Health At Every Size- NOT a weight loss group!!

[worm761]

I have not gone to the gym this week. And it was my one goal. So I am changing my goal. I haven't been able to sleep. Like go to bed at 9 and still wide awake at 3. My goal is to try to get back to a normal sleep schedule so I can function.

 

[SurferMom]

I didn't do so hot with my "move more" goal yesterday. I was slammed with work so sat at a desk for too long. Anyone with a desk job have any tips for working more movement into the work day?

Do a web search on office workouts or office exercises. You'll be amazed what's out there….wall sits, squats over your chair, abs resistance with your chair sideways - leaning back until you feel abs tighten and hold it, planks, desk pushups, yoga poses….

Consider keeping a yoga mat and some 5 pound weights at your desk. You'd be amazed what you can do in one minute segments through the day..and still keep working…

Strength training can be every bit as effective as moving!

 

[lauradis]

No, I don't do any of those. I just... forget to eat. I get up in the morning and make a cup of coffee or tea. I get the kid off to school, get myself ready for work, catch the train - then realize I didn't have any breakfast because I wasn't hungry or food wasn't appealing.

More of the same at work. If I didn't eat breakfast or lunch, I'm usually ready for a snack about 3pm. If I eat too much then - I'm not hungry for dinner. And hungry for dinner or not - it's hard for me to consume adequate and varied nutrition between 3pm and 8pm.

Not every day is like this. Sometimes, I have apparently-normal hunger cues - and if I skip breakfast, I'll eat a bigger lunch/dinner/snack to compensate or I'll unconsciously alternate a low calorie day and a high calorie day. Then I relax, and eventually not-eating sneaks up on me again.

I tried a cell phone alarm, and it sort of didn't take. I might give it another try, but most of the issue is that I currently suck at eating when I'm not hungry. I need to remember all the ways to eat without thinking about it. Tomorrow I'll try chai or Cafe au lait instead of black coffee/plain green tea.

Yep thats actually how I feel in the morning.

I downloaded an app called "loseit" log all my food daily on there. That has helped a little to force me to eat more thru out the day.

 

[berryinDC]

No, I don't do any of those. I just... forget to eat. I get up in the morning and make a cup of coffee or tea. I get the kid off to school, get myself ready for work, catch the train - then realize I didn't have any breakfast because I wasn't hungry or food wasn't appealing. More of the same at work. If I didn't eat breakfast or lunch, I'm usually ready for a snack about 3pm. If I eat too much then - I'm not hungry for dinner. And hungry for dinner or not - it's hard for me to consume adequate and varied nutrition between 3pm and 8pm. Not every day is like this. Sometimes, I have apparently-normal hunger cues - and if I skip breakfast, I'll eat a bigger lunch/dinner/snack to compensate or I'll unconsciously alternate a low calorie day and a high calorie day. Then I relax, and eventually not-eating sneaks up on me again. I tried a cell phone alarm, and it sort of didn't take. I might give it another try, but most of the issue is that I currently suck at eating when I'm not hungry. I need to remember all the ways to eat without thinking about it. Tomorrow I'll try chai or Cafe au lait instead of black coffee/plain green tea.

Cafe au lait or chai sound like a good idea (and delicious)!

When I was having trouble getting hungry it turned out I was anemic. I now have to pop an iron pill every day. I still have trouble forgetting to eat when I'm stressed but I find forcing myself to do yoga (which is always the first thing I stupidly drop when I stress out) helps. Good luck!

 

[-Hope-]

No, I don't do any of those. I just... forget to eat. I get up in the morning and make a cup of coffee or tea. I get the kid off to school, get myself ready for work, catch the train - then realize I didn't have any breakfast because I wasn't hungry or food wasn't appealing. More of the same at work. If I didn't eat breakfast or lunch, I'm usually ready for a snack about 3pm. If I eat too much then - I'm not hungry for dinner. And hungry for dinner or not - it's hard for me to consume adequate and varied nutrition between 3pm and 8pm. Not every day is like this. Sometimes, I have apparently-normal hunger cues - and if I skip breakfast, I'll eat a bigger lunch/dinner/snack to compensate or I'll unconsciously alternate a low calorie day and a high calorie day. Then I relax, and eventually not-eating sneaks up on me again. I tried a cell phone alarm, and it sort of didn't take. I might give it another try, but most of the issue is that I currently suck at eating when I'm not hungry. I need to remember all the ways to eat without thinking about it. Tomorrow I'll try chai or Cafe au lait instead of black coffee/plain green tea.

