minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

Hey WeightNoMores! Welcome to July August September October (already???). I'm Ashley, I'll be one of your two co-captains here to guide you through the month (and even longer, if you'll stick around with us).

While most of this information has been copied and pasted, I have updated some of my information to be more current and accurate. And if there are any questions, any at all, please do not hesitate to ask. I'm more than willing to talk about my struggles, my digestive tract, my sleep schedule, how starting a new relationship stresses me about because there are very few healthy date foods and I don't want to look like that person, how lifting heavy saves me from potentially beating up my coworkers, stress baking, stress eating... you get the idea.

There's a lot of content here, and it's spoilered, so it doesn't make a long post even longer. You get to pick and choose what you read.

~ THE BASICS ~

Name: Ashley
Age: 28
Pronouns: she/her
Location: Ohio, USA
Occupation: Chemical Engineer
Height: 5'7"
Highest Weight: 234lbs
Current Weight: 179lbs
Lowest Weight: 6lb 10oz (August 28th, 1995)
Medical Diagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis

~ MY HEALTH STORY ~

I grew up in a Clean Plates Club™ household, with the idea that food could stuff down any emotion and mask any discomfort. This led to being bullied as a child, expecting people to be mean to me in middle and high school (and then being mean to people first so they didn't have the chance), having an identity crisis in college, and being scared (ahem) poopless after a doctor told me I was on the edge of being pre-diabetic.

I used this fear to catapult me into fitness, starting with indoor cycling classes. I expanded into trying out OrangeTheory, Barry's Bootcamp, F45, and numerous smaller boutique fitness studios. Eventually, I landed on a nice gym that offers group fitness but also allows you to use their equipment for your own personal use. That, combined with having a personal training session once a week, and dropping into group fitness studios from time to time, has led me to have a balanced fitness routine.

In the middle of me getting my (ahem) stuff together, November 2019, I had my first major Multiple Sclerosis relapse and could not feel half of my body. At the time, I had no diagnosis and did not know what was going on outside of the sensation of pins and needles on my left side. After playing a rousing game of Musical Neurologists™, I found a doctor who did not believe my condition to be severe anxiety. He ordered an MRI and a spinal tap, and I was on my way. 14 vials of blood, 2 MRIs, and one spinal tap later, I had a diagnosis. My symptoms are mostly manageable, and my active lifestyle along with reasonably healthy eating has allowed me to continue on with my life without much interruption. My next MRI is in a week, and I hope it shows no further deterioration, as there is currently no cure for MS.

And now? Now I'm focused on building muscle, maintaining my cardiovascular health, and holding back the icky side effects of the autoimmune disorder. Losing weight would be fantastic, but it's not my focus anymore. I'm also studying to become a certified personal trainer, with the intent to make fitness more accessible for those with chronic illness. I've just gotten through the base level nutrition section, and oh boy, do I have some new fun facts bouncing around in my brain.

~ FUN NUMBERS ~

Number of Spin Classes Attended: 1160
Deadlift Personal Best: 180 lbs
Fastest Mile Run: 6m 11s
Percent Body Fat: 25.7%
Times "Started Over": Too High to Count

~ THINGS TO KNOW ~

• I am also a moderator for F2F, so if something doesn't look right, you can let me know and I'll take care of it.
• As a chemical engineer, I am VERY familiar with a lot of the chemicals we put into our bodies, and numbers are my friends. I also do research for a living. You want facts? I'm your girl. I am always (ALWAYS) happy to explain the science behind something.
• I used to have a blog on MFP before they removed the blog feature. I didn't save everything I ever wrote, but you can find some of it here: LINK
• I am an open book. You want to know about life with MS? Just ask. You want to know when my last bowel movement was? Just ask. You want my maple donut cookie recipe? Just ask. There is not a single topic I am unwilling to chat about - all it takes is asking the right questions.

~ RECENT DRAMA (CONTAINS DRESS PICTURE!) ~

One of my childhood friends is getting got married on September 23rd. Her bachelorette party was in June. She planned it herself, because she wanted it to be perfect. And when she sent out the agenda/packing list, she also sent out a dress code.

The dress code body shamed a good half of her friends.

Don't believe me? She sent out a second message, to just a select group of us, which started with "And to my curvier friends..."

Her rules included gems such as:

• No lace
• No mesh
• No cutouts
• No dresses shorter than just above the knee
• No heels higher than 2.5 inches
• No strapless outfits
• No one-shoulder outfits
• No distracting cleavage

I intentionally broke several of her rules, but not in a way that would ruin any of her photos. She elaborated at one point, claiming that her rules were for aesthetic purposes - this didn't help her case.

