May 4
Replies
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Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? 39 minute walk, 47 minutes on the Peloton, 10 minutes of stretching
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes
Pass days used - 0
I would say my tracking is probably a level 3 striving to hit level 4.
I don't skip adding things as I like to be as complete as possible. But, I don't obsess over the perfect selection either. I am as accurate as I possibly can be in all ways. I pre-log before I eat and always fill out my diary even if the day wasn't what I hoped it would be.
It's a necessary evil that I've come to embrace and even enjoy for the freedom it brings me.2 -
Great opener today @enlightenme3 and it clearly was a great touchstone for so many of us today — thank you Marisa! 💐💐💐
I’d put myself down as a pretty solid 3, as long as we aren’t travelling or dining out.
😬 I’m still in the “track every leaf of romaine lettuce” phase, but am grateful for my own tenacity at this phase of my journey. Too early for me to get too confident in my “estimates” as my cross check of some of those last month gave me a couple of eye openers. I don’t mind tracking (but for restaurant meals which can be tricky — so good thing we don’t dine out often).2 -
Sending out Champion Vibes to those who checked in despite needing a pass today:
@donna25trinity Thinking of you as you confine your transition back to work with the baby in the care of others. It isn’t easy. Sending momma love ♥️
@jjjcat Well done checking in — tomorrow will be kinder.
@lesdarts180 20,000 Steps 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 You are truly amazing. How wonderful that you will have two weeks away — in your motor home? And where is KOS? Google couldn’t help. 🤔2 -
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Exercise? Yoga
Under calories? Yes
Tracked meals? Yes
Pass Days? 1/3
Days last so long without yummy snacking. I guess I snack more than I thought. I'm going to add more low cal veggies to add to the mix to offset all these calories.
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Wednesday May 4
Exercise done prior to the drive ✅
Tracked it all (well, as much as we can with shared plates when dining out) ✅
Pretty close to using total calories (including using today’s exercise bank) but going to call it as a pass day. ❎
Beautiful day today and so happy to see our daughter sign the roll. Proud mama moment 🥰3 -
Congratulations @jamcnewman to your beautiful daughter! What an accomplishment - you must be very proud.
✅ Exercise - 1 hour of Jazzercise and neighborhood walk
✅ Calories -
✅ Tracking -
Closed all my Apple watch rings today
1 Pass days used
Documenting consistency (if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
UAC: P-2-3-4
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@jamcnewman Kos is a Greek island. We will be self catering, but with unfamiliar food items. And eating out in the evenings.2
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@GrandmaJackie maybe Peter and Parker would love a piglet friend!0
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May 4
Exercise: 15 minutes MommaStrong. Did not find time for any other exercise, so I guess that makes a pass day right there.
Tracking: Planned the day
Calories: Followed the plan, but added in a bit of nibbling but also tracked it and still under
I guess we have to call that my second pass day. I honestly have been so focused on the tracking that I forgot about missing 5 minutes of exercise until right now. A bit of a disappointment but that's the rules.
I don't even want to assess my level of competence at tracking. I've been doing it on and off for most of my adult life, but only for a few weeks at a time (my method of maintenance was scale based, and if I exceeded a certain number I would track until I was a few pounds back down). I started on MFP in February 2021 and that's the first time I've tried to track every day long-term.
I almost always plan out my day the night before. I find that to be a pretty easy habit - and tracking has gotten even easier as I passed the 1 year mark, because we have a few recipes that we eat only once a year and now all of those are in the system too. I did have to learn to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good and I do try to find equivalents for eating out/takeout. If it's takeout I will weigh things before putting them on my plate. (I don't bring my scale when we go out to eat!) We almost never get from restaurants that provide nutrition information but I often will research similar food from restaurants that do post nutrition info.
The difficulty comes with whether I am following the plan! Until a few months ago, I would add on a few nibbles of things - from off the kids' plates or from the kids' snack drawer - without tracking them, just pretending I wasn't doing it. When my weight loss stalled I started really looking at that and tried to just eat what I planned. Then I was starving! And realized that I actually had been sneaking a lot of calories.
