MFP Thread 7

[Not2bObvious]

Continued chat for those using MFP as a weight loss tool

loli Yes Ma'am!

jonty glad you're feeling a wee bit better

not well done on the lb!

I finally managed to weigh myself this morning debunged and I'm 9st10. So despite eating over 3000 yesterday, and probably enough to gain 1-2lb a week, I'm still just about in the zone.....

We can do this.....

Well done bath

Thx sesame, & great maintenance.

Well done Sesame
I've ended up tracking my food today because I've taken a slightly different approach food wise and wanted to see how it comes out calories wise. I've added in a lot more fruit and veg and fruit juice (and today also a fish finger sandwich!) and that is coming out at just under 2,000, but I've had quite a bit of bread (and therefore also butter today). So I've planned tomorrow's menu in advance for maximum health points with less bread and that's coming out at about 1600 which is great diet wise but also excellent health-wise. It means giving up my morning coffee to swap it out for juice and water, but if I feel better it's worth it. Tomorrow's menu comes up at around 9-10 portions of fruit and veg plus eggs, cheese, bacon and avocados for protein and fat. Feels pretty good and gives me a poke to just pay that bit more attention to my menus with health first and calories second. I'm wasting a lot of calories at work when I should be drinking water, then I could have a bigger lunch with more veg which would all be better for me. A little time out has given me some time for reflection

Great and wise words Loli. And I love your second post.

Glad you are feeling a touch better Jonty. Give yourself more time than you think you need to recover though if you can.

Well done on the losses Bath and Not.

Enjoy your dog walk Bath, it's freezing and grey here so I haven't enjoyed the 2 I have done today.

Re 'the final push' re weight loss. I'm not sure what to suggest. I'm trying to give a different perspective without sounding like an idiot. And not thinking of the words. I don't eat well to primarily lose weight, although I confess I didn't like being 8st 9lb. I eat well to fuel my training. I know eating good stuff makes me feel better physically. Had a big cookie yesterday, it didn't taste half as good as I thought it would.

I guess I don't feel deprived or obsessed. I'll have a takeout Saturday and I drink wine every night. But the over-riding goal of running as fast as I can, in real measured terms is stronger than all the other temptations or reasons to lose weight, or to eat crap food.

I've not really said anything really that matters much tbh!

I've also done the MFP progress photos. The difference between December and today is amazing, and it's not really the weight loss, which isn't that much for that period really. Could that help anyone, doing that privately?

PT session for me today, loads of abs and arms work. Good session. 2 dog walks and DD is training tonight so 30k steps.

Breakfast - avo and agg on toast.
Lunch - concoction of stuff from the fridge, yoghurt and fruit.
Dinner - home made spag bol.
Snack - Wine.

Well, I waffled on, but Jonty summed it up perfectly in one sentence!!

'Health first and calories second'.

Perfect!!

Lol Need great minds think alike! Seems like it's been a reflective day for both of us.
Also something I've noticed from your menu and mine is when you get your meals really spot on you don't feel the need for snacks in between, which makes you much less likely to reach for something naughty.
I'm full of the life discoveries today!

Jonty.

Just to add to that, if I do have a hungry day, Monday springs to mind, I go with it as my body clearly needs the calories. I felt like I ate and ate and ate on Monday as I tried to still eat decent stuff.

Today isn't a hungry day, so I will be fine with my meals.

Day 4 of exercise done - felt like I was truly running on empty though, struggled but got through. V busy in work, didn't eat until nearly 2.30 (wholemeal bread & cheese) then manic dash to the gym, collect & drop off one kid to a party, home to unload shopping, prep dinner, clean, shower and now sitting down for a bit before collecting duties again. Company over for dinner so some wine in the future.
Yes, definitely agree with the better quality of meals going a long way towards keeping hunger & danger moments at bay. Have avocados just about at right stage that I plan on guacamole'ing and using over the weekend, going to aim for good tasty weekend food (after meal out tomorrow with the bro!) I'm coming up to totm, this is v likely where the running on low is coming from. I wish I could go to bed...sad face

All caught up - won't do everyone justice but just to add my 2c to everyone:

Not and Bath have you both realised you are now in full-on competition . Well done to you both on the losses each. It's so fantastic to hear you both sounding happy and in good places .

