durfette

I'M ALIVE Friends, I fell off the bandwagon preeeeeetty badly last challenge. The main issue is that I just couldn't get myself to log onto NF! No accountability = FAILURE. for me. So this challenge I'm working on maintaining the ground I've fought for in previous challenges, and pushing through some new ones. Sorry for being late late late. But I wanted to start on Nov 1st, and for all intents and purposes I did. Except for logging on here. MAINTAIN: Meal prep habit Spin class 2-3x weekly Lift / Gym 2-3x weekly Simplified food tracking (in BuJo) Scripture study and prayer in the mornings 7-8 hours of sleep nightly AT LEAST. I'm useless without sleep. NEW HABITS: Use bone stimulator daily. I have a broken bone in my foot that has been causing issues. I need to use a bone stimulator for ~3 hours a day to promote healing. BuJo daily. I have had a bullet journal set up for a few months, but am still sketchy about daily usage. Want to upkeep it and use it to its full potential. Don't know what a BuJo is? Check out this blog and here for great examples. Work on sugar addiction. I've made big strides in my diet, but my love of sweets is super holding me back. I need to tolerate the headaches and moodiness and limit my sweet intake to 1 sweet a day. 1 sweet = ~300 calories of dessert, or one serving. I know it's a lot, but I'm pathetic and that's a decrease in my current habit. Incorporate more cholesterol-friendly foods into my diet. Annually, I get health evaluations from work. Most recently, I was told my cholesterol has been climbing for the past couple of years. I wanna nip that in a the bud before it becomes an issue. Initially, I'm going to incorporate fish into dinners once a week and use more of my chicken and ground turkey recipes rather than red meats. LOG ONTO NERD FITNESS SILLY GOOSE. This is probably THE most important change I need to make. And it's the one that's most difficult for me. I don't know WHY, but I have the hardest time with it. Pointers and suggestions welcome! I know if I get on, I'll feel support and encouragement, and I'll feel accountable for what I'm doing. But I don't. SO I'm going to reinstate my battle log and have daily updates, even if they're super short. Tapatalk app will help. I'm looking forward to being back and seeing some of my peeps on here! I MISS YOU!! You'll hear from me soon. Like tomorrow, or I'm failing this challenge. k bye!

Hey BB! Just caught up on your thread. Man, it's crazy how much a good bra an male a difference! I'm glad you feel better. It sucks trying to be active when you're in pain / fearful of pain or injury. As for Bluetooth headphones, I have JBL reflect minis and I looove them. They hold charge, sound great, and hook into my ear great! I listen to podcasts at work and music when I workout, so I have them in about ~6 hours a day. And I only charge them at lunch time for an hour or so! They're great. Following along! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I LOVE the self care weekend you took! It sounds like it was just what you needed. And that takes courage to do! You do so much for others, your family and your community, I am so glad you took time for yourself. Love that you nipped the perfectionist bug in the butt. I'll be following along. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi friend! Batter is my favorite. Sometimes I stress bake just to eat the batter. Even if, when it's baked, I don't like it. Such a weird thing. you are great! Excited to be a part of your transition period. My primary focus this challenge is also diet. Are you liking your new job still? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Okay just caught up! First off, I had no idea what a tardigrade was before this challenge and I am fascinated! Yay for learning new things! A quick recap on things long past: -cancer sucks. It's the worst. One of my friend's baby recently passed because of effing cancer. And my mom had breast cancer (does that ever become past tense though?) so sorry for you and your partner. :/ - REAL BAGGUETTES. It's fortunate I live nowhere near Boston. I studied in France and abso-frick-a-lutely nothing compares! -I thought it was funny that you said west side story "probably has a happy ending" cuz it don't. -you sound like an amazing friend. All of us could use a friend who will take us on hikes to sort our life out. Love how mindful you are approaching this challenge. I personally really appreciate you naming your negative self talk that isn't helpful. I'm working on that myself. Thanks for your spunk, passion and empowerment. Happy thoughts to you, friend. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi friend! Love the goals you've set up this challenge. I know of other families that do something similar to the 10-minute clean-up and once it becomes a habit for everyone it is really successful! DAT PUMPKIN DOUGH. That's so big! And what a beautiful garden you have! That must've taken a lot of work. I'm sad to hear about the lack-o-preggo too. Right there with ya though! We're working towards babies too. My little sister just started derby classes! It's such a tough, empowering sport. I always read on my lunch break. I highly recommend it. It also helps me get away from the office and have a mental break before hitting it in the afternoon again.

