HoneyBadger302 Member

It's never just ONE thing - one thing is able to be overcome with just a tiny bit of determination. My struggles hit the hardest when the challenges stack up. Not saying they are excuses, just a lot to balance. In my case:* Juggling the day job; part time job (adds activity to my days, but also takes up time); and starting…

So, let me start off by pointing out that "healthy" does not have to be "tasteless and dry" which is what is spoken to in the OP. I'm guessing, there is a mental bias that something "delicious" can't also be "healthy" but that couldn't be further from the truth. A good selection of spices, herbs, and things like the right…

46, peri hit me like a freight train (looking back it started earlier, but things started to get bad around 44-45, but had no clue that's what was going on until earlier this year). Treating that is helping with my energy and motivation and sleep, which is making getting back into the gym a lot easier. Joint…

Sort of - I prefer a TDEE method where I average my weekly expenditure and calories so I'm eating roughly the same amount each day. This does require consistency working out and may require adjusting over time, but I find I'm much more able to be consistent with food if I know about how much I get each day (also makes meal…

@jackkro re: HRT improvements - some of the things were quick resolutions (sleep; night sweats - although I still need the room pretty cool; ADHD; rage; "incontinence" - just leaks/drips when using/about to use the bathroom). Other things have been a much more "slow burn" improvement. Energy is improving despite the time…

Hope everyone is starting off on the right foot and had a great weekend! One week down on the barn chores, which are definitely good activity, and the steady, low stress extra income is nice too. Yesterday had a NSV when I waited/skipped breakfast knowing I was planning to eat out at lunch. Then, as I did enjoy a delicious…

First full week at the barn this week (well, full as in my schedule there which is 4 evening chores days). It definitely helps me get my steps in on those days LOL, and while there's not a bunch of heavy lifting, there's lots of repetitive lifting (buckets, blankets, hay, etc) - and the horses there are pretty sweet, and…

Had a good weekend, although riding a great track like Polecat Training Center also highlights just how out of shape I am overall - it's an awesome track, but also a lot of work without too many places where you get a "break" for a few seconds, so it points out where your weaknesses are pretty quickly. Good thing was I…

I believe this is a very complicated subject. Mind you, I'm only in my mid 40's right now, but I believe the factors are much broader than just exercise+food+age.* As I've aged, I've gotten more professional positions, which also means a lot more sitting throughout my day (trying to counteract some of that with a walking…

Great job on everything you are doing (despite life's problems) Sherry! I'm on the mend from a bit of mental recovery (very long story irrelevant to anything here otherwise), and stepping back on the bandwagon. Landed a new p/t gig at a local barn - will help me get my steps in if nothing else, and I enjoy being around the…

Final quarter of the year - at this point my annual goal is impossible (in any kind of healthy and sustainable way) but I also have dealt with a lot of "unforeseen" health-related items that I seem to be successfully resolving thus far. So this last quarter is to get my "healthy habits" back to being the norm instead of…

I just had my 10 week check in. Sleep evened out, and I am naturally waking up before my alarm most days, getting sleepy at a good time, and overall sleeping much better than I have in 5+ years. Have not touched a sleep aid. A couple nights here or there my sleep wasn't great, but it wasn't night after night. Still having…

At your size, gaining muscle is going to require eating more, or a very very slow recomp, which will take a lot of time (think months or years, not weeks). That is a fair bit of activity to try and only eat 1200 kcal - perhaps your goal is a bit aggressive? Shooting for more like 1 pound/month may make the entire process a…

Yes, I'm using Libra (have off and on for years), which is how I've typically baselined myself even with workouts and wooshes, but this bloating is just plain old special right now LOL. Hoping the tweaks to the HRT will help bring it back under some better control over the next couple months, but in the meantime, wanted to…

This is perfect, thank you!! Historically I've just based it on results over time and tweaking if needed, but the past year or so the bloating is so wildly all over place, now that I have the energy to "do the right things" again, it's practically making it impossible to really tell if I'm on the right track or not. This…

