Fitness Fellowship 2022: Weeks 20 and 21 Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Once again, life has gotten away from me, but I'm still here and still hosting this little mutual support community.

As always, if you'd like, share how your fitness journey is/has been going for you. Feel free to share anything else, too. :-)



Weight: So high. SO high. I went WAY up, to my highest yet since I began this journey in January 2020. But, today, after a few days of concerted effort, I have come down about a pound and a half, and I think I'm going in the right direction.

Exercise: I haven't re-established an elliptical routine yet, but I have been getting a LOT of walking in at work (taking deliberate cardio-friendly fast walks on free periods) and at home in the evenings. (Today, we're going hiking--yay!) I do plan to get back to regular elliptical workouts, however. I'd imagine being on summer break is going to help with that too.

Eating plan: I was sort of out of control for a while there. I'm an emotional eater, and I've been stressed and depressed and looking to food as reward/comfort to help me get through difficult things. Too, with my mother's situation, I've just got a lot less free time, so that's contributing to a sense that I "deserve" a treat. Looking forward to a food reward is a long-time coping mechanism for me. But, again, I feel like with work easing up, I may have more control and less stress. We'll see.

The week ahead: I have some adulting to do that I'm dreading but only two days at work next week, so that's good. And I am back to making Saturday morning trips to the local farmer's market and preparing lots of fresh veggies and fruits for meals and snacks. Plus, I am just more active--walking, gardening, hiking, etc. I think I'm going to be okay, even with the ongoing stresses of my mother's situation. I have to get used to it, and I can't make comfort eating part of that process, or I'm doomed to balloon up to 230 pounds again (or, worse, my all-time high of 266).

So, concretely: More fresh fruits and veggies, freshly prepped meals, walking, gardening, and hiking, and get back into an elliptical routine (at least three sessions a week).




I hope the week ahead is a good one for you, full of little moments of unutterable joy.

Comments

[qilora]

"but I have been getting a LOT of walking in at work (taking deliberate cardio-friendly fast walks on free periods) and at home in the evenings"

every night i power-walk in the BEDROOM haha ;)
hey, it's the *master* bedroom, so there is enough space... i turn on my laptop, go to the Mrs Brown's Boys show, set my timer to 30 mins, and then play the show while i walk.... it works for me because i am laughing my ass off while i'm walking and don't even realize that time has passed...

"I'm an emotional eater, and I've been stressed and depressed and looking to food as reward/comfort"

every person in my life, whoever i know who is a food-addict and/or emotional-eater ALWAYS has the "dangerous foods" in their house... there is *no* justifiable reason to have the dangerous-foods in your house.. and do not give me the "oh, but my hubby/children deserve to have access to these forbidden-foods", that is bull... i have never heard of someone's childhood suffering (or of a spouse divorcing a wife) because they could not stuff their face and compromise their own health...

you deserve to be healthy, and you need to make sure that the outright dangerous foods are removed from your house....

if part of your emotional-eating consists of perfectly healthy foods, then there are further steps you will take, but this one is a absolutely necessary first-step...

a sudden "treat" should not be a food, i literally CALCULATE my treat-sessions... what i do is that i schedule bits of chocolate and that is my treat for the day... i have a half a Lindt chocolate bar between breakfast and lunch.. and then between lunch and dinner i have 1-2 Lindt truffles (while i study languages: one truffle after Greek and one after German), and then after dinner i have one Lindt truffle as my dessert... so there is a long spread of chocolate every single day, and my BMI is below 25 (in the healthy-zone)... i SWEAR to you that spreading the sweet food in small portions throughout the day WORKS.

i haven't stuffed my face with chocolate in so long i can't remember...

[sylvanwitch]

In inclement weather when I'm not feeling like using the bike or elliptical, I walk in place (rapidly) in front of the TV, and it's definitely a workout, so I appreciate your master bedroom routine!

I appreciate what you say here about having dangerous foods in the house. I'll bear it in mind. In any case, my husband is supportive, so it's not a matter of using him as an excuse, and our cats, while quite importunate about snack-time, do not tempt me with their kibble. ;-)

[qilora]

that kibble can be damn tasty.

