Good morning favorites!
Well, the deep freeze continues. Trees are losing their leaves and the garden is froze out. Anything above ground, ie. Tomatoes and squash wilted and dead. Picked last of tomatoes, I will so miss them. The concord grapes seem to really sugar, they are so much better after the first frost. Also all root veggies are ok underground. Probably the last few days for wild mushrooms as well, wow, fall seems fleeting this year.
Quick back story... I was a fire fighter, for years. My last year, I was working a gigafire in AZ. I came home for Thanksgiving and was in really bad shape. I had pneumonia and a bladder infection. I didn't see a doctor until it was bad, I truly felt my mortality. Anyway, during my convalescent I gained a lot of weight. SO, like always, I tried to walk it off. Second walk I hurt my knee. Went to the doctor for my knee and tipped the scale at 400 lbs. These were my darkest days. I've always been fat but this was crazy. Broken heart, broken will, broken knee, broken me. My head was/is All messed up. I was referred to physical therapy, where I met the most amazing person on the planet. Her name is KC and she is as beautiful as an angel. SHe got me back on my feet and hopeful for the future. Since then, we have hung out a lot and became fast friends. I'm still in rehab and working on the deep seated psychological issues that contributed to my near death experience. My psychologist recommended I find a support group. I tried OA, and some other sites. Felt a bit lost and adrift in a world of social media that I had Zero experience with. Lord knows how I stumbled into 3fc, but when I found this site I knew I had found the type of support I needed. I could never fully express how much I appreciate the people here. Curv, Martine, GZ all the rest...I love you guys. I get a little emotional. Anyway, I'm staring 49 in the face but I feel pretty good about where I'm headed. As of this morning I'm 88lbs down with about 40 to go. Its been a little over a year but so worth it. I would recommend we all do some introspection and realize how strong and capable we are. Be kind to your self and appreciate the "climb".

​​​​​​10/27. 312.4

:wave:

Martine: I'm sorry you're still experiencing unexplained hip pain. It's good that your physiotherapist is on board. Did you purchase new tennis balls (the good kind). Please be careful as you continue to work out.

William47: Thanks for the robust version of your backstory. You've been through so much and I'm completely impressed how you've changed your life around and implemented healthy habits. :cheer: Along the way you've met some great people; the folks on this thread are just a few! I don't believe in coincidences--you were meant to stumble onto this site and thread.

madamwu: Congratulations on voting! I'll be taking my ballot down to the voting box later today. Good on you for keeping the chocolate out of the house. I'm doing the same. It's just too much of a temptation.

zee38: :welcome3: It's wonderful having you here! Please make yourself at home and post as often as you'd like. You nailed it--everyone is really nice! :hug:
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It's been a very quiet and productive day. It started with a long with my two friends with dogs. The air was cold but the sun was bright which made it a perfect walking day. I'm not a huge baseball lover but I'll probably tune into the what may be the last game of The World Series.

The scale was down to 210 this morning so I was pleased about that. Need to keep reminding myself that it's a marathon and not a :running:.

A lovely evening to all.

Disappointed how I am doing. Back to 183.2. Driving to work, I had thoughts about how I didn't deserve to eat food. I quickly checked myself and said, no, there lies eating disorders. Do not go down that path.

I bought myself a Greek salad from the deli next to my hairdresser yesterday. I'm treating myself with a salad for goodness sake. I know I really have to work on seeing food as a reward, but conversely I also need to not make denial of it a punishment.

Heavy thoughts so early in the morning. Sheesh.

Hi everyone!
I am now down to 244.8. For me this means only .8 of a pound to 20 pounds! :carrot: My hubby is still on board with losing weight and is doing great!

zee38 Welcome aboard! Feel free to share your weight loss journey with us!

William I love how open you are about your story. You have done incredible! I am rooting for you!

curvy I have to keep reminding myself too that this is a marathon, not a sprint! For cold weather food, I do love chili, 15 bean soup, beans and rice (lots of variety with adding different veggies and sauces), etc... Thanks for your encouragement!

madamwu I am sorry you are struggling! Hang in there! :hug:

Martine I can't imagine dealing with the pain. It's amazing you work through it and keep exercising. Others would just use that as an excuse to not work out!

