What if you simply devoted this year to loving yourself more?

Greetings and welcome to the I Am My Own Valentine--2020 Daily Check-in and Accountability Thread. I ran across this quote and I started thinking about Valentine's Day. I actually enjoy Valentine's Day but I've often wondered why we need to single out one day to show outward love and affection. Shouldn't every day be Valentine's Day? And do we love and respect ourselves as much as we love and respect others? Honestly, there have been times I haven't. Thankfully, I do this less but I'm still learning.

February is a short month even with the extra day, but still enough time to address and/or challenge ourselves with actions that support loving ourselves more. Maybe this means stepping away from your desk or work a couple of times a day to do some deep breathing, turning off your phone and media when you get home from work, committing to stocking the fridge with good and healthy food, or spending more time with your children and family. Maybe it means accepting where you are right now and embracing a work in progress mentality. This month let's vow to be our own Valentine every day by making good and healthy choices in all facets of our life. We're not perfect but that's not what this journey is about.

Whether you are a long time poster, brand new to this thread or 3fc, or a lurker wanting to join the conversation, I want to welcome you. Here you can post your daily weight, share workouts and way of eating (WOE) plans, struggles and successes, life adventures and anything else. This is a warm and supportive thread so please settle in and make yourself at home.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and loving February!

What an excellent post Curvy!!!

December was “walk every day” for me, January was “stealth mode” (thanks WZin!) where I practiced just being normal. I’m not sure about February. But I’m taking Curvy’s post to heart while I figure out what’s most loving to myself.

Thank you Curvy!!
I lost less than 10lbs in January. I didn’t reach my goal, but I didn’t give a huge effort, either. Still, I’m happy to get going in the right direction. And for the first time in a long time I feel better. Chapter one usually starts off slow, right? Onward! This month I want to incorporate exercise regularly. Starting tonight after work. Happy February everyone!

1/1/20: 269.6
2/1/20: 260

Start: 270lbs
Quarter: 236.25lbs (33.75 lost)
Halfway: 202.5lbs (67.5 lost)
Three-quarter: 168.75lbs (10 1.25 lost)
GOAL: 135lbs (135 lost)

WZin great choices you made for the Super Bowl. Reading your comment made me change MY choices a bit. One burger, no fries, and popcorn instead of chips and salsa. I like that you are changing up your goals/your approach this month. You have to find what works best for you.

curvynotlumpy I love palindromes, can’t believe I didn’t see it until you pointed it out. I can see how easy it would be to become obsessed with organizing anything. I can spend hours on Pinterest looking up creative/beautiful/useful ways to organize everything. If only I spent half that time actually making things organized, I’d have the best looking apartment ever

Yesterday I didn’t start my upper body program as planned. My back and shoulders were so sore from yoga on Saturday, I was surprised. And I think my restless sleep is catching up with me because I just could not get anything done yesterday morning. Today has been much more productive though and I completed day 2 of my lower body program, a looooong pilates workout that targeted the legs and core and a short workout consisting of cardio intervals targeting the same areas. I’ve also been hitting the 2 litres of water per day mark, though yesterday that meant chugging a lot of water late in the evening at work. I just forget to drink water when I’m at work.

I have to be mindful of what I’m eating because I am currently dealing with the stress and worry that comes with dealing with my father’s health issues. He’s on a waiting list for cataract surgery and his sight has gone down some since his eye exam in January, so it’s no longer safe for him to drive right now. And he’s been dealing with itchy, flaky skin and some rashes for about 3 months now and finally he’s willing to have it checked out. It might be related to untreated iron deficiency. He hates hospitals and doesn’t trust doctors, so he’s stubborn about being treated for anything. I just hope they help him find some relief from the itchiness and find the root cause, and that I can get some visual aids for him soon. Lots on my mind and sometimes that leads to poor food choices...

Hope everyone is enjoying a great start to their week!

