Cate's Diary

[Marsia]

I am really happy things went so well at the club, and especially glad that you didn't care what people thought of you. I think that makes a huge difference in how people treat you. It seems like if people know they are going to look silly being weird to a confident, happy person, they tend not to! I did see that you are volunteering to do the bar - please be careful of the slippery volunteer slope where they sneak in more and more for you to do!!! I loved how you are gardening for your lovely friend there, too!

I always gain a bunch in water weight after a big exercise day. I bet you will lose it fast now that you are doing IF again. It's wonderful to hear you so happy!

 

[Llama]

with all of the above.

 

[Petal001]

Cate your day sounds really good. I'm happy for you . I'm glad you went with the view that you did nothing wrong and held your head high. I'm getting to that place in my head mora and more. As you said in my diary step off the scales for a bit weight can fluctuate greatly in a day even. I weigh once a week at night at class and also the morning after just to stay in tune. The morning weight is generally 2lb less than the evening. I will make an exception this month to weigh on Monday next just for month end weight. Happy all is good for you and yes we have your back xxx

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Amy, Marsia, LaMa & Petal
I am only going to do what I am happy to do & I am not going to worry about the state of the bar or that the fridges are not stocked & am only going to make sure that drinks are cold for the women. It is an easy "job" if I just do the bare minimum, which is what I will do. There will be no more jobs or positions for me. I feel much stronger than I did before & much more able to resist pressure. I am really glad that I was able to get things straight in my head before I went out there yesterday. Thank you all for your support with this. I really do cherish & appreciate it xoxo
Day 3 of IF has gone really well. I stretched out my fast to 12.30 & really enjoyed my meal much more than I normally would. I am really savouring each morsel & enjoying my food more. I am not going to weigh until Tuesday, which will be the start of October. Hopefully, there will be a loss, but I'm sticking with IF as I feel much better physically. I feel less bloated & more focussed.

 

[Llama]

I love all of that!

 

[alligatorob]

Day 3 of IF has gone really well. I stretched out my fast to 12.30 & really enjoyed my meal much more than I normally would. I am really savoring each morsel & enjoying my food more. I am not going to weigh until Tuesday, which will be the start of October. Hopefully, there will be a loss, but I'm sticking with IF as I feel much better physically. I feel less bloated & more focused.

Good for you, I know that feeling of savoring every bite, in some ways eating has become more enjoyable. Feeling less bloated and more focused is a good thing, short term more important than weight loss, your weight loss will come. Keep up the good work.

 

[Cate]

Thanks, LaMa. It really does help, knowing that I have support in here & that I will come back & report. I was really happy with how I conducted myself on Wednesday. I felt I kept my self intact but managed to hold myself back & kept quiet when normally I would have volunteered to do more. It was a good feeling. It was nice to feel supported out there too by the majority. I'm going to learn to be less outspoken. I think it will be good for me. I don't mean that I will constantly suppress my feelings. I really mean that I will think longer before I consider stating an opinion.
Hi, Rob. I usually eat too quickly so slowing myself down again is good. G is such a good cook that his food is worth savouring & taking your time over. For the first time in a very long time, I really struggled to get up to 1200 cals yesterday. Thanks for being part of my cheer squad. It really makes so much difference having our support system.

I stretched my eating window out to 12.30 again yesterday as I knew we had a meeting to go to at a pub & I would probably have a glass of something. I didn't eat anything after 6.30 & had a whisky with water. I thought of you, Rob. It was a Tasmanian whisky (fairly expensive) & wasn't very nice. I might have an occasional whisky with water as we have SO many & it is a lot fewer calories than wine. I don't think I'll be having one when I'm out very often. I think the markup was about 300%.
G (with me as his "secretary" ) is president, secretary, treasurer of the local pool (8-ball) association & last night was the AGM for the new summer season. To say this AGM was different from the women's GC one is a classic understatement. It went for half an hour, was quite enjoyable & no stress. Everyone is happy with how it is all done. His team plays out of our favourite local pub all year round & we have been friends with the family for over 30 years. The son & one of his friends do the ladders each week & take results etc so really it's just the set up that we do. It works well.

I'm not sure what we are doing today. It's meant to shower all day. We were going to get some wood & build me a few bush seats. We still might.

 

[Marsia]

You're back in the groove! So happy!! I know what you mean about sometimes struggling to eat enough calories. I had cheated today and had a few grapes to get to my minimum, and wow, they are so packed with flavor now that I am off of sugar! I need to slow down when I eat and savor things, and I feel similarly about giving my opinion - waiting can be really good and I really need to do that, too! I would love to learn to play pool. My dad started to teach me when I was young, and I loved it. Nice you have so many fun, social sports to do with G!

Everything sounds so positive, including holding back on volunteering. So happy IF is working again!!

