Accountability buddy

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Replies

  • Laticak
    Laticak Posts: 7 Member
    Hey! Im a student from Croatia, does anybody want to be acc/ em support buddies?
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    Welcome @Laticak! Croatia is on my list of places I hope to visit one day! I hope you’re enjoying summer and your studies are going well. I have two sons returning to college this month. One is a second year student and the other will graduate at the end of this school year.

    I try to be supportive to others in the ‘friends’ section but I’m more consistent posting here. Usually, we use this space to:
    -set a few goals and report on our progress,
    -reflect on adjustments needed to improve,
    -and encourage group members to achieve their goals.

    Sometimes people also reach out to others with similar interests or circumstances and partner up for more direct support. So, feel free to send me a friend request, if you want, or read through some of the introductions and reach out to someone with similar goals and/ interests.

    -Are you working on one or two short term goals that you would like to share here?

    I’ve received a lot of encouragement and help staying accountable by posting weekly goals here. Last week, I was traveling to visit family so my goal was to stick with nutritious snacks while driving and try to stay away from high calorie ‘drive-thru’ foods. I ended up eating some fast food but at least I stayed within my daily calorie targets (e.g. cheeseburger but no fries or drink). I’ll post an update below.

    -How is everybody doing this week? I hope you are feeling good about your progress and learning what works best for you.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    Today was my weigh-in day and I’m continuing to make incremental progress. Here’s my update:

    -Female, Age 55, 5’4” tall
    -Starting weight = 168 (Dec. 2019)
    -Current weight = 127
    -Goal weight = 125 (by Dec. 2021)

    I’ve been staying within my daily calorie target but my nutrition balance needs improvement. My macros are set at 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein but my fat intake has been high recently. So, I’m going to cut down on my snacking this week and focus on more balanced nutrition at meal time. My workout schedule is going well so I’ll stick to the same routine in the coming week.

    @kiay131982 - Thanks for your feedback on the calorie changes during the maintenance phase, when I’m planning to add some weightlifting in place of my rowing workouts. I’m hoping for a smooth transition through that change later this fall or winter.

    @drollings2019 - Speaking of changes, how is your new schedule going? Did you decide to switch to evening walks to enjoy the outdoors or is the morning still working better for you on the treadmill?

    I’ll look forward to hearing any updates or reports on what your learning, if you get a chance. Best wishes to all of you, Accountability buddies! Go get those goals!
  • kiay131982
    kiay131982 Posts: 217 Member
    Morning! Well done @PatriceFitnessPal , you are so inspiringly consistent!!!

    I'm not having the most productive week health wise, we have had an incredibly busy week with work and other commitments and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, I needed to let a couple of things slide this week, and my gym classes were included in that. However I'm maintaining and happy with that. We have a week away camping in the woods next week so there will be no gym then either...but its the recoup and refresh that I need to hopefully be back the week after full of beans and raring to go!!! Xx
  • drollings2019
    drollings2019 Posts: 95 Member
    @PatriceFitnessPal To be completely honest, I totally fell off the wagon the last two weeks. I just have not been able to find a routine after switching my hours. I had to have a nice long talk with myself yesterday about getting back on track, so I am spending this week trying to establish the new routine. I did get up and walk on the treadmill this morning (didn't really enjoy it in the hot garage when it was nice outside, but I did it). Food has been the worst for me over the last two weeks. I did not hold myself accountable at all!! I have found, if I don't track, I don't hold myself accountable. So that will be my focus again this week. The kids go back to school this week, so we will all be working on a new routine. I am excited and ready for the week!
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    @drollings2019 - I can definitely relate to the challenge of re-establishing a routine. I’m confident you’ll find a path forward because I can feel the conviction in your update … and you’re showing up for yourself here!

    I was on the road all day Saturday and Sunday, helping my son move back to his college dorm, and exceeded my daily calorie targets three days in a row. The extra calories were probably within my maintenance range so, like you @kiay131982, I’m taking it in stride as life choices sometimes require trade-offs.

    I’m planning to make up the workouts I missed this week because I’ve already committed to a few extra rowing sessions; and, I hope to even out calorie-wise over the next week or two. So, let’s all get back on track together, as your children start the school-year, @drollings2019, and you return from your camping trip recharged, @kiay131982. I can feel the energy of new beginnings!

