I just started the challenge today, so hoping I am doing this right. Taking a pass on the last 3 days.

Today Sept 4th
Exercised- Yes- walked 30 min and rode my horse 30 minutes.
Tracked- Yes
Stayed under calorie budget-yes

Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? ✅ Had a wide variety of exercise today... formally walked 97 minutes and also went on another walk with a friend that was lots of starts and stops so I didn't track it but it definitely added to the steps. Also went out with my husband for 30 minutes and played a combo of catch and then Frisbee.
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? ✅
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? ✅

I enjoy tracking my food because it gives me freedom. I'm sure that could seem counterintuitive, but without food tracking, I lose all semblance of control. My default is to eat a massive amount of food. If I track, I don't have to think about it much... I have a budget, that's it. My thinking is pretty black and white about it. I know what the outcome will be if I'm not... and I'm sick of living that way.

I know Half Size Me is very adamant we shouldn't do anything we're doing to lose weight if we're not prepared to do it in maintenance. While I've never maintained, I think that will be true for me. I imagine I'll always have to track, and I'm okay with that. I like the way life is now, and I'll try to be grateful for the fact I found my way with this!

Tracking consistently does bring good results. Unfortunately I don't tend to track consistently. That's why I decided to join UAC this month, to get in the habit of tracking on a regular basis. So far 4 days in a row tracking, yay! 😀

Yes, yes, and yes. Exercise today was running 3 miles.🏃‍♀️

Babs

@MadisonMolly2017 great to know, thanks. Can I get sum clarification wen I go to nutrition part of mfp it has sugar goals set at 45g and sodium is set at 2300mg. So my question is are u aiming for 100g of sugar instead of 45g and 1800 for sodium instead of 2300? If so that wld be heaps better 4 me as I'm finding it hard to fit in much friut at 45g. Alto I must admit I am having a little refined sugars treat every night. Atm I am just focusing on the sugar part then next month im hoping to monitor salt as well. [/quote]

Hi Donna aka @donna25trinity!

SODIUM
“ The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.”

The Canadian recommendations are stricter:


“Articles in this release > Sodium
Canadians consume a large amount of sodium. Although some sodium is needed to control blood volume and to help cells function properly,1 most Canadians consume far more than is necessary, or recommended. Results from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS — Nutrition (see Data source) indicate that, among people aged 19 to 70, over 85% of men and 60% of women had sodium intakes exceeding the recommended upper limit beyond which health risks increase (Table 1).

Most sodium is consumed as sodium chloride, usually called “table salt.” In fact, a US study has estimated that 90% of sodium intake comes from sodium chloride.2 Processed foods are the main source, accounting for 77% of average daily sodium intake. Another 12% occurs naturally in foods, and salt added during cooking (6%) or at the table (5%) makes up the remainder.2

Recommended sodium intake
Dietary recall
All ages exceed recommended levels
Salt and more salt
Risk of hypertension
Provincial differences
Slightly below US intake

Recommended sodium intake

The Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 recommends the following “adequate intakes,” or AIs, per day:

1,000 milligrams (mg) for children aged 1 to 3
1,200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
The IOM has also established a “tolerable upper intake level,” or UL (see Definitions and Limitations), which ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,200 mg of sodium per day for children and adolescents aged 1 to 13, up to 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 or older. Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.1

Note: they also say not to go over 2,300 mg per day (for adults).

🌸—> I have low blood pressure, so I average 1,800-2000mg per day over each year.
In 2018, my average sodium was 1,444 as I was working to keep it under 1,500.
🌸in the past 7 days, my sodium average has been: 1,497. Down 600 from the previous week.🎉


Fruits & Sugar
I eat a little 82% dark chocolate each day - about 6 grams of sugar. Most of my sugars come from apples (40 g most days) & nonfat milk (13-26 grams per day.) Some dates & raisins have been driving up my sugars, so I’m not replacing them when the containers are empty.

The recommendation I saw for sugars from the UK’s NHS:
“Eating too much sugar can make you gain weight and can also cause tooth decay.

The type of sugars most adults and children in the UK eat too much of are "free sugars".

These are:

Any sugars added to food or drinks. These include sugars in biscuits, chocolate, flavoured yoghurts, breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks. These sugars may be added at home, or by a chef or other food manufacturer.

Sugars in honey, syrups (such as maple, agave and golden), nectars (such as blossom), and unsweetened fruit juices, vegetable juices and smoothies. The sugars in these foods occur naturally but still count as free sugars.

Sugar found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables does not count as free sugars.❣️❣️

We do not need to cut down on these sugars, but remember that they are included in the "total sugar" figure found on food labels.

How much sugar can we eat?

The government recommends that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purées – should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.

This means:

Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes).”

🌸I eat about 2,100 calories a day.
NHS is saying 5% of calories about 26 grams of “free sugars” per day for me.
US says 10% of calories 52 grams

I think I’m averaging about 6g - 18 g + dates now.

But when I was going nuts with Graham crackers (all tracked!) that number went up to 7 times that & so did my appetite lol I was also eating many more dates.

