Daily check in for support and accountability

@harringtona1 I love how you are breaking down the goals into smaller bits so you can celebrate along the way.
@dogwalker157 wow. I am really impressed that you wanted dessert and had it thoughtfully.

I just have to say..what happened to us that we have to feel so many feelings about having a piece of cake? There is just so much in our history where we have been taught we must be thin to be beautiful and treating ourselves, even thoughtfully & deliberately has baggage bringing feelings of guilt and failure. None of us are that.

As for me, I am still going strong. I treated myself to lunch out yesterday. I enjoyed a healthy lunch but had a chai latte and 3 truffles for dessert. All logged and accounted for. Like the rest of you, I felt a bit of guilt but I am determined to let those negative thoughts go.

Sorry I didn't check in a lot over the weekend. On Saturday I went to an 80s trivia night. It was so much fun. We had a few really good at trivia people on our team and came in 1st place. On Sunday I made a pot roast in the slow cooker, went to church, took a nap, and really just lounged on the sofa most of the day. I am still crazy tired today and don't know why.

Boundaries-wise, I stayed within my calories for everything except yesterday... but that was only over my 1800 limit by 44 calories. I can live with that. Today I'm debating going to my Zumba class this afternoon. The teacher is hit or miss. Sometimes I love her class and sometimes it's just ok. I know I won't be able to do tomorrow's class so I feel like I should go. We'll see how it goes and how I feel after work today.

@dogwalker157 I used to stick to whatever mfp recommended plus half my exercise calories. More recently I've changed how I do things. I looked up what calories I need on average at my goal weight for maintenance and set at sedentary. I found it was approximately 1600 calories. So I set a boundary range for myself to eat between 1200 to 1800 each day and average about 1600 most days.

I wanted to give myself a range that I will live in long term. Or at least try to figure out how to eat when I hit those goals. I decided I would try learning how I could eat when I'm not trying to lose weight or lower my A1C, but am already there.

I've started over with lots of different approaches and "rules" over the years. I wanted to try something that wouldn't change just because I hit my goals. It's working for now.

Hello! I am new and hoping to join this fabulous, motivated group! I am a 53 year old single mom of two girls (13 and 11). After thinking about getting healthy/losing weight for years, I am finally doing it!!! I have started with a weight loss center (not sure if I'm allowed to say the name so I won't) where I am to focus on eating protein, fruits and vegetables. My starting weight was 204 on Jan 30th of this year. Today I weighed in at 183.7. My goal is to weigh 150 pounds but more importantly - to be healthy for my two girls. Can I join you all for support and friendship???

Morning all!

I didn’t get to Zumba last night. I forgot that my husband’s office is doing a Taco Tuesday thing and I was volunteered to make a tray of Spanish Rice for about a dozen people. Afterward, I just sat again. However, I still kept to my calories while making my daughter one of her favorite dinners. She LOVES Orange Chicken and I had one of the frozen entrée things of it in the freezer. Orange Chicken, Basmati Rice, and steamed Broccoli.

I had my first mammogram yesterday. That was an interesting experience. Someone I used to know had told me once about the time they were getting theirs when the power went out for whatever reason. They were at a medical center and not an actual hospital so the generator only turned on lights, exit signs, etc… not machinery. She was stuck in it for about 30 minutes. I’ve lived with that irrational fear of it happening to me for about a decade. Is it sad that I was sure mine was at a small hospital and not a tiny medical center????

I have my bi-weekly Ladies Bible Study tonight at church. Often I either don’t know what the dinner is in advance or the dinner is something really high calorie or rich. This time we’re having a homemade salad bar, grilled chicken, and homemade dressings. The salad dressing is going to be the only real problem this time so I’m just taking some from home. I’m so happy that the plan is for a lighter meal option for once. Those ladies running it can cook so well and it makes keeping to tiny portions and calorie counting so hard. For the record, I always eat there and I always stay in my estimated calorie range.

I have learned if this is going for be for life that I need to plan ahead when I’m able. If I don’t know the meal plan I’ll only have about 600 calories all day until I go. That way I can eat without too big of a fuss. I don’t skip events due to food worries. I don’t only cook cauliflower rice and forego regular rice. I make this work with my life as often as possible. If we’re going to a restaurant somewhere I’ve been known to stalk the menu and make a plan days before. If we go to a bar I’m often with a rum and diet coke or something similar so I can enjoy without overindulging in my calories. I’ve learned a lot about making myself put limits and stick to plan even when I don’t want to do so.

