Blithe Morning's Action Research: Doable Fitness

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Blithe Morning's Action Research: Doable Fitness

Post by Blithe Morning » Sun May 08, 2011 11:56 am

Rationale:
I've been doing No S at varying levels of compliance for about 3 years. My weight has remained stable and even the less/non-compliant times have not resulted in noticeable weight gain. However, this is more a sense on my part than actual data. Given the propensity of people to be optimistic about their achievements and to minimize the negative results – in other words people are notoriously self deluded - (citation forthcoming) I thought I needed to really see for myself what the results of doable fitness using No S. are.

Menopause is looming on the horizon (I’m 46) and I’m aware of how insidious weight gain can be during that time. I want to go into full blow menopause at a fighting weight with strong habits that are proven to maintain my weight with minimal effort. So that way if I need to tweak or mod, the baseline is already in place.

The first step is to understand the impact Doable Fitness has on me. Thus my research question is what happens to my weight if I am compliant with a consistent, do-able fitness and nutrition program

Methodology:

To answer this question, I will do the following for a 31 day period minimum (May 6 - June 6).

1. At least 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 times a week. I've been doing at least 4 days a week for years and usually have managed 5. Since March, I've been participating in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award for work, I have been doing the 5 days a week consistently. Essentially this means, at the most, adding an extra bike ride or lunch time walk one day a week.
2. 15-20 minutes weight training 2-3 times a week. I've also been doing this for years.
3. Vanilla No S with the 1/2 plate of veggies mod at most meals (11-12 out of 21). I've been doing Daytime Vegetarian so I will probably keep that up. That has more to do with my environmental convictions than food/health convictions. Again, I've done this for long stretches.
4. Glass ceiling, with drinks no more than 2x a week.
5. Weigh myself daily upon waking after “attending to nature.†Track my weight to the nearest tenth of pound as that is what my digital scale shows.

I will track my compliance on Joe’s Goals. This platform allows me the level of granularity I anticipate I will need. In addition, I will track the specifics about exercise (type and time) on the President’s Challenge website.

I will post my on-going data here as I'm able. After 31 days I will evaluate when or whether I will continue this project. I anticipate not being able to weight at least four days over the next 31 as I will be traveling. I will be traveling even more in June so I may resume in July or even August.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon May 09, 2011 12:58 pm

I gained 3.5 lbs this weekend!

Ok, so I doubt I really gained that much. Still, it's instructive to see the impact of S days. Interesting.

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Post by Grammy G » Mon May 09, 2011 6:44 pm

Sounds like a great idea here, Blithe! I will be following closely!
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed May 11, 2011 1:06 pm

Down 2.4 lbs in 2 days. Again, I doubt I really "lost" that weight. So far, still compliant with all the Doable Fitness requirements. Doing research I think makes it easier to be compliant in that I want a clean data set.

Thanks Grammy. I'm nerdish enough that I think approaching this from a scientific perspective is fun. It's not sustainable for the long haul, but intermittent sampling of dose/response really does help you understand YOU.

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Post by Who Me? » Wed May 11, 2011 2:38 pm

Innnnteresting.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri May 13, 2011 10:51 am

Down 4.5lbs since I started. I'm on track with No S and workout requirements.

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Post by Grammy G » Fri May 13, 2011 1:28 pm

WhoooHoooo!! The power of doing what you set out to do !!! Here's another WhooHoo for good measure :D!!!
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon May 16, 2011 2:32 pm

Interesting, but one of the unintended consequences of daily weighing is that I did calm down my S days, which definitely needed calming. This is both good and bad, in that (good) my S days are calmer and (bad) I don't think daily weighing/charting is sustainable for the long term so I won't really know what happens to my weight once I stop.

I also averaged my weight for the past ten days and found I'm almost 4 lbs lighter than what I thought I weighed.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed May 18, 2011 10:56 am

I'm sure most of you know this, but ...er, "elimination" (ok, I'll say it - urination) before you weigh makes a difference. This morning's before weight, 145.4, the after weight, 144.6. This is why weight can be so fickle and we shouldn't give too much importance to one measurement.

Based on the observations of the last two weeks, my weight drifts down from S induced weight gain over the weekend. Again, I don't think this is fat but rather retained water or something else. What I do think is significant (maybe) is that my weight overall is lower this week than last by about a pound or so. For example, today's weight is 144.6. Last Wednesday's weight was 145.8. I don't know yet if this is just a result of having a calmer S day or represents actual fat loss.

Compliance is going well except for one unusual area. I'm exercising more than I intended. I wanted to do 30 minutes a day 5-6 times a week. Because the weather has been so nice, last week I averaged 50 minutes a day. Yesterday, I did my regular workout (about 45 minutes, actually) and then joined some friends for a walk. It was just a walk, we had a dog and two 5 year olds and a stroller with us so it wasn't high powered speed walking, but it was still 45 minutes of walking (minus a few minutes to wait for the 5 years olds, you know how THAT goes).

So, my data won't show me what is the response to a bare minimum dose of fitness and nutrition but rather the response to a doable but somewhat accelerated dose of fitness and the minimum dose of nutrition (aka Vanilla No S). In the winter time, it can be tough to get in that much exercise unless I take a fitness class. I might have to re-run this experiment seasonally.

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Post by kccc » Wed May 18, 2011 6:20 pm

Sounds like "the experiment" is going well.

And I'm not surprised about "more exercise" - I've long thought that "a body in motion tends to stay in motion / a body at rest tends to stay at rest" is not just physics, but an important statement about people!

Congrats on the weight loss!

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Post by Grammy G » Thu May 19, 2011 12:49 pm

Thanks for posting in so much detail. I am sure you are addressing areas that many of I wonder about..but do nothing to beyond that :oops: ! You are answering the questions for us..plus reminding us that we are not simply objects in a controlled experiment. :idea: Life happens! How great that you are having wonderful weather and that meeting friends involves walking and not eating cake while watching the rain fall! (I, of course, know nothing about doing that! :shock: ) Good for you!
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
Peace Pilgrim

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri May 20, 2011 11:35 am

I averaged my weight last week and this week and I'm three quarters of a pound lighter this week. As I mentioned above, this all could be within the normal variation and not representative of any weight loss.

