Fitness Fellowship 2023: Week 26 Check-in

[sylvanwitch]

Hi, friends: How's it going in your world these days, microcosmically, macrocosmically, both?

As always, this is the safe and supportive spot to drop your progress or lack thereof in the comments, if you're so inclined. Please do share how you've done on your fitness goals lately.



I have some progress to report. Since I began intermittent fasting (IF) on 6/15, I've lost 3.2 pounds, which is steady, appreciable progress, I think. I have had some difficulty with intestinal issues (gas and bloating, mostly, sorry for the TMI), which I've discovered are very common for people in my age group when they begin IF. I've taken steps to make it better, and those steps seem to be helping. I'm hopeful that my body will get over its crankiness soon because I'd prefer not to be experiencing these symptoms while on a 1300-mile road trip.

Exercise-wise, I've been hobbled by heel pain (right foot) and ankle pain (the chronic left ankle), so I haven't been getting 10K steps a day, which is my usual goal, but I have been exercising daily, including vigorous housecleaning chores and using the NordicTrack bike.

I've been purposefully paying more attention to my hydration for reasons mentioned in that first paragraph, re: intestinal issues. I'm better hydrated than ever, I think! Lol!

Sleep has been pretty good since the town work crew finished the (surprise!) drainage project and stopped parking their trucks in my driveway at 8:30 every morning. (If there is a sound that pierces my calm more than the back-up warning beep of a piece of heavy equipment, I have not yet heard it.) I'm back to my night owl sleep habits, and I think that helps too. (Honestly, I'm not physically cut out for working a job that requires me to get up at 6:00am. What was I thinking when I went into teaching? LoL!)

I have done some deep breathing techniques a few times this week, which I am counting for my spiritual/meditation/breathing goal.

I also tried some stretches today to work out the iliopsoas muscle group (the proper name of which I only just learned this morning), and I'm pleased to say they worked. I'd strained my very lower back cleaning the inside of the oven on Thursday, and I was still feeling the effects today, hence the exercises.

My plans for the week ahead include so much cleaning (SO MUCH), eating healthily and within my IF eating window, hydrating like woah, sleeping, and breathing/meditating/etc.


May the week ahead bring you the energy you need for whatever challenges it holds.

Comments

[oschun]

Congratulations on the weight loss! I'm glad the IF is working for you. I almost managed a day last week, skipped breakfast and lunch, but had to have a piece of toast at about 4pm because I was feeling decidedly out of sorts, just listless and grumpy. I think it was partly because of the heat and humidity and also because I hadn't drunk enough water during the day. I only had the one slice of toast though and then my normal evening meal so that's okay. I'd like to keep it going and build in one day of fasting each week where I just have dinner in the evening.

Sorry to hear that you've been in pain. I hope it eases up. It sounds like you're getting a lot of chores done!

I managed to do my Callanetics video this week as well as the Pilates class at the gym. I was pretty proud of myself. I'm so out of the routine of doing any exercise besides walking. Stretching exercises that used to be relatively easy for me are now so much harder. That's my other goal this week: Pilates class tomorrow and then Callanetics later in the week.

[sylvanwitch]

Thank you! And congrats right back at you for the Callanetics and Pilates and for fasting again. I don't blame you for that one piece of toast, hon; I had an evening last week when I had to have a little popcorn because the hunger was giving me a headache. I understand, believe me! And a friend of ours was saying just this morning that he does IF, but he sometimes has difficulty regulating his energy level, and he's a weightlifter and distance runner, so it can be tricky. That made me feel better about my own struggles with it--if Mr. Fitness also has some challenges, I feel like it's okay if I do as well. :-)

I think what matters is the effort and also, not to go all woo-woo, I think the mindfulness of it is very helpful. For example, last night, I sat down to do some late-night reading, and in the past that would've meant a snack (usually popcorn or sunflower seeds). I haven't had much of a craving for that in a bit, but last night I did, and I thought, well, why can't I have something? And then I remembered that I was doing IF, and it became a consideration of breaking my fast--breaking the program, so to speak--or just ignoring the craving--because I wasn't hungry, it was just *habit* rearing its stubborn head.

So, anyway, I hope that the new pattern of exercise (and I SO hear you on the stretching!) and the IF helps you develop that mindfulness in a new way. I think you're also just generally so mindful of what you put into your body, so this will just be adding to that.

Big *hugs* and tons of support for your plans, hon!

[oldtoadwoman]

I've been holding steady all week and then was finally down two pounds this morning. I'm hoping I'll still be down tomorrow and that it wasn't just a blip.

My only exercise currently is walking to the store and back. (I tried walking a bit farther on my day off and my back ached so badly that I only walked a few blocks farther than normal. I'm at that weight where I can feel how heavy I am and it's a burden.) I've been eating more salads and snacking on carrots and other veggies. But my body is still unhappy with the lack of carbs and the cravings got pretty bad today (I resisted so it's still technically a win, but I was still grumpy about it).

