Healthy habits challenge check-in 3/28 - YouLookFab Forum

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Healthy habits challenge check-in 3/28

medusa

Veteran

Hi there challengers! How did things go this week?

I had a good week for the most part, I did crossfit 3 times and yoga 3 times, plus a 5-mile run one day and my usual walking. Eating was mostly good, I did have 1 cheat day this week.

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Mellllls

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Good for you, Medusa!
I am really frustrated. It seems like if I cheat the tiniest bit, it turns into a huge downslide and I will gain weight back. I was almost back down to what I had lost, and now I am back up to what I had gained. I did my treadmill walking/Yoga three times this week, and I did a Zumba class and treadmill walking to make up for my missed day.

HeleenH

Veteran

Hi, I am joining I didn't do sports last week because I had to give dd6 eardrops every 3,5 hours and it just doesn't work. I hope her ears are clean when our GP inspects them tomorrow morning. I did run the 3 minute walk to school twice and did some floor exercizes.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I made it to the pool Wed which was great, but not since, which isn't so great lol. I got on the indoor bike 3 times and lifted some dumbbells once. More importantly, I'm getting around with a cane instead of the walker. My weight is staying 2 or so pounds under my goal/limit whatever-you-call-it number. Didn't eat so well last night, but that's par for the course for Sundays around here. I am perfectly okay with having indulgent Sundays as long as the rest of the week is moderate. I am sleeping in too much and would like to work on that. Otherwise, things are pretty good!

Elly

Veteran

Oh gosh, I swear! Healthy habits have been a total bust for me this past week. I'm still barely eating and throwing up in the mornings. No workouts because of a scheduling issue (this past week is the busiest week for my department at the college, with lots of mandatory events). It looks like I may be going it alone for workouts from now one because apparently flexibility in scheduling doesn't work both ways. Oh, and the man of the house has a man cold (a pretty bad one on the scale of man-cold-ness) and is determined to make everyone else miserable, if not get them sick himself. He has had a a rough time at work and with family recently, but I have honestly never known anyone to treat his housemates so badly and with less respect. I'm pretty irate-- because he "knows" that both of the other people he lives with are immunosupressed or at risk for severe symptoms and pneumonia with respiratory infection. Other than that I am just very stressed with the various "out of my hands" type delays that are creating a ten thousand things to do and no time to do it situation.

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

I lost 42lb this week. DS6 recalibrated the scales, bless him, making me lose 3 stone overnight. Put it on again once I put the scales right lol, although part of me was tempted to leave it...

Apart from that I'm plodding along. I'm pretty reliable on my habits, but probably not all every day. I suspect I need a bit of a drive to get my activity levels higher, but don't feel that motivated to put in the effort. So I've stalled rather!

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

Oh Elly! Giving you a virtual hug right now!

MsMary

Veteran

Hugs from me, too, Elly!!

I had a pretty good week. I had to skip one of my tap classes for a business event, but other than that it's been fine. I did one tap class, two boot camps, and two personal training sessions. Food was pretty good, too.

My weight loss has slowed to less than a crawl. I remember when I was trying to get out of the 170s, or the 150s, or the 130s. Now I'm just trying to get out of 122-point-something and into 121-point-something! LOL But that's okay. At this point everything is just gravy.

Lynne

Veteran

Medusa, well done! I'm glad you've had a chance to stay in one place and fit all this in!
Khris, please do not be despondent. You are looking slimmer than ever, just scroll back to your WIWs from when I first joined the forum just under a year ago to remind you what you've achieved! It's natural for weight to fluctuate, what matters is that you are looking fantastic and are moving forwards!
Helena, life with children is like bootcamp in flexible scheduling! Hope your daughters ear improves - earaches are horrible. Have you tried using nosespray at the same time? It can help keep the drainage from the inner ear open. You don't need a prescription.
Malina, well done. I do not know how you have done it, going from such a high level of activity to being 'grounded' and slowly recuperating. I'm impressed! And your cane is quite natty. All the best musicals have canes :).
Elly, sending hugs. I am so sorry that you've been so unwell. And I am rolling my eyeballs at your housemate....sending strength and hugs to you.
Polly, can your DH come and play with my scales, too?
MaryK, you are right - .1 of a pound is gravy! Have you thought of monitoring something else? Heart rate/blood pressure/endurance/tapdancing top speed, waist measurement in micrometers, cumulative height of heels worn :D? You look fantastic and now you are in surveillance and maintenance mode, the big number losses are done with!
I had a good week, I missed one gym session with a sick child but made 4, plus one long walk. This week I aim for 2 gym sessions, 2 classes (Body Puls and Hatha Yoga) and 3-4 walks. I know I've been calmer within myself, partly because of the extra activity and partly because DH is doing well and we are all getting on with life. Oh, and we have passed the equinox and are enjoying more daylight - that helps!