Not I miss your emoji's . You are doing so fantastic with all the exercise - and you're such a good advert for it when you're feeling so well in yourself. I love the idea of a junk food flu hehe.

Bath I keep forgetting you're on a no sugar plan - that's amazing! Your calorie totals are very restrained so would echo what the ladies said. But as long as you feel ok that's the main thing.

Jonty you poor thing again but I'm glad you're on the mend today. I really think you should only concentrate on maintenance for a while - even a week or two. You and your family have been so ill, you deserve a breather just to get back to some normality when you're better, without the pressure of dieting.

LEM how are you doing? Lots of good advice on the food there, but I am a huge advocate of porridge for brekkie too.

Need I was horrified that you might think you should leave! Not summed it up perfectly, but all I want to add is that you are such an inspiration to me . I know I will never get to be as fit/athletic as you, but I live in hope that there is more for me to achieve/aim for at this age and you are hugely to thank for that dream. I loved hearing about the posh cinema (didn't know there was such a thing!) and your exercise levels and food are great as usual. And I think it's perfectly understandable to be concerned about losing - that's what maintenance is about - keeping things level.

Loli there aren't enough s to congratulate you on reaching goal!! You are brilliant and I hope you are proud of what you've achieved. And just to echo, I love reading your updates and maintenance is a huge challenge so I hope we can try to support you. I hope I'll be joining you in a month or two, so I'll also be nosey about how you're doing . Sorry to hear about the cold - hope you're doing ok today (and thank you for the lovely bossiness ).

Sugar How is it going since the weekend? Your slip-up didn't sound bad at all - and badly needed due to work stuff.

Sesame 300 days on MFP is fantastic!! And that's so great that the scales were ok . You have got this maintenance stuff sorted!!

Acqui welcome . Sounds like your start has been great - 1lb a week is very sustainable.

INeed welcome too I'm afraid I'm not great on cals v nutrition, but would echo the advice that your cals sounded a bit low.

MumBod Great you're back on track, but just to say I ignore my exercise cals (not that I have many) too . But 1590 is a good average anyway - if you could get it down to around 1350 you might see huge progress.

I've lost my spark a bit at the mo . Work is crap and home life isn't great right now, and I'm just wallowing in the fact that life in general seems shite . So then when I see the box of choccies or packet of biscuits I go - fek it I'll have some - instead of holding firm.

I will say, even reading back what I missed and catching up has helped, so general thank you to you all . Yesterday finished on 1915 but at the moment I'm only at 1250 for today. I'll be eating v late so I might be able to resist choccies later. I do feel like a G&T though (still have 3 left from my calendar).

Sorry for the pity party - I keep reminding myself that TOTM is probably having a huge effect - and I generally feel knackered this week. Work should be ok tomorrow, so between that and the weekend I'm hoping I can pull my mental socks back up.

Aww dawg, you sound like you're having a hard time - pls don't keep kicking yourself about diet/weightloss, you've been doing great and at the moment you need to be kind to yourself. Whatever form that takes. Yes it could defo be totm hormones, it would be good if that were it cause it would pass. I'm only a stranger on the tinternet but is there anything you can change to improve things? Your job, are you stuck there, or could you move on? Is your relationship counselling helping, or hindering? Nothing like a bad work atmosphere coupled with an uncomfortable home atmosphere to have any of us reach for the gin (bad joke sorry)
I'm sorry, you probably don't need my witterings, I'm a bit of a "fixer", maybe you just need to vent - if so, here's a virtual ear & shoulder to have a little cry

Daw . Life sucks sometimes doesn't it? You seem such a lovely person. I wouldn't worry too much about calories. Concentrate on being kind to yourself.

