632...

Did great today but it is probably not enough to salvage the month. Since Sunday is so close to the start of May, I am going to see if I want to use tomorrow's weight.

I went ice skating again today. Usually, I go with an empty stomach. Today, I went after dinner and definitely felt more sluggish. I am concerned I may be exercising beyond my exercise tolerance. I've had worse post-exertional malaise than typical. I wish I could remember what I doing pre-pando. I think I was drinking something specific after exercise sessions but simply cannot remember. Unfortunately, I did not take good notes. Maybe it will pop up in one of the one year ago reflections I have been including lately.

I have already backed down to three (was four) rec center visits a week. I may have to go back to only two skating sessions a week instead of three. I hope not though; I have been really enjoying it.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
668....

Was on plan today. Took a break from my big walks but still did my short walk.

Also wanted to say I lost 3.5 lbs in April. I am really proud of that and hope to keep it up!

633...

A typical Sunday, I am over calorie wise. It is easy to do without any exercise to off-set anything. I was and have been really sluggish lately and disengaged. It's not a great way to be. I've been trying to get more rest but it is rarely restorative.

I gained 1.5 lbs this month and have adjusted my CW accordingly to -22.5 lbs from 24 lbs. Me, myself and I talk about this a lot. At this point, I am just not sure what to say. I am unable to control my eating. I simply cannot do it right now. I have tried so many things. I am going to see if calorie counting from 6pm-6pm will work for me instead of counting the calories in a day. I am also hoping more rest will help.

Time to sign off an give myself a pep talk for tomorrow.

Rest https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Overage https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon8.gif
Sleep 8 hours total

One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
667....

Barely created a calorie deficit today, so not quite on-plan but I will take it. Did take my three walks though. The proof will be in the pudding. Tomorrow is weigh-in day. My daily weight has been on track to show a loss tomorrow. However, I have a long history of seeing a bump up on Sunday. I'd like to say it is for no reason. In reality, it is my body tattling on me for eating poorly on Friday and Saturday.

632...

Well, I have turned up again like a bad penny. I kept two calorie tallies, one for a standard day and one for 6pm-6pm day. Overall, it doesn't seem to make much difference in the grand total. Tracking 6-6pm feels a bit harder with regards to keeping things straight. I do think that would get better with time. One thing I really like about the 6-6pm tracking, is it seems lessen the anxiety I have around food in the evening. That feels like a big plus and has potential. I would go to bed feeling better about the whole situation rather than yet again beating myself up for overeating.

By the by, me and I had an argument last night. Myself likes to stay out of it. Me won and we did eat the jelly beans.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs (but up 4 times)

= One year ago...
(New feature- know the code. "=" weight is the same as last year on this date, "-" weight today is lower than last year, "+" weight today is higher than last year, "*" is did not weigh on this day last year or did not weigh today)

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
666...

Weight was on-track according to plan today. Although, it was a bump up for most of the weights this week. As a result, I will not be able to confirm a loss next week. Hoping I will have a pending loss on next Sunday though. Turns out I forgot something in my tally yesterday and was actually a little over. Went on my three walks and was able to create a larger than planned calorie deficit today.

631...

Although it feels like a pain, I think I am liking 6-6pm for my calorie counting window. It boosts my feelings of control and satisfaction in the evening. I don't have to go to sleep feeling like a failure. Failure is easier to face in the daylight. I also don't feel as anxious about food. I'll try it for a few more days to see how it goes.

Last night, I dug out my ketone test strips. The result was fantastic and showed I was on-track yesterday.

Work is extremely busy. I've given up trying to prioritize as I have at least 10 high priority things going. For time management, I am scheduling blocks of time to work on each one. That way they are all moving and if I have to speed it up for one of them, I will be able to.

To answer my own question from last year: No, I am not there yet.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

*One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
665...

Created a small calorie deficit and as usual, I'll take it! Managed to remember to start my fast. Went on my three walks too. Am I there yet?

630...

So switching the time frame in which I count my calories is doing wonders! I really like being able to go to sleep with calories available in my "bank". Keeping within the limit seems so much more reasonable and I am not panicking each evening.

So that awkward silence before a teleconference, am I right? I've started trying to fill that awkward silence with random observations. It is ironic because I am not great at small talk. Being poorly skilled at small talk is in part the reason why I am trying to start conversations when we have a few extra minutes at the start of the meetings. For a while, I was using the weather but felt it was getting over done. So yesterday I brought up the fact that I had just seen a flock of pelicans. Pelicans are not indigenous or common to where I live. Once folks got past the weirdness of the topic, a nice conversation was had.