William47 you have gone through a lot and have done so much, it is remarkable. Sometimes “bad things” happen for a reason, and maybe this reason was you meeting KC, if you believe in these types of things. Keep fighting, you have achieved great success already!

zee38 welcome to this thread :)

curvynotlumpy I agree with you that this is a change for life, and not just a quick fix, and as such we have to be patient and accept that it will take time. It is nice though when the number in the scale goes down. To answer your question, we went to the sports goods store as I was looking to buy a neck warmer, but I totally forgot about the tennis balls. For now what I have works, until they get squished and won’t.

madamwu I think food is fuel and you can’t successfully maintain weight loss if you don’t sufficiently fuel your body. So good for you for fighting those thoughts of not deserving to eat. Have you set other goals for yourself other than a set number on the scale? Like drinking x number of litres of water each day, or walking x number of times per week, or exercising x number of minutes, or cooking at home x number of times per month? Sometimes having another health focus besides the scale can help you stay positive and focused, when said scale is not cooperating.

loganandlivsmom how exciting that in no time you will reach 20 pounds lost! Breaking up a bigger goal into milestones makes it so much more motivating.

Today has been a positive day. My physiotherapist says that it is totally normal to have felt the way I did after walking, since I hadn’t exercised those muscles in that manner in a while. She encourages me to keep walking and exercising and to use ice as needed. She’s all about strengthening my leg muscles and making them malleable again through stretches and massages. She even mentioned using my trusty old rolling pin to go down the side of my upper leg. It will take some time, but what she prescribed for me in the past helped with my other issues, so I trust her.

Also today, my father learned that he will have his first cataract surgery on November 16th, and the second eye will be done on December 7th. His surgeon did say she would do everything she could to fit him in before Christmas, so I am thrilled for him.

I also was in a better mood today after staying on plan all day yesterday and completing a 45-minute workout, which included 60-second cardio intervals and upper body strength training. During that workout, I was able to jump on jumping jacks for 20 seconds, before switching to low impact, jump on buttkickers for 30 seconds, and upped my weights to 10 pounds per hand for shoulder presses. So it is very comforting to know that despite my inconsistency these past 3 weeks in all things relating to my health, I am still able to push myself to do more and continue to improve.

I hope everyone also enjoyed a day filled with positivity. Sending some your way if you need it :)

Good morning friends! Happy Halloween!
Came down out of the mountains for some dry cloths and a shower! I made friends with the mushroom buyer and I have been hanging out at his store to see all the mushrooms that people bring in. Called a sample set, its a way to view different types of mushrooms at all stages of their life cycle. Super informative. Needless to say, I can now identify most edible mushrooms in the PNW. Just yesterday found Lobster mushrooms and the ever elusive Blue chantrelles. The best part is climbing through the old growth forest. The trees, OMG the trees. HUGE and old. Trees so large that u can't climb over them even when they are laying down. It's so incredible. Along with the edibles, we find conks that bruise precisely so you can make pictures on the soft side, moss and lichen, pine cones of every shape and size, and old growth burels. I love time in the forest but we are driven further and further south as the weather cools and the snows end the mushroom season. I get to see Kasey today, she is coming by for more apples. I pressed bunch of her apples this year and the cider is almost done. I am going to carbonate half and just drink the rest. It should be a great time.
On the diet front,I've been using a lot of monk fruit for muffins and such. It works pretty good, especially if you can stay away from refined sugar for a minute. I can't believe how freaking sweet "normal" food is. Is there sugar in everything? I count calories so I'm constantly dodging the processed and sugared. I have a hard time not spending my exercise credit. In other words, if I exercise and burn any number of calories, I immediately consider what more I can eat. It also seems to elevate my hunger to dangerous levels where its harder to eat with a mindful orientation. MartIne, I wonder if you have similar experiences and insight into "saving" those calories or investing the effort into a more constructive form then Woohoo, now I can eat cheese. I so miss Keto and the cheese. I really crave PBJ too. Lol
GZ, I know you would love those conks. You would dig it the most!
I am loving all the activity in this forum lately and wonder if it will increase even more during the winter. Curv, IDK how you can be so invested, so incredibly inspiring. Early cultures were often Matriarchal and I believe you would be an empathetic leader. Ever thought of running for office? Where do you find your inspiration and maintain such a high level of interaction. I would certainly endeavor to mimic your capabilities. No BS home girl!

