2019 Weight Loss Group

[anatess2]

How about I share the lunches I make... 

 

[SpiritDragon]

36 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

I accept everything you have to say here, but I think I'm ok.  I keep my diet varied and usually save the excesses for cheat day. 

 @SpiritDragon can chime in here, but many of these "you shouldn't do more than X" guidelines apply in general, but exceeding them on occasion is not bad, yes?  Must we never again do an all-you-can-eat rib night because we might exceed 70 grams of protein?  Fasting would be another example.  "Don't skip breakfast!  That's a bad habit!  You could end up [insert all the bad stuff we know about what happens when people don't eat breakfast]!"   And yet, a monthly fast involving skipping two meals, well, there are some health benefits that come with that. 

A co-worker once told a fun story about a friend who went on the all-carrot diet, and her skin turned orange.  My wife had a friend with bizarre "only this and never that" diet notions, and gave birth to a preemie with low birth weight and the possibility of a lifetime of health issues.  Danger Will Robinson indeed!

Did the math - I had over a pound of chicken yesterday. Like 600 grams.  Am I gonna be able to play the flute doc?

If you already can play the flute you can expect to do so tomorrow

Most of Western civilization eats well in excess of their protein needs which does put them at increased risk for kidney troubles and cancer compared to groups who are getting closer to around 5-10% of their daily calories from protein. Some studies will claim that the protein puts you at no greater risk because they compare high protein diets to standard western diets that are already high in protein. So if you're eating a lot of protein, especially from animal sources you do an increased risk of trouble down the road, but it is a risk that is matched to the general population around you. You might look at it more as something that you can reduce your chances of having kidney damage and cancer by reducing your protein intake.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1262767/ - Study drawing the conclusion that high protein is of no risk for the average healthy person. This is an ongoing debate without a definitive answer. We know for a fact that reducing protein is helpful for those with kidney failure and that eating more plant based helps to prevent comorbidities that may play a causative role in the progression of kidney disease. For instance, diabetes is one of the biggest predictors of kidney damage and interestingly enough eating less animal products appears to be protective - now whether that's because of the protein, fat or other inflammatory components I don't think has been clearly established.

One thing that would certainly give me pause giving any one a green light across the board to eat as much protein as they want is the finding that as much as 75% of people with kidney damage who we know would be susceptible to excess proteins are unaware they have a problem yet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17976426  I read somewhere that an estimated 26 million people in the united states have diagnosed kidney damage, if 3 times that many have it and don't know it that's a little concerning because unless we all go get tested we don't know if we are among them. I suppose one could at the very least go ask to have kidney function tested before embarking on increased protein intake.

[NeuroTypical]

11 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

How about I share the lunches I make... 

Food with artistic qualities!  Love it!

I took this picture of my lunch once.  Was totally surprised at my ability to take a decent photo.  Who knew lunch could be sexy?

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

So you're saying I'll be able to play the flute?  I need to hear you say it...

You know what Lauren Bacall says...

[unixknight]

Did my weekly weigh-in last night.  

No change.  Still at 360.  

I have an idea what went wrong.  Too much soda, had a couple of late-night fast food snacks, and being sick got in the way of exercise.

What bothers me is how easily progress can be stymied.  Before all of this, I was eating WAY worse than at any point during this last week.  I'd have thought I'd see a bigger difference by not having so much bad stuff.  I guess the initial success reflects that, but still...

[NeuroTypical]

2 minutes ago, unixknight said:

being sick got in the way of exercise.

Sick or injured, yep, big stumbling block.  This has shown up in every single new burst of enthusiasm I've had.  For some reason, my left calf has hurt for 4 days straight.  I don't think I injured it exercising, more like stretching too hard when asleep at 3am.  And yet here I am - missing a week of elliptical and jumprope and walking around the building - 3 bits of my exercise backbone.

Have faith bro.  Eating better will reap benefits.  Get well and get back to moving around, and you'll get there.

[unixknight]

Just now, NeuroTypical said:

Sick or injured, yep, big stumbling block.  This has shown up in every single new burst of enthusiasm I've had.  For some reason, my left calf has hurt for 4 days straight.  I don't think I injured it exercising, more like stretching too hard when asleep at 3am.  And yet here I am - missing a week of elliptical and jumprope and walking around the building - 3 bits of my exercise backbone.

Have faith bro.  Eating better will reap benefits.  Get well and get back to moving around, and you'll get there.

I have two physical activities I'd really like to get back into... Biking and the punching bag.  

Biking is, of course, rather seasonal.  I have been known to bike in January before but I have this weird mental block... My house is less than a half mile from a bike trail, BUT to get to it I'd have to go uphill and then back down hill.  The hill is steep enough that I'd have to walk it for sure, going both ways.  That's embarrassing enough that I just want to load my bike onto my car or into my truck and drive it.... and yet, that feels wonky too because the distance from my house to the trail head is only a small fraction of the total length of the trail, which I can ride easily.  I'm my own worst enemy.

