I'm doing well, thanks, SubC. Foods I like. Well I was raised on junk food and fast food so it is hard. But I don't hate vegetables. I like them, just don't prefer them. I do enjoy fruit so I try to keep some on hand.

This week I managed well with my 16:8 intermittent fasting and made healthier choices, and ate less volume.

Today for some reason when I was out running errands, I decided to have fast food. But, the win is I did not have Coke. I wanted a big Coke in a bad way but I got an iced green tea instead, lightly sweetened with peach juice. I told myself this is my reward meal for a good week. I dunno if that is a good strategy or not, but once a week is a lot better than it was. Dinner will be asparagus, maybe one egg, and some fruit. All within my 8 hour eating window.

I parked in the grocery store parking lot and was going to go in and get chips and queso and some dessert, but I just drove back home instead.

Also this week I am down 2 pounds!

Well, here is done encouragement in case I am not here when you need me. I believe you can do this, and I will be back to cheer!

What are some healthy foods that you like? Are you keeping them in the house?

I am going to eat cereal instead of pound cake for breakfast.

Thanks SubC. I don't think anyone could have talked me off the fried chicken today. I have not had any in so long, and I am kind of sad, so it was a therapy feeling. I use food to help me feel better. My main issue is low energy, which is why my Dr prescribed phentermine in the past. Even a half pill makes me just feel like I imagine normal people feel - able to get up and do things. No burst of energy, just normal. Plus it helps curb my appetite.

In the future though yes, some encouragement to skip junk foods and eat what will heal me would be very welcome!

So tomorrow morning I will re-start the half pills in the morning. Then I will follow what worked for me before when I was a normal weight for many years: intermittent fasting 16:8. (16 hours fasting and 8 hour eating window). This mainly looks like me eating between noon and 8pm, but nothing outside that window except plain teas, black decaf coffee, and in the morning a cup of decaf coffee with cream. I try to drink lots of water.

Then choose healthy food as much as I can.

When I do this, plus force myself to get up and DO things, I have more energy and feel better about myself. And I really have got to get going on the decluttering again.

Hi Lila.

Was there anything we could have done to help you resist the fried chicken?

I'm not doing anything particular for exercise, but today I did yoga and put out a fire.

My current diet plan is having a very sore throat and eating warm applesauce. I might follow it up with some scrambled eggs.

I was watching a video the other day and the guy said "my love language is bread." I think that is most of my issue.

I hope that your therapist can help you.

Really struggling this morning, mentally.

One part of me wants to go to the deli as soon as it opens, buy fried chicken and coke, come home and eat that. And maybe a pie since it is pi day, after all.

The other part of me wants to take some phentermine right now, get energized and start sorting things and decluttering, have a smoothie for lunch and be productive.

The fried chicken part is probably going to win, but maybe I can still be productive, too.

I always want to start tomorrow.

hi all,

I ate terribly on my trip - lots of carbs, fat, sugar. I have not changed that yet although I have been home 5 days. I know I feel far better if I just have coffee in the morning and don't eat until after 11, but this morning I made hot cereal and ate that, which made me very sluggish. Then ate 2 chocolates and some crackers with chicken salad. And more coffee. I could take a nap, but I have done nothing and it is only 9:30am!!

What are you all doing for your eating and for exercise? Would you share your goals (pounds to lose or otherwise?)

I know what works best for me, and that's 2 meals around 11-12 and 5-6, plus a snack around 3. Mostly vegetables, fruit, and then a bit of protein (low fat cheese or meats). I have been trying to be vegetarian but it is just very hard for me. We have a big box of fish in the freezer that a friend sent us as a gift. I think I will try having fish for my dinner protein most of that time. "Lower carbs" (not keto or anything, just not eating starchy stuff very much) and watching calories and sugar. I need to lower my cholesterol.

I have started taking short walks most days (it was warm on my trip so it was easy to take a little walk, but it is cold here at home so not very easy for me). I want to start with the stepper too but have not done it. Maybe I can do that on the cold days.

