Daily check in for support and accountability

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Replies

  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Au contraire, my sisters. My boobs have shrunk. Which is great actually except that I always bought my shirts big to cover that belly. But it kind of looked like I bought them for the top, if you know what I mean. Now my shirts just look big and kinda hang on me until they get to my belly where they puddle up like jerks. So, be careful about complaining about clothes. This is not the change I wanted. 😂
    I can't believe how long it's taking me to get back into the swing of eating meals and logging meals. I almost never want a meal, I just want a snack followed later by a snack since I didn't eat a meal at mealtime. It's not easy for me to keep track of all that. But I'm gonna keep trying until I'm back in the swing. Today, I logged it all. But this was an easy day. Hope tomorrow makes day 2 of habit-forming.
    Good luck, ladies, being mindful of what we're eating again. There's nothing worse than eating something you didn't even want in the first place. But that happens. Hubby offers me food and is confused when I say no thanks. I had to explain a few times that, if it's easy for me to say no, I'm going to. Just go away lol. He finally understands and only asks once now. Be strong when it's easy. Then the harder ones will be slightly easier too, I think.
    Night night
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    Good morning,

    Be strong when it's easy. Then the harder ones will be slightly easier too, I think. [/quote]

    I like that advice and am going to try to work it in.

    Since being away and not being as focused, I'm trying to find my routine again. In some ways I feel like I can ease up some of the intensity. I'm not exactly sure how to do this though. I feel like I need to continue logging.
    It helps keep me aware of what I'm eating and hopefully stops me from returning to old habits. Recently, I have also found myself not logging totally accurately- which is definitely counterproductive.

    Yesterday was pretty good, but I did overdo the candied almonds again. For now I am going to work on refocusing on my "healthspan" goals of eating healthier and moving more. Ideally I would like to lose about 30 more lbs. so I do need to pay attention to how much I am eating. After traveling abroad I am reminded of how serving sizes are quite a bit larger here in the U.S. Your brain gets used to seeing/eating that quantity. I need to make the shift to reducing serving sizes.

    Have a great day
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Silly thing, but... Are you eating on smaller plates with smaller forks? I've done that for years. I for sure don't eat as much as hubby does on his giant plate. Of course, he weighs slightly less than I do. Maybe not anymore tomorrow!
    NSV I use a different hole for my watch now. I need it lol.
    Second day of logging. Trying not to judge the usefulness or whatever. Just blindly doing it. Trust I guess. One good thing is that every once in a while, I'm too lazy to log, so I won't bother eating the thing. Yay lazy!
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Oh speaking of accountability, I'm not walking. I'm just bummed and sleeping all day. I'll sort this out. It's work-related. And I know if I walk my mood will improve. 96 degree weather just doesn't call me outside. But I'll try tomorrow morning.
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    Wow- 96 degrees. It's been unseasonably cool here in Northeast U.S.

    I've been reluctant to go to smaller plates. I've heard of that strategy, but for some reason I just didn't think it would change how much I was eating. I'll give it a try...

    It sounds like you've got some good momentum going- even decreasing your watch size!

    Well, I'd like to say that my vacation and lack of focus hasn't set me back, but it does seem like it has. Not only do I feel it, but the scale has been up as well. I am also struggling with getting back into a healthier eating pattern. I'm over calorie budget by a few hundred every day and haven't been getting quite as much activity in. I'm going to just try to keep at it. I don't want to be right back where I was a few months from now :(
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    I did the same thing after vacation. It took a couple of weeks to even get where I am now which is logging but nothing rust. Maybe you're having the same lag. Be strong!!! It's not the end of the world. You be aiiiight.
  • HASWLRS
    HASWLRS Posts: 8,001 Member
    I am still alive, but I have fallen down a rabbit hole. I am not stepping on the scale this week; I will face the music on Wednesday. I have a wedding and Father's Day this weekend, but I will be back on Monday to try again.
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    I hear you about the rabbit hole. I'm trying not to let myself fall any further, so I can pull myself out of it a little easier. I haven't been completely successful with this but did have a slight drop on the scale this morning. I'm slowly going to turn this around. There's definitely a voice in the back of my head saying "just take a break for awhile and get back to it later." If I listen to that voice I'll be right back where I started from though.

