Chats, Challenges & Laughs 2nd home

[Cele21]

For all my Chats, Challenges & Laughs peeps! Since we can't get on the threads I thought I would start a discussion area for us. We may not be able to keep track of points standings easily but we can still talk.

I miss you!

[CJ_Here]

Mon & Tues fasts went ok, but ate quite a bit yesterday and then had a big roll first thing this morning.  What am I doing to myself.  It wasn't even something I really like.  Ugh.

So happy for both @ElaineJ27  & @Cele21 .  You both are walking the walk.

[CJ_Here]

Did stop (closed the eating window) at 8pm last night and didn't open it again until noon today.  Ordered a couple of intermittent fasting books.  Plan to combine that with eating more healthy and smaller portions. Also, working at drinking 75 oz of water consistently.  Still need to get in walking again, but not beating myself over not doing it.  One day at a time.

[CJ_Here]

Thurs - 2 pts / water & posting

Fri  - 2 pts / water & posting

[ElaineJ27]

After a few busy and successful days, today (Saturday) has been a lazy day. I keep getting distracted. I did finish some paperwork, but I sat down to read some emails and ended up looking up all kinds of stuff. It’s 6:30 pm and I only have 1300 steps! It didn’t help that the weather was dark and blustery. 

[CJ_Here]

Sat - 2 pts / water & posting  - I'm guessing I drank at least 75 oz water; if not, I drank 100, lol - I'll go with 75.  Had 18 hr fast; 6 hours eating.  Eat less today than I have in days.  I'm not counting calories, so I'm not sure, but I'm going in the right direction on the food intake.  Hooray, we finished the workshop for Hubby.  It's been cold with snow today.  We've worked on it the last three days to finish.  It takes me hours to take the chill off.  Tomorrow he will be outside cleaning up everything and starting to get his shop in order so I finally will have the whole house (all 720 sq. ft) to myself for a few hours.  I'm looking forward to catching up on some taped shows, cooking, cleaning, etc all on my time frame.  

[Glenda]

@ElaineJ27 You are so smart to look for unused stuff to get rid of rather than organizing it!!   I've been working at getting rid of stuff as a major goal for years so that my daughter will not inherit useless junk.  I'm glad you have a personal trainer too.  Many people start an exercise program to lose weight but they eat more because of the exercise and don't lose weight.  You are doing great though.   I don't understand @CJ_Here's  water goals.  It isn't any of my business I know, but she made me google and livescience.com  said there are numerous studies that suggest that the usual 8 cups (64 ounces) a day is far more actual drinking water than is necessary for most healthy adults for most North Americans who get about 20% of water they need from food, and all drinks count including coffee or soda etc.  But you can consider weight, age, activity level and  environment.  They suggest people should let thirst be their guide and drink more if they sweat.  🙂  You probably don't sweat up there as much as we do in this humid subtropical South of Houston Texas area.    

[ElaineJ27]

I don’t know why I thought walking outside in 45-degree, windy weather was better than changing my clothes and going to the gym, but that’s what I did. At least I didn’t give in and not do either. I’ll count that as a victory. 

I have my week planned but haven’t cut up my vegetables yet. We’re watching an Avengers movie, which isn’t too bad considering I don’t follow comic book movies. I’ll have an hour from the end of this movie and the start of the baseball game, so we’ll see what I can accomplish then. 

[CJ_Here]

1 pts / water - forgot to post.

Another successful 16 hour fast in the books and I did eat less in the 8 hour eating window.  I'm up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty so drinking some of today's water early.  I feel kind of hungry, too.  Not sure if I will continue the intermittent fasting or not long-term.  I do want to make sure my eating is under control first.  I will read the book and journal when it comes.  I do believe it has given me time to reflect on my eating.  Findings - I want food all the time / daydream about it.  Being firm on my fasting has taught me how out of control my eating really had gotten.  I'm back to having hunger growls so that is a positive and I know I can't eat every time I want to (and more importantly, I don't have to - I will survive, lol).  

As far as how much water does one need, @Glenda , I do agree it varies per person and it's not good to drink too much.  And, I appreciate your research and comments.  For me, I need at least 64 oz of water/day for everything to function properly.  I am quite overweight so that is a factor.  I switched out water for soda since soda and junk food went hand in hand for me.  I usually drink a couple mugs of coffee which causes more flushing of fluids.  I went for the 75 oz goal when I started experimenting with the intermittent fasting to help me bridge the 16 hour gap.  The intermittent fasting was to try and help me get off over four months of binging due mainly to the stress of moving again after having just moved in 2019.  This fourth move in seven years put me over the edge. 

[Cele21]

USW - 218.0

LW - 190.8

CW - 190.0

The weight loss has slowed a bit but that could also be due to the 'tweaks' (not following the plan) I've done. This past weekend was another bump but I did try to be aware of what and how much I was eating. I'm a bit concerned that even after eight weeks I find it easy to slide back into old habits. 

