Daily accountability and check in
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Day 69, keeping the momentum going today.
I've got to commute home which can be tough choice wise. I've got yesterday's salad and quiche to finish for lunch before I leave for the airport.
I've got nuts and bananas for a bit later on before the flight. I've got water in the car for my drive back once I pick it up.
Having a handful of nuts at c3pm yesterday helped me get through the couple of hours to dinner without feeling hungry and helped make better choices which turned out quite tasty.
Have a great day all ✊️3 -
Nuts ARE a fabulous snack, aren't they? Great job. Good luck on commute, and enjoy a lovely dinner, Mikey!0
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Day 70, did well yesterday, stayed within calories and avoided airport food. Also avoided buying new books which I'd convinced myself was a reasonable reward for not buying BK.
Just started the new MFP fibre/gut health programme which is interesting, the podcast I listened to yesterday talked about 100g of pulses/beans and 30g of nuts/seeds so I'm going to incorporate those into my diet. I have chia seeds at the moment with pre prepped porridge, it's got quite a nice taste to it.
I'm going to read through my nutrients following the last few days tracking and see what the gaps are and what I might change.
Plan on listening to the latest feel better live more later during my commute home rather than music. Didn't have a chance this Morning.2 -
^5, you! I love beans/pulses, gl with your new eating program! I bet it's delicious, and I hope it has good results for you, M! Cheers! ~ mk
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Thanks, it's 71 today and I feel like I'm gaining momentum. Did listen to the pod, it's was about inner truth, not sure what I took from it.
Food wise, I'm taking yesterday as a cheat day and acknowledging it, not tracking it though 🤣
I'm sticking with the nuts as a snack, got 30g with me today, probably the afternoon before my commute.
Think I'm gonna check out plant based protein alternatives, I made a good choice after speaking with a colleague a few days ago and would like to explore this more.3 -
I'm on Day 20 of reboot food logging. Good under day yesterday. I'm not following any plan 'per se', atm, just trying to make reasonable choices. Once I feel my groove return, I think I'll probably lean towards the goals I had before I slogged off all fall and winter: trying to have fiber = 14g per 1k cals eaten, 3 cups veggies, 2 cups fruits, and protein = 20% of calories consumed. Buuuutt, I might try to steer towards more plant-based, too, Mikey. Leaning towards investigating a Pescatarian/Mediterranean - ish style of eating. I already lean towards chicken and beans and rice as a few favorites, but I don't have enough fish in my diet, and I have too much cheese, probably. I might look to swap some chicken for more plant-based proteins, and more fish, perhaps.
I did a Prolon 5-day FMD (Fast Mimicking Diet) fast last week, and plan to repeat the 5-day fast monthly, for four Rounds, total, as recommended by Dr. Longo, whose research built the FMD protocol. He's the author of The Longevity Diet, as well. He advocates a 12:12 TRE pattern of IF, and a Pescatarian Diet, along with 5-day FMD Rounds 2-4 times a year (after the initial 3-4 Rounds in 3-4 months cycle). I'm one Round in to the Protocol, and about 2 weeks in to the 12:12 pattern, but haven't adopted the Pescatarian diet on the rest of the month's eating days, yet.
Currently, hubby and I are trying some meal kit deliveries. We do like them, but they include too many whites, no option to swap out some of the white breads or pastas for whole grains, or something else. And hubby picks too much beef for my taste
. But, it's only fair to split up the meal choices. I'm not going to worry about it for now, like I said, working to get a solid foundation under me again. I'll return to examining diet more in a couple mos, maybe sooner. I mean, meal choices aren't terrible now, they're just not optimized/ideal, you know?
Cheers to Mikey, and to Mikey's fellow travelers/readers! ~ mk
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PS - sent you a friend request, @mikeyrowlands 1
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I've never heard of the fast mimicking diet, I'll have to check that out. I struggle with IF just due to the routine and I worry that if I don't eat early on, feeling hungry nudges me in the direction of poor choices.
My wife has jumped on my breakfast bandwagon too now and has ditched microwave porridge pouches.