Not Another exercise session in the bag. You are doing so well. Make sure you fuel properly to recover well. Protein for muscle recovery and carbs to top your energy up post exercise. Well done.

I didn't get back from training with DD until 10pm, family had left me a teeny tiny portion of spag bol, which I had. And 2 crumpets with Marmite. Didn't fancy anything more.

ps - I always think there's a 20 minute window of opportunity with avocados, before they go off not.

jonty sounds like some sensible thinking there. I've found checking carefully through my logs really helpful and modified quite a bit as a result. Eg I've cut about 100cals off my breakie, and I also used to eat a pack of oatcakes every day included in my snacks, what was an extra 200 I really didn't need. My advice is be careful with the juice though - although they'll include some vitamins, it's a very easy sugar rush, that isn't nearly as filling as the equivalent quantity of fresh fruit.

need to add to what everyone else said, I like having you around here too. You have great resolve and I'd love for some of that to rub off one day.... Also I do like a healthy debate sometimes.....

daw sorry things are so tough.

Kitchen closed on 2478. I was doing really really well today.... right up until I reached for the last of the oaty biscuits after dinner. At least they're gone now.

Good point Sesame re fruit juice - I really need to get back to making my own smoothies from the whole fruit every morning - something to aim for when I'm feeling better (and I've drunk the 3 litres of juice I've bought!😁)
Avocado tip for all - leave on the side to ripen until just right then straight in the fridge. Halts the ripening process completely and they state in perfect state for ages (mine have stayed a week like that before).weight I up by 0.75lbs today but that's water retention from all the bread I ate yesterday. Not weighing myself for weight loss, more to see how I'm doing while I'm following more of a maintenance plan - so far so good!

In my opinion, smoothies are the same as juice jonty, you have to be careful. When I lost weight first time round I gave up all sweet drinks, juice, smoothies, diet drinks etc. It makes a huge difference to weight loss. Eat whole pieces of fruit instead, or chop up over some yoghurt or cereal. It takes longer for your body to digest and is much more filling.

Happy Friday y'all! Scales down to 11.5.6, so that's .6 down from last Friday's 11.6.2. Progress so I'm happy. Jonty how you feeling now? You sound brighter which is great. Thanks for the avocado tip, into the fridge they go. Totm has hit & the monthly backache with it, hot water bottle time. Getting my colour & cut down in a bit, then off to a gastro pub for tonight. I keep poring over the menu and it's pure indulgence, not at all calorie friendly. I'll just have to eat a smaller portion & keep a check on the vino.
Anyone doing anything nice for the weekend?

Please don't be too hard on yourself daw. When everything (everyone?) down on you, don't worry about the food. May just be a bad wave you need to ride. Don't forget the armour, but nourish what's in with good food, and self-love. You come across as such a lovely, warm, kind person. You deserve to be happier. .

Once they're gone, they're out of temptation's way sesame! But I guess to maintain so well as you are doing, you can't be the perpetual saint.

Whoo hoo not. brilliant. Really pleased you are now down to the 11 5. I didn't WI this morning, so can't say whether I am still stalking you with my weight. I doubt it. Had a do last night, wine tasting. I need not say any more, except I had a nice time, & got my money's worth!

Ooh a wine tasting, v nice bath I had 1 glass of wine last night...well it was refilled a little but I reckon I only had about 200ml and the 1 G&T. It just felt like enough. I'm sure you didn't do any real damage

Jumping on a bit early today. I had a quick peek from my phone early this morning and I got very teary reading all your messages, in a nice way IYKWIM. Thank you all .

Not your witterings were perfect - honestly. And actually that's what I need - to think this through and come up with solutions. I am ~kind of~ stuck in work but I am being hit from 2 sides now - gaslighting colleague and completely toxic manager. I have to keep convincing myself that I'm not the problem - even though I worry I am because I seem to be the common denominator. Trouble is I've been here for 10+ years so it's very scary/hard to move on, but it's getting to the stage that I'll have to think about cutting my losses soon if things don't improve. On the other side, I don't know where the relationship counselling is going yet. We're doing individual sessions again, and I like our counsellor, but progress is very slow and if anything, I'm getting angrier and more frustrated than I used to be. Maybe that's part of the process of healing - I don't know. And I think you're right - I just need to get a big cry out of my system and start again.