    In the coming week, I’ll need to build a new routine for my abdominal workouts, now that my son is not living at home. He was such a reliable accountability buddy!

    Reflecting on last week, I enjoyed the time talking with my younger son in the car. The traffic was terrible though, so the one-way trip took 10 hours, which is about 2 hours more than it should be (without any stops). There was heavy rain (e.g., flash flood warnings, etc.) so we took shorter shifts driving and stopped one extra time. Anyway, it messed with my routine but I’m glad we went together because it was safer than having him drive alone in the unexpected bad weather and more predictable summer road construction!

    My older son celebrated his 21st birthday this past weekend, too. So, we had a delicious dinner together as a family on Friday night, when he selected a restaurant that was also my favorite! 😋 That dinner accounted for my first slight calorie overage, but it wasn’t too terrible because I had rowed that morning. The fast food stops on the weekend drive really set me back with no exercise to offset the higher calorie food. In retrospect, I learned that I should have visited the hotel gym Saturday night after unpacking, instead of eating a late-night meal. I was at about a 100-calorie deficit and felt tired enough that I probably could have slept without any trouble if I skipped the meal.

    Next time, I think I’ll try a light workout to relax my mind after driving and then get to bed earlier. After eating late, I also stayed up longer, so it really didn’t prepare me well for the next day, which involved a little more unpacking and shopping for a few necessary supplies before another 8+ hour drive home. On Sunday morning, I walked up 5 flights of stairs carrying a box of dorm items, so I moved a little bit 😂 … but nothing worth counting as a workout. When I arrived home, I had a nice conversation with my older son about his 21st birthday weekend and we talked about the card I left for him (along with the responsibility of caring for our dog while we were traveling) to ‘officially’ welcome him to ‘adulthood’ 😉. And, we ate some of his leftover birthday cake to close out my indulgent weekend!

    Before the Friday-Sunday routine break, I had a good week of fitness and nutrition. So, I’ll just concentrate on the week ahead and make sure it’s better than last week. Onward to healthier living! I hope everyone is off to a good week.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    @highmaintnance and @renaegry - How are things going?

    I think we have a core group of about five of us, counting @kiay131982 and @drollings2019, since @beshamama is participating more in the weight watchers online group.

    We had some interest from a few new and returning MFP members in July, who may have connected with more direct Accountability buddies, so welcome to anyone who wants to post some goals here and check in periodically. One of these days, I’ll check back in the thread to read some of the older posts and see if I’ve forgotten someone who might want to check in regularly, but this month is packed for me. So, I’ll put any thoughts of outreach on the ‘back burner’ until the winter months.

    I hope all is well with the Accountability buddy group members. I had a couple of good rowing outings but I haven’t done my abdominal workouts this week. So, I’ll do those exercises for 20 minutes, right now! 😓 I’ll also get some work done for my business tonight, so I can fit in a yoga class tomorrow morning. I’ve stayed within my calorie target today but my protein intake is still a little low - and the fat content is still high - so I’ll need to keep focusing on better balance. The fats have been relatively healthy today (e.g., egg, nuts, olive oil) so maybe I’m overthinking it. Anyway, I’ll check in with an update on Thursday. I just wanted you all to know I’m thinking of you all and cheering you on … much success to you as you strive to reach your goals this week.
  • PCGull
    PCGull Posts: 18 Member
    One thing that MFP has done for me is help me be accountable to how much I eat. But getting out and exercising is a trickier challenge. Getting out to the gym isn't much fun on your own. It is too easy to convince myself that I'm not in the right mindset for a workout so it wouldn't be a good one anyway.

    Thankfully I've managed to keep my eating in check since I started with MFP in March. Starting weight of 280lbs / Goal Weight of 180lbs / Current weight of 229lbs.
  • renaegry
    renaegry Posts: 1,253 Member
    @PatriceFitnessPal Still here and getting back at it.

    Well today is a new day. It is my 44th birthday and I am not happy where I am with my weight at all. Pretty much back to where I started before summer. So today is day 1 of getting back on track. Still have 2 weekends camping and a wedding this weekend so my weekends won’t be great but I can stay great during the week. My goal is to finally get down to 140 and be toned by my 45th bday. I need to stay focused on the working out. My son starts morning football practices this week and kids start school Sept 1 so we will slowly be getting back into routine. So this will help.
  • rockymountaindawn
    rockymountaindawn Posts: 146 Member
    Hey oh!
    New to MFP and would love some extra motivation and encouragement.

