What's On Your Mind Today?
Mrs_Hoffer
Posts: 5,194 Member
This is where you can share what's on your mind. Recipes, ideas, workouts, anything that you think might be helpful to others.
Maybe, you've tried something that has worked for you in the past and would like to share it with the group. Maybe, you have a NSV (Non Scale Victory) that you would like to share with the group. Anything that you feel comfortable sharing or anything that you feel comfortable asking the group for help....this is the place to come.
The GOOD!! What NSV did you have this week!!
The BAD!! So what....you ate the whole thing!!
The UGLY!! That darn scale went through the window this week....it deserved it too!!
So, what's on your mind today??
Maybe, you've tried something that has worked for you in the past and would like to share it with the group. Maybe, you have a NSV (Non Scale Victory) that you would like to share with the group. Anything that you feel comfortable sharing or anything that you feel comfortable asking the group for help....this is the place to come.
The GOOD!! What NSV did you have this week!!
The BAD!! So what....you ate the whole thing!!
The UGLY!! That darn scale went through the window this week....it deserved it too!!
So, what's on your mind today??
0
Replies
-
does someone know how to respond to personal messages on iphone app? I can’t seem to find it. normally i use the web version as i prefer a large screen.
0 -
@LazyBlondeChef , sorry, I do not have an iphone. I can't help.0
-
@LazyBlondeChef it’s “more” and then “messages”1
-
thanks @Caroline_slowandsteady0
-
So as I am waiting for May UAC to start, I was thinking that this is a great time for me to start my "diet" again - as I have been trying for the past several months. I plan my meals, I make my diet plan, my treadmill plan, my projected weight loss in Excel with the future date when I will hit my weight goal, and everything else I can think of to start to "build myself up" and get excited about starting my diet. I tell myself that I am going to read 3 informational MFP blogs every morning to help keep myself motivated. I start to think about what I did in the past to lose weight successfully and try to do the same thing again. And I try to encourage myself with yesterday's motivational self-talks that worked so well in the past.
However, I noticed it's really not working like it used to. I realized today that what worked in the past isn't working for today, and "that was then and this is now" and I need to stop trying to go back to what used to work, and figure out what will work for me today. I have been trying to make MFP become a copy of the old website I was successful on with weight loss in the past, which was Spark People. But I need to let go of that - that was then and this is now.
I have a picture on my computer as a screen saver that says "lessons in life will be repeated until learned". I realize that I keep defaulting to my old patterns of dieting with the crazy yo-yo crash diets and the "diet food list" and the "not-on-a-diet food list". I am good when I diet and I track food and exercise, but then when I am not on a diet I am footloose and fancy-free until I wake up and my clothes don't fit right. So today I have finally learned that I need to track food every day for the rest of my life. Every meal - the good, bad, and ugly - and not just the good "healthy meals". I also need to exercise 5 times a week. I also learned that I need to adapt and be flexible and that I do not need to plan it all out in advance in my spreadsheet. And flexible also means that if I don't get to exercise 5 days a week or if I made bad food choices, I don't give up but I keep going forward (or once I hit my goal weight I stop tracking and go back to the old unhealthy ways). No more "all or nothing" thinking. This needs to be a healthy lifestyle for me, which needs to change as life changes. I have also realized that I can do very well in terms of self-control and self-discipline when it is in 6-month phases at a time. But adapting and learning for the long-haul that it is not "black and white" in terms of "good food and bad food" but rather learning I can eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my calorie range and I have more healthy choices than unhealthy choices is a struggle for me. I prefer the limited choices of a restrictive diet because it's familiar and I know what to do. But I also know that restrictive diets do not work for me in the long term and I need to learn to have a healthy lifestyle. I am tired of the starting-and-stopping-because-I-failed diet cycle I am currently stuck in. I need to make this a way of life.9 -
It sounds like you have some great insights going on @KCJen I am excited for you to take this leap of faith to change your life. Hope that for May you can hang with us and post daily. I think your journey teaches a lot of us. Thank you for sharing!3
-
So as I am waiting for May UAC to start, I was thinking that this is a great time for me to start my "diet" again - as I have been trying for the past several months. I plan my meals, I make my diet plan, my treadmill plan, my projected weight loss in Excel with the future date when I will hit my weight goal, and everything else I can think of to start to "build myself up" and get excited about starting my diet. I tell myself that I am going to read 3 informational MFP blogs every morning to help keep myself motivated. I start to think about what I did in the past to lose weight successfully and try to do the same thing again. And I try to encourage myself with yesterday's motivational self-talks that worked so well in the past.