@harringtona1 Hormones cause so much stuff. Hope you find the answers you need.

@rmkinley Welcome!!!! Of course you can join in. I have a 9 year old daughter, so my motivation to be a lot healthier lines up with yours.  I’m 40 but my husband is 58 so you’re right between our ages as well. The moms I’m friends with who are still in their early 30’s or that I meet at school stuff all have so much more energy than my husband and I but we try to keep up.

@GeminiSister Welcome! Congrats on the loss. Even if it’s small and slow, it counts. My husband actually asked me this year if I wanted our traditional chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day. I wish I could say I got him to ask first years ago, but I’ve been working on myself off and on, back sliding, starting over, etc for about 15 years. When the person you live with isn’t helping and supportive, it’s rough! I always do best when he’s either on board with me or, at least, asks me if it’s something I want. In that 15 years I am down over 100 lbs. I never go up as high as I started. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing either. Finding others, even if it isn’t your husband, you can go to for accountability, venting frustrations about food, or keeping a food and truth journal about what you eat and why can help a lot.

Good morning!

Bible study dinner changed but it still worked out well. They did a sandwich bar instead of a salad bar. I just got a few lettuce leaves, tomato slices, turkey slices and made myself some lettuce wraps. Then I got a bunch of the fruit. Since I didn’t have any bread I allowed myself a small piece of chocolate pound cake (which came with strawberries and whipped cream). Definitely worth skipping the bread for that. Since I brought a light salad dressing from home I was able to dip my wraps in that too.

I just finished turning in my annual review. I HATE that I have to review myself before sending it to my boss and hearing what they think. I feel like I’m defensive and I don’t even know if I need to be. I mean, I had 3 goals for delinquencies (I do receivables and collections for my company) where I met one, I got close on another, and the last has some reasons it didn’t hit that include deep dives into a few customers issues taking up more time that I counted on. Not anything earth shattering. Also, our company runs on a fiscal year end…. Ending in March, but with all self-reviews due this Friday. Every year I feel like March tries to kill me between the review and the year-end deadlines. Ugh!!!! Which is why I was filling in the review at 6am instead of during my actual work hours. Whoever came up with it all being due at the same time is very obviously not in accounting.

Sorry. Rant over.

In positive news, I got a new counter top grill. I have had my small George Forman grill that does about 2 burgers at a time for about 15+ years. It’s not in great shape anymore. Not really non-stick, one of the corners is broken, one spot gets hotter than the other, etc. It still works but not quite as well as it used to do. I found an amazing deal on a slightly larger one at Best Buy. A different brand but good reviews and on super sale for $20 instead of $50. It arrived yesterday so we’re going to be making some burgers and maybe “grilled” zucchini on it tonight to test it out. I stupid excited about testing out my new grill and putting it through its paces. Does anyone else get excited for new kitchen gadgets or appliances? I think anything food or kitchen related always has me over the moon.

Ditto on hating the self evaluations. What a score on the indoor grill- that's a bargain.

Welcome to the new folks! Here's my Wednesday numbers: wait first I'll go remember what to post lol - oh yeah
SW/HW 234
CW 224
GW 150ish
I'm still battling that hormonal 8 pound gain from Sunday morning. DH pointed out we had a big drop in temp the previous night. So I moved my scale away from the cold outside bathroom wall and that took care of a couple lbs. Feels good to be able to claw back instead of give up or chalk it up to plateau and eat for awhile. My crampy, back spasmed, tired from no sleep butt is still getting out to walk and watch the calories. But enough about a terrible yet great week.

@GeminiSister DH needs a lot of calories! He keeps tempting snacks either in his desk or in HIS kitchen cabinet. I also order meal kits so I'm sure to have good food to cook for myself, no matter what he eats. He's gotten to like that food so he usually cooks and eats with me instead of buying pizza.

I have a concept2 as well. Long story skipped, I put that thing in front of a TV and binge a series. I'd row hard until the first commercial. Then slow to next. Then I'd stretch for the rest of the show. Be careful about your form on that thing 😇

@rmkinley I'm dying to know what weight loss thing you're doing. I'm throwing everything at this I can. I have a year to get healthy my deadlines. But I'm always interested in trying other things that might help.