[Glenda]

@CJ_Here I loved your comment that you switched out water for soda.  I never drink water.  I drink cola all day.  Also I eat all day too, one thing after another.  When I have done the intermittent fasting the most helpful thing about it was getting me out of that terrible habit for a bit, but I'm back there now.  I read a study that said, waiting 45 minutes after you eat something before eating something else was every bit as good as the very best most effective prescription diet pills in helping people to eat less.   You are going long periods now without eating, but for many of us maybe it would be helpful if we looked at the clock and waited some planned amount of time before eating again.  I should write down the time & maybe wait at least 25 minutes and work up to more.  LOL    The study about the amount to drink did agree with you by the way and said that some people say weight matters and 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight???  But they were counting the coffee and cola etc.  all fluid.

[Glenda]

@Cele21 If you google falling back into old eating habits you will find some suggestions that might be helpful. (healthy eating.sfgate.com)  Hormones that regulate appetite after weights loss encourage re-gain for a year. so you have to deal with that.  Suggestions with detail are to "remind yourself of past success, don't criticize yourself too harshly, plan meals, choose right snacks, and stay hydrated.  But they say that awareness of the falling back problem is the first and most important step in getting back or staying on track.   Congratulations on your success so far!

[ElaineJ27]

5 points for Monday. Our granddaughter wanted pizza for dinner so I tracked that first and planned the rest of my day around it. I added a salad, which was easy to make because everything was cut up, and only ate one piece of pizza!  Never in my life have I ever limited myself to one piece. 

I went to the gym today and did incline intervals on the treadmill, then lifted weights as my trainer instructed. I also went through three boxes of my mom’s stuff. 

@Cele21 , weight loss will slow down as you get smaller. It sounds like you have found a balance that you can live with as far as staying on plan most of the time, but allowing yourself some leeway occasionally. My problem is that my leeway often details me totally. 

@Glenda , water intake needs differ greatly for each person. My goal now is 72 ounces of water per day and that appears to be what I need right now. 

If any of you find a spare minute, post a quick note so we can catch up. 

[CJ_Here]

Mon - 0 pts / Mondays are tough on liquids as I go to town and with covid there are less bathrooms I feel comfortable using.  One sister and I met again in the park as we have for months now.  We sat in our folding chairs for 1 1/2 hours visiting as the snow fell on us - 30 degrees.  We were bundled up and while it wasn't the most comfortable, the air was fresh and the park was pretty.  Her husband is not well and so we just can't go visit inside somewhere.  I hope it wasn't the last time we do this until next spring since I know I won't be seeing her at all once the weather gets too bad.

Yay on the 5 pts, @ElaineJ27 , and continuing to go through the extras in your home. 

I like the idea of waiting 45 minutes in between eating something, @Glenda .  When I do eat, I tend to eat too much so this might help.

Day by day, @Cele21 .  You are doing great!

Yes, let's hear from the rest of our fitbit friends 🙂

[ElaineJ27]

I’ve had a horrible day today and have less than 3K steps at almost bedtime. This morning I found out an acquaintance from church died and a friend battling cancer was having a blood transfusion because of a low red blood cell count. 

I was dreading taking my mom to the doctor and then lunch but right before I left for that, my dad’s  wife called to say my dad was en route to the hospital to possibly have surgery on the leg he broke two days ago. We weren’t informed of the break. After much frustration, we got through Mom’s appointment and I took her directly to her facility so I could check on Dad. He must have been taken to the doctor’s office, who decided he didn’t need surgery. I am upset with both facilities. 

I drove to my favorite taco place and binged on a taco salad in the shell bowl and a Mexican apple pie (cinnamon tortilla chips, apple pie filling, cheese, and whipped topping)! Then I napped all afternoon. Since I had planned on lunch out, the rest of my day was zero WW points so I didn’t go over by much. 

@CJ_Here , I guess I would brave snow to visit my sister but I’m glad we don’t have any. I have FaceTimed my sister but no in-person visits. It’s been cold and windy, and we had a thunderstorm earlier this evening, but temperatures are supposed to be in the 80s on Thursday!

[ElaineJ27]

USW 267

LW. 255

CW. 253.4

Weight loss is continuing in spite of my binge yesterday. I got back on track last night. I did 30 minutes of speed intervals on the treadmill this morning, followed by weight lifting. 

I haven’t had much trouble with cravings between meals right now. Since I have my meals planned, I know what I’m going to eat next and when. Sometimes if I get hungry, I tell myself that I can move my next meal up by half an hour if I really need to. 

I also know that my motivation is high right now and it won’t stay that way. Hopefully I’ll establish good habits to make low motivation times easier. 