Today it was really quiet before the call. I was remaining silent because I wasn't sure what to bring up. I was trying to decide if the rainbow I saw yesterday was too weather related. Then someone mentioned how quiet it was. So I remarked, I think everyone is waiting to see if I will talk about pelicans again- hahaha. This triggered another nice conversation because people were talking about the social media posts they had seen about the pelicans. Hopefully, this all means my skills are improving.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

=One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
664...

Still churning along. I completed a 17 hour fast, created a larger than planned calorie deficit and did three walks, to be repeated on Thursday. Tomorrow I will create a calorie deficit and will go walking but I will start the fast rather than end it. So Monday and Wednesday are the same. Tuesday and Thursday are the same. Then Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the same. Although, I try to sneak in a shorter fast starting on Saturday and I think I will cut back to one walk on Friday.

On another note, I wanted to talk about food. I may be the only one that feels this way but I am really ashamed of what I eat. My diet is similar to what a middle school kid would choose. I haven't developed more sophisticated tastes. I feel like if folks really knew what I was eating they'd be judgmental (e.g.: no wonder she's fat - look at what she's eating; doesn't she know anything about nutrition). Sometimes I think about posting what I am eating because I think it could help someone. Since I am making consistent progress, they could see you don't have to be extreme in your eating. Probably about a decade ago, there was this story about a high school teacher who lost weight. He lost weight by only eating at McDonald's based on a meal plan created by his students. Creating the meal plan was a assignment for his students. He gave them certain parameters they had to follow. It was really interesting; I may have to see if I can look the story up again. Anyway back to me, I have been thinking about "flash" posting what I eat. I'll put it up for one day and then take it down.

629...

The one year look back is tough. I definitely worked at losing weight all year last year. How can I be at nearly the same weight? I am hoping it comes off faster now since it was already off once recently.

I remember reading once that it doesn't matter what you weigh tomorrow or a month from now. It matters what you weigh in a year. Basically it is allowing yourself enough time to make progress and offering a buffer from the daily ups and downs. So not great that I weigh pretty much the same as last year. At the end of the month, I'll redo my countdown since it should be pretty close to last year's number. ~Sigh, a whole year lost.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

-One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
663...

On-track. Created a larger than planned calorie deficit, went on three walks and started a fast. And repeat- LOL! So I looked up the teacher's name. It's John Cisna. He ate nothing but McDonald's for six months and lost 56 pounds. I thought it was ten years ago but it was 15 years ago!

628...

One a little bit of a roll so that feels good. Looking forward to continuing it and can hardly wait for it to translate to the scale.

No too long ago, I read an article where the author indicated if you pick carrots over chips because the carrots are healthier, you have an eating disorder. I thought that was a rather broad definition.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

=One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
662..

Last night, I went to bed cold and hungry. I managed to fall asleep though. However, I did wake up after a couple of hours. My hip was freezing but the rest of me was at a comfortable temperature-so weird. Muddling along today. I have had a headache on and off since last night. It may be a good sign. I use to get a two point headache when I was losing weight. This one is only one point so it is not quite the same. For a while, I was trying to understand why I had a headache from losing weight but I never did figure it out. For a long time I followed a weight loss blog. After the woman lost all of her weight, she developed a headache. A headache, singular, that has lasted years and years. She is under pain management care to keep it to reasonable level. She did well for herself though. She was able to write two books. One was about her weight loss journey and the other was about her experiences with treatments for her never ending headache. Today I was able to create a calorie deficit which is great because I also ended an 20 hour fast. For a while, I was overeating after fasts of this length. Plus, I worked in my three walks. Another day down!

627...

Still trying to figure what has changed between now and last year to be so out in the weeds. I am thinking it is likely age and hormonal changes that come with it. It is so frustrating to still have this excess weight. It is not for lack of trying. Starting a list of the things I have tried.

2021- CICO, exercising regularly
2020- fasting, CICO, exercising regularly
2019- supplements (for other issues not weight loss), CICO, fasting, exercise
2018- nutrition/lifestyle class, exercise

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

+One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
661...

Just did one walk today and my aching feet and legs really appreciate it. Today is a fasting free day so neither started nor ended one. Lastly, I was able to create about an on-plan calorie deficit. This is assuming I am done eating for the day. Although my intentions are good, it is not guaranteed.

I keep thinking about that teacher that lost weight by eating at McDonald's for six months. I had the opportunity to do it 30 times in the last 15 years.

626...

I think I am on the right track. I'll need to give the scale a little more time to confirm if I am. For the record, the scale was unkind today and up from the beginning of the month (-21 vs. -22.5). So far, I am happy with counting calories from 5-5 (adjusted a little bit from the 6-6 window). Although, I am running into a bit of a challenge because I am eating too much once my new window opens. Today was tough but I made it.