MsMary

Veteran

Lynne, good idea to focus on fitness goals instead of being so chained to the scale. Believe it or not, I'm all about the running speed at boot camp these days. Even though I hate it. I mean, HATE it, hate it. But I am getting a real charge out of trying to increase my top running speed just a tiny bit, or run at my top speed longer, or something similar, every class session. (Did I mention I hate it, though?)

I'll probably track my weight and food intake forever, though. I just need to keep myself honest, you know?

Lynne

Veteran

I understand. And your top speed is...?

MsMary

Veteran

V.v. slow. 8 mph but only for 30 seconds so far.

kellygirl

Veteran

I'm hanging in there too. My fitness goals are being met and we've been doing pretty well on the fruits and veggies. Scale is the same. I'd love to see some downward movement but I'm not holding my breath : )

MsMaven

Veteran

Cabin fever. Two weeks of cold, rain and taking care of recuperating hubby. Finally the sun is out and warmer weather predicted.

The good: I kept my food diary every day, and I am doing my foot and leg exercises again. Plantar fasciitis in both feet is nearly gone and my feet are more limber and stronger--who would have thought?

Measurements haven't changed much.

DH has lost weight and wants to keep it up. His doctor told him it would be several weeks before his appetite returns. I just ordered him a couple of pairs of jeans in a smaller size. I may have to go buy him some new pants this week--he's not up to shopping and I need an excuse to get to the mall.

The bad: Up 3 pounds. While I kept the food diary, I went quite a bit over my daily limit. I'm hoping that it is just salt and white carbs and that once I can get outdoors and move around I will be back to where I was. (See above under good: measurements haven't changed.)

Overall it looks like we are doing pretty well as a group.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Thanks Lynne. I'm really not despondent. I know that things are fitting more loosely, that I am able to do more and more in my workouts, and that things fluctuate over time. Really- I do, and I have preached it to others over and over. It's just that I am 2 1/2 years into trying to loose weight. That's a long time to always be on a 'diet'- especially since I initially wanted to loose all of the weight in a year. So, when I experience a weight loss and then it turns around I get frustrated. At some point I would like to get to the end of this crazy journey, but I don't think that will be any time soon

tarzy

Veteran

I'm feeling pretty good. I have managed to walk every day, except one when I had too much work. I've been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill daily, and on Sunday my husband and I went for our usual walk around the hood, which includes some slight hills. I noticed I did not get tired in the same place I usually do, and we were home before I knew it. That felt like good progress!

I haven't lost any weight since that first pound. Well, maybe .2 pounds or something - I'm not really obsessing about it. I'm still not eating sweets during the week, but I did enjoy some treats this weekend (though less than I normally would.) If the scale doesn't move in a week or two, I'll have to take a closer look at the food situation, but for now, I don't want to do a drastic "diet." I just want to be aware. I do want to lose 10 pounds by the summer, so I may need to crank things up at some point. It's much harder to drop those pounds when you get older!

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Checking in - I think i did pretty well last week. I stayed under my day calorie intake all seven days and worked out 5 of those days. I'm not doing a ton - probably working off an average of 150 cal per session - but i seem to be losing a pound a week (i believe i will have lost lb #3 at the end of this week, the scale was at my previous number is a .2 next to it with clothes on) which is my goal. I'm also still kind of eating what i want but i am really watching portion intake. Reminding myself that i can usually save leftovers, eating more slowly to realize fullness sooner etc. Hoping to see some general toning up results in time.