The punching bag is fun, but my house was not built with soundproofing in mind so when I use it you can hear the punches, and the creaks of the chain all through the house.  Being as I have a little one who takes frequent naps...   Not much of an option at the moment except for those windows of time when I'm home AND she's awake AND we're not doing anything else together (like having dinner, playing, etc.) AND I'm not working or doing some other task.  I know this is one of those problems that's solvable with enough initiative but again... hard to motivate.

 Yeah, I know.   Excuses, excuses, excuses.  I know.  I didn't get fat because I'm bad at excuse mongering.

[zil]

Today's exercise session constituted 1 week of my Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday addition to my normal trudging.  Muscles were sore to one degree or another in between, but no so much that I couldn't do the routine according to schedule.  Doing this right after I trudge is, I'm sure, why I'm being successful - it's a built-in trigger so that I don't have to "find time" to do it.

Thanks @SpiritDragon!

[Just_A_Guy]

@SpiritDragon, thanks for starting this.

I’ve always been heavy— I was 260 when I left on my mission, and 180 when I came home; but over the next 15 years soared up to 350.  I don’t know that getting back under 200 is a realistic goal given my lifestyle preferences, sedentary profession, and culinary tastes.  It sure would feel good to be able to take some longer hikes over more rugged terrain, though; and to be able to sit in *any* chair at a family campout rather than having to make sure I’m in the “Daddy chair”.  I think I’d be doing very well if I could eventually get down to 230 or so.  

We’ve talked about this before, but I did a variant of the Keto diet between April and late June of last year (I just tried to keep my carbs below 30-40g per day; I didn’t bother trying to balance macros or anything like that) and went from 350 to 305.  I went off in early July when my work transferred me closer to home, which meant I was living with my family full-time (as opposed to just coming home on weekends) and made it harder to keep a separate diet (when you’re living in an apartment on your own it’s easy to control what you eat, because you control what kinds of foods are in your kitchen to begin with).  I slowly crept back up to 318 over the last six months, and got back on the keto wagon last Monday—weighed in today at 314.  

I’m not being uber-careful about logging my food or balancing food groups; I’m mostly trying to do somethig that is a) low-carb, b) doesn’t require me to spend lots of time in the kitchen, and c) doesn’t make my palate revolt too much.  I’m generally doing a protein shake *or* two eggs and two sausage links for breakfast, two bun-free burgers with minimal condiments *or* a bun-free Arby’s french dip for lunch, and then a keto-friendly dinner—I do a lot of slow-cooker crack chicken on a low-carb tortilla, or a baked seasoned chicken breast with a slice of provolone.  For snacks I’m allowing myself one Costco protein bar and a handful of mixed nuts, and one twelve-ounce Gatorade G2 per day (I find it helps alleviate “keto flu” and cures a sweet tooth.) 

I figure I’ll stick with it for as long as it works, or at least until school gets out; and then take a month or two off in the summer before either starting it up again—or trying something else—in the fall.  

Edited January 17, 2019 by Just_A_Guy

[Guest]

Quoth I: Why do people not get my movie references?

I Respond: Why do I use them so often?

[SpiritDragon]

Hey Everyone, I've had a really busy last week and will still be quite busy at least through next weekend. I've just got time to say I'm happy to see everyone is keeping at it and to welcome @Just_A_Guy aboard. What can I say January can busy at the gym and I'm burning the candle at both ends right now.

I was wondering if there is someone who knows a way to create a spreadsheet that we can all edit with updates of goals and outcomes on a weekly basis. I don't know if this platform would allow anything like that - maybe we could create a wiki? Any ideas would be helpful so that we can see at a glance what everyone is working on and how they are doing.

I'll try to be back to offer more support when I have better time availability.

Go team!

[beefche]

Ugh, I am struggling to make good choices today. Tomorrow is a work lunch and while I plan on going off plan, I don't want to go nuts. I suppose my issues tonight are in anticipation of tomorrow. Yowza, why do I let food have such a hold on me? 

[zil]

3 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

Hey Everyone, I've had a really busy last week and will still be quite busy at least through next weekend. I've just got time to say I'm happy to see everyone is keeping at it and to welcome @Just_A_Guy aboard. What can I say January can busy at the gym and I'm burning the candle at both ends right now.

Take care of yourself and your other needs - we can wait!  We'll encourage each other in the meantime.

Quote

I was wondering if there is someone who knows a way to create a spreadsheet that we can all edit with updates of goals and outcomes on a weekly basis. I don't know if this platform would allow anything like that - maybe we could create a wiki? Any ideas would be helpful so that we can see at a glance what everyone is working on and how they are doing.

