SB, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your humor and sensibilities
Me:
Chugging along. Stayed down at 130. Feeling like that's been my wall, lately. Probably has more to do with the fact that when I get below, I feel better, and then indulge right back up...
Life, crazed, but full. And, fortunately, it's mostly full of good and productive things. Need to keep that fact in mind.
Here's to avoiding the indulgences that keep us from where we want to be, scalewise
Thanks, KC. I feel encouraged now to make the tea and not to nibble out of annoyance. I want to read the paper and a new political book I've just bought rather than be in the kitchen. But we have to eat.
Grilled bacon, cabbage and potatoes (possibly pommes Anna to upgrade this rather basic meal and, I think, a few caraway seeds in the cabbage).
I'm going to light the fire. Feeling cold and damp also makes me nibble.
Hi! I've been lurking lately, trying to jerk myself out of my mindset. Took a tip from mkendrick and set up a series of very tiny goals, just to get back in practice with meeting them. Simple stuff like 5 minutes of stretch, controlled food choices, bedtime, water, etc. Basics. I'm seeing the results in lower stress. I will be posting more soon, as my free time shakes loose!
Morning Becky! I like the sound of tiny goals. Also free time.
Down 0.3kg from yesterday.
I think I'll put together a list of things I've learnt about making progress along my own fat to thin path. When I forget them, I slip backwards so this could be a way of re-learning and moving forward. It'll be a work in progress.
Quote:
Silverbirch's personal findings
1. Sugar hurts my tummy.
Generally, if I eat things like biscuits, cake, puddings or sweeties my tummy starts to hurt. Fruit at the end of a meal also prompts this as it is digested more quickly than the courses which went before. This is not a good feeling. Over my life, I've *not* eaten sweet things much less than I have. In fact, I've mostly thought that they have nothing to offer me apart from the occasional home-made thing.
When I do eat them, it's when I'm under non-negotiable pressure and don't think/feel I have the necessary oomph to carry on. Usually, I'd be better off with a period of reflection, rest or sleep.
Conclusion: don't bother with sweet things and develop patience and calm instead.
N.B. On the theme of patience and calm. Discourteous and showy-off parking by a fellow-parent this morning resulted in my hitting his Mercedes. He did not move the car despite my indicating that the gap was too narrow. No damage done. In future, I must remember that there are (insert word of choice) drivers in the world. I then went out and bought myself a new car.
Last edited by silverbirch; 11-17-2011 at 07:17 AM.
kittycat - I'm backing all the way up to not even requiring tracking, just paying attention to what I'm eating and why. I had great success with losing 20 pounds on the journaling and calorie counting, but I think these last 10 need to come from a different place in my head, since it's been two years now that I've wanted to get rid of them. I suspect that backing off and trusting myself more might be an answer. It's a piece that's been missing for oh ... gee, all of my 44 years.
SB - ! Good to see you posting again! Clearly you are on the right track - only a pound from goal! Love the idea of the list - and isn't it funny that something so obvious as avoiding pain can still be an issue? I have a similar relationship with artificial colorings, where I *know* that they cause a cascade of inflammation and water retention. And yet, last week (when I was conspicuously absent), I made the decision to deliberately let that happen and did so with much vigor. I wasn't even being pressured from the outside - it all came from a rotten spot in my head. It is that spot that I am trying to locate and heal. It may require a trained and interested third party - I haven't ruled that out! Congrats on the new car, by the way, and resisting any urges to reciprocate the discourteousness!
JayZeeJay - regarding your grandpa. Sorry you're having to go through it. If the new relationship is an extra poke in the right direction, so be it!
wolf - Congrats on reaching your target, and finding the happy calorie balance. It sounds like you are in a good spot if you're able to control the intake of "treaty" type foods. I'm reading "The End of Overeating" at the moment, and it does a very good job of explaining why our brains drive us toward those kinds of foods. Re the winter sports, I'm not good with winter either. Thinking very seriously about having Santa leave an Xbox Kinect under the tree ...
bronze - go, you! Your successes are very inspiring - I really appreciate your sharing them! I laughed at your description of your mom's impression of you and your brother. Mine is just the opposite - she is certain that I could take over the entire world, create a multinational corporation in under a year, write a bestseller, and beat Dara Torres in the pool "if only I could find the motivation" (said in a disappointed and sorrowful tone)
Allison - good to see you again! I have reneged on the no-beer pledge, settling instead for enjoying one beverage, but under the condition of no other distractions. Rules and goals ... Thoughts your way about fighting off the germs successfully through the end of next week!!!