I would say ultimately I need to lose 75 pounds. But, my quality of life would be so, so much better if I can lose 50. Heck even at 35 I would feel a lot better... so I need to work on it.

I just don't feel great so I eat to feel better.

I also started seeing a therapist this week who supposedly specializes in addictive behaviors and improving your life, but she wanted to talk about my trauma history on the first visit. I guess that is standard but I really want her to help me stop eating for comfort.

I am noticing that my food related "habits" are some of the hardest ones for me to keep up with. I have to remind myself that winter is an especially hard food season - no garden and my body craves carbs.

Also, depending on Dh for yoga is frustrating (the routine is on his phone and won't transfer to my iPad because of the rules around him buying it.) when we started, he was pushing me to do it, but now I gave to push him or ask him to set it up for me - and he has to give up his phone.

My hip hurts from something I did yesterday.

I had today off and it's 50F #9 I went for a walk. It's dark now but I'll have to walk up to mom's in a bit. I'll need to gather up trash etc. but first things first, I need to make dinner. Still debating whether to go into office tomorrow. All signs are positive. He negative is waking up. Plus who knows if I have anything I can even fit into.

Yikes, my jeans are a bit snug. And I've been wanting to buy black jeans but I want to wait until the ones I have now fit the way they fit when I got them. At least I haven't outgrown them. But you know how it is, you might be able to wear your broken-in, stretched a bit jeans in a given size, but if you were to go trying on new you probably would need a bigger size.

I buy mine at the Goodwill, so it's potluck whatever's on the rack, rarely do you ever have more than one size of a given style to compare the fit of. Therefore it's not as frustrating in some ways because I can just blame tightness on the style, bwahahaa! 😂 Still, there was a general trend toward a lower size RANGE a few years back when I got the ones I currently have.

The snugness of the jeans is uncomfortable, and I am getting rather tired of how it feels. This is motivating me. I have been eating a lot of baked goods and I'm even getting a bit bored with it, so I feel like I could cut back and it wouldn't even feel like deprivation. Just eat less, and I'm going to check the Covid stats for my area and if they're not bad I think it's back to the gym for me soon.

CM, I second the ask fir the bike - it is your bike.

What did you find out about the gym?

I don't know when my pool will be open again - they opened briefly, but then closed again. As long as Dh is working from home they will be closed - it's connected to his company..

I started my morning with poundcake and coffee this morning because I was tired. I know I need to treat my body better - especially when I am tired, but it's really hard.

Ask the handyman to dig out the bike. He has it and you can get it back. Do you think that would be a possibility? I hate being in these situations and I do know it's easier to write off than ask, but I wasn't sure if a nudge would help m

I've finally taken my weight seriously again and I feel so relieved. I have a closet full of beautiful clothes, in styles and colors I like, just waiting for me. I don't have a lot of clothes, maybe six dresses, four skirts, and various tops, but they are beautiful and I want to wear them again. I need help to stay on track.

I have been working my way out of the habit of just stuffing myself, which had been a stress symptom during this whole household repair crisis. Finally just psyched myself with the idea "CM, you don't need to do that. Just chill!" Sometimes becoming conscious of a desire to cut back proactively as well, and actually doing so.

My jeans feel slightly looser. I'm not ready to check anything on the scale as yet - haven't for months. I don't want to see numbers that would make me feel depressed. Better simply to do the cutting back on eating and wait till I am truly certain that my clothes are looser.

Exercise is a thing I will see what I can do about. That plan to return to the gym, I need to check omicron levels in my area as perhaps it'd be okay to return. Since I can go at less busy times, it might be. Going with roommate when she walks her dog is another thing. I'd prefer a dogless walk but gotta take what I can get. Since with my weird agoraphobia quirk I no longer venture on foot very far from home, that's the main way I can walk is by going with someone else. Most of the time if there's something that's going to cause drama, like other dogs, I can keep an eye out for it and we can go down another street.

