2019 Weight Loss Group


SpiritDragon
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6 hours ago, anatess2 said:

@SpiritDragon, I haven't started on the 30-minute exercise plan.  I keep on pinning it down to a specific time (like my breakfast and lunch) but I can't seem to get the time down... I wake up and think - I'll do it after breakfast... then after breakfast I say I'll do it before lunch, but then lunch comes and I still haven't done it so I push it to dinner and then something comes up and it doesn't happen.

It sounds like it might be helpful for you to start with something simpler then. Ideally, it will be so simple and time efficient you really have no reason not to. When you establish the habit so it's consistently done at a specific time than you can add to it. At about the very simplest level, think of getting changed into your workout clothes at a specified part of your routine each day. It could be after breakfast, or after something else, but it's best if you string it into a routine "after" something so that when you do the other activity that is already part of your routine it prompts you to go get into your workout clothes. Once you change into them, you can change right back out... but don't be surprised to find that once you've changed you think you might as well have a workout.

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Is it just me or does this thread seem to be getting pretty quiet? Please keep the posts coming. Set backs are normal, but they don't have to be permanent. 

Some I have heard from more recently than others, let me call some of you back for updates I haven't heard in a while.

@beefche how is the 5and1 going?

@zil can you share any new updates on your program adherence and results?

Is there a method of reporting that would work better for anyone. I just hate the idea of this all falling by the wayside as the New Year's push dies out. We can support each other and keep this going!

 

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1 hour ago, SpiritDragon said:

@zil can you share any new updates on your program adherence and results?

I just updated my tab on the habit tracker from my bullet journal, but as mentioned there, in answer to your "update weekly" comment - since I have a bullet journal, I see no reason to update the spreadsheet.  I'm in my bullet journal every day.  Also, I don't respond well to other people telling me to do stuff - either I find my own reason to do it and hold myself accountable, or it doesn't get done.

As for results - I have considerably better balance on the reverse lunges, and every now and then a knee touches the carpet now.  Otherwise, remember that my mental focus is just on making a habit.  When this becomes (mentally) as easy to do as treading on the trudgemill, then I'll think about other goals.

I've also changed the sequence of the exercises to do the reverse lunges first, then push-ups, squats, and pull-ups last.  I'm also doing this before trudging rather than after.  That sequence seems to work better for me.  I'm also doing it earlier in the morning than originally.  (The only negative for me at the moment is that I have to count, thus preventing me from thinking about other things - my biggest complaint about exercise - my brain has better things to do.)

Also, FYI (because you're not going to see me checking in unless someone explicitly quotes or pings me), during the YNN week, my computer crashed hard.  It took all week to bring it back to minimal functionality (still haven't finished), and in the process, I got a significant amount of my creativity back (honestly, I was worried it was gone forever).  And also restored (if not completely, to a significant degree) my ability to concentrate (as in, read for hours on end without losing focus).  In consequence, I discovered that nothing on my computer (including forums) is nearly as interesting as what I can read or make up in my own head.  And I decided that forums and social media aren't good for my head.  Therefore, I haven't been paying much attention here and don't intend to.  (No offense intended, dear reader, but what happens in novels and stories I make up in my head is far more interesting than forums and other social media.)

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18 minutes ago, zil said:

I just updated my tab on the habit tracker from my bullet journal, but as mentioned there, in answer to your "update weekly" comment - since I have a bullet journal, I see no reason to update the spreadsheet.  I'm in my bullet journal every day.  Also, I don't respond well to other people telling me to do stuff - either I find my own reason to do it and hold myself accountable, or it doesn't get done.

As for results - I have considerably better balance on the reverse lunges, and every now and then a knee touches the carpet now.  Otherwise, remember that my mental focus is just on making a habit.  When this becomes (mentally) as easy to do as treading on the trudgemill, then I'll think about other goals.

I've also changed the sequence of the exercises to do the reverse lunges first, then push-ups, squats, and pull-ups last.  I'm also doing this before trudging rather than after.  That sequence seems to work better for me.  I'm also doing it earlier in the morning than originally.  (The only negative for me at the moment is that I have to count, thus preventing me from thinking about other things - my biggest complaint about exercise - my brain has better things to do.)