However, I noticed it's really not working like it used to. I realized today that what worked in the past isn't working for today, and "that was then and this is now" and I need to stop trying to go back to what used to work, and figure out what will work for me today. I have been trying to make MFP become a copy of the old website I was successful on with weight loss in the past, which was Spark People. But I need to let go of that - that was then and this is now.
I have a picture on my computer as a screen saver that says "lessons in life will be repeated until learned". I realize that I keep defaulting to my old patterns of dieting with the crazy yo-yo crash diets and the "diet food list" and the "not-on-a-diet food list". I am good when I diet and I track food and exercise, but then when I am not on a diet I am footloose and fancy-free until I wake up and my clothes don't fit right. So today I have finally learned that I need to track food every day for the rest of my life. Every meal - the good, bad, and ugly - and not just the good "healthy meals". I also need to exercise 5 times a week. I also learned that I need to adapt and be flexible and that I do not need to plan it all out in advance in my spreadsheet. And flexible also means that if I don't get to exercise 5 days a week or if I made bad food choices, I don't give up but I keep going forward (or once I hit my goal weight I stop tracking and go back to the old unhealthy ways). No more "all or nothing" thinking. This needs to be a healthy lifestyle for me, which needs to change as life changes. I have also realized that I can do very well in terms of self-control and self-discipline when it is in 6-month phases at a time. But adapting and learning for the long-haul that it is not "black and white" in terms of "good food and bad food" but rather learning I can eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my calorie range and I have more healthy choices than unhealthy choices is a struggle for me. I prefer the limited choices of a restrictive diet because it's familiar and I know what to do. But I also know that restrictive diets do not work for me in the long term and I need to learn to have a healthy lifestyle. I am tired of the starting-and-stopping-because-I-failed diet cycle I am currently stuck in. I need to make this a way of life.
@KCJen This is an incredibly powerful & insightful post. I think you’ve turned a corner & nudged me closer to that too
I must do what would work now.
THANK YOU!
Maddie 🌸5 -
@MadisonMolly2017 Thank you - you are always helpful to me when you post, I am glad I could return the favor
@SummerSkier Thank you - you said something in the introductions post that clicked with me about being normal. I think that I just need to be "normal" and just track and exercise and not be in "diet mode". Just be in "life" - life happens and I just need to track it. Ha! That made me giggle, I should have gone into marketing lol.4 -
I forgot to add - That since I upgraded my Fitbit to the Charge 5 I got a 6-month free premium to Fitbit's membership plan. This made me think about what MFP offers. I prefer MFP and just have Fitbit for heart rate, steps, and exercise info to be transferred into my MFP account - as a lot of people do. I have been trying to decide if I want the premium offers on both the MFP and Fitbit - or just one of them - and have been going back in forth in my mind about this for the past 2 days trying to figure out what is the "right and best" decision on this. So in light of yesterday's lightbulb moment, I am going to try out the premium free trial of MFP - I need to be adaptable and flexible and I am hoping that it will help me unlearn my yo-yo diet ways and help me develop a healthy lifestyle mindset. And if this isn't the "best answer" a 30-day free trial isn't going to hurt anything and I can learn and move on from there.