My goal isn't really weight loss but finding out what happens to my weight when I am compliant with Doable Fitness. It's good to know that I'm not gaining. And just for the record, this was having eaten three pieces of pizza Wednesday night. Don't fear pizza, people (unless you are lactose intolerant, of course).

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sun May 22, 2011 12:30 pm

S days continue to be tamer, thanks to the daily weight monitoring. Yesterday was walking day. I walked in the morning with friends. After our walk, I came home and mapped our walk on Google Earth using the path utility. We walked 3.5 miles, at about a 20 minute mile.

My eldest son wanted to take us out to lunch to our favorite local pizza place which is up the road in the mall, about .85 miles according to - again - Google Earth. Since I'm doing the 2 mile challenge we walked, even though my youngest son didn't "want to get my clothes sweaty" so he drove.

On the 2 mile challenge website, you can map the 2 mile radius around your house. There is a lot I can do within that two miles; the library, the Y, the grocery store, Wal-Mart. Living in a small town means most everything is within 2 miles. Fortunately, our town is quite walkable and to a lesser degree bikeable.

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Post by Grammy G » Sun May 22, 2011 8:43 pm

Just went to the 2 mile challenge website and found it very interesting. I too live in a small town, but the outskirts of it. We have no sidewalks in many areas that I would need to walk but..there are many places I never thought about being so close! I often walk to the grocery store (.51 m) but never thought of walking to the local Starbucks..which the site tells me is even closer (.35 m).. there are also several restaurants that we ladies-who-lunch frequent.. next time I will be walking! TX for the eye opener..and you can see that I am keeping track of how things are going for you!
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue May 24, 2011 1:36 pm

Thanks for the cheers, Grammy. And good on you for finding opportunities to walk. Really, it's win/win/win all the way around. I don't know why more people don't do it.

So, my weight this week is about 0.5 lbs higher than Tuesday last week but still following the downward trend from Monday to Friday.

I'm still compliant with all the requirements though yesterday I was tempted to do some emotional eating. I suspect hormones might be at play.

I am in my final week of a Presidents Active Lifestyle Award challenge, having completed at least 30 minutes of exercise/day, 5 days exercise/week, 6 weeks out of 8.

I will still keep posting minutes to the PALA site to earn a medal as part of the Presidential Champion challenge. In the President's Champion Challenge, your exercise is worth points determined by length and intensity. I'm about a third of the way to a bronze medal for which you have to earn 60,000 points . (Corny, but it motivates me).

There are people who have earned platinum medals which require a million points. Some of them have gotten multiple platinums. Since I average about 275 points a day for about 45 minutes of exercise at a moderate level, I can't imagine how long and hard the platinum medal earners must workout. I'm assuming they are marathoners or extreme athletes. At my current rate, it would take me 36,363 days or 121 years, assuming I worked out 300 days per year.

Suffice it to say, I'm never going to earn a platinum medal. Heck, a gold medal at 160,000 will take me almost two years assuming I don't get sick or injured.

Since I was a Presidential Council on Physical Fitness failure in elementary school, this is my chance to FINALLY succeed and get a patch with an eagle on it. And a certificate too!

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu May 26, 2011 11:22 am

I spent hours sandbagging last night as the low lying areas of our town might flood this weekend. Dinner was a hamburger and fries through a drive through at around 8PM as we were going from site to another. I expected a bump up in weight today because of eating the fast food but I was exactly the same as yesterday.

I won't have an opportunity to weigh Sat-Wed as I will be traveling. This messes with the data set some which is frustrating the geek in me but based on the three weeks of data I've collected I'm not concerned about weight.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri May 27, 2011 11:39 am

Yesterday I did not do a workout. Rather I spent three hours sandbagging. When I say three hours, that is my best guess of time actually spent filling and hauling sandbags. That's not the time I spent waiting in line at the sand bagging facility or the lunch break we took. I was pleased to see that the PALA tracker had a Lifting/Hauling category. So I entered three hours at moderate intensity (my muscles are telling me it was moderate intensity) and earned 609 points for each day. With those kinds of points, I'll be making my first bronze medal in no time.

Despite this work, my weight bumped up a bit this morning. I suspect either hormones or the canned sloppy joe sauce I used last night. I was exhausted when I got home and slppy joes was the easiest thing to make. The Del Monte brand mostly has ingredients I can pronounce and can recognize. The only one I don't recognize is "modified food starch" whatever that is. I was far too tired to make the sauce from scratch, which isn't hard but I was ravenously hungrey not having packed a lunch substantial enough to get me through an afternoon of physical labor. When DH tried the sloppy joe, the first thing he said was "This is really good." Then later in the evening he said "You knpw, that sauce was really salty."

If there was ever a day I was tempted to go off plan it was yesterday. First, I was hungry, really physically hungry. I was also tired and dirty. Then, I was emotionally drained, as the official communications about the flooding are becoming more ominous. The Army Corps of Engineers is going to release more water than originally reported and no one knows just what, exactly, will happen. My home is safe, but the homes of many of my friends are not and my workplace will probably be impacted in someway, including water in the basement and being an island, unreachable by car. Not good for a museum that utilizes its basement classroom for summer programs. Summer is a key revenue time for us. And finally, I stopped back in at work after sandbagging and was told about the untimely death of a co-worker's daughter.

Yesterday was not a good day.

I wanted to go off plan in the worst way. But wasn't Friday night dinner so I stayed on plan. Food is a powerful self medicator. Once you've been on No S a while, food is mostly a happy thing; it's something you enjoy often shared in the company of people you care about. But today is a new day, so we soldier forward. I get a short reprieve in that I will travel to see family for the Memorial Day weekend (Memorial Day is a somber holiday for me since my sons have been in the military) but then it will be right back to this. I predict it's going to be a long summer.