50g of large/jumbo oats, dumped in a little round tupperware/pot. 30g protein powder (whatever current flavour/brand I have), 10g chia seeds and 3g creatine powder. Just boiling water over the top, perfect for prepping in advance and chucking in my bag on the way to work.
As its Summer (almost) I'd love to be up early enough and sit in the garden with breakfast but I'm up in time to get the bus at 6.45 and that's early enough for me.
We've used hello fresh occasionally but like you, it's hard to make healthy swaps and balance meals. We have talked about it being as cheap as buying/prepping meals each day, depending on how efficient we are.2 -
Sounds like you have a solid breakfast routine going! I'm in Maine - we had a 'taste' of summer this week, but it's back to late fall/early spring temps again. The 10-day forecast has high temps ranging from 57F/14C to 76F/24C. Today will be a high of 72F/22C. In 2 days it'll hit the 14, and in 3 days it'll hit the 24. Bit of a roller coaster coming up ;-).
Did ok yesterday - came in under goal. The FMD fast was a trip, I was pretty nervous and didn't think I could do it. Glad I did! I got a high LDL cholesterol reading in April, so I'm aiming to pull it down with the FMD 4-Round protocol. Next one is coming up on Jun 10. I had originally planned to do 1-day 'resets' weekly, in between Rounds, but the Zoom coach (there are daily Zoom coaching group support sessions, which were awesome) said no Resets the first week after a 5-day. So, next Thursday will be my first 1-day reset. I'm not sure if I'll do a 2nd one before my next 5-day, or just stick with 1 reset in between 5-day rounds. The protocol is supposed to also help improve gut biome, but I have no idea how to measure that 🤷♀️.
Oh, HelloFresh is part of the group of meal kits family that we signed up for. We signed up for their 'Value' offering, b/c the promo was $1.49/meal for your first box, heh. We'd never done meal kit boxes before, so we went with one of the most affordable ones, in case we hated it. This week will be our 3rd box. You're right, that it's more economical to just do a shop. I mean, you're cooking anyway, the meals aren't pre-made. But ... for now, we're having fun trying it out. After the next box, we're going to add another meal per box, and start skipping every other week. It's really a bit overwhelming. I'm not used to cooking so much, lol. I'm interested in trying out some other kits, maybe in a couple mos. HungryRoot, BlueApron, and one my husband was interested in, but I can't think of the name of just now ... 🤔. Anyway .... heh
Happy Saturday! Cheers ~ mk 1 -
mikeyrowlands I use a rowing machine for cardio, my feet are very sore after work and I need more workouts.2
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Day 75, I've had quite a good streak going, not just logging but logging some of my poorer choices. Had a great weekend food wise with a really good range of nutrients eaten.
The FMD is interesting, I did a bit of reading, you've done well to build in that routine. I'm sure what you are doing will bring down the LDL, focusing on the right things is most of the battle.
Rowing machine is a good shout for cardio, I could do with a bit more work on my legs and back, this will definately help. I'll aim to give it a go this week in the gym.
My aim for this week is 3 fold.
- Sleep, 8 hours as many days as I can
- Reduce the number of snacks, these aren't great at the moment.
- Attend the gym, once, twice if possible.4 -
mikeyrowlands wrote: »Day 75, I've had quite a good streak going, not just logging but logging some of my poorer choices. Had a great weekend food wise with a really good range of nutrients eaten.
The FMD is interesting, I did a bit of reading, you've done well to build in that routine. I'm sure what you are doing will bring down the LDL, focusing on the right things is most of the battle.
Rowing machine is a good shout for cardio, I could do with a bit more work on my legs and back, this will definately help. I'll aim to give it a go this week in the gym.
My aim for this week is 3 fold.
- Sleep, 8 hours as many days as I can
- Reduce the number of snacks, these aren't great at the moment.
- Attend the gym, once, twice if possible.
You are 51 days in front of me. Today is my Day 24 of reboot food logging and (incrementally) healthier lifestyle choices pursuit. The FMD intrigued me as well. I won't know until I re-do my labs in November, if it worked. But I feel like it should, if it worked in clinical trials, right? And yes, ur correct - focusing on the right things is def most of the battle. At least keeping it in mind spurs some better choices, day to day, week to week, and it should build on each other, leading to improved condition, hopefully 🤞.
