Theria

I just looked and it's been just over a year since I was last on these forums. Thinking about it, I was in my last semester of grad school for my master's, so I imagine I got distracted with final assignments and dropped out the the habit of coming here. Since then I started my doctoral program so limited time and mental energy are still factors I need to account for in my plan to improve my health. Right now my focus is on being more conscious of my health choices. For the past year I haven't really put any thought into food choice and activity/non-activity so I want to change that. I know building small habits is the best way to go, so that's my plan right now.

Optimal Health Daily has some good episodes and they periodically read from Nerd Fitness.

Thanks for the reply @Dragonwolf. I'm curious to know what tests your current doctor ran for you. I've been off hormonal birth control for several months now (boy has that been fun ) and I'm supposed to go back to my OBGYN to finally test my hormone levels.

The struggle is real. Got my period yesterday and my brain has pretty much completely shut down (in addition to depression), which is great since I have 2 critical assignments due in my classes. Can't even think about food choice and exercise right now...

I really want to start checking in on here more frequently to keep myself thinking about my goals and progress. It's too easy for me to not think about it for a day or two and then weeks will go by before I realize it. The last few days have been all over the place. On Thursday my diet was bad. Like lots of coffee, donut, cookies, and little in the way of nutrition bad. I didn't even log my food because I knew it wasn't gonna be pretty. I was out running errands for hours and just stopped thinking about my food choices. On the bright side, when I got home I chose to get on the treadmill, aiming to get in my one Zombies Run I had in my week one challenge list. Well my phone crashed 3 times, each when I was 3 or 4 minutes into the app session. I chose not to try launching it again because I was already 15 minutes in on the treadmill and didn't want to overdo it adding a full session on top of that, so instead I just walked for another 15 minutes. Not as good as getting some interval jogging, but I'm glad I didn't use the crashing as an excuse to just stop. Yesterday my diet was a bit better, but spent most of the day at the computer. Need to work on getting up from my desk more regularly.

Yeah it does. I'm still working on their 5k training program but I hear they're up to season 7 now.

I'd say if it works, it works. Maybe ask someone you trust to do a sniff test to make sure you're not getting more than 'volume' on your ride to work. You can also try adding a dry shampoo to your routine. But don't feel too weird. A lot of hair does better being washed every 2-3 days, not daily. You're going a bit past that but you're not the only one out there.

Fitbit Challenge is still helping. Yesterday when my professor gave us a ten minute break I took a walk and grabbed another 650 steps instead of just sitting at my computer the whole time. Then when I got home I was way behind my friend & cousin so I hopped on the treadmill for half an hour. I almost didn't because I was perseverating over if I should get started on Zombie Run even though I have that scheduled for next week. I didn't want this walk to not "count" towards that. But I don't have music on my current phone, and listening to podcasts during Zombie Run is sort of weird because two narratives mash together. But then if it didn't count towards Zombies Run then should I even do it? And if I do... Yeah, I spiraled for a while in the car ride home, then said F it, I'm just gonna get on and walk. Tried playing 3DS while walking but it was disorienting and I hunched my back so I opted for an audiobook instead and I was glad I did it. Thanks, I'll be following you too.

Really happy I finally got my Fitbit fixed (it would not sync no matter how much troubleshooting I did). As soon as I got it to sync I challenged my friend and cousin and it's motivating all of us to move more. Hurray for outside accountability. I also started tracking my food in the Fitbit app. Since I'm opening the app periodically it's easier to remember to log my food than using a seperate app. Still working on not letting perfect be the enemy of the good. I feel like if I'm taking the time to log it, the numbers should be perfect but then I'm too caught up in confirming every bit of nutritional info that I get burnt out and stop so trying really hard to not do that.

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I just have to be more conscious of my choices. Today we were out taking care of several projects so we ate out for lunch and dinner Since I couldn't change that I decided to try tracking what I was eating. It didn't change my lunch choice much since we were eating at a new place and I wanted to see how their food was, but for dinner I entered my food before ordering to help me decide what I should get. Got salad instead of fries and less other food so that was good.

