Weight loss - some honest data to consider

[mommymilkies]

Sorry if this gets a bit off topic, but wanted to respond.

 

 

Yes, public transit is sorely lacking in most places, but most people have still choices. I live in the Midwest in a small town. We had to choose between living outside of town, with land, or in town within biking distance from work. For our family, the ability for DH to commute by bike and us to walk to school was the number one priority for choosing our house. Yes, that is not possible everywhere - but choices exist. For example, all other families on our street chose to drive the 0.7 mile to the elementary school; we were the only ones who chose to walk. No sidewalk, so I accompanied the kids to school, walked back home, and then went to work.

As far as biking goes: no bike lanes, but traffic is far less crazy than where we lived in England. (As an aside:  I'm lazy and pretty good at finding excuses why I can't bike to work, and for years kid activities were that excuse. But I have no more excuses now and have given myself a kick in the butt and been biking since my son got his driver license ;-)

 

I find that people here have strange ideas what constitutes a "long" walk or bike ride. I have gotten stares when I told people that my daily walk to and from elementary+middle school and back home is two miles: "What??? You walk TWO MILES?" I have students tell me they are late because they live so far from campus - 1.5 miles.

 

Just to clarify: I am not saying everybody needs to live in town or needs to walk or bike to work - but I find it important not to blame "society" when there are options, if one cares enough about an issue. Sometimes there are really no options, but sometimes that's just an excuse.

 

I agree that what people constitutes "long" is not always what I think is long.  We also chose a house in town on one of the few streets with a walkable sidewalk (or any at all) where we could take daily walks, but that still meant walking in busy streets with children.  One student was hit a block away from me the week we moved.  There is a huge lack in safe areas to walk even in rural towns.  And every year a biker died from a vehicle not paying attention in the same rural area.  So while we usually walked or biked almost everywhere, there were some places there was NO WAY it was safe or feasible to do so.  When you're 45 minutes to 2 hours or more by car from the nearest decent amenities, in particular, it's not the same as living in a metro area or even college town. 

 

And that 1.5-2 mile commute can add up when you're going to multiple schools, have a tight deadline, don't have safe streets, have medical conditions, or the weather is ferocious.  I know I'm a born and bred Midwesterner but there are definitely times of the year when it is unsafe to walk two miles because of ice or 100+ degree days.  I was definitely meant to live in the PNW. ;) 

 

Regentrude, you bring up good points but walking requires time. We have a lot of options, but all of them involve giving up two hours per day for increased transportation time. If we were all to walk (vs. just those over 10, who walk alone), it would be an increase of 6 hours per day in walking, because we commute to the city, and the small children are slow.

 

If I walk to the school, 1 mile away, I must walk back. That's 2 miles, at a brisk walk to avoid a shower after, 30 minutes (there is a big hill and the child is slower). Then if I bike/bus to work, it takes me (I wrote to our transit dept. about this) one hour more. Each way. If my partner does the same, that's one hour each way for him as well.

 

I can't drive in and bus back because then I have no car here. So I must use transit both ways or neither way.

 

We have what may quite possibly be the cheapest rental per room in the nearest 15 zip codes so moving is not an option for us. Most people are terrified to move within the school district because house prices are skyrocketing so you always lose unless you can buy first, sell after, and as for rentals, just pray the landlord doesn't notice you. Maybe they will forget you even exist. 

 

So I think the choices you talk about are a little over-simplified. We have flexible schedules. Just imagine being a teacher or working at a store with set hours. My god, we could never do it.

 

The children do walk to school if there's no bus, though, and that's that. We did the same.

 

:iagree:  The lack of community in many places is important to note, too.  Most of my friends were latch key kids and my best friend in high school was from France and always talking about how the schedules were set up easier for parents and kids as far as school and meals.  That would sure be nice.  But we live in a family un-friendly place and even 1 minute late for work for something legit will get you fired in some jobs.  And some places, leaving your kids for 15 minutes could get the cops or child services called.  So while I think it's important to walk and bike as much as you can, it's completely not an option for many US families, and that's really sad.  That needs to change. 

On the flip side, although walking may help prevent issues, in this very thread many people have said walking a few miles isn't enough to really effect weight. When I started gaining in puberty I was still biking to school (about 2 miles each way) every day, walking to friend's houses (0.5-2 miles depending on the friend), etc. 

