2019 Weight Loss Group


SpiritDragon
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18 hours ago, anatess2 said:

We went on vacation over the long weekend and I'm proud to have stuck with it.  We went to Busch Gardens and I ate nothing in the park.  Rather, I had healthier options outside of the park.  Usually, when we're gallivanting around the park, we carry those free refill soda containers and drink soda all day long.  This time, we stuck with the water fountains around the park.  It was a chilly 72 degrees at noon all weekend so we weren't as thirsty as the summer days.  And... walking around the park, chasing showtimes, catching trains, etc. etc. was tons of exercise.

But... I lost nothing.  Which is ok because I've maintained the weight I lost when I was sick and did not gain it back!

And my wallet did not lose much either.  It is such a big difference not buying food/drink inside the park!  I caved and bought the $60 photo package for the Giraffe-feeding experience though.

Did you ride the Loch Ness Monster?  2nd most epic rollercoaster ever.

And "chilly 72"  don't go together.  If I'd had weather like that over the weekend I could have finally gone outside and repaired my truck.  (Funny, ain't it?  I'm only a couple degrees latitude farther north than Williamsburg...)

17 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Oh - one backbone of my diet, is no limit on the amount of diet soda I drink.  Work keeps a free fridge, I'll sometimes have as many as 4-5 cans.  When I'm at home, I've been known to down an entire 2 liter bottle of caffeine free Kroger fake diet coke, maybe even more in a day.  I buy 'em in bulk for $0.79 each or cheaper when they're on sale.

Anyone got a problem with that?  :)

Not if it's working for you, though to add to what @SpiritDragon said, I once had a co-worker who drank a lot of diet soda like that when  he was in college.  He started to develop odd neurological symptoms that the doctor couldn't figure out the source of.  When he quit drinking all that diet soda, the symptoms went away.  years later he started drinking the diet soda again, and they symptoms came back...  His hypothesis is that it was a reaction to the artificial sweetener.  (I don't know what it was, maybe NutraSweet?)

Just food for thought.  I had weird GI issues when I was drinking a lot of diet soda, which is why I personally avoid it.  My doctor told me that it's better to just kick soda altogether if one's gonna do it.

Either way it seems like different people have different experiences, so like I said, if it helps you, go for it!

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49 minutes ago, unixknight said:

Did you ride the Loch Ness Monster?  2nd most epic rollercoaster ever.

And "chilly 72"  don't go together.  If I'd had weather like that over the weekend I could have finally gone outside and repaired my truck.  (Funny, ain't it?  I'm only a couple degrees latitude farther north than Williamsburg...)

Ohh... not that Busch Gardens.  My son would pass out from excitement if we would have gone there instead.  He's been wanting to join the American Coaster Enthusiasts and they had a thing at Williamsburg last summer for some Loch Ness anniversary or something that he was begging and begging me to let him go to.  

We went to the one in Tampa.  The one in Williamsburg is still closed for the season.  It's crazy how when I first went to Busch Gardens Tampa back in the 90's with my husband, Montu was the latest and greatest and we were super excited about the hanging trains and it became my husband and I's super favorite coaster and then my kids were born and now they still think Montu is awesome (although, I heard the inverted coaster in Williamsburg is better) and we usually ride it first but then they have their own favorites now with Sheikra being on the top for Busch Gardens.  My son's super favorite is Fury in Carowinds on the North and South Carolina border but he's been wanting to go on that Loch Ness Monster in Williamsburg as it is one of those antiques!  

Busch Gardens Tampa is open all year round and it's super fun with the zoo theme.  The only problem with that park is the rides often shut down for lightning.  And Tampa gets a lot of lightning.  So, even when it's bright and sunshiny and the park gurus see lightning 10 miles away headed in the opposite direction, they shut down the rides for 3 hours.  But yes, the rides do get hit by lightning sometimes and they've even had somebody die in Adventure Island (their water park) and SeaWorld (also owned by Busch) due to lightning so I understand why they have overly cautious policies.

 

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On 2/21/2019 at 10:07 AM, unixknight said:

I once had a co-worker who drank a lot of diet soda like that when  he was in college.  He started to develop odd neurological symptoms that the doctor couldn't figure out the source of.  When he quit drinking all that diet soda, the symptoms went away.  years later he started drinking the diet soda again, and they symptoms came back...  His hypothesis is that it was a reaction to the artificial sweetener.  (I don't know what it was, maybe NutraSweet?)

I decided to look into this a little and see if we know anything about is these days in the literature.

Here's what came up:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28428346

Shows an association with artificial sweeteners and dementia and stroke - a three fold increase. Granted causality is not established, but a three fold increase of two highly undesirable outcomes on the brain would certainly give me pause.

That's the closest I could find with my cursory search. There is plenty of editorializing and so on suggesting aspartame in particular could cause things like MS and fibromyalgia, but I can't find anything to support that position.

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Not a great weekend in terms of eating, but did ok with exercise.

Friday night we had pizza... because the new dishwasher was coming in and they were installing it right when dinner would normally be getting prepared.  They were there until 8, at which point they left because the new dishwasher itself was defective. 