(For context, she has been very body-shamey for most of her life. There have been a lot of comments to me about my figure, about how I must have loved food more than the idea of being loved, fun things like that. Similar comments have been made to (and about) others. And over the years, I have done my best to make her recognize that she's doing this, but she slips back into old tendencies from time to time. I don't think this is because she actively wants to hurt anyone, but because she hasn't needed to be considerate of anyone else for the majority of her life, a luxury I've never had. She can learn. I hope.)

And now the plan is was to get a spite body. It's similar to a revenge body after a break-up, but this time, it's driven by spite. Maybe it's not the healthiest motivator, but it's certainly a fun one.

UDPATE - August: I've ordered a bunch of potential dresses for her wedding, and there's one I'm excited about. It's slightly smaller than I am right now, but I'm hoping I can fit into it in time. I've got a little less than two months. Send me all the fat-burning vibes you've got.

UPDATE - September: The dress mostly fits. It's got a corset back, so I can't lace it all the way up on my own without dislocating my shoulder, but I can guarantee there's enough ribbon to fully lace it.

UPDATE - October: The wedding was fun! The bride was less of a problem than expected, one of our mutual friends was more of a problem than expected. I was not anticipating needing to remind my friend that she doesn't need to look like what she did in high school, and had a hard time navigating her "I want to eat whatever I want without limitation" mentality combined with her hatred for exercise (which I assume is because she hasn't done much of it and doesn't like the idea of being "bad" at something).

In a more positive note, here's how I looked in my dress (the bride is also in this picture, and she looked incredible and glowing and excited, I was so happy for her!):

~ CURRENT STRUGGLES ~

My weight has been slowly increasing over the past year. And even though I know there's been quite a bit of muscle growth, and plenty of sources of water retention, it's getting to me.

In an attempt to quell my anxieties, I ordered a new scale.

I know what you're thinking. Obsessing over my weight even more will not help.

But that's not why I ordered a new scale. This new scale has a couple built in features I'm excited to try out, tracking a dozen more metrics than a standard scale, including BMI, body fat percentages, muscle mass, etc. I am hoping (HOPING) that these new numbers will help me re-center myself and trust that this slow process is working for me, that my plan to build muscle to increase my basal metabolic rate (BMR) while losing fat from a slight caloric deficit has been benefitting me.

Because sure, my BMI claims I'm overweight. It's been decades since I haven't been overweight. But I know I'm more muscular than I've ever been at 180lbs, and I've been here several times before. And I know I can do far more than I ever could previously.

So, it's going to be okay. But my brain needs a few more numbers, just a little more data, before it believes that.

UPDATE - OCTOBER: The new scale was incredibly helpful. Here's what I posted soon after testing it out:

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

~ New NSV!!! ~

I mentioned in my long rambling post about myself that I ordered a new scale to better track the numbers in a way that matters, and oh boy was that a smart idea. I have the results of the InBody scan I did way back in May last year, when I was actively participating in a challenge at my gym at the time, F45. And while there are some things to be wary of when comparing two different methods of obtaining these numbers, I am still ridiculously proud of how far I've come.

Let's take a look...

May 9th, 2022

Weight - 177.1 lbs
BMI - 27.7 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle Mass - 74.3 lbs

September 8th, 2023

Weight - 179.4 lbs
BMI - 28.2 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle Mass - 88.2 lbs

But what does this mean?

So here's the thing. My weight went up. For a lot of people, this is a huge no-no. And because my weight went up, so did my BMI, because BMI is based solely on weight and height, not levels of health. I wrote a blog post back in the days when MFP still had the blog feature (I was smart and made a copy of this blog, so if you want to read it, you can click here).

But let me draw your attention to what I'm actually proud of: Skeletal Muscle Mass. According to what my special scale told me this morning, I've gained almost 14 whole pounds of muscle over the past 16 months. And if I gained 14 pounds of muscle, but only 2 pounds of weight, that also means I've lost approximately 12 pounds of fat, give or take a pound or two to account for hydration levels and how much heavier my hair may have gotten.

All of this is to say that the number on the scale isn't the whole picture. I can already see a couple issues I have with the measurements my new scale has taken, because there's way too many variables that could affect the values they're giving me, but it's a lovely way to compare my values one day to my values on another, and that's a better picture than a standard weight-only scale could ever provide.

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

Hey WeightNoMores! Welcome to July August September October (already???). I'm Ashley, I'll be one of your two co-captains here to guide you through the month (and even longer, if you'll stick around with us).

While most of this information has been copied and pasted, I have updated some of my information to be more current and accurate. And if there are any questions, any at all, please do not hesitate to ask. I'm more than willing to talk about my struggles, my digestive tract, my sleep schedule, how starting a new relationship stresses me about because there are very few healthy date foods and I don't want to look like that person, how lifting heavy saves me from potentially beating up my coworkers, stress baking, stress eating... you get the idea.

