Aquarii

Yes, a majority of our calendars here in the US to run Sun-Sat, though using a Mon-Sun calendar is growing in popularity. I have switched my calendars to Mon-Sun, but my brain still functions on a Sun-Sat schedule, even after using a different calendar both at work and at home for a year. I just find it convenient to start things on Sunday, when I am not working and have time to get everything in order and prepped for the week.

Hello @LoneWolf69, welcome to Nerd Fitness. It sounds like you are off to a good start. To answer your question, if your calorie goal is 2,100, then you are under eating by 755 calories. As to whether or not you are eating too little, that is hard to say. We need a lot more context, such as: are you male or female? What is your height? Weight (if you are comfortable sharing)? Weight/fitness goals? Are you trying to gain muscle and weight, lose weight, or maintain weight? Do you workout? How much and how often? All of those things are going to significantly affect your caloric needs. As for types of meals, it sounds like you have some good meals going already, you might just want to bulk them up a little more. Maybe add some oatmeal or fruit as a side to breakfast (or something like bacon or meat if you are trying to keep carbs low in the morning), add some more protein to your lunch (chicken or turkey would be a good option), and maybe add some sauteed veggies to your dinner. You may want to check out this article on healthy eating by Steve Kamb, owner of Nerd Fitness: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/healthy-eating/ As well as some meal ideas/recipes: https://www.nerdfitness.com/category/easy-meals/

Awwww, I am sorry to hear that. I have to admit, I have not kept up on politics in Europe at all lately, so I have no idea what is going on. But whatever it is, I am sorry to hear it is not going favorably. As someone living in the USA, where our politics have basically turned into a social media circus (both sides, honestly), I can relate to those feelings towards a political system.

This is me every single time I travel anywhere, even if it is just to see family of in-laws for a weekend. That convention sounds like a lot of fun. I am glad you are enjoying all the new experiences.

That sounds and looks so tasty!

That is awesome! Gotta love when modern medicine comes through for ya. I bet it feels great to look back and feel a lot stronger and healthier, a full seven years later.

I saw it and just had to share it, because I know I am so guilty of thinking my emotions a LOT, and I thought others might find it useful too. Oh believe me, I have failed many, many times. I am able to reign it in for the moment because I have failed so many times trying to do too much at once. So every time I think I should add something, I am just like "No! You are not adding something till you nail this, and nail it for a good few weeks. Until it is easy, you don't get to move on, so write the idea down and table it for later." It is working for the moment, but New Year's is coming...and my self control around New Years when it comes to goal-setting...heaven help me, haha. It gets easier the more times I go. Usually the other people are too busy lifting heavy things or looking at their phones (or themselves in the mirror) to notice me. Stayed in my window, did my daily routines, and got to the gym. So, another victory day for my goals. That being said...things are not exactly all sunshine and roses over here. It has come to my attention that my jaw is aching constantly, my teeth are hurting (I clench my teeth when I am stress, often in my sleep), MY EYE HAS BEEN TWITCHING FOR DAYS OMG SO ANNOYING, and I have been getting headaches almost every day this week. That is basically a long, drawn out way of saying I am apparently very stressed/anxious and not processing it emotionally, so instead I am processing it physically. This isn't anything new. When I was sixteen, I literally dislocated my jaw in my sleep, I was clenching my teeth so much (thankfully has not happened again). I am just really bad at processing stuff...especially when I am zeroed in on goals and don't want to be distracted by feelings. It isn't that I don't already know I am stressed and dealing with stuff (or in this case, not dealing with stuff), I just don't realize how bad it is till my body is like, HEY, hey you? Remember me? You going to leave me to do all the work here? So, I should probably work on that. But at the same time, "working on that" can be a bit like opening Pandora's box. Ugh, brain, can you just cooperate? That'd be great.