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Marsia. I am back in the groove. I am not going to be doing super low carb & there is no "cheating" or "non-cheating". I am going to eat good lean protein & healthy fats & some fruit. I think restricting my calories too much will lead to me bombing out so I am just going to monitor what I do & how I feel as I go & not impose too many restrictions.
Tru shared this article ( https://www.precisionnutrition.com/...sion_nutrition_intermittent_fasting_ebook.pdf ) in her diary & I just read it all. I am going to be my own experiment with IF & be very careful how I approach it, instead of trying different variations before I give anything a chance to work. Slow & steady will be my aim & eating as healthy as I can. I think fasting does seem to be a lot harder for women. On any days where I am exercising a lot, I will make sure I eat more straight after. It's a very interesting article.

 

[aiminglow]

I love the sound of the pool club AGM! How totally relaxing such a meeting must feel after all too much of the other kind. I'm really glad things are going well for you again.
I really dislike the language of "cheating" and even more the kind (it turns up in ice-cream ads more than diets, but still) which talks of some food being "naughty" or "wicked". Like you, I want to just eat good healthy food without restricting myself abnormally - I think what I need to learn most is keeping servings moderate, and to stop when I've had enough - or rather, to know when I've had enough.

 

[Cate]

I love the sound of the pool club AGM! How totally relaxing such a meeting must feel after all too much of the other kind. I'm really glad things are going well for you again.
I really dislike the language of "cheating" and even more the kind (it turns up in ice-cream ads more than diets, but still) which talks of some food being "naughty" or "wicked". Like you, I want to just eat good healthy food without restricting myself abnormally - I think what I need to learn most is keeping servings moderate, and to stop when I've had enough - or rather, to know when I've had enough.

Exactly

 

[bensanon]

I am back in the groove. I am not going to be doing super low carb & there is no "cheating" or "non-cheating". I am going to eat good lean protein & healthy fats & some fruit. I think restricting my calories too much will lead to me bombing out so I am just going to monitor what I do & how I feel as I go & not impose too many restrictions.

This sounds like a solid approach, Cate. I know for me, I can get stuck on the restrictions or rules and then that kind of compounds itself day after day and then everything can go to pot (or bomb out) and then I try to reset myself and that whole process repeats itself sometimes even. Haven't quite got that balance thingy down. I'm often reminded of it when I read your posts though because you seem like you do a good job with it.

 

[Llama]

I am not going to be doing super low carb & there is no "cheating" or "non-cheating". I am going to eat good lean protein & healthy fats & some fruit. I think restricting my calories too much will lead to me bombing out so I am just going to monitor what I do & how I feel as I go & not impose too many restrictions.

I am going to be my own experiment with IF & be very careful how I approach it, instead of trying different variations before I give anything a chance to work.

I really dislike the language of "cheating" and even more the kind (it turns up in ice-cream ads more than diets, but still) which talks of some food being "naughty" or "wicked". Like you, I want to just eat good healthy food without restricting myself abnormally - I think what I need to learn most is keeping servings moderate, and to stop when I've had enough - or rather, to know when I've had enough.

I may frame these quotes and hang them over my bed.

 

[Cate]

This sounds like a solid approach, Cate. I know for me, I can get stuck on the restrictions or rules and then that kind of compounds itself day after day and then everything can go to pot (or bomb out) and then I try to reset myself and that whole process repeats itself sometimes even. Haven't quite got that balance thingy down. I'm often reminded of it when I read your posts though because you seem like you do a good job with it.

The balance thingy is the hardest thing of all. I'm a bit of an all or nothing person & I'm flattered that you think I do a good job with it. The truth is I am trying & failing & trying again & again, but each time I learn & I am really determined & won't give up. Thanks for the compliment, Rob.
Thank you, LaMa. I think I may do some response cards again & carry them around with me. Maybe just grab one of the ones that I did years ago when I read The Beck Diet Solution. There are some great ideas in that book. I must fish it out again.
I like doing IF because you don't actually feel like you are "dieting". Rather you are just not eating during a certain period of each day. It's only day 5 & I am getting used to not eating until after 12 & accepting that hunger is just that & nothing more.
I have had a really lazy day though today & have read a book. Oh well. I did lots of other things like organising the pool roster, but it was laaazy.

 

[Petal001]

Cate I read a lot of myself in what you wrote and I think we are both on the same page . Good quality food , and slow and steady all sounds good to me .

 

[Marsia]

I am in the middle of reading Tru's IF article. Really good! I need to differentiate between foods it's ok for me to eat vs ones that lead me back to sugar and blowing my diet, because even a moderate amount of sugar and I get a sore throat and crash my immune system, and also crave more sugar, and I don't want to go back to that. Cheating might be a loaded term though!

 

[alligatorob]

Rob... Thanks for being part of my cheer squad.

Sure, it seems funny to me to think that I could be part of your cheer squad, you have been an important part of mine since I started. I see you as the weigh loss guru and me as the novice. Bottom rail on top, at least for the day!

When we were in Florida we lived in a remote area that had very little light pollution, maybe similar to what you described about yours. I miss seeing so many stars, and the Milky Way. Here we are in the Salt Lake Valley, the north end far from Salt Lake City, but it is not so dark. We can see stars, but nothing like you can.