    I have to remind myself how much better I feel when I'm making better food choices. Also, less fat means less inflammation overall, another goal I'm working on.

    Have a nice weekend All!


  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Whoo did I have a crappy food day, too! Gonna try to put in some movement this weekend to make some headway. I've been losing, so I think I was taking that for granted. But I think my body might've figured it out today. 😂 We'll see on the scale in the morning.
    Happy weekend to y'all, too!
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    edited June 2023
    Good morning,

    Well the weekend was a bit more celebratory (indulgent foods included) than I planned. On Saturday we took my 91 year old dad out for an Italian lunch followed up with an ice cream from the dairy. After vowing to do better on Sunday... I brought home donuts (the really delicious ones) for father's day. I was able to eat only half of what I might normally eat, so I guess that counts for something.

    When I got up this morning my first thought was to start back on making better food choices, but I'm trying to avoid the concept of starting over on Monday and avoid the "diet mentality thinking." Instead I'm going to chalk it up to making some indulgent food choices over the weekend. I'm hoping that being mindful and logging them will help me to be aware of how often I'm doing that and how that influences my overall goals of better health. It's a challenge for me to make those transitions in thinking because I have had a lifetime of doing it another way.

    I have also come to realize that the initial enthusiasm for working on improving my health has waned. This has definitely challenged my momentum. Although I have made some positive changes, I still need to strengthen them to become regular habits. When I'm not paying attention, the old habits creep right in. As an aging adult, my motivation for wanting to eat better and lose some weight is because I want to improve and maintain my overall health. I've gained and lost weight over my lifetime but I'm at a point where I understand that my future health, mobility and independence are dependent on my choices now.
    Have a great day All!
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    Hey all!

    I really need some accountability. I've been sliding too far and my fasting blood sugars are higher than they should be, I haven't been to the gym in about a month, I've had many days where I just give up and go way above what I should have and don't even track.

    I tracked everything yesterday and was about 400 calories over what I should be on my heavier eating days. Today is my husband's birthday and so he wants pasta and cake. I need to make myself eat lighter throughout the day and keep my portions small on the rest. I did this for months and it's like I'm struggling to make myself get back on track.

    That said, I did put the new recipe up this morning and I'm hoping my own post with a healthier dish motivates me to get back on the horse and start again. I made Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad) and I need to get back to making more sides like this. Something fresh and tasty and not just grabbing a potato or something.
    https://www.healthyeatingwithlinda.com/post/esquites-mexican-corn-salad
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    OK. Pity party over. Sorry I'm so depressing. I just need a solid kick in the butt. If I don't have any check ins or positive updates soon someone call me out! Seriously. I need someone to remind me that I got my health under control and excellent blood tests and that going backwards like this is just going to be heartbreaking.

    Right now, fasting blood sugar hit the 120s again (I had it down to right at 100) and I put 10 lbs back on. I don't even want to know if my A1C rocketed back up but I'm trying to get myself in gear before I get it checked again.
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    Nice to see you Pampered. It seems common to be in a good place and making steady progress, even thinking I finally found the magic bullet and have control, only to find myself slipping into old patterns. One minute we're all in and enjoying the process and the next we can't seem to find our groove again. I imagine this is typical of a lot of people. I know you have been at this for a long time and probably have been through similar times. I have been trying to figure this out for about a month now. I thought maybe I should just take a break and stop paying attention but I know I will find myself right back where I was and starting all over if I do that.

