Maintainers Springing Loose those last few @*lbs@*kgs@*!
 

Welcome to our spring thread! Yes, within a few weeks it will be the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. The snow will retreat, the winds will abate and the rain will lessen. We'll start to venture outdoors a little more.

In the southern hemisphere, the overpowering heat of summer will soon be giving way to autumn. A glorious time to be out and about.

These @*lbs@*kgs@* have to go and this is the place to talk about tactics and strategy. Whether you're changing your approach or sticking to the tried and trusted, tell us what and how you're doing. We'll encourage and cajole. And at any moment, a snatch of someone else's post can stick in your mind and offer you the germ of an idea. As I said, these @*lbs@*kgs@* simply have to go. And go they shall.

I was down 8 or 9 but this weekend wasn't too good for me. I'll start counting again when I re-re-re lose the pound or two I gained over the weekend.

One of my lost pounds found me again. I was kinda surprised because I kept calories low, worked out, and donated blood. I asked the blood gal (phlebotomist?) how much the blood weighs that you donate and she said about a pound. However, my back is killing me still (back to the chiropractor tonight again) and I'm taking anti-inflammatories so I'll blame that.

I'm happy with the slow dwindlage of my @*lbs@*kgs@* so far this winter. Wish I wasn't so hard on myself for having put them back on. I hate pounds that returned after diligently chasing them away.

DW wants me to buy some pants that can have anti-tick material sprayed on them. (Lyme disease from deer ticks is a bit frightening.) So I have to lose the last few pounds to comfortably fit my current trousers or spray a pair that are slightly big. This projecting future weight isn't a sure thing, LOL.

I've been quiet lately but am still here, working off the last pounds via my preferred method for losing (the only one that comfortably works for me these days). I'm down 13-ish pounds since I began, only about two pounds above my previous all-time low, and I've got another twenty or thirty to go, I think. We'll see.

Meat in a net for dinner - some sort of pork/ham/MSG mixture. Threw it in the slow cooker this morning with shanghai bok choy and mushrooms (close to compost veggies so had to do something with them) and some lite mushroom soup. I sang the "Spam, spam, spam spam" song the whole time I was eating it. I know DH won't touch it so I have my dinner for the next 4 nights or so - it was a BIG net. :lol3:

We save on our food budget by buying all the meat that's marked down. This wasn't on sale but was a bargain price. Now I know why. As a science experiment :dizzy: the dinner was edible but not really good or tasty. Gotta love that slow cooker though - I had a hot meal :hungry: ready for me with about 15 minutes prep in the morning. After slogging around in a snowstorm all day anything hot and fast is good in my book. And I get 4 dinners for about 15 bucks total - great since DH may be unemployed as of Thursday.

Dagmar :shrug:

Our local grocery store has a section in the meats for buy one get one free.
They put together all the fixings for fajitas (steak or chicken all cut up with the peppers and onions wrapped separately). Two packages of that is maybe $3 or $4 and will feed us both for dinner and leftovers for lunch and all we need to add is the tortilla. They have all kinds of cuts of meat--some seasoned for specific dishes. Talk about a time and money saver!

Last night I made a chicken and black bean panini that is to die for! It called for two chicken breasts and that was way too much chicken so I have some seasoned and cooked chicken for tomorrow night's chef salad.

Off to obedience class with Bogey in a little bit. Can't believe I took my Up band off this morning to charge and forgot to put it back on. Walking steps will be all out of whack!

One of my eating problems in winter is drinking :p. I really don't like to drink plain water, particularly in winter. DH got 3 flats of water on sale this weekend and I'm putting out 2 bottles (totalling one litre) every morning and making sure I drink them during the day. And I had a glass of low fat milk as a bedtime snack last night, rather than fruit or jellybeans.

I felt much less stressed going to bed and slept for 7 hours straight (the Mudpie yowling alarm woke me about 30 minutes before my clock alarm). Usually I sleep for about 4-5 hours, wake up, and never know whether I can get back to sleep of not. Whenever I am well-hydrated I seem to sleep more.

I keep taking stabs at being well-hydrated but didn't figure out a system, until now. In the warmer months I hope to incorporate another bottle of water into the mix at lunchtime. I find if I chug them I can get a 500ml bottle down in one go.

Dagmar :rain:

:dizzy: Tell me what 'chug' actually means, if you wouldn't mind? The way you're using it here sounds a bit technical.

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/sM...SPRINT-CUP.JPG


Chug: To gulp one's drink with great avidity; often used to describe the way a frat boy attacks a pitcher of beer.