I have a few that I read this year that I thought were very good reads: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal This one was probably my favorite and most relevant to the topic. It talks about strategies that companies use to capture and retain customer attention. It even touches on the ethics of doing so. Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions by Carmen Simon This one felt a little more dry to me, but had a lot of great information on techniques used in marketing and advertising, and some of the psychology behind why it works. Superfandom: How Our Obsessions are Changing What We Buy and Who We Are by Zoe Fraade-Blanar, Aaron Glazer This one is a great book on the flip side of marketing, how fans and fan behavior effects brand decisions. I recommend it, because it demonstrates that as much as we love to blame everything on marketing and advertising, a lot of what we are marketed is driven by our own behavior. It also talks about why listening to super fans can be dangerous to brands, and just gives an inside look on what it is like to deal with marketing to an opinionated audience in the age of social media.

Lol, no, I was talking about myself, but it applies to a lot of people. I have also been working in a marketing department for over a year, getting a lot more up close and personal with the kinds of methods people use to sell products, so I am becoming a lottttt more aware of marketing techniques when they are being used. And it drives me crazy to see such aggressive emotional marketing used in most health and diet products.

I would say it is more like a cast. It helps to keep things from getting worse or going off the rails while I work on addressing other issues. It treats the symptoms so I can work on treating the underlying cause. I agree. I definitely think all those things should be taken into consideration and people should be taught to use them as ways of managing their mental health. I am simply stating that we shouldn't automatically throw out medicine and chemical-based treatment either. I do focus on chemical balance with supplements as needed, but I also manage my mental health with sleep, diet, exercise, etc. I think that is another important part of the discussion...if someone has rosacea, they can manage their skin condition by avoiding certain foods. A person with mild-moderate depression may be able manage their depression with diet and exercise. But avoiding certain foods doesn't cure rosacea, and diet and exercise may not cure someone's depression. You keep up with it, along with working through any emotional issues that may be causing it, or you go back to square one. I know plenty of people who eat pretty terrible, who often don't get enough sleep, who work out on and off, who work too much...and they are very mentally healthy. I know people who eat really clean, work out, prioritize sleep, and still struggle with mental health issues. Diet, exercise, and lifestyle are a great way to manage and alleviate symptoms of depression, for some people, when they find the right routine for them. It is also very convenient for any "expert" looking to sell their next program, "Your old diet didn't alleviate your depression because it was the wrong diet, so buy MY book or program...oh, that didn't work for you? You just aren't doing it right. Oh, you are following it step by step? Well, it must just not work for your body, we are all different."

Obviously neurochemicals only explain half the issue. They don't create the situation that initiates an emotional response, but they do allow the body to experience those emotions. I was recently reading a study that injected participants with oxytocin, which impaired their ability to hold grudges, be angry, make decisions, etc. So, the chemicals, on a certain level, can operate somewhat independently of the emotion and even influence our emotions. I do agree that serotonin could most definitely be effected by circumstances in life. Especially because of its connect to the gut. I personally think that any kind of psychiatric medication should be accompanied by some form of cognitive and/or behavioral therapy. I am not a huge fan of psychiatric drugs, but I do think they serve a purpose in some situations, especially if used as a temporary means to stabilize someone while looking for a solution. I have never taken pharm drugs (despite insistent urging from a therapist I had for a few months), but I have experimented with St. John's Wort when I hit really low points, which is an herb that acts as an SSRI a number of times. And every time I have tried it, after a few days to a week of use, it does have a very stabilizing effect on me. It doesn't cure any emotional issues that I am dealing with at the time, but I do find that significantly improves my emotional regulation and overall outlook. It doesn't make me feel happy, it just makes me feel more stable. I agree. A wholistic approach is necessary for the proper treatment of most mood disorders. A wholistic approach should be used when teaching people preventative measures for avoiding mood disorders. We have come up with lots of ways to help prevent disease, but nobody really seems to focus on mental illness/mood disorders. I am hesitant to completely throw out the whole neurochemical/having a predisposition for mental illness thing though. I was raised in a house of eight kids (I am the oldest), my next sister down is only 19 months younger than me. I had my first anxiety attack when I was like two years old (not properly diagnosed with anxiety till I was 22 though, smh...and to think my dad is actually a therapist, lol). I developed symptoms of depression in early high school (which dangerously went undiagnosed till I was 22). My siblings, who ate the same foods, were raised in the same house by the same parents, who grew up doing the same physical activities, and going to the same places have not exhibited such issues (aside from temporary/situational depression due to breakups, my parents divorce three years ago, etc). So you would think that we would either all have issues or all be totally fine if it were as simple as developing healthy behaviors and diet. I think putting it ALL on diet and lifestyle is a dangerous slope. Because it opens the door to a lot of blame, because then it is easy to say it is someone's fault (or for them to feel like it is all their fault) that their mental health is crap because they don't eat well, and it is their fault because they didn't pursue a job they loved, and it is their fault because they struggle to develop healthy relationships (which some personality disorders make extremely difficult). And it can be extremely discouraging when someone is doing everything "right" but is still struggling with their mental health.