 

Where I am now the nearest grocery store is 5.4 miles, much of which is 6-8 lane highway roads. I also live in the most dangerous city for pedestrians in the country. There is no way we could afford to live in one of the few "downtown" type areas where you can walk to the store, etc. We would have loved to, my husband's major goal is to live downtown or in a similar area, but housing prices are so much higher (with smaller, older houses!). So no, walking to the store isn't an option.( Post office is a similar distance, doctor, dry cleaner, etc are all farther.)

 

However we did have our son walk to the elementary school, and were shocked at how few kids did. WE picked this neighborhood partly because it was such a nice easy walk to the school! He also biked to the highschool the semester he went, which was about 2.5 miles. That made me a bit nervous as the traffic near the school was awful with all the student drivers but honestly, driving wasn't much better and he was a safe biker.

 

I do think we need to be less sendentary. I dont' know that it's about burning calories as much as it is about metabolism in general, I think weird metabolic changes happen when we are sedentary too long. Almost like the body thinks we must be sick or injured or something. I think fit bits and such are good for that. But I can say that doubling my steps walked and eating half as many calories (my experiment when I first got the fit bit) caused me to lose, over several weeks, ONE pound. Then nothing. So it's not THE answer, but it's important for health.

 

Lobbying for more walkable streets is important.  

I totally agree.  Not only is it incredibly dangerous, but often illegal to walk alongside the highways that cut through town between you and your destination.  I would totally never own a vehicle if we lived in a city with public transportation or more walkability, but it's just not feasible in the US as it is in much of Europe. 

 

And yes I walk and bike a lot and still am not losing weight.  :glare:

[MarkW]

You solve the "residents and business owners won't shovel" problem by enforcing fines when they don't. You solve the "local police and town officials won't enforce the fines" problem by showing up to town/city council meetings and making an obnoxious noise about it until it's handled. How you solve the "I'm worked to death and haven't got the time to attend our poorly publicized/scheduled town/city council meetings" problem, I'm still working on... ;)

[Bluegoat]

On the flip side, although walking may help prevent issues, in this very thread many people have said walking a few miles isn't enough to really effect weight. When I started gaining in puberty I was still biking to school (about 2 miles each way) every day, walking to friend's houses (0.5-2 miles depending on the friend), etc. 

 

Where I am now the nearest grocery store is 5.4 miles, much of which is 6-8 lane highway roads. I also live in the most dangerous city for pedestrians in the country. There is no way we could afford to live in one of the few "downtown" type areas where you can walk to the store, etc. We would have loved to, my husband's major goal is to live downtown or in a similar area, but housing prices are so much higher (with smaller, older houses!). So no, walking to the store isn't an option.( Post office is a similar distance, doctor, dry cleaner, etc are all farther.)

 

However we did have our son walk to the elementary school, and were shocked at how few kids did. WE picked this neighborhood partly because it was such a nice easy walk to the school! He also biked to the highschool the semester he went, which was about 2.5 miles. That made me a bit nervous as the traffic near the school was awful with all the student drivers but honestly, driving wasn't much better and he was a safe biker.

 

I do think we need to be less sendentary. I dont' know that it's about burning calories as much as it is about metabolism in general, I think weird metabolic changes happen when we are sedentary too long. Almost like the body thinks we must be sick or injured or something. I think fit bits and such are good for that. But I can say that doubling my steps walked and eating half as many calories (my experiment when I first got the fit bit) caused me to lose, over several weeks, ONE pound. Then nothing. So it's not THE answer, but it's important for health.

 

Lobbying for more walkable streets is important.  

 

I think this kind of building arrangement, where walking is almost impossible unless you want to walk nowhere, is probably one of the reasons for increasing problems with obesity and ill health.  These kinds of developments have become more and more common, so of course more and more people are sedentary and don't have the habit of walking.

 

[MarkW]

It actually no longer matters. The resetllement of the mentally ill to group homes in residential areas means no one here is interested in dodging all of the traffic they brought in, just to walk six blocks. We might as well be in Brooklym, minus the sidewalks and traffic lights and crossing guards.

 

How do mentally ill in group homes bring in especially heavy or dangerous traffic? You've lost me here.

 

I'll never disagree that care for the mentally ill is broken in the US. On that you've got agreement.

[Bluegoat]

We did not discontinue our hikes as my kids aged and I still gained weight.  I definitely believe older age and slower metabolism go together for many.

 

However, I notice a bit of difference when I'm more or less continually active throughout the day vs when I'm sitting for most of the day.

 

 

Around here pretty much EVERY new subdivision hubby designs must have sidewalks - even when they are out away from town.  There is a rare exception or two, but they have to go through special meetings to get that exception.