On Saturday I had to be at the doctor's at 9 AM to give blood for my regular checkup.  Since it was fasting blood work, I hadn't eaten since before midnight the night before.  Had a lunchmeat/cheese sammich for breakfast right after.  Then, off to church to be a witness for 5 Baptisms.  When we got back to the RS room for the post-Baptism talks, I found that my seat had been taken by someone else, and with the room being very crowded (again, 5  baptisms) I just stood.  Through 4 talks.  For me, that's a really long time.

Didn't stay for refreshments and headed out to take the family to the exotic pet store where we got a bunch of fish to restock our aquarium and a new pet tarantula for me.  During that visit, I walked over to another store in the mini mall to get some more paint for my hobby.  That's a lot more walking than I'm used to and by the time we got back to the pet store my upper back and shoulders were aching.  Paid for our stuff and went home, resisting the temptation to get fast food for lunch.

Went home and ate a horribly unhealthy chicken dip/chips thing for a late lunch/early dinner.  I will neither confirm nor deny having eaten any Hostess products later in the evening, or having an embarrassingly large amount of Pepsi.

Sunday morning I had another sammich and some juice from the juicer for breakfast, and another sammich after church while I waited for my turn to see the Stake Prez.  (Temple Recommend complete!)  Dinner was chicken and rice, and I will neither conform nor deny eating an ice cream sammich last night.

The problem wasn't an excess of bad food, but rather how many sugary things I ingested.  

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Confession is good for the soul.  Here's mine:

After hitting my most coolest low since last July, I fell off the wagon for 3 days straight, and gained 7 lbs.  I would guess most of that is food moving through me, and not actually "me", so if I return to discipline and have a good week, I should be able to get rid of all that.  I'm thinking odds are good I won't lose a lb and hit a new low this week, but it might be possible. 

There's absolutely a psychological component to all this for me and I don't always win the battle against depression eating/fear eating/believing lies eating/self worth struggles eating or whatever it would be best named.   Devil induced binging?  Satan stuffing - there you go.

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2 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

There's absolutely a psychological component to all this for me and I don't always win the battle against depression eating/fear eating/believing lies eating/self worth struggles eating or whatever it would be best named.   Devil induced binging?  Satan stuffing - there you go.

You know, some people might scoff at the notion that Satan has anything whatsoever to do with diet challenges, but I gotta say the times I feel most in control of my appetite and compulsion to eat is when I'm in Church, in prayer or doing scripture study.  Fast Sundays are easiest while I'm sitting in that pew.  Chalk it up to the Spirit helping to resist the temptations of evil, gaining mastery over carnal urges (like food) through spiritual control, or some combination of the two.  

All I can say is food discipline can be every bit as much of a struggle against "the natural man" as chastity issues are.

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5 hours ago, unixknight said:

You know, some people might scoff at the notion that Satan has anything whatsoever to do with diet challenges, but I gotta say the times I feel most in control of my appetite and compulsion to eat is when I'm in Church, in prayer or doing scripture study.  Fast Sundays are easiest while I'm sitting in that pew.  Chalk it up to the Spirit helping to resist the temptations of evil, gaining mastery over carnal urges (like food) through spiritual control, or some combination of the two.  

All I can say is food discipline can be every bit as much of a struggle against "the natural man" as chastity issues are.

I have observed the same thing. I've noticed when I'm making better decisions for my physical health that my spiritual health also improves and it can also work the other way around. It's like good decisions beget good decisions, or self mastery in one area increases the sense/feeling of being able to exhibit mastery in others.

Edited by SpiritDragon
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Got a checkup at the doc today.  Overall, everything's good, though my weight is the same now as it was the last time I went... Meaning I'd ballooned up and then lost it again.  A couple of my test results were slightly off, but she chalked that up to the weight gain and re-loss and will keep an eye on things.

So yeah.  Overall good I guess.  Still feeling defeated.  Am I the only one who feels like the scale at the doctor's office is always calibrated to be higher than the one at home?

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8 hours ago, unixknight said:

Am I the only one who feels like the scale at the doctor's office is always calibrated to be higher than the one at home?

I only care about one scale - the one in my bathroom.  It is the one from which I track progress.  For all I know, it's 25 lbs off, but if it's the same 25 lbs off every day, I still know whether I've lost or gained.

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9 hours ago, unixknight said:

Got a checkup at the doc today.  Overall, everything's good, though my weight is the same now as it was the last time I went... Meaning I'd ballooned up and then lost it again.  A couple of my test results were slightly off, but she chalked that up to the weight gain and re-loss and will keep an eye on things.

So yeah.  Overall good I guess.  Still feeling defeated.  Am I the only one who feels like the scale at the doctor's office is always calibrated to be higher than the one at home?

Not only the doctor's office.  Also the gym, the grocery store... etc. etc.  ;)

 

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@unixknight @anatess2 @NeuroTypical Would you guys like any more direction or challenges to work on? I want to make sure to help you succeed in this, but it's admittedly very different in this format than working with clients in person. I can't read the non-verbals which help me make decisions as well.

It seems that the challenges so far have been alright, but there is some inconsistency for sure. I'd be happy to bat ideas around - or if you guys prefer more direction, we could look at that as well. 