Hello friends! I am not dead! Just been a busy bee while simultaneously being a sloth to cope with some emotional stuff. So I'm late, but not without gumption to make this challenge a great one! My inner television character is Leslie Knope, from the best television show ever Parks and Rec. In the show, there's this mondo rich and evil company called Sweetums that manufactures (you guessed it) candy and other diabetes-causing nom-noms. Throughout the show, there are several efforts to thwart this evil establishment of sugar and this challenge I am pursuing something similar! Primarily, the challenge this round is focused on slaying the sugar dragon! I've been building up some good habits with diet and exercise, but the thing that still gets me is sweets! Glorious sweets! The terrors of afternoon snacking and social events. I've tried quitting cold turkey and wowza, that was a bad idea for me. I had anxiety attacks, headaches, mood swings, etc.. I was a nightmare to be around. So I'm going to take it in levels! Each level may last 1 to 2 weeks, but hopefully after 2 weeks the symptoms (listed above) will be manageable enough to progress to the next level. Level 1: 1 sweet a day Level 2: 1 sweet every other day Level 3: 1 sweet twice a week Level 4: 1 sweet once a week Through this process there are three concepts I'm going to focus on: Patience with my body and how it decides to handle the withdrawals. It might take me longer than one challenge to complete this, and that's okay! NOT being a drama queen about it. Coming to terms with the shame and guilt I have attached to sugar and sweets. Minor focuses: Get 8 hours of sleep. I always make better decisions and feel better when I make myself sleep 8 hours. Log onto NF daily! ~15 minutes a day should be easy to squeeze in. I just need to make it a habit. You all are huge inspirations to me and I love love LOVE reading your posts. They help me stay centered. Use my stupid BuJo! It helps me keep track of life and this is another thing I just need to make a habit. Blog once a week. This is a sort of experiment to see if it's something I want to actually pursue and work at. Some habits I'm keeping: Meal prepping (I've been making mason jar salads, stocking up on high protein snacks, planning healthy dinners for my husband and I) Working out regularly! (modified yoga once a week, cardio and strength training 2x a week) Drinking a whole lotta water Reading scriptures and prayers in the morning In closing, for your pleasure, a drunk Ron Swanson indicative of what I'm like when I've had too much sugar. Enjoy.

I'M NOT DEAD. I've just been extremely busy and had a liiiittle set back with depression this week. So getting started on the new challenge was, well, a challenge. A new thread will be posted soon! Thank you for checking in @Severine! I really appreciate logging on and seeing that sweet message.

Oh man I'm so sorry you're having a hard time getting pregnant. :/ I hope you have a doctor who's understanding. I'm hoping you get good news soon!! It also sounds like you're doing a great job! I don't entirely understand the keto diet, but it sounds like it's working for you! I appreciate the balance you're bringing to the challenge. You have every reason to be proud of the work you put in with this challenge, despite having a tired and blah week. Make sure to give yourself some rest (as much as a busy mom can, I guess Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You're doing so great Timelord! I don't blame you for getting a little worn down. I really admire your attitude though and calling it what it is rather than beating yourself up. Rest up friend and adjust those calories so you have more fuel for your new active lifestyle. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