Also, FYI (because you're not going to see me checking in unless someone explicitly quotes or pings me), during the YNN week, my computer crashed hard.  It took all week to bring it back to minimal functionality (still haven't finished), and in the process, I got a significant amount of my creativity back (honestly, I was worried it was gone forever).  And also restored (if not completely, to a significant degree) my ability to concentrate (as in, read for hours on end without losing focus).  In consequence, I discovered that nothing on my computer (including forums) is nearly as interesting as what I can read or make up in my own head.  And I decided that forums and social media aren't good for my head.  Therefore, I haven't been paying much attention here and don't intend to.  (No offense intended, dear reader, but what happens in novels and stories I make up in my head is far more interesting than forums and other social media.)

That's all great. If your bullet point journal does what you need that's what''s important. I apologize if I have come across as telling you or anyone else to do stuff - I've tried to maintain that people are the best experts on themselves and work within that context. I have made some requests and challenges that I thought might help along the way (and might help me be more helpful) but I certainly don't want anyone to feel undue pressure or as if they are being bossed around. If this is the case, I appreciate it coming up so I can improve my communication in this venue in particular.

Improved balance is awesome - that will decrease your risk of having a fall as you age. Your proactive changing around the order and so on to fit your needs is great. As for counting, you will definitely see more results and faster results when tracking your progress, which counting helps with, but if your not terribly concerned with doing more push-ups and squats and so on, but simply reaping some of the benefits added resistance exercise has to offer then you could opt for setting a timer for 45-90 seconds and let it do some counting for you in a sense.

I'm glad to hear that your creativity is coming back and that your computer is back to working(ish). Finding the forums to not be the most productive or stimulating is something I can relate to - I find the vast majority of the time I feel that way, and then I come across something so interesting I feel like I need to keep checking in just in case... It's like I have a gambling problem that continues to pull me in and put give up my time in the off chance that today may be the big win.

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1 minute ago, SpiritDragon said:

I apologize if I have come across as telling you or anyone else to do stuff

No apology needed - just letting you know why I don't interact a lot and why I haven't updated that spreadsheet. :)

2 minutes ago, SpiritDragon said:

you could opt for setting a timer for 45-90 seconds and let it do some counting for you in a sense.

I'll ponder this.  Part of me thinks forcing myself to do the counting is good for me - I live in my head, nearly exclusively, and forcing myself to do something other than think up stories is probably good for me. :)

4 minutes ago, SpiritDragon said:

It's like I have a gambling problem that continues to pull me in and put give up my time in the off chance that today may be the big win.

:lol: Yeah, that's a pretty good summation.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yesterday after Church, I had to go to a different ward building to meet up with the Stake Patriarch real quick.  While I was waiting for him, my son (7) and I found a basketball in the multipurpose room We played around a little, shooting baskets and teaching him to dribble, and even though I got winded easily I still had fun... and that was key.  I enjoyed it, in a way I don't normally enjoy physical activity anymore.  I want that all back.  

Last night my wife and I had a serious heart to heart.  We both want to lose weight and be healthier, but we've been taking all the wrong approaches.  We've been undisciplined, we've been enabling each other, we've been trying to make changes "gradually" (which is another way of saying 'not at all') and while we've managed to avoid getting heavier, our progress has ground to a halt.

So, we had a meeting.  We made some decisions.  We made some commitments.  

  • We are using the Real Appeal system to get coaching, track progress and learn.  This is a system that's paid for by health insurance and includes lots of training videos, live coaching, a tracking dashboard, etc.
  • We will train ourselves to regard a healthier menu as being "comfort food."  Until now, "comfort food" has been defined as things like pizza, burritos, McDonald's, ice cream, chocolate, Pepsi, etc.  We need a new definition for "comfort food" to be things that are, at worst, neutral.  
  • The problem is that healthy food takes more effort than junk.  We committed to putting in the effort to keep and prepare snacks that make better health sense.  
  • We've decided to be more honest about what we like and don't like.  If a particular food isn't to your liking, you will not be able to turn it into a pleasurable snack.  So either train yourself to like it, or search for something else that will work.
  • We will still have a cheat day.  
  • We will be treating junk food addiction in the exact same way as an addiction to cigarettes or alcohol or whatever.  These things aren't easy to quit.  If they were, nobody would ever die of liver disease, lung cancer or diabetes.  We have to realistically approach as it is, and what it is, is HARD.  Let's be honest.  Trying to break an addiction by half measures and "I'll do it later" is like bringing a nerf bat to a gun battle.
  • We will exercise and start doing Yoga together.  The Real Appeal app has a lot of that but there's plenty more out there as well.  I got myself a Yoga mat and she had one already.

