Staying the Course -- 01-16-2017

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Superbob

Superbob

Steely Resolve!
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2005
Messages
8,481
Location
Coastal Carolina
Welcome to a new STC week! I think mine is off to a pretty good start. Walked EllieDawg on the beach yesterday -- pretty day, temps in high 50s or 60s. Lots of other dogs being walked, and she barked at every one. As I read up on Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, I see that is pretty typical. They have a dominant personality and can be aggressive around other dogs they don't know and haven't bonded with. Anyway, it was refreshing to get a beach walk in January. Also made it to workout room and did that machine that you pedal, but also arm-push at same time -- need to get the name--all of y'all probably know it. (It is brand-spanking new; looks like our HOA decided to invest in fitness -- good for them.) It might be just the thing I need to improve arm strength after discovering at the gym I can no longer get the ball up to the basket easily, not even at close range.

Went with son and grandkids, all 4 of them, to Ultimate California Pizza Zone, last evening. They had a ball. (The 13 year-old g-daughter won some virtual reality thing that you can wear that puts you on a roller-coaster or a shark cage or similar venues.) I shared a Greek salad with my DW and had just 2 1/2 small slices of thin pizza (so not too bad) while watching the Packers/Cowboys game -- wow, what a game!

Ellie took me on a long walk just now -- I read that if you have a Chessie, you need to do that with them. Great for folks who love walking, as I do. Chessies need lots of exercise. Not the kind of dawg to have in a tiny apartment on the 20th floor somewhere. Together, we already have 5,100 steps for the day and it's not even noon.

Grandson's basketball practice tonight. If I take a few shots afterwards, I will be very careful! Don't need any more falls. I am thankful that the extra exercise I did yesterday helped resolve the soreness from landing on a hardwood floor. Moral: Better to keep moving than to veg-out feeling sorry for yourself!

Looking forward to hearing from you folks when you have a few spare minutes.

Cheers,

Superbob
 
Very frustrated. I've been calorie counting for two weeks now for the two-day fasting. Doing well with my intake. Then I get on the scale this morning and am up nearly 1.5 lbs. I know much of it is water retention but still. This is typical of my diet attempts and the reason why I give up after awhile.
 
I know it is discouraging, honeybunny, but as you say, it's got to be water retention. Hang in there!

I haven't stepped on our digital scales for two months. I moved them out of the bathroom before the grandkids came at Thanksgiving because I questioned their accuracy. The kids love nothing better than to hop on them nonstop every few minutes to see if they've gained any weight. So I put them in the spare bedroom and there they've stayed. I've wondered from time to time how much weight I gained over the holidays but really wasn't motivated to bring the scales back out of hiding. This morning I came up with what I consider a brilliant plan to get me back to weighing without facing the reality of the weight number. I left the scales in the bedroom, on the carpet,(!) and when I stepped on them I loved the number displayed! Of course it's not accurate due to the carpeting, but I'm going to leave the scales there to weigh on and only be accountable for weight gain or loss. And I'm not going to tell the kids where the scales are when they come to visit!
 
Sure to be water HB. I think it helps to either weigh every day in the am (so you see all the ups and downs and get used to them) or else only every 6 weeks so that you can get outside the range of water error. I can EASILY vary 2 lbs day to day. You will probably see a loss next time and not a tiny one either. Stay the course!

I have been geocaching every day for a couple of hours and getting a lot of steps in and doing the Beachbody portions is going pretty well - not perfect but well. I like their little containers.
 
I don't think I've ever posted here. Hi, I'm Meredith, coming up on 3 years post-op,On-X aortic, 45, female, sedentary & high-stress job. We joined a gym in mid-December to get healthy. Been going at least 5 days a week to treadmill/bike 30-45 minutes, and do some weights/core/ab work. Getting very discouraged because there hasn't been any weight loss in 4 weeks, seems like I've actually gained 5 lbs, and no changes in the way my clothes fit.
I know the exercise is changing my body because my INR has been wobbly, and I'm finding it easier to sleep at night. Walking, I can maintain a heartrate of about 125 or so, and the interval training spikes me up to 165-ish for a minute at a time, and I recover quickly. No chest pain or difficulty breathing, no beta-blockers, only atorvastatin, warfarin, & aspirin. I also eat the same - breakfast, lunch, snack, & dinner. (Not always the best choices, but we cook at home with reasonable fat/salt/calories).

What gives? Any ideas?
 
Guess I have no change this week as doc said no cardiac rehab yet. I am now over two months since my OHS and just about as long since my two surgeries for fluid around heart. Cardiac rehab seems like too late now so may just opt to pass on it. My weight is back up to pre-surgery so have my work cut out dropping those 15 they want off me. Ugg I guess I will work on the calorie counting and writing my meals down to hold self accountable.

HB I hear you about that working so hard on it and then that rotten scale ruins it. Frustrating but I think a few more days will show a difference.

Duffey I like your scale idea, both for the Grands and for getting that number and just going with it from there.

dornole I think portion control is important and am anxious to hear how it works out for you.