^^^seconded I love food SO MUCH that if I stop eating, y'all know what just hit the fan. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a test for TapATalk... I'm so glad you feel my pain BB! Haha. You're over a 50 book hold?!?! Dude, I thought I had it bad. Haha. Because of my angst about it I've reinstated my one book hold limit since the last month I've been an antisocial maniac to finish my books. And thank you for the book recommendation! I adored Ready Player One! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So that whole "log on for 15 minutes daily" thing hasn't work super well. But it's mostly due to me being thick and staying up too late trying to finish library books that are due, so I'm all tired and groggy in the morning and I don't do ANY of my normal things in the morning. I just finished my last library book last night. I'm fighting the urge to get another one and to read the books I own instead so I don't get stressed with the deadline. I've been doing pretty well! Still eating sugar, but I'm not really worried about that right now. I'm working on getting in the habit of using the BuJo more and planning my meals healthily. Something weird though is because I've been tired and reading too late in the night, I've been skipping workouts. It's really unlike me, actually. For this whole challenge I've only worked out twice a week. But I feel pretty okay with putting my efforts into eating better. It's not perfect, but I think it's still considered progress. @Severine! That hedgehog is perfect!! Somehow in the last couple of years my family has "assigned" me hedgehogs as my "thing." Like, I have no idea where it came from. I just one Christmas opened this bejeweled hedgehog ring case and my brother said "OH yeah! Hedgehogs are your thing, right?" And for whatever reason it stuck. So your hedgehog inspiration was PERFECT. Thank you so much for sharing your friend's perspective on the PCOS thing. I'm going in today to talk about medication, and it sounds like they're not sure if it's actually PCOS or something hormonal. But both are things that could be helped with healthy diet and exercise. I'll have to look into the Tapatalk thing too. That would probably help get me on here more... And my tummy issues have subsided! So that's wonderful. I haven't had any issues with it for a few days. I've loved using the BuJo so far! Still working on making it a habit, so I'm not always consistent. But I think it's helping! It's also acting as a channel for positive energy, because I've been documenting daily "celebrations" which help when I feel like I've failed that day. My daily looks like this: Sorry it's super dark and fuzzy. So on the left I have notes about the day, some feelings, and the colorful boxes with checks next to them are my rough food log (since MFP was stressing me out a bit and I just wasn't logging at all) etc... on the right I have accomplishments and things I'm proud of. That's really helped me keep positive. It's not strictly BuJo, but it's working for me. I also made a Fall Bucket List with my husband that has a place in it too, along with my monthly habit chart. It's not necessarily pretty, but I really like it so far!

BB you are rocking this challenge! Good for you! You're an inspiration to us all.

Hi friend! It's been a while since I've commented, and it sounds like other forum-folk have been taking good care of your during the tough times. Your partner L sounds amazing. I'm glad you have that kind of support in the real world. I'm praying November comes soon for you too! It also sounds like you've got school worked out now? I'm so happy for you! Also, I think it is a HUGE victory that despite all the havoc that's been wrought on your life recently and during this challenge, you're maintaining and not gaining weight! That's awesome! Have a good day today and best of luck! Get that massage in!

He sounds hilarious! Sounds like you're being very conscious and aware of your sugar intake, which I think is great! It's when you're out of control and nomming down an endless stream of sweets without count that I consider failing. But it sounds like you're balancing tradition and making your sweet calories worthwhile.

Sorry, late to responding. But I actually don't listen to any health podcasts regularly! I should give these a try. I mostly listen for entertainment while I'm working the lab. I listen to Stuff You Should Know, Radiolab, Myths and Legends, Invisibilia, Dear Hank and John, and Imaginary Worlds a lot. Along with a smattering of others when I'm in the mood. Thanks for the suggestions! What a wonderful vacation! Hope you're still enjoying it! And good for you for sticking to your challenge! That's no easy feat, for sure.

