GKU Gets Healthy - Monday Check-In

[requiressnacks]

Good morning ladies and hugs for everyone who went back to work today. Thought it would be fun to have a January check-in regarding healthy choices. I started a diet today and I'm sure I'm not alone.

So....without further ado:

1. What healthy changes are you making this week?

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.

[DariaMorgendorfer]

This is a great idea, requiressnacks! I'll play.

1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Started a Whole30. Basically 30 days of no dairy, no grains, no sugar, no legumes, no alcohol, and no processed foods.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Workout 4 of 7 days, stick to the Whole30.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? Run another marathon this year.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. Setbacks happen. Just keep at it.

[requiressnacks]

1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
This is the first week of my diet, er, heathy lifestyle. So I am focused on meal prep and eating healthy. No more cookies and processed crap.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
I would like to return to the gym, even if just once. I have not stepped in my gym since Oct. 23, right before my Vegas trip.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?
Get back to a reasonable weight. I spiraled out of control after my loss.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful
I weigh and portion out all of my snacks. All you need is a food scale and some Ziploc bags. You'd be shocked at how small 1 oz of nuts is.

[ironbaby]

Thanks, requiressnacks. I really enjoyed when we used to do this.


1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
I am restarting my running, with more focus on speed and strength without the added burden of distance.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
Get 4 days of running in, with one day of yoga. Make small, healthy meal choices.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?
Lose 20 pounds, get back to racing at PR speed.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.
Plant Nanny (free app) to track my water consumption. Also drink one 24 ounce bottle of water before I can eat a mid-morning snack.

[requiressnacks]

Good luck on the Whole30, DariaMorgendorfer! I know there are a few other people starting that today too.

[requiressnacks]

ironbaby, you inspired me to fill my water cup. That's a great "rule"!

[judyblume14]

1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
Incorporating more whole/fresh foods into my family's diet. More stuff from the perimeter of the grocery store... less "shelf" stuff.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
4 workouts, 1 of them being yoga

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?
Slowly make my way back to paleo (this works better for me than shocking my soul into a Whole 30. God bless you ladies who can do that!). I'd also like to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight/body-shape. Though I reserve the right to drop this goal if I every GKU.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.
Never skip a Monday workout or cheat on your diet on a Monday. Monday sets the tone for the week, and if you screw up, it's easy to fall into the "I'll start next week" trap.

edited to fix formatting

[judyblume14]

starbuck27, honest question. Are you eliminating cottage cheese from your thighs or diet? :-P

I ask because I know a lot of people eliminate dairy from their "clean" eating. But cottage cheese* is the one thing I refuse to give up when eating paleo-ish.
(*by "cottage cheese" I mean "any cheese")

[pinkcat]

Thanks for starting requiressnacks, I love these threads.


1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Getting back into my workouts, I let them slip during the holidays.


2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Workout at least 3x during the week, keep my eating as healthy as possible. Drink lots of water.


3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? Incorporate more strength training into my workouts. I typically do only cardio and want to get better about strength training.


4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. In the Parenting Diet Bet Thread over the fall, there was a link to a calculator to figure out how many calories you should be eating. (I think it's also in the current thread) I found this to be REALLY helpful because when I used to think "diet" I would assume I needed to eat 1200 calories (1500 if I worked out) and I had a really hard time with this. The calculator put me more between 1750-2000 calories, and by following this for a few months I lost significantly more weight than I was previously. I am down now about 22 lbs and feel so much happier and satisfied every day if I can have 1750 vs. 1200 calories.

[sleepymonkey]

I really need this! Thanks for starting, requiressnacks!

1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
I'm starting back on Weight Watchers. It worked for me in the past so I'm hoping it still works. They just started a new points system so I'm having to learn the way they do things again.


2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
I want to go to the gym or at least walk around my neighborhood at least once. Working out has been a huge struggle since having DD 2 years ago and working FT. I have not figured out how to fit it in.


