Alligatorob's Diary

Rob, I looked up how you earn "brownie points" on your Fitbit & didn't find much, but I think it's to do with "active minutes" when your heart rate really gets up to a certain level. It obviously depends on the Fitbit you have as well. Mine is years old now. I think I'll replace it soon with a simple narrow one I can wear with my normal watch as I can rarely read it in bright sunlight. They're just a guide but I find it helps me to get moving more. I don't think you have any trouble doing that these days :)
 
Today was a good day, I ate well, exercised 3 hours at the gym and then some yardwork. And I feel good tonight! MFP says I ate 1,279 calories and fitbit says I burned 2,304 and gave me 76 brownie points.
A dirty mind is a joy forever and I am very joyful
LOL, would never have guessed! Well maybe...
Rob, I looked up how you earn "brownie points" on your Fitbit & didn't find much, but I think it's to do with "active minutes" when your heart rate really gets up to a certain level. It obviously depends on the Fitbit you have as well. Mine is years old now. I think I'll replace it soon with a simple narrow one I can wear with my normal watch as I can rarely read it in bright sunlight. They're just a guide but I find it helps me to get moving more. I don't think you have any trouble doing that these days :)
Thanks Cate, I think you are probably right, but figuring out the actual algorithm is hard. And some days making sense of it, I doubt I exercised any harder today than yesterday but got a lot more brownie points today. You make some sense, I probably don't really need it, just kind of interesting to follow. Mine is new, but the cheapest one they sell, and I did not sign up for any of the premium stuff, just use the "free" software that came with it.
 

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Well, I missed hitting the post reply button again yesterday so the previous post is a day late.

Other than that it was a good day, I ate well, exercised and feel good tonight. MFP says I ate 1,264 calories and Fitbit says I burned 2,172 and earned 52 brownie points.
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I just saw a Mother's Day ad for Fitbit saying it would

celebrate who Mom is today & help her reach her goals tomorrow.​

I'm sure there are plenty of moms who love to get a Fitbit but that feels kinda icky. I guess gifting someone a device that's primarily used for weightloss is always going to be awkward if tge recipient hasn't specifically asked for it.
 
Another good day, I ate well, spent 3 hours and 15 minutes at the gym and I feel good tonight. MFP says I ate 1,431 calories, but forgot to put my fitbit on... so no report from there.
I just saw a Mother's Day ad for Fitbit saying it would

celebrate who Mom is today & help her reach her goals tomorrow.​

I'm sure there are plenty of moms who love to get a Fitbit but that feels kinda icky. I guess gifting someone a device that's primarily used for weightloss is always going to be awkward if tge recipient hasn't specifically asked for it.
Yeah, I get your point. Fitbit tries to sell the fitness angle, but I would bet most folks who buy one are trying to lose weight.
I love reading this & variations of it-
Thanks Cate, April has been a good month. I feel like I am getting back on track. Not losing a lot of weight but that's not too bad, not gaining any, that's great.
 

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Thanks Cate, April has been a good month. I feel like I am getting back on track. Not losing a lot of weight but that's not too bad, not gaining any, that's great
I'm trying to get back on track but struggling. I'm glad I haven't regained any. You seem to be doing pretty well, Rob :)
 
It was a mixed day, I ate well and got good exercise, but I donated platelets for the first time. It was more of a commitment and impact that I realized it would be.

They take your blood out, somehow remove platelets and then put it back in, for 2 1/2 hours. Out one arm and in the other. It has more impact on me than a regular donation, but I think I am pretty much back to normal now. Red Cross called me and said they had an emergency need for platelets from an A positive male right away, so I went. Guess for something like that I'd do it again. First time I, or anyone I know, has gotten such a call. They gave me a nice hat!

MFP says I ate 1,328 calories Fitbit says I burned 2,032 and gave me 31 brownie points.
I'm trying to get back on track but struggling. I'm glad I haven't regained any. You seem to be doing pretty well, Rob
I know that struggle well, don't think it will ever end. I feel pretty good about my April, but have lost little or no weight, so not sure I am doing any better than you.
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I think you probably did too, Rob. It's a nice pic & your kind nature shows through. They talked me into donating plasma for the last few years before I discovered I had an aneurysm & they wouldn't take anything as they deemed it too risky for me. I used to find it really exhausting though, but it felt very worthwhile. Many years ago (probably over 40) they rang me asking if I could give blood as mine is AB+ & is quite rare. Things were different back then. G is O- & his blood is more useful than his plasma, but they stopped taking his too when he had cancer. His 5 years is up now & he may resume it soon. It's a very good cause.
 
It was a decent day, no exercise but I ate well and feel good tonight.

Been thinking about my weight and diet, and if my tracking is at all right I should have lost something in April. According to my figuring I was in a deficit every day, usually 500 to 1,000 calorie deficit. Assuming conservatively it was an average of 500 per day, that would be 15,000 calories for the month. Apply the 3,500 calorie per pound of fat rule of thumb I should have lost 4 or 5 pounds. I guess its possible some of that is water related, but it doesn't feel like it. And my weight has been quite stable.

