Accountability buddy

Happy Friday everyone!
Current Weight- 131.5
Goal Weight- 120

I came so close to finishing 64oz of water. As I finished my seventh cup, I thought I was going to float away!

Almost hit 10,000 steps for the first time in 2021, I was just over 9,000 steps and then noticed my step counter wasn’t tracking my steps. Reset it and now it’s working again, although all previous data is lost.

Finally, stayed within my calorie goal- just barely.

Still need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Overall, feeling happy! Plus the Lightning won again last night ⚡️🎉

Hey feel free to add me for support and motivation. Always happy to help if needed!!!!

Hello everyone after some time and all the best into 2021!

@PatriceFitnessPal Took a bit more time to get over the Achilles tendons being sore Several weeks, not very painful but I felt it and wanted to give it proper time.

Had to change the training style and ended up with Fitify app. Anyone tried it? Its fully adjustable as you wish (pick your desired program, how many times a week, how long trainings etc), I went for 4 per week with medium length of training + stretching. So far I like it a lot, surely by far not so hard as Shaun T25 but its way more complex and I guess that is what I need. Also, I didnt think I was going to like the stretching so much - it made me realize how pathetic I am at this. Almost every tendon is shortened, all those years of doing very little stretching showing up lol But improving really really fast and one feels significantly better in every day situations as you do not only stretch but also strengthen all those tiny muscles all around the body.

I opted for some basic Weight Loss 5W program to start with, being a bit careful so I dont push too hard, focusing on right techniques and stretching. Some of the sequences are getting quite hard at times in 3rd week, though, so one gets pushed a bit as well

2021 goals:
- lose weight, goal nr1. Currently at 117 kg, losing 10 kg would be fine
- get training 3-4X a week, even if there is a time for a short one only at times but do not skip
- mix cardio, strength, stretching - I have been focused too much on cardio
- Im not eating bad at all but there are some places for improvement like eating too late
- keep going with stretching, my new-found target. Do some poses properly like reverse table top
- sleep more (but kids...)
- add gym strength training later in the year

Enjoy the rest of the weekend

Amazing. Was still full from dinner, yet I wanted to eat something sweet for dessert. I was full, so I knew it was just one of the habits I’m trying to break. Had a cup of white chocolate peppermint tea instead. Did it satisfy my sweet tooth? Not really, but it did keep me from raiding the chocolates and cookies in the pantry. Especially since I’m still full from dinner. 🤦🏻‍♀️

TL/DR version: The week is going well with one day to go before weigh in. On track with goals.

Here’s an update on my weekly goals:

(1) Eat within my daily calorie goal all seven days. - This is going better than expected. I was over the target 1 out of 6 days, so far, and the average is under my goal. So, I’ll take that as a win. Just one more day to go before I can add a check. The macronutrient balance was almost perfect, except 1% over in fat and 1% under for protein. That’s rare, but I don’t care about my carb and protein balance as much as trying to keep the fat to 20% or less ... still working on that one. Concentrating on increasing protein seems to help prevent sweet cravings but it could be just a personal ‘head game’ I play with myself. ☺️ I was also over the recommended vitamins A and C, and a little high in poly- and monounsaturated fats (by -1 and -4) which I really don’t fully grasp in terms of ways to change. 🤷‍♀️ Maybe I need less processed food?

(2) Send 2 cards & 5 texts or email messages to stay in touch with friends & family - ✅

(3) Clean out 2 boxes of items to toss/donate ✅

(4) Complete at least 1 task for business or career development (from ‘personal growth’ list) - This is in the works and started but needs work today.

(5) Meet with personal trainer 2x and physical therapy (PT) 2x and PT home exercises at least 2x with BONUS points for playing soccer or walking with friend on Sunday. -PT Tuesday and today ✅; Worked out with the trainer on Thursday and Saturday ✅

Added bonus: Look at the gym schedule to see if I can safely work in some cardio workouts. -I didn’t add any cardio but I joined yoga one day and really enjoyed it. The extra benefit was it helped stretch my sour shoulder. I’ll add yoga to next weeks goal to see if I can work in more opportunities for this kind of stretching, balance and building core strength. I’m sooo in need of work in the area of flexibility!

I didn’t play soccer on Sunday but I managed to sift through extra piles and fill boxes of stuff to donate so I slept well that night. 😴 ... I was a little sore from all the movement and lifting .... but also satisfied with the progress!