 

Some areas are progressing, but even when I drive by places with sidewalks I rarely see people walking unless they are walking a dog.  There is an occasional jogger, but occasional enough that I recognize them even when I don't get there often.

 

I live 5 miles from where I work and there's no way I'd ever walk it even though we do longer hikes.  There really isn't even a decent shoulder on the road and with some small hills and turns - it would be quite dangerous.  Every now and then someone bikes these roads, but they do so cautiously.

 

Sidewalks are only part of walkability.  If sidewalks are the only inducement, mostly you will see dog walkers and maybe joggers.  People need a place to walk to, or an event.  And ideally, the walk itself should be enjoyable, with something nice to look at, like trees, or other people. 

 

The walk I do most often is about two blocks to the grocery store, I go there most days either to pick up something or to go to the attached liquor store.  It's an ugly place, a strip mall, but I especially enjoy the walk in the summer when I go by a huge, wonderfully scented rose hedge.

 

Walking just to walk isn't that enjoyable and its easy to put off.  Though I know some neighbourhoods have had good luck with walking clubs, I think because they become a social event that people look forward to.

[MarkW]

Mostly our once nice, picturesque town is turning into one big strip mall and the once friendly and quaint downtown is mostly empty storefronts or struggling boutique shops. We're a corporate economy now, and that means huge retail outlets, massive parking lots, and except in the wealthiest, most "gentrified" areas, no significant downtown area that anybody sane would want to spend much time in. :-/

[Bluegoat]

Mostly our once nice, picturesque town is turning into one big strip mall and the once friendly and quaint downtown is mostly empty storefronts or struggling boutique shops. We're a corporate economy now, and that means huge retail outlets, massive parking lots, and except in the wealthiest, most "gentrified" areas, no significant downtown area that anybody sane would want to spend much time in. :-/

 

In a lot of places, that kind of town planning is starting to go by the wayside.  It's worthwhile to try and get involved - even a Facebook page dedicated to your town planning can be a start, get people talking about things.  Post some pictures, ask questions, put in links to better planning strategies.

[MarkW]

Our area is very pro-retail, nobody much cares about the local stuff beyond lip service. Honestly I'm not sure what's left for mom and pop shops to do. We have a bakery that manages on specialty items and a local grocery that is kept alive through sheer bloody mindedness and... that's about it. Salons, maybe? Florists are even dying out let alone any sort of independent bookstore, general store, etc.

[Carol in Cal.]

Numerous staff that comes and goes at all hours, speeding, on roads that werent built to handle the traffic, plus busses and vans to transport the residents. 

Here it's that the law says that group homes for 6 or fewer people don't have to be licensed and landlords must accept them as the equivalent of 'one family' but typically everyone or almost everyone is an adult with a car.  So that means that in a home that would normally have had 1-2 cars there are now 5-6--more if there is staff going back and forth; plus these are a concentration of people with no commitment to the neighborhood and with great difficulties of their own on which to focus.  My heart goes out to these people, truly, but it is difficult to live around the concentration of these issues in a typical city or suburban block.

[MarkW]

This could get political fast. :)

 

The common sense response to this is that people have to be willing to provide a workable solution or else face realities like this. This typically means taxation and people agreeing on how it should be allocated, and hoo boy...

 

And in my experience, don't get too comfortable about zoning because your muncipality or even the state can change that on you more easily than you might think.

[redsquirrel]

On the flip side, although walking may help prevent issues, in this very thread many people have said walking a few miles isn't enough to really effect weight. When I started gaining in puberty I was still biking to school (about 2 miles each way) every day, walking to friend's houses (0.5-2 miles depending on the friend), etc. 

 

Where I am now the nearest grocery store is 5.4 miles, much of which is 6-8 lane highway roads. I also live in the most dangerous city for pedestrians in the country. There is no way we could afford to live in one of the few "downtown" type areas where you can walk to the store, etc. We would have loved to, my husband's major goal is to live downtown or in a similar area, but housing prices are so much higher (with smaller, older houses!). So no, walking to the store isn't an option.( Post office is a similar distance, doctor, dry cleaner, etc are all farther.)

 

However we did have our son walk to the elementary school, and were shocked at how few kids did. WE picked this neighborhood partly because it was such a nice easy walk to the school! He also biked to the highschool the semester he went, which was about 2.5 miles. That made me a bit nervous as the traffic near the school was awful with all the student drivers but honestly, driving wasn't much better and he was a safe biker.