[Jan2512]

Again not much going on.  We are in lockdown 3.5, meaning we have moved out of stage 4 but not quite into stage 3.  At least there is no restriction to how long you can be out of your house (but it still has to be for one of the four accepted reasons) and we can now travel up to 25 km which is about 15 miles from our homes.  Roy (my brother) & I went for a drive the other day and it was a relief not to be thinking have we gone over the five km limit that we were living under.  All other restrictions are still in place at least until next week (fingers crossed).  Finally, Victoria is seeing new covid cases of under 10 every day for the last week or so.  Hopefully this will continue, but people have to follow the rules. 

I had to go to the doctors as my lymph nodes in the right side of my neck were swollen and I had lumps behind & in front of my right ear.  I also had a large rash around the ear.  Most medical appointments at the moment are done on the phone but as I wanted a doctor to look at the swelling I went to the surgery and as luck should happen my usual doctor had an appointment time free about twenty minutes after I got there.  I was expecting to wait for at least a day.  She said it looked like I had been bitten by something and sent my lymph nodes into overdrive.  She prescribed antibiotics for a week and everything seems to have settled down.

@Cele21  – Have your brother and sister in law fully recovered from covid?

@ElaineJ27  – Sorry for your loss.  I hope your friends blood transfusion went well.  It must be very frustrating for you when medical offices don’t give you accurate details regarding family.  Good to hear your motivation is high.  Mine is not low but there is definite room for improvement.  You seem to be doing well with your gym sessions and weights.  Do you enjoy weights?  I really like using hand weights,  I like the feeling that my muscles are firming.  Good on you for limiting your pizza to one slice, I have never been able to do that.  I enjoy pizza especially home made.  My brother & I used to make pizza’s a lot when we were younger but we could never agree  - I am pro pineapple & anti olives and he was the reverse but we could always agree no anchovies.

@CJ_Here  – How’s the intermittent fasting going?  I have been keeping to it, not eating before noon and nothing after 10:00 pm except for water and herbal tea.  I am not losing weight fast but I feel better and have more energy.  I remember you live in Minnesota, is it usual to snow at this time?

@Glenda  – when I first joined Fitbit and this group (about five years ago now I think) it was a very different group.  There was around 100 people and we were in groups within the group and we undertook challenges.  One of the challenges was to drink a certain amount of water each day.  That is why drinking water gets mentioned so often.  We played to get a total of five points per day, I can’t remember what all the challenges were but drinking plenty of water and meeting your daily step target were two of them.

@MargaretG139  – I hope everything is well.

Catherine – I know you are having difficulty in posting, but I hope you are still able to read the comments.

[CJ_Here]

Wed - 2 pts / water and steps (due to snowblowing 5+ inches; we are expecting another 6 today so tomorrow should be another step getting).

@Jan2512 , yes, we can get snow in October but there have been many Halloween nights with none on the ground.  This year we are ahead of schedule on both cold and snow.  Each day I want to stop the fast first thing in the morning, but I know it's just my eating disease talking to me.  I'm hoping reading "Delay, Don't Deny" by Gin Stephens will help me decide if I want to continue down this path.  I love how you can write to each person here with such detail and care.  I second everything you have written to all.  And, I hope the antibiotics have cleared up your rash.

[Jan2512]

Thanks CJ I am feeling a lot better since the antibiotics.  The rash isn't really a rash but the bite marks of whatever bit me.  It is still a bit itchy but everything else is fine.  I am glad you like my posts, I often wonder if others think I am just waffling.  I have always enjoyed writing, as a teenager I had quite a few penpals from all over the world.  I lost contact with them all over the years.  But I still love hearing about other people lives and the differences between my back round and others.  I am always curious of how others live and different customs & traditions.  

We all have our fingers crossed that the lockdown will be over on Monday, we only had one new case today and we have had no deaths for over a week.  We have been in lockdown for over 100 days.

[Cele21]

Hi everyone! 

So I let myself down a bit this week with no extra walks and no increase on the water. Also hit my limit on the meal plan and fudged most of the week. I do try to still be aware of how much and what I'm eating but more carbs crept in than I think is best. More carbs trigger more craving for me so I was trying to fight that as well. The scale will tell tomorrow morning.

I heard from my sister yesterday, my brother and sister in-law finished up their two weeks quarantine but are giving it a few more days to be safe and they are both feeling well. It was very mild for both of them.

[CJ_Here]

Thurs - 2 pts / water & posting

Unfortunately, unlike your country, @Jan2512 , the covid #s here are going up and with winter approaching, either people need to lock themselves down more or the government will.  Minnesota's governor has kept the mandatory masks, social distancing and reduced #s in public places, but it doesn't seem to be enough.  So many feel the virus is not serious, all the ridiculous politics; it's embarrassing.  I, myself, am not the proud American I used to be.

I hear you, @Cele21 , in regards to carbs.  I'm afraid it's always going to be a slippery slope for me.  I'm hoping the intermittent fasting will help me learn to eat better; more moderately.  There are not enough eating hours for me to keep eating everything.  I need to start choosing what is best each day for me with the knowledge that I can have anything today or tomorrow or the day after that.  I don't have to binge on something with the false vow that I'll give it up starting "tomorrow".