I miss my bicycle - that's another thing that our handyman took to his place a long time ago and was going to fix and then it fell by the wayside. We're talking maybe 3-4 years he's had that bike, and recent inquiries revealed that it got behind some other stuff in his basement and so it'd be a job to dig it out. May just have to write it off as a loss.

Sigh... I really liked everything about that bike, it's red, a women's 10-speed Schwinn that I got for $15 from former neighbors. I probably couldn't find its like for the same price. Back when I entrusted it to him, was when I was dealing with the money pit van, so I couldn't afford to take the bike to a regular bike shop and pay $60-ish for the minor repairs. Kinda wish I'd just gone ahead and borrowed the money from roommate and I'd have the bike. I could go a little farther on a bike knowing that if I got panicky I could get back home more quickly than I could walking.

Too many complications in my brain and life. Bleah.

I made eating a green vegetable one of my daily habit goals - which has caused me to realize that Dh doesn't cook green vegetables much in the winter. Not doing great on it.

When the kids were snowed in here with us, they cooked lots of yummy food and I found myself eating way too much (I could feel it, but couldn't bring myself to stop. I definitely have a "people cooking for you = love" complication from my childhood.)

Also we didn't do yoga while they were here. Now we are back to yoga and smaller meals, but I made a poundcake because we have so many eggs.

I am currently a touch above where I started.

Oh hi, just saw this a day or two ago. I think I'll chime in from time to time. I've been wondering if I've put on the "Covid-19," lol. Pretty sure a few pounds at least. Jeans feeling snug. I had been going to get back to the gym and continue the exercises I was given at physical therapy last fall, and those would lead in to further work on the weight machines.

Then omicron hit...

This house has no place much I can do the exercises - even back in the bunny room with the bunnies, where I was going previously, now my roommate is having her bunnies out to play and doing her remote work there in the mornings. And running her bunnies in the evenings (mine have their playtime in the day).

So I'll just start real simple, try to cut back on excess amounts of food. I'm a picky eater so veggies and salads aren't going to be on the radar for me much. And some of the things I used to eat - fruit for instance - I've had to cut back on for reasons that are too weird to go into here. Portion control is the main thing I can do for now. Baby steps.

I try to think of the junk food as dh's. Like, if I had a treat, I wouldn't want him to eat it. So I think"that is his treat, don't eat it."

Sticking my weight at the moment. Are you doing the stepper?

Good job, SubC!

My husband brings in a lot of junk. I try to send it down to his den so I don't have to see it, but honestly just knowing there are chips, coke and candy in the family room makes it hard. I can't police his food choices. I've tried for years. So all I can do is try to keep the kitchen "clean." He has his own fridge and cupboards so I avoid those areas. Sometimes I go down to the pantry for, say, canned green beans and I find a case of candy bars. Sigh.

I am cleaning out the spice cabinet today and throwing out some things that are not on my healthy eating plan (sugary things). The spice cabinet also holds baking supplies etc on the other shelves so I am cleaning it all out, and looking at all the spices and thinking of healthy ways I can use them.

I was down 3 pounds but yesterday went nutso with the pasta and it came back. I cannot get to my stepper because I am isolating for covid and have to stay upstairs for 5 days. When my 5 days is done I am going to start walking and using the stepper again.

Week two -
Did really well with yoga
Mostly made better choices on evening snacking
Drank a lot less wine
Went up and down the stairs a lot at school.
Dh made healthy meals

At 6% of weight loss goal! (Which is within my yo-yo range, but down is better than up or even.)

Making bad choices due to exhaustion. Can't go to bed because there are things I truly must do.

I'm glad you are feeling better Lila!

I think the secret to eating better is gatekeeping what food comes into your house. So the best time to buy/order food is when you are feeling motivated and not hungry.