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Post by Grammy G » Fri May 27, 2011 11:47 am

My heart goes out to you. Stay strong.
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
Peace Pilgrim

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Post by kccc » Fri May 27, 2011 12:28 pm

Blithe,

Sending what emotional support I can from a distance. What can others do to help?
Food is a powerful self medicator. Once you've been on No S a while, food is mostly a happy thing; it's something you enjoy often shared in the company of people you care about.
This is really a profound reflection. I hope you recognize how impressive an accomplishment it is to NOT cave under truly extraordinary circumstances, AND to recognize the impulse so clearly.

Will be thinking of you.

KCCC

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat May 28, 2011 1:40 am

KCCC wrote:Blithe,

Sending what emotional support I can from a distance. What can others do to help?

Will be thinking of you.

KCCC
Thank you ma'm. Support, even from a distance, is appreciated. I don't think there is much that can be done from afar except to make a point to check over not only your home emergency plan but work too. My poor director's house is in danger and so she hasn't been able to think about what is needed at work at all. Fortunately, I am in a position where I can, so another woman and I cobbled together a plan. I don't think you need to become like Dwight Schrute on The Office, but it's important to have a sense of what happens if...

Also, I learned that the death of a co-workers daughter was as a result of domestic violence. So please, everyone, if you have daugthers give them self respect so they don't stay two minutes with an abuser. And if you have sons, give them enough self confidence that they don't feel they have to control and intimidate a woman in order for her to stay.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:42 am

Back from my short vacation. I didn't have access to a scale but I was able to get my requisite walking in. My S days were extremely tame and on my one day of non-compliance (aka failure) the failures were small, mere dings to use KCCC's analogy of car wrecks. Since I was visiting my family and we eat very light, even full plates were not a concern. And of course, last night I went out sandbagging for two hours.

All this to explain my new low on the scale this morning.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:21 am

I'm traveling again so I can't get on the scale. I'm trying not to mind that this is going to affect my data set. But I've been spot on with vanilla No S compliance and exercise so I would venture to say that my weight will remain stable.

Yesterday, I took a long walk which is easy to do when you are out of town on business and have free evenings. It was nice to not sandbag or haul stuff out of flood's way.

June is going to be an erratic month for weighing as I will be traveling at least twice more. But given the data I've collected, I am confident that my weight will remain stable if I continue with my "dose" i.e. no S and 45-60 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week. I will continue the daily weigh-ins for a while just to see. Once I get a nice robust data set, I will post a graph.

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Post by Grammy G » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:42 am

i am awaiting your result entry! ( I can't imagine it will be anything but good.)
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:36 am

So last night I got home from Zumba class and was hit with a wave of nausea. Ew. It passed quickly so I thought maybe I'm hungry. I loaded up my plate of hamburger, chips, beans, 3 bean salad and fruit cup, enjoying every mouthful. After dinner, I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep. I dozed intermittently until it was time to go to bed and slept hard and long. This morning, I'm exhausted. I think I might be coming down with something.

Despite my large plate with salty food items and inactivity and feeling bleh, my weight is still down 1.2 lbs from yesterday. Sometimes, I think No S is magic.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:40 pm

I walked to work yesterday and today. It's a wee bit more than 3 miles and takes a wee bit under an hour counting stop lights and such things. Spot on with No S compliance. I did pile the plates yesterday, just because I felt the need although this morning I wasn't hungry till after my walk to work.

What with all the disruption in normal life because of the floods, I am feeling very unfocused and scattered. It's times like these that I rely on habit and routine to carry me through. So last night after dinner, I got to shining my sink and swishing and swiping per Flylady just to help me feel like I was accomplishing something. I can't imagine trying to get through a horrific natural disaster a la Joplin, MO without some sort of built in structure and pattern to my life.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:15 am

Per my promise above, this is a graph of my daily weight with a trend line. These results are from strict vanilla No S with one minor fail, half plate veggies for most meals, day time vegetarian, at least 45 minutes of exercise 5 days a week that include two days of weight training at about 15 minutes a session although it was often more.

Image

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Jun 15, 2011 6:36 pm

Crumpled the fender by 10AM. I really wanted some chocolate decadence last night for our anniversary but had creme brulee (yum) and cannoli (meh) instead.

So today at work there were two pieces of chocolate which I ate. It's a fail but I got my chocolate so I'm satisfied.

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Post by kccc » Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:15 pm

If you can keep it a "contained fail" (don't wreck the car!), you'll be doing well for the day. :)

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Post by Grammy G » Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:37 pm

That is exactly why I had a Big Mac for dinner several nights ago! I had planned to prepare a nice grilled fish dinner but all I could think about, food wise, all afternoon was a Big Mac! I knew if I made the fish..I would still want that greasy burger and be miserable until I got it! that is one of the best things about No S ..I could have it! Your two pieces of chocolate are nothing more than two pieces of chocolate..a "ding" in the fender.. hubby won't even notice it.. then you can blame it on him later (..and I'm talking literally and figuratively :wink: )
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:24 pm

I went out of town this past weekend. On the plus side, the Minneapolis airport has a nice 1.4 mile walking route laid out. A nice brisk walk was just the ticket after a long drive and flight. On the down side, it also has a fancy pants candy store so I bought a cafe au lait truffle for $2.50. It turns out I don't like cafe au lait truffles, way too intensely sweet. I did have some of DH's caramel sweet which really was an upscale rice crispy treat. Really, I'm sticking with Ben and Jerry's ice creams. I"m currently on a Everything But the Kitchen Sink kick.

I was tired from the trip yesterday I skipped exercise, my first exercise "fail" since I started this. I also didn't exercise this morning. I'll go after work. I don't know what it is, but I've been tired lately. Also, I've noticed some odd joint stiffness and soreness. Moderate exercise does seem to help. I'll keep doing that till it doesn't.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:25 pm

Life got unraveled since my last post. However, despite being in the field for three days and an over top 4th of July (oreo fluff) my weight has been stable.

My new favorite treat is olives, pimentos and blue cheese chopped into a spread and served on a pumpernickel bread. A stout beer makes this double delicious.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:51 am

Still going strong and still losing. I'm down to a new low. Another two pounds or so and I will be at the point where I will want to maintain. I am at the age where being too thin makes one ... droop.