I also decided instead of trying to be in several different groups in Fitbit's community, and MFP groups - I need to not try to have too many irons in the fire (which I tend to do). So I am going to focus on UAC and maybe another group/message board. Seriously, I struggle with logging in and posting in the UAC - I don't understand why my mind thinks I can handle additional groups from Fitbit and MFP. I need fewer distractions and focus and give my all in the UAC and more importantly give my all to my health and learn to have a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Bring on May!8 -
I woke up excited that it is May. As I was making my coffee, I was saying to myself "it's May it's May - it is time to start UAC again, my healthy lifestyle starts today - it's May it's May". Then I was looking for groups or discussion boards to post about my daily treadmill miles, my weekly 2-pound goal, tracking, and just a generalized encouragement group I can use to help encourage me and encourage others like me. As I was looking for other groups, I realized I don't have time for other groups, and the things I am looking for from other new groups - why can't I just add to the UAC?? For some reason, I view everyone else in the UAC as people that "have it together" with their weight management and everyone is in maintenance. I also realized that I am doing the "old way" again - where I am trying to build up excitement about starting my diet again for the millionth time. So I am just going to stop trying to find and add other groups, and I am going to focus in the UAC. I hope to find others in the UAC to encourage in their weight loss journey as well. I have a total of 80 pounds to lose if I want back in my size 4 clothes so this weight loss journey will be a long one. I also look forward to learning from everyone in the UAC because this group has a lot of knowledgeable and encouraging people here. I am thankful for finding the UAC.
So I wanted to share this picture I found that helped motivate me. I don't need to try to build myself up and get excited to start a diet. I don't want a diet anymore. No more starting and stopping when I mess up my diet - I am just going to keep moving forward towards my goal. I want a healthy lifestyle that is a way of life.7 -
April was very hit-and-miss (MOSTLY miss!) month for me. So today, May 1, is Day 1 of a new mpf "just plain sign in" streak.
And I may as well log exercise, food, and report in to UAC while I am here .... I need to shake myself off - gloat that on my 34th wedding anniversary (yesterday) my wedding dress FIT (the arms didn't feel tight, and the zipper did all the way up!) and aim to have it fit COMFORTABLY by the end of the month. I am sooooo close to getting to that Top Of Target Range for The Rest Of My Life so my usual "fear of success" has been kicking in, and I have basically been stubbornly self-sabotaging a great deal through April.
But this is a new day at the start of a new week in a new month, and even the first day of a new year of wedded wonderfulness. So here goes! Aiming for the Winner's Circle!9 -
Yesterday I spent most of the day reading up on calories again. I thought I had a semi-solid understanding of calories, but within a matter of moments, I quickly got turned around in my thinking and was confused. Calories can be very elusive to me at times.
So I wanted to just post what I am trying to do and get others' opinions that are successful calorie counters to reassure myself I am doing it correctly and starting off on the right path.
I understand that the BMR is what my body needs to just keep me alive basically. I think of this number as my baseline calorie amount if I was on bed rest. However, as a person trying to lose weight, this number also represents to me the "control group" and this number is the amount of calories I need to maintain my current weight. So this is the number that I use to compare against my food calories to make sure I have created a calorie deficit. I have it set up in my spreadsheet as this: Calories in (Food) minus Calories Out (Exercise) equals Net Calories then I compare this to my BMR and subtract the two and want to see hopefully a 500 calorie difference or close to it.
So instead of starting to lose weight again on a 1200-calorie diet - which is what I did in the past - I found my healthy weight range from the MFP BMI index. Decided on a goal weight of 145 and then plugged the goal weight of 145 into the BMR index to find my baseline calories, which is 1,289. The MFP group for Fitbit has a great post about setting up my Fitbit with MFP and they suggested taking the BMR number and multiplying it by 1.25 to get my calorie burn goal for my Fitbit. So the BMR calories from the goal weight of 1,289 multiplied by 1.25 equals 1,611 calories as my maintenance calories at my goal weight - or so I am hopefully thinking.
I have plugged in the 1611 number (which is a lovely coincidence 🌷) as my daily calorie goal. This is my maintenance calories at my goal weight, which I am now going to use to learn to eat normal & regular foods within range. 1200 calorie daily diet was the same exact thing daily in the past. I plan as I build back up to my 3-miles a day goal on my treadmill, that I will have a net calorie goal at 1,200, so I might need to eat back a few exercise calories. But for now, 1611 is a lot of calories and I am already mentally struggling with that number. My mind wants a much lower daily calorie number. But I need to learn to be in maintenance, not restrictive diet mode. I think 1611 is something that will be sustainable for life and turn into a healthy lifestyle.