3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?
To get my blood pressure under control through diet (I know it's creeping up again and I don't want to go back on meds) and to lose probably 40 lbs, which would still make me technically overweight by BMI standards but I think BMI is BS and I care more about how I feel and how I look. And for vanity sake, I would really just like to get back in to single digit pant sizes.


4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.
Get a food scale. WW requires you to weigh and portion your food so they can tell you the point value. When I first started WW, it was a real eye-opener to see just how small a portion of many foods is. We're so used to "super-sized" meals that our view of what a reasonable portion is is really skewed.

[pivot]

Think I'll join in! The more accountability the better right? Thanks requiressnacks !


1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
Starting the 21 day fix... Basically clean eating/portion control/30 minute exercises 

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
Stick to the eating portion of the diet for the week + work out 4 of the 7 days. Also try to run at least twice this week. I signed up for our city's annual 10K again this year and I want to shave at least 5 minutes off of my time from last year. I guess this could also be in the long term goal?

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal?
I would love to get back to my size when we got married. Still have 2 pants sizes to go. 

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.
Meal prep. Seriously my diet's would be sabotaged without it. I buy disposable portioned containers off of amazon and on Sundays I prep all of my breakfasts, lunches & snacks for the week. No dishes & no temptations since it's all ready to go in the mornings. 

Good luck to everyone who is starting this week!!! 

[rooskie]

Thanks Snacks. I too waited until today to start the healthy living thing.


1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Log everything into MFP, drink at least half a gallon of water a day, log 10k+ steps at least 4 days.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Logging the food in hopes to eat less snacks.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? I have gained 10lb since we started TTC so I want to get it back off before we possibly have to do IVF later this year. And I want to increase my running speed.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. I always eat less crap when I'm forced to log it into MFP and share my daily food log. Also, if I take the chips, etc off the counter at home I'm less likely to snack while cooking.

[requiressnacks]

sleepymonkey, keep me posted on how the new WW plan is. I had lost with WW in the past, but got away from it. Oprah was totally speaking to me this week though.

[daisy818]

This is a great idea - thanks requiressnacks!

1. What healthy changes are you making this week? I just started Weight Watchers today (after calling to confirm that I can get a refund for unused months if I get pregnant). So far, I've entered my delicious morning coffee and found out that is 1/3 of my daily points. Time to find an alternative!


2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Work on figuring out foods that I can eat while staying within my daily points, and trying to stick within my point totals as best I can. Also want to try to walk every day during my lunch hour.


3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? I'd like to lose weight, obviously, but I also hope to increase my exercise/activity levels, which are currently close to zero.


4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. Well, I found ironbaby's water consumption app suggestion to be helpful and just downloaded the app!

[notagoddess]

Thanks for starting, requiressnacks. I really need this today. My body's a freaking mess.

1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Reduce sugar intake, cut out alcohol, and get back to a fitness routine

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week?
-No sweet snacks, drinks, or desserts
-Work out at least 4 days this week (including one yoga and one group fitness class)

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? I want to get into a fitness routine for the winter. I'm home all day but without a car, and it's too cold and icy to bike to the gym. I've been using this as an excuse to be lazy.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. When I'm debating whether to work out or not, I remember that I almost never regret working out. I usually regret skipping the workout. 

[requiressnacks]

pinkcat, did you use the USDA calculator?

[DariaMorgendorfer]

Guise. I'm so proud of all of us!

[mikaela20]

Thanks for this requiressnacks! Great idea!


1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Cutting out bread and other carbs and sugars but keep brown rice. Also only drinking 1 small morning coffee then 2 green teas during the day. I have switched my pnv time to after dinner time.


2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Doing at least one at home yoga session and swimming once this week. Hopefully lose 1-2lbs by the end of the week.


3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? Lose 35 lbs and increase endurance for this 5k running thing I signed up for with SIL in the summer.


4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. Nothing yet, it's my first day so we will see if I learn anything this week.

