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Hi Tera. I'm so happy it is Friday!!!! Weekend is here. I've been good since I posted a few days ago frustrated with myself. I've logged and stayed within my calories. Yesterday I finished below 1400 calls. The back is definitely getting better. Exercise may or may not happen today. I'm thinking a day of rest might be in order again today. Tomorrow morning I'll be exercising without a doubt. Thinking back over the week, that would mean that I'd have exercised 4 out of 7 days. That's not bad with an owie back. :)
I'm glad your DD is all moved in. The 3rd floor is actually a good thing. That's safer than ground floor. Band camp, I remember doing that!!! Join me on getting on track Monday. We can do this together. I hope Am2 is all right. She'd mentioned some issues before she took a break and I hope she's ok. Marie |
Sadly, it is Sunday night and Monday morning is on the horizon. :( I was quite productive this afternoon and evening. Long ago, I created an Access database to track all my exercise with each one paying me a specified amount of how much effort the exercise was. That said, I made money, got toys and it was very motivating. About 1.5 years ago I stopped tracking it mostly because it was a pain in the tush. I have Macs at home and Access is a Windows only program. But I decided yesterday that I needed that monetary motivation but it had to be Mac based. I fought with a stupid database program named Bento yesterday and it doesn't do drop down lists and lookup values and everything I wanted. The more I thought about it, I decided Excel could do everything I wanted. So I played with it and created my exercise log in Excel. It's awesome with lots of hidden formulas. Then I wanted the same motivation for calorie intake. So I created another worksheet in the workbook and had even more fun creating IF AND nested formulas. I wanted, if between 1300 and 1399 calls, I'd earn $1, between 1400 and 1499 cals I'd earn $0.50, between 1500 and 1599 cals, I'd earn $0.25 and if the calories were less than 1300 or greater than 1600 cals, I'd earn nothing. It is the coolest formula. BTW, I have never written IF statements in Excel before. But I had in college so it wasn't too strange. So I now have a new motivator and easy tracker for my progress.
Both Saturday and Sunday I'm at about 1380. I'm really pleased with myself. Now I just have to keep on track when we go on the car trip across the western half of the USA. I tend to like to EAT my way across the country. :D Exercise was a tandem bike ride yesterday and a 2 mile doggie hike this morning. My back is doing better. Tomorrow and the elliptical will be a real test. I also leisurely swam some laps this evening. :wave: Tera Marie |
cals-1845, ex-two long walks. How about that-I tracked my calories today and managed to exercise. It's a start. Perhaps I can even get myself to the Y this week.
Marie-Your Excel spreadsheet sounds awesome. I have been taking online Excel classes this summer so I am familiar with the nested If statements but I have not really used them for anything. I am glad to hear your back is getting better. You are doing great. |
:bravo::cp::cb: Tera!!! Great job getting back to logging. I know you can do this. We can do it together. If you want a copy of the spreadsheet, I'd be happy to give it to you. I know getting money (little bits at a time) and then getting to buy a toy is really motivating to me.
I'll be back later to post my calories for the day but since I've had only about 230 cals so far and there's a whole Monday to get through.... :rofl: Marie |
cals-2055, no exercise. Getting back on track today was rather half hearted but I did shop for healthy groceries and I did track my calories. I admit to lacking in momentum lately but I hope to muster some motivation soon. Unfortunately, there was some more rather unhappy family news today-now DS2 was fired from his job. Geesh. When it rains it pours. One way to look at it though, he is still quite young and it was a crappy job. We will see where life will take him. I would love to see him go back to school and get out of accounting altogether-it is a dead end career in my experience.
I would love a copy of your spreadsheet program. I am not sure if I can allow myself monetary rewards when I don't have a job, but I can use it to measure my efforts and set myself goals. 230 cals is excellent for you right? Isn't morning munchies the devil? Hopefully your good day continued. |
Hi Tera, I'm sorry about DS2 - this isn't the one that just got married. Is it? From my experience, accounting is a profitable job. My brother is a CPA and is making money left and right. I have to say that logging half heartedly is the way back. You are close to the tracks and you'll be there soon. I'll PM you so you can give me your email address. I'm amazed how tracking this is making me want to get more "money". The amount is secondary. Heck, I could play for monopoly money and it would still motivate me. Yesterday, I was below 1300 cals and I wanted my money, so I found more cals to get me over the bump. Then... this morning I realized I forgot to log the 100 cal snack pack I'd had and suddenly I was over 1400 cals. Twas a bummer. :D So instead of my buck I get fifty cents. I wasn't pleased but it made me log as it happened today. Exercise is rarely a problem for me but the cals lately have gotten me derailed all the time. Since my earnings turned me from a couch potato to an avid exerciser, I'm hoping my greed will do the same. BTW, I don't allow myself tiny monetary rewards, I have to want a special big item that will take me months to get. And I don't pay myself much so it takes a while. You won't be unemployed for long so I'd just start and see where it goes. It certainly won't hurt. :lol: Anything we do to win the battle every day is a tool in our arsenal.
Yesterday was 1413 :( after the logging of 100 cal pack. I ellipticalled and the back did great and I swam. Today, I rode my bike for 30 and walked the pups for a mile this am. My cals will be below 1400. Everything consumed so far is logged. Oh and you're right, yesterday was good for my morning cals. I know DH was home and making sour dough pizza and I had to have calorie room. That was motivation to slay my munchie monster. Marie |
Yesterday cals-do not want to know!, Yesterday ex-Body Sculpt class at the Y. So I made it back to the Y. A move in the right direction. In fact, I have already been to the Y today also for step class. I think the structure of my Y classes will help my mindset improve. Next I have to make myself look for a job again. Sigh, a process fraught with rejection.