JayEll - many thanks for the PM earlier. I am deeply involved in "The Places that Scare You", and it is causing me to make changes.
Dagmar - Hugs from a fellow Mahjong addict! Terrible little game! I play Safari on pogo.com, and have Mahjong Towers on my iPad. Between that and Words With Friends, I've been able to waste a lot of time. Controlling that diversion also figures into the tiny goals ...
Water, stretching, mindful food, sleep, and just a tiny bit of muscle challenge. I almost ... ALMOST ... feel like I am gradually unwinding. I might even make it through the holidays without imploding!
Ah, games! On FB, I play two different solitaire games (Ancient Egypt and 40 Thieves on Games), Majong, Words with Friends (also on phone), Scrabble, Jeopardy, Bejeweled Blitz...I also play Hanging with Friends on my phone. Sometimes it's the only way I can get through a slow day at work.
I think my germs went away. I haven't felt that scratchy throat since Monday. I still have the earache if I don't put a little oil in my ear at night (with a cotton plug) so I'll just keep doing that. At least it cuts down on listening to DH snore!
And yeah, the no alcohol thing is working to the point where I don't even think I'll have my customary beer at lunch on the weekends (well, not sure of that) but I'm certain that the whole bottle of red wine on the weekend will NOT be the rule! Seriously, give it up for a few days and I become a total lightweight and get all woozy after just one drink!
Hi guys! I've been reading but not posting. But cheering you guys along as you go.
I like this "tiny goals" bandwagon. I have another surgery in less than 4 wks, but there's no reason to let my efforts go until then. I can still be healthier, fitter and leaner on the day I go in than I am today.
Tiny goals: drink my water, run 1 mile, no eating at the computer
Up 1.3 pounds from last Friday, which alarms me less than it probably should, as I've got a sore right knee and left shoulder, and could press dents in my ankles last night due to the soy sauce that I added to the crockpot lemon chicken yesterday. Both of these are signs of fluid retention.
Still, I need to watch those handfuls of nuts and the delicious and enormous and slightly dusty-skinned Macoun apples, of which I'm so very fond.
Tiny goals: Just two apples today and only one more handful of peanuts before bed time.
Kind words about my stats, Becky, but they've been a little adrift for a while. I've decided to do away with them for a bit and weigh every day in kilos. Kilos mean almost nothing to me so I'll see the pattern but body-swerve unnecessary emotion. Straight pounds don't mean a lot to me either (I'm an imperial stones and pounds person) but I've found that I do a quick bit of mental arithmetic when actual weights are mentioned here and so I've become a bit too sensitised for my liking.
Weight no change from yesterday.
My 'tiny' goal is only to eat when sitting down. This is a useful idea from Beck (although I think she phrases it negatively - don't eat standing up - which I don't find so helpful). I think the idea is that it helps in keeping to a plan, and in cutting down on those unnecessary bites, licks and tastes.
Quote:
Silverbirch's personal findings
2. I do best when very focused exercise is part of my week.
Best of all, this is at the gymn. That's because it offers a dedicated space away from the home. I don't have to move furniture, listen to people's ideas, plans and jokes, or half-think about domestic duties. I've worked on developing running as a ring-fenced space but injury and weather have conspired to prevent me really getting going with this.
The very focused work I'm able to undertake at the gymn results in very pleasing rewards. Excellent sleep. Improved thinking power. Improved stamina. Fabulous muscles. Better humour. But only if I manage to go regularly, a few times a week.
The SO, the DB and I all say it must be a priority, all year round, but from time to time other essential duties emerge and it slips and I can really tell the difference. So I have to be alert to this danger.
Hi guys! I'm back from my anniversary trip. We spent four days in the mountains, rented a cabin and packed in food so we didn't have to leave it.
