6/14 Health and Wellness Check-In

[krystee]

I had some big victories this week.

The biggest was taking my son to a carnival tonight. For the last several years, I would have skipped the rides out of mortification and shame that I wouldn’t fit in some of them. Tonight, I was so excited to get a ride bracelet with him, and we rode EVERYTHING, and I had so much energy and excitement. He loved it, and it was one of the best nights I have had in awhile.

The other is that I really wanted pizza tonight, so I had it. I didn’t shame myself for it, and I didn’t overeat it out of disgust. I ate what I wanted, reeeeeallly enjoyed it, tossed the rest, and went on my merry way.

And the third is that I went to the gym for the first time in three months. It was Wednesday at 8:45 pm, and all I wanted was to get in bed with a book, but I had just read the wellness thread and was inspired. I found myself sulking because I hate the gym.....and then I stopped myself and made myself ask the question, “Do I really? And if so, why?” And I realized that I actually really enjoy the gym! I love having 45 minutes alone to listen to a good podcast, I like challenging myself to go faster or incline higher, and I really feel good during and after. So why have I been telling myself I hate it all these years? Once I had mentally sorted through that, I was ready to go and had a great time.

[jr009j]

I always struggle with the idea that not dieting doesn’t mean I can eat whatever I want large quantities. So I’ve been trying to set guidelines that aren’t restrictions but general rules to follow. Mainly consider quality over quantity and more doesn’t make me more satisfied. So in practice that means ice cream is fine but I’ll get a small at a good place rather than the biggest Sonic has to offer just because it’s there.

[krystee]

Jun 15, 2019 13:09:33 GMT -5 jr009j said:

I always struggle with the idea that not dieting doesn’t mean I can eat whatever I want large quantities. So I’ve been trying to set guidelines that aren’t restrictions but general rules to follow. Mainly consider quality over quantity and more doesn’t make me more satisfied. So in practice that means ice cream is fine but I’ll get a small at a good place rather than the biggest Sonic has to offer just because it’s there.

The mini blizzards at Dairy Queen make life worth living. Mmm.

[jr009j]

Jun 15, 2019 13:12:57 GMT -5 krystee said:

Jun 15, 2019 13:09:33 GMT -5 jr009j said:

I always struggle with the idea that not dieting doesn’t mean I can eat whatever I want large quantities. So I’ve been trying to set guidelines that aren’t restrictions but general rules to follow. Mainly consider quality over quantity and more doesn’t make me more satisfied. So in practice that means ice cream is fine but I’ll get a small at a good place rather than the biggest Sonic has to offer just because it’s there.

The mini blizzards at Dairy Queen make life worth living. Mmm.

Agreed. There isn’t a DQ anywhere convenient to me and sonic is really a poor substitute, so my thought is I need to stop substituting Sonic when I really want DQ even if it means having nothing at all. Because it will never satisfy the same!

[atexan]

I worked out 3x this week and I have gotten so much better about drinking water the past few weeks. My body feels so much better when I do those things consistently.

I want to keep it up for the coming week. I haven't been sleeping super well so I'm thinking of adding in a yoga video before bed. I love yoga but haven't done any for a while.

I'm not in a great place with food right now, so I'll leave it at that.

[livinitup]

Today, I got my butt out of bed and registered for a 4K in my neighborhood at 7:30 AM. It’s strawberry season and the local strawberry farm sponsor a “strawberry shortcake race” - so it was short, too, a 4K. So fun.

We got strawberry shortcake after we finished.

It was so great being outdoors and running. It was also nice that it wasn’t a super competitive race. All runners welcome.

[livinitup]

Jun 14, 2019 22:50:29 GMT -5 krystee said:

I had some big victories this week.

The biggest was taking my son to a carnival tonight. For the last several years, I would have skipped the rides out of mortification and shame that I wouldn’t fit in some of them. Tonight, I was so excited to get a ride bracelet with him, and we rode EVERYTHING, and I had so much energy and excitement. He loved it, and it was one of the best nights I have had in awhile.

The other is that I really wanted pizza tonight, so I had it. I didn’t shame myself for it, and I didn’t overeat it out of disgust. I ate what I wanted, reeeeeallly enjoyed it, tossed the rest, and went on my merry way.