I agree CPA work would be great but DS was not able to even get an interview with a firm when he graduated a few years back and his position the last few years was basically just data entry and did not really add much to his skill set. He has tried applying to CPA firms since graduation to no avail. He is rather at a loss right now and not sure what he should do. I must admit though-he lost his job because he overslept and they had to call him when he did not come in, plus he had done that in the past. Hopefully this will be the, pardon the pun, wake up call he needed to get his behind in gear. It is difficult to watch him continue to mess up but really, truly he is very bright, talented person but he has made some very stupid moves in his short career in school and at work that make it difficult for him to succeed in these highly competitive economic times. Congrats on your success with calorie totals and exercise accomplished. You are on your way. Have you decided what item you are working to purchase with your monetary rewards? |
Hi Tera, :rofl: on the calories. Is it your or me that doesn't want to know the number??? :D I bet getting back to the Y workouts will bring the eating in line. You'll get control back. I have all the faith in the world that you will. That job situation through you for a loop. And then the wedding, worrying about your kids. I know you'll get the funk out.
I had a good day pretty much. I say pretty much because I'm ending at 1387 again but I had 1.5 serving of nacho chips. I'm pretty sure that the 250+ cals could have been better spent on good for me food. Alas, I didn't have my piece or two of Godiva dark chocolate, but the scales are still dragged down to the nacho chips. Oh well. I did an elliptical workout before work today. Oh so much better than Monday after work! The difference in the energy level as well as the desire to exercise is so much higher in the mornings. Marie |
cals-under 2000, ex-long walk with neighbor. I am not sure how my calories will come out since I am kinda trolling for food today and I am probably not finished. My DH is out of town and I have been eating mini-meals from whatever is in the fridge. Number 3 new fridge is also broken BTW-the ice maker is leaking into the deli drawer. I have to wait for corporate to call us this time-apparently they are not too fond of replacing again-please explain why they sell broken fridges!
I love the Excel sheet. I looked at it rather briefly but I think it will be a lot of fun. I spent the majority of today trudging through several chapters of my second Excel online course and was a bit on overload. It was about Pivot Tables, Slicers and Solvers. Very cool stuff. You must be busy getting ready for your long road trip. I lived in Seattle at one time and made several car trips back and forth to the Midwest. A beautiful sight but a very, very long time in the car! The first time was so long ago the interstate system was not yet complete (although nearly) and we bought a CB radio in case we were to somehow get stranded! Funny to think about now. |
Wow, I would not want to make the drive without the freeway system. It's bad enough of a drive with it. Eeks. Can you change the fridge brand to something that might not be broken? I assume you have warranty and the such. I have no idea what Slicers and Solvers are. Can you give a quick description of their point? I love learning new stuff.
I walked the dogs this morning and I think I'll run out of time before bed to exercise. I suddenly realized that we're leaving soon. Another EEKS. I hadn't done anything. I will go swimming and do some laps before my shower. That's something. I'm at 1129 cals so far and will end under 1400 cals. I want my $$$ reward. :rofl: Marie |
So here I am in our car driving across Montana. I have my iPad (where I'm typing) connected through personal hotspot on my iPhone. Sometimes technology is awesome. I have crashed off the wagon. It took off in the opposite direction and I no longer see it on the horizon or in my dust from running the other way. Car try are boring and eating my way across for entertainment is a bad choice but I keep making it. At least some things will never change. I've always been like that. So Tera, this is my check in. I will be back and I hope you're doing better than me on getting the cals in control!
Marie |
cals-2100, ex-long walk w/neighbor. DH and I spent the weekend visiting DD in her new place and helping her with hanging pictures and curtains. We went out to eat a lot. I consider today an improvement since I made my meals at home and tracked the calories. Its a start.
I am not really sure how to describe those Excel tools since I only just read about them and have not actually used them besides a few exercises. The slicer is used to filter values on a Pivot Table. Besides it ease of use, the more interesting part is it can be used to filter two Pivot Tables at once. The solver is a fancier Goal Seek type optimization model that allows the user to manipulate multiple variables. I noticed you used V Look Up in your formula on the exercise log. I have not had that lesson yet so it will be nice to have your worksheet to look at after I learn about it. I would have trouble creating calorie deficits during a car trip as well. I would just try to be mindful of the calories without letting it get in the way of a good time. Hope you are having fun. |
I have done much better this week getting back to my Y classes. I am starting to feel a glimmer of motivation happening here. Phew.
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Hi Tera, I'm so glad that you've tracked all week and are seeing a glimmer of hope. A week from Monday I will be 100% back on track because I am not even being mindful of the cals. At least not overly so. I do make much better choices than I did pre weight loss but it isn't good. I did exercise today quite a bit. I did a 40 minute elliptical workout on my sisters elliptical. Each elliptical is so different but I definitely got a workout. Then we went for a bike ride just over 15 miles. The first half was easy and then the second half was hard! The winds were about 20 miles an hour. Definitely painful with the head wind. My DD really had trouble. The tandem was a little easier. DD was the only single so she struggled.
Tomorrow it is off to another house. Then we'll head home on Tuesday. Yeah! On that. :D Marie |
Marie you and teripet are really inspiring me I am just getting started. I just joined yesterday I like the idea of the excel spreadsheet to track you calories it sounds like a great idea hopefully one day I will be able to do the bike ride for exercise again but I think I may need to start off with walking on a regular schedule.
Mary |
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