KC - I'm with you on the small goals. I want to get back to my yoga and limit my sugar. I'll worry about the rest later.
Birchie - I love the 'bought myself a new car'. And I also should try the only eating when sitting down. It would have saved me the cheetos I stood in the kitchen eating two days ago.
I need to make some goals and stick to them. I did great using healthmonth.com in Sept and Oct and fell off for Nov since I was going on vacation, plus Thanksgiving and such. I think I might sign up with some monthly goals for December. Since I'll be on vacation for part of the month, I can't stick to goals of "do ___ x times per week." But maybe I can do "x times per month."
My weight has been pretty stable around 134 which is great. Two days ago I saw 133.8, then yesterday it bumped up to 135.6 (frozen meal and BBQ sauce = lots of salt). 134.8 today. I need to stop eating so much dessert. Dessert is and has always been my biggest weakness.
Podiatrist cleared me to attempt some brief 1-minute running intervals. Since I don't seem to be getting better, it's possible that running won't make anything worse. In that case, I might as well run, right? So either tonight or tomorrow morning I will make my first attempt. Doctor's instructions are a 20-minute brisk walk with 3-4 1-minute run intervals. We are also going to try physical therapy again in January once my insurance rolls over. My new insurance gives me 75 PT visits per year instead of 20, which is a big improvement.
So, my mini goals:
- exercise 4 times per week
- 4 dessert-free days per week (trying to phrase it positively like SB!)
Allison - that's one of the best parts of abstaining for a while, agreed! Takes me a few weeks to turn back into a lightweight instead of days, but I get the same thing! Can relate to the snoring, too - spouse is in the woods hunting Bambi, and having the blissfully peaceful quiet at night this week has been wonderful.
midwife - glad to see you lurking about!
saef - ah, fluid retention. I guess it's a good thing - kind of like a poisonous critter's bright colors warning us to stay away? It's funny-sad how many people tolerate body miseries on a daily basis, never knowing how good they could actually feel with some changes! The signals don't get lost in the noise, y'know?
silverbirch - I have the same reason for taking body measurements in centimeters. Sitting down to food helps me too (and NOT sitting in a car!). Love your personal findings!
Jessica - good luck on getting back on your feet, literally!
Shannon, wb!
Tiny goals progress: Doing well and expecting to carry on through the weekend. I've gotten closer to touching my toes by about two inches already this week! The scale is unimpressed so far, and that's fine. It's only been four days, and I'm sort of mentally disconnected from it while I explore some other means of assessment. Pants-o-meters will figure prominently, as will getting fingers down to toes.
Becky~so funny! I was recently "friended" on Facebook by my cousin who lives in Michigan (the UP) and her husband was out hunting (caught a buck today) and the morning he left to go hunting, she was looking out her kitchen window watching two deer eating her plants in her yard!
It's interesting getting to know that side of the family. I've met a few of them only once in my life (over 30 years ago) but we know so much history and such that it seems like we've always known each other!
((thinking I ought to try to touch my toes this weekend))
! Good to see you posting again! Clearly you are on the right track - only a pound from goal! Love the idea of the list - and isn't it funny that something so obvious as avoiding pain can still be an issue? I have a similar relationship with artificial colorings, where I *know* that they cause a cascade of inflammation and water retention. And yet, last week (when I was conspicuously absent), I made the decision to deliberately let that happen and did so with much vigor. I wasn't even being pressured from the outside - it all came from a rotten spot in my head. It is that spot that I am trying to locate and heal. It may require a trained and interested third party - I haven't ruled that out! Congrats on the new car, by the way, and resisting any urges to reciprocate the discourteousness!
regarding your grandpa. Sorry you're having to go through it. If the new relationship is an extra poke in the right direction, so be it! 
Your successes are very inspiring - I really appreciate your sharing them! I laughed at your description of your mom's impression of you and your brother. Mine is just the opposite - she is certain that I could take over the entire world, create a multinational corporation in under a year, write a bestseller, and beat Dara Torres in the pool "if only I could find the motivation" (said in a disappointed and sorrowful tone) 
Controlling that diversion also figures into the tiny goals ...
