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Annael
Immortal
Oct 2 2015, 3:42pm
Post #1 of 22
(1327 views)
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Do you have a Fitbit or similar device?
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I got a Fitbit last week and am now a slave to it! I am competitive with myself, and so every day I have to outdo, if only by a few steps, how much I walked the day before. Which means I am logging about 5 miles a day right now.
What it's really doing for me is making me less sedentary. I just read an article that short bursts of activity interspersed throughout the day are much healthier for you than one "workout" and sitting the rest of the day. So I go out & walk around the block several times a day in addition to my usual 2.5-mile walk around the 'hood.
And yes, I'm losing weight. And sleeping beautifully!
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Meneldor
Valinor
Oct 2 2015, 5:51pm
Post #2 of 22
(1266 views)
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Daily exercise, usually jogging, has been part of my life for decades.
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I've built up good habit patterns, and I have no interest in changing them now.
As for exercising often throughout the day, that's excellent. When I'm at the lake I usually swim 5-6 times a day for just a few minutes, and that makes me feel great. Keep up the good routine and you'll make it into a lifelong habit and healthy lifestyle.
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Cirashala
Valinor
Oct 2 2015, 6:23pm
Post #3 of 22
(1263 views)
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through webmd.com's food and fitness planner, but I'm absolutely terrible at logging anything else 
I also got a pedometer, but the darn thing refused to work (I guess I do more "glide" and less "Jurassic Park"?  ).
So I simply try to get exercise as best I can- whether it be grocery shopping, going to the gym, or cleaning my house or mowing my lawn (they are all physical activity- in fact, cleaning and lawn mowing burn more calories than a treadmill).
And on a day where I get some physical activity, I simply cross it off with a bright green whiteboard marker on my erasable white board calendar on the wall  On days where I rest or am ill, I cross it off with black (I only have four colors, and each thing represents a different "code" on my calendar- like I use black for hubby's work schedule (which rotates), I use a blue dot for recycling weeks (they are every other week), I use green words for payday, I use pink/fuschia for appointments, blue for the calendar itself, etc).
It works very well for me, because then it is easier for me to track whether I exercised in some way or not, rather than trying to spend half the day calculating every single calorie I ingest (which is super hard, as I can't eat most processed/pre-packaged foods due to major food intolerances to unnatural additives/preservatives/artificial ingredients resulting from a gi disorder, so I cook from scratch and it's time consuming to input every single ingredient and try to calculate exactly how much of each ingredient I ingest), and trying to track every single second I exercise, what speed, and for how long.
I can't do all that math- I have a life! And kids...
My ultimate goal is to simply be healthy. I hope to lose weight, but as my meds for my disorder cause weight gain, I am fortunate to simply not gain more. I do keep an eye on my weight, mostly because I wish to catch any weight gain early and it's also an indication as to eating habits (when I "cheat" on my diet restrictions, though I end up paying for it later), and physical activity (for example, if I haven't gotten enough in a week). And it's encouraging to see the adjustments that are made as it inches slowly downward.
But in making my goals, these are priority:
1. Be healthy- take my meds every day on time, take my vitamin D every day (I need it, as I burn like a lobster in the sun) and get as much rest as I can with my sleep disorder.
2. Establish healthy eating habits (easier when your gut ends up in overwhelming pain if you eat junk!).
3. Establish good physical activity habits, and try to get some in at least three days a week, preferably five.
4. Try to take better care of my body as a whole, and
5. Be an example of a fit, healthy (well, as I can with my health issues), and active lifestyle to my kids so they don't grow up sedentary and eating junk.
Is weight loss part of it? Not necessarily a goal- more like a pleasant consequence of the goals above
By establishing my goals the way I did, I find that I meet them EVERY TIME I eat something healthy and full of vitamins for my body (especially as I cannot ingest synthetic multivitamins anymore), or exercise/get physical activity.
Rather than getting depressed that the numbers on the scale aren't going down as quickly as I like, I am actually encouraged by more green x's on the calendar, and encouraged when I go a day without messing up (I've had this disorder for nearly two years now, and it has been a MAJOR adjustment compared to how I ate before- getting to be a much better "scratch" chef too!) in terms of eating stuff I can't digest properly.
And that encouragement that happens every time I accomplish these goals above makes me far more likely and inclined to be physically active and eating healthy than relying solely on calorie counts or numbers on the scale. I also find that I feel far less stress (my disorder can flare up in attacks with too much stress as well) and pressure to be active, and it allows me to just ENJOY it, and come to love it even more
If your fitbit works for you, that's awesome! I'm happy for you!
But I'd rather just utilize my calendar color system to encourage myself to be more active- it is less headache, it works, and it is very encouraging to know that I meet my goals with every step I take, every room I clean, every grocery shopping trip I do, and every rock wall I climb or every minute I swim with my kids at the gym
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Starling
Half-elven
Oct 2 2015, 7:06pm
Post #4 of 22
(1256 views)
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I must admit, though, I am not as fit as I used to be strength wise.
