raleighgirl09
Saturday check in

Hi all - a complete green check day on the Habit Tracker, WOOT!! More rain today but we walked earlier and longer, so only once before the rain started. Had a 4.5 mile walk in Beaufort, NC, along the waterfront. Quaint little town, busy even on a dreary February Saturday! Ending at nearly 14,000 steps today. Water went well but later than I do during the week, I'll finish up just before bed. Cals were under the 1250-1400 range and good choices. Had pancakes for breakfast so I skipped a drink in the evening - I told hubby I don't want to live in a world without pancakes so if I am reasonable, I can have them sometimes. I guess it had been over a year and although I don't eat them often, I do want them sometimes!

Man, we've got some great weigh ins going on here, very inspiring! I hope everyone had a great Saturday and looking forward to an even better Sunday!

@Firefly743 that's an awesome drop for the week, congrats!!
@RYcare look at you go, great weigh in!!
@mlhopp93 that's an awesome weigh in and brings you into a nice round number, congrats!
@bethanie0825 a nice drop, so happy to see it for you!!
@Cornanda fabulous weigh in and seeing that 7 is really terrific!
@gwamajtw91 keeping it green, friend, way to go!
@trooworld your dedication and working Beck - and more importantly YOU - is paying off! Congrats!
@davors19 right there in the green is a great place to be!!

@katmary71 I hope you had a really good visit with your parents. I'm right there with you, I HATE not being able to see people, especially family. I guess I don't have any new words for it all, it just saddens me. Trying to just get through it without wishing a big chunk of my life away.

Posting this a day late 😀

Username: itsmegina
Weigh in day: Friday
PW: 144 lbs
CW: 146 lbs

Welp, two days ago I was 144, so hope that’s not really 2 new pounds! I won’t stress too much yet unless those 2 lbs stick around.

Have a great Sunday, everyone. I always enjoy reading all your posts!

raleighgirl09
Sunday comments on water station

Hi gang! So many folks made note of this thang I'm doing that I thought I'd share exactly what I am doing and how it is helping - you can adopt, adjust or ignore as fits your lifestyle!!

• I make my coffee and fill up a 3-cup plastic tumbler and my 4 cup water container - and I add some flavoring to the 4 cup container. I put those by the coffee machine
• When I come back for my second cup of coffee, I drink half of the tumbler
• When I go back to make hubby tea, I drink the other half and fill that tumbler again and drink half
• When I make hubby his second cup of tea, I drink the other half of my tumbler of water

Now I have 6 cups under my belt (literally). I try to have this all drank by about 1 to 1.5 hours before a planned walk at lunch - I typically don't eat until after the walk and the water helps sustain that desire. Timing is key so that I have a half decent chance of not being very uncomfortable on the walk. I have the rest of the day to drink from the 4 cup water container and - if I get extra water because that started early, so much the better!!

I remembered to set up my Weekend Water Station today, which is exactly the same as the Weekday version, I just have to remember to not let a good habit go by the wayside based on the day of the week.

I like the simplicity of this and am able to put it on auto-pilot, for the most part, and not have to think too much about it. This has evolved from either @buniphuphu or @Jactop commenting once that the key to getting the water was getting it EARLY and I could not agree more. It was a great piece of advice I needed to hear to help me out.

One of those "I coulda hadda V8" type of things.

Hey gang! I'm having trouble responding to people with how I'm doing, if you want to demote me from being a motivator I totally understand.

Beck and Exercise- I'm still at least stretching every day, I'm trying to do a little arm cardio then arm weights one day and abs/core the next. A big thing people with my condition say was their biggest mistake was stopping moving so I refuse to do that. It really depends on how I'm doing, the cardio is to keep my blood sugar down plus mentally I love getting my heart rate up and rocking out. Stretching and strength are most important for mobility, I need to keep what I can and stay as independent as possible. I'll have to do something so my legs don't atrophy but I'm too unstable to be worse right now.

The cats still haven't had their nails trimmed. I think I told you my cats can get it free from their rescue group, the problem is my boyfriend's male is sticking to the carpet which is why I've looked into it, he's acting like his cat is going to get tortured if his claws are trimmed. I'm trying to let him come around but Beau follows me around and it sounds like he has velcro on all 4 paws! I think my boyfriend is getting tired of me saying to Beau how sorry I am that he's suffering, he brought up getting clippers this morning.

The visit with my parents was great, thanks for asking!

