it because you will need that nutrition to be 💯. Or you will have fatigue muscle soreness and more! But anyway good luck@andrew45678 I love beach body programs

@PatriceFitnessPal I just wanted to say how supportive your comments always are, no matter what route we have chosen to take in our ambition to feel healthier and/or happier. Whether we achieve our weekly goal or not, if they are supposed to be 'simple' or not you never make comments that will make someone feel inadequate in any way. You offer support and kind words. Thanks very much for always steering us 'Accountability Buddies' in a positive direction.

Hello everyone! I hope everyone made it through Thanksgiving. I didn't log (actually haven't logged in awhile, but that's another issue) but I don't think I went over by much.

I agree with some of you ladies, in that I need to just get back to logging! I fell off that bandwagon and really need to hop back on. I haven't weighed myself in about a week as well.

@Andrew45678 nailing down the correct daily calorie goal is key! I use this website https://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to help calculate mine. The problem with MFP is that is allows you to create a weightloss goal that is not healthy. My BMR is 1412, that's the amount of calories my body needs in order to function every day. It also shows you your TDEE, which is the amount of calories needed to maintain your weight (mine is 1729). Finally it shows you your calorie goal in order to achieve the weight loss goal you chose. Mine is 1470 to lose .5lbs a week. MFP was off a bit, putting my goal at 1230.

During my last weight loss journey, I found that I was eating too little calories and not paying much attention to the macros, which often lead to stalling. I found the scooby website and did much better, eventually losing well over 50lbs.

@skinnylw2016 - Thank you so much for the kind words. I was really touched by your comments and appreciate you taking the time to reassure me. I don’t want to come across as too ‘Pollyanna’ - because I actually think I’m quite practical - but there is sometimes a risk in seeming too positive. I just truly believe that guilt puts us on a downward spiral when a little bit of reflection on what we can learn about ourselves is more helpful in generating the momentum for spiraling upward. Like the samurai quote says: “Fall down seven times, get up eight” ... even if it sometimes requires some rollover time for me to gradually push up to my knees and stand up again! 😀

@Andrew45678 - I guess you could keep doing the Speed 1.0 exercise as a ‘bonus’ workout to remind you that something feels easy through the grind! 😅 ... It sounds as though you’re sticking to the program well despite the torture sessions. That’s a strong commitment. Congratulations! 🎉

@highmaintnance - Thanks for sharing the ‘Scooby’s Workshop’ website. It offers some really helpful guidance and I’m really impressed by his dedication to keeping everything free so even a teenager with no money can benefit. I was also motivated by his ripped abs! According to the site, my calories should be set to 1252 now and a little higher than I thought for maintenance at 1565. I think the consistent 1200-1252 is because I’m 54 years old and my metabolism takes some extra effort to get moving at this age! 😂 I’m glad to hear you’ve felt on track even though you haven’t been logging your food. I’ve been logging but it’s been tough to see all the days I ended up in the red with negative numbers this past week. I’ve kept within my usual fluctuation range so I’m just going to keep moving forward now that the Thanksgiving holiday is behind me. It’s my favorite holiday because of the family connections and time together without the stress of buying gifts that most of us don’t need. It’s nice to have my college-aged sons home and I just love hearing all their thoughts on the world. Some of the topics are heavy these days but young people give me such hope for the future so it feels uplifting to me.

All things considered, it sounds as though everyone who posted this week felt successful so that’s something worth celebrating! 👏 🤩 👏 My goal this week is to walk twice a week with my older son and complete abdominal workouts three times per week with my younger son to replace the dwindling opportunities for rowing outdoors as the weather gets colder. I’ll also continue joining my husband for his personal trainer appointments twice a week. As a bonus, I’ll try to get out for walks with the dog more and build in some running to make up for all those negative calorie days last week but we’ll see ... I’ll report my progress here in a couple of days and reassess from there.

I’m grateful for this MFP space to help keep me accountable and appreciate all of you for motivating me to visit the site and encouraging everyone to keep going. Thank you!! 🙏🏼 🙏🏼 🙏🏼 Go get those goals!!