Yay, new thread! :wave: I don't have anything new or interesting to report as far as my @*lbs@*kgs@*. I gained a couple this winter and intend to remove them during the span of this thread. I will update my ticker to represent today's reality.

dagmar, it never occurred to me that there might be a connection between hydration and sleep. :chin: I'm not usually a "good" sleeper and am always on the hunt for ways to improve things. I'll have to add this to the mix.

bill, I agree, future weight projections are dicey at best. Lyme disease definitely adds a new dimension to a spontaneous walk in the woods. I hope this long winter has been mercilessly difficult for those little b ... bugs. :D

michele, wishing you good thoughts on resolving the back problems quickly.

Thanks Becky. I went to the chiropractor last night and he said I was the worst he had seen me. All of my progress wiped out. Wish I know what I did. I really don't like taking anti-inflammatories so I'm trying today without one but that may be a mistake.

I'm having lunch today with Henry Winkler! So excited I couldn't sleep! It is an author luncheon so I don't know what my lunch will be but I'm trying not to be anxious about that. I have a lot of events coming up with uncertain food choices-- they tend to make me a tad anxious. Friday night is a dinner/auction for my school. It starts at 6 pm. My yoga ends at 6 pm. I'd hate to miss yoga AND eat foods that aren't likely on plan. I *think* I'm going to tell the teacher I have to leave at 5:45 and then I'll shower and put on my makeup, etc. at yoga-- hopefully I'd be to the auction no later than 6:30 which I think constitutes fashionably late? I know that dinner is served at 7:30 and the event goes till 11:00 pm. I'll have to be organized with my clothes, makeup, and jewelry though....

Streak is 50. (I did post here yesterday but, pouf, it's gone. Strange.)

Michele, sorry about your back. Did it happen after you did two yoga sessions together? (Trying not to say b... to b...)

saef, thanks for chug definition. Here, a chugger is someone who stops you in the street and tries to get you to sign up to supporting a charity through a direct debit on your bank account. (A completely stupid idea, in my view.)

dagmar, I'm enjoying a lot of herbal tea at present. And normal tea, particularly Earl Grey and orange pekoe - I take it very weak with no milk (always have done).

Taryl, :wave:

Everyone, :wave: I'm enormously tired. I've given up my gymn membership and am doing all my exercises at home. It means I am really able to focus on the muscle and the result is a very good workout and complete exhaustion in the evening.

We had a beautiful spring-like day here. I shucked off my 40 lb. winter coat in favour of my "other 3 seasons" jacket and it was amazing how much more energy I had for the day.

But after I got home from the dogs' dinner walk suddenly someone pulled the plug. Maybe it's because I didn't have an extra tea at lunch or in the late afternoon. I had canned soup and a sandwich for dinner - DH is late and can forage for himself - and now I'm about ready for bed - at 7 p.m. :lol:

think I'll park myself in my recliner and force myself to read a bit about Peter Dinklage - who is on this month's Esquire cover. We watch Game of Thrones pretty much for his character only.

Dagmar :tired: :shrug:

Birchie... I literally have no idea what I did. It's very frustrating to say the least.

Ooh, I need this. I had about 3 ugly pounds and then I got sick last week so it's probably more now. I'm avoiding the scale until my designated Saturday morning weigh in. I just need to count those calories, avoid late night snacks and up the exercise. Maybe now the snow is melting I should be able to up my exercise. At least that's the plan. I'd like to get a new summer running outfit so if I get back to 130 that's my prize.

Pleasant surprise last night - I went back in to LoseIt to start with the calorie tracking again, and the entire app has updated. While I liked it before, I am really impressed with it now. I scanned 10 bar codes on various stuff in the pantry, and it was dead on with 9 of them and only slightly off on the other.

I've reserved my hotel rooms for our state championship swim meet at the end of March. It's only inducing a small amount of panic. Once I pick my events, the commitment goes up exponentially.

Becky Do you compete for the sake of competing or do you do it to win?

Dagmar :dizzy:

Becky-- do you have favorite strokes you swim? When I was on the swim team in my youth, I loved butterfly. Not to brag (ha ha), but I held the record for 9-10 butterfly for many years-- my name was on the wall and all.... I can barely swim it now though as I'm so out of practice!

Wow Michele! I was also on the swim team and my stroke was the butterfly! I didn't set any records, though!!

Too much snow here! We've been having the opposite weather of the lower 48, mostly warmer and dry. But yesterday we got 9-ish inches. My inlaws are out of town and we are going over there for lunch between piano and swimming today, so my husband cleared their driveway AND ours, which was about three hours of work even with a snowblower on theirs (ours requires the good, old fashioned method of snow removal).

So yeah, yesterday we were late all the way into the evening, and I'm dragging today.

I'm also having the fun side effect of weight loss - freezing my rear off. I actually had to take a second shower last night before bed because I was so cold it hurt. I raised my core temp a bit with a boiling shower, enough that I could fall asleep.