Yeah, it's a lot, and it's big, and we won't be perfect.  But we have learned enough about ourselves that gradual weaning doesn't work with either of us.  We do this cold turkey or we don't do it at all.  That's just the reality.

Today, I excavate my bike out of the shed BEFORE I start working on my sedentary hobbies.  If the weather is nice when I get off work, I'll work on it outside.  I have a handy, large shelf on the side of my shed I can use to work on it.  Otherwise, I bring it down to my workshop in the basement.  If that goes smoothly, I'll also get out the baby trailer and make sure that's ready to go too.  ALSO if things really go swimmingly, I'll get my bike rack for cars and figure out the proper settings to attach it to my car.  (The rack came out before my particular car model was a thing, so the instructions don't have the settings for it.  If they don't have a website with updated settings, I can just figure it out.)

I'm tired of being fat.

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Sorry I haven't been as vocal on here. 

I've not been in a healthy mindset for the past few weeks. Physical, spiritual, or mental health. :(

I'm back on my 5and1 plan today. By sticking closely to it, I can easily lose 5 lbs this first week. I won't be 100% this weekend as we have a family gathering and I plan on eating some good grilled meat (meat is good, but not the high fat, but delicious ones I plan on eating) and my sis-in-law's potato salad. 

I'm tired of being fat, too, @unixknight. My husband and I just returned from the Smoky Mountains. We did lots of walking/hiking. I enjoyed it and definitely did better than I would have last year before losing the weight I lost. But, I still have 50# to lose and I kept thinking how much better I would feel if I would stick with my health goals.

While I know, intellectually, that I will always need to work on my health, sometimes I just get tired of fighting cravings and emotional eating. So, I give in--then I beat myself up over being normal and human. And as a health coach (I coach others in the program I'm doing), I would never in a million years think or say what I allow myself to think and say to myself. 

But, I feel that I'm in a better place mentally. So, now I'm back to focusing on my health (with planned variations from it). So, what I say to myself (and anyone else who is like me)--today is a new day...make a better choice now than you did yesterday or even a moment ago. Remember WHY you want to be healthy and keep that focused. When you are tempted to grab food that you know isn't healthy, remind yourself of why you want to be healthy and ask yourself if this choice moves you closer or further away from that.

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11 hours ago, unixknight said:

Yesterday after Church, I had to go to a different ward building to meet up with the Stake Patriarch real quick.  While I was waiting for him, my son (7) and I found a basketball in the multipurpose room We played around a little, shooting baskets and teaching him to dribble, and even though I got winded easily I still had fun... and that was key.  I enjoyed it, in a way I don't normally enjoy physical activity anymore.  I want that all back.  

This is huge. Children generally have an affinity for physical exertion, they naturally are drawn to it and want active play - somewhere along the way our society trains this out of a great majority of children and physical activity is no longer fun, just work. It's important to bring the fun back.

11 hours ago, unixknight said:

Last night my wife and I had a serious heart to heart.  We both want to lose weight and be healthier, but we've been taking all the wrong approaches.  We've been undisciplined, we've been enabling each other, we've been trying to make changes "gradually" (which is another way of saying 'not at all') and while we've managed to avoid getting heavier, our progress has ground to a halt.

So, we had a meeting.  We made some decisions.  We made some commitments.  