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Post by Linguisticsgirl » Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:05 pm

Blithe Morning wrote:

My new favorite treat is olives, pimentos and blue cheese chopped into a spread and served on a pumpernickel bread. A stout beer makes this double delicious.
Oh wow!

That sounds utterly delicious!

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:41 pm

Linguisticsgirl wrote:
That sounds utterly delicious!
It is knee-bucklingly, whimperingly good. In fact, I think I will make some up for this weekend.

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Post by Grammy G » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:47 pm

I bought some blue cheese stuffed olives for the first time last week and have been adding them to sandwiches, salads, plain... love that combo! An good icy beer ..yum (I've been having a gin/tonic or wine with my olive and cheese combos.) Sorry I didn't read your thread before I had dinner tonight!
Oh.. yea! for you on reaching your goal! I agree with you too thin just doesn't work as we get older.. it is, frankly, aging!
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
Peace Pilgrim

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Post by oolala53 » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:47 am

Lots of great data. With all that exercise, you must feel pretty vital and strong!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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Post by r.jean » Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:19 am

I found this very interesting. Thanks for posting!
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:31 am

Still compliant, still losing. Last night for the first time in I don't know how long I was tempted to eat after dinner. It was partly psychological, partly physical, I think. I am down another pound or so from my previous post and after doing a guesstimate calorie count of the meals I've been eating, I see why. I need to slowly start adding more to my meals, specifically lunch and breakfast.

As a daytime vegetarian, adding calories is going to require a little more prep. I hope if I add nuts, beans, and/or a piece of fruit to lunch that should help me maintain my weight. I could do cheese, I guess, but would rather not make that the default I have yogurt for breakfast and would like to keep lunch vegan on most days of the week.

And for the record, I've never had this challenge of not wanting to lose too much weight. Never. In my book, more weight lost was always better.

So for you that are new to this or are wondering if you can lose weight on No S, I'm here to say that I did. And it was those last few stubborn pounds that only came off before with extreme dieting and exercise.

Now the new challenge will be maintaining. This is actually a little scary for me as it's completely and totally new.

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Post by Grammy G » Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:33 pm

I hope to be able to refer to your journey in maintenance someday! You always face issues with inquiry/facts/experimenting to see what works for you/and a nice dash of questioning results and yourself... which in my mind keeps the whole thing real!
I ,too, seem to do my best when I keep meats to one meal a day (and starches to two.) I have really gotten away from that and, since I am starting a new "21" today... I am going to make that my "secondary" goal.. In my head that is something I don't count for success but see how well I do with the concept before I make it a "must follow" on the next 21 . This probably makes sense to only me! :shock:
Anyhow.. thank you for being so honest and so scientific and sharing so much. I for one really appreciate it and learn from it.
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think another negative thought."
Peace Pilgrim

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Aug 04, 2011 6:42 pm

You are going to rock the maintenance, Grammy G. And I totally get where you are coming from w/r/t the secondary. In my world, I have rules and guidelines. No S is the rule, daytime vegetarian is the guideline.
I've dinged the car today with mints. It's a tapeworm day where I am stomach rumbling, can't think about anything else, hungry. I scarfed a minibag of peanuts and pita chips with lunch (leftover from my last SWA flight) I'm blaming the bagels for breakfast.

I was trying to hold off on drinking the protein powder mix until just before I went to the Y at 4 but I'm far too hungry to work so I'd better drink it now so I can get something done.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:41 am

Whew. Thursday was a rough day, hunger wise. Friday was a little better at least I wasn't hungry all day long, just at various times. Had a beer with dinner, plus a second consisting of half a soft shell taco. Had a small ice cream later in the evening. Of course, I'm up .8 lb this morning but given how hungry I was earlier, I don't care.

Whenever I get that hungry, I think about the places in the world where eating a little bit more just isn't an option because there is no money to buy more food. I know that I am beyond blessed that I can get more food and that the food I can get can be nutritious, fresh and good tasting which isn't always the case in impoverished areas.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:37 pm

Weekend was typical. Today is going fine. Still wondering what happened on Thursday to make me so ravenously hungry.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Aug 10, 2011 2:41 am

Today, I received a certificate and patch for earning a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. As an annual President's Council on Physical Fitness award loser in elementary school, this was something of salve to my chubby 9 year old self. Back in the day, the Physical Fitness award involved climbing a rope and the 50 yard dash.

I'm currently working on the Presidential Medal. I'm close to bronze. My goal is to earn silver by the London 2012.

Oh, and I intentionally was non-compliant tonight. My son asked for a family trip for ice cream before he leaves for college. I'm not worried about it. I have no other NWS days this month - no birthdays, no holidays, no anniversaries. I will mark it as non-compliant and get right back on track.

One final thing, I learned 85% dark chocolate is too dark. urg.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:26 pm

Still on track with habits including No S and exercise. Yesterday I walked with a friend. It was good. She's about 3 inches shorter than I am but really hustled!

Today I went home for lunch because I was teaching class nearby. I plated my lunch (cuke/tomato salad in homemade ranch dressing, large piece of bread, a nice sized dollop of 3 been salad) and all fit comfortably on the inner portion of my plate. It must have been larger than normal because I was full.

Tonight is take out pizza and beer! Or wine, I haven't decided which yet. We have some salads to eat up and we always get cheesy bread too. I wish now that I didn't eat so much for lunch. Even a little pizza goes a long way in making me full.

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Post by oolala53 » Fri Aug 12, 2011 2:59 am

I've been out of the loop for awhile and haven't read all I missed, but things sound good!
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
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1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
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1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:37 am

Ooh, things ARE going well, plan wise.

Although last night (I start my S days with dinner on Friday nights) I overdid it with the ice cream and not just by a little bit either. Better ice cream than booze, I guess.

My eldest is going back to college today so I am a little bummed.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:49 pm

Too much ice cream on Friday. Too much white zinfandel on Sat. I had about half a glass more than the 2 glass ceiling and it made me dizzy. :P

Having clear, pre-determined yet generous boundaries is a good thing. It's rarely a good idea to exceed them.

Back on habit today. Meals are pretty much autopilot. We had sloppy joes for dinner with corn that someone picked Sat. night and gave us at church.