Just don't be like a woman I worked with who used her device to track and prove how much she was not sleeping every night so she could show it to us and complain about her life even more than before.
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Arandiel
Grey Havens
Oct 2 2015, 7:07pm
Post #5 of 22
(1250 views)
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I use a pedometer and spreadsheet and, of course,
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the Walk to Rivendell.  And Notta's walking equivalents chart on the WtR thread.
I suspect a fitbit would be too 'brainy' for me - I'm notorious for underusing the capabilities of the tech toys in my life.
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Meneldor
Valinor
Oct 2 2015, 8:58pm
Post #6 of 22
(1240 views)
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Cirashala, slow weight loss is a very good thing.
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When you lose weight fast, it's much easier to put it back on again. When you lose weight slowly, it's much more likely to stay off.
Sounds like you've got a good thing going; keep at it!
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Cirashala
Valinor
Oct 2 2015, 9:34pm
Post #7 of 22
(1233 views)
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Which I'm not, by the way! We're done at two!
At any rate, I gained 50 lbs with my first pregnancy (started at 115, ended at 165 and am only five feet tall). I cannot possibly figure out why, as I was puking like crazy the entire 9 months and barely able to keep anything down! I had hyperemesis gravidarum very severely with both pregnancies.
When I got diagnosed with pretty severe IBS, I lost about 30 lbs because of having a severe attack every time I ate something processed (no frozen dinners or cheese-its for me anymore, or soda, or pretty much anything with "unpronounceable ingredients" on the label).
I had to majorly modify my eating habits (it wasn't as simple as cutting out dairy or wheat- I basically had to stop eating an "American diet" and start eating "whole foods"- aka making everything completely from scratch, and shop the perimeter of stores rather than the center aisles, unless it was a baking aisle or something). Hamburgers (aside from homemade)- out. Hot dogs definitely out. Chips, soda, sauces (like ketchup and bbq sauce and ranch) out. Frozen meals and desserts out. Any drink that isn't milk, 100% fruit juice, water, apple cider, or decaf homemade tea out (I don't do coffee anyway- never have), etc.
Now, aside from some whole grain cereals, most of what I eat is literally made from scratch, and that has also contributed to my weight loss. I bake almost every grain item we need (except the cereals, and with those I have to stick to the healthier ones- like Grape Nuts, Bran Flakes (I add raisins), Honey Bunches of Oats, Cheerios, Whole Oatmeal (not instant packets), etc). My college baking certificate helps immensely here! I eat either fresh or frozen fruits and veggies (or, if I do canned, it's usually home canned with light syrup made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup), I have dried beans that I do in the crock pot, and I make my meats fresh with seasonings. I also make my own ranch using natural sour cream as the base and spices, my own soup using natural broth, use whole grain flour and slow cook brown rice or jasmine rice, my own spaghetti sauce, etc (and need to learn how to make homemade bbq sauce too). My butter is real butter- just sweet cream and a bit of salt. And I also use extra virgin olive oil in place of canola/vegetable oil (I use butter in baking instead of shortening as well- honestly tastes better too).
So basically, I eat like a farm girl- if it ain't fresh or home baked, it's home canned or frozen fruits and veggies and frozen but no additives meat (we hope to get a package directly from a butcher soon when we come up with funds), and eggs and beans, but everything is natural. I also garden, though the drought and heat wave killed it this year, but last year I made my own salsa and canned a bunch of peaches, pears, cherries, pickles, and jams
It works for me, and though it can make both eating out and eating at friends/family's houses very difficult (I have to ask them to save ingredient labels), I manage to make it work most of the time And it's made me much healthier and slimmer than I was before! I'm down from 165 to 143 since June 2013, and have kept it off, despite meds being a pain in that department (I got down to 134 two years ago this December, and the meds made me gain 9 lbs back the winter after that point ). And I hope that I can at least return to 132, as that's the top end of my healthy weight range for my height.
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Dwarewien
Rohan
Oct 2 2015, 10:06pm
Post #8 of 22
(1225 views)
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I'd short circuit it in a week...
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since I walk everywhere. I must be getting faster, since the walk to my local Walmart Supercenter (which is just next door to our newest Cineplex, though it's not that new anymore, since it may be five or six years old), it used to take me an hour and a half from my apartment, now it only takes me an hour (or 45 minutes from the closest library, which is only about 15 minutes away). I only got lost once so far, and that was because I was trying to detour around our local Christmas parade and went a little farther than expected (I had to call my mom to come get me, thank goodness she also bought me a cell phone when she bought hers a couple of years back, or I would have walked to the next town).
(This post was edited by Queen of Erebor on Oct 2 2015, 10:09pm)
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Elizabeth
Half-elven
Oct 3 2015, 6:51am
Post #9 of 22
(1192 views)
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And that 6 mos included going to NYC for the LotR/Lincoln Ctr marathon with my granddaughter, son & step-daughter and some good friends; and a cruise to Alaska with granddaughter; all serious calorie challenges!