Ok, I see. I guess I was confused because I've been working on eating when I'm hungry and not because it's time to eat. So funny how we all have such varied needs.

I wonder if having healthy snacks in plain sight might help? A bowl of nuts, a box of protein bars, a few pieces of fruit, all kept on your desk at work? Or somewhere else where you'll see them and be reminded to eat.

 

[-Hope-]

Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised. Taking a 5 minute break to get a little activity helps wake my brain up and I can be more productive for the next 45 minutes or so. Instead of using a timer, I started the habit of getting up from my seat every time I switch focus. Right now I walk up and down the hall, do short arcs, a few dozen staff spins, etc. When my knee is functional I'll do a few minutes of kicking/hands, once through a martial arts form, etc. It isn't really a "workout", but there's some evidence that you can't make up for sitting all day by hitting the gym at night - you really need both regular motion and occasional more intense exercise.

I tried the timer yesterday and kind of did a combination of that and your switching focus idea. I'd set the timer and when it went off I would finish what I was working on and then get up and move around. I (mostly) work from home so I tried to get some housework done when I'd take a break so it was a win-win because I didn't have vacuuming and laundry waiting for me when I finished working. :

I'm trying to increase my step count because I HATE working out (except for my nightly yoga) so this approach worked great. I added quite a few steps to day.

 

[-Hope-]

I have not gone to the gym this week. And it was my one goal. So I am changing my goal. I haven't been able to sleep. Like go to bed at 9 and still wide awake at 3. My goal is to try to get back to a normal sleep schedule so I can function.

This is my trouble, I have no problem falling asleep but staying asleep is hard. I've found that getting up for a glass of warm water sometimes helps me fall back to sleep. Really just allowing myself to get up instead of laying there trying to will myself back to sleep helps more than the drink. Calming yoga before bed helps too (nothing too intense). Sometimes staying up an extra hour until I'm truly tired helps me sleep longer. But there is a tipping where I'm too tired to sleep so I have to be careful.

 

[-Hope-]

Do a web search on office workouts or office exercises. You'll be amazed what's out there….wall sits, squats over your chair, abs resistance with your chair sideways - leaning back until you feel abs tighten and hold it, planks, desk pushups, yoga poses…. Consider keeping a yoga mat and some 5 pound weights at your desk. You'd be amazed what you can do in one minute segments through the day..and still keep working… Strength training can be every bit as effective as moving!

I mostly work from home so I can do any work out I want most of the time. It's forcing myself to take the time to do it that I struggle with. :

 

[dawnball]

Yep thats actually how I feel in the morning.

I downloaded an app called "loseit" log all my food daily on there. That has helped a little to force me to eat more thru out the day.

I use MyFitnessPal off and on - I find there's something about those apps that encourages me toward more disordered eating. I use a lot of checklists, and a lot of generosity. Yesterday I had a third of a banana and about a teaspoon of peanut butter for breakfast - but I ate something, so it counted! Then that made it easier to have a muffin this morning.

Cafe au lait or chai sound like a good idea (and delicious)!

When I was having trouble getting hungry it turned out I was anemic. I now have to pop an iron pill every day. I still have trouble forgetting to eat when I'm stressed but I find forcing myself to do yoga (which is always the first thing I stupidly drop when I stress out) helps. Good luck!

No anemia, but I am overdue for my next b12 shot. I usually use exercise to help my appetite, but since I hurt my knee (acl and meniscus injuries) I've been having a hard time finding something that elevates my heart rate and doesn't hurt the knee.

My lack of hunger is caused by gastroparesis - I usually have it under control, but pain seems to trigger flares. I hurt my knee and 2 weeks later dropped 11lb in 8 days. I've stopped the loss, but I'm still trying to get my daily self care back where it needs to be.

 

[dawnball]

I wonder if having healthy snacks in plain sight might help? A bowl of nuts, a box of protein bars, a few pieces of fruit, all kept on your desk at work? Or somewhere else where you'll see them and be reminded to eat.

Yeah, I've kind of slacked off on stocking my food drawer at work. It has a couple bottles of ensure and green tea. That makes lunch dependent on good planning every morning.

 

[-Hope-]

Yeah, I've kind of slacked off on stocking my food drawer at work. It has a couple bottles of ensure and green tea. That makes lunch dependent on good planning every morning.