So, after a fair bit of agonizing and getting some coaching from wise members of this challenge, I upped my daily calories. Now I have 1650 as my daily goal instead of I think it was 1300 before. And I try to plan around 1300-1500 of those, still leaving a little buffer for the nibbles. And I track all the nibbles -yesterday it was something like 5 pretzels, 1 cup of kettlecorn, 1/2 oz of pita chips, etc. etc. It works if the nibbles don't get too out of control. I really wish that I could stop the nibbling. I really wish we didn't have the stuff in the house. But skipping the nibbling is easier if I eat enough nutritious food, so I do try to make sure I plan that.
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Daily Check-In Date: May 4th Wednesday
Did I track everything? Yes
Did I stay within my calorie range? Yes 1393
If calories were over for the day, was the difference walked off before bed? N/A
How many miles on Treadmill today? 1.12
Treadmill Days are Mon thru Fri and Sat & Sun Off
Active for 20 minutes on Sat & Sun
Progression of weekly 1.5-to-2-pound lost goal: 2.2 lost so far
Did I drink my daily water goal? 5 out of 7
Pass Day Count: 0/3
Last Month Pass Day Count: Skipped April so that would be 30
May Goals: After the emoji is the progress on each goal.
Track calories immediately after each meal 💙 I set the notifications up for this in the app so once the habit is built up again I will remove this from my goal list.
Cook at home - eat out twice a month 💙 Aiming for 2 Fridays out of the month
Use my food scale to measure everything.
Use my ramekins for measuring individual servings to learn and control correct portion sizes for me and my son.
Learn there are no "good" and "bad" foods and I am not on a diet anymore 💙 I have this drilled deep in my brain so this will take a while to unlearn - all food is ok if it is within my calorie range
No more starting and stopping because I am not on a diet anymore. 💙 No more diets. Period.
Learn how to have a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the rest of my life 💙 Track, Food Scale and Portion Control, Exercise, and well-balanced meals. Not-so-healthy foods are ok once in a while.
Fine-tune meals to get within calorie range 💙 Breakfast is planned out. Lunch is next. Dinner will be open for whatever using the remaining calories.
Learn that going over calorie range for a meal or a day is not a "failed diet for the month". 💙 This is a new one for me and I think a mental game-changer once I fully grasp this concept.
If calories are over for that day, need to walk them off before bed.💙 This is new as well. I am trying to replace my "diet mindset" with a "healthy weight management mindset". It is not the end of the world if I go over my calories for a meal because I can walk off the extra calories before bed.
Use fewer pass days in May than I did in April
Get back on my treadmill
<End of Check-In Post>
As for today's discussion: I am in the learning and changing of tracking. I know that I need to track when I am on a "diet" and I do it, the problem is that I will stop once I hit my goal (and eventually gain it all back). So I am learning that tracking needs to be done on a consistent basis. I read an article on MFP in one of the sections that have the "start here important must-read articles" that talked about tracking. The post said that food tracking needs to be thought of like finances - we check our bank account balances before we spend money and we should check our "calorie bank" before eating. That made the lightbulb appear and I realized that I am going to have to have a food budget like I do a financial budget. Tracking needs to be lifelong instead of just when I am on my diet. And I also shouldn't think that tracking is my punishment for being irresponsible and overweight, but rather tracking now is something that I do just like monitoring my finances because I am responsible. Why this is clicking just now I don't know, but better late than never I suppose. I guess it is clicking because I am having a change of mindset.
I am currently building my food database in MFP (I used to use the "quick add" alot) and it seems that everything that I am currently eating is not on my MFP food list. That will just take time. It is just a habit that needs to be redeveloped. I do have the tendency to track every single thing which can become overwhelming when something is new. I also will input the information myself and not use MFP database for accuracy.
Sidenote: I am currently wondering exactly how do I track the marinade that was used to soak the chicken in? Beginning marinade weight minus leftover marinade weight that will be discarded? Then what about the marinade and sauce that is brushed on? This might need to be an estimated count.