I want to try this method out because I read an article that was conducted on two groups of people - one on a regular 1200-calorie diet and the other group was taught to start with maintenance calories. The article said the maintenance group was more successful in the long run.
So I would like to hear everyone's thoughts, especially those in maintenance if I have set this up correctly, or if I need to make more adjustments.
Thanks!
1 -
@KCJen How tall are you?0
-
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@KCJen How tall are you?
5'60 -
0
-
ut-oh ^^ not sure what I did wrong.0
-
@KCJen
I have my official calorie goal set to my maintenance level (which is why staying under my calories is the least difficult of the three things I track for UAC,) but I let myself eat below this on as many days as I want to in order to lose weight. I do really want to lose weight so on many days I am at least 500 calories below my official goal, and have managed to lose more than 50 pounds in this way.
It works well for me psychologically and my expectation is that I will never increase my official goal, but as I get closer to the weight I want I will be less motivated to eat as far under or may reduce my maintenance level if I decide it would be healthier for me. For me, this seems to be most in keeping with my desire to make this a lifestyle, not a diet. The major habits I am changing have to do with eating real, minimally processed foods, and eating low on the glycemic index and more regular non-exercise activity in addition to the regular exercise I get (as evidence by more daily steps.)
I am also reading ¨Atomic Habits¨ that someone recommended here and have decided to reverse my position about weighing daily. I have long avoided weighing daily and don´t like the psychology of weighing daily but I think my behavior of not weighing for long periods of time reinforced the ¨sticking the head in the sand¨ behavior that allowed me to repeatedly regain large amounts of weight that I had lost.
I previously told myself I would need to track my food daily forever, but after a few years of successful maintenance I got overconfident, stopped tracking and eventually regained the weight (and then some). So now I am looking for other habits that will make it less likely for me to go out of the healthy mode, and I think weighing daily is the only way I will ever make weighing into a true habit.5 -
[MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »@KCJen How tall are you?
5'6
OK, I’m 5’8” and mid-60’s
I lost my final 25 lbs of 75 eating an average of 2,050 calories daily. I’ve maintained eating yearly averages of 2080, 2211, and 2,090.
For the first 50 lbs, I ate 1,400 initially & then increased gradually to 1,600 per day.
I walk 10,000 steps every day AND I
Track my food to the gram. I don’t eat out.
I never thought I could watt his much.
So, try your plan for a month.. See if you are too hungry. Notice if the scale is dropping. Then adjust as needed.
I see a lot of people worrying about calorie intake levels. Your monthly average weight will give you a clear idea if things are working or if you need to exercise more or eat less.
My deal with myself, “If I’m genuinely hungry, I can eat - even if it takes me over my daily calories.”
But the key is very accurate tracking so you have the data!!5 -
Well here’s my two cents on maintenance I have never moved into what so many others refer to as maintenance I just exercise track and log. When my aria scale doesn’t move in a direction I like I adjust my calories and life goes on. I am currently 5 lbs from my ideal weight. I started with Lose It and keep it and MFP going. When I started my journey I weighed in at a little over 200 today 159 and I feel great. Remember not to stress too much as that can be counter productive as someone once said here don’t deprive yourself you still need to live. Life is too short so make good choices.6
-
Thank you everyone!
@MadisonMolly2017 You hit the nail on the head - I can tell my old "diet self" is wanting to take over and get my spreadsheet updated, and get calories down to the exact precise number. So I am going to go with the 1611 and adjust as needed. I need to be adjustable and adaptable. As always you have great advice.
@ideas2 I really like that idea of setting it to maintenance now and learning to stay in that calorie range. I also like the idea that it helps you mentally that you don't have to change your goals - I don't know about you, but if I go over on my goals it will give me added stress so I am already a fan of this idea! My 1611 number is my maintenance calorie number, but I told MFP I want to lose 1.5 pounds a week. I am going to keep it like this and see how it works and adjust as needed.
@snowshoe072 I love what you said "Remember not to stress too much as that can be counter-productive as someone once said here don’t deprive yourself you still need to live." I might be stressing over and making things too complicated (I have been accused of such things lol) if I should be in weight loss or maintenance mode. I should just track, exercise, and adjust when needed as life changes. That is two cents of great wisdom.
