Hey everyone,
Thanks for the welcoming messages! I just logged my weight, a bit late, but I normally check in on Mondays, and forgot to do so earlier. Anyway, another week of crazy ups and downs on the scale, which i know is normal, but it can really mess with my brain... I had measurements 3.5 pounds apart just couple of days from each other :O
I'm solely relying on diet at the moment, which is not ideal, but been quite down the last few weeks and even thinking of exercise seems like too much effort :-/ My goal for the week is to do one proper exercise "session", swimming or maybe cycling. A bit of comfort yoga at home doesn't count! haha
Well done to everyone, including those who perhaps didn't have a great week, and those who didn't post. Hope you are all taking care of yourselves!
Just found this group and want to do the end of the year challenge. Lost 27 pounds on IP this year but fell off wagon and have gained 10 back. Need to get serious again.
Balorbear1985:
Welcome. Best wishes with your goals. We ca do this!
Flying_unipig:
I'm sorry you are feeling down. I can empathize. Dark Fall/Winter months can be a challenge for many. Exercise can help. It can be hard to just do it, but it leads to improvement in mood. Hang in there.
It wasn't my finest week, so I have a lot of improvement opportunities. I've had multiple evenings, where I ate a 5oz bag of Popchips. My brain is telling me that when the sun goes down, I can quit exercising.
I succeeded with my 12-hour fast, on a few days, then I failed on other days when I woke up with a significant appetite.
My mileage for the week was 21 miles, where I wanted 25 (ideally I want to adjust my goal upward to 30). I did make it to the gym twice and then once to volunteer at the Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center. I have a Whole Body Vibration Machine, that I stand on and do some exercises. My goal is 2 sessions a day, and I've only gotten in one.
Dealing with weight loss (food addiction?) can be similar to dealing with other addictions. We have to keep revisiting the tools to success and working them. it's so easy to evolve from good habits and slip back into old ways.
One thing I find helpful for me is to periodically revisit "What I Hate About Being Fat" and "What I Look Forward to With Weighing Less". Perhaps some of you want to join me with your own lists! WHAT I HATE ABOUT BEING FAT:
I hate the way I look
I don't feel comfortable/confident in my clothes
I want to disappear in the background and not be noticed
I have less energy
My joints hurt more
WHAT I LOOK FORWARD TO WITH WEIGHING LESS:
Wearing clothes that I bought on sale, but haven't been able to wear
Getting rid of fat clothes once and for all
Feel good in outfits
More energy
Less joint pain
Quit wearing a cardigan in public to hide under (anything to mask my weight)
Hey Everyone:
The chart below represents the stats for the 11-12-17 Weigh-In. Congrats to everyone for their accomplishments! Staying in the challenge is an accomplishment.
The new Weigh-In Sheet for 11-19-17 is up. I will post an update on the stats a day or two, after that date.
REMINDER:
If you choose NOT to weigh, please enter your last recorded weight onto the form for the new week. That keeps you mindful of the challenge. Also, posting a minimum of one weekly post (no matter how short), to keep in touch, keeps you mindful as well.
I'm experiencing some winter blues as well as I have a 21 year old son who is full of drama. This last week I managed to gain 1 1/2 pounds from poor food management, but thankfully am back to starting weight today and being more mindful. With my son, I'm sure things will change at some point, just feeling the need for a life ring at this point. Hard to focus on myself when he is punching my buttons, feeling frustrated. (releasing tension!)
I had a small success last night. I considered having either some Popchips or Skinny Pop popcorn. First, I picked up the 6 oz. bag of Popchips. I made myself look at the calorie count - 600 calories if I ate the whole bag. I told myself "no". Then, I picked up the bag of popcorn and it has close to the same number of calories. So, that was a double "no".
I considered the option of popping my own popcorn in a brown bag in the microwave, or having a few raw almonds/walnuts with a diet Dr. Pepper. I went with the raw nuts and the Dr. Pepper. This morning, I happy with my choice.
When I eat, without validating the calories, it's easy to not remember the amount of calories. Usually, it a matter of underestimating the calories or justifying that I got in extra exercise today.
I'm experiencing some winter blues as well as I have a 21 year old son who is full of drama. This last week I managed to gain 1 1/2 pounds from poor food management, but thankfully am back to starting weight today and being more mindful. With my son, I'm sure things will change at some point, just feeling the need for a life ring at this point. Hard to focus on myself when he is punching my buttons, feeling frustrated. (releasing tension!)
Hey Workinglikeadog:
I'm sorry about the difficulty you are having with your son. My parents both passed a couple of years ago, within 4 months of each other. My sister exhibited some strong traits of Boarderline Personality Disorder (BPD). I was and still am "split black" (all bad in her mind, the blame for various things and the one with a problem)
I learned a lot about communication strategies, setting my own boundaries and radical acceptance at a website called: BPDfamily.com
They have a "Workshop" section that addresses various strategies and skills to set boundaries (for your protection and for you to enforce), skills to avoid engaging in arguments and lots of other strategies. Many people don't have a personality disorder, but it's common to have a couple of the traits of a personality disorder (in varying degrees, and a various times/situations).