 

I do think we need to be less sendentary. I dont' know that it's about burning calories as much as it is about metabolism in general, I think weird metabolic changes happen when we are sedentary too long. Almost like the body thinks we must be sick or injured or something. I think fit bits and such are good for that. But I can say that doubling my steps walked and eating half as many calories (my experiment when I first got the fit bit) caused me to lose, over several weeks, ONE pound. Then nothing. So it's not THE answer, but it's important for health.

 

Lobbying for more walkable streets is important.  

 

 

A long time ago I read a book called 'younger next year' and I thought it was really good. I learned a lot from it, and found it very motivating.  In there, they talked about how our lack of movement was driving our brain crazy.  They reminded the reader that our brain doesn't know about central heating and cars and supermarkets. We are the only animal that has walked out of the natural world. We have taken a few with us, like cats and dogs, but

 

Inactivity for long periods of time can only mean one thing to our brain: famine.  Our brain understands that and knows what to do. It means slooow down the metabolism, save every calorie, depress the body to get through the famine. And then we mess things up further by eating highly processed carbs and release a HUGE amount of sugar into out bloodstream, our brain think, "Hey, we killed a mammoth or something.  Look at all that sugar, this must be a huge feast! The famine is over!"  So it extracts every possible calorie from your mammoth (really just a smoothie or a PB&J sandwich on white bread) and then you go back to inactivity.....

 

It must be very confusing for our brains.

 

 

[Bluegoat]

Our area is very pro-retail, nobody much cares about the local stuff beyond lip service. Honestly I'm not sure what's left for mom and pop shops to do. We have a bakery that manages on specialty items and a local grocery that is kept alive through sheer bloody mindedness and... that's about it. Salons, maybe? Florists are even dying out let alone any sort of independent bookstore, general store, etc.

 

Even with larger chains though, it is possible to restrict what they can build and make a wakable community. 

 

I can use my area as an example - I'm in a post-war suburb with a fairly close shopping area, main Street.  The area is ok for walkability in terms of safety and the buses are good.  However, main Steeet over the years became a sort of strip mall area, and then went into more serious decline when malls became popular.  Because the area is not very dense, there hasn't been enough foot traffic to support local shops like a cafe and such that would appeal to local people.  So you see a mix of stores that can only manage in an area with fairly cheap rent (flag shop, independent computer repair, a smoke shop, a strip club, a stair factory, less expensive hair shops) and also fast food and a few automotive places.  The street was also widened and is now a busy artery.

 

The thing is, you can't make new businesses open, what you can do is think about the conditions that would make them viable.  In my area, the problems are mainly not enough people, and also, it isn't that likely to make many people walk.  So - new planning rules were developed, the most important being that mixed commercial residential use is now allowed on the street.  The idea is that shops can be built with more than the two stories allowed now, so offices and especially apartments can be upstairs.  This will create the density needed to support various businesses. 

 

The other aspect is making it more attractive to those people, and those in the residential streets, to walk and support those businesses.  There is a fair bit that we know about what kinds of things can help with that.  One simple one is to put parking out back and have the store fronts very close to the street, and there should be windows and changes in material and style as well, rather than long streches with no doors or that are all the same.  Street trees and a little distance from traffic is another. 

 

But - in cities where this has taken off, often people start with just a few things, that are simple.  Like street trees, or a community sign.  Something that shows people that they can accomplish something.  There are a few different organizations in the US dedicated to improving neighbourhood and downtown planning.

[Bluegoat]

Numerous staff that comes and goes at all hours, speeding, on roads that werent built to handle the traffic, plus busses and vans to transport the residents. There was no upgrade of the road to provide a shoulder or sidewalks for the children to continue to walk or bike or a safe turn radius for vehicles. I walked yesterday, got lucky and was a foot away from one van as the driver was unable to keep the vehicle in the road and veered into the parking area I was in. These drivers are city people, not residents, and the concept of slowing down on a narrow country road or adjusting for ice is something they have to learn by experience. No one is willing to risk their child's life by allowing them to bike or walk in the neighborhood. I personally have no desire to live in a mixed used neighborhood after this. I will be looking for zoned residential only.

 

I have to say that I am pretty skeptical that group homes for the mentally ill, or anyone else for that matter, are so numerous that they are what is making traffic treacherous.

 

[MarkW]

We live in a pretty small neighborhood with very few services of that kind and mostly it's the, sorry, coal rollers and hot rodders making our neighborhood dangerous for pedestrians. The fact that we even have coal rollers in CT is sort of amusing.

[MarkW]

Even with larger chains though, it is possible to restrict what they can build and make a wakable [sic] community. 