And the third is that I went to the gym for the first time in three months. It was Wednesday at 8:45 pm, and all I wanted was to get in bed with a book, but I had just read the wellness thread and was inspired. I found myself sulking because I hate the gym.....and then I stopped myself and made myself ask the question, “Do I really? And if so, why?” And I realized that I actually really enjoy the gym! I love having 45 minutes alone to listen to a good podcast, I like challenging myself to go faster or incline higher, and I really feel good during and after. So why have I been telling myself I hate it all these years? Once I had mentally sorted through that, I was ready to go and had a great time.

I wish I could “like” this twice!

[isabel]

I did 3 workouts this week and 3 or 4 last week. I feel really good overall about how I'm approaching this. I'm working out when I feel like, and not when I don't. I'm letting that be enough and not shaming myself when I don't want to do it. In general, I'm making sure I move more, even if it's not something I consider to be a "workout." We went to a party today and it was walking distance, so we walked over instead of driving. It took about 15 minutes to get there, so a reasonable distance between there and back.

Eating is meh, but I'm really not stressed about it. I'm mostly just happy to be moving and doing something that is good for me.

Aside from something work related, I'm in a really good place mentally right now, which is just so refreshing. I think moving around more has helped with that a lot. I also know for sure that it being summer and the sun being out has done wonders for me. I am always happiest when it's sunny and we had quite the run of cloudy days.

[secretlyevil]

I ordered Intuitive Eating yesterday and started reading it. I didn’t get very far but I figure I will read a little bit every day.

I want to be kinder to myself and stop striving for this unattainable perfect image I am supposed to achieve. That’s going to HARD and I know it will take time because let’s face it, I have a crap ton of baggage. That means accepting who I am, flaws and all.


Physically, I struggled this week. My hip was killing me. Logically I know I’m “repaired” but my muscles continue to wig out. Again one day at a time.

I guess my mantra needs to be patience.

[5thofjuly]

Because of other people's sabbaticals, this has been the hardest work year of my entire life. I've worked the equivalent of 1 and 2/3rds full time jobs, and these last two weeks are some of the hardest. I have to be "on" all the time (I give a speech to 300+ people every day and do two additional public-facing events,) and I'm in the office more than I ever am. Last week was rough, but, I'm proud of myself- I still got three workouts in (cardio and strength) even though two of them were on the weekend.

On Wednesday, I was just brain dead, so I kicked back in the comfy chair of my office and watched a sitcom. Something about watching TV at work felt decadent and perked me right back up. I was scheduled to work out Thursday after work and decided, "Fuck it. I don't want to do this. I'm taking a nap." And, honestly, that was better for me than anything, I think. I also knocked off early on Friday and took the new woman at work who is kicking serious ass (and making my life a lot easier by doing so) out for a late lunch. One more week....

Aging is doing a number on my midsection that I'm really unhappy about, but what am I going to do---starve myself or eat bland food for the next 40 years? The upside is that I've gotten some new clothes and when I'm wearing things that actually fit me (instead of ones that are just a *little* too tight) more often than not I look in the mirror and think, "You're pretty cute!"

[pugz]

Jun 15, 2019 18:57:48 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

I ordered Intuitive Eating yesterday and started reading it. I didn’t get very far but I figure I will read a little bit every day.

I want to be kinder to myself and stop striving for this unattainable perfect image I am supposed to achieve. That’s going to HARD and I know it will take time because let’s face it, I have a crap ton of baggage. That means accepting who I am, flaws and all.


Physically, I struggled this week. My hip was killing me. Logically I know I’m “repaired” but my muscles continue to wig out. Again one day at a time.

I guess my mantra needs to be patience.

I usually read about half a chapter at a time, a lot to digest. I usually do like one chapter a week. Not something you can zip through!

[mrsukyankee]

My H has started biking into work and eating just a tad better (due to high cholesterol) and he's lost a lot of weight. A lot. And he's not trying to do so. It's frustrating. At 50, I'm finding it hard to keep a weight. But I'm trying to be forgiving of my body. If I focus more on fitness and eating a bit healthier while staying balance, I think it'll be the best I can do for myself. Health versus size is a good target.