[sylvanwitch]

YAY for the two pounds, but an even BIGGER YAY! for holding out against the cravings and not giving in! I SO empathize with that feeling and am impressed by your stick-to-it-ive-ness. I hope as you continue losing weight, your body starts feeling better about movement. (Believe me, I also relate to this. My ankle/foot troubles are related to my weight, and I am so pissed at myself, which is counter-productive, of course. ;-)

Good luck fighting those cravings this week too!

♥

[oldtoadwoman]

It wasn't a blip! My weight stayed down two days in a row so I think it counts as real.

I felt so much better at the weight I was a year ago and I can't believe I backslide so quickly. I've got to find better coping mechanisms for stress and depression.

Re: ♥

[sylvanwitch]

I've got to find better coping mechanisms for stress and depression.

THIS! It's always easier said than done, isn't it? *sighs* I think we can get there, though--or at least somewhere. Someweight? Lol!

Re: ♥

[oldtoadwoman]

Down one more pound!

And I went to the Walgreen's to get more lemonade packets (zero sugar) and did not buy ANY junk food while I was there. (I usually grab chips or candy or something as the "oh, this one little snack won't hurt" cheat.)

I boiled up some beans tonight and will soak them overnight so that I'm ready to make a giant batch of soup tomorrow.

So I have finally broken through the craving wall that is so hard to deal with at the start.

Re: ♥

[sylvanwitch]

That’s outstanding news all the way around, but I am particularly impressed that you avoided temptation at the store because I know that can be a stumbling block for you (me, too). Yay! Go, you!

Re: ♥

[oldtoadwoman]

Yeah, shopping is the hard part because there is so much temptation. And the vegan store down the street where I could safely buy produce without being tempted by junk ... is "closed for remodeling" again. (The last time they did this, they actually did re-open with a new name, but I often take "closed for remodeling" as code for "going out of business".)

Re: ♥

[sylvanwitch]

OH NOES! Well, I hope it's not a euphemism and that the store reopens for you soon!

[oschun]

Congratulations on the weight loss, vegetable eating and walking! Do you think there are good carbs (or better carbs) you could indulge in if the cravings get too bad? Personally, I find cutting carbs out entirely really hard. It makes me super grumpy and I start craving things like cake, which I don't even like very much normally. Spicy bean and brown rice burritos are my favorite thing at the moment. Wholemeal tortilla wraps and brown rice are more healthy carbs and way more filling.

thanks!

[oldtoadwoman]

I'm soaking beans now so that I can make soup tomorrow. And I'm thinking of buying some potatoes because while they are carbs, they aren't processed carbs and I think it's the bread/bagels/pasta/cake/cookies/chips/crackers type of carbs that really get me in trouble. (I'm incapable of eating things like that in reasonable quantities. I start out with "I'm just going to have a few" and the next thing I know, the entire bag/box of cookies/crackers is gone. I can just inhale a loaf of bread without even thinking about it and then still want more. I think one of the unfortunate turning points when I started gaining weight last year was when I learned how to make fried rice. I ate so much white rice.)

[batdina]

I looked up IF, and realised that that's what I do naturally, so long as I don't snack late at night. So there's that.

Mostly what I'm working on right now, aside from exercise, is eliminating sugar of all kinds from my diet. I forget between times how hard that is to do!

Massive congrats on your doing what's working for you. And I hear you about that teaching thing My sleep is still a mess, but it's much less of a mess since I stopped that early morning (5:30 in my case!) bs. How much longer are you planning on continuing to teach?

[sylvanwitch]

I am sending you SO much strength for conquering sugar. I don't eat a lot of added sugar (processed foods, etc.), but I do eat a lot of fruit both fresh and frozen in smoothies, and I know that I probably should cut back, but I am weak. *sighs* I think it's awesome that you're exercising, too, and I hope that continues to be a habit that you enjoy (if "enjoy" is the word for it).

Thank you so much for the congrats. It means a lot to have the support and encouragement to remember when I'm suffering temptation.

As for teaching, I'll tell you, I wish I could retire this year, but alas, I can't afford to retire for probably 15 more years? That said, I'm not sure I'm going to last that long. Education has changed so much in the 28 years I've been a high school teacher. The kids have changed, the expectations of my administration and of society have changed, the job description has changed. I am fighting the good fight, but it is increasingly exhausting. I'm 52, and I cannot imagine being 62 and still in the job, never mind 67, which is when I can claim full Soc. Sec. (assuming it still exists by then).

For now, we need my income (T. can retire in two years, four if he wants full benefits), and I do still find things about the job that are immensely rewarding, but I'll tell you, those moments feel fewer and farther between. The trouble is, I've lived on an academic calendar since I was four and have difficulty conceiving of any other way of life. Still, I do consider it now and again, and I probably have a few more years left in me before I have to concede that it's time to give it up.