If you don't buy store chips and baked goodies and spend some prep time on things like carrot sticks and apple slices, then when you want a snack, you are faced with "I can eat this healthy snack that is already prepared, or I can spend time making a less healthy snack." Bananas come ready to eat in biodegradable wrappers.

End of the first week my meals and portions gave been better and I have more than met my yoga goals, but I have also helped Dh finish off many of the Christmas goodies. Net weight loss goal - 0%.

Good evening! Yes, I've been taking my vitamins, yay! I also have been making myself drink more water and eat more vegetables.

I have a hard time forcing healthy food, so one thing I have done is that if I do eat something that is not vegetables/fruit, I make myself eat veggies for the next snack or meal. So breakfast was a spinach smoothie. Then I had a slice of cake @@. I need to get rid of the cake... Then lunch was green bean casserole which was made healthier and was mostly fresh steamed green beans. I am going to look in the freezer to see if there is any leftover soup in there to enjoy. If not, I will be having salad and one bread stick for dinner.

I am easing my way back into the veggies this way and I feel better and not cranky anymore.

Today's breakfast - multigrain hot cereal, black coffee, and a banana. I put some maple syrup on my cereal.

I put all my favorite goodies out of sight so I can make a conscious decision to have just one sweet thing. I left the bowl of store candy out because Dh snacks on it and it will keep him from going in search of my treats and I won't feel like I have to eat them quickly in order to get more than one or two.

Dh decided he did not want to do yoga today, but says he will set it up for me later (the routine is on his phone)

I managed to turn around the 4 holiday pounds I had gained and drop them back to two (some of that weight was probably an overly full digestive system)

I have a starting weight I will keep to myself and am going to update about once a week with the total % of goal lost.

Good morning Lila!

Did you take your vitamins? Checking in here reminded me that I missed mine.

We still have far too much Christmas candy and I need to put it away so I don't keep eating it.

This morning I made biscuits. They're white flour, so not ideal, but definitely better than cookies. I leave the sugar out if the biscuit recipe.

If you can meet your food goals today, you will have met them all year! (Then tomorrow, you can tell yourself the same thing.)

Dh and I did yoga this morning, so we are off to a pretty good start.

Well here we are at the end of the year. I am determined to improve my health in 2022. I have a lot of weight to lose and my doctor agrees with me switching to plant based. It's hard but I have moved in that direction. But I am going to eat plant based with a tracker in my planner. Any day I eat meat will be marked in RED. I have to quit eating junk. I have some vegetarian pre mixed shakes for days I am stressed out, and I can just grab one for a balanced meal.

I am in way too much pain to keep going on like this.

Thank you SubC, I appreciate your input. Especially since I love cheese, lol.

I feel like I am a fast food addict. If I was rich I would probably eat fast food every day, so good thing I am not. I think it will significantly improve my health and weight to not eat fast food anymore. I eat it 4 or 5 days a week. It is cheap so I do it but when you add it up I am wasting money I don't have. So...in my planner I have a new page where I will write down what I spend every day. And I will highlight in red anything that is "waste." Fast food is wasted money. I am going to try to not spend anything on it anymore but if I can cut back to even once a week at first, that will help. I have a few gift cards people gave me to nicer places like outback or panera and I will use those if I really want to eat out.

I am going to mix up a sad to have with my dinner tonight. Actually the salad will be the main part of dinner, but I will have a bread stick with it and I may enjoy some mashed potatoes. I have not had any in months but we had some last night. I have leftovers.

I need to move but am too tired.. I did get some good organic multivitamins and will take one a day and hope that helps me feel better too.

Lila, I do not want to argue with your cardiologist, but my dad has been a heart patient for 30 years. He has had good doctors and bad ones.

Here are some things I would like to share with you that have worked well for him ymmv.

There are good fats and bad fats. Animal fats are mostly bad. Not all plant fats are good, but olive oil is - a significant part of the Mediterranean diet - which also includes some cheeses, in moderation.

The calories in sugar and other refined carbs are just as bad if not worse metabolically as butter or bacon fat. With less nutrition.