I both agree and disagree with this. I think chemical imbalances do cause mental issues for a lot of people, but not necessarily for all (which is already a recognized thing on a very small level, since situational depression is diagnosed and treated differently than chronic depression). But, I don't think the chemical imbalance theory tells the whole story. For example, a lottttt of anti-depressants are designed to increase serotonin in the body. This may be done by increasing serotonin production, or, more commonly inhibiting the re-uptake of serotonin, so it stays in the body longer. From the natural side, a lot of natural doctors are going to prescribe certain diets or foods that support serotonin production, or natural medicine that can also act as serotonin uptake inhibitors. And creating more circulating serotonin can be extremely helpful for some people, for two reasons. 1) serotonin is associated with feelings of well-being and happiness and is responsible for things like modulating cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes. And 2) perhaps almost more importantly, it is the precursor to melatonin (the body converts serotonin to melatonin as the day wanes). And melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle, and has also been associated with reducing the excess secretion of cortisol, improving carbohydrate metabolism, increasing REM sleep, lowering triglycerides, stimulating free radical scavenging (anti-aging, antioxidant), promoting DNA repair...and a bunch of other stuff that happens when people get proper sleep. So basically, if you don't produce enough serotonin, you also don't produce enough melatonin, which creates widespread mental and physical issues. Now, the problem is, when someone is assumed to be low in serotonin, they are simply prescribed something to boost serotonin. We miss the important step of WHY is a person low in serotonin? Is their diet low in foods with the building blocks for serotonin (such as tryptophan)? Is their gut compromised (where over 90% of serotonin resides)? Is there another hormonal issue affecting the production of serotonin? All of these have accompanying issues (a poor diet, a compromised gut, and hormonal imbalances are probably creating other deficiencies and disrupting other bodily processes), so if we only solve the serotonin problem, it is only half the equation. And in the case of big pharm drugs, increasing serotonin may involve introducing other chemicals into an already compromised system. Obviously, that is just one example, since chronic depression can be caused by a lot more than just low serotonin. But it demonstrates my point, I do think chemical imbalances DO play a huge role in many cases (again, not all), but that in most cases those chemical imbalances are caused by underlying issues, and not simply because a person was born with a broken brain or something.

That is fair. But I think there is definitely a difference between stating what you have accomplished and how you accomplished it, and bragging. If you are simply telling your story, talking about where you are and where you have been, I wouldn't call that bragging. Even if you are lamenting where you are at, because you were once at a higher point, even if your current point is still significantly above other people, I wouldn't call that bragging. That is being open about the struggles of a fitness journey, and that being further along in progress doesn't necessarily make you happy with where you are at. Some people are not going to like it, others are going to find it relatable or inspiring.