You can't change someone else, but you can change how you react to someone and how you interact with them.
Just sharing some thoughts. It's not easy to deal with a high-conflict person, who can't/won't admit they have a problem. The pattern of conflict/bad behavior keeps reoccurring: happens, no discussion and then carrying on as if nothing ever happened - only to repeat over and over.
After the same drama and conflict happens over and over again, you have to examine what personal boundaries you need to set/enforce for your own sanity. Until someone decides they have a behavioral problem to work on and seeks help, all you can do is radically accept the situation and protect yourself as best possible.
Hi all - Another tough week for focusing! After having some late success last week, I have slacked off and am trying to get some focus back before Sunday. One day at a time, all! I will imagine some extra will power dust...
munchey, Thanks for your suggestion of a website that helps with communication strategies, setting my own boundaries and radical acceptance. That sounds good for many of life's relationship challenges. I'll check it out!
Last edited by workinglikeadog; 11-17-2017 at 04:15 PM.
Never giving up...still fighting the good fight. I was struggling ever since returning from vacation on November 4. I just really got on board on November 15...I really want to meet my end of year goal!
Congratulations to all those remaining true to their commitment!
Note: Sharing this article on splurging. Some of you may have read it before. I find that this is the type of article that I like to reread periodically. Hopefully you will find it helpful to read at this time
THE SPLURGE: Written by: Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD,
Framing Your Splurge: The Pickle Jar Analogy
"The first step is to gain some perspective on holidays by considering the big picture. Imagine two large pickle jars, one that is empty and one that contains 365 pennies. Now imagine that you are told to remove a penny from the one pickle jar and put into the empty pickle jar for every time that you knew you’d blow your diet during the calendar year.
You might start with the obvious holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Plink, plink, plink, you put three pennies into the empty pickle jar. Then another penny for New Year’s day, your birthday, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day, Father’s Day, the 4th of July, and seven pennies for the week at the beach in August,. When you’ve come up with the obvious ones and you’re considering Arbor Day, stop and take a moment to take a look at your two jars.
In one jar you have 30 or so pennies and in the other, the remaining 335 pennies. The 30 or so pennies are the times each year that you KNOW that you’re going to splurge and “blow your diet”. The jar with 335 pennies, however, represents your healthy program, the one that has helped you lose weight, regain your health, look better, and feel great!
You can see that what you do on the 335 days of the year that you follow your program closely is much more important than what happens on those 30 splurge days. But as you know, it’s not that easy. The problem is that when we “fall off the wagon”, it may take us days and days to get back to our program. Our 30 splurge days turn in to 90 splurge day. Why does this happen? Use the following five strategies to help you enjoy your upcoming splurge and still keep your program intact.
Strategy #1: Give Yourself Permission
If ______ (fill in the blank) is a special time for you, plan to enjoy it. Make an agreement with yourself that it’s OK to not have a weight-loss day. You’ve worked hard thus far and your enjoying a special day is not going to ruin anything.
Strategy #2: Frame Your ______ (fill in the blank) Splurge
Keep your indulgences to just the day, not the entire weekend. A key to weight-loss success is learning how to keep your exercise program and eating structure healthy the day before and the day after your special day. This is called “framing” your splurge.
Strategy #3: Have a Plan
To make strategy #2 work, you’ll need to plan out the details so that you can stay on track. Where will you exercise? What will you be eating on the days before and after your______ (fill in the blank) splurge? Do you need to bring food or snacks to be able to stick with your diet? Do you need to explain to friends or family members that you’re on a healthy diet?
Strategy #4: The Splurge
Remember that ______ (fill in the blank) isn’t your last day of eating on planet Earth. How can you maximize your pleasure, fully enjoy the food that day, but still feel like you made good decisions? One strategy is to not come into the meal famished. Being too hungry will set you up for gorging yourself. The goal here is to have a great time and enjoy your company. Be selective with your choices. Focus on those foods that you love, eat slowly, and give yourself permission to savor them.
Strategy #5: Take Pride in Your Recovery
Now it’s time to get back on track. If you overate, don’t “beat yourself up” about it. If you did well with your choices, then congratulate yourself. Your overall success is in how quickly you recover. Tomorrow you’re back to the pickle jar that represents your healthy program."
Thanks for the article Munchey! This is a hard time of the year and it's good to remember that a splurge isn't a problem if we can limit it to one meal.
Everyone did so great last week.
Congrats Gemini for making it to Onederland, good luck on your next goal!