[lovelovelove]

Can someone please recommend a good water reminder & tracker app? Thanks!

[Deleted]

I’m really interested in the Intuitive Eating concept, and think I’ll order the book. My sister has been using an eating coach (?? I think that’s what she calls her) who has been coaching her through shifting to what seems like an IE mindset, but it’s crazy expensive. I’m thinking of trying out Noom, which seems similar. Anyone have any experience?


My mom was here for a few days this week and so much about my mindset over food and eating became clear. She declared that she “wasn’t eating carbs” so I asked her why. She said “I need to lose weight!” So I told her I don’t think she does, and that she shouldn’t feel like she has to. My ENTIRE LIFE she has talked about how she “has” to lose weight (not “wants to”), and has been an exercise in depriving herself in the effort to lose weight. She has had some success a few times but can’t maintain because the deprivation isn’t sustainable. I’ve noticed that i have the same thought processes, and really really want to stop (and really want to stop using the language she uses). I love my mom and we get along really well, but damn if her mindset didn’t set me up for a lifetime of weight struggle.

My focus for this week is on a) reading up on IE, b) moving more, and c) paying close attention to my negative self-talk.

[birddog]

Lurker/very infrequent poster here. I’m glad to read this and the “smash the wellness industry” post. I was following a motivation post on another board and everyone seemed to recommend really extreme methods that felt inaccessible to me: macros were a huge one (as was purchasing very specific foods/supplements to meet your macro requirement), working out multiple times a day, expensive gym memberships, etc. We are a single income family and I cannot afford that lifestyle. I have counted calories and lost a fair bit of weight this winter, but now that it’s summer, I want to enjoy life and eat food at BBQs and bring my kids out for ice cream and not obsess over tracking. So, I will be following these threads! My biggest success has been continuing to workout and enjoy working out on a regular basis. I ran my fastest mile time in years yesterday. I started biking to work last week because it’s finally nice enough to do so. I enjoy strength training and walking and being outside. The food part is the challenge for me. I love food! I’m going to read more about IE because I don’t think I’m going to mentally sustain calorie counting for the rest of my days, and when I’m not counting, I tend to go off the rails. I need to find a happy medium.

[pugz]

@villainv I definitely recommend the book. There is a workbook you can buy to go along with it if you want to try that. My appointments with my IE trained registered dietician are $65/each for 30 min which isn't too bad since I just go 2x a month. My insurance won't cover a dietician unless I'm diabetic so I pay out of pocket. My therapy appointments are more expensive but I don't necessarily think you need to do both like I am doing. While mine are in the same clinic and both trained in IE, the therapist is more for my anxiety.

[Deleted]

pugz, I see a few on Amazon — who is the author of the one you recommend?

[pugz]

Jun 16, 2019 9:33:54 GMT -5 @villainv said:

pugz, I see a few on Amazon — who is the author of the one you recommend?

This one and the workbook I mentioned

[cuadrado]

Jun 16, 2019 3:49:57 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

My H has started biking into work and eating just a tad better (due to high cholesterol) and he's lost a lot of weight. A lot. And he's not trying to do so. It's frustrating. At 50, I'm finding it hard to keep a weight. But I'm trying to be forgiving of my body. If I focus more on fitness and eating a bit healthier while staying balance, I think it'll be the best I can do for myself. Health versus size is a good target.

If it's helpful for you, our bodies are supposed to change as we age. Our bodies gain weight in certain areas as a protective measure as our hormones change. I wish society would normalize this a little more!

[raangoli]

Jun 16, 2019 13:25:36 GMT -5 cuadrado said:

Jun 16, 2019 3:49:57 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

My H has started biking into work and eating just a tad better (due to high cholesterol) and he's lost a lot of weight. A lot. And he's not trying to do so. It's frustrating. At 50, I'm finding it hard to keep a weight. But I'm trying to be forgiving of my body. If I focus more on fitness and eating a bit healthier while staying balance, I think it'll be the best I can do for myself. Health versus size is a good target.