    10 yrs ago i was 220 lbs. And became a member of a low carb group and lost 60 pounds in 6 months. I kept a few of the habbits i developed back then but over the years ive gotten pretty lax on my diet. I starting to see the scale gradually go up and i seriously need to catch it before its totally out of control.

    I weigh 185 now and just turned 50 in May. Im not wanting to be so restrictive on my carb intake this time around (salads and veggies werent exactly allowed on atkins... Booh!) So maybe this whole calorie deficit idea might be a better rout for me to lose those 25 pound i gained.

    Id love to have a few friends in here to share advice and encouragement along the way! 😁
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    Happy Birthday, @renaegry! I hope you enjoyed your day. Did you celebrate somehow? I like your idea of setting a goal for your next birthday. It’s a good milestone to remind ourselves about self-care and personal growth. When my son was playing sports, his focus on better nutrition and health helped me improve, too! I just had to make sure my portions were smaller since I wasn’t burning as many calories as he was! Before he had his driver’s license, I sometimes had to shuttle him to practice, which made it tougher to get meals ready. I tried to prepare ahead of time and fill the ‘dead time’ while waiting for him to finish practice by running around the track or walking the dog. That wasn’t always successful but it’s a busy phase of life so I just did the best I could.

    @ PCGull - Congratulations on the fantastic progress you’ve made! I’m also more likely to get to the gym if I’m meeting a friend or family member there. Are you already a gym member … or just thinking about adding a fitness goal? What type of sport or activity do you like, if you plan to add more movement to your day?

    I know we don’t need to exercise to lose weight, but it helps me to manage stress better … and burning 200-300 calories balances out my afternoon snack. I’m going to add some weightlifting in the fall or winter. I’ve been doing some exercises using my own body weight (e.g., plank) to ease myself into heavier lifting later this year. My push ups and pull ups are dismal so I hope I can improve those eventually.

    @rockymountaindawn - This is a good place to share advice and encouragement! You must have learned a lot through the success of a 60-pound loss. That’s fantastic. If you feel comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear more about the good habits you’ve maintained for 10 years - and those you want to strengthen - based on your experience. It’s great that you are refocusing after noticing some gradual gains. I’m almost at my goal weight so I’m thinking a lot about how I can maintain my nutrition and fitness goals over the long term.

    I didn’t make it to yoga class this week but I stretched a bit more after rowing practice because our new coach leads us through some pre-workout warm ups and post-workout stretching.

    I’m behind on some work so I’ll need to focus on my business a bit more this week but I hope to stay on track with eating healthier meals and exercising. No major gains or losses to report so I’ll just pay attention to the small decisions that make a difference over time. Best wishes to all of you as we close out this week strong and prepare for the coming week!
  • PCGull
    PCGull Posts: 18 Member
    @ PCGull - Congratulations on the fantastic progress you’ve made! I’m also more likely to get to the gym if I’m meeting a friend or family member there. Are you already a gym member … or just thinking about adding a fitness goal? What type of sport or activity do you like, if you plan to add more movement to your day?

    Thank you. I already attend the gym and trying to establish a Push/Pull/Legs/Rest routine. Switching from powerlifting to a more bodybuilding regiment as without a spotter, I'm nervous of pushing myself too much for big lifts. I've had some success, but I haven't been able to make it a consistent routine for 6 days a week in the gym. Thankfully I have been able to implement a daily walk which is a little over 5km. So at least I'm getting some movement in every day.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    @PCGull - I think a spotter is very important to ensure everyone’s safety so that’s a sound decision. I haven’t done much heavy lifting but my son has been working out diligently with his friend, who is in college studying to be a physical therapist. I didn’t know there was a difference between powerlifting and bodybuilding so that distinction was interesting for me to learn. Congratulations on your success with walking and developing your bodybuilding routine. Do you alternate upper body and lower body exercises over the six days and then rest? … or Do the upper body ‘push’ on day 1, upper body ‘pull’ on day 2 and then all leg exercises on day 3?

