Physical Check-In

We eat 2 small squares of dark chocolate after dinner every night. It is bitter enough to stop at 2 but still satisfying.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I think the answer is very likely "yes" about the cravings. At least it seems to be the case for me.

bizi, I have read many times that there are actually health benefits to eating small to moderate amounts of dark chocolate. Especially dark, not so much milk chocolate. I keep some Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate on hand, too. I like chocolate, but it is not my weakness by any stretch. I am also able to stop after one or two squares. I usually enjoy it with a small espresso. I do avoid the chocolates that have fillings that are especially tempting to me, like marzipan.

I see my psychiatrist today. I know what to talk about with him. Sometimes he has a valuable perspective that my therapist doesn't have. Luckily he gives me 20 minutes (or occasionally a little more) of his time per session.

I've been feeling better since Saturday afternoon. Actually, much more stable than when I was "feeling great". I'm glad. I don't want a medication change at this time. Maybe after my psychiatrist returns from his extended vacation.

It's beautiful outside today and a very pleasant temperature at the moment. I'm typing this while sitting on my lovely deck. I'm keeping my eyes out for the hummingbirds.

I thought the health benefits of dark chocolate were common knowledge. Just recently there was an article about Magnesium in Psychology Today (I do not subscribe, but my psychiatrist's waiting area has recent issues of Psychology Today) and dark chocolate was listed as one of the food sources (and supplements do not work - one has to eat foods rich in magnesium).

I also keep dark chocolate in the house on a pretty regular basis. I can only take a square maybe 2 at the most. I don’t know if I actually crave chocolate or just something sweet. I occasionally just get a teaspoon of peanut butter if I really want something “ sweet-ish.

I’m not a huge fruit person in general, most have just too much sugar content even tho it’s natural and not high fructose. This is due to my ED. But I really do love love love veggies raw, steamed or roasted.

I think the benefits are common knowledge. I keep some on hand and only eat a small amount. My problem comes along when I have other forms of chocolate in the house like brownies or ice cream. I love anything chocolate and there are times when I make the choice to indulge. I shouldn't keep things like that around and I usually buy it as treats for my husband and kids, but sometimes I just cannot help myself.

I walked for 4 miles today. Im trying to keep this a regular thing!

I understand now! I am very lucky - I only like dark chocolate without filling (on the bitter side) and not any other forms of chocolate.

Just as an idea - if you were to eat a square of dark chocolate every day, as a health measure (I do), would you satisfy your affection for chocolate enough so you would not even want to buy brownies?

Maybe. I keep treats around for my kids and my husband, but maybe my willpower would be better if I made myself stick to a serving of dark chocolate. Its a good idea.

I downloaded MyFitnessPal and started tracking my food there. I'm allotted 1440 calories a day if I want to lose a pound a week. That's completely doable. I noticed the app adds on more calories if you exercise. I'm not sure I want to use those, but its nice to have wiggle room if I'm starving and need an extra snack. I'm hoping forcing myself to log all of my food will help me stay on track. I used weight watchers to do the same when I needed to lose baby weight after my kids were born. It worked well for me. Hopefully the same will be true this time.

All the best using MyFitnessPal. That's what I am using and I like it. I like that it also keeps me in line in terms of carb intake and saturated fat intake.

1,440 calories per day should certainly be doable for most women (size and activities, depending). I'm actually doing a more agressive 1,200 calories per day, and most days feel fine with what I eat. For me, finding the best bang for the buck (calories) keeps me satisfied. Sometimes I use some exercise calories, but not always.

I feel a notable difference and I am only on week 3. I look forward to my weigh-in this Friday. I only weigh myself on Fridays.

Fern.... I often buy the little cups of ice cream like they use to serve in school.

They are only 100 calories. It’s enough to give me a fix.

Let me know how the Fitness Pal works for you.

I remember eating those with the little wooden spoons when I was a kid. I've seen them in the store. Good idea! My kids would love those too. I just introduced them to fudgesicles. They are a good summer treat for them as they only have 40 calories and 2 grams of sugar. They are both sensitive to sugar and food dye, but I do my best to find tasty options that are kid friendly.

I like the idea of everything being portioned before I eat it. I buy a lot of things in bulk, but it would be easy to spend a little time measuring things in advance.

So far, so good with the app. It works exactly like the weight watchers app I used before. I'm impressed with how many foods they have in their database. It makes it super easy to add everything as I go along. I also like the feature that allows you to build recipes.

Another almost-3-hour walk again today.

Today was my weigh-in day. I lost exactly 2.0 lbs (0.9 kg) this week. So, after three weeks my grand total loss is 6.8 lbs (3.1 kg). I'm quite pleased with that progress. Hubby continues to lose weight, too. After three weeks he's lost a total of 7.1 lbs (3.2 kg). This week he lost only a hair more than I did. He is happy that he's losing weight, but deep down disappointed it's not even more. His expectations are a little unreasonable considering that he is quite sedentary. I'm doing all of the meal planning and meal preparation, including his daily lunches. He recognizes that, but doesn't realize that his effort is indeed an easier one than mine. I am OK with that because it gives me a type of "job" to do, to a degree. It is a bit of work.

Nice job! You're on a roll and kudos to you for all of the work you've put in for both you and your husband. It takes a lot of time and effort to meal plan and track all of the nutritional values as you go. It is paying off though!

My weigh in day is Wednesday. I'm excited to see where I'm at. So far, it has been a breeze to stick to my daily calories. I haven't needed the extra calories given to me from exercising either. The app predicts I will meet my ideal weight in 5 weeks. I hope it is right!

I wish everyone a healthy and happy weekend.

Thanks, fern. And it's so great how close you are to your ideal weight. You can definitely get there!

I don't always use my exercise calories, either. Or at least not all of them. I think tracking exercise is a good thing, though.

You've been on a fantastic roll with your exercise lately. Way to go!

Thanks BirdDancer! It is so rewarding to see the pounds come off. I lost 50 pounds after having my kids and I never want to go back. I was so worried when I started my meds because they definitely adjusted my metabolism, but it was good motivation to get healthier. I was too content with my eating and exercise and I love a good challenge. The healthy eating and exercise is good for my mental health as well.

I'm doing a program that is 25 minutes of circuit training. It is intense, but I'm able to hang since it is such a short amount of time. The app says it is worth 223 calories. Woah! I've been doing it for a month and a half and I can now do the more intense version of all of the moves. I'm even doing regular push ups. Yay! I'm planning to start using heavier weights next week to give myself more of a challenge. We'll see if it helps my muscle definition.

Starting back to walking tomorrow and water aerobics Monday. Still having appetite problems but I am working on it. Taking vitamins and supplements so it doesn’t get too bad. I’ve lost 15 lbs now and I can tell the difference. Looking forward to a bigger loss ( in a healthy way).

We found a free treadmill in the Marketplace on Facebook. Got it home and all it needed was the belt to be tightened. It’s a expensive one !!! What a great find.

My husband can fix virtually anything , thank goodness. So now I can walk daily and not be out in the 90 + degrees of oppressive humid feeling weather.

Humid heat is oppressive! Good for you for having a hubby who can make old things be like new, and for finding a free treasure.

It is far to hot and humid for me to get out to walk. For my husband it’s even worse he has emphysema and is on oxygen at night. So he will now be able to exercise.

What a great find christina! And easy for your hubby to fix!

bizi

Wow, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter. I ate 4 tablespoons tonight!
but I am over weight and my dieting did not work the way that I wanted it today.
bizi