We could do this in google sheets.  Not sure how to design it - rows and columns - but it could be done.  If anyone wants this, I can host it - I'm sure there's room in my google drive.  Maybe:

Person | Goal 1 | Week 1 | Week 2 | ... | Week the Last

...?  Then each person can have multiple goals (if they want) and track progress.  We could go daily, if people want it (and those who don't could merge the cells for their rows).  Thing is, it would end up a public file unless everyone wanted me to have their email address (which is how google drive secures files, sort of).

I track my habits in my Hobonichi, on the pages which have one box for each day of each month - the column is the habit, and I check off that day when I do it - makes it easy to see patterns:

Edit: OK, if you want this and want to see an example, PM me for a link to a google sheet - it's only by week (not sure it will let me have more columns than A-Z - it stopped at Z and I haven't looked for ways to add more).  An alternate would be fore each of us to get a column per goal and the rows could be days 1 - 365.  I'm game to do this or delete it.

Edited January 17, 2019 by zil

[unixknight]

8 minutes ago, zil said:

Take care of yourself and your other needs - we can wait!  We'll encourage each other in the meantime.

We could do this in google sheets.  Not sure how to design it - rows and columns - but it could be done.  If anyone wants this, I can host it - I'm sure there's room in my google drive.  Maybe:

Person | Goal 1 | Week 1 | Week 2 | ... | Week the Last

...?  Then each person can have multiple goals (if they want) and track progress.  We could go daily, if people want it (and those who don't could merge the cells for their rows).  Thing is, it would end up a public file unless everyone wanted me to have their email address (which is how google drive secures files, sort of).

I track my habits in my Hobonichi, on the pages which have one box for each day of each month - the column is the habit, and I check off that day when I do it - makes it easy to see patterns:

 

3 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

Hey Everyone, I've had a really busy last week and will still be quite busy at least through next weekend. I've just got time to say I'm happy to see everyone is keeping at it and to welcome @Just_A_Guy aboard. What can I say January can busy at the gym and I'm burning the candle at both ends right now.

I was wondering if there is someone who knows a way to create a spreadsheet that we can all edit with updates of goals and outcomes on a weekly basis. I don't know if this platform would allow anything like that - maybe we could create a wiki? Any ideas would be helpful so that we can see at a glance what everyone is working on and how they are doing.

I'll try to be back to offer more support when I have better time availability.

Go team!

I'd be more t han happy to set up the sheet and then hand it over to @zil to host!

[zil]

1 minute ago, unixknight said:

I'd be more t han happy to set up the sheet and then hand it over to @zil to host!

I just edited my post.  I set up a sheet as a sample.  Not sure how to change owners of a google sheet.  If you do a regular spreadsheet like Excel, then everyone has to download / upload (and have Excel).  Anywho, I'm game, if desired.

[unixknight]

1 minute ago, zil said:

I just edited my post.  I set up a sheet as a sample.  Not sure how to change owners of a google sheet.  If you do a regular spreadsheet like Excel, then everyone has to download / upload (and have Excel).  Anywho, I'm game, if desired.

I don't think you'd need to change owners, just grant access to others.  if we all work on the same sheet, then not everyone needs to have Excel locally.

[zil]

10 minutes ago, unixknight said:

I don't think you'd need to change owners, just grant access to others.  if we all work on the same sheet, then not everyone needs to have Excel locally.

If it's a google sheet, and you create it, it will live on your google drive.  I suppose it could be downloaded as a file, I dunno, never tried that.  If so, then yeah, you could make it and hand it off to me and I could put it on my google drive.

If it's an MS Excel spreadsheet, it's just a file stored on the google drive and there is no way, that I know of, for anyone to open and edit in google's drive app - unless google sheets will open an Excel spreadsheet.  Never tried that either.

(I'm a database programmer - we skip right over spreadsheets and use databases, hence I have no experience with what the sheets app / google drive will / will not do.)

Edited January 17, 2019 by zil

[unixknight]

1 minute ago, zil said:

If it's a google sheet, and you create it, it will live on your google drive.  I suppose it could be downloaded as a file, I dunno, never tried that.  If so, then yeah, you could make it and hand it off to me and I could put it on my google drive.

If it's an MS Excel spreadsheet, it's just a file stored on the google drive and there is no way, that I know of, for anyone to open and edit in google's drive app - unless google sheets will open an Excel spreadsheet.  Never tried that either.

(I'm a database programmer - we skip right over spreadsheets and uses databases, hence I have no experience with what the sheets app / google drive will / will not do.)

We could also create a Google Docs repo...

[SpiritDragon]

@zil and @unixknight (not sure why I can't get your tag to turn blue) this sounds great. I'm game for anything that makes it really easy to see where everyone is at and ensure we aren't leaving anyone behind that doesn't require everyone to have Excel (I don't). I'm glad you guys are sharp, I'm not as savvy when it comes to such things, I've had very limited exposure to google docs. It sounds like you're on a similar wavelength. Thanks again!