Okay. okayokayokayokay. So yesterday I allowed myself a day to wallow and feel sorry for myself for all the junk. I did some self-introspection, processed the emotions that came my way, and made one of those bullet journal things I keep hearing about and my inner hipster kept fighting the fad. But what really convinced me was this: HEART EYES. Is that not the coolest habit log ever? I love that. So I'm gonna do it! In my bullet journal, I'm also going to start logging things that give me inspiration (like that article Butternut!) and daily celebrations so I can fight the mean girl and the negative invisible scripts in my head. If I keep seeing the positive changes, I'll be more motivated to keep going. I'm also going to use the bullet journal as a rough outline of a food journal according to the 21DF colors (basically just check marks next to colored boxes so I know how many servings of carbs, protein, etc.. I've had a day.) I'll start posting more about WHAT I'm eating so I can look back and say "oh yeah, I packed that salad a couple weeks ago and it was delicious!" or "that dinner WAS really good, huh?" I still don't feel 100% as far as being able to eat, but I think it's gotten better.. Probably just residual effects from being sick before? Now I was thinking about it, and I draw a lot of help and inspiration from you wonderful people on the boards and I am going to alter my challenge a bit to log on more regularly. I think I need to set a time limit for myself on the forums since that's been what prevents me from going on them to begin with. I see it as something that will take FOREVER even though I enjoy it. I think I'm going to start setting myself a time limit. I'll give myself 15 minutes in the mornings to log on and give updates and catch up with one or two amigos a day and then log off. EVEN if that means I don't find the perfect meme. sad face. And... I'm going to stop being a whiner about my foot. Sure, it's a bummer. But I am still so blessed to be able to do other things! I'm determined to fall in love with weight training. I'll do some light yoga at home with Nerd Fitness and start going to a spin class once a week just for some cardio. I'll also start building up courage to maybe start swimming...next challenge probably. Maybe I can find a friend who wants to teach me how to swim correctly? Or at least say "yeah, that's right." cuz I've feel like an idiot when I've done laps in the past. But for now....spin class. And continue on with the NF weight training. Because I did 8 REAL pushups TWICE in a row today! And I thiiiink I've gotten the hang of what a deadlift is supposed to feel like? TRIUMPHS. Okay so: More time on forums (15 minutes a day) Bullet Journal daily (food log, daily celebrations) Spin class once a week NF Yoga once a week NF Weight train 2-3x a week STAY POSITIVE Happy Tuesday y'all!

>D your dancing memes! hahaha. Just caught up on your forum and holy moly you're doing awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your struggles that first week and how you punched the negative self talk away. I LOVE that you're helping your son train and running with him! Kudos on the .76 mile! It's got to be awesome for him to feel his whole family is cheering him on. If your son ever tells you he's too old for your lunchables, send them my way! I have a hubs who would love it if I made him homemade lunchables for his lunches. Haha. He also watches Spongebob while on the treadmill though, so he may not exactly be the token of maturity. Happy first day Supermom!

Hello friend! Your updates are always a breath of fresh air. I'm so glad you got outside and hiked this weekend! I bet your grandson loved the chance to spend time with his cool grandpa. Sounds like you do a lot of good for your family AND your community. I admire that so much! I loved your excerpt too! Thank you for sharing that with us. Keep up the great work and have a good week!

Yeah! I was told doctors don't always take it seriously too. I was talking to my therapist about my response to being hungry and how I'm afraid of being hungry. And she asked what's the worst thing about being hungry and I described how I feel really tired and sluggish and foggy and unfocused when I don't eat so sometimes I eat when I'm not hungry when I don't think I'll get food later because I'm worried of being in a fog and she said "that sounds like you might be hypoglycemic." She's obviously not a medical doctor, since she's a therapist, so I thought I'd ask about it. I haven't been tested for the insulin resistance, maybe I'll ask about that at my next doctor's appt. Ahhh Butternut! Here to save the day yet again. Thank you so much for the article! I kept reading it and almost fistpumping at every sentence and nodding my head like a guy listening to EDM. This helped me so much today. I also winced as I read it because it was so applicable to what I've been doing! Haha! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