    I'm not sure if this is helpful but I am starting to realize I do much better when I think positive and not beat myself up. I know that if I wake up and say to myself "today is it- get yourself back together" and then I proceed to eat through my cabinets, it only makes it worse. I unconsciously tell myself "see you can't do this after all" and then I repeat again the next day. It feels like if I have veered too far off, it becomes too daunting to get back on track. I am trying a new approach. I'm trying to remind myself of the pleasure I feel when I'm taking better care of myself. I'm also trying not to make that a monumental task. I just need to remind myself that eating better and getting some exercise makes me feel better both physically and emotionally. I don't have to be perfect, but try to make good choices and move on when I indulge.
    I've been impressed by your enthusiasm and joy in the process. I remember when I first came back I would read your posts and think "wow she really has found a way to incorporate fun and pleasure into this process. I think that is the key to success.

  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    I wonder if that idea of "starting Monday" is rooted in doing things "right" and possibly even "perfectly." That's surely a mindset for failure. We're not perfect. Angelina Jolie doesn't eat perfectly. Rather, just keep going. You're already doing great. Losing anything from your starting weight is great to me.

    My quote book says this: "If you slip up and eat something you hadn't planned to eat, don't feel guilty. Simply analyze what made you slip, and make necessary changes so it won't happen again."
    Notice it doesn't say that you ate something you SHOULDN'T but something you didn't plan to. These things happen in life. And that's what we're trying to do: have a life.

    Then, here's a positive one: "If your motivation starts to slip, lift hope much weight you've lost: a 5-pound bag of oranges, a 10-pound sack of potatoes, or a 20-pound frozen turkey will give you an idea of how much you've already accomplished."
    And that, you've accomplished being imperfect you.
    I hope that helps and doesn't make things worse. You never know. We're all different 🌞
  • hoarc1987
    hoarc1987 Posts: 52 Member
    I’m going to planet fitness today again :)
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    Good morning!!!!

    Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I told you all yesterday that I needed to stop giving myself excuses and buckle down… and I think I managed pretty well. I ate super light through the day and when a craving hit mid-afternoon I allowed myself exactly one serving of tortilla chips to get the crunchy salty cravings out of the way. He wanted spaghetti and Carvel ice cream cake. I sautéed broccoli slaw with garlic and olive oil and some seasonings. Then I put a bunch of that in my bowl before the pasta and mixed it together so that I would have a bunch of veggies as my base. I added a couple frozen meatballs as well for some protein. Then added my marinara sauce. Unfortunately, I didn’t measure the cheese and caught myself snacking on shredded cheese while I was cooking. But in the big picture I had the calories and it was fine. I kept to a smaller slice of ice cream cake and estimated my calories there. Overall, my guess is I was somewhere around 1600-1800 and that is my actual goal. I’m counting it all as a win!
    @dogwalker157 I’ve been on mfp for over 15 years. It’s definitely not my first back slide. It isn’t even my worst back slide. I was definitely having a woe is me type moment when I checked my weight and fasting blood sugars. Like it happened to me rather than I did it to myself. A positive attitude really does help. Purposely getting excited for the healthy options or editing recipes to make them better and being giddy over the makeover really are things that keep me on track. I just let myself forget that and fall into life for a while.

    @harringtona1 I’m so guilty of “starting Monday” and I had to kind of remove that from my mindset. I’ve had to stop saying “bad food” also. Every time I used to fall off my plan I would think I was finished for the day. The past year I finally got so I can usually start fresh an hour after or once my little fall is done. My key is that I would still track the little binge, see how bad I thought it was, and go forward. The last 2 months I haven’t done that and not acknowledging the falls each time let me go backward way more.