Last night as I sat down to eat dinner, I realized I didn't weigh out my chicken breast on the food scale. Still working on that habit as well, but I just used the night before chicken breast weight. An approximate estimate is better than nothing, and this isn't rocket science so I don't need to worry about it.
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Yes X 34
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May 4
Looking at the steps. I am at the 2-3 stage & have been there for a while. Good at tracking. I’m a slow learner, so no consistent change … thus very little weight loss & lots of up & down and back & forth.
I do best when I plan ahead. I haven’t gotten the hang of it without a definite plan. So no plan is leading me to no loss & to gain.
So working on it & when I plan ahead, it works
Exercise no
Tracked yes
Calories No, but better
Passes used up.
Daily UAC goals: 0/4
I’m adding tracking of how many times I succeed in May.
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May 4
Exercise ✅
Calories ✅
Tracked ✅
1/3 Pass Days (May 2 )3 -
I think I am in the conscious competence. I track as soon as I eat or sometimes before just so I know if I am staying on track. If at in-laws house, I am known for waiting and then Messin g up
3 yeses4 -
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? yes4 -
Sidenote: I am currently wondering exactly how do I track the marinade that was used to soak the chicken in? Beginning marinade weight minus leftover marinade weight that will be discarded? Then what about the marinade and sauce that is brushed on? This might need to be an estimated count.
Last night as I sat down to eat dinner, I realized I didn't weigh out my chicken breast on the food scale. Still working on that habit as well, but I just used the night before chicken breast weight. An approximate estimate is better than nothing, and this isn't rocket science so I don't need to worry about it.
@KCJen
I wanted to tell you I appreciate your long posts where you allow us to see what you have been thinking about. There might be some days where I don´t have time to read everyones detailed posts, but I really appreciate them on days I do have the time.
I have also thought about that whole issue of how to count marinade, or recipes that are drenched in butter that I leave in the bottom of the bowl. I have tracked for years and have come to feel that if I just try to sincerely make my best estimation of how much is actually consumed, I lose weight. Just being really mindful of what I eat and trying to get the best nutrition density I can in what I eat works, and the tracking is the way I keep plugging along at making the best choices and habits I can. I think the potential problem comes when there is a systematic error in something you consume regulary. A recipe with a marinade I eat very rarely isn´t going to have much effect. But I have become concerned about ¨getting it really accurate¨ on things I habitually eat.
My weight loss has slowed a bit these past couple of weeks and I am not sure if it´s just a normal little plateau or if there is more sugar in the homemade kombucha than I have been counting using other people´s homemade kombucha in MYF. Because it is something I drink everyday for my gut health, I asked my son about how to determine the sugar content and he got me a refractor for Mother´s Day. (What good support from my son for my health goals, no?) Apparently, once I learn how to use it I will be able to test the sugar content of each batch. So hopefully it will help me make decisions about what quantity is ¨the best bang for my buck¨ healthwise. Other than the purchase of a food scale this is really the first time I have felt the need to get that detailed with investigating ingredients and quantities.
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@enlightenme3 Where are you on the Competency Ladder when it comes to tracking?
I am at a 3 (Conscious Competence). I am aware of how foods effect my body and I'm taking the steps to turn my health around.
What learnings have you had to get you from one step to the next?
Some lessons I have learned include the importance of counting calories and movement. Just before this challenge I had consumed 2,700 calories and was wondering why I was so sick for 2 days. I was clueless. Now I eat appropriately and feel fantastic. I also exercise daily. This not only helps my body but my mental health.
TFS the healthful tips 5 -
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Interesting topic @enlightenme3. When I'm on the wagon, I'm probably a 4-5. I need to be consistent with the program though. Having said that, I have been working on some of my issues and feel I have made progress. I will be going into the office starting Monday (I've been working from home since I started on MFP). We will see how I adjust to this challenge.