LOL- I was going to write tomorrow will be really hard but I think I can make it. Hahaha- I totally forgot my new window opens at dinner time. The calories I have for tomorrow are for before dinner. Woot! Woot! I am on-track and should have no problem. Disclaimer of course- I may find a way to screw it up.
Right now, I am really elated at this realization.:trampo:

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

+One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
660...

SQUEEEEAAAAAK!! That's the sound of me just barely squeaking under the wire to create a calorie deficit.

Onion rings, pizza and ice cream! Oh my! Tomorrow, I will pay the piper. Unfortunately, it's on weigh-in day to boot. At least I got my three walks in which made it a deficit rather than an overage.

625...

Alright, so it seems totally obvious now. However, I didn't notice until I tried it (calorie counting from 5-5pm). It is much easier to be hungry for three hours (2-5 pm) than it is to be hungry for 12 hours when you are trying to sleep (8pm-8am).

I am still a little off balance with the evening to evening counting window but I think that will straighten itself out. Right now, I am eating more in the evenings. Today I had to be a little careful but I did save about a hundred calories to use for snacking between 3 and 5 pm.

It reminds me of a column I read a long, long time ago. There was a little girl with a weight problem and the mother kept restricting more and more food items. The girl kept finding ways around the restrictions and was gaining a lot of weight. The mother took the girl to a psychologist. The psychologist had the mother stop the restrictions. In addition, he told the mother to get the girl a pillowcase and to fill it with the girl's favorite candy. M&Ms in this case. The mother, although horrified, followed the psychologist's instructions which included refilling it if it got low.

For the first two weeks the girl took the pillowcase everywhere with her. Eventually, after about two weeks she stopped feeling the need to take it everywhere. Then gradually she ate less and less of the candy and was able to establish a healthy eating pattern. Finally, she abandoned the pillowcase of M&Ms altogether.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
659...

Went on my three walks and created a calorie deficit despite today not being such a great day...

624...

I have a nice little run of successful days going. Really looking forward to when it translates to the scale! There was snow cover on the ground today. 'My ducks", the wild ones that hangout in my yard sometimes, were there this morning sitting in the snow. They stayed quite a while. I'm glad I put out plenty of food for the birds last night when the snow began.

Today, I saw my neighbor's dog running loose. I ran out and rounded him up. He is twelve years old but is really energetic. I was just bringing him up to her door when she burst out with his leash in her hand. She had just realized he was missing.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
658...

Uh oh! Definitely losing my way. Was a little over on calories and I completely forgot to start my fast on time. Even though I want to be all in, I think my subconscious has gone on strike! I did go on my three walks though.

623...

The Good- The scale is showing my efforts are paying off.

The Bad- I've eaten 6 and half doughnuts in the last two days.

The Ugly- My teenager may have COVID. We are waiting for the test results.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
657...

So I have been watching a cable show about a treasure hunt. Whenever they find something, the voice over repeats the last four or five words as a question. Then it asks more questions just as they go to a commercial. So applying that to my post last night I hear something like:

Subconscious has gone on strike?
Do this mean her weight loss journey is at an end?
Will her subconscious re-engage to continue her journey?

LOL. Well, apparently reverse psychology works on my subconscious. I was back in the game today and created a very large calorie deficit. Even though I have been exhausted all day, I went on my three walks. I was so tired I had my eyes nearly closed for most of the first one. Ended a 19 hour fast today- really great because I started it so late yesterday.

Scale has been super uncooperative. Daily weigh-ins are saying up 1.5 pounds since Sunday. Holding my breath until next Sunday- would really like to confirm a loss!

622...

Great news- the COVID test was negative and she seems to be feeling fine.

I seem to be on a good path more or less right now. It is not clear what has changed. I think it is more than the window I have been counting my calories in.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
656...

On the come back trail. On-plan but I am still hungry. I do have some extra calories available- with a little luck I will keep it reigned in. Scale has returned to my recent usual range- yay!

621...

I have several ideas on why my program is getting back on track. I am really wondering if I received a bad batch of thyroid medicine. I get a 90 day supply each refill and recently refilled it. I started feeling much better after the refill.

The other things I have been trying to concentrate on are getting better sleep and getting more fiber. One more thing is I've added back in a supplement that blocks cortisol. I took out of my rotation when I was feeling so tired.

Also, my having difficulty swallowing pills (which can be thyroid related) seems to be getting better.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
655...

Thought I was on-plan yesterday and I was re: exercise and calories. However, I forgot to start my fast on time. As a result, I was a little shorter than planned (17 hours). Doing well today and should have a larger than planned calorie deficit.

620...

The scale was very unkind today even though yesterday I only had two meals and both were salads. Tomorrow is an official weigh-in day. We'll see what the numbers say. I am hopefully it will show a turnaround.

I am pretty tired today between the walks, the rec center and the ice skating. At the rec center, I banged my worse foot on the elliptical quite hard. It still really hurts and made ice skating difficult. I know I didn't break anything because I didn't get that feeling of going into shock I get when I do break something. I am really glad tomorrow is a rest day!