True vegan is not optimal because honey is one of the healthier sugars, and some of the fat replacement options (crisco for butter for example) are actually worse for you.

Now, this is just me - try adding in some whole grains. They are filling and healthy. Barley is a nice substitute for rice.

Ok, now go walk around 😉

hi SubC,

I know Coke is so addictive. I crave it like crazy. So yeah, I need to knock that off. Also, my cardiologist said I need to eat very low fat because of the high heart disease in our family and I have risk factors. He recommended vegan but I find it very hard. If I eat meat it should be fish, or a little poultry. I used to do Atkins so this is very different for me. He says mediterranean diet.

I have been so unsuccessful at this but am already writing my new food plan in my planner. I am not waiting til Jan 1, though, I am starting it now. More fruits and veggies, less junk. Lay off the sugar and fat and salt. The thing I am missing most is exercise.

I don't know why I've been so unmotivated.

Hi Lila,

I did not make the soup.

At the moment, I can't even remember why I did not make the soup, but I remember that last weekend got overwhelming.

Coke is actually addictive. It is the sugar. Also, your body craves fat and protein, especially when you try to restrict calories. Fat is what keeps you from getting hungry again quickly. Can you tell yourself "ok, I will have the Mcmuffin, but I will not have the coke."? That would be a good start.

Yesterday I ate two hot goat cheese sandwiches (not grilled, I microwave them) and when I wanted a snack before bed, my body was craving applesauce, not ice cream. I think it was the unusual amount of fat during the day.

I don't really eat meals when Dh is gone. I just get hungry and fix some quick food. Since we buy very little convenience food, quick food is usually fruit, nuts, or bread plus. This morning it was bread (bakery bread, with some structure to it and a limited number of ingredients, not "sandwich bread") with butter and homemade jam (more whole blackberries than sugar) for breakfast with my coffee. I am actually too lazy to make toast.

You were on your feet a lot yesterday - which I bet counts as exercise. It is much easier for me to control my weight when I am teaching.

hi SubC, sorry for the abandonment! I've been stressed. And I eat. Did you make the butternut squash soup? That sounds so good.

McMuffins. Ah. I love them for some weird reason. Whenever I am out and get hungry I want that. Cheap, easy, salty, greasy because I get the sausage one. And a coke. I'm like, addicted. I crave them. Why? How to knock it off?

Today I had oat bran hot cereal for breakfast but no fruit. Also coffee. I think I will probably not be eating super healthy today due to the event. My weight is not moving. I know the key for me is to get moving and exercise even a little bit, but I am so tired when I get home I don't. Maybe I can start doing a little in the mornings.

I keep thinking, when the stressful stuff stops, THEN I will focus on weight loss. But it never ends. So I need to figure out how to do this while I am stressed.

Lila, that is a very long term change. I am counting from my high point last year.

What made you get the McMuffin? Was it planned or an "I am really hungry right now" or an "oh, McDonald's! I want a McMuffin"? Knowing what triggers decisions like that can help you make better ones.

Stay focused on those veggies today!

I had a partial fast day yesterday. I was still too upset about things with Dh to eat breakfast or any lunch before I left for school. After school a student gave me a sugar cookie. Then I got home late and ate about a square foot of veggie heavy pizza Dh had bought and left out for me (he went to bed early before I got home. :( ) and a handful of chocolate almonds.
So, not great nutrition, but not too much quantity. I will try to be more balanced today, but honestly my stomach is still indifferent about food. I could have gone to bed without the pizza, but I know better.

It's funny, small stress makes me want sugar, but big stress makes me want nothing. I had a really stressful event about four years ago and after four days Dh realized I basically wasn't eating and sat me down and spent over an hour watching me eat little spoonfuls of pumpkin soup.