For instance, in April i'm headed to a health thing weekend where you stay there and they cook for you and you go to classes and fitness stuff. If it's good, I'll do a longer one in the summer. (I've been to a camp before. It was a sham. I had to sue them, the only time I've ever sued anyone. This is another long story.) Anyway I have milestone dates (like April 13) with scheduled events to reward/motivate me to achieve my set goals by a date. If I'm not at a certain stage by the milestone dates with my habits or other tasks (like cancer screenings, sleep pattern, social stuff, etc.), I won't waste the time or money on that event. One of the indications of my progress is weight, but the goal is to embed the healthy habits. Geeze, I'm thinking about process in my head while I write which means it's time for this engineering quality chick to sign off before I bore y'all to death.

But before I go: I'm especially happy that @pamperedlinny got her healthy bible study! Way to go 🤩 Did they appreciate eating better? What dressing did you take?

Ttfn - Anne (52 yo, married, work remote, no kids, 2 cats in beautiful Florida) whew! That was a long one!

@HASWLRS - Have you read The End of Overeating" by David A Kessler? It's an eye opener. We all feel so bad that we overeat but maybe it's not all our fault...

I'm still sticking to it. But my body doesn't seem to be responding anymore. The only thing that's changed (other than, as we all know, you know, that) is that my intermittent fast has dropped from 14 hours to 13. I didn't really take that whole thing seriously. But maybe there's something to it. Gonna get back to 14 and see what happens. (My sister does 16. But she also is keto, so... We're different lol)
Night y'all!

Those are some nice movie friends! This all reminds me that I should be working on my social circle more as part of health year.
Hubby and I are very, I dunno, lone wolf types. We're happy just the two of us. But that's not smart long term.
I'm putting it on the habit list. Make another friend lol. I just started golf lessons today (one on one of course 😂). Maybe that's a good place to start.

I wonder if anyone else has the amazing visual of chucking the scale out the upstairs window? Or the Office Space scene where they kill the printer mafia-style? I may have to sacrifice my scale (and the $$) for a new replacement to that catharsis! I'll take photos when the time comes.

I'm a bit discomfited (check my vocabulary now that my ESPN bracket is trash! I'm back from March madness baby!) about my weight this week. I really do celebrate the little health wins I have stacked up. Cancer screenings, sunblock every day, walking at least twice a day, a couple things I won't mention in mixed company - by mixed I mean people who aren't my mother or grandmother or sister, on track with therapy: physical and psych. All that and still... That nazzerfraggin weight just refuses to go. Today, I was comfortable in my clothes. I'll end on a high note. Night y'all!
Oh! If you're in the north, you might have northern lights. Google it! I'm so jealous!!

Ahh! I have been absent a few days!

@harringtona1 , I totally understand the frustration with the scale. It is one thing to know that that number is only but one health indicator. It is quite another to feel it. I weigh in tomorrow and I am mildly nervous about it. I am curious why you think being a lone wolf is not smart long term. I am also curious about the sham camp. I have often thought going to some "health" retreat would be marvelous. Most are very expensive and I just haven't wanted to drop the cash on one but, it has been something I have daydreamed about.

@dogwalker157 , hang in there.

@HAWSLRS How are you? Perfectionism can be a real stumbling block because it is in impossible gaol Have you opened your journals yet?

@pamperedlinny It looks like such a fun day you had and who wouldn't want to be a guinea pig for new recipes from you?

Me? Tomorrow is my weigh in and I am a bit nervous about it. I have logged everything and all has gone well but my "program" has been so gentle and intentionally so, I know not to expect a massive loss but I don't want to see a number that will be discouraging.

It is troubling to me that facing the scale causes any internal anxiety at all..mild though it is. I really have been deeply programmed to wrap self worth into that number.

Anyway, I have healthy meals planned for today and today will be busy so fingers crossed for a happy weigh in tomorrow.

My sister told me today that she could see the change. And I thought so too. So in order to give me something else to celebrate, I measured myself. Let's see how that goes. Scale be damned!

Nothing to it but to do it, Amy 😃 let's goooooo!! Welcome to the group.