In any event, I'd like to secure a commitment to some weekly habits. I see Anatess has done great this last week with hers, and Unixknight did the exercises thing. Neurotypical has become the emperor and continues to win all the arguments :) 

I'd like to pin point one thing each that you are 100% confident you can succeed at for the next week. Once you have done so, I want you to repeat the success for another week and then add on new habits.

In addition to the ones you've already looked at, which we can tweak if needed to ensure success, here is a list of some others suggested by Precision Nutrition.

Pick ONE of the following habits, and do it every day for 14 days.
Fat Loss Habit 1. Exercise for 30 minutes
Fat Loss Habit 2. Take fish oil and a multivitamin at breakfast
Fat Loss Habit 3. Drink at least 8 cups of water
Fat Loss Habit 4. Eat at least 4 one-cup servings of vegetables
Fat Loss Habit 5. Sleep at least 8 hours (including naps and night-time sleep)
Fat Loss Habit 6. During each meal, stop eating when 80% full
Fat Loss Habit 7. Twice during the work day, get up and do 5 minutes of muscle stretching
Fat Loss Habit 8. Eat 4 – 5 meals
Fat Loss Habit 9. Eat lean protein with each meal
Fat Loss Habit 10. Replace grains with greens during each meal

Keep up the good work, team!

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I'm fairly good at 3, 4, 8 (with my desk fridge full of apples and carrots) and often do 10.   8 hours of sleep is a pipe dream for me - stopped getting that like 4 years ago.   Sleep studies and cpap got me up to 5-6, I don't seem to be able to better that.

I'm struggling right now with an injury that has killed off my usual workout.  I've made it to the gym twice this week, but at about 50% load.  (They say I pulled a muscle that glides up against my lungs?  Who the heck does that?  It's killing my motivation, and I doubt I'll be losing my lb this week.

 

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15 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

I'm fairly good at 3, 4, 8 (with my desk fridge full of apples and carrots) and often do 10.   8 hours of sleep is a pipe dream for me - stopped getting that like 4 years ago.   Sleep studies and cpap got me up to 5-6, I don't seem to be able to better that.

I'm struggling right now with an injury that has killed off my usual workout.  I've made it to the gym twice this week, but at about 50% load.  (They say I pulled a muscle that glides up against my lungs?  Who the heck does that?  It's killing my motivation, and I doubt I'll be losing my lb this week.

 

The lack of sleep must be the pits - I'm barely human if I don't get at least five-six hours and at that I need to have a full 7-8 soon. Day after day I think I'd just croak.

I don't suppose you were given a name for the muscle you pulled?

How is your calf doing? Is it still giving you trouble?

The more of these ten habits you're doing consistently the better the odds of really seeing some changes.

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8 hours ago, anatess2 said:

I’m up for a challenge!

I’ll take #1.  @SpiritDragon, you have a 30 minute routine for a couch potato?

Well if you are still walking everyday with @unixknight that would count. However it's a "freezing :) " 70 degrees outside you can always opt to do something in the house. There are plenty of free workout videos online that you can go along with or I can put something together for you. If you prefer the latter just remind me of what equipment you have available, if you have any exercise restrictions or injuries and I can certainly make that happen.

If you want to go with the video route, this is an alright place to start 

You may find that one seven minute round is plenty to start with and may need to make the rest of the time marching in place depending on what you have available and tolerate. Once you get a little more accustomed to it you can repeat it 3-4 times through with a warm-up and cool down making your 30 minutes easily. I like the idea of simply doing the first round at a really easy pace/low intensity as warm up and then picking up steam on subsequent rounds.

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Saturday was awesome... and brutal.

We left in the morning to head up to Philadelphia so my wife could get her Endowment.  Had a couple of eggs and a couple smallish sausage patties for breakfast around 8 AM.  

We got to the Temple at about 11:30 and managed to get a parking space in the garage underneath.  Took the elevator up to the entrance and went in.  And then... the stairs.  Up, up up, then oops, forgot to get our passes for the Endowment so back down the stairs, then back up...

Yes, the Temple has an elevator but I didn't use it.  Then up, up up stairs again.  Then down stairs twice and we were done.  Had to  go outside and take pictures, of course, then back down to the parking garage and drove across town for cheesesteaks (It was Philadelphia, after all) and walked a couple blocks from the parking lot to Jim's Steaks, apparently a very famous place.  Waited in a pretty long line and then the dining area was... up a steep and high flight of stairs.  Then back down the stairs, another couple blocks' walk, (in new/uncomfortable loafers, mind you) and then took the car home.

So many stairs...  

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9 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Woe is me.  Up 4 lbs this last checkin.  Kid 18th birthday, injury keeping me from exercising right, family drama, all did me in.

Trying to get back in the saddle.

Have you been given any direction on treatment for your pulled muslce(s)? Do you happen to know if it's your diaphragm or one of the intercostals? Something else?

In the event of intercostal trouble, this may be somewhat helpful reading, although not terribly in-depth.

https://www.healthline.com/health/intercostal-muscle-strain

You'll turn this all around - don't get too discouraged.

 

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@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.

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