Personally, you do you. I have no intention of marrying again, and honestly wasn't ready the first time, but (what has proven to be extremely toxic and abusive) parenting basically forced me to either marry or stay under their control. We were "in love" and he wasn't a bad person, I just didn't feel ready - I would have…

This group has stayed at least minimally active for a while now, although like many groups tends to go up and down. Another group I have been a part of long before they moved to MFP is the BLC (Biggest Loser Challenge) which has a team (the Power Prism Panthers) who are more focused on maintenance and personal goals than…

As an update: On my 10th week of HRT, just had my check in with my doc and we're adjusting a couple things to help with the still outstanding issues. Obviously will be a couple/few more months before those can be judged. In the meantime, however, there have been some major improvements in additional areas, I think mostly…

If money wasn't a factor, yes, I would. I've worked loosely with coaches here and there, but the monthly fees I've just never been able to justify, even at a good price, it seems like most are over $200/month (or more) and just more than I feel I have to spend in addition to everything else I'd already be spending on food,…

So I had a blood pressure scare a couple years ago. Went in to donate plasma, and was told I couldn't because my bp was too high. I asked what "too high" was - and about fell out of the chair when she told me. Bought a blood pressure cuff and started monitoring it, and started some small but very impactful lifestyle…

Well, seeing as though I am no master of maintenance, nor have I reached my goal weight, and have yo-yo'd from 5-20 pounds from where I want to be, take this with a big old pile of salt lol. I do NOT meal plan. I find with my ADHD, the time and effort involved, then trying to keep up with it, just doesn't happen. I tried…

Sherry, where do you find all the emojis? Or are you on mobile? For the next 12 weeks (well, 11 now) I'm really embracing my BLC challenge. I don't feel up to a 75 Hard right now, but definitely need to get myself back in line, so that is a good in-between. Hormones are better, but still not 100% and I'm also focusing on…

The last time I was about to drop a pants size and go shopping again was when covid hit, and much of my life fell to pieces at the time, so I still had my 'fat' clothes (which were one size larger than I would wear at my preferred size). Then, perimenopause hit hard and fast the past couple years, and while the scale only…

Personally, no. I don't appreciate how I look in one, I would not feel confident, and therefore, I wouldn't. Even when I was around my ideal weight I didn't feel all that confident in one if I ate or drank anything that day ("alien" belly runs in the family). Currently carrying 15-20-ish extra pounds (which mostly land…

I got one off Amazon for like $150 iirc. It doesn't go fast enough to run on (slow jog is okay), but is long enough for a full stride and then some, is fairly easy to move around, and so far has worked great. AirHot is the brand. I've had it for 9 months at this point, no issues with it. I don't use it for hours a day, I…

If you have full ROM and things are working normally, isolate each leg and work them the same amount. Anything that uses both legs, REALLY watch out for favoring the 'bad' leg, as it's very easy to do. I had a pilon fracture 7 years ago, and have limited ROM in that ankle (perma fubared), and that calf in particular just…

I was in my best shape and closest to my goal 'weight' I have been just before covid - the summer/fall preceding it I was on a roll in that regard. During covid I was so preoccupied with my financial situation, gyms being closed, and all of that my fitness and eating started to slide a bit. Then peri started (unbeknownst…

Great ideas so far, I'll have to look into some of the bread alternatives - I'm not big on baked goods in general, but sometimes it's handy to have them (I have to freeze bread if I buy it though because I don't come close to eating it in time, and I get the Dave's thin sliced, so it's not cheap). @iradi8 sent a friend…

Looks like ann had a great resource there specifically for pesticide residue. Personally, as my grocery budget has some wiggle room, but it's limited, I tend to follow the "skin to lips" which is just to say that the more outer surface area of a food that I consume, the more likely I am going to prioritize organic. It's…

I think the online world has generated toxicity no matter what (much easier to be a keyboard warrior behind the safety of a screen), and the more online things have become, the worse it has become - regardless of the community in question. For example, years ago I joined a local motorcycle forum. FB was still very new and…