Dagmar, I am only competitive against myself. On a state level, I am usually guaranteed a top-6 finish in anything I swim, so I typically pick my events for the maximum amount of points for my team.

michele, my favorite is the backstroke and IMs, then the distance events. I haven't been in good enough shape for a long time to "enjoy" butterfly, but I think I can get back to it, eventually.

Very cool that there are other swimmers here! I'll make my pitch, again, for Masters swimming - it is HUGE fun and it is clear that nothing can stave off aging like swimming does!

Streaking to 51.

I met an acquaintance today in the supermarket. We chatted for a bit and then moved away from one another still talking a little.

Then she shouted down the aisle, "Silverbirch! Have you lost weight?"

And I did not say, "Yes! Nine pounds through determined effort since the beginning of January. I am on an incredible no butter or peanut butter streak. Don't you think I am fantastic?"

No.

I said, "Ooh. Do you think so?"

So then she said, "Oh yes, you have, you know. [Looking me up and down] Yes, you have."

I said, "Oh. Hmm. Well yes. See you then."

Friends, this is perfectly excellent. I'm keeping this up. Thanks for being here. :grouphug:

Silverbirch, did she check your teeth, too? :lol: That is quite an accomplishment to lose so much, quickly and with great determination. You and Allison are our "springing loose all-stars"! :cheer:

No need for her to check my teeth as her husband does that. He's my dentist! She worked there too at one point and so does know more about the inside of my mouth than most people do.

Thanks! I am finding it all quite amazing, actually. I can see three things which are contributing.

a) My perennial problems with my SI joint and just about everything even vaguely related to it seem to be practically under control.

b) My work has changed in nature somehow and I have more brain space to work out plans of attack.

c) The SO and I have somehow managed to change things round so I'm not doing so much of things which drive me up the wall.

Birchie, what a victory! Someone can SEE the difference in you!

You're an inspiration to me.

I've no idea what my scale will tell me this week. I feel like I've worked hard in the gym but I also feel as though I've eaten more than usual. I've been working this week on getting to bed earlier, and the thaw and the flood wall approval have changed my mood considerably from what it was earlier this week. Less stress & better sleep have to be good, don't they?

We'll see what number I get on the scale tomorrow.

Yay for the one+ pound per week streaking off Silverbirch. Might lead one to conclude that there be calories in butter and peanut butter.

It's 52 degrees F out there right now. I'll shortly leave to walk to a late afternoon event and I might find myself overdressed, LOL.

Another former swimmer here - summer camp had someone who coached during the school season so he gave us the benefit of his knowledge. I was best at breaststroke, though I did prefer the crawl (as it was known back in the mid-sixties).

DH and I tried to go for a bit at a community centre and at a high school. The chlorine in the water killed our eyes, even with goggles. We also were so out of shape that after 2 consecutive lengths of the pool and I had to take a small break. DH had to stop after every length. Too tiring. We could barely pull ourselves out of the pool after about 30 minutes.

Dagmar :dizzy:

Relearning this week what I've always known: That perfectly executing my exercise routine, or even adding in an additional class, does not affect my weight at all if I'm not mindful of portions and snacking.

Because I'm up to 153.2. I thought I would be. I'm getting better at reading signs in my body and slight changes in what is puffy and how my arms and neck and stomach look.

Now off to the gym, a bit late, and in a dark mood, reflective of the rain, which is at least a result of mild temperatures and the blessed thaw.

You shut your dirty mouth!!!!!! :p

Silverbirch, you've given me a lot to think about. While you are focusing with your streak on foods that historically have been issues for you, the other 3 items seem to be removal of "noise". :chin:

Jen, :lol3:

I have not experienced a weight drop this week. I sure hope next week is better. I was lazy last night and didn't want to cook a healthy meal, so I did a 10 minute non-healthy meal, but with a smaller portion than I usually eat. No spike in weight despite all the extra calories. I won't mention what I made as it came from a box and a can and I'm sure had thousands of grams more salt than I need.

This is excellent! I had to laugh because I read it wrong at first and thought you said the above!!

Becky-- you finish the top 6 in the state at your meets?!?! Are you super fast!? I know that I am no longer a fast swimmer. It tires me out tremendously. There is a pool at my gym but it's an indoor pool which I really don't like. Maybe I'll be inspired to get in there and try some laps one of these days. I could never swim the backstroke-- I always went crooked and hit the ropes. Not fast enough at freestyle. I was decent at breaststroke. Guess I would need some good googles too.... hmmmm... food for thought....

Also, I only have bikinis as swimsuits. Is that tacky to wear to the gym to swim laps?? They aren't teeny tiny bikinis...