 

 

Oh I agree. In some neighboring (wealthier) areas, retailers are even required to have wooden signage which can only be a certain distance from the ground and in an "approved" style so that the neighborhood doesn't end up looking quite so garish. Sadly our town is happy to accept the tax revenue (and no doubt, the bribes) and turns a blind eye to the rest. We just don't have anyone who's very active on the council except local contractors and businessmen. It's a good old boys network for sure.

 

We also have a post war community but the baby boomers are dying off and being replaced with low income families who are willing to buy tiny 800 sq ft homes. That's not necessarily a bad thing except that they tend to bring the negative cultural aspects of the urban areas they're escaping along with them, which is sort of ironic.

[mommymilkies]

https://www.walkscore.com/

[Greta]

A long time ago I read a book called 'younger next year' and I thought it was really good. I learned a lot from it, and found it very motivating. In there, they talked about how our lack of movement was driving our brain crazy. They reminded the reader that our brain doesn't know about central heating and cars and supermarkets. We are the only animal that has walked out of the natural world. We have taken a few with us, like cats and dogs, but

 

Inactivity for long periods of time can only mean one thing to our brain: famine. Our brain understands that and knows what to do. It means slooow down the metabolism, save every calorie, depress the body to get through the famine. And then we mess things up further by eating highly processed carbs and release a HUGE amount of sugar into out bloodstream, our brain think, "Hey, we killed a mammoth or something. Look at all that sugar, this must be a huge feast! The famine is over!" So it extracts every possible calorie from your mammoth (really just a smoothie or a PB&J sandwich on white bread) and then you go back to inactivity.....

 

It must be very confusing for our brains.

 

 

I love that book! I think it's time for a re-read, because I could use a little boost in motivation.

 

(I read the "for women" version but I assume they're pretty similar.)

[Shellydon]

https://www.walkscore.com/

 

:)  Our score is 0

[regentrude]

https://www.walkscore.com/

 

Our city has 36: "Car dependent city: Most errands require a car".

Which is ironic since the city is small and it is only 3 miles from one end to the other; no distance in town takes longer than 20 minutes to bicycle.

[creekland]

:)  Our score is 0

 

Not sure how accurate it is.  My walk score is 0 too, but we walk all the time.  We enjoy walking for pleasure though and I guess that doesn't count.  One definitely can't walk to a destination where we live (shopping, work), but we enjoy walks to the creek or just around our roads (very few cars on our roads).  The scenery is quite nice and it can be common to see some wildlife.

[MarkW]

Our city has 36: "Car dependent city: Most errands require a car".

Which is ironic since the city is small and it is only 3 miles from one end to the other; no distance in town takes longer than 20 minutes to bicycle.

 

I haven't looked ours up but I'm sure it would be like this. Our town is a square mile and it's essentially impossible to access certain areas without a car unless you feel like taking your life in your hands.

[redsquirrel]

My score was 85, which I expected. We are a small city in the NE with sidewalks and a bus system.  I can walk to almost every single appointment I might have, except the dentist. He moved his office to a rural area. But we can walk to the library, corner stores, doctor, piano lesson, my older boy walks to school every day, my dh rides a bike or walks or takes a bus depending on the weather.  I could walk to the grocery store, but don't because I only go once a week and the load would be too heavy to carry and to big to bike back. We are also expected to shovel our own sidewalks and fines will be handed out if you don't.  We are also encouraged to help out elderly neighbors etc. On my block we often help each other out.  Sometimes I get up ready to shovel only to discover that my neighbor has already done it.

 

Keeping the city walking and bike friendly is a big part of the discussion of city planning. It is a topic that gets addressed in the run for mayor or city council etc.

 

Our mayor even gave up his car to promote more walking/biking

 

http://grist.org/list/ithaca-mayor-turns-his-personal-parking-space-into-a-mini-park/

[Guest]

https://www.walkscore.com/

The walk score where I live is a six. This is in my top three *biggest* things I didn't consider when we moved here that I now SO MUCH wish I could rectify. I wish it were practical/feasible/not death-defying to walk or bike to any destination, but it isn't. The state road where I live is exceedingly dangerous for pedestrians and, though there are people who bike this road, it is highly unsafe. The road is not designed for bike transport and there is no shoulder. People drive like their ass is on fire.

 

The difficulty is that I want a reasonable amount of land, but I also wish I was in a town, so I could walk to places like the library, a market, the post office, a church.

[MarkW]

Just put ours in. 20-30 depending upon which major route I click.