I ordered a medication from out-of-the-country and it finally arrived, I'm not totally sure I want to take it without supervision but I can't even get a new referral until next month. If I could get into a pain clinic I could get it prescribed but I'm on my own. I hate this because to get better insurance I need to work but I can't work until my pain levels are tolerable. The only reason I'm still alive is the ER and the cannabis tea, regular medical care has been failing me for almost a year now. I have a bad liver or I'd drink more often. I know it's depressing when I talk about this, I hope it doesn't bring you guys down. I think it can get better, it's just going to take a lot of fighting and patience.

raleighgirl09
Monday morning check in - new weekdays coming to a life near you!

Mornin' to the Slims, looking forward to a great day and week. I have actual sunshine out there, this morning, so am hopeful for the day's walking plans. One day at a time - which oddly enough is how they arrive so you'd think that'd be an easy thing to live by but I do need to remind myself, sometimes.

@AustinRuadhain I got the decluttering blues, as in - I did NOT spend any time this weekend working on a couple of piles that need to be put away. It's laundry, piles of coats and scarves, that kind of thing. This place is all of 936 square feet so even a small amount of clutter registers quickly. Yay for your decluttering - and waving buh-BYE to the old appliance! Now what will you do with all of that space.....?

@Katmary71 I had the same thoughts when I was going through a spell of not being much into motivating - I felt the same, that I was letting people down or that I would be repeating myself on what was preventing me from being more consistent. I came to this....I would respond when I felt like I could and it would be the posts on that page, only. So there was a lot of reading posts and then randomly a few comments but it was what I had in me at those moments. Even now, I have adopted not going back too far just because that is the kind of hurdle that will keep me from doing anything - I found I am now specifically avoiding the 'all or nothing' mentality because it had crept into this, too. We're happy to hear from you and don't have a measuring stick out to be sure you did everything. The struggles are real - as real as velcro cat paws! This space is a true judgement-free zone and we all encourage you to give yourself the space and love you have given us on so many occasions. Poke your head in when you can, let us know what's happening and pick a few responses if you're feeling like it. And - be sure to not leave us hanging on the edge of our seats wondering if Beau is starting to walk up walls with those claws!!!!!

@TwistedSassette I read a lot of weight loss stuff and often find philosophies that don't work for me. I knew Beck wasn't for me based on the time commitment I shamelessly read the questions and responses to see what might help me! I think there's a balance to be had between committing to commitments and not doing something just because you committed, even when you get nothing but guilt or information that isn't right for you. It's a-ok to cut the strings and let it go. I figure I always get a little something good from anything I read about weight loss and I just step over whatever is not the best for me. What are there, some 7.7 billion people in the world...? I reckon that's how many eating plans are, out there.

@Apple852hk wow, wish I had the answer as to how to not eat the chocolate before bed - wanting to grab something before I head into slumber has long been an issue for me, as well. The simple answer is just don't but the execution of that is hard to put into practice. I'm considering a small blackboard sign in the kitchen that says "xx number of days since eating just before going to bed" and seeing if that helps. I will grab a nibble of something a couple times a week and rarely remember to log it. If it's very much at all, I do, but I need to not eat at all, even a tiny amount, it's not for hunger. I think if the sign was in there right now it would read 2 days or 3 days. I'll be watching to see other folks' strategy on this!

Day 10 question: What’s your goal?
My goal is 30 more lbs I will be do this in 5lbs intervals, I will be preplaning meals for the weeks.

@Katmary71
Please know that there's always room for you just to check in and say hello.
As you say, it's great to confront that "all or nothing" mindset (I so do this, too) and then... just say hi.
I think that "keep moving and do better each day" sounds like a great goal, given all that is going on. We all pick the goal that makes sense for us.
Those little steps to hold on to the health and fitness we have and take ground where we can -- all of those little choices add up.


@digger61
Meal prep sounds like a great way to help reach that goal of losing 30 more pounds. I love that you chose to focus on a weekly action that will get you there.
You are so inspiringly steady and determined.

@krea4
Woohoo! Great weigh-in! Congratulations on being down for the week!

@trooworld
Meal prep! What a smart place to focus.

@raleighgirl09
I loved all your wise words to @TwistedSassette about picking and choosing the mental work/philosophy that serves us. I think we always have to try things on for ourselves, and decide if they will be useful.
That for the attaboy regarding the decluttering. We went to Lowe's and got a shelf unit, and are using it to to help straighten up.

I do love the XX days since thing.
I did most the "XX days since the last velociraptor incident" sign in my pantry (right across from my son's raisins). It made my husband laugh. It makes me laugh and is a great reminder. I'll leave it up until it quits being that.
Also -- I started calling them my son's raisins. After years of having roommates, it's easy to not eat something if I can declare that it's not my food. Not sure that would help with your chocolate.