Being back in the groove is good, keep it up!

 

[Cate]

Cate I read a lot of myself in what you wrote and I think we are both on the same page . Good quality food , and slow and steady all sounds good to me .

Petal- I think we are. I needed to find a long-term strategy that works with my brain & I think IF might be it. It's only day 6(?) & already the morning hunger is abating & I am getting in the swing of it. I am eating so much slower too & really savouring my food. I don't feel like I am dieting.

I am in the middle of reading Tru's IF article. Really good! I need to differentiate between foods it's ok for me to eat vs ones that lead me back to sugar and blowing my diet, because even a moderate amount of sugar and I get a sore throat and crash my immune system, and also crave more sugar, and I don't want to go back to that. Cheating might be a loaded term though!

Isn't it a great article? I think if you were a serious athlete, then IF would not be a good idea for a woman, but as I'm more a "rambler" anyway (including my golf) I think it should be ok.

Sure, it seems funny to me to think that I could be part of your cheer squad, you have been an important part of mine since I started. I see you as the weight loss guru and me as the novice. Bottom rail on top, at least for the day!
When we were in Florida we lived in a remote area that had very little light pollution, maybe similar to what you described about yours. I miss seeing so many stars, and the Milky Way. Here we are in the Salt Lake Valley, the north end far from Salt Lake City, but it is not so dark. We can see stars, but nothing like you can.
Being back in the groove is good, keep it up!

There's nothing funny about me thinking you are on my cheer squad, Rob. I am no weight-loss guru & we are all equal here.
I love looking up at the sky at night & last night I thought I saw lightning outside (we have high windows that aren't covered with anything). I raced outside to have a look & the sky was really clear. This happened a couple of weeks ago & it was a meteor that landed in Bass Strait on the NW coast of Tassie. I just googled it but nothing came up. There was a great flash of light that seemed to travel across the sky from left to right.
Being back in the groove feels excellent. Hopefully, the fat will go!

Day 5 of IF. It's funny because it feels like more!

 

[Cate]

I just went wandering around the forum & found a really good post by Steve, back in 2007, which I thought well worth sharing. The link is https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/dream-it-want-it-live-it.16225/

Remembering the bad stuff is always easier for some reason in life. Like in business. You can treat a customer perfectly for yeas. If you screw up one day though, all those good years go out the window and all the customer focuses on is the screw up.

With regards to changing your habits and not letting small setbacks turn into months of being off course..... I really think it comes down to conditioning your mind as well as managing your expectations.

Just how a little activity is good every single day, so is a little time spent on your mind. Spend some time visualizing, sorting out the bad thoughts and replacing them with good, really focusing. Just as your body gradually gets stronger and better, so will your mind. Soon, it will be next to impossible to knock you out. Sure, you might get knocked down..... but that's a hell of a lot different than being knocked out. And getting up will get a lot easier too.

In terms of managing expectations, it's critical. It's obvious for everyone that we aren't going to reverse what we've done, physically, overnight. It takes months and years to get into shape. And even then, usually most people aren't satisfied and want to do more and more. If you don't lose weight or the inches don't go the way you had hoped for 2 weeks, getting down on yourself is futile. Thinking of it as a failed attempt isn't going to improve the situation at all. Instead, view it as being a success in terms of figuring out what NOT to do. If things stagnate, don't get down. Instead, take action and modify your approach. Always focus on forward progress.

I say often how perception is everything.

If you perceive a stagnant 2 weeks to be a failure, you'll drown in your sorrows and regrets eventually.

If you perceive a stagnant 2 weeks as something to build upon, you'll constantly be in forward motion. Once mental momentum is established, it's a very hard thing to break.

And above all, remember you are not alone. You've got a huge community here who are experiencing this with you. And there are plenty of knowledgeable people around who can help you too.

 

[aiminglow]

There was a great flash of light that seemed to travel across the sky from left to right.

It might have been fragments of that same meteor a couple of weeks ago, or else some fellow-travellers with it. It was said at the time that we are in the middle of a "meteor period", and that more could come.

I just went wandering around the forum

Wandering the forum must be in the air (like the meteors!). I also was looking through, and came across this one, about scales, also by Steve.
https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/the-scale-mentality.17596/

I haven't read it all through, but early on he says:
"A scale-focus also tends to establish an all-or-nothing mentality. What do I mean by that? This focus establishes the tendency in people to evaluate personal qualities and success in extreme black-or-white categories. An example would be a straight A student getting one B and saying, “I’m a failure.” People step on the scale. Even if their measurements and pictures are all looking fantastic, an uptick in the scale sends their heart and hopes to the deep, dark shallows of that pit known as a stomach. All-or-nothing thinking forms the basis for perfectionism. It causes you to fear any mistake or imperfection no matter how illogical and it sends your world into a spiral."

Apart from the bit about "measurements and pictures... all looking fantastic", that sounds very familiar. So - thanks for the "step away" message!