I was going to walk to work, then I wasn't, then I was... I didn't. Instead I went to the Y and did an elliptical trainer for 50 minutes.

I'm finishing up my last assignments for my Master's this week and then I will be done, done, DONE. But first I have to get through this week.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:17 pm

"Turbo pump" at the Y this morning. My arms have felt weak-ish all day.

Tonight's dinner will be chicken fajitas and brown rice w/ green chilis. Jamie Oliver's recipe of the week was Chicken Fajitas (and yes, I was inspired by this recipe) and his team wants you to post pictures on FB which, quite frankly, I don't understand. I think it must be part of pretending we all are on TV or something.

Anyway, I think the fajitas will be good.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:48 pm

The fajitas were awesome. And easy.

Slice up chicken breasts. Season*. Squirt with juice from fresh lime. Grill over med-low heat.

Slice up red and orange peppers and red onion. Toss in olive oil. Grill over med-low heat.

Serve with rice (seasoned, coarse chopped tomatoes, half a can of green chilis), lettuce, tortillas and cheese.

Tonight's dinner will be hamburgers. I'll walk with friends after work for about an hour.

* My all purpose Mexican seasoning is half a cup of chili powder, half a cup of cumin and a teaspoon of garlic salt. I use this in beans, rice, rice and lentils, on beef and now chicken.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:05 am

Research update:

I'm down to a new low this morning. I weighed 145.2 on the first Thursday, May 12 of my "research". Today, I weigh 133.2. My BMI went from 23.8 to 21.8. I have gone down a size in pants, from 12 to 10.

I continue No S with my mods:
Daytime vegetarian/vegan
Half plate of fruit/veggies
Homemade as often as possible, expanding to sauces and dressings.

My daytime eating has come to be lite, less than a full plate, though when I first started No S it wasn't that way. I've slowly modified to that, really not even aware I was doing it.

Dinners are more substantial, often fillling the surface of a plate that is 8 inches in diameter. This plate does have a 1 inch rim, giving the plate a true diameter of 10 inches but I rarely put food on the rims.

I occasionally supplement during the day with a protein drink in lieu of milk which I do not like.

Exercise is about 45-60 minutes a day, five days a week. Cardio is not intense, fast walking instead of running for example. Weight training at least twice a week. I do admit to try and lift as heavy as I can so I go to failure.

Weekends can be wild, though I don't snack much. My preferred dessert is ice cream (Ben and Jerry's), mostly because they use fair trade certified chocolate. I will have wine or occassionally beer on the weekends and every now and then during the week. I observe the glass ceiling (one fail).

I should say that it's taken me about two years of varying compliance with No S to get to this point. I don't think I could have achieved these results when I first started. I will be curious to see what happens in the winter. On one hand, the calorie content of my lunch will go up as I change over to soups. On the other, I will be more active at home in the evenings since I am almost done with my freaking Master's which means no more sitting on my duff in front of the computer every night reading, doing assignments or writing my thesis.[/list]

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Post by r.jean » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:29 pm

I am impressed!
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:31 pm

Went out of town for the weekend. Too bad I got sick. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:51 pm

Was compliant today but did not exercise. This UTI really knocked the stuffings out of me. I probably could have walked but just was not motivated. Tomorrow, back to exercising, even if lightly.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:50 pm

Made Zumba class last night. Today at worked, we hauled stuff around as the basement is still unusable from the flood. Everything is in different storage locations and we are trying to get like things together. Still feeling weak from the UTI so I will skip weight training tonight. I might go walk.

Not too sure about dinner. We are paying our respects to a local National Guardsman killed in non-combat related incident in Afghanistan during our usual dinner hour. I will probably get dinner around early, don't know if I will be hungry.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:51 pm

For the first time since I started, my weight has not dropped this week. I am comfortable here. I will continue with my inputs to see what happens to my weight.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:39 pm

Walked to work this morning. Slowly getting back on track with regard to exercise.

Weekends are slowly, slowly, slowly getting calmer. I notice that I am no longer emotionally anxious for them to come even if I still do indulge more than what is comfortable for me physically and spiritually. I want more enough and less too much. Gratitude has a lot to do with this. So does faith.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:38 pm

I did weight lifting this morning and took a 10 minute walk at lunch. I'll try for another 10 minutes around 3:30.

Last night I had grilled mushrooms on pumpernickel w/ homemade baked beans, chips and salad. The beans were mushy, perhaps because I froze them? Still good though. Next time I won't cook them as as long. Today's lunch was pumpernickel w/ hummus, num num num.

I am trying to keep up on my water drinking to reduce the chance of getting UTI. I just finished my course of antibiotics and have re-started a regimen of cranberry fruit pills since I figure I have a "clean slate". When I was taking the cranberry religiously, I seemed to fare better and don't recall getting an infection. Of course I did the usual thing of since I felt good, I stopped taking them...

I am also taking glucosamine chondroitin for joint pain, specifically my left knee which is doesn't like to bend past a certain point.

And of course, I drink red wine for the reservatrol ;) Plus, it is one of my grown up delights to drink a glass of wine and eat good cheese while watching Rick Steeves on a late Saturday afternoon. Now that college football is restarting (hard core Husker fans in my house), I may have to shelve that particular pleasure until winter.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:09 am

Cardio machines this morning. Compliant all day. Had dinner late because of church function so I was quite hungry. It took a while for the hunger to abate. I had beans on a hotdog bun, salad and chips. The beans were made with bacon so it wasn't vegetarian.

Last night at dinner, we had pot pie made by the Hutterites. I snitched a bit of crust off my son's plate. Fail, but gosh, I love crust.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:09 am

Cardio machines this morning. Compliant all day. Had dinner late because of church function so I was quite hungry. It took a while for the hunger to abate. I had beans on a hotdog bun, salad and chips. The beans were made with bacon so it wasn't vegetarian.

Last night at dinner, we had pot pie made by the Hutterites. I snitched a bit of crust off my son's plate. Fail, but gosh, I love crust.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:05 pm

I'm a pound heavier than I was last Thursday. I think this might be PMS related. I've noticed that about five days before menses, I nudge up a little in weight.