As far as the eating chocolate before bed -- can you play with replacing the chocolate snack with something else? Or play a game of putting off the chocolate for a little bit?

Here's a piece from BJ Fogg, the researcher and author of Tiny Habits. He talks about untangling a bad habit by experimenting and building new, positive Tiny Habits. I am not sure if that will be a helpful thought, but thinking of it as a tangle, where you keep coming at something gently, from different directions, maybe making just a bit of progress at a time, and for a while not seeing progress.
https://www.boston.com/culture/lifestyle/2020/01/07/how-to-break-your-worst-habit

@trooworld
I had to google the puppy bowl. What fun!

We did watch the Super Bowl. I replaced snacking with moving, and was happy about that.

@TeresaW1020
Thanks for the new Beck post. I am off thinking about goals and actions.

I did some meal planning this morning, and am happy to be tackling the week!

@Katmary71 The only way that you will be demoted from being a motivator is if it’s what you need to do or if you are feeling it’s too stressful. We certainly don’t want you to step down or to feel the pressure. As @raleighgirl09 said, we all have to take time for ourselves and you are going through a lot and MUST put yourself first. Just let me know what you need in order to feel like this is a safe place for you.

@TwistedSassette I totally understand if you want to drop out of the Beck book. I already know that I don’t agree with everything in her book from just what I’ve read so far. I don’t think she endorses intermittent fasting or the Keto diet. I said from the beginning that she might have some helpful tools that I can use and as for what doesn’t fit then I will just ignore them. You must do what is right for you.

@raleighgirl09 Such good advice that you gave TwistedSassette! ” I think there's a balance to be had between committing to commitments and not doing something just because you committed, even when you get nothing but guilt or information that isn't right for you. It's a-ok to cut the strings and let it go. YES, how important is that to learn!

@RYcare Thanks, I had a really good time but that much traveling and eating sure can take its toll. I enjoyed reading your replies to the questions. I LOVE how you are making time for yourself and what is important for you. I’ve been doing a little of that too and it feels good.


Hi Team! I went to bed last night at 7 pm and slept until 7 am. I’m still feeling really tired today and haven’t done much other than grocery shop and do some laundry. Hopefully, tomorrow I will feel much better and can get back to working out and fasting longer. Today, I did make a decision that I’m going to take over the cleaning job at my church. We are losing the guy that has been doing it and I know that I can do a much better job than he has been doing, plus make some extra money. Since Covid, my job as church ministry assistant has diminished and much of it, I now do from home. I need something more to do and what’s better than taking care of a place that I so dearly love. At least I will give it a try and see what happens. And, today I also left two FB groups that I’ve helped to run for the last three years. Both were no longer giving me what I needed and lately I just really feel a need to prioritize what is important to me and let stuff go that isn’t. We all move and grow and we need to adjust along the way.

Beck Diet Solution-Daily Task Question:

Day 10: What’s my goal
I have learned to set realistic goals for myself. For so many years, I think I failed at losing weight because I focused on the big number that I needed to lose and it was so overwhelming that I would often have a “why bother,” mindset. Once I started focusing on 5 lbs at a time, it became easier for me to stay focused.

2021 Focus Word: TRANSFORMATION

TwistedSassette wrote: »

@raleighgirl09 Thanks for the wise words. Sometimes I get drawn into things that I think will be great, but the reality is that they won't work for me (hello yo-yo dieters anonymous). I know that what I'm doing right now is working for me, so I'm happier to keep doing that and tweak it as needed!

@TwistedSassette I do not allow myself to buy crafting materials because I have numerous bags around that have the materials in them for crafts I will never do. I just have to say no and it's hard because I have great ideas and reallyREALLY want to do them. Until I get home.

I have a friend who loves Pinterest but has to remind herself that just because she spent 3 hours pinning 10,000 ideas doesn't mean anything real happened. Cracks me up...... => We all do it.