Oh! I should make a batch of butternut squash soup this weekend! I bet Bean would like that too, and it would be an easy, healthy meal choice that I could keep on hand in the freezer to help me make good choices.

hi SubC. Wow, you are doing good with your weight loss! I am about at my top weight in over 10 years. I am down about 2 pounds from a week ago. At the party I had one small slice of pizza, a bread stick, and lots of salad. And water.

Today I had
toast with butter and coffee
a McMuffin and coffee
1.5 slices of cheese pizza and juice
a few pieces of candy and a Christmas cookie

Not great at all... need fruit and veggies so will focus on those tomorrow.

Lila, those sound like great choices! How did you do with the pizza?

I didn't snack last night after dinner.

I am embarrassed to post what I've been eating - not well balanced at all. But I've been working on eating less. My weight has moved down on average - slowly but pretty steadily. I'm almost 2/3 of the way from my high point to my goal, which is good. But I think I have lost muscle mass, which is not.

Today is a "no time for lunch" day, but I will make an effort to eat a healthy breakfast. I need to increase my fruit and veggie intake. I am also drinking too much diet soda and not sleeping enough.

Good morning.

Today I am being mindful of everything that goes into my body. Not perfect but better than the junk I've been eating.

Breakfast was oat bran hot cereal with blueberries and pecans and almond milk, and half an apple. Coffee with almond milk.

Lunch so far was just a toasted English muffin. Buttered. Cranberry juice and coffee.

I have a party tonight and they will have salad and pizza so I will stick to one small slice with no meat on it. Plus salad and water.

I can't exercise yet. I got put on a 5 day restriction for medical reasons.

So I didn't manage to avoid the surfing and snacking last night - I got home and I was just wiped out from my week. I had healthy food that Dh made me with a small glass of wine, and then a handful of chocolate almonds, but then later I had a bunch of salted almonds - but at least it wasn't ice cream.

This morning I had bran cereal, then a few handfuls of pita chips midday, and pizza. I tried to eat a reasonable amount of pizza. For dessert I shared a small dish of ice cream and two cookies with Bean.

My exercise today has been cutting evergreens and playing with Bean.

I'm having water now instead of joining the whiskey drinkers.

I make my ice cream from eggs and milk from my barn. I'm not really interested in replacing it.

hi SubC! Thank you for making this thread. I need a little accountability.

Have you ever tried "nice cream" that you make out of frozen fruit? I got into the habit of having that instead of ice cream when I want a treat. NO sugar or fat - just frozen banana chunks blended with any other fruits you like. Strawberries are good. A little cocoa powder for chocolate nice cream. There are a lot of recipes online for flavors. I use unsweetened almond milk, just a splash as needed to get it blended to the right texture.

The tea sounds good too and better for winter IMO. I don't eat a lot of cold things in winter. You have a solid plan and the mindfulness component is great!

Today my eating is terrible but I will make a plan for tomorrow to start eating better again for weight loss. Green smoothie, at least 1/day. More veggies, some fruit. I am trying to be mostly vegetarian so no meat except about twice a month. I also will start exercising again tomorrow. Today's exercise is cleaning. My feet hurt already from that.

I have about 70 pounds to lose I guess but I would be fine if I lost 60. Even 30 would give me so many more clothes to wear.

I hope we can encourage each other and maybe more people will come post too!

Ok Lila,

Here we go!

Today's plan - healthy breakfast (that part is usually easy), no lunch because it's Friday and I never have time, whatever Dh makes me for dinner, and no ice cream in the evening. I've gotten into a bad habit of eating ice cream before bed. I just got some chocolate covered almonds, and if I want something sweet I'll eat ONE handful of those.

The ice cream has become tied to sitting on the computer in the evenings, so I will try to either not do that, or make myself a cup of decaf tea to sip if I have some mindfully chosen computer time - no random surfing, but there is a video I've been wanting to watch that is available for a limited time. (and of course I've been surfing instead because I don't have time to watch the whole video, and then I surf longer than the video and eat ice cream! - ack!) time to exercise my executive function muscles.