Today's workout will be weightlifting at the Y. The weightlifting class ends at the same time that I have to my dish at the football carb feed. Fortunately, DH can deliver tonight but I may just to have get it there a little late when he can't.

A little hungry but I will knock back a protein drink here in a bit to tide me over. Need to work on hydration too.

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Post by NoSnacker » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:15 pm

Hi thanks for the comment on my post in the off topic section on scriptures. I guess I didn't want to offend anyone and post on our general discussion board. As some feel it is inappropriate..I did check with Reinhard and he said he even has scripture on his open page.. I will check it out..

Have a great long weekend!
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Post by herbsgirl » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:20 pm

Blithe Morning wrote:Interesting, but one of the unintended consequences of daily weighing is that I did calm down my S days, which definitely needed calming. This is both good and bad, in that (good) my S days are calmer and (bad) I don't think daily weighing/charting is sustainable for the long term so I won't really know what happens to my weight once I stop.

I also averaged my weight for the past ten days and found I'm almost 4 lbs lighter than what I thought I weighed.
Thanks for this tip. I had wondered about wieghing after S days. I do weigh daily almost. For some poeple this doesnt work, but thanks for the tip. Sort of an automatic Negative Tracking!
SW 218.2 10-14-13
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3 mo 162.8
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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Sep 02, 2011 6:10 pm

Another technical fail last night. Snitched a bit of noodle from a salad. I don't get my smiley face for No Seconds. (I use Joe's Goals instead of Habitcal since I respond better to not getting a smiley than I do a red mark). This is the second such event in a week. Time to be strict with myself.

I am trying to decide if I want tacos tonight or wait until Sunday. I'm leaning towards tacos. I think they will make better eating than BLTs for my son who won't be eating till after the football game.

Monday is a holiday here in the US and I am going to make it an S event day. I will have time on Monday to make a pie. Or maybe I will make a peach cobbler. I dunno, but I have a hankering to do some baking.

Herbsgirl and No Snacker, thanks for posting. Glad I could be of help in your respective situations.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat Sep 03, 2011 5:12 pm

Saturday is farmer's market day and I bought five different heirloom tomatoes. I want to have a tomato sampling. According to my farmer's market friends, a crisp white wine is the perfect accompaniment. I think if I got some sharp NY white cheddar and fresh Parmesan we will have ourselves quite the feast.

Today is also the start of college football (Go Nebraska!). We will be having Chinese per the request of my son as a sort of celebration.

I went to Y this morning and did my one hour aerobics class. When I came home and entered my time in the President's Challenge tracker, I had accrued enough points to earn a bronze medal. I am ridiculously pleased about this.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sun Sep 04, 2011 9:14 pm

For lunch, I tried making soup out of a batch of homemade baked beans I had frozen (see Tuesday Aug. 30). I added too much water so they didn't taste very good. I decided to throw out the rest instead of forcing myself to eat it over the next few days. Usually, I hate hate hate wasting food but decided that making myself eat them wasn't worth it.

I spent about an hour and a half today shoveling and hauling dirt for my husband's earth oven. The one we are building is a little more complicated than this one, but the concept is still the same. Since it is a beautiful day today, I enjoyed being outside. Then I came inside and took an hour nap.

I really like to nap on Sunday afternoons.

And in non-food related business, I downloaded malware which spammed my entire address book. :x Ugh.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:01 pm

Even though I stayed home from work today, it's been quite busy. I got my drawers decluttered and the mud porch cleaned up. I walked for 45 minutes then I went for a cut and color. Did grocery shopping phase 1, and am on a short lunch break before going to grocery shopping phase 2. Which I will do, right after I hang up a load of wash.

We dug into the pie last night but there is still plenty. I'll have some for dessert after dinner, I think. No snacks, though. And no seconds.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 07, 2011 1:06 am

Compliant on all counts.

I was a pound heavier than last Tuesday. I wonder if I am slowly gaining weight.

Just to be clear, I am cool with this. My parameters are do-able fitness. If do-able fitness is a pound heavier this week, then that is what it is.

I also wonder if a few ounces (assuming I am truly gaining) might not be muscle mass. I've been hitting the weights pretty hard lately.

I also increased my food intake by a smidge. I added a piece of fruit a day and a bit of homemade salad dressing to my lunch salads. I was beginning to feel deprived. Even though it was gratifying to watch my weight slide down, I was concerned I was setting myself up for a ricochet. Life is too short to skip a banana.

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Post by NoSnacker » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:25 am

If you are increasing your weights I'm sure that is why, you know the old saying muscle weighs more than fat. You are burning more calories hence why you feel hungrier perhaps. I think adding a little to your meals might help.

I admire you for your fitness routine.

I always enjoyed either walking or my elliptical which I do 6 days a week, but have since added a little weight training for my upper body..

p.s. do you get enough protein seeing you work out so hard?
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Post by r.jean » Wed Sep 07, 2011 12:29 pm

I started to experience feelings of deprivation also as I increased exercise and like you I added food gradually. I agree with Nosnacker that including a little more protein was crucial.

As I read this post I thought that isn't it great that we are sensing our bodies' needs and adjusting our intake? This should be a natural thing to do, but for most of us it was not.

Keep up the great exercise!
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:50 pm

Cardio machines for 40 minutes this AM, 15 minute walkies at lunch.

I had the last scrapings of leftover homemade baked beans in additional to my usual salad, bread and fruit for lunch. Last night I did a taste test comparison between my beans and Bush's.

I won for flavor but DH gave the texture to Bush's.

Regarding the protein, I'm fairly certain I get enough. I don't count my tapeworm days where I just can't get full as a sign that I'm not. I've always had those, seemingly without rhyme or reason. On those days, even a protein drink doesn't help much. I do eat meat 4-5 (sometimes more) dinners a week and have a nice size portion at that, probably more than the recommended 3 oz.