If it's helpful for you, our bodies are supposed to change as we age. Our bodies gain weight in certain areas as a protective measure as our hormones change. I wish society would normalize this a little more!

I had no idea this was the case. I’ll have to read more about it!

[starlily]

Victories: I spent a good part of yesterday on my feet, and just spent the past 4 hours cleaning, but my back and hips don't hurt like they usually have in the past. I credit this to starting up yoga again last month. I've been following the Yoga With Adriene monthly calendar at home, so it's nothing super strenuous, but the 15-30 minutes almost every day has made a significant difference in my core strength and flexibility.

Goal for this week: Get back to a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night. I just feel so much better when I do, but have been cutting myself short lately at 6 hours/night. Key to this will be imposing a phone curfew for myself.

[secretlyevil]

Jun 16, 2019 6:22:30 GMT -5 lovelovelove said:

Can someone please recommend a good water reminder & tracker app? Thanks!

a friend of mine uses this one:

Water Reminder - Daily Tracker by VGFIT LLC

She started with the free version and found it so helpful, she went with the paid version.

[lovelovelove]

Jun 16, 2019 18:57:59 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Jun 16, 2019 6:22:30 GMT -5 lovelovelove said:

Can someone please recommend a good water reminder & tracker app? Thanks!

a friend of mine uses this one:

Water Reminder - Daily Tracker by VGFIT LLC

She started with the free version and found it so helpful, she went with the paid version.

Thank you so much! Will check it out

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 16, 2019 6:22:30 GMT -5 lovelovelove said:

Can someone please recommend a good water reminder & tracker app? Thanks!

This one is fine for just plain reminders:

Drink Water Reminder N Tracker by Phoenix Games LLP

But if you want a gamified version, get Plant Nanny. By drinking water you earn points and grow different cartoon plants/flowers. It’s dumb but kind of fun.

[lovelovelove]

Jun 16, 2019 19:18:23 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 16, 2019 6:22:30 GMT -5 lovelovelove said:

Can someone please recommend a good water reminder & tracker app? Thanks!

This one is fine for just plain reminders:

Drink Water Reminder N Tracker by Phoenix Games LLP

But if you want a gamified version, get Plant Nanny. By drinking water you earn points and grow different cartoon plants/flowers. It’s dumb but kind of fun.

Awesome thanks! Will check these out as well.

[tiramisu]

I haven't weighed myself in multiple days and have been just letting myself eat small amounts of what I want/crave, then checking in with myself to see if I feel full/of my craving is satisfied. I always used to eat really slowly, and though I still eat more slowly than others, I've sped up and want to reset that. I bought a new 40 oz water bottle to encourage myself to drink more water every day. And I've noticed that my work pants, without a belt, are starting to almost sag.

I think leaving a job that was not great for my mental health and had me under chronic stress has been really beneficial. I've also been going back to the chiropractor and got myself a mini massage. I'm trying to do all of my self care. I'm thinking about signing up for 5 dance classes this summer, 4 of which would be on the same day. I might even seek out a ballet class I can start attending. Dance is my favorite form of movement and self care. Everything else fades away when I'm dancing.

[seeyalater52]

I’ve been drinking a lot more water, trying to get in 5 giant bottles of water a day which is easy during weekdays.

Also trying to take some gentle walks around the block with the dog a few times a day, which feels like a manageable amount of exercise for me currently.

[mrsukyankee]

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByxutkalYtb

This is what I did this weekend - took down multiple wardrobes and other furniture and cleared out all the shit our renter left behind so we can actually move forward with our sale (still need to do more on Tuesday).

[taratru]

We are spending the next 9 days at an all-inclusive resort. I've packed workout clothes because I just feel better when I move with purpose at least once a day. I've been trying to focus my self talk on enjoying myself instead of the rolls that have shown up the last few months. This is such a mental game for me, so I'm really focusing on that.

[secretlyevil]

pugz - do you think the workbook is necessary? The description details are so vague, I'm not really getting it.

ETA: I am enthralled with the book, it's so honest and has great information. Accepting my body and putting "weight loss" on the back burner is such a complete mind fuck though. That is going to take some effort on my part.