    @hoarc1987 I used to love my Planet Fitness location when I lived near one. I hope you have an excellent and fun workout!
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    edited June 2023
    My goal for today is to say no when it's easy (thanks Harrington). I haven't been doing much of that lately and find myself saying yes way too often. I'm not stopping to ask myself if I really want to eat the thing. The other issue sabotaging me is availability. Between eating out a lot more and having some of the snack food in my house, I've been having more opportunity to say "yes" to the extras. I'm going to plan some meals for the next few days and work on saying no to the easy ones- which means actually thinking about what I'm doing and not mindlessly eating. :)
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    @pampered- love the added veggies to bowl before pasta idea. So nice that you were able to enjoy the birthday and feel good too!
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    So much positivity! Congrats everyone on moving forward. Your outlooks really helped me today. 🙂
  • HASWLRS
    HASWLRS Posts: 8,001 Member
    I have a lot of reading to do to get caught up on myfitnesspal, but I am back. I am three days late as it is Thursday, not Monday, but better late than never, as they say. I was overwhelmed with what I had to do to get the house ready for Father's Day (10 people for a barbecue) and when I am overwhelmed at home I eat. It's not what I need to do but I need to be doing something, so I eat. This very effective avoidance technique is EXACTLY the reason I am in this overweight, excuse me, Obese, boat! Going to a wedding shower on Saturday and getting out of my routine was a small part of it, and also my knee still being really sore, but it was predominantly my feeling of mental overload that did me in. And once started down that road it is very, very difficult to make a u-turn. And just for context, it was completely my idea to host this gathering. My dad is 87 and in a retirement home for just over a year. Mom passed away in November and Dad is so bored. He still drives, but he has nowhere to go. I needed to get him out of there and when my sister wasn't considering hosting something at her house, but visiting him instead, I took the bull by the horns.

    WEDNESDAY WEIGH-IN

    201.8

    First order of business is to get back to Onederland!!
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    Morning all!

    Yesterday I did really well. My daughter made dinner (with a lot of help) and since I knew the plan I was able to fit everything into my calorie goals for the day. For dessert, instead of my husband's leftover ice cream cake, I made some sugar free Butterscotch pudding and enjoyed that. Thankfully, this morning my fasting blood sugar was closer to normal. Not as low as I really want but so much better than what I saw earlier this week. Just need to keep on that track.

    Is anyone reading anything interesting??? I'm starting the audiobook of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna and I'm about halfway through the physical book of The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner.

    I'm hoping to get these kids (my daughter and her friend) out of the house today by going to the library and then Chick-fil-A. Our library is hosting a Lego Club this afternoon and the Chick-fil-A is hosting a free petting zoo event. It's supposed to rain all day today so I need to get them out and doing something.

    Have a great day everyone!
  • HASWLRS
    HASWLRS Posts: 8,001 Member
    I have just read through all the posts that I missed. I must say, I really enjoyed everyone's thoughtful and detailed posts. We are working through our own issues with our posts, but more often than not something we say will resonate with someone else. So, by helping ourselves, we are also helping each other!

    @pamperedlinny Your corn salad looks amazing! And thank your for reminding me about Jennifer Weiner. I read a few of her books a while ago and really enjoyed them, but I had forgotten about her as an author.
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    I eat when I'm overwhelmed and I sleep. I wish I had another coping mechanism, though. I used to go for a walk around the neighborhood when I needed to decompress. But it's just SO HOT right now and always muggy. So between eating, sleeping, and not exercising outside, I'm headed for some trouble.

    Anyone have a magic bullet? Eating baby carrots isn't cutting it lol
  • dogwalker157
    dogwalker157 Posts: 100 Member
    Yesterday was a total bust. I got too hungry and ended up grabbing a bag of almond filled pretzels, which I devoured while driving around doing errands. Then I had pizza for supper and that put me way over daily calorie goal. This was definitely a lack of planning and I know this is an issue but I just haven't been feeling like it.

    @harringtona1- I would gladly share the magic bullet if I had it. It seems like no matter how good things go, there are moments when I choose to eat when I'm not hungry. The only thing that seems to help is catching myself and diverting my attention to something else. This doesn't always work though, but hopefully these episodes will happen less frequently.