Anyway back to you - woohoo on the loss from last week !! Sorry about TOTM but the hair pampering has hopefully cheered you up. Gastro pub sounds lovely tonight .

Need I think I've said this before, but crumpets are v hard to find here so you're a v evil lady for tempting me like that . I forgot to say yesterday that I've done one set of progress photos too and I'm probably due another set around now. I was disappointed last time as my shape was still the same - just less chunky, but the difference must be amazing once you start getting properly toned up like you are.

Sesame the thing is, oaty biscuits aren't really a bad snack at all, so in the grand scheme of things you shouldn't feel guilty. It's funny though - that rings bells with me - I'm relieved when I've finished packets of biccies/choccies cos at least they're not in the house any more. Although my logic seems a bit flawed .

Jonty you sound much better - I'm so glad. 0.75lb is absolutely zilch in real terms so it's great you're maintaining so well.

Bath thank you for the armour - I do need reminding and it does help . And tasting sounds like great fun - glad you had a lovely time.

Willpower failed again last night - had 4 choccies and a G&T so finished on 1520 yesterday. Currently on plan for 1295 today, but if H mentions going out for a burger I won't say no. Otherwise my only risk is a few choccies tonight - won't need G&T tonight as work is ok today phew.

Afternoon folk!!!

How the devil are you all on this Friday afternoon? Yippee, it's the weekend.

I've had a nice day off. 10 mile run with my friends this morning. Chores. Then a catch up dog walk with some other friends.

Food.
Breakfast - porridge and mango.
Lunch - Ham salad bagel. Fruit and yogurt.
Dinner - JO Balinese Chicken Curry and rice.
Snacks - energy gel/drink while running.
Post run - berry/nut mix and a Nak'd bar (I was going to the supermarket so these were in my bag!).
Wine.

What's on the cards for the weekend folk? We are having friends over Saturday for a pizza. I'm marshalling for Parkrun tomorrow. Riding lesson. Running. Of course.

I really don't think c 1500 cals is a fail dawg, honestly you'd still lose on that over time. I'm glad today was a better day at work, and now at least you've a break for a couple of days (assuming you don't work weekends?) Ooh a juicy burger, you're giving me ideas for my gastropub meal. And they have an extensive fancy gin menu...this could be interesting and expensive!
need nice big run done, that's great. I had in my mind I'd like to try get a quick jog this morning but I had to work a bit & also had houseguest so wasn't sure when they'd be up. And of course then I got my hair done, swish! No way this do is being scraped into a pony until I get a day or 2 out of my bouncy blow out. I only have good hair every 6 weeks & I drag it out as long as possible lol.
Getting hungry now, waiting for himself to get home so I can skedaddle... ooh here he is! I'm off!

For the gin fans

Ha ha! Love it not! Hope it was a very lovely evening, swishy hair, happy hubbie, nice food.

Amazing run yesterday need. Hope you are taking it easy today - but by your standards that's probably still more activity than I'll do today!

How are you today Daw ? Hope you do something nice for YOU this weekend.

I'm v tired - another late night last night, friends came found for dinner. I did steak & chips, with poached pears & ice cream for desert. I enjoyed every little bit, and won't feel guilty about it rather. Will go for a big walk today, but actually think a rest-day is more in order.

Is it okay if I join in here?

I'm 5'9 and started at 13st 7lbs. Have been using MFP and Google fit step counter and am down 15lbs so far. But the weight loss is slowing down so I know I need other people to kick my butt so I don't think "fuck it" and eat all the things!

My MFP username is the same as here. I might be less likely to use all 1200 calories on ice cream if I know you can all see it