There's a lot of content here, and it's spoilered, so it doesn't make a long post even longer. You get to pick and choose what you read.

~ THE BASICS ~

Name: Ashley
Age: 28
Pronouns: she/her
Location: Ohio, USA
Occupation: Chemical Engineer
Height: 5'7"
Highest Weight: 234lbs
Current Weight: 179lbs
Lowest Weight: 6lb 10oz (August 28th, 1995)
Medical Diagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis

~ MY HEALTH STORY ~

I grew up in a Clean Plates Club™ household, with the idea that food could stuff down any emotion and mask any discomfort. This led to being bullied as a child, expecting people to be mean to me in middle and high school (and then being mean to people first so they didn't have the chance), having an identity crisis in college, and being scared (ahem) poopless after a doctor told me I was on the edge of being pre-diabetic.

I used this fear to catapult me into fitness, starting with indoor cycling classes. I expanded into trying out OrangeTheory, Barry's Bootcamp, F45, and numerous smaller boutique fitness studios. Eventually, I landed on a nice gym that offers group fitness but also allows you to use their equipment for your own personal use. That, combined with having a personal training session once a week, and dropping into group fitness studios from time to time, has led me to have a balanced fitness routine.

In the middle of me getting my (ahem) stuff together, November 2019, I had my first major Multiple Sclerosis relapse and could not feel half of my body. At the time, I had no diagnosis and did not know what was going on outside of the sensation of pins and needles on my left side. After playing a rousing game of Musical Neurologists™, I found a doctor who did not believe my condition to be severe anxiety. He ordered an MRI and a spinal tap, and I was on my way. 14 vials of blood, 2 MRIs, and one spinal tap later, I had a diagnosis. My symptoms are mostly manageable, and my active lifestyle along with reasonably healthy eating has allowed me to continue on with my life without much interruption. My next MRI is in a week, and I hope it shows no further deterioration, as there is currently no cure for MS.

And now? Now I'm focused on building muscle, maintaining my cardiovascular health, and holding back the icky side effects of the autoimmune disorder. Losing weight would be fantastic, but it's not my focus anymore. I'm also studying to become a certified personal trainer, with the intent to make fitness more accessible for those with chronic illness. I've just gotten through the base level nutrition section, and oh boy, do I have some new fun facts bouncing around in my brain.

~ FUN NUMBERS ~

Number of Spin Classes Attended: 1160
Deadlift Personal Best: 180 lbs
Fastest Mile Run: 6m 11s
Percent Body Fat: 25.7%
Times "Started Over": Too High to Count

~ THINGS TO KNOW ~

• I am also a moderator for F2F, so if something doesn't look right, you can let me know and I'll take care of it.
• As a chemical engineer, I am VERY familiar with a lot of the chemicals we put into our bodies, and numbers are my friends. I also do research for a living. You want facts? I'm your girl. I am always (ALWAYS) happy to explain the science behind something.
• I used to have a blog on MFP before they removed the blog feature. I didn't save everything I ever wrote, but you can find some of it here: LINK
• I am an open book. You want to know about life with MS? Just ask. You want to know when my last bowel movement was? Just ask. You want my maple donut cookie recipe? Just ask. There is not a single topic I am unwilling to chat about - all it takes is asking the right questions.

~ RECENT DRAMA (CONTAINS DRESS PICTURE!) ~

One of my childhood friends is getting got married on September 23rd. Her bachelorette party was in June. She planned it herself, because she wanted it to be perfect. And when she sent out the agenda/packing list, she also sent out a dress code.

The dress code body shamed a good half of her friends.

Don't believe me? She sent out a second message, to just a select group of us, which started with "And to my curvier friends..."

Her rules included gems such as:

• No lace
• No mesh
• No cutouts
• No dresses shorter than just above the knee
• No heels higher than 2.5 inches
• No strapless outfits
• No one-shoulder outfits
• No distracting cleavage

I intentionally broke several of her rules, but not in a way that would ruin any of her photos. She elaborated at one point, claiming that her rules were for aesthetic purposes - this didn't help her case.

(For context, she has been very body-shamey for most of her life. There have been a lot of comments to me about my figure, about how I must have loved food more than the idea of being loved, fun things like that. Similar comments have been made to (and about) others. And over the years, I have done my best to make her recognize that she's doing this, but she slips back into old tendencies from time to time. I don't think this is because she actively wants to hurt anyone, but because she hasn't needed to be considerate of anyone else for the majority of her life, a luxury I've never had. She can learn. I hope.)

And now the plan is was to get a spite body. It's similar to a revenge body after a break-up, but this time, it's driven by spite. Maybe it's not the healthiest motivator, but it's certainly a fun one.