Definitely. Some people prescribe vegan diets for depression, weight loss, etc, some carnivore diets (literally a diet of almost exclusively meat...it sounds absolutely awful to me, but it helps some people), some paleo, and some other stuff. And the crazy thing is, all of them work for some people. And all of them don't work for other people. And some of them work for some people during some periods of their life, but not for others. The reality is, science still knows very little about how the brain and body works in general, not to mention how gene expression and other factors can make different things work in different people. That is why I typically just recommend that people try something for a couple months, see how they feel, and go from there. Because there is really no way at the moment to predict what is going to work for a specific person without some trial and error. It is how I settled on where I am now (which could always be different next year). I have tried vegan, vegetarian, keto, paleo, eat 4 your bloodtype, and probably a few other more obscure diets. So, I definitely went through a lotttt of trial and error. About a decade of it so far, to be exact. It is a journey. There is some overlap between a lot of these diets that people seem to feel best on. They typically limit or eliminate dairy, limit or eliminate gluten (especially in people who can't tolerate it), limit or eliminate processed and junk food, and promote the copious consumption of vegetables and (sometimes) fruits. Those seem to be the most effective elements for most people.

Don't apologize. You worked hard to get to where you were and even still are. I am so tired of our culture teaching people they aren't allowed to take pride in the work they have done. It isn't arrogant, it is simply stating the fact. You put in the work and you saw the results. If people have a problem with you talking about your successes, they need to put in the work before they start complaining. I think it is great that you have reached that level in the past, and I am sure you will get there again. I am more at the beginning of my fitness journey, hence the reason I can't do all that stuff. I have done some stuff in the past, but never stuck with it. Or it was something like swimming or biking, where things like pushups and situps were not an expectation. I was also homeschooled through my sophomore year of HS, so I didn't take PE, meaning I didn't have a gym teacher forcing them either. My parents would make us do situps and stuff when I was young, but by middle school they had mostly given up on trying to make us do the calisthenics stuff.

The first time I was mostly vegetarian (only eating poultry here and there, and going without red meat for months), I became anemic. I was also severely undereating and had a host of other issues and deficiencies going on. So, when I tried vegetarianism in college, I really didn't run into all of those issues because I knew to compensate for them, but I was living on campus and gave up because it was just so difficult to get the foods I needed to eat a balanced vegetarian diet. Then later in college, I tried plant-based (vegan with honey) and felt amazing. It gave me so much energy and significantly alleviated my depression...in the beginning. But I was super busy and when I slipped into eating more bread and processed vegan food, the benefits disappeared as well. So I quit veganism, which spiraled into the worst my depression had ever been (there were a lot of non-food related issues going on, so I cant say if any of that was diet related or not). Then a few months later I went vegan again to try and help my mental health, which it did. But by that point I was dating my now-husband, who is very much not plant-based, and I got sick of not being able to eat with him, so I quit again, and just ate mostly plant-based with some meat (I am totally gluten free and dairy free, because my body says no to those). Right now (where I have been for a lot of the year), I eat meat only 1-2 meals a week, if that, unless I am traveling. If I eat more meat than that, I tend to start feeling sluggish, tired, irritable, and sometimes even sick. I supplement B12 (I often didn't get enough even when I did eat more meat), I eat lots of foods high in iron (a convenient excuse to eat more dark chocolate), and periodically take a multi-vitamin to fill in any additional gaps. I think it just goes to show that different diets work for different people. I have tons of energy on a diet full of healthy, complex carbs (but no gluten, absolutely no gluten, that destroys all energy within like 5 minutes of ingestion), and less energy when I eat more meat, which is the opposite effect for you.

I mean, it is only my second week getting back into it after a longgggg time out of the gym. I feel like I can't fairly judge it until I am a few months deep, because I know a lot of the fun is in challenging yourself and seeing the strength increase. I don't DISLIKE it at the moment, and it is exercise, so endorphins. And it is a healthy way for my husband and I to spend some quality time together doing an activity...so there is that.