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

*One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
654...

Having a tough day today and overate like no one was watching. Went on my one walk. Ages ago, I had a dog that was deathly afraid of loud noises. If she heard one while outside, she would jump our six foot fence and run away. One time she was gone for two days. When we moved to our new house we also had her on a dog run (long chain on a high wire) in the fenced yard. She broke the run and jumped the fence, the poor thing. People were always really kind and would help us find her. As such, well we'd probably do it anyway, we round up loose dogs whenever we see them. Yesterday, it was our tenth dog, a very friendly Doberman.

We were coming back from a walk and saw her gamboling around near our fence. We called her over and she came running. We had one of our dogs with us. We took his leash off and put it on her since she didn't have a collar. She didn't look like a Doberman though. She was a lighter brown and didn't have a docked tail. She looked more like a hound dog.

Usually, we will take the lost dogs to our vet to get scanned for a chip. However, this time all the vets in the area were closed so we had to call animal services. The officer who came out was really nice. She gave the dog a ride home and even called to let us know that the dog made it safely home. The poor dog didn't want to get in the animal services van. My husband had to help get her in there.

A couple of weeks ago it was a pair of Huskies. One was really big. They were friendly too but driving them to the vet was an experience. The big one stood on the middle console with the front part of its body in the front seat area. Its giant head was right next to mine when I was driving. I have to say I felt a little unnerved since I didn't know the dog really well. Plus, it looked like a wolf! The other one had one blue eye and one brown eye.

What does this have to do with losing weight? Eh...not much. But, it cheers me up to think of getting these dogs back home safely.

619...

Stayed on track today but it was definitely a challenge. Didn't make the best choices for breakfast but it all worked out. My weight was up form earlier in the week but it was a maintain overall.

My foot is swollen and reddish. I hope this is the worst of it and it heals up quickly. It only hurts a little bit so I can't imagine I broke something.

My beloved skates that are decades old needed a repair. They are very cheap skates from a discount retailer and generally not worth repairing. However, they are priceless to me with my difficult to fit feet. I found a place to repair them and to also sharpen the blades. In addition, I got a new set of laces. All for under $15. It had been about five months since I had the blades sharpened. Turns out I should be having them sharpened twice a month for the amount of skating I am doing.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
653...

Hung on today and was on-plan (desired calorie deficit and exercise). I started a short fast this evening. For tomorrow's weigh-in, I would like to see a certain weight or lower. It is worth noting I have seen such a weight 11 out of the last 16 days. Fingers crossed but often I have a bump up in weight on Sundays.

I ate regular today despite saying to myself I was going to limit it and to stop eating earlier. This is why dieting is hard for me. Even with the best of intentions, I can't even manage an extra push for the shortest of time frames.

618...

Parts of my foot and a couple of toes are purple now. I am still dumbfounded as to how I managed to do this. In general it is just a little sore. I think it would hurt a lot more if something were seriously wrong. Although, it did really hurt around 4:00 am this morning and may have even woken me up.

I think I am getting better sleep now. I remember dreaming the last two nights. Unfortunately, I was woken up mid dream both nights.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
652...

Was able to confirm a half pound weight loss today - yay!

617....

Didn't sleep hardly at all last night! I am really angry about something. So angry, it affected my sleep. I am angry about something that is beyond my control and I need to let it go. However, it will be hanging over my head for months. Ugh!

So our shades have the option of a full shade or a light privacy shade. Most of the day, it was set to the light gauzy privacy shade. This afternoon when I opened the shade entirely, the cat hopped up on a small end table to look out into our yard. In our yard were two squirrels, a rabbit and a duck! LOL- she didn't know where to look first!

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 5 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
651...

Same old; same old- on-plan. Plan is too slow but unable to speed it up.

616...

I managed to get some better quality sleep last night. Yesterday, I went skating and I was really excited about using my freshened up skates. Unfortunately, the repaired eyelet didn't stay put. I'll have to look at other ways to strengthen the vinyl that the eyelet goes on before getting it repaired again.

My feet and ankles felt great today. The scale is currently being kind and the keto test strips show I am on track.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
650...

On-plan and completed a 18 hour fast. Since yesterday was 90 days from when I started this countdown, I took a look back. I have lost 9 pounds in that time. I feel like each one was hard won. It also seems to show my actual weight loss averages to 0.7 pounds per week. A little higher than planned.

615...

I went into the office for the second time in a year. It was really quiet, just me and IT. It's funny that my last year's post was about my broken tooth. I think the crown I had to get is breaking down and I need to call the dentist. The other funny part is I received a refund from the dentist today. I must have overpaid at some point before the insurance paid out.