    I'm going to get to the store and fill the fridge with some quick go to foods that I can grab if the weekend gets busy.

    Have a nice weekend all and hopefully we all feel good on Monday :smile:
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    Morning all!

    I did pretty well yesterday but I've already been craving things this morning and I try not to eat until after 10am. It is only 9:38am so I just hope I can hold myelf in check and not go overboard at all today.

    I took my daughter and her friend to Lego Club at the library, dinner and to visit a petting zoo set up at Chick-fil-A, and shopping in a bunch of cheap shops for junk food that we don't need at all. :D I'm a sucker. However, something about seeing a real cow at Chick-fil-A just made my whole week.
    hxczk76llj98.jpg
  • kristinecmkavanagh1
    kristinecmkavanagh1 Posts: 3 Member
    Hi all, just started the app 2 days ago. I too lost 170 pounds once and gained back 70. Now weighing in at 222, I'd love to get back down to 156. I'm my 55, 56 in December and also have a health condition. Calories hasn't been a huge issue, but sodium keeps coming up for me. This is huge because inflammation is a big issue with my health, and of course weight loss. I found that it's an exchange, carbs for salt on most labels.... Trying to find the balance this week, and this app makes it easier to make these choices. I just hope I don't lose my level of excitement, as that is what usually happens....bordem...

    I'm going to weigh in on Wednesday and possibly take measurements... Thanks for creating this group!
  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Wow wow wow! Lost 170 pounds! That's amazing! What worked for you then that you might be able to apply again now?
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    @kristinecmkavanagh1 That's an incredible loss!!

    Today is the annual Freedom Blast event. We love it. Inflatables, good trucks, way too many people 😂, live music, fireworks. I'm going to try and eat light until we go and avoid most of the food bevels while we're there. We will pick up pizza on the way to help with that temptation though.

    Fingers crossed I don't feel too attracted to the scents and the long lines keep me discouraged.
  • sherylk15
    sherylk15 Posts: 4 Member
    sista67 wrote: »
    HW 275
    SW (Start weight) 225.2
    CW 225.2
    WL 0

    So today was day 2. What became obvious immediately is that I suck at eating regularly and end up with a bunch of calories at the end of the day. And what I do eat is crap and always end up over eating at night cuz I'm starving.

    Need to make some serious changes.
    sista67 wrote: »
    HW 275
    SW (Start weight) 225.2
    CW 225.2
    WL 0

    So today was day 2. What became obvious immediately is that I suck at eating regularly and end up with a bunch of calories at the end of the day. And what I do eat is crap and always end up over eating at night cuz I'm starving.

    Need to make some serious changes.
    sista67 wrote: »
    HW 275
    SW (Start weight) 225.2
    CW 225.2
    WL 0

    So today was day 2. What became obvious immediately is that I suck at eating regularly and end up with a bunch of calories at the end of the day. And what I do eat is crap and always end up over eating at night cuz I'm starving.

    Need to make some serious changes.
    sista67 wrote: »
    HW 275
    SW (Start weight) 225.2
    CW 225.2
    WL 0

    So today was day 2. What became obvious immediately is that I suck at eating regularly and end up with a bunch of calories at the end of the day. And what I do eat is crap and always end up over eating at night cuz I'm starving.

    Need to make some serious changes.

  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,679 Member
    Good morning all!

    We're playing hooky and skipped church this morning. I'm so tired and my daughter has even budged. We didn't get to bed until after midnight. However, I didn't but any food from vendors at the event. We picked up pizza on the way, brought single serve bags of snacks, and a bunch of cut fruit in our cooler. Another friend showed up with 40 chicken nuggets from McD. We kept to our snacks, enjoyed all the things, and the scale is finally moving down again. Yay!!!!

    I have 6.4 lbs to hit my previous low. And 18 lbs to hit my next goal.
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  • harringtona1
    harringtona1 Posts: 86 Member
    Awesome win keeping away from those chicken nuggies!