Thank you everyone for your responses. This is why I think the UAC is the best group on MFP!5 -
How do you switch from weight loss to maintenance on the app?🧐1
-
@ideas2 you really have a wonderful post there. worth repeating! So much of this "thing" is psychological and I am actually doing the same as you. So if I NEED to I can eat up to maintenance level but seeing how I want to drop a little fluff this month I am a success if I am 500 below and I am a success if I am 200 below. I am a success if I am at maintainance level. It is such a freeing method that it ought to be in the handbook here on MFP.I have my official calorie goal set to my maintenance level (which is why staying under my calories is the least difficult of the three things I track for UAC,) but I let myself eat below this on as many days as I want to in order to lose weight. I do really want to lose weight so on many days I am at least 500 calories below my official goal, and have managed to lose more than 50 pounds in this way.
It works well for me psychologically and my expectation is that I will never increase my official goal, but as I get closer to the weight I want I will be less motivated to eat as far under or may reduce my maintenance level if I decide it would be healthier for me. For me, this seems to be most in keeping with my desire to make this a lifestyle, not a diet.2 -
How do you switch from weight loss to maintenance on the app?🧐
I think you can do it in the weekly goal section on the app? Settings>My goals>Weekly Goal???
I did it on the desktop under Settings>Update Diet/Fitness Profile>What is your goal. Now be warned that if you adjust that, it recalculates calories and exercise numbers.1 -
How do you switch from weight loss to maintenance on the app?🧐
You can go to goals and change your goal from "lose xlb per week" to lose nothing, or you can manually enter a calorie goal, which is what I did. By the time I reached my goal weight (after losing over 22 kg in 9 months) I knew roughly what my maintenance calories should be. Actually, what I aim to do is to drift down by a pound or so when I have a quiet few weeks at home so that I can enjoy a holiday without stressing over calories.2 -
Thank you everyone for helping. Definitely something to think about when I talk to my dietitian.3
-
Just a bit of musing ... in the 3 days of being back on track since my weeks long off-track time, the weight has been coming off very gratifyingly. For a few months there, it had not been. That makes me wonder if ~148 pounds really is just my body's set point now and it's going to be too hard to get below it. I did make it down to ~146 in Oct/Nov but quickly gained it back and have not been able to get back down again and it's been really frustrating me and I've been trying all kinds of things. After my indulgences, I was up to 153.5 on Monday, but this morning I am back down to 151.5, which is a very fast weight loss for me. I am very interested to see how quickly I get back to 148 and whether I can keep losing once I get there or if I stall out again. If I stall out again I think I am going to accept that that's my maintenance number and set a range around there and just try to stay there. I really wanted to get back to the 130-135 range being my maintenance number, like it was when I was 11 years younger, pre-pregnancy - trying to accept that you can only control so much. Maddy @MadisonMolly2017 pointed out to me that 148 is in the healthy BMI range and so there really isn't any benefit of going below that other than my own vanity.
Or maybe I won't stall out at 148 - maybe this little break of indulgence is just what I needed to break the plateau. I am curious to see!4 -
@Caroline_slowandsteady -that’s great. I hope you can figure it out soon. My body was stuck between 171-173 for like over a year…was so happy to get into the 160s again…2
-
@Caroline_slowandsteady
If I didn’t mention, I meant to.
If you do decide to maintain 148, you may find after doing that for awhile that you want to lose more. It’s not a race
What would your maintenance range be?
After getting to the point where maintaining in that range is easy, then you could some for losing 3lbs strategies…or 5lbs. Slow, very small deficit.
Right now I’m working to get back into my 155-160 range.
Then I’m going to work to make that “easy”
THEN I’ll decide whether to lose more or not!
Proud of you!5 -
@Caroline_slowandsteady i know if have been there before I to hung out in the 170’s for what felt like forever now I fluctuate between 160 and the upper 150’s if I could just get to the low 150’s I think I would consider it a good place to stop and then the word I dislike so much “maintain” don’t give up its a lifestyle change NOT a diet,3