You can make the gym once this week, Mikey, you got this! And I bet you can cut out at least 2 snacks this week, too. Sleep .... yea, that's a bit harder, innit? GL, I'm rooting for you! Cheers, mk 2 -
Thx for the journey shares... ups/downs so normal. We develop resilience through going more, again, and you are persistently continuing. Glad to hear you are feeling momentum.
Re Chia seeds, i enjoy also in soups and yogurt (which has a bit of a tapioca and raspberry mouth feel.)
Speaking of a daily thing to read.... I like to do that too. In the course of real, enduring change, we leave off old things and embrace new things, ideas, core beliefs by exploring the new things.
If you are up to a book, a fellow, Alan Zadoff wrote 'Hungry' -the book is maybe 28 chapters. Each brief chapter is 1 idea/thing he learned/changed as he lost 125 lbs and kept it off.
Easy, humorous read. Not sure if available other than paperback, but maybe.
Was a profound read for me, kept 1/2 doz of the ideas. Contemplated 1 idea/chapter every few days as to how it might help now, or later or not for me.3 -
Day 81, was our anniversary this weekend, 16 years together and 11 married, not bad going. Haven't tracked as much as I should over the weekend but made some great choices.
Stopped drinking after a couple, drank water instead. Mostly decent food with some cheat choices thrown in.
Didn't make the gym, I feel too tired/drained on my way home, should have gone yesterday but chose to be lazy. We go again this week, just a swim or half hour on the rowing machine.
I'm keeping a great little field notes journal to track habits I want to change. 6.6 average hours sleep last month, way too low.
I'll check out that book, sounds like the perfect commute read. I've also been reading a bit of stoicism, Meditations.4 -
Day 1. A few years ago I lost 75 pounds. I gained about 40 back because life decided to throw a few curve balls my way. For some reason, I am really struggling to stay motivated enough to lose the weight. Last time it was so easy for me. Now, I don't know why it's so difficult.3
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Hello Mikey.
Good on you for sharing your health journey. Love that. from Annie3 -
Motivation is the issue I have, I was thinking on it this Morning, my job can be mentally draining (as can many) but what really nails me, is my commute, I leave the office and walk for the bus, it is usually rammed and takes the best part of an hour for what should be a 10 min journey, by the time I arrive home, I feel braindead and find it too easy to eat junk. Going to the gym is a challenge by that point too.
So, I'm gonna try eating the nuts I've been preparing, 30g or so per day. Specifically on the bus with the last of my water.
I'm gonna prepare some poke type lunches with some round tupperware I've just picked up.
8 hours tonight
I'm gonna try and pick my gym stuff up and go straight out. Thursday I'll leave it in the car at the bus stop so I can go straight there.
Was reading a number of articles today and yesterday about the rise of colon cancer due to sugars and processed foods. More inspiration to keep making changes.3 -
mikeyrowlands wrote: »Day 81, was our anniversary this weekend, 16 years together and 11 married, not bad going. Haven't tracked as much as I should over the weekend but made some great choices.
Stopped drinking after a couple, drank water instead. Mostly decent food with some cheat choices thrown in.
Didn't make the gym, I feel too tired/drained on my way home, should have gone yesterday but chose to be lazy. We go again this week, just a swim or half hour on the rowing machine.
I'm keeping a great little field notes journal to track habits I want to change. 6.6 average hours sleep last month, way too low.
I'll check out that book, sounds like the perfect commute read. I've also been reading a bit of stoicism, Meditations.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Day 35 of food logging, Day 68 of 'fake stepping' my way to 10k steps/day (knee injury). Getting ready to do my 2nd Round of Prolon FMD Fast Mimicking Diet 5-day fasts (I have a 4-month bundle of boxes).
I did my 2nd 1-day Reset FMD Fast on Thursday. It was chilly (for June) and drizzly, here in Maine, so it was good weather for herbal teas and FMD vegetable soups.