Speaking of protein drink, I did have one today.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:46 pm

NoSnacker wrote:I
I always enjoyed either walking or my elliptical which I do 6 days a week, but have since added a little weight training for my upper body..
Very Biblical. She makes her arms strong :D

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:48 pm

We are having amazing weather. Dinner tonight will be on the deck, fettucine chicken alfredo, salad, bread and wine. I want to make it a little extra special as this will be our last meal home together for a few days. Tomorrow night, we travel for a football game and then I'm out of town on Saturday for five days.

My son will be at the football carb feed. We are on for desserts tonight so I'm sending over a huge thing of Oreo Pudding Fluff (pudding and cool whip with broken up Oreos). The Oreos even look like footballs.

Oreos were my favorite cookies as a kid. Did you know that Nabisco now makes this Triple Double Oreo? And even more amazing, the spokespeople are Eli Manning, Apolo Ono, Venus Williams and Shaquile O'Neil. There are over 50 different Oreo based products according to the Oreo Products page. That's a lot of variations on an Oreo.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:21 pm

I was tempted to do emotional eating last night due to some conflicts that came up that made me feel bad. Both last night and this morning walking to work I kept turning the matter over and over in my mind, trying to figure out what my position should be. I decided to go with my original position as it is most consistent with what I believe.

I feel better now and I'm glad I didn't cave as that never helps. Although today there are pie AND doughnut cake at work. Good thing the rules are stronger than I am.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:56 pm

I did my emotional eating last night! Technically not a fail since I start my S days on Friday night but it just goes to show just how deep rooted food as a soother can be. It didn't help that we were traveling 2 hours away to a foodball game and it's so easy to stop in the gas station and buy snacks.

I'm traveling today, too, and I did have a sweet for breakfast but otherwise decided today was going to be a modified S day. I brought my lunch so I could eat it at a picnic area. Ended up eating on the lawn at Little Big Horn National Monument which is a beautiful area despite so much pain and suffering it represents for all involved.

I will be conferencing most of this week. I won't get my usual workouts in but that's ok. I'm ready for a break. I can take long walks. I don't remember but I think I asked for the vegetarian plates when I registered. I won't be able to weigh daily but that's ok too. This is sort of a mini research question - how does Do Able Fitness work in the real world of conferences and travel?

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:27 pm

I really don't like working on Sundays. :P I dislike it so much that I am making today a No S day. We are scheduled to wrap up tonight at 8. I hope that I can sneak out for a 45 minute walk between the last session and dinner.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:55 am

I brought my own yogurt because I like full fat yogurt for breakfast. So breakfast was normal, lunch was maybe slightly heavier than normal (soup and salad) and dinner was about normal. Though the two pints of Moose Drool was not normal. I was tempted to have cookies for lunch and cobbler for dinner. I was saved from the cookies by the Rules. I was saved from the cobbler by the fact that it wasn't very good according to those who ate it.

Staying compliant at a conference is harder than I expected.

I walked for an hour this morning and tomorrow plan on going hiking in the afternoon. I'm worried the colleague I am going with with smoke my butt. She looks very fit.

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Post by kccc » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:39 pm

It is hard to be compliant at a conference. Good for you for trying! :)

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:09 am

Thanks, KCCC. I need to find my stride.

The hike went well. There were five of us and a baby so I didn't get left too far behind which is good as we were in bear country.

I did have two handfuls of almonds not because I was hungry but because they were passing them around after the hike. I did manage to refuse the cheese and the cliff bar. Apparently, people feel the need to eat before and after a hike. I don't do much group hiking - is this normal?

Off to dinner. The food here is so so, it's been easy to stay at one plate.

ETA: But not avoid the cheesecake which was so so.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:10 pm

I also caved this morning on having half a scone.

I will be glad to get home.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:27 am

Home!

Despite the fails (small and contained) and not being able to exercise, I did not gain any weight.

No S works, I tell ya.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:40 pm

Insanity approaches. Holy cow, why do I sign up for these things? I'm gone Tues-Thurs ever week in October. For one of those week it's Tues - Sun.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:27 pm

Whew. Made it though today. We had 300 kids through the center today and it's great fun, lots of energy and learning.... but lots of work building up to it. I'm pretty sure I stayed on habit. I dunno - it was so busy. I had a small homemade banana muffin for breakfast. Sandwich and soup for lunch. Water, coffee. I don't remember any other food.

I'm going to trust that my habits keep me from snacking when I'm busy and call it compliant.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:30 pm

I walked to work this morning. It was on the chilly side mainly because of the wind. Still, it's nice to be outside. I figure I have about a month, maybe two, before it becomes too cold for a three mile walk in the morning. Too bad, because it's an easy way to get in a good chunk of exercise.

I travel tomorrow, there and back same day. It's going to be a long day, 6AM to 5PM. I will bring breakfast and lunch. Lunch is provided at this event but it's always been a croissant sandwich. I think croissants are generally too rich for sandwich bread although I like one by itself.

Dinner tonight will be leftovers probably. We have a couple of hamburgers from Monday.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Sep 23, 2011 11:25 am

I don't know what happened last night but it was a major fail, all the way around: seconds AND sweets AND snacks.

I think contributing causes were:
1. I've stepped up my Flylady practice. I wonder if I have been using some of my "discipline muscle" on that.
2. The days are getting noticeably shorter. I have been affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder in the past and one of the symptoms is carb craving.

As with most No S related issues, the complete reason is probably some tangled knot of hard wiring, habit and external cue.

Thank goodness for a fresh start every day.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Sep 26, 2011 3:29 pm

Went to spinning class this weekend . It's been a while since I've been to one of those. I'd forgotten what a cardio workout they can be. I liked it so much I went back this morning. My schedule is such that I will be able to incorporate it into a weekly workout at least through the new year.

I really do think that getting overzealous with new Flylady habits contributed to going off plan this past week and over the weekend. No S is obviously not hard core, ingrained habit yet. It's becoming more natural but it still isn't quite yet my default mode. Hopefully, my brain is still pliable enough that No S will eventually be automatically what I do without thinking, even on S days.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:50 pm

Humdrum kind of day yesterday. Compliant all the way around.

Today, I have lentil stew for lunch, wishing I had a good hunk of whole wheat bread to go with it. I do have white Italian but it's not quite the same.