We made a nice healthy dinner at home. Last night when I was making my dinner, I was really feeling anxious about keeping my calories in check. Then I remembered, I have all of my calories available for dinner. I felt so much better instantly. I never realized how much even the minimal calorie restriction I have been doing was weighing on me.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6.5 hrs

*One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
649...

Good news - I was at a new low weight yesterday!

Bad news - I broke a tooth today...

614...

Holy Smokes! I made it through today with a calorie deficit. It is smaller than planned but a deficit nonetheless! This small step for today is a giant step for the plan. I only had a handful of calories to tide me over until 5:00 pm. I thought for sure I was going to go over until suddenly, or so it seemed, it was 5:00 pm. It was a bit like the scene in It's a Wonderful Life when they have $2 left at the end of the day.

So about tomorrow, it is going to be even tougher. I only have a pinch of calories left. I have a plan worked out and hope that it will work. Today worked so I can get tomorrow to work, right? Well, wrong that's totally wrong actually. If it were true, I'd be a skinny mini by now. I will do my best though. The more days I can string together, the better.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
648...


My tooth seems to be holding its own for now. The dentist didn't have an opening to put the crown on my tooth until two weeks from Saturday. I hope my tooth remains stable until then.


Here's the broken record part...on-plan, did my three walks, ended a fast (18 hrs), and created a calorie deficit. Here's the fun part. Last week while on a walk, my husband and I found a sheet of blank business checks on the sidewalk. When we got home, he looked up the business name but couldn't find them on the web. He was going to shred the checks. However, I took a look at them and saw the bank's phone number was on them. I called the bank to let them know I had them. I dropped them off at the bank later that day. Today, I received a lovely thank you note from the bank and business with a Starbucks gift card. It was such a nice surprise!

613...

Well, I've gotten through another day. Clearly, my body does not like me eating two salads for my meals on Friday. My weight popped up two pounds today and every Saturday it seems like. I do have shrimp on my salads so there might be a lot of sodium in them. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow. Depressingly, I weighed less on this day last year.

I went skating tonight. Someone abruptly turned and started to cut across my path. I end up banging in to the boards. I jammed my pinky finger. Even worse, I banged my sore foot really hard right where I banged it exactly a week ago. My foot hurts quite a bit tonight. I also (foolishly) didn't wear my leg braces today which is also contributing to the soreness of my foot. I am very glad tomorrow is a rest day.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6.5 hrs

+One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
647...

So I hit a new low weight today. I was really surprised. Unfortunately, I overate today. I didn't even realize it until I was almost 500 calories over. I think that means I am struggling with my appetite again but just didn't realize it.

It would be nice if things just showed up faster on the scale. Overeat one day and the next day weigh more. Eat under your limit and weigh less the next day. It would certainly lessen the frustration.

Since I am on the sloth plan and it takes so very long for the scale to go down, I am always looking for other indicators I am doing well. How my clothes fit isn't a good indicator for me either. I've lost over twenty pounds and everything still fits the same. I don't know why.

Other things I check are my blood sugar and blood pressure. They are just as frustrating as the scale. Sometimes they look good- really good. Then, they look worse for reasons I can't decipher. I also use keto strips. Those are probably the best indicator for me that I am actually doing something. They look good when I am on-plan and don't change when I fall off my plan.

I also have a sticker chart, a literal sticker chart, like one might use for a preschooler. It use to make me feel really good about all of my mini successes that don't translate to the scale until months later. However, I am starting to suffer from lifestyle change fatigue and I just keep thinking of how much further I need to go.

It is such an extremely long way. I can't even picture it. I can picture my future self through the end of next year. However, trying to picture myself two years out is something I'm not able to do but that is when my current plan will get me there.

612...

It is looking like I may have things turned around. Next week I should be able to confirm a loss. I am struggling a lot between the hours of 2-5pm. I am really hoping that settles down. Currently, I am eating way more in the evenings mostly because I can.

I am happy; I think I have found a way to fix my skate. It is drying overnight and I will check it tomorrow morning. My foot is still really swollen from being hit a week ago and then bumped again last night. My toes are almost back to a normal color.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
646...

Ran off the rails today. We shall see what tomorrow says..... BP confusingly looked good today.

611...

I would like to go skating tomorrow. This reminds me I still need to register for the skating session. I repaired the area around the eyelet of my skate and I am hopeful it will be strong enough. Although, the corners of the patches I put on are lifting up. I'll glue them down tomorrow night. I brought my skate to the pro-shop at the closest rink to have them put a new eyelet in. It only took a few minutes but I wandered around rather than staring at the guy doing the repair.

When I came back all 3 pro-shop men were looking at my skate because it was so old- LOL. I said are you looking at my sad sack skate- what can you it expect it is 38 years old. They guy to whom I was talking to laughed and said that's a really old CCM. Super nice gents, they didn't charge me for the repair!