Yes and no. Paleo, like many other mass-marketed diets, has its roots in some great philosophy (eat whole foods, try to get closer to the way our ancestors ate), but is also entwined with half-truths and flat out untrue claims. For example, the diet is named Paleo because it is supposedly named after the way people ate in paleolithic times. They claim people during that era did not eat grains or dairy, but recent studies have brought forth evidence countering that. They also will make claims about the anti-nutrients found in grains, legumes, and some vegetables because these anti-nutrients are known to block nutrient absorption, but blood tests on vegetarians with diets very high in those anti-nutrients did not indicate deficiencies in the nutrients they supposedly block. Some anti-nutrients are also rendered a non-issue when cooked/soaked/prepared properly, and may even have cancer fighting properties. And finally, a study of the longest living people groups (cultures with the most centenarians today), revealed almost all of those cultures ate primarily higher carb, plant-based diets, suggesting people may not need as much meat as the paleo diet suggests to live a healthy life. So, is the Paleo diet everything it claims to be? No. Can it be effective for some people? Totally. Can it make some people feel great and lose unwanted pounds? Definitely. Is it better than the standard American diet? 100%. Is it better than other lifestyle diets? For some people, yes, for others, no. For example, I have tried paleo a couple of times, and both times I definitely did not feel my best (and my weight would plateau entirely). But for other people, it has totally changed their life. It really comes down to eating primarily whole foods and understanding what makes your body feel best. Studies have shown people lose about the same amount of weight on a low fat diet as they do on a low carb, there are tons of examples of people thriving on plant-based, paleo, keto, etc (which all significantly reduce processed foods and promote a mostly/entirely whole foods diet). So if the way you are eating makes you feel good and is giving you the results you want, then more power to you. The best diet is the one you will stick to.

I am not quite sure yet. I have a to-read list that is at least 128 books long, though. So I just need to take a look at that and see if I have anything on my shelf or can get it at the library. Haha, I love that. I always love it when people switch the perspective on something, it is amazing how much it can change the narrative. Ok, not to bore you with the same old thing again, but yesterday went well. I hit my IF window, did my dailies, didn't read because I already finished my book (need to find something to replace that so I don't slip back into less productive things like scrolling through social media), and I got to the gym again. My gym workouts are still pretty short (husband says they are about half what we will be doing once we work up to it), but the important part is actually getting in the gym. My goal is to work up to getting to the gym 3x a week (chest and triceps, back and biceps, and legs and shoulders), then work up to full-length weight-training routines 3x a week, then add in cardio and core 2-3 days a week between weight training days. Once I have a routine locked in, then I plan to start focusing on reps, duration, weights, etc. It is a slowwww process to get to where I want to be, but I really want to make it stick this time. This challenge is fairly boring to me, but in many ways, that is the full intent. The stuff I am doing this challenge is great, it is stuff that I want to be a part of my life, but that is pretty much the end all, be all. I have no intentions of becoming an athlete or fitness goddess or anything. My goal is to make health and fitness a regular part of my routine, to support my mental and physical health, so that I have the mind and body I need to pursue my actual life goals.

That is pretty much what I do, too. I just don't have time (or social energy) to go and post on every person's thread. I do try and meet new people, but I certainly don't try and conquer the entire list. Well done! I still haven't quite mastered my first pushup and doing that many situps at once just sounds downright miserable, so I am quite in awe.

^^ me whenever I stumble across the gym stats of Warriors. Keep up the great work

That sounds so frustrating. I hate it when profs have not caught up with the technological advancements of the time. Especially as a lot of schools and book distributors are pushing ebooks so hard now. I am glad you got everything worked out though.

I have found this to be an increasing issue among people. Once upon a time, people didn't really think to strive beyond impacting their direct community, but with the internet, globalization, and the popularity of parading the people "changing the world" in the media, it creates this false sense of power, and when we don't live up to this false expectation, we feel helpless and meaningless. When in all reality, it takes a lot of things coming together in just the right way for a person to get lucky enough to change the whole world, especially for the better. It isn't hard to do meaningful work when the goal is to effect a community, family, friends, but the growing problem is that people often don't feel like their work is meaningful unless it has a more global scope. That might help explain why we are living in the golden age of humanity (historically low crime rates, fewer wars, less poverty, low hunger rates, higher wages, etc), but people are more depressed and hopeless than ever.

Haha, this was my reaction, too. Gotta love someone who builds a brand based off of getting rid of stuff, and then turns around and tries to sell you stuff. Smh.