I am of the mindset that there is value in eating what is set before you and being thankful for it. You can go too far in that direction, of course, but in our overly consumeristic society where every little whim and fancy is catered to, it's good to not get exactly what I want sometimes.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Wed Sep 28, 2011 4:28 pm

On habit. Walked to work this morning; it was a lovely fall morning and I want to take every advantage of this nice weather. At best we have about another month.

It's been hectic around here lately. I notice I default more to mindless decisions when it gets busy. Some of the nobler reasons why I do No S seem to go right out the window. I mean, if I really, really, deep down believed that No S is part of a strategy to live more lightly upon the earth and not take more than I need, then that should carry over into weekends. Which it hasn't judging by this past weekend. I took way more than I needed.

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about foregoing a celebratory indulgence or even enjoying a special treat. I'm talking about taking something just because I can. I've railed against Wall Street types for doing the same thing. This is something of a log and speck moment.

I have great hope though that with continued and on-going No S practice that the desire for more can be replaced with the intrinsic moderation of contentment with enough.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:32 pm

Pizza for dinner last night. I love a good cheese pizza.

I've noticed my weight has been creeping slowly back up from my low of 133.2. I think this will be good motivation to help calm the weekends. I'm a little chagrined in that it's taking the threat of weight gain to help me manage weekends better. But it takes what it takes and the outcome of taking only what I need is still the same, regardless of the motivation.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:16 pm

I am toying with adding another guideline. In addition to the No S Rules, I have guidelines which I strive for most of the time. Guidelines different from rules in that I don't track them and as long as I'm hitting them most of the time, I consider myself good:.

My current guidelines:
Guideline 1 is 1/2 of my plate is veggie or veggie and fruit.
Guideline 2 is daytime vegetarian.

The guideline I'm going to test run over the next few weeks is homemade treats when at home.

My reasons for doing this aren't just weight related, though I would be lying if I said weight didn't matter. But as with the other guidelines, my goal is environmental health, personal health and financial health. Plus, it's a spiritual discipline as well to not take more than you need. It's my modern day application of Leviticus 19:9-10.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:16 pm

The homemade treats when at home guideline had a good start. I did have some Halloween oreos in the house that I indulged in but as I said, this is a guideline, not a rule.

If this is going to work, I think I will need to master a few basic dessert recipes. So far, I think chocolate chip cookies/bars, snickerdoodles and maybe one other thing, such as crisp or cobbler. I am very motivated right now, but I want to build sustainability into it so that when I get busy or unmotivated it will be easy to maintain.

Exercise over the weekend was good. Aerobics class on Saturday, some urban rangering home from the library on Sunday. We are having a heat spell. I didn't realize is but it was 93° when I was walking home. No wonder I was headachey the rest of the day.

October is going to be an insane travel month. I travel every week. Yikes!

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:47 pm

On the road. I brought my lunch with me so I had my PBJ and banana in the car.

Worked out this morning at home. I brought my workout clothes, I'll get in a hike tomorrow.

Dinner tonight came on three plates: bread, salad and main course. It probably was more than I would have eaten at home but it was pretty close to a full plate. As the lovely and talented wosnes has done, I didn't have seconds and only took one of each offering. I think that's a decent mod for when you are eating out, especially if one of the courses is salad.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:12 am

Long walk yesterday. Not exactly a hike but it will do.

It was also something of a tapeworm day. It didn't help matters that dinner was late and I didn't have my protein powder fix. So dinner was a really, really big vegetarian burrito, but still one plate.

Dinner is going to be late again today as I won't eat till I get home, probably somewhere around 9PM. We'll see. I may try to grab a sandwich somewhere.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:24 pm

Lunch yesterday was called vegetable pasta primavera but looked more like a fettucini alfredo with a few veggies thrown in as an afterthought. It was a huge serving and I was hungry. So I ate every last noodle despite the fact it wasn't that good. It kept me full for quite a while till I was able to grab that above mentioned sandwich - a 6" veggie from Subway.

No exercise as I was in an exhibit hall all day and then had a long drive home.

I'm really glad that this type of travel is not all I do for my job. I'm a homebody for many reasons, not the least of which is it's easier to stay on habit.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sat Oct 08, 2011 5:06 pm

Didn't exercise yesterday either. Two days in a row without working out - I don't recommend it unless sick. Which I wasn't. I did hit the Y this morning.

Homemade treats when at home is going well. I rocked the blondies I made last night. Maybe I'll make something w/ pumpkin for later in the weekend.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Sun Oct 09, 2011 11:27 pm

I made pumpkin bars yesterday. I noticed that the recipe from 1986 called for a 16oz can of pumpkin but the can I had was 15. The size has probably shrunk in order to keep the price low. The bars came out good but not terribly pumpkiny. I put them in the freezer and they do taste better. Plus they are out of sight so I'm less tempted to snitch.

This week I travel out of state on a plane so I'm limited in the food I can bring with me. Since it is a meeting on climate change, I hope I can continue with my daytime vegetarian guideline. You would think there would be options but I've disappointed in these matters before...

Exercise might be a challenge. The fitness room has two treadmills, a recumbent bike and free weights. Looking at a satellite it looks like I'm smack dab in the middle of a developed clutter so walking option seem limited. Where there's a will there's a way, though.

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Post by r.jean » Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:31 am

Do you have a mini DVD playèr? When I traveled a lot I did WATP in my hotel room.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Blithe Morning
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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:03 am

What's WATP?

r.jean
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Post by r.jean » Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:19 pm

Leslie Sansone Walking away the pounds. I have a set that includes a 1, 2, or 3 mile walk with or without hand weights. There are others on this forum who use her DVDs too. They are not hard but you can put a little more effort in as you choose to make them a bit more of a work out.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:46 pm

r.jean, no I don't have a travel DVD player. Normally, I could use my laptop but I'd rather not bring that for this trip if I don't have to.

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Post by r.jean » Mon Oct 10, 2011 11:14 pm

Too bad...I was given one for Xmas when I travelled a lot, and it is an easy way to get exercise done in a hotel room. As you say putting a dvd on a laptop is an option.but mine does not have a cd drive.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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