Interestingly, CCM stand for Canadian Cycle & Motor Co. It was a company that either made motorcycles or parts for motorcycles that started making skates on the side.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
645...

Caught a lucky break and have a loss pending confirmation next week. Realizing my countdown here is out of sync with my tracking sheet. My plan is set up to lose a half a pound per week. Therefore, my end date calculation is set up using that goal. I think I will continue this countdown as is. If I get a bigger than planned weight loss it will converge again. Right now I am two weeks off track.

Was able to create a small calorie deficit and went on three walks. I was very hungry all day so I am really glad I managed any deficit at all.

610...

So I have a weird NSV. The area just under my cheekbones on either side of my nose has gotten really flat. It looks strange but I think it is a victory. Why I would lose fat so dramatically in that little area? It is really noticeable from certain angles.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6.5 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
644....

10
10
10

609...

Today really feels like Thursday. I keep thinking tomorrow is Friday. Alas, it is not. Now that I am having a little success, I feel like I am getting more focused on my journey. It still is tough to know that I am pretty much (within 5 lbs) where I was last year at this time. At least most days, I weigh less than last year.

I am really struggling with insomnia and need to find a way to work through that. The good news is my appetite is at bay and has been for a while. I think it is in part the reduction in anxiety around food in the evening. This is a result of resetting my calorie allowance at 5 pm rather than midnight.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6 hrs

*One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
643...

10 minutes
10 weeks
10 months

608...

So...it is still not Friday. I was so confused about which day it was, I screwed up my available calorie allotment for today. I caught the error earlier today and I was still on-track. For the most part, I am doing Calories In/Calories Out (CICO). There are many calculators on-line to calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditures (TDEE) and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). I don't really use those.

I have my own calculation based on one that I found in a book. The book was one of the ones in the "...for Dummies" series. I think it was Weight Loss for Dummies but I can't remember. It had a super simple calculation. I had another calculation that was really complicated and in the end it gave the same number as the Dummies calculation. According to Dummies, to estimate your calories in a day you took a number (11 sedentary, 12 active and 13 very active) and multiplied it by your weight. It also said that 10 times your weight was the number of calories just to live even if you were just lying down all day.

To start my calculation on how many calories I can have, I take my weight and subtract 10 lbs. I do this to build in a bit of a fudge factor for when I have to estimate the calories in a food. Then I multiply that by 11 (sedentary). After that, I add in the calories I burn from exercise. Finally, I subtract 250 calories which is the calorie deficit I want to create each day. In theory, this would lead me to lose at least a half a pound a week. In practice, there is more variability. I'd say LOL but it is more annoying than funny!

Weight in lbs - 10= Adj Weight
Adj Weight*11= Base Calories
Base Calories + Exercise Calories - 250 Calories = Calorie Limit for the Day

It seems to work when I manage to stick to it. It is also really close to the calculator available on the NIH website.

Well, that is not at all what I intended to write about today. Hopefully, I'll remember the intended topic for tomorrow's post. Still having a lot of trouble sleeping and I am really tired. Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep tonight.

>>>Whew- my CTL+A, CTL+C trick really saved me tonight. I almost lost this whole post!<<<

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6 hrs

*One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
642...


10 minutes
10 weeks
10 months

So a while ago, I read this book. It's concept was how does each decision affect you in the future. For example if you eat this doughnut now, how will it affect you in 10 minutes, 10 weeks and 10 months. I don't think I have the right periods of time- it may be minutes, months and years. I liked it because it made you think about things in a different way. What I didn't like about is you can make it go the way you want. For example you could justify eating the doughnut by saying you'd be happy in 10 minutes and in 10 weeks/months it would let you make better choices since you weren't restricting yourself and causing a binge.

607...

So happy it is Friday! Even happier that I have Monday off!! So I have a small notebook that I bought just to track my weight loss. It is 4 years old now and I am still trying to get this excess weight off. I use 0 as my starting weight because I don't want to admit how much I weigh publicly. It is simply too demoralizing to me. Plus, my scale doesn't have any numbers. It announces how I did compared to the previous weigh-in. May 28, 2017 was the first weight I recorded in my little notebook.

2017:+7
2018: +4 (A three pound loss for the year period.)
2019: +2 (My scale reset in Jan 2019 so this is actually an eight pound gain for the year period.)
2020: -21.5 (A twenty-three and a half pound loss for the year period.)
2021: -23 (A one and a half pound loss for the year period.)