I also just wanting to say thanks for this thread. It's really helping keep me motivated knowing i'll be checking in each week.

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

Tara, just for info, because it sounds as if you're in a similar position to me, I've been losing weight by not doing a diet but by adding one of these healthy habits a week:
- drinking 1 pint of water in the morning
- eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day
- eating every 3-4 hours
- drinking 1 pint of water at lunchtime
- eating a portion of nuts/seeds a day
- drinking 1 pint of water in the evening
- thinking about what I'm eating as I eat

By doing this, I've ended up
- drinking enough fluids so I don't end up snacking when I'm actually thirsty.
- eating before I'm ravenous so it's easier to eat sensible portions
- snacking on fruit (rather than cookies) to get in my fruit portions
- having fewer carbs (again because I'm trying to fit in my veg portions at lunch and in the evening)
- noticing when I've had enough to eat and so not overeating

I wouldn't call it a diet and it's certainly not been quick, but I've done this twice now and each time have lost about 7lb, which has been enough for me. It took a couple of weeks to see any change at all in the scales. It sounds like you don't want to do a diet, would something like this be any good for you?

Elly

Veteran

Thank you for the hugs! I could use them . . . and the man in my house definitely needs to be smacked - - -

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Hey all, I never officially joined this effort, but I've chimed in once or twice, so I'll give an update too.

I think I may have lost 3-5 pounds since the end of the holidays. I've been loosely counting calories -- pretty much just tracking what I eat and my exercise with an iPhone app called My Fitness Pal. I do not own a scale, and I don't want to. I know generally where I am by how my clothes fit -- or don't.

Funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I've been losing from my midsection, which is the last place I gain weight. When it starts coming off my hips, I'll know I'm truly making progress.

The really exciting thing for me, fitness-wise, is that yesterday I ran a mile without taking any walk breaks. After I passed that mile marker, I walked for about a minute, and then started running again and didn't stop until mile marker 2! Granted, it's a 12- or so minute mile, so I am still slow, but I think it's darn good for a 45yo who never ran in her life until five weeks ago!

I have not missed a single mile of my half-marathon training. My husband is impressed with how disciplined I've been, but it's important to keep up with it if I want to be in shape enough to complete 13.1 miles at the beginning of June! I'm now at the point where I'm running way more than walking, even during my 7 miler on Saturday. I think on Saturday, I ran about 65 or so minutes and only walked about 15.

I'll be running my first race this coming Sunday -- a half-metric, which is 8.1 miles. That's a mile more than my longest distance to date, but it's within the parameters of my training schedule, so I'll be fine. I just have to make sure to pace myself.

Elly, another hug coming your way. You have our support!

amyreh

(website)

Veteran

I'm not offically part of this group, but I noticed some of you are trying low carb and just wanted to let you know I started a low carb blog and am posting information and recipes for anyone interested. I have been low carb for over 2 years now, keeping off the 10 pounds I lost, and love coming up with new recipes so finally decided to get a blog going to share! http://www.lowcarbhighstyle.wordpress.com

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

I've been a bit slack replying to this thread, but thought I'd better add my $0.02. Its great to see people plugging away at this week after week - so encouraging!!!

Medusa it sounds like your on fire with the exercise! I like the sound of the small but steady changes others like Tara and Nicole are making.

My last few weeks (can't remember how long since I have posted) have been up and down. 3/4 weeks ago I did a mini-triathlon which I loved. Things stalled a bit soon after that. I've only been making it to one outdoor training class per week. Haven't swum for 2 weeks. Have been jogging twice a week though. I also went to my first power yoga class 2 days ago - my arms are in agony. I guess you could some it up saying I lack consistency but am making some effort? Not sure if good enough though.

The eating front has also been up and down. Some good days, some bad days (I went away for the weekend and had waaaaay too much cheese and wine). Noticing a lack of consistency trend here?

Mellllls

Veteran

i had a really bad week emotionally. a lot of things went truly wrong and resulted in an ice cream binge. but i am okay with that. i did gain some weight but in light of everything that is okay. tomorrow is another day.