@Antiopelle that is inspiring. I would love to hear about the diving

Welcome back, @CeeBeeSlim. That is a good reminder about the support structures we need. I'm still suffering from my family drama, but at least I finally got better sleep in last night although one of the dogs needed to go outside twice around 2:00 a.m.
I have an app called Sleep Hypno, which is 35 minutes long and really does help you get back to sleep.

@SparkSpringtime69 of course you are right, but I'm trying to be better so I can keep up with these little kids!!!

Do you know why the cramps have subsided? At least it's better!

Well, I decided to seriously log my food now. I really haven't had a goal for a while, except keeping up the exercise.

I will try to report on my adding of food. It's a lot easier if you don't eat too much or eat expensive unhealthy food. Can't afford to eat out.

Hi Everyone!

I'm back again again. Life always makes things harder, doesn't it?

I stood on the scales today after actively avoiding it for months. Heaviest I've ever been. Only by 2lbs, but still. 188lbs at the moment, which puts my BMI at 27.

I changed jobs, my partner has gone through a tough medical time (bulging discs in his c-spine), been on holiday, I've had two lots of lower back spasms in the last 2 months). And then on Saturday I found myself in the supermarket looking for a dessert but was put off by everthing. Ended up with just small pots of mousse, as a lighter alternative. I think a switch has flicked, because that is unlike me.

Basic stats:
Age: 36 (almost 37)
Height: 5'10" (178cm)
Weight today: 188.2lbs (13st 6.2lbs / 85.36kg)

Not sure on weigh in day. Maybe just when it suits me, rather than a set day. We'll see.

Welcome @rianneonamission. That is so funny about the intuitive eating. I also suffer from scale avoidance syndrome.

Really interesting about the North Sea diving. I have only snorkeled in the Florida keys. but that was a great experience.

I will echo you to @CeeBeeSlim that you're never too old. Our water aerobics classes actually cater to people who don't swim, which might be a good way to get involved with it.

Also on the mystery of why we go through these cycles ... I think we just get lured into whatever the rhythms are of our subconscious mammalian brains. You have to fight that all the time.

I'm glad you are feeling better!

@HoneyBadger302 you must feel so free on those adventures. Love it!

@SparkSpringtime69, please do report back about your experiment. You're so right about planning the food. Bad food can be in the house as long as it's out of sight. I just need to get alternatives to eat and that means you have to plan ahead.

That and using the scales are the only ways I can ever make progress


I had my first good day logging food in a long time and I was only slightly hungry. Started out right with yogurt and blueberries today.

I did well at circuit training except for the planks. Going to a later yoga this morning since I overslept. I still haven't gotten my body in sync to go to sleep earlier. And getting a nap is not always possible.

Sticking to the workouts this week, definitely feel so much better when I'm moving more - a lot more energy in general, to the point where I'm almost buzzing sometimes it feels like. Slight downward trend in the blood pressure as well adding the workouts back in again with a little bit of cardio bursts.

@SparkSpringtime69 yes, that's me in the photos

@rianneonamission you got this - one choice at a time, one day at a time! I like to pick a pretty stable day for my weigh in and measuring (just started doing that again). So Wednesday mornings after using the bathroom when I get up - mid week, so I'm into my weekday routine a couple days (any weekend fluctuations should be pretty well gone). I do this so it's as controlled as weigh-ins ever can be.

@Antiopelle that's pretty cool on the diving - it's so great when you find your passion!

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm feeling the intuitive eating @Antiopelle. Have done far too much of that myself .

I think my weigh ins are going to depend on what suits me. I am away from home Tue/Wed or Wed/Thu every week anyway, and I travel a bit more for this job too. So a morning at home after a toilet visit seems just the most sensible idea, rather than picking a specific day. Today I left at 6am so I will probably weigh in on Fri morning.

Fab scenery @HoneyBadger302! Bike is nice too!

@SparkSpringtime69 Thanks for the good wishes. I'm recovered now (or will know for sure when I try deadlifts later this week. Partner is mostly recovered, but nerves can take a long time to settle back down. He's out of pain though (he was in agony for the first 4 days or so, until he got fully dosed up on codeine, amitriptyline & diazepam for 10-14 days) and we're both back in the gym, starting to rebuild strength.

This group has always been great. Once upon a time I was here for the best part of a year, lost around 20 odd lbs to a nice healthy weight and strong body. It'll be nice to get there again.

I bought some protein powder to add to my protein intake, which is something I tend to fail on. The shaker should be delivered today. Small steps.

5'7", 44 years old
Starting Weight 1/3/22: 155.8
GW: ~128-132ish
2/23/22: 150
3/30/22: 147
4/22: Missed
5/31/22: 149.4
6/29/22: 152.4
7/27/22:150.6

8/4/22: 150.0
8/10/22: 150.6
8/17/22: 151
8/24/22: 150.6

Measurements aren't changing much - EXCEPT my "belly button" measurement, which is honestly one of the most important as that goes right over my "saddle bags." I thought one side was looking like it was going down a bit, and today's measuring confirmed that. Outside of that though, not much has changed since 2 weeks ago, other than my energy levels overall - which definitely helps increase my NEAT/TDEE as I'm a lot more active and have even more trouble sitting still for long. Also helps me focus more when I am focused, then completing tasks faster, which means more time to get up and MOVE now that I'm not chained to a desk in an office anymore LOL (remote work, so I can get up between tasks and go do something around the house).

Weight also hasn't really shot up like it usually does when I get back into a full workout routine - so if my body is following its normal trends, I should start to see a drop here soon...