That would do me in- I can't plan to save my life in the morning. : And I'm on my phone so can't use the multiquote function but I also completely understand the apps encouraging disordered eating. Any kind of food journaling actually. Checklists seem like a good alternative.

ETA: the Exercycle works well for me when my meniscus injury flares. I also use K-tape to support it on long walks. Lying on my back and doing a few reps of extending my leg using resistance bands helps strengthen the muscles in my knee as does lying on my side and doing "clam" stretches. It's hard to describe but a google search should turn up a pic (I'd post one but my laptop is in for repairs and I'm on my phone).

 

[berryinDC]

I use MyFitnessPal off and on - I find there's something about those apps that encourages me toward more disordered eating. /QUOTE]

I had the same problem with MyFitnessPal.

Yesterday I had a third of a banana and about a teaspoon of peanut butter for breakfast - but I ate something, so it counted! Then that made it easier to have a muffin this morning.

Congrats! That's awesome.

No anemia, but I am overdue for my next b12 shot. I usually use exercise to help my appetite, but since I hurt my knee (acl and meniscus injuries) I've been having a hard time finding something that elevates my heart rate and doesn't hurt the knee. My lack of hunger is caused by gastroparesis - I usually have it under control, but pain seems to trigger flares. I hurt my knee and 2 weeks later dropped 11lb in 8 days. I've stopped the loss, but I'm still trying to get my daily self care back where it needs to be.

Ouch, that's rough. I injured my knee last year (doing yoga of all things) and even swimming hurt. It's better now, but still flares up. I hope you find something that works for you!

 

[dawnball]

Between the cushioning of the synvisc injection and the GreatBigBrace(tm) that I got from the physiatrist, I'm back to being able to walk the third of a mile to the train station, and the half mile from the train to work again with pretty minimal pain. That means I can at least stop $&#*#^ driving everywhere, even if I still have to drag the cane alone for insurance against the knee giving out.

I do straight leg lifts, short arcs, hip abduction, heel slides, wall slides and toe raises. It's just... PT and not exercise. I miss sweat. I miss moving my body in ways that confuse my brain. I think I'm going to try staff spinning - I could use the practice, and it's at least a bit of an upper body workout.

 

[-Hope-]

Hey everyone!

It's been a busy few days but I happen to have a few minutes to DIS right now so I thought I'd pop in here. It seems the W.I.S.H. boards are in fact a good place for us- we haven't had any negative comments since the move.

I'm doing really well with my goal to move more. The suggestion to use a time to remind me to get up and move has been extremely helpful, even on days I'm not at work. Regardless of what I'm doing I'm trying not to sit for more than about half an hour at a time. I'm getting more work done, using the mini-breaks to get things done around the house (I mostly work from home) and my step count is way up.

An added benefit is that I'm also not mindlessly snacking as much. I would often reach for easy to eat snacks while I'm working, watching TV, etc. but since I've been taking the mini breaks I haven't been. It's not even a conscious choice- I think it's because my body knew I needed something and when it wasn't getting the movement it needed my brain would look for food in it's place, if that makes sense.

So, all in all my current goals are going well. I'm tempted to add another goal but I'm afraid of derailing my progress before it really becomes a habit so I'm holding off for now.

 

[berryinDC]

Hey everyone! It's been a busy few days but I happen to have a few minutes to DIS right now so I thought I'd pop in here. It seems the W.I.S.H. boards are in fact a good place for us- we haven't had any negative comments since the move. I'm doing really well with my goal to move more. The suggestion to use a time to remind me to get up and move has been extremely helpful, even on days I'm not at work. Regardless of what I'm doing I'm trying not to sit for more than about half an hour at a time. I'm getting more work done, using the mini-breaks to get things done around the house (I mostly work from home) and my step count is way up. An added benefit is that I'm also not mindlessly snacking as much. I would often reach for easy to eat snacks while I'm working, watching TV, etc. but since I've been taking the mini breaks I haven't been. It's not even a conscious choice- I think it's because my body knew I needed something and when it wasn't getting the movement it needed my brain would look for food in it's place, if that makes sense. So, all in all my current goals are going well. I'm tempted to add another goal but I'm afraid of derailing my progress before it really becomes a habit so I'm holding off for now.