Fitbit is good motivation. It works well with MyFitnessPal which helps you log what you eat to monitor the calorie intake.
(This post was edited by Elizabeth on Oct 3 2015, 6:51am)
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Annael
Immortal
Oct 3 2015, 2:45pm
Post #10 of 22
(1115 views)
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No fear, I belong to the "be careful what you talk about, every word is a prayer" school of thought. Something I keep trying to get across to my sister, who complains unceasingly about how bad her life is and then wonders why it continues to stay so. (It's not, actually, she just focuses exclusively on the negative. I have to leave the room sometimes.)
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Annael
Immortal
Oct 3 2015, 2:48pm
Post #11 of 22
(1107 views)
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6:30 every morning, rain or shine: "Time to get up and take me for a walk!" We did 2 to 6 miles every day, not counting the late-evening stroll to look at the stars (in my case) and empty the bladder (in her case). Even though she's long gone I still like to go outside right before bed and look up.
I was in a walking group for a year - every morning we did 3.5 miles in one hour. I lost 30 pounds. Sadly the group broke up, and then I broke my foot, and put back 15 of those pounds. I'm hoping the fitbit works as well as the group in motivating me to get out every day. So far it has.
(This post was edited by Annael on Oct 3 2015, 2:52pm)
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Oct 3 2015, 3:48pm
Post #12 of 22
(1095 views)
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I've got enough stuff to keep track of
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without another device to make me feel guilty. That's not to say I wouldn't ever get at Fitbit or something similar, but it would have to be at another stage of life when I have more attention and time to devote to fitness that's more hard-core than my daily walks (and I always feel I'm sacrificing vital time even for those)!
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
Oct 3 2015, 4:58pm
Post #13 of 22
(1084 views)
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I haven't used the online stuff, but Mr. Eruvande did at the beginning of the year. He tracked his mileage and calorie intake and lost 30 pounds. It pretty much fell off him.
I have a hard time justifying taking time to exercise. I know I'm supposed to for health reasons, yadda, yadda, yadda. But I feel like I should be doing the laundry, the yard work, the shopping. And I loathe exercise. I know that doing all those chores makes my step count add up, but all that frickin' machine does is raise the goal. So I mostly use mine as a watch or not at all.
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Maciliel
Valinor
Oct 3 2015, 5:07pm
Post #14 of 22
(1082 views)
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oh -- i +do+ know what this can mean (!)
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on being careful what you wish for.....
when i had two cats, i was sometimes thinking... wouldn't it be nice to have a third? but i would not allow my logical mind to take the deliberate step to get one from a shelter or rescue. but i would say... "well, if one was born on my doorstep..."
well (i'm pretty sure you already know where this is going).... a few months later -- wham! a little kitten was indeed born on my back deck. she's amazing, so sweet, and so loving. i do have a sneaking suspicion that the universe was listening to me.
cheers --
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Annael
Immortal
Oct 4 2015, 8:37pm
Post #15 of 22
(1048 views)
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and a great example of how things really work!
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Oct 6 2015, 5:06pm
Post #16 of 22
(1018 views)
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good stuff!
132 sounds ideal. Gradual weight loss is better all around, you maintain health better that way.
Our culture needs to put more emphasis on eating healthy and exercising well, instead of "look like this".
hyperemesis gravidarum sounds very very scary.... good you're past it.
I think the junk in our diet affects all of us... but some of us are more sensitive.
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Oct 6 2015, 5:08pm
Post #17 of 22
(1018 views)
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trying to focus on the positive is an old school of thought that is old because it works!
Some people just like the drama though...
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Oct 6 2015, 5:10pm
Post #18 of 22
(1014 views)
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If my computer and camera work, oh, and the cell phone for emergencies, that's all the massive techie stuff I can handle.
gazotz!
now where'd that go again...
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Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor
Oct 13 2015, 9:23pm
Post #19 of 22
(960 views)
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Similar to Fitbit but way cheaper - I'd like to have the GPS and a way to track my pace, especially if I EVER start running again. But I've been told you can do both with a phone app, and I never go anywhere without my phone (just don't always remember to plug it in). But for now I log my fitness minutes on SparkPeople, along with my food tracking. It's a free site, but they've started streaming so many ads that it's almost not functioning anymore. I'm thinking about switching to myfitnesspal, and they have a phone app, too.
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Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor
Oct 13 2015, 9:24pm
Post #20 of 22
(961 views)
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but surely you get your fitness from kayaking?
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Seems like we've talked about this before. I'd be reluctant to take the cell phone with me while kayaking, LOL!
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RosieLass
Valinor
Oct 28 2015, 11:31pm
Post #21 of 22
(796 views)
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I've been using a Fitbit One for a couple years.
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I wore cheap pedometers for years, but I was forever having to replace them because the clip broke or something. So I decided to shell out for the pricier electronic Fitbit. With the replaceable clip. (Which hasn't broken, oddly enough.)
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RosieLass
Valinor
Oct 28 2015, 11:34pm
Post #22 of 22
(796 views)
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My first footer quote would appropriate for her then. :D //
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