AIBU to want a gentler health/weight discussion

[argumentativefeminist]

Want to interact with others and get support/motivation for getting healthier and active, and in the process losing weight. But I absolutely don't want to hear any "diet culture", calorie counting or unhealthy disordered eating promotion. Surely I can't be the only one? Sometimes it seems like every thread I click on is just full of upsetting, unhelpful comments that sound like they could have been lifted from a thinspo website.

agatha that sounds gorgeous.

I’m off for my daily trek across the fields to take the kids to school/walk the dog, then straight to CrossFit

Ah gorgeous agatha !

camel go go go! How are you finding compression stuff for your ab separation? I’m doing pessary internally and compression/support shorts as well for running and after my initial suspicions I actually think they might be helpful.

Another run this evening. Really bonny out there and I am very proud of myself for not helping in terror when a banshee* rose up shrieking and flapping practically in my face in the woods.

• disclaimer: it was actually a pheasant

Yelping, not helping

Hmmm - have I found my people? I'm vociferously anti calorie counting or logging a la MFP. Nor do I do WW or SW. I just try hard to eat well, no snacks, high dairy, low sugar. But I do exercise a lot. And I weigh myself every day sometimes twice. I do it to incentivise me and to keep me on track. Easier to fix a one day relapse than a seven day relapse.
Have got myself fairly comfortably down to normal weight from 1 stone overweight.
Just trying to shift the stubborn last half stone which is all sitting in my belly grrrr.

Sounds amazing Agatha! That really did make me laugh Verbena, I would have run twice as fast screaming all the way. Hi Ferrier - agree all the other threads seem to be obsessed with either MFP or Slimming World! We welcome everyone here regardless of how much exercise you do or how far along you are to reaching your goals - but just for future reference I do prefer that we don't excessively share weighing or restrictive behaviours on here 💕

Currently necking a Budweiser waiting for my homemade chicken curry. Been one of those days 😣

Hiya ferrier What exercise do you do? Am always on the lookout for fun stuff to try. I tend to avoid weighing myself these days (did it daily along with MFP to gain weight and put my BMI in the category where they’d fund IVF so it’s just tied up with feeling anxious and miserable), and notice there’s a link for me between getting on the scales a lot and getting tense and neurotic about life in general. It’s all personal I guess.

af hope your day wasn’t too monstrous. We attempted pizza and beer this evening (I’ve been running, not fast or far but faster and further than I have for ages, and mr verbena has cycled a ridiculous distance over the last week, so we felt like we’d earned a treat) - what actually happened is we opened some poncy bottle-conditioned hipster ale and the fucking thing shot out like shaken champagne, so we did cleaning-beer-off-every-surface-in-the-kitchen-including-the-ceiling-for-god-sake-while-the-baby-paddled-about-in-it-getting-sticky-and-stinky, then ate sad cold pizza. Homemade chicken curry sounds great!!

Kitchen declean sounds mental, I hope you’re recovering!

I’ve had the most crazy day. I did dog walk/school run then immediate CrossFit then over to a friends for a coffee (well, water actually) and then into town for incense and peanut butter... oh and I bought my cunting bunting fabric!! So I’m getting started on that today.

I’ve got 5m of bunting beading so will be kept busy for the next while at least.

I then came home, cleaned for an hour, another school run. Then came home with the kids, chilled briefly before making dinner and I’ve jusd done another huge clean (because of course nothing has been done and the kids trash everything after school)

Now I’m just chilling. DH will want me to have done lunches and so on but I just don’t have the energy to do anything more...

It’s 20.00 and I’ve been non stop since 08.00

Knackered

Oooh exciting about the bunting fabric! I’m v jealous of your camper (though if I had one I think it would be so full of handmade decor that it probably wouldn’t be safe to drive). I still need to make my lunch for tomorrow, sort out my bag and sterilise the breast pump so I don’t end my day leaking milk and wincing, but the (slightly beery) baby is very resistant indeed to the idea of sleep.

Think it’s just one of those days in general?!

I think it's been one of those days in general! Sounds like you've been v productive though Camel so good job!

Slightly beer sodden babyVerbena is making me smile. Babies really do the wildest things. 😂

Definitely agree about it being one of those days today! Had a manic day at work and feel shattered - though also smiling at the idea of a beer soaked baby lol. I get really clumsy when i’m tired. Dropped a carton of eggs over my kitchen floor yesterday which took ages to clean up.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Should be a quieter day at work, meeting DH for lunch and looking forward to my dance areobics class in the evening.

Hi ferrier I downloaded MFP and never used it. Looked like a real faff to record everything.

Blimey. I don't think any of you need to exercise as you're too busy babyminding and cleaning!
I will keep very [ssshhhh] about my obsessive weighing. I do know it's not the done thing
My exercise (without outing myself) is a team sport which I do almost every day. So it's sociable as well as (sometimes) very competitive which works for me. The correlation/association between amount of exercise and weight loss is very direct.