10/31 315.0

:wave:

opheliaphoenix: A 5.4 lb. loss is a big win and great way to end October! :cheer:

Martine: You had a great day yesterday! I'm so happy that you're now back in with your physiotherapist. It sounds like you are in very good and capable hands and it sure beats turning to Dr. Google to find out what might be happening with your body! :lol: My dad had cataract surgery on both of his eyes late in his life and did superbly. Like your father, they did surgeries separately to provide time to heal. The surgeries themselves took very little time and aside from rest and taking care of the eye with special drops, he was back to his old self in no time. Sending good :goodvibes your way that it is the same for your dad.

loganandlivsmom: Congratulations, you're so close! You got this! :dancer:

William47: Aww, you're very kind. It's easy to be supportive and engaged in this group. All I can tell you is that I've been blessed to have been surrounded by kind and supportive people all my life. When I was much younger I don't think I really appreciated or recognized the role these folks played but now I certainly do. I'm not the originator of this thread but it had such a positive impact on weight-loss journey that I didn't want to see it end when Renny (original thread starter) go too busy to continue it. This thread continues to help me and I knew it could help others so here we are! ;) I have no interest in running for public office but I appreciate you thinking I could and all the positivity and humor you bring to this thread! :hug:

madwomanwu: We have all had that moment. Yes, you treated yourself to a salad but it could have easily been a sleeve of Oreos. Our relationship to food can be complicated. We want our food to be delicious, nourishing, and to provide fuel for our bodies. At the same time, browse the magazine covers at the check-out stands at your local supermarket. Food porn is everywhere! Nothing short of mixed messaging. You pivoted just fine. :cp:
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The morning started off cold here but was perfect Farmer's Market weather. I bought some Japanese sweet potatoes, a cherry tomato mix, and some eggs. My goal is to roast vegetables and boil eggs for breakfast this week.

The annual termite inspection went just fine so tomorrow I'll move stuff back into storage areas in my garage.

Have a great Saturday and :haphal:!

:wave:

Please join me on the November thread which can be found here.

William47 interesting question about how I handle eating back the calories that I have burned while exercising. Actually, I tailor my exercise to what I plan on eating in a day, to create a caloric deficit, so kind of the other way around. So if I know that the meals that I have planned bring me closer to the maximum calories I can eat in a day, I will make sure to complete a workout that will ensure I am in deficit. Well, that was my approach when I was 100% on plan. And of course hunger comes with exercise, it is important to eat a solid meal or a healthy, filling snack after a workout. Love hearing about your escapades in the forest looking for mushrooms. It's fun when someone who has a passion shares their experiences :)

curvynotlumpy I will happily join you in the new thread tomorrow. And now I'm off to look at what Japanese sweet potatoes are like, because I have never seen those before, or even heard of them. Your farmers' market sounds like a really interesting place to explore.

opheliaphoenix that 5.4 pound loss is a great result, especially considering how busy you seem to be with clinicals and juggling family life. Great job!

So I end October with those extra 3 pounds that I simply did not shake during my staycation. It's a shame because I was getting closer to 220, and now I have to fight my way back there. I ended the month on a good note though, with a flexibility workout that included some very interesting balance moves that I'm sure my PT would approve of. I have lined up a new exercise program starting tomorrow. I just need to find that spark that had me be so consistent before this month.

Hopre everyone has been enjoying a great Halloween Saturday!