  • We are using the Real Appeal system to get coaching, track progress and learn.  This is a system that's paid for by health insurance and includes lots of training videos, live coaching, a tracking dashboard, etc.
  • We will train ourselves to regard a healthier menu as being "comfort food."  Until now, "comfort food" has been defined as things like pizza, burritos, McDonald's, ice cream, chocolate, Pepsi, etc.  We need a new definition for "comfort food" to be things that are, at worst, neutral.  
  • The problem is that healthy food takes more effort than junk.  We committed to putting in the effort to keep and prepare snacks that make better health sense.  
  • We've decided to be more honest about what we like and don't like.  If a particular food isn't to your liking, you will not be able to turn it into a pleasurable snack.  So either train yourself to like it, or search for something else that will work.
  • We will still have a cheat day.  
  • We will be treating junk food addiction in the exact same way as an addiction to cigarettes or alcohol or whatever.  These things aren't easy to quit.  If they were, nobody would ever die of liver disease, lung cancer or diabetes.  We have to realistically approach as it is, and what it is, is HARD.  Let's be honest.  Trying to break an addiction by half measures and "I'll do it later" is like bringing a nerf bat to a gun battle.
  • We will exercise and start doing Yoga together.  The Real Appeal app has a lot of that but there's plenty more out there as well.  I got myself a Yoga mat and she had one already.

It kinda sounds like you won't be needing us anymore... but we'd still love your updates and your success may help spur others on.

11 hours ago, unixknight said:

Yeah, it's a lot, and it's big, and we won't be perfect.  But we have learned enough about ourselves that gradual weaning doesn't work with either of us.  We do this cold turkey or we don't do it at all.  That's just the reality.

This is also an excellent realization. Some people do better with gradual change while others need the big overhaul. Figuring out which type you are has far reaching implications for your short and long term success.

11 hours ago, unixknight said:

Today, I excavate my bike out of the shed BEFORE I start working on my sedentary hobbies.  If the weather is nice when I get off work, I'll work on it outside.  I have a handy, large shelf on the side of my shed I can use to work on it.  Otherwise, I bring it down to my workshop in the basement.  If that goes smoothly, I'll also get out the baby trailer and make sure that's ready to go too.  ALSO if things really go swimmingly, I'll get my bike rack for cars and figure out the proper settings to attach it to my car.  (The rack came out before my particular car model was a thing, so the instructions don't have the settings for it.  If they don't have a website with updated settings, I can just figure it out.)

I'm tired of being fat.

We're wishing you well with this. Spring is really starting to breath some life into things in my part of the world, I'm imagining that may also be the case for you. 

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Oh I still do... just trying to get control over this problem.

You know what I realized this afternoon?  Bad eating habits are a freaking disorder, man.  I found myself sitting here, choosing not to eat my lunch until I'm actually feeling hungry, and realizing that I actually want to be hungry so that I can go ahead and eat.  How backwards is that?  There are people in the world for whom  hunger is the normal state and here I am wanting to use it as an excuse to eat food, not because I need it but because I just want to eat food.

I disgust myself sometimes, I really do.

Edited by unixknight
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  • 2 weeks later...

Today I tried out a fun new exercise class. It was a boot camp style class, which has nothing to do with actual military training and in fact is a fairly meaningless term other than it sounds more intense than simply advertising group exercise. It was a lot of fun though. I talked to one lady who has been going six times a week since January and is down 25 pounds. 

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Ok, currently at 275 and I want to get down to 140.  I had quite a bit of luck years ago when I was at 230, back when I was able to buy Stacker 3 with Ephedra, I was able to et down to 180.  Now that ephedra is illegal, my weight climbed up again.

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On 4/9/2019 at 8:07 AM, pwrfrk said:

Ok, currently at 275 and I want to get down to 140.  I had quite a bit of luck years ago when I was at 230, back when I was able to buy Stacker 3 with Ephedra, I was able to et down to 180.  Now that ephedra is illegal, my weight climbed up again.

The first thing I want you to do is to try and determine if your personality is best suited to cold-turkey lifestyle overhaul or targeted improvements a step at a time. From there I can help you with your first steps. Don't be afraid to read through the entire thread as there is plenty of useful information that has already been shared by everyone. 

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Finally got the bike out of the shed and ready to go.  I think I may add some grease but it's okay for now.  Since it was kept out of the weather all it needed was some air in the tires. 