Ferrier I know, I'm always immensely surprised by how busy everyone on this thread is! I just lurk amongst everyone else's hectic lifestyles watching Netflix and pretending it's research 😂 I'd love to find a team sport that I enjoy. I really liked netball at school but don't think I could handle the jumping now.

Thank you for being understanding about the weighing. It isn't that I think you're wrong, I'd never make that kind of judgement about someone else's life, just that not having much mention of weight or calories etc is one of the main reasons why I find this thread calming and safe. 💕

ferrier that sounds great. I am shit at team sport. I kid myself that it’s because I’m socially awkward and like the headspace of solitary stuff - that kind of is true, but if I’m honest it’s also because I like the complete control/accountability:before I got annihilated by childbirth I’ve started 2 races that I’d agreed to run with a friend and in both within 10 minutes I’d left them behind because I like only thinking about myself and having all the glory or disappointment of where I place for myself as well (my friend knows I’m an arse once I’m over the start line and doesn’t mind. She’s always fresh and sprightly the next day from having worked within her capabilities, and I’m always laid low with DOMS and feeling stupid for overdoing it, so things balance out!)

Writing that I’m so desperate to get back to it properly. Someone remind me to be sensible please?!

Verbena Oh bless you, I can tell how passionate you are! You are getting back to that stage, I'm sure, it'll just take time. You'll get so much better results if you stay sensible and build up slowly, and then hopefully you'll be able to do it again forever!

Well I’ve spannered this morning a bit, I was going to do dog walk/school run then CrossFit at 09.30 but I have failed to get to school on time :(

So I’m dropping rhe kids off now, going to do a few miles walking on the downs with the dog (and baby on my back) then will get to my appointments and into town. I have at least four hours of sports massage to do from 15.30 so I’m going to have to be fairly active to do those, so maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t make CrossFit today

Sounds like you've still got plenty to do, Camel. A rest and recovery day will be good for your muscles anyway!

Meh, I know I need rest but I don’t go well with doing nothing.

I had a podiatry appointment but 25 mins into waiting I left, I don’t understand how people think anyone has the time to sit around for half an hour for an appointment BEFORE a half hour appointment?!

Anyway. So I’m just chilling now before I have something for lunch and then I’ll go to work for 1pm. Baby needs a sleep so hopefully (fingers crossed) will nap through that massage. Then I’ve got a massage with ALL of the kids this afternoon... then a break to have dinner then 2 hours later.

So busy, busy day!

Mad-busy here too. Breastfeeding from 4-5:30 am (what’s he up to? Growing more?!), up at 6, out the house before half 7 and on my feet all day at work.

Any ideas for good packed lunch/snacks? Definitely don’t think I ate enough today so I need non-sugar-crashy quick-to-scoff stuff that’ll keep me going.

Ahh you all put me to shame! 😂 that's crap about your appointment Camel! Hope you can get it sorted in a more timely manner soon.

Reckon babyVerbena was doing his version of my hungover Subway and capri sun after ingesting all that beer foam yesterday 😂

For quick snacks I love love love bananas, especially with a little blob of peanut butter. On a rice cake is good for something more substantial. Carrots and apples also go well with peanut butter! I like Sunbites crisps and they're not really that bad for you, also little bags of popcorn, you can get some quite "health foody" ones. My packed lunches in autumn winter are usually couscous/chickpeas etc. with some roasted veg and a protein or extra beans and usually morrocan/mediterranian inspired flavourings. Wraps are good too!

Have been eating absolutely whatever I want recently, and plan to continue that until I go to uni in just over a week - just want to enjoy the last home cooked meals without worrying about how much veg I'm having! I am finding though that I'm instinctively serving myself more veg/ordering less at McDs, which I suppose is proof that the change is sinking in a little bit!

Just swum for 20 minutes non stop as hecking fast as possible which I haven't managed to do for a couple of weeks! So feeling good this evening 😁😇

That was a mammoth post, sorry! How's everyone else? 😂

Ah sounds good af - chickpeas in lunch is a great idea for a bit more energy. Have to confess I hate peanut butter though, which is annoying as it’s great for quick energy. I like almond butter but it’s so expensive! Maybe I’ll stick a boiled egg in my lunchbox as an extra.

Those food ideas sound lovely Af I usually have feta cheese salad or salmon salad with lots of veggies, but have started to make extra for dinner in the evenings so I can take in leftovers. Just needs a blast in the microwave. Feel good after my dance aerobics tonight, but very ready for the weekend!

Good work Pixie - I love any kind of dance aerobics! It's so much more fun than other exercise 😂

Reckon babyVerbena was doing his version of my hungover Subway and capri sun after ingesting all that beer foam yesterday 😂

This made me laugh out loud. Really hope you’re right and tomorrow isn’t quite such an early start!!

Just finished work. AF good to hear about the swimming and enjoy your last week of food!!

We have been pretty strict (besides Longleat ice cream) with our diets so tomorrow, for our 13 year anniversary, we are going to Byron Burgers for cheeseburgers and halloumi fries. Cannot WAIT.

I might also buy a cake from Patisserie Valerie... if I can stuff it in!