    I understand the concept but I don’t know how the details of the process work, so I think I’ll look into it more on YouTube, etc. It’s amazing how much information is available these days once we know the appropriate search terms.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    Today, I just about hit my goal weight but it will likely take a few weeks to settle there. Usually, I wait for three ‘data points’ at a particular weight because of daily fluctuations. It’s good to see some progress though… It was quite a big jump from Friday (126.8) and Saturday (127) to suddenly move to today’s weight (125.2). I participated in a rowing competition (informal, somewhat beginner level) but there is no way I burned that many calories in one day. In fact, I thought I went over my calorie target on Friday and I didn’t move much at all because it was an intentional rest day before the race day. At first, I was committed to rowing on Friday morning with my usual group at the local boathouse, but the weather was terrible. So, the coach told us to workout on our own. In the end, I think I made the right decision to rest because we won all three races!

    I don’t race much but a summer session ended at the boathouse that adopted our group during the pandemic. Since our boathouse was closed, many of us learned to scull (two oars) in individual boats instead of the 8-person sweep rowing (one oar each) so we could maintain distance between people. Now, the ‘new’ boathouse (on a different river in Washington, DC) has reintroduced sweep rowing and they didn’t have enough rowers to fill their boat. So, I joined with 7 other rowers and we practiced once together on Thursday before racing on Saturday. I was in the ‘stroke’ seat, which sets the pace, and I felt a bit responsible for the outcome. Even though it was an informal event to ‘cap off’ the summer session, I didn’t want to let the team down, especially since I was the person most ‘outside’ the usual group. So, I’m relieved that we performed reasonably well as far as the rowing technique and pace goes for our level. We really challenged ourselves to row at a faster rate and I was really tired after we had finished … satisfied but completely out of energy for the rest of the day. I cooked a nice dinner and relaxed!

    While ‘chilling’ (as my sons would say), I watched a fantastic documentary, centered on a leader in the disability rights movement who I used to work with and admire greatly. The movie is called Crip Camp (AKA Camp Jened in New York) and Judy Heumann is my colleague. I like to think of Judy as a friend because she makes everyone feel that way through her inclusive and welcoming nature. She was so supportive early in my career - especially one time when I was taking notes at a meeting of well-known and highly regarded leaders in the field; so, even though I don’t see her that often, I would never turn down the opportunity. 😀

    My main goal for today is to drink plenty of water and maintain my nutrition and exercise targets. Since I’m more active because our local rowing program started up again, and I’m still trying to make the most of the money I already spent at the ‘across-the-city’ boathouse, I’m getting plenty of movement during the week. So, my emphasis is now on sleeping enough, drinking plenty of water … and getting enough work done by accomplishing business/contract goals and keeping my clients happy! I’m going to do some work now - while catching up on the laundry! 🧺 -so I can get ahead for the coming week.

    I hope everyone is having a great weekend! How are things going for you?
  • drollings2019
    drollings2019 Posts: 95 Member
    Last week was another challenge with the start of school, increase in sports activity and my husband was out of town for work so it all fell on me. I really didn’t make the right choices and still didn’t find my new routine. I’ve been putting off getting on the scale because I am really scared of what it is going to say. But, I’m going to do it today. If I can make myself get to bed on time and get up on time, I think I have a good routine in mind that will work. Even though I would rather walk outside, I really need my walk on the treadmill in the morning. I listen to something motivational as I am walking and it really energizes my mind and body to start the day. I also set a dedicated time for evening workouts where picking up kids won’t interfere with it. And inset an alarm on my phone so I hold myself accountable to it. This morning will be my first day of trying out my new routine!

    @PatriceFitnessPal my oldest son is a senior this year and I am not looking forward to the days he moves out! My daughter is 20 but she just moved two blocks away so I have been able to handle that.

    I haven’t had a lot of time to read the updates today, but I will get to them later! I am thinking about you all and hoping we all meet our goals this week!!
  • IMGLAMRUS2
    IMGLAMRUS2 Posts: 26 Member
    Good morning!! I am in search of an accountability buddy. I am 53 married, mother of two adult children and Nana to two wonderful grandchildren. I am a cosmetology teacher and have my own salon. I need to lose about 30-35 pounds. I am trying to get more active. Some of hobbies are journaling, pen pals, crocheting and camping to name of few. I am also doing WW (points)instead of counting calories. If you want to build a friendship while on a getting healthy journey let me know.
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    @IMGLAMRUS2 - Welcome! Feel free to post your short term fitness and nutrition goals here so we can encourage and support you. You can check in periodically to report your progress. Usually, I weigh in on Thursday, reflect on what I learned throughout the week and post my current weight.