I just have suuuuch a hard time logging onto the forums regularly! If I could do it from my phone easily, maybe I'd do it more often? I just don't spend a whole lot of time on the computer except at work where, you know, I'm supposed to be working) so I have not only fallen off the bandwagon, I've also been incommunicado. okay so, WOW so when it rains, it pours, amiright? In short: PCOS = probably ear infection flu another broken bone in foot husband gets flu tummy troubles more family drama HOLY MOLY busy, busy schedule. In long: PCOS=probably. I'm being treated as if I have PCOS, but I don't have an official diagnosis because that requires a scope being shoved in my hoo-ha. They don't like doing it, I wouldn't like it, so they're gonna reserve that until they deem it necessary. It could also be a different hormonal issue, which they would still treat the same. Ear infection. My ear was hurting and I was feeling like i was getting a cold. I went to work on Tuesday and immediately regretted it. Went home and crashed for the day. Got some meds for it. Feel better now. Flu. Or food poisoning. Or something. I don't know, but I had a pretty upset stomach for a day or so. Ate a piece of toast a day, and that was about all that kept my tummy happy. Foot. Finally got in with my podiatrist who x-rayed and said "yup, you broke the other sesamoid." Cue ugly cry. I broke a sesamoid my senior year of college in 3 years ago, and it didn't hurt at all until I started training for a half marathon. Eventually it started hurting too badly to even run on it about a year and a half ago. I got surgery on it in January of this year, and without the bone there, it put stress on the other sesamoid and so it decided to break too. I knew this could happen, because obviously the bone is there for a reason. I just didn't think it would cuz I'm supposed to be young and full of vigor or whatever. As far as treatment, I guess there's this thing called a bone stimulator that my doctor thinks I can try that'll help the bone heal. It sounds like witchcraft voodoo hippie stuff, but he said he's seen it work. So I'll give it a go. Has anyone else heard of this? It's approved by the FDA and insurance will probably cover it. It's just been so long since I've been able to run and do yoga and hike and do the things I abso-frickin-lutely love. It was really discouraging to feel like I'm back to where I started 3 years ago with a broken foot. Husband got flu. This was the worst, because he was achey, and sore, and couldn't sleep because he was so tense, and dry heaving and just plain miserable for him. Tummy troubles. I'm Not sure if it's a sickness or if it's going to be a big deal. It's been a few days where I feel like I'm going to die when I eat. I'm trying to eat easy foods currently to figure things out. I'm hoping it's temporary but... who knows? More family drama. Grandma settled whatever crazy dementia dispute because her lawyers had enough of her bull and called her out on it. She signed a contract saying she wouldn't do things, continues to do things. Rest of family furious. Cue ugly cry again. Busy schedule: early mornings, skipped lunches, doctors appointments, therapy appointments, things after work almost every night. It's been really busy and I've been getting my meal prep done which has helped a lot. I haven't been 100% 21DF, but definetly improved. With all the stress and frustrations of the past couple weeks though, I haven't been able to kick the sugar issue as well as I'd hoped. But inching along is still better than not. I've also been sleeping a lot because I'm a hyper-emotional person and all this junk leaves me exhausted. Still working on ways to cope. Anyway, all this has left me rulll tired, and real anti-social. So... not sure where that leaves me with this challenge yet. TBD, I guess since I don't know wth my tummy's doing. I'm pretty discouraged about it all. I feel like this keeps happening. I keep trying to go all in with my health and I trip up and get all stupid and depressed. I don't feel empowered at all. I guess I am making progress since I'm meal planning more and saving money and eating healthier breakfasts, lunches, and many dinners are improving. I'm just losing patience with myself and my situations. It doesn't seem like it's getting better. And I feel like I'm just a drag on the boards. I start all strong and excited and by the end (or not even the end) I'm Debbie Downer. Bluh. So until further notice...

Tuesday Nay. Jeepers, lots of flip-flopping this week. Today I definitely just went with the flow and fell back into my husband's and my bad habits of eating badly. Started out promising this morning, but slipped back. Oh well. I think to add a teensy bit more structure to my challenge, I want to have more "yay" days than "nay" day. Meh days won't count. Does anyone have any experience with hyper- or hypoglycemia? I've spoken with a couple people recently who thought my behavior may have a lot to do with that, but I really don't know much about it. One person said how doctors test for it isn't always accurate also. If you have any personal experience I'd appreciate it!

I really like your challenge and it sounds like it's going well so far! I also appreciated your tip about preparing meals before hand. I do that too, but I still haven't tried meal prepping soups. I really should give that a go, it's just been so hot this summer "soup" sounds terrible. But it's cooling off and I'll give it a go probably next week. what are your favorite soups to meal prep / freeze? Something for me that has been a tremendously positive change is eating a bit of protein before I leave work (assuming you work during the day). I pack a few hard boiled eggs or string cheese to eat right before I leave work so by the time I get home I don't feel starving and have a bit of energy to get going. I also have been planning meals ahead of time, so I have all the ingredients waiting for me at home and I feel like I'm wasting money if I don't use it. The more you do it, the less it feels exhausting and just part of your routine. I also have plenty of back up freezer meals for when I really am so tired I can't even. Some are homemade, some from health food stores with ingredients I trust. I also get those frozen veggie packs that you can pop in the microwave for 5 minutes and voila! steamed veggies! That makes anything more nutritious.

Awwww happy flowers! they're beautiful and happy to hear they were saved.