Wow there's some amazing work going on in here. I haven't done much art wise in a while and now I want to.

lol thanks Jean We have 3 adults in the house, no kids. We prepare food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ideally we would do that seven days a week, but I have evening classes 3 days a week which can make that difficult. Typically we have something quick for breakfast like cereal, but on good days we make spinach & fruit smoothies. On weekends we might do eggs and toast, or oatmeal. When we cook dinner we do a double batch and save half for lunch the next day. My sister is a great chef and does most (all) of the cooking, but we all work full time so we try to find quick prep foods that won't leave her standing in the kitchen for hours. My PCOS causes insulin resistance so I know I need to limit carbohydrates, but I've found conflicting info on how much to limit them. In the past I lost weight when I cut out all carbs, and maintained the loss when I added complex carbs only. So I guess the happy medium would be no simple carbs at all, and occasional complex carbs so I don't feel too constricted. My cholesterol is good, but I need to raise my LDL Cholesterol so I need to add more unsaturated fat to my diet, without also taking in more saturated fat or an insane number of calories. We don't eat much beef or pork, so our main protein source is chicken. We're fine eating tofu but I can't have too much soy because it can mess with my hormones. We also eat fish but tend to save that for Friday or Saturday when we don't need to save it for lunch the next day since it doesn't heat well. I considered adding beans for protein, but they have more carbs then protein so that may not be a good idea. My sister is allergic to tomatoes and shellfish so those are out, and I can't eat raw onion. Sorry that's way longer than I intended it to be ^_^() On the bright side, answering your question is helping clarify all of this for me : )

Gotta get back into posting here regularly. I can do this. Ugh. Why is figuring out an eating plan so hard! I want something that will generate a plan for me based on general guidelines, but not create a plan full of difficult cooking or exotic ingredients. I don't need instagram meals, I need realistic ones. Sigh. Back to searching until I inevitably realize that what I want isn't out there and i need to put the hard work in to just make a plan myself.

Reflecting on this challenge I certainly could have done a lot better, but I am trying to look on the bright side. This was my first real challenge and I am learning as I go. I found that I am definitely an all or nothing kind of person. I can't say I'll do something a certain number of times per week, because it's too easy to say I'll do it another day. So certain things like checking in on NF need to be daily tasks for me. Habits that I can't do every day like running need to be specifically scheduled. The same thing applies to tracking my food choices and water intake. If I'm doing it regularly I make good choices, but it is all to easy for me to forget and not make any attempts at change or improvement. I'm also considering how these challenges are set up and what I need to do to make sure it works for me, my lifestyle and needs, and my brain and body. I won't feel so locked into the guidelines next month and will design my challenge however I think will most benefit me.

Thank you for both checking in. I keep going AWOL. Ack. Not going to do a full write up, but here is my end of challenge update. Diet Drink at least 48oz of water each day Met this goal 7/28 days or 25% success rate Tracked my water 15/28 days Reduce fast food meals to one per week Met this goal 2/4 weeks or 50% Was much more cognizant of my food choices overall Fitness Do ZombiesRun5k 3 days per week Never met this goal. Only used the app once in the entire month. Stretch 5 days per week Failed on this one. Once or twice i stretched for like a minute, but never did proper stretching Level Up My Life Have a heartfelt conversation with the boyfriend for at least five minutes every day Didn't fully track this. Had a very rough start but this pat week we've been doing a lot better See a psychologist about possible ASD Haven't gone but I did contact two and chose who I am going to go to so I'm on the right track.