Michele, no, I've never been a superstar. It's just with Masters swimming, age groups are broken up every 5 years, and depending on where they have the meet, there might only be 6 (or fewer) in the age group swimming. I never qualified for state meets as a kid, except in the occasional relay. With the exception of breaststroke, I'm just one of those all-purpose swimmers who's reasonably competent in everything. I swim because I love the sensation of swimming. If my personality were such that I were internally "driven" to be the best, I probably have the natural ability to go there. It's not that I'm lazy - it's just that I don't want my life to be one-dimensional (same goes for dieting and weight loss!). I've seen plenty of swimmers in the pool with the fitness bikinis - they look really comfortable! For goggles, I have to say that the best pair I've ever had are ones I got as a gift at Christmas - they are the ones in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. They fit divinely; whatever the gasket material is, it's heaven. I don't get either a headache or raccoon eyes, and the optics are terrific. I've already swiped the pair my mom gave my son -figured since he's not swimming, he won't miss them. ;)

Allison, not likely that one meal will stall you too much. It'll just make for a more impressive drop when you get it!

I'm back at 153 again after a few days of better behavior. Now if I can string together a few more days ...

Becky, you're exactly right. I hate "noise", I like space between things and I can't multi-task without getting a headache. I like to concentrate.

I think that's why I'm letting my gymn membership lapse at the end of the month. I want to be able to concentrate on my exercise and there's too much noise going on to be able to. I'm already finding myself much more tired after working out like this at home so I think I'm more effective.

I'm in a less is more phase and I wouldn't mind if it went on for ever. Less exercise for better results. Less food for better digestion and lower weight. Less work for more mental space.

Allison, salt! It'll go away and you'll have a whoosh.

Streaking to 52.

Well, insomnia s*cks, but it does have a few advantages, such as finding the time to post on this thread despite a very busy day.

Saef, I too have to keep relearning the maxim that you can't out-exercise bad eating habits, although I must say that I bet neither one of us has truly bad eating, just a "sluggish" metabolism coupled with a few extra handfuls of good-for-you food.

Silverbirch- what is your occupation? And now you've intrigued me with your statement about "doing so much of things that drive you up a wall." What sort of things? And what is allowing you to not do them?

Meanwhile, I am endlessly bouncing between 131 and 133. My food logging is now reliable enough that I can see my maintenance, with exercise is somewhere around 1800. So I eat 1500-1600 cals a few days in a row, drop 1/2 pound of "real" weight, then lose my discipline, get hungry and eat 2000 cals one day (or two) and back it comes. <Sigh>. I can't seem to remember how to eat at a deficit for weeks at a time, the way I did when losing my weight to begin with.

I think I have reached the point where I have to give up all the excuses :o for why I'm overindulging in everything. And I have to go back to my no :no: alcohol policy - that's where all the trouble starts. I managed just fine with no booze for 10 years and can do so for the next 20 or how ever many I have left. Drinking alcohol :hat: is a very self-destructive act :barf: for me and I've slipped back into using it to "cure" what ails me.

But it doesn't help. Just like overeating doesn't help. Being healthy helps.

Dagmar :(

Caution - lengthy post
 

This is what I do: I face a task that daunts me. Either I doubt I'll do it very well, or doubt my ability to do it at all, or I've got to interact with a person and I think they're going to be critical or dismissive of me, or I have to tell someone something that I know will pain them to hear, or it's an interaction that's going to require some strong emotion from me and I'm trying to muster it up.

I try to feint away from it or delay it, yes, escape, though not for good -- I am dutiful, after all. Or I feel so bleak, like life is just a series of unending tasks, that I feel like I need a momentary break, a few minutes of pleasure. I want to stop time, take a breather within a kind of parenthesis.

That's when I wander into the kitchen or try very hard to conjure up something on the Internet that gives me a kind of fix. It can be a moment of mental engagement or delight, like from an interesting article, or a post on this site -- it doesn't have to be physical.

After that, I make myself do or confront what needs to be done.

I'm like a dog who needs her treat BEFORE completing the task.

It feels like procrastination, too.

Oh, and it helps if the thing crunches. Gum was my go-to, but the sorbitol in that stuff plays havoc with my digestive system, so I'm trying to avoid it. This week it was handfuls of plain organic cacao nibs. Which similarly has some laxative effect, but only by virtue of adding a lot of fiber to one's diet, I think -- it's not as gaseous-making as sugarfree gum.

This is what's getting to me lately.

a day off
 

Does anyone else never have a day off - not just from work but from all other things like work - cooking, cleaning, etc.? I tend to find I never seem to get an entire day to just enjoy myself, unless I'm away on vacation in another city.

That has been most stressful in my life lately. There are a lot of other things too but I think that tops the list.

I am kind of taking a day off today in that I'm doing pet care, banking, and a couple of small work emails. Oh and I made the bed as DH is working from home.

I wish I were feeling less hungover (see my earlier post) so I could enjoy the day more. :barf:. I must do this on a monthly basis - take a day for mostly me. Much better than the "alcoholiday". :p

Dagmar :tired: