June 2020 - well-trained bodies

[Jenny in Florida]

22 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I bought mine from Amazon. I would get Leki adjustable length poles.

 

Being a cheap person (and feeling uncertain how often I'll actually use the equipment), I ordered a set from York Nordic, which are a lot less expensive than the Leki ones. If it turns out that I am really into this and these poles don't work for me, I can always upgrade.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Matryoshka]

10 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Being a cheap person (and feeling uncertain how often I'll actually use the equipment), I ordered a set from York Nordic, which are a lot less expensive than the Leki ones. If it turns out that I am really into this and these poles don't work for me, I can always upgrade.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.

We had a busy day yesterday, and I didn't get around to answering your previous post on this - but this is exactly what I did.  The York poles looked decent, came with the right kind of velcro 'glove' attachments, and were 1/3 the price of the Leki, and I wanted to make sure I would actually use them before spending that much... I am liking them so far (only 3 uses 😉 ) and I'll let you know if the replacement feet work better - I'm thinking they will, as the third use didn't seem to degrade the round ones that much more; I think it's just that they really should be on an angle for use on pavement.  2 pair of the angled replacement feet cost me another $11.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Matryoshka

[lmrich]

Busy, busy week with lots of distractions! I got in 5 days of weight training and 5 days of cardio, but the workouts were rushed, and I did not get the mental boost from them as I normally do. I let myself eat more last week since my period would be starting and find myself starving and then end up eating junk. Not sure if it made a difference to my weight either way but it was better nutrition. This week is more normal, and I already got in my weights and nearly a 50 minute walk/jog on my treadmill. 

[barnwife]

The last few days have been kind of a wash for exercising, unfortunately. Although I did throw some music on and dance around the living room yesterday with the kids, which added a tiny bit of cardio to my day. I usually take Sundays off, but since the last few days have been blah (due to insomnia, return of morning sickness, weather, etc...) I just did 20 or so minutes of cardio. 

I tried a couple videos by someone new to me. She was way too cheery and energetic for me to use her videos consistently. The constant talking also gets to me. I prefer videos where they tell me what to do and then just do it without constant "Rah! Rah!  You're doing great!"

I am now 27 weeks pregnant. My goals for the next few months include continuing to exercise 4 (hopefully 5) days a week. Ideally I'd do 3 days of cardio and 3 days of strength work each week, but that seems really ambitious. I will be happy with 2 of each during this last trimester. I am also trying to do more stretching at the end of whatever I do each day.

I will have to go back and read everyone else's updates. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

[wintermom]

I had a really nice bike ride by myself. I biked about 40 min to a river, waded around to cool off, explored a couple trails in the woods and beside the river, then biked home again. Total time was 2 hr. I'm had a nap, had some dinner, and ready to play some tennis this evening. 

Hope everyone has had a nice Father's Day!

[Soror]

11 hours ago, wintermom said:

I had a really nice bike ride by myself. I biked about 40 min to a river, waded around to cool off, explored a couple trails in the woods and beside the river, then biked home again. Total time was 2 hr. I'm had a nap, had some dinner, and ready to play some tennis this evening. 

Hope everyone has had a nice Father's Day!

Sounds like a nice day @wintermom.

We had a good Father's Day, dh just wanted to relax since he is injured and we've been working so hard on the weekends. I worked around the house- laundry, cooking, clean.

I made a big batch of masoor dal for lunches this week.

Exercise plan: strength for sure and we'll see what else

The girls have swimming lessons but we've got a chance of thunderstorms this morning so it might get called off (outside pool), that also will curtail outside work and exercise for me.

breakfast: 2 superhero muffins; spinach banana smoothie; blueberries (2 grains; 2 greens; 1 fruit; 1 berry; nuts)

snack: 2 fruit

lunch: masoor dal w/ brown rice (2 beans; 2 veg; 1 grain)

snack: kale chips and roasted chickpeas (1 bean: cruciferous veg)

dinner: ? forgot to plan meals yesterday

[Laura Corin]

Just popping in to say: the scales did what I never could - persuaded Husband that he had drastically lost muscle whilst maintaining the same weight over the last forty years.  The body fat count was very high.  He's talking about strength training (also to support his joints as he has started running again).  I don't know if it will happen, but at least he has the idea.

[Soror]

41 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Just popping in to say: the scales did what I never could - persuaded Husband that he had drastically lost muscle whilst maintaining the same weight over the last forty years.  The body fat count was very high.  He's talking about strength training (also to support his joints as he has started running again).  I don't know if it will happen, but at least he has the idea.

That is wonderful, I hope that it goes well and he keeps with it. My husband found out he weighs more than he thought at the dr's office last week, we'll see if it affects him.

[wintermom]

I was playing tennis with my friend who is a rehab specialist doctor, and I asked her about %body fat. She said that what is being used more to determine heart health/diabetes risk in men and women is waist measurement. Statistically, added weight carried in the belly area leaves you at higher risk for these diseases even if you are at a healthy weight. I found this website from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation that provides some good information on taking and tracking waist size over time. This website also suggests using a combination of waist measurement, weight, and BMI to get a fuller picture of body size. There is also information about maintaining healthy weight. I read through, and the information seems very reasonable and happily, we seem to be doing things right here on our thread!! 😃

https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-and-waist

[Laura Corin]

2 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I was playing tennis with my friend who is a rehab specialist doctor, and I asked her about %body fat. She said that what is being used more to determine heart health/diabetes risk in men and women is waist measurement. Statistically, added weight carried in the belly area leaves you at higher risk for these diseases even if you are at a healthy weight. I found this website from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation that provides some good information on taking and tracking waist size over time. This website also suggests using a combination of waist measurement, weight, and BMI to get a fuller picture of body size. There is also information about maintaining healthy weight. I read through, and the information seems very reasonable and happily, we seem to be doing things right here on our thread!! 😃

https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-healthy/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-and-waist

It looks good, but the waist thing always seems to be an odd measure for my husband. His waist is probably not bigger than recommended, but then he's only 5'5". 

[Soror]

12 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

It looks good, but the waist thing always seems to be an odd measure for my husband. His waist is probably not bigger than recommended, but then he's only 5'5". 

At some point I seen something about this, your belly in relation to your height but I can't remember how it went. 

I'm lucky to mostly carry weight in my hips. I was more of an hourglass before kids but now I'm pushing towards pear. 

____________________________

strength and stretching done

Edited June 22, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

11 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

It looks good, but the waist thing always seems to be an odd measure for my husband. His waist is probably not bigger than recommended, but then he's only 5'5". 

That's probably a good sign for him that his risk of heart disease is low statistically. Many men do tend to hold added weight in the belly area, and have a higher risk of heart disease. My doctor friend said that women tend to have lower rates of heart disease largely because more women have that extra weight below the belly (hips, thighs). 

I liked the suggestion of using weight, BMI (which is height and weight ratio), and waist measurements in combination to get a more complete picture of our bodies. I guess one could also add circumference measures of upper arms, thighs, chest, etc. to see gain or loss in size over time. These areas would see the most changes when adding in weight lifting exercises, for example.

Edited June 22, 2020 by wintermom

[Laura Corin]

15 minutes ago, wintermom said:

That's probably a good sign for him that his risk of heart disease is low statistically. Many men do tend to hold added weight in the belly area, and have a higher risk of heart disease. My doctor friend said that women tend to have lower rates of heart disease largely because more women have that extra weight below the belly (hips, thighs). 

I liked the suggestion of using weight, BMI (which is height and weight ratio), and waist measurements in combination to get a more complete picture of our bodies. I guess one could also add circumference measures of upper arms, thighs, chest, etc. to see gain or loss in size over time. These areas would see the most changes when adding in weight lifting exercises, for example.

Yes.  I was just thinking that, given how short he is, he would have to have really quite a big belly to overreach the waist measurements: 37" would be enormous on his frame.  He has previously been (I suspect falsely) reassured by his waist measurement not being 'dangerous' but if he had proportionately the same belly and was 6' tall, his waist would be much bigger.  I  I don't think the measure encompasses very wee men.  It's the problem with rules of thumb, I suspect.  Like the BMI for short people: https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html

It's a shame, because it looks as if short people are at a higher risk of heart disease: https://www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/short-people-may-have-an-increased-risk-of-heart-disease/

[Soror]

-3 strength workouts; 2 left (1 done Mon)

3 walks;

3 yoga; 2 left (1 Done Sun)

1 bike ride;

1 barre workout done

[Jenny in Florida]

Weekly update:

• I coasted to the end of my first week of maintenance having lost two pounds, which is more than I was losing per week while actively trying to lose. I'm not counting on those two pounds staying gone, but it's better than ballooning up.
• Walked and met my step goal (13,500) every day last week. 
• Did my super-light weight/arm/upper body exercise 4 of 3 days. 
• Continued eating reasonably well. I'm not going to win any awards for healthy eating, but I'm managing to stay on a fairly even keel, not bouncing maniacally between all-kale-all-the-time and ice-cream-sundae-for-breakfast. 
  Saturday was just a granola bar for breakfast; a big salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds and pecans for an early lunch; take-out from the local Ethiopian restaurant for dinner (which was super fun to figure out how to log in my Fitbit app); then a couple of cookies for a snack.
  Yesterday was applesauce and two granola bars for breakfast; a bowl of Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn for a snack; another salad with toasted almonds and sunflower seeds for lunch; more kettle corn in the afternoon; then a baked potato, corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar for dinner. (I roasted a couple of heads of garlic and spread that on the potato and corn instead of margarine.)

 

I've been using two cans of beans as "weights" when doing the walk-with-weights videos. I'd like to move up to something heavier, but everywhere I've looked is sold out of hand weights and small dumbells of every kind. My current plan is to tape two cans together to use in each hand, but I need to figure out how to add some kind of handle or grip, because my fingers are not going to be able to reliably hold onto anything that size.

I'm looking forward to receiving my Nordic walking poles, which are due to arrive Thursday.

Shockingly, my husband also sort of indicated yesterday that he might be willing to try renting a couple of bicycles and hitting a trail at some point. The idea would be to go a few times and see if we actually think it's something we would do regularly before potentially investing in purchasing bikes. I would love to find something that would get him out of the house (and away from his recliner) and a little more active. He used to be able to run circles around me, and these days he more often can't keep up. 

Otherwise, it'll be more or the same this week: Walking about 3 miles each morning, another short walk or exercise video at lunch or when I need a break from work, a walk in the evening to top off my step count for the day. Some kind of arm/upper body-specific exercise at least three days. Stick to making reasonably healthy food choices, logging what I eat and staying within my maintenance calorie range. Weigh every day but consider only Sunday as the "official" weight of the week. Continue looking for opportunities to add more interesting, varied or intense physical activities where I can.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Jenny in Florida

[KathyBC]

6 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

 

I've been using two cans of beans as "weights" when doing the walk-with-weights videos. I'd like to move up to something heavier, but everywhere I've looked is sold out of hand weights and small dumbells of every kind. My current plan is to tape two cans together to use in each hand, but I need to figure out how to add some kind of handle or grip, because my fingers are not going to be able to reliably hold onto anything that size.

Some styles of water bottles or milk jugs filled with sand would be easier to grip.

[wintermom]

Ds 14 and I are going to do a self-devised "Summer Physical Training" program. Today we started with 'morning mat work' of stretches, push-ups, core and balance work, then went on a bike ride to our local park that has a big toboggan hill and did a couple hill climbs on bikes. He loved the challenge and I loved the company. I came up with this scheme to balance his summer academic work that he was complaining about. He is going to do some light academics in July while his brother is taking an on-line summer course. Might as well keep them both in misery for company. 😅

[Ali in OR]

Got my front porch cleaned yesterday, so now it's an extra useable space which I plan to take better advantage of. It's not a nice deep southern porch, but most houses in our early 21st century neighborhood have these, and I've seen my neighbors out more since this all began. As the days get hotter, this will be a nice afternoon spot as it faces east, but the street-side ash tree is keeping the sunlight pretty dappled at the moment. Cleaning the porch lead to trimming dead branches off the trees to improve the view, so I never did make it out to clean the back patio yesterday. I'll try to get to that today.

Happy Monday! Mondays are great for a fresh start. So I dabbled in getting back to food mindfulness and food tracking last week and am ready to go full at it this week. I'm starting today like a Saturday with my mocha out here on the porch and then waiting to eat my oatmeal until I feel hungry (the mocha's caffeine, milk, and sugar is enough to rev me up for awhile). I started my day with my Beginner's Bodyweight Circuit and I did the full amount of jumping jacks and lunges this time, so I expect my legs to be sore later today and tomorrow. So my only modification at this point is doing girl push-ups (on knees) instead of full push-ups, and I don't have a goal to change that. Then I started Adriene's Foundations of Yoga series which are short videos each on one position. I did the first two and I won't get the Sanskrit names right, so they were The Pose of Ease, and something like Fixed Angle Body Pose (butterfly stretch to us beginners). And it's finally really summer here--no rain and nice days in the 80's this week, so I hope to get wheelchair kid out for a walk later.

[KathyBC]

25 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

 

@Jenny in Florida Hope you find some hand weights, have you tried your local running store ? Mine occasionally has them and they have curbside pickup. 

 

I got mine a few years ago at a consignment sports store. Not sure how restrictions vary from place to place, and assuming if store are sold out, consignment stores likely are too?

[Soror]

14 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

@soror Glad you had a good father's day with DH. Hope he is feeling better.

@wintermom Thanks for the information. Glad that you and DS are having a summer physical training program. 

@Jenny in Florida Hope you find some hand weights, have you tried your local running store ? Mine occasionally has them and they have curbside pickup. 

@Laura Corin Glad that your persuaded DH to take a closer look at his health. 

@Ali in OR Your front porch looks like a cozy space to sit. Ours has become socialization central as we sit more often in the front porch than at the back because it lets us meet neighbors, wave out, talk with social distancing. We also drop off food on the front porch often for each other. Hope you have porch adventures and opportunities for socialization. 

Swam yesterday. We had a nice and quiet family day on Father's day. It rained so it was cooler. DH feels so much better. Worked out on the elliptical today, so much better than making a plan and body weight exercises. I am rather terrible at that and it gives me anxiety with injury fear. Just climbed on the elliptical today, turned on some music and finished the workout. 

Have a great week ladies !

I'm glad the elliptical is working out for you, there is no perfect exercise, just works for you.

@Ali in OR Love the porch! Great job getting a good start at the week.

@Jenny in Florida thanks for checking in, wonderful job being consistent and a 2 lb loss.

__________________________

I felt really good yesterday. I did my strength work, 15 min Barre, 20 min bike ride (up a smaller hill so challenging but didn't feel I would die!), and a short walk.

Today's plan- yoga and core- walk or bike ride this afternoon. I realized yesterday my tires are a bit low, I'm an idiot, that makes the riding so much harder too. I figured out I can fit my bike in the van if I fold the back seats down, so I don't have to put on the big onerous bike rack.

breakfast: 2 pumpkin superhero muffins; spinach smoothie (unsweet almond milk, spinach, banana, ground flax, cocoa), blueberries (2 grains; 1 berry; 1 nut; 2 greens; 1 fruit; 1 flax)

snack: 2 fruit

lunch: masoor dal w/ brown rice (2 beans; 1 grain; 1 other vegetable; herbs and spices)

snack: kale chips and roasted chickpeas (cruciferous veg; 1 bean; herbs and spices)

dinner: leftover pesto cod and salad (3 other vegetables; herbs and spices)

[wintermom]

@soror I've made that same mistake with my bike regarding low air in the tires and needing lubrication. It's amazing how a well tuned bike requires less effort! 😉  My bike fits in my van, too. I love bringing it to new places to ride, though I haven't done that this spring yet. Hope you enjoy exploring some exciting bike trails!

@Dreamergal  That's great your dh is feeling better. Glad you're enjoying the elliptical. They are nice and gentle on the joints. I like how they incorporate both lower and upper body movement. Should be a nice supplement to your swimming.

@Ali in OR  Your porch looks really sweet! Enjoy rocking on the beautiful chairs. 

@Jenny in Florida  Hope you and your dh enjoy biking together. I've heard several friends say that finding the right bike for them makes the activity really enjoyable. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ds and I have completed our morning mat exercises, and we'll go for a bike ride to the river after lunch. I must remember to fill up my tires! 

[Matryoshka]

Enjoying all the bike stories - Dh and I have been thinking of breaking out the bikes, but it went from cold to hot here, with not much of any in between (typical for here, unfortunately).  Maybe on a weekend evening - it's cooling down enough in the evening that I've been able to take out the Nordic poles - I got the new tips, and took them for their maiden voyage yesterday.  They slipped a bit at first, but after a bit I think a little wear made them grippier.  Here's hoping that since they already have the right angle, they'll wear evenly...

Then when I got back I did an OT workout, and then rowed about 1000m to finish off.  I hadn't exercised in a couple of days and felt the need to make it up!

[Ali in OR]

I ended up finally getting a walk in yesterday with my wheelchair kid. And it was hot! Today is supposed to get to 90°, so if we go out I'll have to time it carefully. I'm planning to take her out early tomorrow--it will be grocery day, and I like to get there early, so I'll do dd's care first thing and then hopefully walk. I could hear her awake at 6:00am today, so should be no problem.

Today was barefoot cardio day. I'm just doing different youtube videos by Jessica Smith. I think today's was called 30-min fusion walk or something like that. This one was easier than the others I've tried--no plies/squats. I do like that she has a whole series of good workouts designed to be done barefoot. After that I also did the next Foundations of Yoga video, this one on cat-cow. And I had a good eating day yesterday--trying for two in a row!

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

@wintermom  Bike ride sounds nice. You are right about the elliptical I am brainstorming ways to safely let DS play tennis/badminton/volleyball with our neighbor. So far basketball is working out as they do not share a ball, but in these games they must. Then I remembered you play tennis. Do you wear gloves ? what kind of precautions do you take ? Am I overthinking this ?

My workout is going to get boring. Elliptical and swimming. But I will settle for that. I would love to swim 6 days a week like before if I can. Finding something and getting into the grove and something safe is worth it I think. 

I am also bitten by the biking bug, though we have bikes I think a stationary bike is in our future with the heat.

 

For tennis and badminton, you have your own racquet, and for extra precaution you could write on the balls/birdies so that you only handle your own. Your ds could play the game HORSE with his buddies, where everyone has their own basketball. It's a shooting game from different positions from the net. My ds's and dh love it. They come up with all kinds of crazy shots on the net. For volleyball, we just played among family and all handled the same ball. 

I've known cycling enthusiasts to use ice packs to bike in hot weather. Not something I've had to do myself, but I might if there was a trail I really wanted to bike. 😉

[wintermom]

49 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

We figured out the basketball, something similar to what you suggested. We live across the street from each other, so they have their own hoops and baskets, count baskets sunk. But tennis/badminton/volleyball will be in one of our backyards. So that is where the equipment sharing comes in the form of balls and shuttle, they have their own racquet. I was thinking if they wear gloves, it must be protection. DS wants to play, DH is out of commission and I am not really willing to play on a regular basis. His friend is available and it is outside so two bored boys, friend who hung out with each other, willing and wanting to play together. I want to find a way to do it safely, so I thought gloves. Do you think that is feasible ? 

I would clean the racquet handle rather than wear gloves. Gloves make the grip harder to hold or slip around, and hands gets too hot with gloves.

[lmrich]

Got in an early am run and then did two strength training workouts. So happy to run outside before it was too hot! Love my treadmill, but a free run feels so good. AND the county has made great progress on connecting the trail next to my neighborhood to the two major trails that go for 100's of mile. So excited!! 

Need to figure out my diet .. might have a new allergy to eggs. Geez, I really don't want to go to the doctor for that; I think I will just experiment at home. 

[Soror]

4 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

@wintermom  Bike ride sounds nice. You are right about the elliptical I am brainstorming ways to safely let DS play tennis/badminton/volleyball with our neighbor. So far basketball is working out as they do not share a ball, but in these games they must. Then I remembered you play tennis. Do you wear gloves ? what kind of precautions do you take ? Am I overthinking this ?

@soror Your meals sound lovely and balanced. Have fun with biking.

@Ali in OR Nice you got a walk in with DD. Interesting about barefoot cardio, must look that up. I like to walk barefoot on different surfaces, concrete, wood, bare earth, sandpit and grass though our grass is of the prickly variety. 

@Matryoshka Get the guilt about skipping working out. Glad you are rowing. Have fun with bikes. They say this summer will be the hottest on record, so how is it in your place ? Is it hotter than usual ? 

My workout is going to get boring. Elliptical and swimming. But I will settle for that. I would love to swim 6 days a week like before if I can. Finding something and getting into the grove and something safe is worth it I think. 

I am also bitten by the biking bug, though we have bikes I think a stationary bike is in our future with the heat.

 

 

Boring works, boring gets it done.

50 minutes ago, lmrich said:

Got in an early am run and then did two strength training workouts. So happy to run outside before it was too hot! Love my treadmill, but a free run feels so good. AND the county has made great progress on connecting the trail next to my neighborhood to the two major trails that go for 100's of mile. So excited!! 

Need to figure out my diet .. might have a new allergy to eggs. Geez, I really don't want to go to the doctor for that; I think I will just experiment at home. 

I'm so sorry about the eggs 😞 You need new breakfast ideas? What can you eat?

______________________________

@wintermom I should have realized my tires were low the other day with the way it rode but I was working so hard just making it up the hill. It is so nice you can ride with your son. 

We've been lucky as our temps have lowered here, mid 80s. 

I did 25 min of yoga in the am and 10 min of core in the am; 45 min of walking in the afternoon. I played around on the monkey bars at the playground, I can tell I haven't done enough hanging work lately as my hands felt it but I swung like a monkey.

I decided to make a chickpea "chicken" salad for dinner instead- I added a bit of mayo, chopped walnuts, red grapes, red onion, and celery and had some with my homemade whole grain bread and a big bowl of cucumber and tomatoes.

Tomorrow I'm doing strength work, we'll see what else I feel like. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by soror

[Jenny in Florida]

Had one of those days when I was both hungry and tired all day. I've been trying to limit caffeine after a few days when I felt unpleasantly jumpy and shaky to the point at which I had trouble controlling my computer mouse. So it was a bit of a struggle to stay awake and accomplish any work while being careful about snacks and not guzzling coffee and/or Coke Zero. I made it through the day, though, with only one cup of coffee I gave in and drank mid-morning.

Started with my usual 3-mile walk. The weather cooperated enough to allow me to get out out for another mile at lunch and then finish off my step count for the day with another exciting walk around the neighborhood before dinner. (Yesterday, by contrast, it poured on and off all evening, so I met my step/exercise goal for the day mostly with videos.)

Assuming I don't lose my mind in the next hour or two, I should still end the day within my calorie range, despite the extra snacking. 

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with strawberries, followed by a banana.
• Snack: Kettle corn.
• Lunch: Big salad with nuts.
• More snacks at various points during the afternoon: More kettle corn, a couple of these cookies and three lolly pops. 
• Dinner: Cup of soup.

Hoping tomorrow might be just a little easier.

 

[wintermom]

I just watched this quick video that was pretty inspiring. I love the simple message that exercise doesn't have to be fancy in order to get all the wonderful health benefits.

 

[Soror]

9 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Had one of those days when I was both hungry and tired all day. I've been trying to limit caffeine after a few days when I felt unpleasantly jumpy and shaky to the point at which I had trouble controlling my computer mouse. So it was a bit of a struggle to stay awake and accomplish any work while being careful about snacks and not guzzling coffee and/or Coke Zero. I made it through the day, though, with only one cup of coffee I gave in and drank mid-morning.

Started with my usual 3-mile walk. The weather cooperated enough to allow me to get out out for another mile at lunch and then finish off my step count for the day with another exciting walk around the neighborhood before dinner. (Yesterday, by contrast, it poured on and off all evening, so I met my step/exercise goal for the day mostly with videos.)

Assuming I don't lose my mind in the next hour or two, I should still end the day within my calorie range, despite the extra snacking. 

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with strawberries, followed by a banana.
• Snack: Kettle corn.
• Lunch: Big salad with nuts.
• More snacks at various points during the afternoon: More kettle corn, a couple of these cookies and three lolly pops. 
• Dinner: Cup of soup.

Hoping tomorrow might be just a little easier.

 

UGH, have had those before too, hope today is better.

___________

great video wintermom! Little things do add up.

__________________

I ate some gf choc cake yesterday, no frosting, but still of course sugar which I've been avoiding. I've not been hungry really but it  sounded good. I find I want some kind of treat and dd2 made some cake and warm choc cake is so yummy. I need to make something today.

facing facts- weight was trending down and steady at 124, popped up to 126, I thought was a fluke due to salty dinner and muscle soreness but it has stayed in the 125-126 range. I'm trying to shave calories here and there very slightly b/c I don't want to lose energy or whack outt sleep.

breakfast: 2 pumpkin superhero muffins; spinach smoothie (unsweet milk, 2 cups spinach, 1 frozen banana, 2 T cocoa, 1 Tflax); 1 cup blueberries

snack: apple; kale chips

lunch: masoor dal(red lentils, sweet potato, tomatoes, onions) w/ brown rice

mini meal: chickpea salad (chickpea, red onion, mayo, celery, grape, relish), small piecehomemade whole grain gf bread

dinner: cannelini salad w/ herbs and veggies (TBD)

Edited June 24, 2020 by soror

[wintermom]

3 hours ago, soror said:

great video wintermom! Little things do add up.

__________________

I ate some gf choc cake yesterday, no frosting, but still of course sugar which I've been avoiding. I've not been hungry really but it  sounded good. I find I want some kind of treat and dd2 made some cake and warm choc cake is so yummy. I need to make something today.

facing facts- weight was trending down and steady at 124, popped up to 126, I thought was a fluke due to salty dinner and muscle soreness but it has stayed in the 125-126 range. I'm trying to shave calories here and there very slightly b/c I don't want to lose energy or whack outt sleep.

breakfast: 2 pumpkin superhero muffins; spinach smoothie (unsweet milk, 2 cups spinach, 1 frozen banana, 2 T cocoa, 1 Tflax); 1 cup blueberries

snack: apple; kale chips

lunch: masoor dal(red lentils, sweet potato, tomatoes, onions) w/ brown rice

mini meal: chickpea salad (chickpea, red onion, mayo, celery, grape, relish), small piecehomemade whole grain gf bread

dinner: cannelini salad w/ herbs and veggies (TBD)

Sorry your weight is bobbing around and causing you stress. Sounds like the right approach with not altering food too much. Sleep and energy are important!  I'm having similar trouble figuring out my eating as well. I've stabilized weight at about 132, but I'm often waking up at night needing food. Last night a banana hit the spot and I slept fine afterwards. 

You've inspired me to try making masoor dal! I've never tasted it, but it sounds delicious. I just need tomatoes. Do you cook your lentils separately before added them to the other ingredients?

[wintermom]

The hot, humid weather broke and it's cooler today. This will make exercising a lot less sweaty. I'm hiking with a friend this afternoon, and playing mixed doubles tennis with dh and friends after dinner. Ds and I will also do some 'mat madness' and something fun.

[EmilyGF]

I exercised this morning outside (30 min barre) on the porch and confirmed with DH that I don't need to be available before 7 am. Yesterday, dd4 came to get me "urgently" at 6:15 so I skipped exercising. When ds8 asked for help at 6:30 today, I told him I was unavailable until 7.

I'm beginning to work through the Beck Diet Solution workbook, focusing on building good habits. I think I built up most of the skills 2.5 years ago when I did WW, but I've let them lapse. I'm hoping that doing the first month of work on mindful eating, positive self-talk, and accountability will be enough and that I won't need to fully go back on a diet in order to reestablish the healthy eating habits I learned then. I weighed in this morning at 158.1 wearing my exercise clothes. My goal is about 150 +/- 2 lbs, so I don't have much to lose.

Emily

[barnwife]

Yesterday I did a mix of strength and cardio work. Today I did a tabata cardio workout. While exercise isn't my favorite thing in the world, tabata workouts always seem to go quickly. Also, I did almost 5 rounds of tabatas (1 round is 8 exercises for 20 sec. each, with 10 sec. rest in between each). When I first started exercising, that would have done me in. Today, at almost 28 weeks, I felt like I could have kept going. But the kids were getting up and we have a pretty busy day today. I figured I didn't want to overdo it.

The kids and I also just finished a quick walk. It was early enough that it wasn't super hot. There's a decent chance of rain later, so it was good to get out before that too.

I have no idea what's on the menu today. I want a salad for lunch, but baby has decided s/he doesn't like leafy greens. Dinner will probably be pasta (at kids request). It's easy and the kids like it, so that fits the bill these days.

Hope everyone has a good day!

[Ali in OR]

4 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

I exercised this morning outside (30 min barre) on the porch and confirmed with DH that I don't need to be available before 7 am.

Yes! Absolutely. Hang on to that little bit of time for you.

I'm already tired today and ready for a nap. And it's not like I did that much, but I usually don't sleep enough at night and need a nap sometime during the day. I got disabled dd up and ready and we did our bigger loop around the neighborhood which took about 22 minutes. Warm up with a gentle incline, then turn right and do a steep incline, panting and working the glutes to get the wheelchair up half a block, then left turn and recover over flat terrain for a half block, turn right for another steep incline, panting, stopping once to rest and pant, then up to the top of the hill. The rest of the walk is mostly a gentle meander (one more little hill), and then mostly gentle downhill home. Dd loves getting out--very happy and hummy the whole way, but I'm working pretty hard. We saw a lot of people out today. I think I'm up a little later since school is out--either that or yesterday's 90° weather scared everyone into walking early today. Then I did our weekly grocery run and put all the food away. I've been easing into healthier eating and made lots of good choices at the store today--no junk. Clarifying that I don't think of Outshine popsicles as junk--those landed in the cart. But no ice cream.

[barnwife]

Well, my midwife texted me to remind me I had an appt. today. Which thrilled my kids because it means no more schoolwork today. The good news: baby and I are doing great. The meh news: I am heavier at this point than I have ever been in pregnancy. That was hard to hear. But I know I am actually in better shape at this point than I've ever been in, so I am trying to not dwell on that number.

I am trying to take it as a reminder to focus on food, as I have been letting that slack some. 

Also, I am grateful for technology that kept the current 4 kids happy during my appt. Furthermore, though the forecast says rain, it's currently partly sunny and beautiful here.

 

[Matryoshka]

54 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

Yes! Absolutely. Hang on to that little bit of time for you.

I'm already tired today and ready for a nap. And it's not like I did that much, but I usually don't sleep enough at night and need a nap sometime during the day. I got disabled dd up and ready and we did our bigger loop around the neighborhood which took about 22 minutes. Warm up with a gentle incline, then turn right and do a steep incline, panting and working the glutes to get the wheelchair up half a block, then left turn and recover over flat terrain for a half block, turn right for another steep incline, panting, stopping once to rest and pant, then up to the top of the hill. The rest of the walk is mostly a gentle meander (one more little hill), and then mostly gentle downhill home. Dd loves getting out--very happy and hummy the whole way, but I'm working pretty hard. We saw a lot of people out today. I think I'm up a little later since school is out--either that or yesterday's 90° weather scared everyone into walking early today. Then I did our weekly grocery run and put all the food away. I've been easing into healthier eating and made lots of good choices at the store today--no junk. Clarifying that I don't think of Outshine popsicles as junk--those landed in the cart. But no ice cream.

Pushing someone in a chair is a definite workout!  When my kids were little, my primary method of exercise was rollerblading behind them in a triple jogging stroller.  3 kids in 2.5 years didn't leave me a lot of options for doing anything at home...   You've heard of the guy that pushed his adult son the whole 26 miles of the Boston Marathon for... decades?  #goals?? 😂 

OMG, I just looked it up - he ran the whole thing till he was 74yo.  But then he also did triathalons with his son - pulling him in a boat for the swimming portion.  Where's the fainting emoji?  Still suitably impressed with the loop around your neighborhood! 

ETA: Meanwhile, I need to do something myself.  It continues to be hot and humid and I took yesterday off and need to do something today in spite of stickiness...

Edited June 24, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Jenny in Florida]

Better day today in terms of eating and energy, although kind of a crummy day emotionally. 