[zil]

Just for the record, I have absolutely no intention of changing my diet at the moment - I'm changing enough other stuff that it'll have to wait.  However, thanks (probably) to you people yammering on about eating better, today I walked right past the ice cream at two different grocery stores without buying any, and came home with carrots and celery instead.  I am now having carrots and celery with my turkey & chicken sandwich.  Just to ensure this doesn't have a positive effect on my health, I did (as I always do) put salt on my celery.

I'm only sharing this with you all to apply peer pressure - it seemed only fair to return the favor.

[anatess2]

I don't have a picture of my dinner but it was super yummy and super easy.

I put a slice of sandwich ham like a cupcake liner in a cupcake pan.  I then broke an egg into it.  I sprinkled with Mrs. Dash and cheddar cheese and shredded spinach and baked in 400 for 15 minutes.  YUM YUM YUM.

[JohnsonJones]

I failed in my eating goals this week.  Went out probably four out of the five days.  On the first day I brought a healthy lunch but I was SOOO hungry after I came back home that I basically gorged myself on dinner. 

Today may not be any better.  I have grandkids sleeping over and plan on taking my grandson who just became a deacon last week to buy a new .22 for his birthday and then take him off to breakfast while everyone else is sleeping.

Edited January 19, 2019 by JohnsonJones

[SpiritDragon]

A big shout out to @zil who has created an excellent database for keeping track of numbers and goals at a glance. I have sent private messages to several members here inviting them to use the link which is available by invite or request only to ensure that only those we want to have access are editing the information. Any one who wishes to join the database can request a link by PM from Zil, @unixknight or myself.

I'm looking forward to this helping keep track for everyone!

[zil]

OK, everyone, we have made a google sheet for tracking goals (usage described below).  If you would like to join in using the sheet, please PM me for a link - because everyone who has the link can edit, we don't want the link public.  This means your use will be anonymous - you can enter your goals under your ThirdHour.org userId, and no one will know more than that, not even me (I'm the owner of the sheet, so it's on my google drive).  (e.g. right now, the users are me, Anonymous Squirrel, and Anonymous Manatee - you'll see my name, but no one else's.)

Usage:

1) The first tab is "Weight Tracking" - if you want to use this, put your name in the first column, and put your weight change under each week as either a positive or negative number (or zero).  You can leave cells blank (e.g. for weeks prior to starting your participation).  The "Net" column will automatically sum up the cells in your row so you can see your net change.  As you scroll about, the header row and the first two columns will remain visible so that you can always see where you are and your net change.

Some names from this thread have been added, along with some fake names / data for testing.

2) The remaining tabs will be one per user so that each user can track their own goals their way.  To add a tab with 52 weeks already added to the header, click the down-triangle at the right side of the "Template-DuplicateMe" tab and choose "Duplicate" from the popup menu.  This will create a "Copy of Template-DuplicateMe" tab.  Click its down-triangle icon, choose Rename..., and name your sheet - preferably with your userId so we don't get confused.  Then add your goal(s) or habit(s) to track.

If you want to track at intervals other than weekly, feel free to adjust the column headers or number of columns.  HINT: To add lots of columns (e.g. if you wanted daily), select several columns (click the header of the first, shift+click the header of the last), click the down-triangle that appears when you hover over one of the columns, and choose "Insert n left" or "Insert n right" (where n will be the number of columns you selected).  To delete, select the column(s) of interest, click that down-triangle and choose the delete option.

If you feel like you need to, you could make more than one tab (e.g. one for daily tracking and a second for weekly tracking).  You could also add a blank tab using the "+" icon ("Add Sheet") in the lower left corner, and design the rows / columns however you wish.  Just be sure to rename your tab.

Tabs can be dragged around, and it may be helpful if you were to drag your tab into alphabetical order so that once there are lots of us, it's easier to find tabs.

By way of example, my tab has my current goal from this thread of doing the exercise routine SpiritDragon helped me come up with 3 days per week, so I put a - for each day before I started, a Y for each day I did it, and an N for each day I didn't do it (none yet ).  So for Week 2, I put "- - Y" (because I started on Saturday) and for Week 3, I have "Y Y" (because only Tuesday and Thursday are passed).  The point being, you can track in whatever way works for you.

Week 1 is the first week that had any days in January in it.  Thus, today is in Week 3.

3) If you need help doing something, feel free to ask (and I'll see if I can figure it out).

[zil]

Call me absurd, but I'm highly entertained by google's identifying of anonymous people - right now, we have Anonymous Buffalo and Anonymous Ibex in.  Earlier, there was Anonymous Otter and Anonymous Platypus.