One real bonus (and drawback) was that just about every piece of clothing fit. I think only one very small-sized pair of pants buttoned a bit tightly ... but they zipped! 😜 Now, I’ll have to decide what to keep based on what sparks joy (overused trend = 🤮) and I really don’t know what my identity is ... So, I’ll need deeper contemplation as I continue to purge my stuff. At 54, it’s time to get rid of any shorter dresses; and, some of the more feminine items look fine when I wear them, but they feel a little out-of-place when I see them on the hanger, for some reason.

Anyway, maybe I need to organize a Zoom meeting with some friends and we can advise each other while taking turns on the ‘fashion runway’. Has anyone had success with this kind of exercise in downsizing? I’m open to all ideas! Thanks, Accountability buddies!!

@Theresa787 - When my son was young, he asked me why we didn’t have dessert after dinner every night (in reaction to a TV show or following a holiday dinner that included a special dessert maybe?). My response was that our family tended to eat a snack in the afternoon and, depending on the type of snack, it might take the place of dessert so we can keep a balanced diet. My brother-in-law grew up in Lebanon and he has a great habit of serving fruit, cheese and/or nuts as dessert. I really like the way he just presents it as the norm and not a substitute for something ‘better’ that we typically think of as dessert. When my sons were home from college for winter break, we layered fruit with yogurt in a glass and topped it off with some chopped nuts and it felt ‘fancier’ and ‘special’ with very little effort. We also made more apple crisp or berry crumble, which I wish I had thought about doing before they were 19 and 20!

Thanks for the yoga recommendation! I’ll definitely try Adrienne on YouTube. I went to a class at the gym that only had about four of us, spread out in a big gym area. There is also a ‘co-op’ kind of effort underway in our neighborhood to support yoga instructors who are not able to work right now. They send a Zoom link and then you donate whatever amount you can to their Venmo account. We are trying to support the local YMCA personal trainer and our neighbors for now but I’ll definitely use the YouTube videos with my rowing friend this winter and whenever I can build in an extra home workout. Our rowing group has set times for online group exercise - and everyone alternates leading the ‘class’ - but I haven’t been participating much because many of them are retired or stay-at-home parents and the times often conflict with my work schedule.

I also appreciate your encouragement about meeting most of my goals. Some weeks are better than others, for sure, but writing things out here (for accountability) really helps me process what’s going well and what needs more work. For example, my comment about not knowing enough about different types of fat piqued my curiosity, and it led me to an interesting article:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11208-fat-what-you-need-to-know

Usually, I have good (low) LDL and (high) HDL cholesterol when I get bloodwork for my annual physical; so, the article helped me learn about the different types of fat and their health implications. The tips for reducing certain types of fat were helpful and may have finally convinced me to try replacing my half-and-half with 2% milk in the coming week. And, it definitely convinced me not to use the powdered or liquid creamers anymore! Thanks for all your help and motivation, Accountability buddies!

@expatista - WELCOME! It’s good to have you here. Usually, we post our goals and then check in at least weekly to report our progress.

Overall, MFP is quite active and there are many options for engaging others with similar goals (e.g., diet preferences, age-specific groups, etc.) This particular thread is very supportive. We are all working toward individual goals while sharing what we’re learning along the way. Feel free to ‘bookmark’ the page by selecting the ⭐️ symbol above ... because many of the threads have the same title. You can also reach out and send an individual friend request if someone seems to share the same goals or interests.

I weigh in on Wednesdays and try to report my weekly goal results by the end of the week but sometimes that varies. We are not strict — and my personal approach is that this is a guilt-free zone (since guilt it doesn’t seem to be helpful or healthy) — but I still feel accountable to the group. Best wishes for success and we’ll look forward to seeing your goals and celebrating your accomplishments!

Evening all!!

Going fairly well so far... Getting used to tracking food again, but I am coming in within target so thats good news!

I am struggling a little bit with my workout routine at the moment. The gym classes are fixed and on zoom now, so that's ok... But lockdown 3 here in the UK means we are homeschooling three children on top of me working from home, I also do daily dog training with my dogs on top of walks... So then finding time to fit in workouts that aren't hard scheduled is proving tough! I have plans, and try to make a schedule, but inevitably a day will be stressful... Or I will feel guilty leaving my husband with the chaos so I can go run... So Im just not doing as much as I was!! My husband has had to take a second part time job, as his job has pretty much been furloughed for almost a year and he took a huge contract cut... But his second job, although he is loving it... Is on a farm and they call him in two days a week, but those days depend on the weather... So I need to be really flexible to fit around him!

Im going to try and get a run in tomorrow.... We shall see!

ACCOUNTABILIBUDDIES, ASSEMBLE

Hellooo I need friends for this. I'm planning to lose 40 pounds this year. MFP's community page is awesome because I'm meeting people to do fun challenges with