• Walked not quite 3 miles this morning, but close. 
• Did a "1 mile upper body circuit" video on my lunch break.
• Did an "arms and abs circuit walk" video and another 1-mile indoor walking video after I finished work for the day. All told, that gets me close to my step goal for the day. It's still too hot to do any meaningful walking outside, but I hope to venture out for another short walk once the sun goes down.

Food:

• Oatmeal with some pecans plus applesauce for breakfast.
• Hummus with carrots and crackers for lunch.
• Kettle corn for an afternoon snack.
• At the moment, I am uninterested in dinner. My husband had a long and tiring day and didn't care about dinner, either. I may grab a snack of some kind later, but it won't be anything fancy.

Hadrian's Wall Virtual Walk Update:

The default timeframe to complete the 90-mile walk is 12 weeks. I started 10 days ago and am about halfway done. (I log only "intentional" walking, meaning outside, on purpose and only if I walk at least a mile. Incidental walking about the house and steps logged with videos don't count -- my own rules.) I got tired of seeing my pace marker on the online map be so ridiculously far behind me, so I reset the timeframe to four weeks. That puts me still somewhat ahead of pace, but not absurdly so, and gives me a little wiggle room in case I need to back off for some reason.

 

[Soror]

quick check in as I'm tight on time.

I ended up in the car 7 hrs yesterday, not planned but ds got his Eagle paperwork finished and it is now turned into district.

Thankfully I got my strength workout done before I left in the morning.

Today I have an appt in the city, so I got another full day of driving, I have to leave ASAP as I can after finish teaching.

Breakfast w/ be muffins and green smoothie (great for the road!)

lunch: dh is taking me out for my bday (certainly take out) but something different will still be nice

dinner: frozen cauliflower crust pizza (in my freezer b/c I'm sure I won't feel like cooking!!!)

No exercise today unless I manage to have a bit of energy left for some walking when I get home, not banking on it, but maybe.

[EmilyGF]

1 hour ago, soror said:

quick check in as I'm tight on time.

I ended up in the car 7 hrs yesterday, not planned but ds got his Eagle paperwork finished and it is now turned into district.

Thankfully I got my strength workout done before I left in the morning.

Today I have an appt in the city, so I got another full day of driving, I have to leave ASAP as I can after finish teaching.

Breakfast w/ be muffins and green smoothie (great for the road!)

lunch: dh is taking me out for my bday (certainly take out) but something different will still be nice

dinner: frozen cauliflower crust pizza (in my freezer b/c I'm sure I won't feel like cooking!!!)

No exercise today unless I manage to have a bit of energy left for some walking when I get home, not banking on it, but maybe.

That's great!

----------

Finished a 22 minute workout outside right now. I got in two walks yesterday because it turned out our library changed its hours.

I've been walking in the afternoons with one or two kids each afternoon. Now that people are no longer walking all the time, it is quite pleasant. People are mostly masked and the weather has been nice. I love the time I get spend with kids while walking. ds8 asked me to "tell a story about when I was a kid" so I told him about creekwalking on Super Bowl Sunday at the age of 13 and getting a cut that required an ER visit. 🙂

[wintermom]

4 hours ago, soror said:

quick check in as I'm tight on time.

I ended up in the car 7 hrs yesterday, not planned but ds got his Eagle paperwork finished and it is now turned into district.

Thankfully I got my strength workout done before I left in the morning.

Today I have an appt in the city, so I got another full day of driving, I have to leave ASAP as I can after finish teaching.

Breakfast w/ be muffins and green smoothie (great for the road!)

lunch: dh is taking me out for my bday (certainly take out) but something different will still be nice

dinner: frozen cauliflower crust pizza (in my freezer b/c I'm sure I won't feel like cooking!!!)

No exercise today unless I manage to have a bit of energy left for some walking when I get home, not banking on it, but maybe.

Happy Birthday, soror!!!!  Hope you have a great lunch 'out' and the driving is smooth. 

ETA: I forgot to mention that I did make masoor dal and it was delicious! The left-overs today seem even more tasty. 😉

Edited June 25, 2020 by wintermom

[wintermom]

I'm heading out for a bike ride with a friend early this morning. I have to have breakfast for biking, so I was up at 7:30 - that's pretty early for me. 😉  I'm also playing ladies doubles tennis later this afternoon. Ds and I will have to do our physical work-outs as well. 

We have new visitors in our backyard. I've seen at least one small groundhog coming under the fence a few times. He's so cute. I'll try to get a photo. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Hi everyone!  I've been keeping up with reading, but not posting, on the thread!   

For my own progress:

- For two weeks now, I've been consistently seeing 58.Xkg instead of 59.X on the scale, so slow downward progress continues.  My main strategy is mostly skipping dinner (aka fasting from 1pm-7am), which I do 4-5x a week.

- I ran a sub 9 minute mile as part of a 5k run.  Not a lot sub 9, but 8:55 still counts!  I run a fast 5k about once every week or two to see if I'm making any speed progression.  I'd been stuck at a 9:15 for a couple months, mainly due to not having a legit training plan.  Still don't, but lots of long, easy miles are making it psychologically easier to push for a fast 5k through the whole distance.    

[Jenny in Florida]

7 hours ago, soror said:

 

lunch: dh is taking me out for my bday (certainly take out) but something different will still be nice

 

 

Happy birthday!

[wintermom]

6 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Hi everyone!  I've been keeping up with reading, but not posting, on the thread!   

For my own progress:

- For two weeks now, I've been consistently seeing 58.Xkg instead of 59.X on the scale, so slow downward progress continues.  My main strategy is mostly skipping dinner (aka fasting from 1pm-7am), which I do 4-5x a week.