That's an inspiring update! I haven't been doing as well with my goal to sleep better. I've been traveling all week for work and the time zone problem has made it easy to fall asleep initially, but harder to stay asleep. But...this thread has been helping me put down my phone and go to sleep since I'm usually on dis right before bed. And, I've been making healthier choices while eating out.

I've been worrying about my ADRs and whether I should cancel some now to avoid fees on my upcoming trip. This is my family's first trip to WDW since FP+ and 24 hour cancellation fee and I think I'm stressing out which is impacting my sleep. I fly home today so hopefully I can get some nice naps in and recalibrate this weekend. Thanks for making this thread!

 

[dawnball]

Eating three meals a day seems to be a keystone habit for me. I'm doing a much better job of eating nutritious food and I'm back to not noticing the abdominal pain unless I'm checking for tenderness.

My phone got lollipop (woohoo) and with that comes an app from google called "Fit" - Fit tells me that yesterday I spent an hour and 24 minutes moving and walked just under 10k steps. I think I pushed it a little far, but now I have a benchmark and can see how I feel as I walk more or less than that.

What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving?

We usually do a very untraditional Thanksgiving, and this year DD asked to do a traditional one. DH is on a low carb diet. He's said that he's likely to eat reasonable portions of carbs on Thanksgiving, but not to eat any high carb leftovers. We strategized a little about how to make everyone happy and decided to make a large variety but as few leftovers as possible.

I want to find a short, easy hike for after Thanksgiving dinner (something my knee can stand), then we'll come home and settle in with pie, coffee and games.

 

[-Hope-]

That's an inspiring update! I haven't been doing as well with my goal to sleep better. I've been traveling all week for work and the time zone problem has made it easy to fall asleep initially, but harder to stay asleep. But...this thread has been helping me put down my phone and go to sleep since I'm usually on dis right before bed. And, I've been making healthier choices while eating out. I've been worrying about my ADRs and whether I should cancel some now to avoid fees on my upcoming trip. This is my family's first trip to WDW since FP+ and 24 hour cancellation fee and I think I'm stressing out which is impacting my sleep. I fly home today so hopefully I can get some nice naps in and recalibrate this weekend. Thanks for making this thread!

Sorry I haven't been on much, my laptop is in for repairs and I read a lot of DISboards on my phone but don't reply as much. :

Anyway, trip planning is so stressful, especially now with FP+ and stress makes it more difficult for me to turn down the noise in my brain so I can sleep. I hope you're doing better!

 

[-Hope-]

Eating three meals a day seems to be a keystone habit for me. I'm doing a much better job of eating nutritious food and I'm back to not noticing the abdominal pain unless I'm checking for tenderness. My phone got lollipop (woohoo) and with that comes an app from google called "Fit" - Fit tells me that yesterday I spent an hour and 24 minutes moving and walked just under 10k steps. I think I pushed it a little far, but now I have a benchmark and can see how I feel as I walk more or less than that. What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving? We usually do a very untraditional Thanksgiving, and this year DD asked to do a traditional one. DH is on a low carb diet. He's said that he's likely to eat reasonable portions of carbs on Thanksgiving, but not to eat any high carb leftovers. We strategized a little about how to make everyone happy and decided to make a large variety but as few leftovers as possible. I want to find a short, easy hike for after Thanksgiving dinner (something my knee can stand), then we'll come home and settle in with pie, coffee and games.

That sounds like a really great plan! Our big meal will be in the evening and we have lots of travel time so I doubt I get as much movement as I'll want but Friday will be spent dragging Christmas decorations up from the basement, climbing on the roof to hang lights, etc. so it'll all work out.

I'm glad eating more regularly seems to be helping!

 

[strangebutspecial]

What is everyone's plans for the holidays? I find it hard to turn down tasty things that I don't normally get the rest of the year.

Somebody ask me in a week if I've spent more time working out...

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Just found this thread and have to admit I like it's ethos
I need to lose weight but MORE THAN THAT I need to be healthier as I'm still eating like a teenager at times instead of a grown woman so delighted to have found a place full of encouraging tips

Someone asked about coping over the holidays and I will share a piece of advice given by a doctor friend who said "stop worrying about the 2weeks over Christmas and New Years and instead worry about the 50 weeks from New Year to Christmas"!

I am following this advice this year but have also planned a few outings with the family that involve swimming, long walks (weather permitting) and ten pin bowling to show that we can have great times without treat foods being on the menu