1: 34 minutes Yoga with Adrienne workout
WEEK 1:
2: 15 minutes HIIT + 35 minutes lower body strength training and pilates
3:
4: 60 minutes pilates + 10 minutes lower body cardio workout

Hello darlings! Thank you for the kind support. This place is so refreshing when I get down in the dumps or start to feel sluggish or start eyeballing French fries

My scale hit 258 the third week in January, and I was ecstatic! 12lbs a month is my goal, and I was going to do it! Then I gained half a pound a day for the next 4 consecutive days....defeating. I’ve fluctuated between 258 and 261 for three weeks now. It’s maddening! Yesterday down again to 258, up to 260 this morning. I know I shouldn’t obsess over the numbers, but at this point the numbers are the only proof I have that I’m making the proper changes. I’m still a bit far from clothes fitting better and other NSV. So I fixate. I figure I’m allowed to obsess, as long as I don’t quit. Quitting is what I always do when it comes to weight loss, no matter how far I’ve gotten. I can’t do that anymore.

Martine My goal is to commit to exercise every single day. As of right now I’m sticking with walks in the neighborhood and living room yoga. I’d like to start my running app again once I hit 250, right now my joints are a bit too cranky. So power walking for now, jogging later. I hike about once a week (kayak when it’s warmer) but that’s more for outdoor enjoyment, not a designated exercise time. I’m a massage therapist and I work A LOT so I get plenty of upper body movement, and that’s probably why I hate weights - I’m tired! Baby steps for now, I suppose. Looking after parents is tough! Good on you, and fingers crossed that everything goes as smoothly as possible with your father’s dr appointments.

Shell I’m so sorry you had food poisoning! I’m glad to hear you’re out of it and getting back to right. And what a sweet motivator to get to a goal weight range Thank you for the congrats, I so appreciate it. This morning my scale went up and I was in a sour mood, so thank you. I started back on MyFitnessPal and have been watching my caloric intake. To be fair, that was the only change I made in January, and even then I was lax about it. I know I need to be changing several aspects of my lifestyle to actually be healthy, so I’m tackling one a month. February I’m adding exercise, March I’ll add focusing on water intake, etc. until I’ve formed new, better habits. I keep hearing that small changes are what’s necessary for long term success, so I’m doing it.

Wzin I hope your follow up goes well Friday! Let us all know how you’re doing.


1/1/20: 269.6
2/1/20: 260

Start: 270lbs
Quarter: 236.25lbs (33.75 lost)
Halfway: 202.5lbs (67.5 lost)
Three-quarter: 168.75lbs (10 1.25 lost)
GOAL: 135lbs (135 lost)

Happy belated birthday Curvy! Mine was 2/1 so last weekend was full of brunch and lunch and dinners with friends. Great way to start a month imo!

shellofself - many happy congratulations on your baby plans!!! That’s some serious motivation right there!!

Martine - February is just hard even without family health issues and aching bodies. It’s so cold and grey and while the big pile of snow we just got is so pretty it also makes getting around outside much more challenging. Good thing February is short. Props to you for keeping on with your routine!

gulfmagnolia - don’t give up! You know that NSV will come soon. Suddenly something that wasn’t fitting right will feel
great. Someone will notice and comment you’re looking good. And the scale will move down. It will! And slower than you want is still losing. It all adds up. Or subtracts down. Just keep on keeping on!

WZin - you’re like the little engine that could. Your determination REALLY motivates me on my less stellar days. you just have a very real approach to this challenging journey we’re all on.

Four days for fun with friends was a nice start to the month but not a great way to lose weight. So today was the first day I weighed in this month (part of being my own valentine is not weighing in when I am guaranteed to show a temporary weight gain!). But I weighed today and I’m down a bit. So close to a new decade but not quite. Soon though, soon. This month for sure.

I’ve started a new morning routine - 45 minutes of reading in front of my SAD light and then 10 minutes of tai chi while my tea steeps. Then I’m ready to tackle the day. Building this routine so it becomes just a habit is my valentine to myself this month. Gonna keep up December’s walking routine too. Although not today. Today is for shoveling snow!