Wednesday check-in:
Yesterday was good, overall. I ate a bit more than intended at the morning tea, but then I wasn't hungry for lunch so it kind of levelled out. Feeling pretty good about recognising that I wasn't actually hungry at lunch time.
I had to stay late for a meeting that started at the same time I'm meant to finish, which kind of sucked but does mean I will go home a little early tomorrow since it's the beginning of my weekend. So I have that to look forward to! I had to stop in at a gift shop on my way home as it's my Mum's birthday today and I hadn't organised a gift for her yet. She's so hard to buy for, but appreciates anything we give her regardless. I ended up settling on a cute little insulated wine tumbler which has native Australian flora painted on it, and a really beautiful necklace with a huge leaf pendant. It's not perfect but I think she will like it.
Luckily we had leftovers for dinner as I really didn't feel like cooking after a longer than usual day at work. I just cooked up some fresh pasta to serve the leftovers with. After the toddler went to bed I rode my stationary bike for half an hour while I read a chapter of my book, and then did a nice yoga session aimed at removing tension and I gotta say, that really worked well!
This morning I rode for another 15 mins before work, and I might take the toddler for a swim at my sister's this afternoon if the weather cooperates! Slight uptick on the scale this morning, I assume from extra sodium in the morning tea foods I ate. I'm confident it will go away again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goals for February:
Sleep: 61.4/193 hours (average 6.8 hours) - AT RISK
Days below 1,960 calories: 5/9
Exercise: 218/660 minutes (average 24 mins) - ON TRACK
Meditation: 4/12 sessions - ON TRACK
Updated to 09/02/2021

Quick Check-in
I am not done with my day, but I am gunning to rack up a couple more green checkmarks on the Habit Tracker. After over 4 hours of Zoom meetings today, meeting and class prep, and feeding the family, I am ready for bedtime in the worst way! Good thing I gave myself one day off from working out, as that will be today. Food today was not perfect, but I did leave the raisins in the pantry, I looked hard at them, but I left the lid on. I looked at them and reminded myself they are my son's food, which is working great for me.

@TwistedSassette
I hope your mom loves the gift. It sounds lovely. Truly!
And thank you for the lovely peace image and thought!

@TwistedSassette Thanks for the reminder that doing SMART goals is such a good idea! I have really been needing to prioritize my day and what I’m doing with my time. Especially now that I’m adding another job to my life. I’m going to work on that today! Good for you for recognizing that you weren’t hungry for lunch! We so often eat out of habit or just because it’s the usual time to eat, but if we can realize that we don’t have to eat according to a clock we will be much more in control of our hunger clues.

@raleighgirl09 Wow and Zowie is right!! You do have a lot going on. Will your new home be in the same area that you live in now? Yeah, I’m sure you know that eating tortilla chips might not be the best choice for lunch. I’ve gotten into a pork rind and jalapeno cream cheese kick lately and just yesterday, I told myself that I need to stop. I don’t overeat pork rinds unless that yummy cream cheese is on them. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that I take the back and the tub to the table instead of portioning them out.

@AustinRuadhain Good job on not eating your son’s raisins! My husband always has cans of Spanish peanuts that he is munching on and I love them, but I make it a strict rule not to touch that can. Every once in a while I will have him give me a small handful and then I will tell him not to give me anymore. Sheesh, 4 hours of Zoom meetings. I don’t know how you do it!


Good morning team! I realized that I forgot to check in yesterday. I’m still trying to get back in the swing of things after the Florida trip. I did a workout yesterday and felt so sluggish. I’m hoping today I will be back in the groove. I’m going back to 80 Day Obsession which is hour-long workouts, and this trainer will kick my butt for sure! I was happy that this morning the scale has me down 4 of the 5 lbs I had gained from the trip. It actually amazes me because in the past a 5 lb gain would have taken me at least three weeks or longer to get back off. But getting right back to my fasting and Keto seems to make my body happy.

Beck Diet Solution-Daily Task Questions:

Day 11: Monitor Hunger—I think that it’s very important to understand true hunger from head hunger (i.e. desire or craving). When I first heard of intermittent fasting, I thought it was insane because there was no way I could give up breakfast. I always woke up hungry and needed to eat right away. But since IF, I know that hunger is often confused with desire or craving. Hunger comes and goes in waves and can so often be pushed aside with a big glass of water or cup of coffee. When I’m hungry most foods sound good to eat. But when I’m craving or desiring a food it’s usually sugar or something heavy in carbs. The more carbs I eat the more cravings I have.

Day 12: Hunger Tolerance—I won’t be doing this exercise because I’ve been doing IF for almost two years so I understand hunger tolerance. I stop eating after dinner, which is by 5 pm and I don’t eat again for 19 to 20 hours. The only thing I have is water and black coffee. I have often fasted 23 to 24 hours and I even did a 36 hour fast, which wasn’t bad except I didn’t sleep much that night. If I’m in the right mindset I like the feeling of hunger. It tells me that my body is about to switch over to burning my body fat. It’s the cravings that I suffer from more than not eating. We will tackle that one tomorrow.


2021 Focus Word: TRANSFORMATION

PW 1/23:218.4
Check in weight (2/2/2021): 219.0
Check in weight (2/9/2021):217.8
Check in weight (2/16/2021):
Check in weight (2/23):