[oschun]

Adulting and needy family members are indeed hard. S's brother and his myriad mental health issues have caused us stress lately too - for me, it's mostly just stress-by-proxy. Poor S has to carry most of the burden himself. The brother has now gone into an acute psychiatric care facility for a couple of weeks. There was a whole lot of drama that included the police and resulted in him being almost sectioned, which is something that has happened in the past. He's such a mess. It's so sad.

I've been pretty stressed also because the rash that started on my hands about a month ago started spreading up my arms and appeared along the tops of my feet and the back of my neck. It's calmed down some since I started taking a high dose of antihistamine but still hasn't gone away, even though I'm on four times the normal daily dosage. I'm usually pretty stoical about shit but it's caused me quite a lot of distress because it's so itchy and really visible on my hands, which is seriously not great at work.

I hope the week ahead is a good one for you, full of little moments of unutterable joy.
Yes! I wish that for you too! Things that have filled me with joy of late are the glorious spring weather, my climbing rose in full bloom, drinking cider with friends in pub gardens, and reading Yoko Ogawa. I've also just rewatched Heartstopper and it fills me with joy that a new generation of kids have been given such a genuinely sweet and swooningly romantic portrayal of young love and such an open-minded presentation of being an outsider. So many joyful things!

[sylvanwitch]

I'm so sorry about S's brother; that's just so difficult and, as you say, sad. I hope his brother is able to get some help and that S gets a break, as well, from the stress of caring for his brother.

I am also SO sorry you're still struggling with the rash and that it's worse. Have they any idea what's causing it? What an awful thing, particularly with work; I can imagine exactly how difficult that part of it is for you. I hope the dosage starts to have a salutary effect and that you are rash-free ASAP!

Oh, Yoko Ogawa! I have her collection, Revenge, and it's marvelous and creepy and dark and lovely!

I haven't heard of Heartstopper but will have to look it up. Thanks for the rec! :-)

[delphi]

I'm so sorry it's been a rough time, but I really glad it's feeling like it's inching in the right direction. *hugs*

Despite having had another stressor added since the last time I commented (getting evicted - funnnnnn), I think I'm feeling better than I was two weeks ago. I'm in the not exactly healthy but kind of optimized for diet place of being able to eat again but not being able to stomach sugar or anything too heavy. As a result, I've been eating some good regular healthy meals. I've also had the inclination to move again, so I've been putting some time in on the exercise bike.

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you so much! *HUGS* to you, too. What a ride you've had for the past several months now, and while I'm super glad you've found a silver lining, I do hope things get better for you soon and that the stressors are reduced, if not eliminated. I offer *hugs* and a supportive shoulder if you ever need to lean and a listening ear if you'd like to vent. More *hugs*, my friend.

I'm baaaaaaaaack

[oldtoadwoman]

I've been making excuses and/or totally off the wagon this year, but I vow to get myself together. The family visit is over and that was my biggest excuse/trigger. Literally EVERY major failure I've had with lapsed diets and associated weight gain has been timed around a visit to/from my sister.

I'm up a lot since the start of the year and I'm annoyed with myself just in terms of failed goals, but I can also feel that extra weight that I'm carrying around. My back is aching more, I can't walk as far, et cetera.

But now that the family visit is over, I feel like I've got a clear head again and I know what worked for me before and am optimistic that I can do it again.

Re: I'm baaaaaaaaack

[sylvanwitch]

I am also SO off the wagon, and I've obviously given up posting Fitness Fellowship updates as well. I'm giving myself today b/c we're having s'mores over a back yard campfire tonight when the hubs gets home from work, and then tomorrow, it's back on the whole foods wagon. Seriously, I cannot be trusted around certain foods. *sighs*

Re: I'm baaaaaaaaack

[oldtoadwoman]

Rah rah rah!

Right now I'm just struggling with inertia and the urge to go, "Just one more treat and then I'll be good." But I'm starting this week with a vow to not buy any more food that I shouldn't be eating and there's very little left in the house that can get me into trouble.

Tonight, I resisted the urge to put in a food order when my roommate asked if I wanted to add anything on to her takeout delivery order. It's not much, but it's the first hint of willpower I've exhibited all summer.

Re: I'm baaaaaaaaack

[sylvanwitch]

The journey of a thousand pounds starts with a single denied takeout order! Lol! Or something. ;-) I'm with you! We can do this! We've done it before, and we'll do it again!