    I’m a couple years older than you, with two sons in college. I joined MFP in December 2019 but didn’t build the habit of tracking consistently until about March 2021. Once my tracking improved, I had more success. I joined this group in April 2020 and, since then, I’ve lost about the same amount you’ve set as your goal — 30 or 35 pounds. I have a few more pounds to lose. My goal is to weigh 125 by October. I’m fluctuating just over 125 (125.2!) and 127 now so I’m fairly confident I’ll accomplish that goal but I know I’ll need some time to practice maintenance and focus on body recomposition. So, I’ll probably continue using MFP for at least another year for accountability in reaching those next goals. In fact, I might need to track forever but may participate in other ways.

    Congratulations on cultivating a successful business and preparing others to enter the profession. It must be rewarding to help others feel good about themselves … and it also sounds very physical! I work in the health and education fields, focused on supporting infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities.

    Some of our group members also participate in Weight Watchers (WW). I think @beshamama is now using the WW online forums but occasionally checks in here. I think she also enjoys crocheting so it occurred to me that you share some interests.

    I’m better at participating here than the ‘friends’ section but feel free to send a direct friend request if you want … or read through some of the other posts and reach out to others with similar goals and interests. We’ll look forward to your updates!
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited August 2021
    @drollings2019 - Setting a phone alarm is a great idea! When our sons were young, my husband set alarms that played nice music at certain points in the morning routine. So, by the time the first song played, they should have eaten breakfast and brushed their teeth. Then, during the second song, they should already have been dressed so the only steps left were to put shoes on and gather up their things by the door. The system worked well, and we didn’t need to nag them (too much 🤭)!

    You’ll find a system that works for you all … hang in their through the practice and you’ll make it work! It’s wonderful that your daughter moved so close by! It’s so nice when communities have mixed housing options available to make it possible for people of various incomes and ages to interact. Right now, our sons are in colleges that are equal distance from us, but one son is north of us and the other is in the south. Once they finish school and settle somewhere, it will help us decide where to ‘retire.’ Since our jobs require travel (across states for me and international travel for my husband) or remote work from home, we can be flexible about where we live. One son goes to college 20 minutes from where we grew up and will probably live there long term, so it’s always great to see family and friends in our hometown when we visit him. Our younger son will not stay in his (more rural) college town and is more likely to move back to our current small city. I’m eager
  • PatriceFitnessPal
    PatriceFitnessPal Posts: 1,306 Member
    … to see where we all end up!

    P.S. — Oops! I had to bring my son to the airport and figured I could just edit my post to finish the last sentence but it looks as though the time expired. That’s still better than timing out without posting the message at all because I would have lost everything! 😰
  • drollings2019
    drollings2019 Posts: 95 Member
    @IMGLAMRUS2 I sent you a friend request. I try to post a lot on my news feed just for accountability for myself and hopefully share some ideas that work for me as inspiration for others. My 12 year old daughter has recently become interested in cosmetology. I don't know the technical name, but she has asked for one of those mannequin heads with real hair to practice on. I don't know how to crochet, but I do some basic quilting and papercrafting. I wish I had more time for those hobbies, but life is just too busy right now. I fit it in when I can though! Welcome to the group and I look forward to seeing you reach your goals!

    @PatriceFitnessPal I dont know what I would do without my alarms. I have so many :D It is nice having my daughter near, but I have also encouraged them that it is okay to spread their wings. We live in a very small town with limited opportunities. I want them to feel comfortable going and exploring whatever their heart desires. It is nice that you can work remotely or live wherever is needed! Hopefully they won't settle too far from each other.

    @rockymountaindawn I sent you a request also. Welcome to MFP. I honestly don't think I could make any progress without the amazing people on here for motivation. Good luck to you on reaching your goals!

    @PCGull awesome progress! I don't currently have a membership to the gym as I don't like going by myself either. We did just declutter some stuff and made room for a weight bench in our garage. Now to use it! My arms are very weak and I would love to work on that. I stick to cardio way too much. I just really don't know what to do with weights. I guess I need to start doing some research!