[ktgrok]

:)  Our score is 0

 

Not much better, it gave us a 5. And that was basedon proximity to a downtown area that is actually a crime infested area I'd never ever walk to. 

[Guest]

My score was 85, which I expected. We are a small city in the NE with sidewalks and a bus system. I can walk to almost every single appointment I might have, except the dentist. He moved his office to a rural area. But we can walk to the library, corner stores, doctor, piano lesson, my older boy walks to school every day, my dh rides a bike or walks or takes a bus depending on the weather. I could walk to the grocery store, but don't because I only go once a week and the load would be too heavy to carry and to big to bike back. We are also expected to shovel our own sidewalks and fines will be handed out if you don't. We are also encouraged to help out elderly neighbors etc. On my block we often help each other out. Sometimes I get up ready to shovel only to discover that my neighbor has already done it.

 

Keeping the city walking and bike friendly is a big part of the discussion of city planning. It is a topic that gets addressed in the run for mayor or city council etc.

 

Our mayor even gave up his car to promote more walking/biking

 

http://grist.org/list/ithaca-mayor-turns-his-personal-parking-space-into-a-mini-park/

That is awesome, Red Squirrel! What a cool mayor!

[Bluegoat]

So the walk score for my street came up as 63, which is somewhat walkable. I've also on a bus route, and two of the buses that go by are very useful - but then we chose this house in part because the bus stops directly outside my husband's office.

 

Walk scores can be funny though.  They tend to work based on particular sorts of places being within a particular distance.  So I've got several pharmacies, hair salons, grocery and liquor stores, dentist and doctor and so on.  But they also think I have food places, the fact that they are Burger King and KFC and some grill type places with nary a vegetable in sight doesn't really matter. 

 

 

[historically accurate]

https://www.walkscore.com/

 

My neighborhood got a 49 "most errands require a car". It's pretty accurate.

 

Within walking distance is a KMart outlet, a Mexican grocery, a family-style restaurant, Dollar General, Walgreens, and McDonalds. We often do walk to these. 

 

However, it also took into account the grocery store/strip mall across the highway from us. Sure it is less than a mile away, but no way I would attempt to cross the highway with my children even though there is a crosswalk at the corner. I personally have done it, but no one seems to care about the pedestrians crossing there. There is a bank and a Dollar Tree across the highway and 2 blocks east as well, but there is no sidewalk so you're going to have to go about 1/2 mile - 1 mile around to get there.

 

We cannot easily get to the library, any parks, any medical offices, any schools, any churches/temples/etc. without driving though.

[Jane in NC]

My walk score is based on a commute to a larger city.  It is true that many workers and students cannot walk/bike to jobs or schools, but I can walk/bike to a grocery, recreational opportunities, restaurants, volunteer gigs, etc.  Small town stuff, I know, but I feel that my small town stuff is not reflected in the score.

[Scarlett]

If it's at all like mine, I don't experience true, physical hunger anymore.  What got messed up (for me) happened during radiation, so your guess is as good as mine as to specifically why.  No one has given me a good answer.  I can literally go for at least a day and probably far more without feeling the slightest twinge of hunger even if I'm smelling something delicious.  I haven't seen how long it would last 'cause I don't think it's healthy, but there are times I get curious (hence knowing it will last at least 24 hours).

 

The feeling full part is something I also didn't get for a bit, so for almost the first year of this blessing, I didn't lose weight - too many other cues and patterns to eat and nothing stopping me from actually eating.  It was expected to eat, both by me and others.  

 

Now (for the last 8- 9 months), having cut back on how much I eat and actually losing weight I can feel full pretty quickly.  Having been at my in-laws and forcing myself to eat far more than normal (for me), I'm seriously contemplating not eating for a couple of days!  Chances are, I won't skip breakfast tomorrow though.  I tend to skip lunch and/or supper (or eat very light at them), but not breakfast.  I seriously don't want to lose the health aspect just to exploit the no-hunger feelings.

 

My goal is to lose weight until I reach my target while still staying healthy.

 

At this point I have an extra three lbs to take off - courtesy of my in-laws.  If it's like the last trip's weight gain, it'll be gone in less than a week, so I don't think it's really "there" like weight gain was in my not-so-distant past.  Or there's that set point idea.

 

 

That is very curious.  The times in my life I have experienced that were when I was under extreme emotional stress.  I continued to cook meals for my ds who was 9 at the time and the food just did not appeal to me in the slightest.  I lost 20 pounds in a month.  I didn't need to lose any before I started!  

[Scarlett]

https://www.walkscore.com/

 

 

Mine is 0.  Not surprised.