Another day I found I had a shocking sugars number due to a lot of dates spread throughout the day. Clearly my sweet tooth was activated.

So, to answer your question..
You want to have fewer than 5-10% of your calories coming from “free sugars” and you probably know a gram of sugar is 4 calories, so it’s easy to calculate the grams you can have per day.

I’m not familiar with MFP’s algorithms as I use My Net Diary. They recommended <25% of daily calories from all sugars. 131 grams for me.
They recommended < 10% of daily calories from added sugars. Or 52 grams for me.



So here’s why I track…I’ve kept ALL sugars under 100 for a few years, but look…NOT the past 3 months…

Thus, the issues with my appetite the past few months. And my weight. And actually I’ve been a bit more tired & “creaky.”

Thank you! I see clearly now what I need to change

I hope this helped!

Best,
Maddie

9/4/2021
Exercise at least 20 minutes? Yep. Got in a bike ride for just over an hour.
Did I track everything? I did. With some estimates.
Did I stay within calories? I did not, because... pizza.

I track every meal, every day. We eat out far more than we should. If we eat at a large chain, I can usually get the calories off the website. But, we also eat at locally owned places a lot, and they aren't required to do the "nutritional thing." I really wish they would. What I'll usually do, in that case, is find something similar from one of the chain restaurants (I'll go look at online menus if I have to), and plug that in, hoping it's close enough. It's definitely a bit on the depressing side when I think I've made decent choices that don't involve salad... or even if it is a salad... to see how many calories restaurant recipes have.

Whiny pity party below - just venting so y'all can skip this part.

I rode my bike for only about 10.5 miles today. (Felt pretty inadequate after reading @biketheworld 's post. LOL I can't wait until it cools off.) Hoping to run in the morning, so I'll say good night for now.

Keep up the good work, UAC!

Exercise - Yes, lots of walking at the fair
Tracking - No
Under calories - No

I hadn't been to the county fair in 3 years, because of COVID and because I was sick the year before. I actually did a lot better than I usually do. In the past, before I was trying to lose weight, eating was kind of the point of the fair. This time I did eat some treats that were difficult to track accurately and probably a million calories, but I didn't keep going back for more. My 5 year old was actually a very moderating influence, because he is in a stage where he will not eat unfamiliar food. So, he said "NO!" to fried oreos - and I couldn't really justify getting them just for myself or to try to convince him to eat them - so skipped those. But still had plenty of junk.

Tracking is definitely the thing that I struggle with most, the thing that is most important, and the thing that I joined this challenge to try to inspire me to do. I would say, though, that I really don't track - I plan. When things are going well, the night before I plan out all my food for the next day. Pre-COVID, I would also at that time pack up all my food because I mostly ate at work. Now I am home all day, but it goes best if I still plan what and how much I will eat. If I have the plan and it's a good one, I can follow it. I have a placeholder for a 150 calorie bedtime treat, with a few different choices that I can actually chose from at night, and that helps me feel like I have some freedom and fun.

Tracking restaurants is a big challenge, though. My main strategy is to try to keep restaurant meals to a minimum or to pick something that is trackable. I try to eat out only once a week. The fair was it for met his week I hope.

I have been on "maintenance" before - I lost weight after college and kept it off for ~9 years until I got pregnant. I did not track daily for that, but I weighed daily. If I was up 3 pounds, I had to take a look at what I was eating and just try to eat healthier - usually some new treat I bought or some new restaurant I was going to was derailing me. If I was up 5 pounds (usually after holidays or stressful times) I had to go back to tracking until I lost the 5 pounds. I usually had to do that about once a year.

@seilidhe - my heart breaks for you and all the stress you’re under. I applaud you for continuing to run, bike, and track (even if it’s not within your calorie goal). That confirms to me how strong you are - you know what’s beneficial and you stick with it. I said a prayer for you this morning, not sure how you feel about that, but I can’t knock on your door with a casserole (low cal of course) or give you a hug, or punch the person who stole your bike, or wave a magic wand and relieve your stress, so a prayer is all I have.

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~~~9 / 4 /2021~~~ Waving Hi ~~ 🧚🏼 ~~ BLESSings ALLways ~~ 💖 ~~

Exercise for at least 20 minutes .................................... ✅ ... 170 + min.
Stay within my calorie budget for the day ...................... ✅ ... I am
Keep track of everything I ate and drank ....................... ✅ .... I did

STEPS.......... 18,600+ ........140 m Walking .... 30 m house cleaning .....

@WhatMeRunning Thank You for your insightful words... I agree ...
Tracking my food is the best Way I found to keep me on Track to reaching
my personal HEALTHY Weight... By doing so, I have learned how dif. foods
affect my overall well being NOT just my weight... & helped me be Mindful
of which are HEALTHY Foods based on what they consist of

I must admit... My fairly new Smart Watch has been an excellent tool in
helping me stay on track Walking has helped me with much more than
losing weight... its helped me lower my stress, shift my body fat / muscle
relieve pain from arthritise & much more

Both have literally become a part of my daily Routine (LIFEstyle)


Documenting My CONSISTANCY = For personal ACCOUNTABILITY
(if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)

1-2-3-4

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