Bitch, back the fuck up and quit listening to the voice in your head! Ahem. Perhaps that was a little harsh. But you're being way too hard on yourself and need to be stopped. You have been through a traumatic experience. Do you hear me? TRAUMA! You're not going to just instantly recover from that. You're going to feel sad, and hurt, and alone. You're going to blame yourself and you're going to blame others. And everything else you have going on in your life is going to be tinted with that darkness while you're healing. And that's okay. As long as you recognize the situation you're in, and that it is not the be-all-end-all reality. It is temporary. You just got out of a painful relationship in which you regularly were hurt by or hurt someone, and that has a profound effect on your mental and emotional state. It's going to take time to recover from that. Unfortunately the pain doesn't go away just because the relationship ended. Plus you had to end the relationship, which took incredible courage and emotional sacrifice. No wonder you're struggling. Right now probably depressed, overwhelmed, and feeling lost. I'm so sorry you're going through that. But the pain you're feeling now is the aftermath of taking on something huge and terrifying. You chose to step up to the final boss and you defeated it. You are truly a bad ass! Now you're cut up and bruised and licking your wounds. You need to take some time to heal before taking on new battles. As for this month's challenge, you stepped up, tried some new things, and connected with friends both old and new. That counts. You're not going to master every task but just stepping up and trying can be huge. Please do not judge yourself harshly when you were dealing with so much at the same time. The fact that you're still standing and braved posting your negative thoughts here says a hell of a lot more about you and your character than a spreadsheet of diet stats. So please, with a more open mind, think about the challenge again. GOAL 1: MENTAL BANISHING SPELL How many days did you track things? Were you successful in that area? How many days did you stick to your plans? Kudos for those days. Banish the negative thoughts: IDK just have beer for dinner. You do know. You're just hurt and feeling hopeless so you don't want to think about it. GOAL 2: RITUAL OF RESTORATION How many days did you care for your ankle? What can you do to care for it today? Right now? Banish the negative thoughts: my ankle hurts because I'm fat and I'm fat because I eat and I eat because I'm sad and I'm sad because I'm fat. So it doesn't matter what I do to try to "repair" my ankle, because the only thing that will help is not being fucking fat. I've been in that situation and thought cycle many times before. It's incredibly hard to get out of because part of that is true. If you weren't overweight, your ankle wouldn't hurt as much. Yes, I said as much. The damage is still there. You may not be able to get it to 100% with your weight, but you can certainly improve it. Also I could do an entire thesis on eating while sad. I won't go into it because this reply is long already and the internet has tons of resources. But remember you are not just sad because you're fat. You're sad because of the aforementioned trauma. It will pass. GOAL 3: CAROLINA'S GRASP You submitted your Thesis edits, worked on the SQL Basics Course, improved your portfolio and resume, and have been applying to jobs. Go you! Banish the negative thoughts: I've spent countless hours on my portfolio, tailoring resumes, writing cover letters, finding jobs to apply to. I haven't had a single interview. Uh, you can't control that girl. Your goal was to do "weekly job hunting and associated duties" and you did that. Well done! See, it's not that bad. I hope you're able to step back and reflect without feeling so much pain soon. Maybe try journaling a bit, either privately or on your battle log, to sort through your thoughts and feelings. Then after that, work on your next challenge (I'll be looking for it!). And this time make it all about self-care and recovery. So please, be kind to yourself and remember you've got all of us here. All gifs are from here FYI. Just found the page and am in love. http://kittenwitchandthebadvibes.tumblr.com/

I think that insight is so helpful and it's funny how spot on it can be. I 100% follow the Obliger tendency, even the Obliger rebellion. I love having a name for it because my rebellion always came in ways that hurt myself, like eating junk food when no one was around to see, even if I didn't want it, or refusing to brush my teeth before bed (I really don't get this one. It's gross). So having a name for it and a reason let's me see it for what it is and avoid it. Thanks so much. Yeah I've explained that to him but it's in his mind. I'm a teacher so he's already paranoid about school shootings. I think the fact that I can't remove myself from that potential situation makes him more paranoid about other settings. But at least he is opening up.

