Daily check in for support and accountability

Hey all! Sorry i didn't really check in since Friday morning.

Yesterday was fabulous but so busy. My daughter had a volleyball game and I had to be sure she was ready to go and had everything. Her father took her while I ran to a friend's house for a sales party she was hosting. I needed some things from the company, and love hanging out with her, so I made the drive. Then i rushed to the arena because Winter Jam was here (a Christian concert with a TON of bands). You have to get there way early because three arena fills up to the point they start turning people away. The line started at 2pm. I didn't get there until 3 but the rest of my group was already there in line. So thankful for that! Hubby dropped daughter off to the friends in line too. It made for such a fun day but, with the time change this morning and late night last night, a super exhausted morning today.

@JuneWalks Ultra palatable! That's a new one to me but it sure makes sense. Nutella would definitely be on my list. Peanut butter, I love but I don't gorge on it and I find it helpful to me if I am a bit hungry at bedtime. A tablespoon of peanut butter and some skim milk does the trick for me. (Logged, of course!). Nutella is loaded with sugar though. I honestly think it belongs with the canned frosting in the grocery store, NOT with the peanut butter. It really needs to be seen as a dessert, not a sandwich spread and treated as such. Once again, marketing.

@stevie9960 Welcome!

As for me, my first weigh in since returning to MFP. I lost 5.7 pounds. I am not foolish enough to think that pace will continue and I well aware that most of that is water weight. Still, whether it be fat or bloat, I had to carry it around and it feels much better to be free of that. I haven't had any wine or beer and, while they are empty calories, they stimulate my appetite and, after having even one glass, I find it impossible to manage my eating. Perhaps that is how the tradition of cocktail hour before dinner got started in the social circles of people not engaged in heavy labor. The alcohol stimulated the appetite making the food seem to taste better. Food for thought.

SW 172.1
CW 166.4
GW 145
Logged YES!!

sista67 wrote: »

Good evening. The last couple days have been better. I logged everything and stayed within my cal budget. I try and log or right down what I consumed right after I'm done. So I can plan the rest of the day based on what I have left. It helps me keep in check throughout the day.

@sista67 Great strategy!!

@HASWRLS you may not have logged but you spent quality time with people who are important to you.

@pamperedlinny What an amazing day! Good for you staying within boundaries and that looks delicous. No goopy cheese sauce needed!

@dogwalker157 , I too may have to plan and log forever. I sometimes wish I could just "make good choices" without a plan. I guess I can't and it really isn't that hard, planning and logging.

@JuneWalks Fatigue can get to me too. I am sorry to see you disappear for awhile but you must do what's best for you.

I was sooooo tired yesterday but had a good night's sleep last night. And looking forward to being more active this week.

I am feeling so much better after a week of eating more mindfully, planning meals and actually feeding my body rather that just stuffing it with whatever.

This last weekend, I competed with my dog. I noticed that my ability to stay connected with him and focus on the task at hand was so much better after a week of good nutrition, hydration and rest.

Big Win!

Good morning,

@JuneWalks- I will miss your insightful posts but glad you are taking care of yourself.

@Ann and Pampered- you are both an inspiration for me. I really appreciate reading your posts and seeing how you approach the daily challenges.

I'm about to start week 3. I will weigh tomorrow, but I do feel better already.

Have a great day All

@Ann262 Barbie's last name is Roberts. My daughter has watched so many of the Barbie movies and TV shows that I knew the answer instantly. There are a ton of facts at this link.
http://barbiemedia.com/about-barbie/fast-facts.html

Linda – I’m 40 years old and 5’7”
SW: 300 lb
Next GW: 180 lb
3/1: 198.8 lb
3/2: 198.0 lb
3/4: 197.8 lb
3/7: 197.0 lb
3/8: 195.6 lb
3/9: 195.2 lb
3/11: 194.2 lb
**weight updated whenever I lose.

Does anyone else’s child take their money to the book fair and not buy a single book? We now have a giant cat with strawberry milk poster, stickers, “fun” pens (the body of the pen has balls in it so you can tip it back and forth or other fidget type things), another actual fidget toy, and a bunch of stickers. I keep hoping my child with want the books. Sigh.

Trivia was great. I didn’t know much of anything last night…. But we had some people on our team that knew things and actually came in first for once. It’s a small place and only have about 8 teams, I think. Still, I’ll get a free bubble tea or pot of hot tea next time I go in. Yay!

Also, I forgot to post this yesterday. I run a blog with recipes and products I find. I only post a recipe about every 2 weeks. If anyone wants the newest one for how I bulk up my taco meat you can find it at https://www.healthyeatingwithlinda.com/post/bulked-up-taco-meat

Today I have to go see my allergist, get shots, etc. I never feel great after all of that so it will be a slow night at home if I get my way.

@harringtona1 So glad you can get back to moving! I’m on social media way too much. Then again, I keep hoping someone important will see my recipes and decide I can get paid to create those all day instead of sitting at a desk and doing accounting forever. Since that’s a pipe dream, I’ll just keep posting and dreaming… and working on spreadsheets until the end of time.