Edited copied text and missed question

[daisy818]

Jan 4, 2016 9:34:01 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

sleepymonkey , keep me posted on how the new WW plan is. I had lost with WW in the past, but got away from it. Oprah was totally speaking to me this week though.

I did the WW points program back in late 2013/early 2014 and I liked it - it helped me to eat better and lose some weight.  But I've gained it all back and then some since I stopped, so time to try it again.  I really like that I can still eat what I like, but I have to factor it in and make tradeoffs.  Although this new points program seems to have changed the daily values for some things (like my coffee) and while at first I thought I was getting more points, it's just because they increased the minimum daily number of points.  I'm apparently still at the bare minimum   If I ever get a fitbit it also can link that to your account to track your FitPoints.

[cookswithwine9]

1. What healthy changes are you making this week?
Back healthy eating, cutting out processed food and sweets that have crept back into my diet. Also reducing my alcohol intake... The holidays were intense!

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Walk the dog at least a mile a day + healthy eating described above. Go back to a weight watcher meeting... I have no idea what I'm doing with this new point system!

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? Lose 10-15 lbs, Fit comfortably into my work pants.

4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful. My weight watcher leader told me that if you screw up, you can fix it with the very next thing you put in your mouth. You don't have to wait until Monday or even the next day to start fresh. The visual that has stuck with me is if you pop a tire on your car, would you go around and pop the other 3? Or would you change the one popped tire and continue on?

[mikaela20]

@sleepmonkey I was successful with WW as well and am trying to do it on my own. My mom and aunt will also start and we will do weekly weight ins to try to stay accountable. Hopefully it will work. We are sticking with the old Points Plus because that's what all my books and calculators are. Keep me posted on the new program and your success with it

[Deleted]

So my short term health goals revolve around getting MH to make changes in his life. He's 5'9" and 300 lbs. His eating habits make it difficult to maintain mine because is the main cook.

1. What healthy changes are you making this week? Less snack foods. My MIL needs to stop buying the ice cream he likes to binge on.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for the week? Eat more balanced meals, avoid takeout.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? More healthy weights, less health problems.


4. Share a health/fitness tip that you've found helpful.

[sleepymonkey]

requiressnacks, I saw those WW commercials last week and was like "OMG, Oprah! You get me!"

ironbaby, I don't track my water but I always make myself drink a bottle of water before I eat or drink anything in the morning. I'm usually really good about drinking a lot of water but lately I have slacked a lot and my CM (or lack of) is really showing it.

daisy818, It's crazy how many points coffee can take up if you drink it any way other than black! I use sugar free flavored creamer and Equal so the points aren't ridiculous. In the past, I made the decision to not track my coffee because I never used all of my weekly points. But now that the plan is different and point values are different, I may have to start tracking.

[sleepymonkey]

Jan 4, 2016 10:01:13 GMT -5 daisy818 said:

Jan 4, 2016 9:34:01 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

sleepymonkey , keep me posted on how the new WW plan is. I had lost with WW in the past, but got away from it. Oprah was totally speaking to me this week though.

I did the WW points program back in late 2013/early 2014 and I liked it - it helped me to eat better and lose some weight.  But I've gained it all back and then some since I stopped, so time to try it again.  I really like that I can still eat what I like, but I have to factor it in and make tradeoffs.  Although this new points program seems to have changed the daily values for some things (like my coffee) and while at first I thought I was getting more points, it's just because they increased the minimum daily number of points.  I'm apparently still at the bare minimum   If I ever get a fitbit it also can link that to your account to track your FitPoints.