What does it all mean? Well, I think it is fair to say the year long nutrition/wellness course I took in 2018, including weekly weigh-ins, was worthless. Especially considering that my scale reset in January 2019. My scale resets itself every 10 pounds whether it is up or down. 2019-2020 was great. 2020-2021 was definitely a struggle. I thought I was doing okay during the pandemic but it seems to have impacted my weight loss. I also got a full-time (vs. part-time) job in that time. So more stress? Seemly on a good roll now. We'll see if I can confirm my fledgling loss on Sunday.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6.5 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
641...

So it is looking like I will not have a loss for this month unless I have a 'whoosh" in the next couple of days. The really strange thing is I've had good weekly weight confirmations all month. However, I use my 'raw' weight as my monthly weight. Whereas, the weekly weights have to stay off a week for confirmation.

For the monthly weight, I can use the last day of the previous month or the first day of the new month. At the start of May, I was really excited because I did well for April. I used the first day of May because it was the lowest. I was thinking I was on a good track and I would be able to lose more. Now, I wish I had hedged my bets and taken the higher of the two.

Was on-plan today.

606...

Seriously, the number of times I've woken up feeling rested and ready for the day that I can remember is easily less than a dozen. It takes me a long time to get going for the day. I've looked it up and this grogginess is called sleep inertia. It can last for 30 minutes- 6 hours after waking up. Clearly, I am on the longer end of the spectrum. I went to a morning skating session for the first and likely last time. It was a different experience and I felt so very sluggish. I have been extremely tired all day. I'll have to keep poking around to see if I can find a way to shorten the period of sleep inertia. So far, no luck....

So, I did it again. We had take out for dinner tonight and by the time I had settled on something, the restaurant had closed. I hurriedly picked an alternative and thought I was making good choices. I did not. It's looking like coffee and breath mints for breakfast tomorrow- UGH!


Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
640...

Not quite on plan but was able to create a calorie deficit.

Hi Pipsicle. I want to say something about losing a post. This forum has a built in auto-save. As you type, look down to the bottom of the dialog box and it will periodically say "auto saved.". This means that if you lose your post for some reason all you have to do is click the cursed in the blank dialog box and your post will reappear. For some reason this doesn't always work but does most of the time.

Hi Carol- Thanks for reminder on auto-save. For me, it usually only brings back half my stuff so that's why I use CTL+A and CTL+C....

606...

I was calorie neutral today and just barely. I'll take it as a win though. The scale showed a confirmed loss for me this morning which is great! Although, it was spot on. I was really hoping for a pending loss waiting in the wings for confirmation next week. The keto test strips have been confirming I am on-track. The scale will catch up later.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Neutral
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
639...

Tomorrow is the end of the month. I am anxious to see if I can manage a loss for the month. If the scale is uncooperative tomorrow, hopefully it will be cooperative on Monday, the first day of June. I can pick from either date. I was on plan today (i.e, took 3 walks and created a calorie deficit).

I've realized there is another technique that works for many dieters but not for me. Stop me if I've posted this before- LOL. Anyway, IE (intuitive eating) does not work for me. My appetite is messed up so it will tell me I am still hungry when I really shouldn't be. The other way this worked against me was trying to eat just enough to feel satisfied. Because I could never get there, I was eating small amounts across a longer somewhat continuous duration which I think adversely impact my blood sugar. It would keep it elevated over a longer period rather than it going up and then coming down quickly.

605...

I slept a long time last night. I did get up two or three times though which is really unusual for me. Usually, I don't get up at all during the night. I am really tired this evening and hope to get some good sleep tonight.

A strange thing happened yesterday. All day I was fine. However, when I went to get out of the car yesterday evening my hip hurt really bad. Like it hurt to put weight on it and I could barely walk bad. It was sore all night. It did improve today though. It was well enough that I could still go on walks and workout on the elliptical. It is still a little sore and I have to be careful not to do any twisting motions. If I twist the wrong way there is a sharp pain. Hopefully, it will be all better by tomorrow.

This morning the scale showed I have a half pound loss for the month. I will see what the scale says tomorrow and then I'll pick between the two.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 11 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
638..

No luck- looking at a half pound gain for the month unless I find some redemption tomorrow. I was on-plan more days this month than last month. However, I created a larger calorie deficit last month. The calorie deficit I created this month should have resulted in a 2+ pound weight loss. It was nearly identical to the calorie deficit I created in March and I lost 3.0 pounds in March.

Ultimately, it seems to be telling me I need to adjust my plan. Feels like a tall order since I am so challenged to do what I have been doing...

Recalculating....

Choose my own weight loss adventure:

If I pick my weigh-in from yesterday, my loss for the month is a half a pound and I have 658 days left.

If I pick my weigh-in from today, my loss for the month is 1.5 pounds and I have 644 days left. In theory of course.

Either way, I am pretty excited to have a loss this month. Hoping to keep the streak going!

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 6.5 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
637... or infinite....who knows....

Spoiler alert- I am in a foul, foul mood so the next few posts are likely to be very pessimistic. Read at your own peril.