Meredith your plan sounds like a good one and results should be coming soon. For me exercise has never really helped me with weight loss. It helps so many other aspects in my life I do believe in it whole heartedly

Superbob I envy anyone that can go to a pizza place and order salad! Dog walking and busy with those kids really keeps you moving.

I enjoy reading this thread and ideas that may help all of us. Had a crappy last week and as for this week I am staying the course.
 
Hey, gang - I hear you all! This is the time of year when I struggle with my weight, too. I'm not overweight by much - charts say maybe 5-7 lbs., BUT when I gain those few pounds I feel lousy. I also fear gaining them and not being able to get rid of them. Part of the reason is that my sister and I are polar opposites, and I don't ever want to trade places. I am about 5'8" tall, and weigh about 155 lbs. She is about 5'4" tall and must weigh 350 lbs. plus. I've watched her over the years, and I vowed never to get that way. So, maybe I'm a bit overboard. . .

Although I'm a control freak (remember my posts around the time of my surgery?), and although I weigh myself every morning, and although I chart the numbers, I try to use the data two ways for two different purposes. I only use the daily deviations for monitoring fluid retention. My cardio has me under instructions that if I gain more than 2 or 3 pounds over only 1 or 2 days, call him. Might call for adjustment to my meds. I use the longer term trend to gauge the effectiveness of my weight control efforts. Over the past 6 years (can you believe it is almost 6 years since my surgery?), I've maintained relatively good weight control. I'm actually 16 lbs. below my peak weight, and feel pretty good overall.

So, we each have to figure out how to control what we can, and how to accept the rest. Life is precious, and it is good.

Stayin' the Course.
 
Hi Meredith, for me to get consistent weight loss I really have to focus on food. 80% of your progress is going to come from that. Careful portion control through weighing or measuring my food. I have done weight watchers with points and lost weight on that, doing Beachbody now where I compose meals of healthy ingredients with different colored portion cups. I am liking that system.

I can execute everything perfectly with diet and exercise and still not see much result in 4 weeks. I have easily a 3 lb variance due to hormones, salt, water retention from carbs, etc. and 1 lb weight loss a week is realistic if I am very consistent with everything. If the scale is not moving, often in another couple weeks I might see a big loss, like it builds up.

Make sure you are actually running a calorie deficit by measuring & tracking your food and stick with it and over 6 months time you will see a motivating level of success. Meanwhile you need to soak in the other benefits exercise is bringing. Stay the course! it is very good for you!
 
Hello Meredith and welcome! Folks here are making some excellent suggestions/observations. Sometimes I think we would be better off if we locked the scales away in a vault and only took them out for use once every few months or so. Day to day causes discouragement when we may actually be making long-term progress. (Of course as Steve notes, sometimes there are medical reasons to weigh daily as directed by our docs.) In general, though, the course we're staying is a marathon not a 100-yard dash.

Cheers -- and it is so good to have you with us!
 
Meridith, I agree with what dornole said about food intake. I know you said in your post that your diet hasn't changed but maybe it has just a little such as a bit more carbs or sugar or salt. My downfall is sugar. I really need to stay away from it (I am pre-diabetic), which is difficult for me to do. But I hear your frustration. Please don't give up. I won't if you won't.

Hugs,
Michele
 
neil;n872380 said:
I may join this group, could do to shift some timber
Click to expand...

Neil -- You're in, good buddy! (And valve-wise, you are of the porcine ilk, like me, a bonus! lol) A member of this group you are -- I am enrolling you as a charter member. Seriously, we are wide open here, and you don't even have to be trying to lose weight. We're just stayin' the course, stayin' the course (I am trying to dream up some song lyrics on this theme)....just jump in whenever you want. Welcome!
 
HB. . . SUGAR? SUGAR? We might be related. A 2-lb. bag of candy hasn't a chance at survival if I am in the room. I'm also a sucker for fresh bread, and my wife has recently returned to one of her hobbies - baking breads! I may have to retire just to have enough time at the gym to burn it all off.

Seriously, I've never had the discipline to follow any "organized" diet. I guess I'm lucky. I'm a guy, and only a little bit overweight, so re-focusing on moderation makes a big difference for me. It also helps that even though I'm getting older (not old yet, people!) and still working 50+ hours a week, I prioritize exercise high on my list and remain active enough to stay within shouting distance of my goal weight. I know what to do. . . I just have to DO it, and Midwestern winters make that difficult.
 
neil;n872412 said:
thanks superbob,
Click to expand...

Hey Neil, glad to see you around here! I'm down 2 and a half pounds since Monday. Seems incredible but we had just returned home from our son's in central Missouri, and I have trouble, lots of trouble, with fluid retention after traveling in the car. Anyway, I still don't know what my "real" weight is, but I don't care. I'm keeping track and staying the course, "my way"! I hope everyone has a good week.
 
ok guys ive just weighed in at 14stone, that's about 10lb over, waiting for a small hip operation which has stopped me swimming and long walks, so hopefully get back to that as its my main form of exercise,
 
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