[Abeille]

My suburban neighborhood is a 17. All that's really within walking distance is a couple of gas stations, a pizza takeout place, and a small rec center. However, to get to any of those you'll be walking most of the way along a busy road with no sidewalks. Doable if not entirely safe in good weather, but extremely unsafe once it snows and there are tall banks of packed snow/ice everywhere. No public transit, and the local taxi companies are a real pain to use (long waits, cars that are often unsafe).

[creekland]

That is very curious.  The times in my life I have experienced that were when I was under extreme emotional stress.  I continued to cook meals for my ds who was 9 at the time and the food just did not appeal to me in the slightest.  I lost 20 pounds in a month.  I didn't need to lose any before I started!  

 

I suspect I could pull off a lot quickly if I really wanted to - or I'd find out just how long that lack of hunger thingy lasts!

 

But I don't think it's healthy to starve myself and I'd rather not lose the rest of my health in the process.  I try to remember to eat if by myself.  Hubby or my co-workers (and schedule) remind me to eat when I'm around others.

 

It took about a week and a half to pull off the weight from my in-laws.  That's ok.

 

I'm sticking with the pound per week average as my goal.  This allows picking up on travels, and pulling it back off afterward with a continual overall loss.

 

At least... that's my plan.  We'll see what really happens!  

 

I've noticed trips where we spend time exercising (walking/hiking/moving in general), the weight added comes off more quickly.  Trips where I'm sedentary leave weight gain on longer unless I really cut back what I eat (again, not my real goal for health reasons).  I've pondered that difference and will see if it continues - just out of mere curiosity.

 

I've also noticed a trend of gaining (or not losing) right before cycle time, but figure that's expected.  It just means I lose pretty quickly once that time is almost over.  It still causes me to pause for a few moments though (mentally) until I remember the cause.

[Carrie12345]

Not sure how accurate it is.  My walk score is 0 too, but we walk all the time.  We enjoy walking for pleasure though and I guess that doesn't count.  One definitely can't walk to a destination where we live (shopping, work), but we enjoy walks to the creek or just around our roads (very few cars on our roads).  The scenery is quite nice and it can be common to see some wildlife.

 

Pleasure is subjective!

 

Our score is 0.  I could technically walk to the gas station, but I fail to see the logic.  :lol:

[Joules]

:)  Our score is 0

 

I have a 2!  One of the main reasons I'd like to leave the area is the lack of walkability and no public transportation.

[Carol in Cal.]

I have to say that I am pretty skeptical that group homes for the mentally ill, or anyone else for that matter, are so numerous that they are what is making traffic treacherous.

 

Actually, around here they tend to be concentrated.  I'm not sure why that is, but then there is more traffic, the street is completely parked up, and some of them make you feel less comfortable walking around in general or letting your kids play out front. 

[Wheres Toto]

My zip code came up with a town in South Africa.  That's not where I live. :confused1:

 

Typing in the town gave a score of 13 but they seem to be going by the next town over and that surprises me since that town has a very walkable Main Street and lots of sidewalks.  My town is 100x worse. 

This happens a lot with my town.  We are x township while the other town is just x and we share a post office.  Very hard to separate statistics unless you are talking about the schools.

[regentrude]

I though of this recommendation when I spooned out my yoghurt this morning (24g protein per cup)

 

.....eat 2-4 ounces of protein at each meal,

 

Who can eat that much protein???

2 oz of protein is 9 eggs or one lb of greek yoghurt or three 1lb cans of garbanzo beans or 3/4 lb of ground beef.

[kiana]

I though of this recommendation when I spooned out my yoghurt this morning (24g protein per cup)

 

 

Who can eat that much protein???

2 oz of protein is 9 eggs or one lb of greek yoghurt or three 1lb cans of garbanzo beans or 3/4 lb of ground beef.

 

I believe that this recommendation is supposed to be interpreted as 2-4 ounces of a high-protein food, e.g. 2-4 ounces of ground beef.

[redsquirrel]

I though of this recommendation when I spooned out my yoghurt this morning (24g protein per cup)

 

 

Who can eat that much protein???

2 oz of protein is 9 eggs or one lb of greek yoghurt or three 1lb cans of garbanzo beans or 3/4 lb of ground beef.

 

I assumed she mean grams.  A whole egg has 6g of protein, 4oz of Greek yogurt has 10, half a cup of garbanzo beans has 6, and 4oz of 93% ground beef has 23g of protein.

 

Thank you My Fitness Pal, lol.