My bike rack wasn't in there, and I think it's in the basement… under a mountain of clutter.  Ugh...

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Guest MormonGator

For my own weight loss journey I've noticed that working out isn't the problem. I run/walk about 5 miles a day and go to Tae Kwan Do about four times a week. I've dropped about 15 pounds from my peak, which I'm ashamed to say was about 185 pounds. 

My problem is my horrible discipline when it comes to eating. I like bagels, pizza, subs, ice cream, Cheez Its. Truly some nasty things. 

Edited by MormonGator
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On 4/15/2019 at 11:11 AM, unixknight said:

Finally got the bike out of the shed and ready to go.  I think I may add some grease but it's okay for now.  Since it was kept out of the weather all it needed was some air in the tires. 

My bike rack wasn't in there, and I think it's in the basement… under a mountain of clutter.  Ugh...

Sorry I haven't been as active in here to comment sooner. Have you had some great rides?

 

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On 4/18/2019 at 11:53 AM, MormonGator said:

For my own weight loss journey I've noticed that working out isn't the problem. I run/walk about 5 miles a day and go to Tae Kwan Do about four times a week. I've dropped about 15 pounds from my peak, which I'm ashamed to say was about 185 pounds. 

My problem is my horrible discipline when it comes to eating. I like bagels, pizza, subs, ice cream, Cheez Its. Truly some nasty things. 

Congrats on the 15 lbs down. I want you to think about some alternatives to your guilty pleasures that you think could be satisfying in a less guilty way. You don't necessarily need to give them up, but simply reduce the frequency and'or volume consumed to start seeing improvements more often than not. You might also investigate food associations - are there particular activities you get involved in that bring about certain foods? Could you break the chain by associating different foods or snacks with the activities that bring about the worst perceived offenses? Could you give up the activities and in doing so curb the mindless feeding?

Some of the most common food associations are things like eating chips or popcorn while watching movies... or nightly binge watches on a favourite streaming service. It can be tricky to swap the munching to something like carrot sticks or even nuts for some people, while others quickly realize how mindless the eating is because they don't even care so much what is going in their mouth. Food for thought :)

 

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7 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

Sorry I haven't been as active in here to comment sooner. Have you had some great rides?

 

Great?  Nah.  But over the weekend I took my kids (and their new bikes) to that local bike trail.  Mostly rode around as my son got used to his bike, and then we started practicing to remove his training wheels.  I think most of the exercise I got was jogging along beside him.  

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Guest MormonGator
10 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

Congrats on the 15 lbs down. I want you to think about some alternatives to your guilty pleasures that you think could be satisfying in a less guilty way. You don't necessarily need to give them up, but simply reduce the frequency and'or volume consumed to start seeing improvements more often than not. You might also investigate food associations - are there particular activities you get involved in that bring about certain foods? Could you break the chain by associating different foods or snacks with the activities that bring about the worst perceived offenses? Could you give up the activities and in doing so curb the mindless feeding?

Some of the most common food associations are things like eating chips or popcorn while watching movies... or nightly binge watches on a favourite streaming service. It can be tricky to swap the munching to something like carrot sticks or even nuts for some people, while others quickly realize how mindless the eating is because they don't even care so much what is going in their mouth. Food for thought :)

 

Great advice. Thank you. 

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13 hours ago, unixknight said:

Great?  Nah.  But over the weekend I took my kids (and their new bikes) to that local bike trail.  Mostly rode around as my son got used to his bike, and then we started practicing to remove his training wheels.  I think most of the exercise I got was jogging along beside him.  

My three year old is giving me a time chasing her around on her training wheels as well. She often decides to just stop pedaling and she has a long way to go before steering is working well. So I tend to end up stooped over running alongside trying to keep her from steering herself off the edge of the sidewalk. I'm looking forward to her getting it a little better. The biggest challenge is that she doesn't want to put in the effort to learn, she just expects that it should come easily. She always wants to bail out and go play at the park. Which is fine except I'm left carrying her bike and helmet which she said she wanted to ride five minutes earlier.

My point being, I think I can relate quite well.

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