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FarrahJobling

FarrahJobling

FarrahJobling
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Messages
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I'm off today, but not for a fun reason. I have a check-up at the Doctor. Blech....I have gained so much weight during COVID that I know she's not going to be happy with me. Also...I'm of the age where I'm due for a mamogram soon...double blech!

Anyways...what are some ways you stay healthy? I need to lose weight, but also be healthier in general.
 
Well, I talked to a friend recently who I haven't seen in person since covid hit and I described myself as fluffy. :giggle So I'm right there with you. I have a work out buddy and we haven't been to the gym since last May. We are still walking three times a week, but that is just not cutting it. That... and I definitely ate my feeling a lot over the last year. Whoops! The healthiest I am, is when I use My Fitness Pal (app) on my phone to track all my food intake and exercise. I NEED to get back into that. I just keep saying later... and I need to either start working out at home or get back to gym, but I'm not quite ready for that. Mostly because I don't want to wear a mask while I work out. I can barely breathe while working out as it is! Sheesh! :giggle Also, water. I always feel so much better when I just drink more water.
 
Drink lots of water, like 10 cups a day. Get my sleep every night (goal is 7.5 hrs per my fitbit). Go for a walk every day, for as fast as I can to get in some cardio work-out (my neighborhood has hills so that helps). Try to eat no sweets & limit bread to one serving a day. And a big one for me because my weakness is snacking in the evening -- no food after 8pm even if my stomach starts to growl - just go to bed early and wake up hungry and refreshed. Otherwise, just eating healthy, avoiding processed foods, etc.

I lost 25 pounds doing the above, but then Covid came and I got slack on the habits and gained back 10. Been slowly getting back into them, but the No sweets rule is hardest for me.

And yes, get your mammogram. It is a short-term discomfort that can save your life.
 
soooo....I'm back...and it did not go well. =( It was worse than I thought....but I'm determined to get healthy! I have to go back in 6 months
 
@FarrahJobling I'm sorry your visit didn't go well. But you have determination to be healthy, and that's a big part of the process! Do you have a plan with your physician?

Are you scheduled for your mammogram? Please get one! Even after I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had an ultrasound so I knew where the cancer was, I never could feel it. That mammogram caught my cancer very early, so I'm definitely spreading the word. Like @BevG said, that discomfort could save your life.

The past year has been a rough one in many ways, so I feel you on gaining weight. I feel the best when I up my water. Physical activity isn't always in the cards for me, so I just do what I can. Sending ((HUGS)) and wishes for all the best for your health!
 
Sorry your news wasn't great but....be positive and find some small changes to get you started on a road to better health. I too gained last year, partly due to COVID eating and partly b/c of my back injury and not being able to jog anymore. But I haven't beat myself up about it, I just decided to make some changes these last few months to get back on track. I have been sticking to vegetarian (with a bit of eggs and cheese here and there) but had been eating out a lot so have greatly decreased that and have been sticking to little or no food after dinner during the week. I am allowing myself some nighttime snacking on the wkend but am trying to keep it fairly healthy i.e. grapes and a bit of dark chocolate or popcorn sprayed with coconut aminos and nutritional yeast sprinkled overtop.

What I need to do is get back into weightlifting. I can do a bit of that with light weights for toning but the heavier lifting I used to do is over, my back won't take it now.

Some other things are....drink more water, get out and walk more, get back into core exercises like planks, superman, bridge, etc.

I'm here anytime you want some meal ideas for plant based vegetarian options.
 
I’m sorry the appointment didn’t go well. Just a thought... Have you considered seeing a nutritionist? Most doctors only have a one semester class in nutrition, so it’s not something they are good at. That’s where a nutritionist really helps.

Even though I thought I didn’t need one I bit the bullet and made an appointment. It was amazing how supportive and encouraging she was, and she helped me out more than I ever thought she would. She got me on a healthy eating plan and made sure I was getting the proper vitamin and nutrition intake (% of daily protein, calories, fats and such that are needed). That way I could loose weight safely.

What helped the most was the My Fitness Pal app. You can use it for free, or pay an upgrade for extra stuff (I just stick with the free). It does two things: allows you to set your nutritional goals; and it has a database where you can scan qr codes so you don’t have to input everything. It really helped me just to know exactly what I was consuming.

Other than that I try to walk 2+miles, drink plenty of fluids (especially electrolytes) and drink at least one protein drink every day since I have a difficult time finding enough protein I can eat. I’ve gotten into a routine which has helped keep it up.

Just give a shout if you need encouragement. We’re all here for you. It’s not easy but you’ll start feeling so much better once you start some sort of routine for yourself.
 
I'm with you on the mammogram. I just scheduled mine. I'm so not looking forward to it! But I keep thinking of women I know like Cheryl and I know I need to do it. I try to do one thing more healthy every 2 weeks. That helps my new habits stick. I'm bad about drinking soda, so I switched to the little baby cans. I limit myself to one. This week I'm working on more than 1 veggie dish at a meal.
 
Tracking food is the only way I ever lose weight, and even then it's such slow going. I've done Weight Watchers and am now using My Net Dairy. (I paid for premium so that my fitness tracker would sync with MyNetDiary, but the free version works well, too.) I don't think the specific approach or app matters as much as sticking to it long term does, so find something that seems sustainable for you.

The one positive thing that Covid pushed me to do is add more (read: some) vigorous activity to my routine. Pre-pandemic there was so much walking built into my everyday activities that I told myself it was enough. Then we started staying home every day, and my step count dropped overnight from 10,000 to 4000, so I felt like I had to do something. I don't think I'm burning more calories than pre-pandemic (since most of my day is still home and too sedentary), but I'm at least using different muscles and seeing some progress due to that.

I hope you're able to find something you're comfortable with and get better news next time!
 
I actually lost weight since the pandemic, but I don't recommend my reason. ;) I got a very active, exhausting job delivering packages 3 days a week. Some are heavy boxes. And usually I have to walk some distance from the vehicle to the house. About 175 deliveries a day (more before the winter holidays). I don't like when shifts get longer than 8 hours (sometimes as long as 12!) but I actually like the exercise involved in this job.

Aside from that, I've generally tried to be active. I walk a mile or two most days, choose far away parking spaces, run up my stairs, etc. And I eat mostly whole food, not much overly processed stuff. But I have no willpower if there are cookies or chips in the house; so I avoid them by not buying them.

I had my first mammogram a year ago.

:cheer You can do it!
 
Sorry you didn't have a good appointment. My health hasn't been so great either and I actually had a really bad appointment with shocking news...one of the reasons I've been on another hiatus from scrapbooking. I swear it never ends. After that appointment this combination of anxiety & depression hit me so bad that I ended up dropping some major pounds from not being able to eat much and only eating certain things (pretty much just fruit and veggies). Not the healthy way to go about losing weight because I lost it so fast and because of that I gained it all back since I recently started eating somewhat normally again. I can't stand this rollercoaster.
 
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