Yes to logging & exercise, no to staying within calorie budget. (Pass day 1)5 -
May 4, 2022
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes, Iron Series by Caroline Girvan
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes
Habits to maintain this month:
Kitchen Closed? Yes
Did you go "nuts" with nuts today? No (4 days -free)
Within Sugar macro today? Yes (4 days)
Pass day 0/3 (this is for accountability to myself and my records).4 -
1
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May 4
Did I exercise for at least 20 minutes? Yes
Did I stay within my calorie budget for the day? Yes
Did I keep track of everything I ate and drank? Yes
0/3 Pass Used
LNS Me 44 -
Interesting topic @enlightenme3. When I'm on the wagon, I'm probably a 4-5. I need to be consistent with the program though. Having said that, I have been working on some of my issues and feel I have made progress. I will be going into the office starting Monday (I've been working from home since I started on MFP). We will see how I adjust to this challenge.
Yes to logging & exercise, no to staying within calorie budget. (Pass day 1)
Until a month ago, I was in the same boat!
It was definitely a big adjustment, and something I thought a lot about before it happened.
Hope your transition goes well! How are you feeling about the change?1 -
❎Pass Day - no walk - hot, busy, tired
✅✅6 -
5/4/2022 (May the Fourth Be With You!)
Exercise? Yes
Tracking? Yes
Calories? Almost but not quite.5 -
I used to use this competency ladder to coach people that worked for me to help them in their work performance. I find it sort of a combination of several adages such as "practice makes perfect" (unconscious competence) and "the first step is admitting you have a problem" (conscious incompetence). I find my self vacillating between steps 2 and 3 but leaning more to conscious competence. I may be mixing things up by thinking that step 4 of unconscious competence when it comes to tracking is successful intuitive eating. I know, not tracking per se on paper or pixels, but essentially tracking in your head.2
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Sidenote: I am currently wondering exactly how do I track the marinade that was used to soak the chicken in? Beginning marinade weight minus leftover marinade weight that will be discarded? Then what about the marinade and sauce that is brushed on? This might need to be an estimated count.
Last night as I sat down to eat dinner, I realized I didn't weigh out my chicken breast on the food scale. Still working on that habit as well, but I just used the night before chicken breast weight. An approximate estimate is better than nothing, and this isn't rocket science so I don't need to worry about it.
@KCJen
I wanted to tell you I appreciate your long posts where you allow us to see what you have been thinking about. There might be some days where I don´t have time to read everyones detailed posts, but I really appreciate them on days I do have the time.
I have also thought about that whole issue of how to count marinade, or recipes that are drenched in butter that I leave in the bottom of the bowl. I have tracked for years and have come to feel that if I just try to sincerely make my best estimation of how much is actually consumed, I lose weight. Just being really mindful of what I eat and trying to get the best nutrition density I can in what I eat works, and the tracking is the way I keep plugging along at making the best choices and habits I can. I think the potential problem comes when there is a systematic error in something you consume regulary. A recipe with a marinade I eat very rarely isn´t going to have much effect. But I have become concerned about ¨getting it really accurate¨ on things I habitually eat.
My weight loss has slowed a bit these past couple of weeks and I am not sure if it´s just a normal little plateau or if there is more sugar in the homemade kombucha than I have been counting using other people´s homemade kombucha in MYF. Because it is something I drink everyday for my gut health, I asked my son about how to determine the sugar content and he got me a refractor for Mother´s Day. (What good support from my son for my health goals, no?) Apparently, once I learn how to use it I will be able to test the sugar content of each batch. So hopefully it will help me make decisions about what quantity is ¨the best bang for my buck¨ healthwise. Other than the purchase of a food scale this is really the first time I have felt the need to get that detailed with investigating ingredients and quantities.
Thank you @ideas2. You are very helpful to me, and your response about marinades has helped me as well! That is a supportive son 😊 I have been having long-winded posts lately lol - my chatterbox fingers have been hurting from all this typing. But I need help with trying to unlearn my old diet ways and learn how to have a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable. And I appreciate everyone's feedback on my posts, and I hope I am not that annoying to everyone. My posts will settle down once I get with the program better. I think for the marinade I am just going to use an estimate and adjust as needed. Thanks for your help!1