On-plan with exercise and starting a fast today. Squeaked by with the tiniest calorie deficit...

658 (updated from the recalculation)....

Well, I chose the lesser loss of the two for my monthly weigh-in. I lost 0.5 lbs in May. This recalculation of the theoretical number of days left hurt a bit. I am worse off than I was last year. If I had stayed on plan, I would be sitting pretty with a mere 271 days left. My journey is the extended play one with a whopping 658 days left.

Note- I totally still feel how I felt last year. However trying and failing is better than not trying at all.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
636... On-plan

Pipsicle, how did you put in your spoiler?

657....

Had a great day and even had a few calories to spare. This has to show up on the scale eventually- right? I made a minor change last week and we'll see if it helps. If it doesn't seem to, I will make another small change.

I went into the office today and there were more people there. My company had what they called a 'soft opening' on June 1. Folks don't have to come in but those who want to can. They've also started restocking coffee in the break room.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
635....

Not really on-plan today. Got my exercise in but broke even on calories and started my fast late

656...

I am very happy with the 5-5pm calorie window. There is an added benefit. I go skating on Saturday nights. Those calories go on to my calorie allowance for the bulk of Sunday. Sunday is my rest/recovery day so the extra calorie cushion is nice.

I've figured out that I look shorter by losing a little bit of weight. My shirts hang lower so it gives the illusion I am shorter. The funny thing is I am functionally taller. I can get closer (smaller belly) to the upper cabinets to reach things higher up. LOL.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 7 hrs

--One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
634....

On-plan (exercise, slightly larger than planned calorie deficit and ended a fast).

Tomorrow will be a better day

655...

Yesterday, my calorie deficit was triple what I had planned. My reward on the scale was a 2.5 lb gain. Seriously!?! What on earth! Add in the double whammy of weighing exactly the same weight as I weighed last year. Tomorrow is the important weigh-in day. Hoping it straightens itself out.

Skating was fun tonight but I was really tired. Walking for over an hour in 80+ degree weather is tiring. For the last 20 minutes of the skating session most skaters had cleared out. The only ones left were two really good figure skaters and a good hockey skater. And me, of course.

EDIT: I just remembered to update my side bar to show my current total loss as -23 (from -22.5). Last Sunday, I had confirmed the half pound loss.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

=One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
633...

Over ate today and only went on one walk. Still showing a half pound calorie deficit since Sunday's weigh in.

654...

Ah yes, today was official weigh-in day. It was ugly, really ugly. I went back to bed for two hours because the scale reported a +6.5 lb gain since Friday. Yes, my friends, a +6.5 lb gain in two days. The scale never ever drops that much in two days! After two hours, it was reduced to a +4.5 lb gain since Friday. Generally, I like to think the upticks on the scale don't get to me. However, +6.5 lbs in two days is no mere uptick though and so discouraging. I was on-plan every day this week.

The cherry on top is I weigh more today than I did on this date last year. All of the good choices I made in the past year have amounted to nothing. How much would I have gained if I didn't make these good choices? Clearly, I will never know.

On-plan so far today and I will make some more adjustments when I set my calorie target tomorrow. A+ for tenacity!

Rest https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

+One year ago....

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
632....


On-plan (three walks and created targeted calorie deficit). Tomorrow is weigh day for me.

653...

I slept really well last night. Made it through another day successfully. The ketone test strips say my calorie tally is accurate. It is only a matter of time before it shows on the scale.

One of my cats had an adventure today. She was really talkative this morning. It almost sounds like chirping. We said a few jokes about what she was telling us. A little while later I notice it was really quiet. It was then I realized what the cat was trying to tell us. She was saying I went out the window and it was really fun.

One of our screens is pushed out by the dog. The window is really low and we have been leaving it closed since the screen is broken. However, my daughter opened it and I has forgotten about the broken screen. When I went to look for the cat she was laying down outside near the hutch the cats spend their outdoor time in.

This cat is pretty skittish so it is fortunate I have a taught her a greeting trick. I hold my hand in a closed fist, fingers down at about her nose height and I say "knuckles" in a high pitched tone. She'll run up to me and rub her body on my knuckles. I used that to round her up.

She then when into the cat hutch. It is a rabbit hutch over a basement window well so the cats can go in and out of it during the day. And she was mad! She ran from side to side scratching at the sides meowing! This is something she has never done before. I guess she liked her taste of freedom and wanted it back.

Exercise https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Calorie Deficit https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon10.gif
Sleep 8 hrs

=One year ago...

Originally Posted by Pipsicle:
647...

Was on-plan today. Had to adjust the calculated number of days left. Predicted end date is March 22, 2022. Was able to confirm a weekly loss so damage was mitigated to an additional 15 days increase instead of an entire month.