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mikeyrowlands wrote: »Motivation is the issue I have, I was thinking on it this Morning, my job can be mentally draining (as can many) but what really nails me, is my commute, I leave the office and walk for the bus, it is usually rammed and takes the best part of an hour for what should be a 10 min journey, by the time I arrive home, I feel braindead and find it too easy to eat junk. Going to the gym is a challenge by that point too.
So, I'm gonna try eating the nuts I've been preparing, 30g or so per day. Specifically on the bus with the last of my water.
I'm gonna prepare some poke type lunches with some round tupperware I've just picked up.
8 hours tonight
I'm gonna try and pick my gym stuff up and go straight out. Thursday I'll leave it in the car at the bus stop so I can go straight there.
Was reading a number of articles today and yesterday about the rise of colon cancer due to sugars and processed foods. More inspiration to keep making changes.
I love the way you identify what is your current obstacle / challenge, and game out options to overcome it. You're going to succeed, Mikey Rowlands. That's the mindset of a success in the making.
Cheers.
PS - soooooo low energy today. Glad I visited your uplifting thread 1 -
Day 91, the poke boxes are really nice, I've found some pre prepared ones also in the local discount supermarket so I've been sampling them.
A handful of nuts on the bus definately helps as does drinking more water.
I'm enjoying reading a bit of stoicism, the below I've written in my field notes and reflect in daily, it's not just the 'getting up' it's the daily work on one's self, making life better, it puts me in check every Morning.
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So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
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Also goes on to say this about rest.
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But it is necessary to take rest also—It is necessary: however nature has fixed bounds to this too: she has fixed bounds both to eating and drinking, and yet thou goest beyond these bounds, beyond what is sufficient
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Today will be 3l water, I'm going to do 10k steps (I feel a bit achy after sitting on calls all day) and I'm going to munch some nuts during my commute and read, no social or shorts.
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Fascinating!
I'm in Round 2 of my Prolon FMD Fast. Day 4 of 5. The back half of D4, and all of D5, were the easiest last Round. You're in Autophagy by D4 (hopefully), so you're not really hungry or foggy-brained anymore. I am tired a bit tho, so hopefully early to bed tonight. 👍🏻
Way to change your commute from an empty well to something that 💪🏻 you. Cheers! :-)1 -
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Hope the MFD went well, can't underestimate the benefit of good sleep, I chase it constantly.
So, it's 103, I was hoping to celebrate/announce 100 but have been in London. Definately eating and drinking way too much, although a much needed work break.
If only steps were the be all - 18k, 9k, 23k, 13k, 15k, 11k, 7k. You wouldn't think I had bone spurs and tendinitis in both ankles.
Reflecting on this thread, it's been great to follow mkksemail tackling the MFD and the regular check ins have been much appreciated 😃
It has given me a place to drop in after journaling and try and stay on track, sometimes its like the paddle in my hand while trying to ride up the creek 🤣
So, the next 100 days, I've got to make some physical progress, I'm not getting any younger and it'll be harder to attain a level of fitness.
Back to tracking today.
Gym tonight hopefully.
8 hours sleep.
The below was today's Stoicism. This really resonates in the sense of the 'ruling power' if I put my body to work and treat it well, it will respond in kind to the challenges of life.
When I let life grind me down and wear me out, there are no resources to fight back.
It is like a fire mastering all that fall into it.
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Wherever it is in agreement with nature, the ruling power within us takes a flexible approach to circumstances, always adapting itself easily to both practicality and the given event, It has no favoured material for its work, but sets out on its objects in a conditional way, turning any obstacle into material for its own use. It is like a fire mastering whatever falls into it. A small flame would be extinguished, but a bright fire rapidly claims as its own all that is heaped on it, devours it all, and leaps up yet higher in consequence.