- I ran a sub 9 minute mile as part of a 5k run.  Not a lot sub 9, but 8:55 still counts!  I run a fast 5k about once every week or two to see if I'm making any speed progression.  I'd been stuck at a 9:15 for a couple months, mainly due to not having a legit training plan.  Still don't, but lots of long, easy miles are making it psychologically easier to push for a fast 5k through the whole distance.    

Congratulations!!!  That's wonderful you are seeing improvements in both your weight and running times.

 

[Ali in OR]

Happy Birthday Soror!

This morning I did my bodyweight circuit then the Foundations of Yoga on Tadasana (I feel like there's an "h" in there somewhere), the mountain pose. And I had another morning of errands planned, so I stopped after 1 yoga video. I got dd's textbooks returned to the school, hit Target for the first time since March and then Costco, then picked up a prescription for oldest. I normally do Costco every 4-6 weeks which works out to going almost every month, but I usually get to skip maybe 3 months of the year. I skipped May--went the Monday after Easter and planned to wait 6 weeks until June--was really trying to limit trips out at that point. Then I went on Monday June 8th in late afternoon. Hadn't been in 8 weeks, and I almost cried when they were out of about half of my list--our usual stuff. No beef of any kind other than hamburger, no chicken breasts, no flautas or taquitos which are usual lunch foods around here, no frozen berries. I knew it had been really busy over Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of the month, so I decided to try again at the end of the month before a weekend and before paydays. Hence, today's trip, twice in one month. But they had all of the stuff they didn't have at the beginning of the month, so I'm happy. And I will keep scheduling my Costco runs for the end of the month before a weekend, at least through the summer when I have that flexibility. And now I think I get to stay home for many days.

[Laura Corin]

Happy birthday, @soror

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Happy birthday, @soror

How is the decluttering and packing going? 

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, wintermom said:

How is the decluttering and packing going? 

It's going okay, thanks. Eldest, who has left home, has been viewing photos of children's books and deciding which are precious. When the children were small and we lived in China without access to a library, we bought at least a hundred books a year for them in addition to home education books. Most are now going to a better home.

[Soror]

6 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

It's going okay, thanks. Eldest, who has left home, has been viewing photos of children's books and deciding which are precious. When the children were small and we lived in China without access to a library, we bought at least a hundred books a year for them in addition to home education books. Most are now going to a better home.

How precious. I've been thinning down books too, it is a hard task at times. I thinned down our picture books a few years ago and gave some away that I regret. 

15 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Happy Birthday Soror!

This morning I did my bodyweight circuit then the Foundations of Yoga on Tadasana (I feel like there's an "h" in there somewhere), the mountain pose. And I had another morning of errands planned, so I stopped after 1 yoga video. I got dd's textbooks returned to the school, hit Target for the first time since March and then Costco, then picked up a prescription for oldest. I normally do Costco every 4-6 weeks which works out to going almost every month, but I usually get to skip maybe 3 months of the year. I skipped May--went the Monday after Easter and planned to wait 6 weeks until June--was really trying to limit trips out at that point. Then I went on Monday June 8th in late afternoon. Hadn't been in 8 weeks, and I almost cried when they were out of about half of my list--our usual stuff. No beef of any kind other than hamburger, no chicken breasts, no flautas or taquitos which are usual lunch foods around here, no frozen berries. I knew it had been really busy over Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of the month, so I decided to try again at the end of the month before a weekend and before paydays. Hence, today's trip, twice in one month. But they had all of the stuff they didn't have at the beginning of the month, so I'm happy. And I will keep scheduling my Costco runs for the end of the month before a weekend, at least through the summer when I have that flexibility. And now I think I get to stay home for many days.

Awesome job getting in the bodyweight circuit and yoga. So glad you found what you needed at the store, that is a huge stress.

22 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Hi everyone!  I've been keeping up with reading, but not posting, on the thread!   

For my own progress:

- For two weeks now, I've been consistently seeing 58.Xkg instead of 59.X on the scale, so slow downward progress continues.  My main strategy is mostly skipping dinner (aka fasting from 1pm-7am), which I do 4-5x a week.

- I ran a sub 9 minute mile as part of a 5k run.  Not a lot sub 9, but 8:55 still counts!  I run a fast 5k about once every week or two to see if I'm making any speed progression.  I'd been stuck at a 9:15 for a couple months, mainly due to not having a legit training plan.  Still don't, but lots of long, easy miles are making it psychologically easier to push for a fast 5k through the whole distance.    

Great job on improving your 5k time and the slow and steady weight loss.

23 hours ago, wintermom said:

I'm heading out for a bike ride with a friend early this morning. I have to have breakfast for biking, so I was up at 7:30 - that's pretty early for me. 😉  I'm also playing ladies doubles tennis later this afternoon. Ds and I will have to do our physical work-outs as well. 

We have new visitors in our backyard. I've seen at least one small groundhog coming under the fence a few times. He's so cute. I'll try to get a photo. 

Groundhogs are cut but not great for the yard! Hope you enjoyed your ride and tennis.

23 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

That's great!

----------

Finished a 22 minute workout outside right now. I got in two walks yesterday because it turned out our library changed its hours.

I've been walking in the afternoons with one or two kids each afternoon. Now that people are no longer walking all the time, it is quite pleasant. People are mostly masked and the weather has been nice. I love the time I get spend with kids while walking. ds8 asked me to "tell a story about when I was a kid" so I told him about creekwalking on Super Bowl Sunday at the age of 13 and getting a cut that required an ER visit. 🙂

Walking with the kids is a great time to talk, works better than sitting face to face.