So now the question is what to do next? On the plus side I got through the month without a single binge, that is very good, and I didn't gain any weight. That coupled with being down about 13 pounds since I restarted closer tracking in January makes me think I should just try to stay the course a bit longer. I think I am ok at this weight, healthwise, but am not real sure. I asked my doctor and he said I was fine. Then I pointed out to him that I was 30 pounds above my lowest weight last year, but feeling a lot better than I did at that weight. And asked if it was possible I had gotten too skinny. He just laughed and said "you can never be too rich or too skinny", not much help. He is about 100 lbs overweight and we often end up talking about my weight loss, he asks a lot about how I did it... I don't think how much a person should weigh is his expertise...
You probably saved someone's life today: I think you deserve a hat for that.
Don't know about the life, I hope it did someone some good. I very rarely wear a hat, usually only a sun hat to protect my skin whilst fishing or something, and then never a cap like that. Suppose it will just end up hanging from the wall, a blood trophy.
I think you probably did too, Rob. It's a nice pic & your kind nature shows through. They talked me into donating plasma for the last few years before I discovered I had an aneurysm & they wouldn't take anything as they deemed it too risky for me. I used to find it really exhausting though, but it felt very worthwhile. Many years ago (probably over 40) they rang me asking if I could give blood as mine is AB+ & is quite rare. Things were different back then. G is O- & his blood is more useful than his plasma, but they stopped taking his too when he had cancer. His 5 years is up now & he may resume it soon. It's a very good cause.
Thanks Cate, I have long done the blood donation thing, I do think it is a good thing to do, if you can. There are places here that will pay for blood, but I have never done that, except for the hat and a couple of tee shirts and mugs over the years. I know some people need the money, but since I don't it wouldn't feel right. Isn't AB+ the rarest blood type? That would make yours in demand, and might make it hard for you to get a transfusion if you need one.

Took a long drive around the west side of the Great Salt Lake today, saw scenery like this for about 200 miles:
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People can absolutely be too skinny! What was your bmi at your lowest point, can you remember? What would it be if you subtracted another 10 pounds for excess skin?
Suppose it will just end up hanging from the wall, a blood trophy.
Sounds dangerous :rotflmao:
I think AB+ is the type which, while rare, can accept blood from pretty much everyone while nobody but other AB+ types can accept theirs because it contains all possible surface proteins.
 
Today turned out ok, but it was a near miss. This morning I started eating peanut butter for no good reason, too much peanut butter. But I stopped and recorded it. Then I was not hungry for lunch, so ended up with reasonable calories. Too close to a binge for comfort...

No exercise today, but I spent most of the day working in the yard, some activity anyway.
People can absolutely be too skinny! What was your bmi at your lowest point, can you remember? What would it be if you subtracted another 10 pounds for excess skin?
At my lowest weight my bmi was about 22.5, middle of the "healthy" range. Right now its around 27.5, in the "overweight" range. However I do know that when it was about 26, still in the overweight range my body fat was 16%, which is on the low side, in the "fitness" range and below "acceptable". That was a year ago, I know I have more muscle now. So I am not sure BMI is the right metric for me. Had not thought about subtracting the loose skin out, I know that makes a difference. It could be 10 lbs.

I do know I feel better at this weight than I did 30 pounds lighter. Not sure that's fat or weight connected, but I suspect it is.
 

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I'd say maintenance at a level where you feel good and aren't obese is a good thing. Slightly overweight isn't a terrible thing to be. The internet seems to suggest that loose skin from extreme weightloss like yours tends to weigh 10-15 lb, so that's probably close to 2 bmi points.
 
I do know I feel better at this weight than I did 30 pounds lighter.
I think you probably know what is your best weight, Rob. It's about much more than BMI. It's where you feel healthy & are able to do the things you want to. You seem very fit & healthy to me. If you restrict your calories a bit less & maintain your current exercise regime you should find a set point.
 
Today was a good day, I ate well, exercised and feel good tonight. MFP says I ate 1,264 calories and Fitbit says I burned 2,093 and earned 12 brownie points. Only problem was I have some knee pain that is slowing me down a little, it happens and will probably go away in a few days, or lessen anyway.
The internet seems to suggest that loose skin from extreme weightloss like yours tends to weigh 10-15 lb, so that's probably close to 2 bmi points.
That is interesting, had not thought about it. After reading your post I tried doing some Google research, it is hard to find any real numbers, but I think you are probably right. And if I subtract that out I am now just on the overweight/normal borderline, and at my lowest I think I was closer to the underweight range, but still normal.
I'd say maintenance at a level where you feel good and aren't obese is a good thing. Slightly overweight isn't a terrible thing to be.
You make a lot of sense, BMI is just a guide, we are all different.
I think you probably know what is your best weight, Rob. It's about much more than BMI. It's where you feel healthy & are able to do the things you want to. You seem very fit & healthy to me. If you restrict your calories a bit less & maintain your current exercise regime you should find a set point.
Thanks Cate, and I always thought I would know what weight was best when I got there, but it hasn't been so easy. How does the "set point" thing work? I have heard of it, but don't know that I understand.
 

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Been thinking about my weight and diet, and if my tracking is at all right I should have lost something in April. According to my figuring I was in a deficit every day, usually 500 to 1,000 calorie deficit.
I just realized: you stopped tracking your fruit and veg intake, didn't you? Is it possible that you're simply getting through more calories than you think? I easily eat 400 kcal of fruit and vegetables every day and if you're still using plants to bulk up your meals you might eat more than that
 
It was a good day, I ate well, exercised and feel fine tonight.
I just realized: you stopped tracking your fruit and veg intake, didn't you? Is it possible that you're simply getting through more calories than you think? I easily eat 400 kcal of fruit and vegetables every day and if you're still using plants to bulk up your meals you might eat more than that
The truth is I stopped eating fruit and veggies and just ate more meat and yogurt. Today I changed that and had a couple of salads. The only calories I intentionally don't count are a few for supplements, can't be many, maybe 30 a day at most.
 

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