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Keep up the good work. Consistency and not giving up is the key. If you don’t meet your goals just keep going, doing better next week. What helped me was breaking everything down into smaller goals. Concentrating on the next 10 lbs at a time instead of the big picture, making my goal 8,000 steps instead of 10,000 ,I usually am over 10;000 but when I am not it’s still a win, telling myself just do 10 mins of exercise ( when I don’t feel like it) anyone can do 10 mins but I almost always do more once I get going, also instead of cutting out snacks I replace my old snacks with better options, ex instead of ice cream a frozen fruit bar, instead of chips popcorn ……….the sleep thing I can’t seem to tackle , it’s a work in progress. Thanks for sharing your journey. I hope this helps5
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plan to check on this book, mentioned above "Alan Zadoff "'Hungry'" 📖📚📖
it never hurts to grab more motivation --thanks for sharing OP.2 -
Thanks, I'll check that book out, just picked up a physical copy of ultra processed people at Euston. Love a good self help book that can sit on my shelf unread.
Making small gains and focusing on small goals is a great idea and a good way of avoiding the feeling of such an uphill battle. Missed all 4 yesterday, had a lovely dinner made by my wife, then snacked, stayed up way too late and did not go to the gym.
I was reflecting yesterday, having had a good week off and feeling refreshed, I am mentally drained doing what I do, my cup drains daily and by the time I get back home, it's harder to make good choices while I try to refil it.
Those goals yesterday are still very very valid but I need a re-direction, so I feel like I enjoy my days and not so drained, after all, I'm not getting another go around and nobody is gonna thank me for 'sticking it out'.
Just don't know what that is yet, still waiting to grow up and decide haha.4 -
109, listening this Morning to a podcast with Dr Georgia Ede, about processed foods and the effect on glucose levels and also vegetable oils, really interesting. A good motivator to reduce them. My wife had bought a tasty looking cheesecake last night and I managed to avoid having a slice.
Instead, I took my field notes for July up to bed and did some journaling.
Increased my average sleep from 6.3 to 6.6 hours on average, I think that this was boosted by a week of holiday where I was able to sleep in.
I'm trying to decrease my screen time (the field notes is great for this) it went up from 5.5 to 6, probably due to the traveling for work and holiday.
I'm definately back on the tracking wagon today, starting with my delicious breakfast that I've loved for a while now and ideal for work.
50g of steel cut oats in a little glass jar, 30g of protein powder, 3g of creatine and a large sprinkle of chia seeds, so tasty and sets me up decently for the day.
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Ive read all your posts as i need inspiration to get started again today. Winter in Australia makes it way harder to keep moving. It was also my birthday last week so i overate and drank the entire time. Im going to try your breakfast today to get started! Thanks for the inspo x3
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No problem, glad they helped, I sometimes feel like I'm shouting at the clouds.
Happy Birthday, glad you enjoyed it, life is too short not to. I did the same in London last week.
The breakfast is great, I use hot water instead of milk which means I can take them to work and I can use a decent amount of oats, so it's more Nutritional than the pots.
Tracked myself yesterday and stayed within, prepped my gym stuff for later with the intention of going straight there for some cardio, either swimming or row machine.
I was well hydrated yesterday and ate well, I could actually feel my soul leaving my body as I left work, this is where I find it hardest and it sets the scene for my evening. Hence my plan to try going straight to the gym from the commute.
I'm travelling tomorrow for work which often makes it harder but I can plan for that with ideas and healthy food from the supermarket instead of fast food. I can also take a pair of shorts as there is a decent pool to do a few laps.
I'm going to put 17.7 here as its my new starting point and I want to keep myself honest. I think this is just shy of my 'heaviest', but it'll come back off if I do the work.
I ca2 -
111, tracked and maintained twice so far this week. Also made a point of getting better sleep, particularly last night knowing I was up early today.
I didn't make the gym, bus was delayed and busy, I wanted to get back, sort my suitcase for today and eat, which I did, my wife had made a lovely salmon with potatoes and broccoli, ready just as I got home.
Up for an early train today, nabbed a banana and bottle of water on my way. I'll have to think about lunch but I'm gonna try and pick up something vegetarian for dinner with a box salad.
Breakfast will be a challenge tomorrow as it a cooked buffet, but they do have scrambled eggs so I'll aim to have a bowl of fruit with yogurt and a small plate of eggs.
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