I lost 40 lbs on WW back in 2012/early 2013 (after losing 30 lbs on South Beach). I loved the program and found tracking items almost like a game. Then I got KU so I stopped and fell back in to the terrible eating habits I had before, thinking "after I have the baby, I'll lose the weight since I know WW works for me." But I found it so incredibly hard to recommit to it after DD was born. And the terrible eating continued and I am here, weighing probably more than I weighed the day I gave birth (and I gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy). I'm not sure how I feel about this new system. I used to get the minimum daily points and only lost eating those and maybe half my weekly points. Having more daily points and less weekly points worries me a bit that I won't lose. And I really don't like the new online tracker. I used to participate in the WW message boards so I may jump back in there to see what people are saying.

[pinkcat]

Jan 4, 2016 9:43:07 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

pinkcat , did you use the USDA calculator?

Yep! Here's the link: www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/

I used that in conjunction with the TDEE and BMR links they posted (copied below) and played with the numbers some. The USDA link said anywhere between 1750 and 2000 calories a day I could lose weight, so I just did some trial and error over a few weeks. For me, 1750 seemed to be the "sweet spot" where I still felt satisfied and felt like it was a long term change I could adhere to, and still lose weight. Less than that made me fall of the wagon too often and feel like I was on a diet, and more than that and the weight was coming off slowly.

To use the below, I believe if you eat anywhere between your BMR and TDEE you will lose weight- more than the TDEE and you will gain. I'm not an expert though!


A BMR calculator gives the minimum calories you should eat in any day: www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

And a TDEE calculator gives an estimate of how many calories you'll burn with activity: www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

[sleepymonkey]

cookswithwine9, the tip your WW leader gave you is great. It is something I have always struggled with. When I screw up and have a bad day of eating, I just go "Screw it! The week is now blown so I may as well just eat whatever the hell I want." And I say I'll get back on track the next week but of course that doesn't happen. I need to learn that mistakes happen, it's not the end of the world, and it's really pretty easy to get back on track.

[kayladawn91]

1. What healthy changes are you making this week? This week I'm going to make healthier food choices and try to exercise at least 4-5 days.

2. What is a short term health/fitness goal for this week? I would like to lose a couple of pounds this week.

3. What is a long term health/fitness goal? Overall I want to lose about 60 lbs.

4. Share a health/fitness tip you've found helpful. Meal prep!!!!

[kayladawn91]

Thanks for all the great tips ladies!

[requiressnacks]

Jan 4, 2016 10:20:29 GMT -5 pinkcat said:

Jan 4, 2016 9:43:07 GMT -5 requiressnacks said:

pinkcat , did you use the USDA calculator?

Yep! Here's the link: www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/

I used that in conjunction with the TDEE and BMR links they posted (copied below) and played with the numbers some. The USDA link said anywhere between 1750 and 2000 calories a day I could lose weight, so I just did some trial and error over a few weeks. For me, 1750 seemed to be the "sweet spot" where I still felt satisfied and felt like it was a long term change I could adhere to, and still lose weight. Less than that made me fall of the wagon too often and feel like I was on a diet, and more than that and the weight was coming off slowly.

To use the below, I believe if you eat anywhere between your BMR and TDEE you will lose weight- more than the TDEE and you will gain. I'm not an expert though!


A BMR calculator gives the minimum calories you should eat in any day: www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

And a TDEE calculator gives an estimate of how many calories you'll burn with activity: www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

I used to always try to eat around 1200 calories when I was tracking on MFP and inevitably I would get derailed - especially on weekends.  I bumped mine up to 1700 and I'm going to try that out and see if it's more reasonable.

[pinkcat]

requiressnacks One thing I learned from lurking the Diet Bet thread was that MFP is notorious for way under estimating how many calories each day, and the general consensus was to completely ignore their guideline. Many people commented that 1200 calories a day is simply not enough and sends your body into "starvation" mode and you won't lose weight as quickly. I was really hesitant to try this because 1700 seems like a lot of calories to be able to lose weight still, but I have to say it really worked for me! Also, for me it was a much better plan long term- I can still go out to dinner, enjoy drinks, etc. as long as I do it all in moderation. 1200 a day just made me feel HANGRY and I couldn't sustain it for the long haul.