It’s great to have you back @CatieMay123! I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. This is an unusual year but seems as good as any other time to focus on self-improvement. Just let us know if you have any specific goals for the week and we’ll do our best to support you. I’m trying to build completely new habits for the winter, which is always a tougher time for me to be active because I like to spend time outdoors during warm weather. So, in some ways we start over with each day or season. Today, is a new day and a clean slate for all of us to move a little closer to achieving our goals! Seize and enjoy the day!

@beshamama - I’ve also planned a little reward to motivate me through my most recent rut ... or plateau? I scheduled a haircut for Friday, which I haven’t done in awhile because of the pandemic, and I hope it gives me some positive momentum. Originally, I planned it as my reward for achieving a five pound incremental loss and weighing in at 135 (inspired by @driheataz) but I’m unlikely to meet that milestone. I don’t want to cancel on the hair stylist - who is probably facing some reduction in her income due to COVID-19 restrictions - so I’m just going to reframe it as a chance to feel good about progress I’ve made this year.

With this personal reward, I guess I’m celebrating perseverance through the inevitable setbacks ... or rests? Positive occasions like holidays and negative situations like work deadlines, both cause stress and schedule adjustments. However, I’m just trying to recognize that I can keep moving across the terrain of hills, valleys, ruts, plateaus, etc. if I put one foot in front of the other with patience and perseverance.

Will I feel more energized with my new haircut 💇🏼‍♀️ flowing in the breeze? 😂🤣😂 Maybe not ... but, as they say: A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and sometimes we might need to stop at a bench along the way to catch our breath (or get a haircut!) before returning to the journey 😓.

Have you decided what your non-scale victory will be? Is anyone else planning a reward for achieving a goal?

@PatriceFitnessPal If I get back to logging my food and back to exercising every day for a month I think I am going to treat myself to a magazine subscription.

I went on a 4mile bike ride today. It was lovely! There were flurries in the air and the sun was shining. It was sooo nice. I dressed the perfect amount of layers too. I went to go get a cd from a record shop here in town(another little mini reward 🤣) but they have to order so I have to go back on Wed.

Ooooo I’m jealous of your hair cut! But I’m using this pandemic as an excuse to grow my hair long. My hair grows sooooooo slow! But I’m determined to just let it go 😊

Good morning everyone... doing ok this week, even with thanksgiving so that was good. It’s so important for me to still enjoy food. A food centered holiday like Thanksgiving is a challenge for weight loss but I still did it. Did well with logging food most days this week. Celebrating my successes!

@bumpbreakcar - Welcome! How are you doing with your goal of using the MFP app daily?

I’ve built a consistent habit of tracking my food and find it really helped me learn where I need to make improvements. I’ve really gained insights about portion sizes and the extra calories from takeout food. Right now, I’m seeing a pattern of too much fat from the cream in my coffee, which is throwing my macro nutrition goals out of balance. One of these days I’ll cut down from 2 cups to one cup or give up coffee completely. I’m confident I can make the change but I have to plan for it so I can endure the daylong headache I’m likely to feel from the withdrawal process.

My goal is to get better at weighing everything on a food scale instead of just entering the calories from the nutrition labels; but, I’m not quite ready to work in building that habit 100 percent yet. This month, I’m concentrating in shifting my workouts from outdoor to indoor. So, that’s taking up my mental energy right now, and the good news is that I’m gaining momentum. I should be ready to refine my food tracking next month. Do you have any specific short-term goals? Do you log into the app at a particular time (or times) each day? My logging times are quite random but I generally check in around each meal.

I’ll look forward to reading your posts and wish you much success on your journey!

Good for you, @CatieMay123! I’m glad you’re finishing the school term on a strong note and managing your stress in healthier ways. I agree that the stress relief from moving and choosing healthier foods has a bigger payoff than empty wine calories. Sometimes, I have a glass of wine, beer or mimosa with my husband because he drinks alcohol more regularly than I do - and likes the ‘company’ - but it’s not really worth the calories and other side effects to me (e.g., I feel more foggy or fatigued), so I try to strike a balance. I just wanted to offer my quick “congratulations” 🎉 to both you - and also @kmccrom - on a successful week!

@kmccrom - YES!! Celebrate those successes! 🙌
I’m sending a virtual ‘high-TEN’ ... a high-five for the successful week and another five to recognize the challenges of making it through a meal-centered holiday like Thanksgiving. 👏 👏