Yes, the Four Tendencies has opened my eyes quite a bit. I first heard about it on Gretchen Rubin's podcast and immediately recognized myself as an Obliger. I'm listening to the audiobook now and it has helped to hear that a large percentage of people have that tendency of meeting outer obligations but not inner. I don't feel as guilty and can shut down the voice saying I should be able to just do things. It's also helped me understand my boyfriend who is a questions, so I can better communicate with him. The glo run does sound fun. BF immediately said no at first, citing concerns about me running outside with my asthma, and that public runs are often terrorist targets. I discussed my tendency with him though and he agreed to be my accountability person and help me stick to my plan. Then said maybe he'd do the 5k too so that's progress. Although the run in the zoo sounds fun too. *pout*

Good luck! We'll be thinking of you!

Congrats on your success so far, and for embracing a positive mindset as well!

Small win today with my bullet journal. I took time to fill in my week last night and looked at it first time this morning. That prompted me to actually fill up my cup with water before I even had coffee, and to go over all of my upcoming assignments a get a bunch of work done. Gave some serious thought to my tendency to meet outer expectation but not inner expectations (from Four Tendencies) and it's really hard to come to terms with the fact that I can meet all of these deadlines and requirements at work, but do nothing for myself. But rather than wallowing in that feeling, I have to use this knowledge to hack my life. In this case I need external accountability. So I am going to register for a 5k in September. This will give me a solid window to finish Zombies 5k with a little leeway but not so much that I can slack and put it off. I've also asked my sister to sign up with me so I have the added accountability of not wanting to disappoint her. I haven't finalized which 5k to sign up for yet. There's one at my local zoo that gives you a free pass for the zoo after, but there's also one in the evening which is a glo run. I'm hoping I can get my boyfriend to sign on for that one since it doesn't involve waking up at some ungodly hour. He's never done any kind of public race though so he way say no right away which will suck but I can't change the choices of others, only my own so that's okay.

lol Happy to give you a reminder. When I posted my first challenge I did the same thing and never came back to it. Even now if I don't check the forums every single day, then I completely drop it for a while. I'm definitely an all or nothing person. I'm happy for you and your weight loss. Sorry your knees are giving you trouble. Are there any alternate activities you can do like swimming that is less high impact? Never heard of DDP Yoga but I hope it works out well.

I've decided to start a Daily Log to help myself with my need for accountability. I'm also rolling my introduction bio in here as well because, why not. I'm not sure what the overall format of this log will be but I realize I need to at least get it started. About Me Starting Stats Age: 34 Sex: Female Weight: 254 Height: 5'3" Occupation: Teacher, Grad Student Character Current Race: Hobbit Goal Race: Elf Current Class: Rebel Short Term Goal Class: Scout Long Term Goal Class: Ranger Health Difficulty Level: Crushing Academic Difficulty Level: Easy Social Difficulty Level: Hard Personal growth Difficulty Level: Normal Favorites Movies: Breakfast Club & Lord of the Rings TV Show: changes too much. The Expanse, The Goldbergs, Brooklyn Nine Nine, GoT, Westworld, Rick & Morty, Book: Harry Potter Video Games: Story of Seasons (neé Harvest Moon) Anime (all time): Blue Seed Anime (currently): Dragonball Super Hobby: Crafting Labels Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff Four Tendencies: Obliger Myers BS: ISFJ “The Defender” Health/Psychology: ADD, PCOS, possible ASD Brief As you can see above, I definitely started life as a hobbit. I'm short, chubby, and most comfortable hiding away inside my hobbit hole, watching TV, playing video games, reading, and spending time with my sister and boyfriend. I really want to improve my personal health and fitness so that I can feel comfortable taking more risks and pursuing a more fulfilling life. You can see my epic quest and Level 50 goals on my character page, but overall I want to travel more, be a solid runner, and pursue more creative endeavors.

NAME CHANGE ALERT I changed my display name from Elice to Theria. I mainly did this because my old name is something I've used on other sites and gaming accounts and I wanted something completely new for the new person I am building. I've also found myself posting more personal information here than I expected so I'd rather people not stumble onto that