[Laurie4b]

I though of this recommendation when I spooned out my yoghurt this morning (24g protein per cup)

 

 

Who can eat that much protein???

2 oz of protein is 9 eggs or one lb of greek yoghurt or three 1lb cans of garbanzo beans or 3/4 lb of ground beef.

 

 

2 oz of ground beef would be 1/8 of a pound. (A pound is 16 oz.)  I think the recommendation of 2-4 oz is referring to a piece of meat. That much meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

 

 

Generally, protein rec's are given in grams. Eggs have 6 grams, so to get to 30 grams of protein using only eggs, you would need to eat 5, but as you point out, 1 cup of yogurt plus one egg =30. Not so much.

[Carrie12345]

I believe that this recommendation is supposed to be interpreted as 2-4 ounces of a high-protein food, e.g. 2-4 ounces of ground beef.

 

This.

 

The USDA recommends .8-1.2g per kg of body weight.  (I feel that's low, but whatever.)

[Annie G]

My walk score is 51. Great, I can get to the orthodontist, high school, a couple of parks, a gas station, and a KFC.  The only one I ever go to is the gas station...which if I was walking I wouldn't need to visit.  Ok, in full disclosure our hospital is a block away so I can walk there. But if I need a hospital I probably won't be walking to it. 

 

I can ride my bike to a lot more places but the main road I need to take is a state highway and that's pretty scary on a bike. Yup, it has sidewalks but bikes can't use them.  

 

 

[regentrude]

2 oz of ground beef would be 1/8 of a pound. (A pound is 16 oz.)  I think the recommendation of 2-4 oz is referring to a piece of meat. That much meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

Generally, protein rec's are given in grams. Eggs have 6 grams, so to get to 30 grams of protein using only eggs, you would need to eat 5, but as you point out, 1 cup of yogurt plus one egg =30. Not so much.

 

But the poster said explicitly "2-4oz of protein", not "2-4 oz of meat".

 

1 cup of yogurt and 1 egg is still just a bit more than 1 oz (28 gram). To make it 4 oz, 4 cups of yoghurt and 4 eggs? That seems excessive.

 

[regentrude]

I believe that this recommendation is supposed to be interpreted as 2-4 ounces of a high-protein food, e.g. 2-4 ounces of ground beef.

 

That makes a lot more sense than what was said in the quoted post.

[Carrie12345]

That makes a lot more sense than what was said in the quoted post.

 

Perhaps the original poster is a fan of cooking shows?  It's not unusual for cooks to refer to meat (or similar protein-rich food) simply as protein.  Confusing in conversations like this, but not purposefully misleading.

[lewber]

That walk score site is interesting. My walk score is 14. And very accurate.  I would love to retire to a place where you could walk to dinner or to a market. It's actually one of my top  retirement dreams  :laugh:

 

I am very sedentary and this is one reason. My job is sedentary as well. I have to make a real effort to get any movement, let alone exercise. My fitbit was a real eye opener in the regard. If I don't try I might not get 3,000 steps. I thought I was active because I walk my dog, but that only got me to 5000 - 6000 steps, not nearly enough to maintain my current weight as I get older, let alone lose weight. 

 

[fraidycat]

My address doesn't even show up. The nearest main road gets a walk score of 10 - it's a very long road. My neighborhood is walkable - sidewalks and paths, but it's a long way to the store to get some food. :)

[Laura Corin]

My village has a walk score of 3, but my place of work has a score of 86.  I run a lot of errands on foot at lunchtime, then walk the dog briskly up and down hills in the evening.  I average around 12 to 13,000 steps.

 

ETA: my home village does not show public transport on the site, but we actually have an hourly bus to each of two towns with all facilities.  We also have a Go-Flexi service, which anyone can use out of the rush hour: it's essentially a taxi that costs the same as a bus.  It's cheaper for the Local Authority to subsidise that than to have empty buses during the day.  It's great, particularly for the elderly and those who have mobility issues.

[LibraryLover]

My walk score is in the 80's, which was shocking to me. What does it take to get higher? Lol unless I am leaving town, I do not drive. I can walk to work, to multiple wonderful markets, to local food places, to the dry cleaners, my primary doc, dentist etc . Although... a woman I work with was surprised to find I walk to and from work. We live exactly the same mileage from work. Hers is not a dangerous trek. :) She shared she has never walked to work, and doesn't much walk. She and I are the same age, but she is quite slender (skinny!!) We are the same height, and I probably weigh about 15- 20 lbs more? But she really does eat. And she doesn't walk. Blerg! Lol