@CeeBeeSlim I suffer from the same "lump" syndrome, LOL. I always feel great after I've had a good workout or eaten a healthy meal, yet I struggle almost every day to do those two simple things.
@antiopelle I hope you reach your 2000th dive as planned.
@zenobia9777 sounds like yesterday was a good day for you, keep that momentum going! One cupcake is enough, maybe you can give them to a neighbor.
@renaegry I plan on using September to get back on track with my clean eating and steady exercise, I've really let things slide using the hot weather as an excuse.
@rianneonamission I'm glad to hear you're both on the mend.
@HoneyBadger302 your numbers look a lot like mine - I'm close to 5'8" and have been fluctuating between 152 and 148 for a few months now. I'm determined to get back into the 130s over the next few months.
@k8richer Vancouver looks gorgeous! Sounds like you had a good time, too bad you have to go home so soon. I'm with you on the mindful/conscious eating; intuitive would never work for me, like you suggested, I'd just use it as an excuse to eat whatever.

I'm in a Biggest Loser Challenge here on MFP (it carried over from Sparkpeople where I used to be). BLC50 starts next Wednesday, and I plan to use those 12 weeks to really get my exercise routine and meal plans into shape and finally get back into the 130s.
Oh, and an update and conclusion: As for the leg cramps, I drank last night and the night before, and early this morning I felt a cramp start as I was laying in bed. So I'm going to conclude drinking gives leg cramps, at least for me. If I want to get serious about the weight loss I have to avoid the alcohol anyway, and the cramps alone are enough of a reason to give it up.
Looking forward to sharing a super September with all of you!

SparkSpringtime69 wrote: »

I'm in a Biggest Loser Challenge here on MFP (it carried over from Sparkpeople where I used to be). BLC50 starts next Wednesday, and I plan to use those 12 weeks to really get my exercise routine and meal plans into shape and finally get back into the 130s.

I've been with BLC for years! Did a few rounds with the Honey Badgers when they were still around (because, badgers unite lol), but moved to the Prism Panthers since I'm not SUPER focused on the scale and ideally am trying to focus on just making good changes and more of a recomp than strict weight loss (but I definitely have a fair bit of fat to lose - but for BLC purposes I'm not going to lose a ton).

This round is about establishing the habits. I decided with the job change I need to focus on my health (the issues with my tennis elbow/tendonitis only solidified the importance of needing to be taking care of that at my age) - no more "diet, lose, re-gain" yo-yo crap, but that also means establishing habits and ways of living that I can deal with long term. Getting my body to reset as well, which just takes TIME unfortunately.

@rianneonamission I did read that dehydration can cause cramps, and originally thought that was it. But after 3 days of heavy water drinking, they were still happening so I knew I had to look into other things. I also read that some mineral deficiencies can cause them (calcium, magnesium and potassium mostly). But I really need to cut back on the booze anyway if I want to drop these last pounds, so I figured that's probably my healthiest route right now.
@zenobia9777 if my heart started racing in the middle of the night I'd probably be a panic! I try to sip water in between wine sips, but after the second glass, that kind of falls by the wayside, LOL.
You and @k8richer are reminding me that I have to add my AM yoga routine back into my life. I always feel like my day is starting out great when I do it, I'm not sure why I occasionally stop.
@HoneyBadger302 I have an aversion to the word habit for some reason, it sounds like something I have to do not something I want to do. But you're so right, the only way to reset your body, and to have lasting good effects, is to create habits that you continue and can tweak as you go along.

@SparkSpringtime69 I had frequent leg cramps for a few days a month or 2 ago and it took me a good 1-2 weeks to fully rehydrate myself back out of that state. But I get your point with reducing alcohol intake. It's such an easy win, isn't it?

@rianneonamission, wow I had no idea it could take so long to fully rehydrate, I thought it was just a day or two. Congrats on the 2+ pound drop, you got this!
@zenobia9777, it sounds like you made some great decisions for your health today, and not just nutritionally. I think there are some things that people will probably never be able to reach a compromise on, but they can just agree to disagree in order to maintain a healthy relationship with each other (I have that kind of situation with my sisters). I'm sorry for your loss, and your relative sounds like she was a very insightful woman.

I decided to go ahead and post my graph even though it's not Sunday. I've been working on this since February 22nd.

Age 64 height 5'3" medium frame
SW 2/22 132.6
GW 10/25 110.
CW 8/27 117.4

So that's 26 and a half weeks and 15.2 lb. 0.57 pound per week. Not very rapid but kept the needle going down over time. Hope that is helpful, although I know the time frame is discouraging. I just want to have progress this time next year. I used to say it was a pound a week planned. Not so much!

@CeeBeeSlim
Thanks for your thoughts. BTW I was the one who lost a sister several years ago. It's hard to keep track of all these conversations

A new Monday, a new week, two weeks in for me, but it seems to be much longer.
I hadn't a great week: I started to feel exhausted on Wednesday with a vague headache and that feeling is still lingering, so I had to tone down my exercise. I was so exhausted on Thursday that I even forgot my appointment with the podologist... Yesterday, Sunday, I started in the hammock in the garden and ended on the couch, bingewatching tv; it was a complete off-day.

My net cals were over: 1.700 average instead of 1.420. It would still mean I'm in deficit, but my body decided otherwise and I've gained almost one kilo. I try not to fret over it and give it another - better - week.

I've clocked in a 6 km - 3.7 miles bike ride, just the one to go to my PT.
1 long dive on Thursday, followed by a 1km - 0.62 miles swim
1 PT session
1 gym session - muscle build
1 walk - 11 km / 7 miles


Seeing that list like this makes me realize I wasn't as inactive as I thought. I will have to persevere !