@dogwalker157 I'm going to do a slightly longer post just for you. I have thoughts, sorry if it sounds at all preachy.... but I love a good class vs the treadmill.... I have an elliptical at home so I'm not opposed to it AT ALL. These are just my person experiences and opinions.

I have tried a lot of the machines in the gym and a lot of the classes. I used to take an aqua zumba and aqua fit class too when I was pregnant. What I found is that I love the classes a lot more than just the machines... which I often refer to as the iron forest. I don't really have much rhythm but I'm not the only one.

First, unless you are truly being goofy, no one is staring at you. They are trying to get themselves into rhythm. If you ever really look around the room, you'll notice at least 1/3 of people staring HARD at the instructors feet or at themselves in the mirror figuring it out. If you find a class with a goofball in it, those really are the most fun. I befriended the goofball and now when it's a move too hard we do our own thing together. So you can't salsa properly, two step with a buddy instead. Why not?!? It's still moving. It makes it fun. The others in class laugh but not in any negative way. If anything, you'll start a trend of more fun.

Second, if they have Zumba then there is probably pound, piloxing, or other music led fun classes. I recommend trying them all once. I'm kind of mad that the line dancing as exercise class at my gym is on a weekday at 10am when I'm supposed to be working. It sounds fun! Find one that works for you. Do not be afraid to modify. If they do squats and you have a bad hip (which I do), walk in place. If they start jumping and you have bad knees (also have that), then just do side steps. I've found I can make almost any class as high impact or low impact as I need.

Third, if you go to the classes then go in planning to have fun. If the class seems like it COULD be fun but isn't, then try another instructor. My gym has multiple Zumba classes and instructors. There are 3 that I love, 1 that I can tolerate, 1 that I will never go to her class on purpose. Just like you might love chicken but not cooked "that way," you might love a class but not the teacher. When you give all the types of classes a try, also give all the teachers a try. The person leading can make a HUGE impact on how great it is or how horrible.

Seriously, I've laid on the floor in the middle of pound because I was just exhausted half way in. I've farted in the middle of squat and felt super embarrassed. I've gone the wrong way during a grapevine. I've done a goofy run around the room because I refused to do whatever the move was at the time. I've decided halfway in to make an excuse and leave. I've made some great friends who will ask where you were if you miss a few classes. That last one, accountability, it's a big draw to keep me going as well.

Lastly, my gym will let those 8 and over, with a parent, go to the group exercise classes. Once you are 11 and, take a gym safety course, they are also allowed to use the machines. Again, with a parent/guardian/other member that is an adult being in there with them. I kind of love that they encourage the kids to pick up healthy habits early and go with the parents. During the summer break, where there are no sports, I'll make my daughter come with me at least once a week. It's nice to do it together and also lets me encourage her to stay active. I can lead by example and show her that I have fun... and she will be the first to tell you I don't have rhythm or dance well. 🙈

OK. End of long response. Sorry it was so long, but it's absolutely something I learned to love. ❤️

Thank you pampered for the very thoughtful post I really enjoyed reading it. You made me laugh and also reminded me to have fun. The gym I go to does have a good variety of classes, I just need to push myself to try them out. I'm going to pick a class and just do it. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. Thanks!

@ann- yes, what should be so simple somehow got so complicated.

Hi I'm Melissa, I'm 24 and I've been trying to lose weight for a year. The last time I weighed in I was 147 and my highest was 166. I'm going through a breakup and it's been extra stressful at work so I've been eating my comfort foods and I'm so scared to weigh myself again but I'm going to keep trying! My goal weight is 135!

@Harrington-I like your plan to add in rewards and also put the focus on yourself in the year "twenty- twenty me" I may have to borrow that one.

Today was a challenging day for me. I decided I really wanted dessert but didn't have calories for a meal and dessert so I decided to eat carrot cake for supper. This was a choice- I didn't have it in the house so I went out and bought it. I had a slice and then packed it up and put it in my husband's car for him to take it to work tomorrow. I did go over my calories but not by a huge amount. However I still feel guilty even though I chose to eat it. I guess this comes with years of dieting. I don't plan to eat dessert again for awhile but I have this bit of fear that it's a slippery slope. I need to learn to let this go and move on without letting it sabotage my plans.

I had a "moment" yesterday. Around lunch time I felt stressed, annoyed, etc. and went into a mini binge. First, my habits I've been building seemed to stick because even on a binge I weighed out my chips and pretzels. Second, I had my fill... granted it was 3 Red Vines, 2 Reese's mystery shapes, a kit kat bar, a serving of chips, a serving of pretzels, and whipped cream cheese for a "dip." But once I hit a point where I was done... I was done. I logged it all. Reevaluated the rest of my day. Made adjustments. And I still finished below my 1800 calorie boundary.

I still don't know my exact trigger that made me feel like I needed all the junk but I stopped as soon as I felt done and didn't let it mess up the rest of my day. I ate within my boundaries. I still went to Zumba class. I still stopped for the day at 8pm.

Pulling myself back from the edge of what could have been a really bad calorie day feels like a huge win.