UDPATE - August: I've ordered a bunch of potential dresses for her wedding, and there's one I'm excited about. It's slightly smaller than I am right now, but I'm hoping I can fit into it in time. I've got a little less than two months. Send me all the fat-burning vibes you've got.

UPDATE - September: The dress mostly fits. It's got a corset back, so I can't lace it all the way up on my own without dislocating my shoulder, but I can guarantee there's enough ribbon to fully lace it.

UPDATE - October: The wedding was fun! The bride was less of a problem than expected, one of our mutual friends was more of a problem than expected. I was not anticipating needing to remind my friend that she doesn't need to look like what she did in high school, and had a hard time navigating her "I want to eat whatever I want without limitation" mentality combined with her hatred for exercise (which I assume is because she hasn't done much of it and doesn't like the idea of being "bad" at something).

In a more positive note, here's how I looked in my dress (the bride is also in this picture, and she looked incredible and glowing and excited, I was so happy for her!):

~ CURRENT STRUGGLES ~

My weight has been slowly increasing over the past year. And even though I know there's been quite a bit of muscle growth, and plenty of sources of water retention, it's getting to me.

In an attempt to quell my anxieties, I ordered a new scale.

I know what you're thinking. Obsessing over my weight even more will not help.

But that's not why I ordered a new scale. This new scale has a couple built in features I'm excited to try out, tracking a dozen more metrics than a standard scale, including BMI, body fat percentages, muscle mass, etc. I am hoping (HOPING) that these new numbers will help me re-center myself and trust that this slow process is working for me, that my plan to build muscle to increase my basal metabolic rate (BMR) while losing fat from a slight caloric deficit has been benefitting me.

Because sure, my BMI claims I'm overweight. It's been decades since I haven't been overweight. But I know I'm more muscular than I've ever been at 180lbs, and I've been here several times before. And I know I can do far more than I ever could previously.

So, it's going to be okay. But my brain needs a few more numbers, just a little more data, before it believes that.

UPDATE - OCTOBER: The new scale was incredibly helpful. Here's what I posted soon after testing it out:

minstrelofsarcasm wrote: »

~ New NSV!!! ~

I mentioned in my long rambling post about myself that I ordered a new scale to better track the numbers in a way that matters, and oh boy was that a smart idea. I have the results of the InBody scan I did way back in May last year, when I was actively participating in a challenge at my gym at the time, F45. And while there are some things to be wary of when comparing two different methods of obtaining these numbers, I am still ridiculously proud of how far I've come.

Let's take a look...

May 9th, 2022

Weight - 177.1 lbs
BMI - 27.7 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle Mass - 74.3 lbs

September 8th, 2023

Weight - 179.4 lbs
BMI - 28.2 kg/m2
Skeletal Muscle Mass - 88.2 lbs

But what does this mean?

So here's the thing. My weight went up. For a lot of people, this is a huge no-no. And because my weight went up, so did my BMI, because BMI is based solely on weight and height, not levels of health. I wrote a blog post back in the days when MFP still had the blog feature (I was smart and made a copy of this blog, so if you want to read it, you can click here).

But let me draw your attention to what I'm actually proud of: Skeletal Muscle Mass. According to what my special scale told me this morning, I've gained almost 14 whole pounds of muscle over the past 16 months. And if I gained 14 pounds of muscle, but only 2 pounds of weight, that also means I've lost approximately 12 pounds of fat, give or take a pound or two to account for hydration levels and how much heavier my hair may have gotten.

All of this is to say that the number on the scale isn't the whole picture. I can already see a couple issues I have with the measurements my new scale has taken, because there's way too many variables that could affect the values they're giving me, but it's a lovely way to compare my values one day to my values on another, and that's a better picture than a standard weight-only scale could ever provide.

sydditt wrote: »

Hi - I’m Syd -

This is my first month here. Very excited as I love a challenge, and I’m hoping it will make me stick to my plan. I’m 48 with a desk job and have had the hardest time losing weight. I’ll lose a few pounds and then immediately gain them all back. I lost a bunch of weight 17 years ago using calorie counting, but that doesn’t seem to be working so well now.

So - I’ve started counting macros. So far so good. I’m actually sticking to it. Mostly because it takes me so long to plan out my food for the day that I don’t want to ruin it all with a piece of candy at work. I’m sure it will get easier! Also, I’ve started adding in more weight lifting and less intense cardio. We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway - nice to meet you all!

melaniedscott wrote: »

I think I forgot my weigh in for the end of Sept...but here are my (poor) steps:

Sun: 1523
Mon: 2531
Tues: 3572
Wed: 4696
Thurs: 2715
Fri: 2334
Sat: 1000

And...I'm still missing steps for four of our Sept step team...