Rae’s Health Journey

Yesterday I got in a pretty good workout. Went for a 2 hour long ride and apparently burnt a lot of calories doing that. Also surprised myself with how little I felt the urge to eat. Only had an orange for breakfast, went for the ride, then had maybe 2 smaller chicken thighs total of chicken and snacked on some carrots. Then had about the same amount of chicken for supper with a few more carrot snacks and another orange.

Today I was a touch sore from the ride since I haven’t really ridden all winter so while I did do another ride today, it only lasted 20 minutes lol. But I made up for it by taking the horse for a walk in hand as well as moved around some metal fence panels which isn’t an easy task to do. Had to drag 4 panels about 50-70 feet and then set them up. Tomorrow I’ll likely be dragging another 3-5 panels over as well, but those are going to be across an even larger amount of space.

My biggest thing to work on now, will be drinking enough water. Heat is in the 20s now (celcious) and I don’t do well in heat. Got a nose bleed after all that due to lack of water and being overly warm. Last year I was on the verge of heat stroke twice. So I need to make sure I drink more water. I have a giant water bottle I’ll have to drag out and carry with me lol.

So far this week, the only “bad” food I’ve had was a strawberry yogurt popsicle today. But that was only about 100 calories so it wasn’t bad and definitely felt nice in this heat. I like squeezing in some snacks or food that could be considered not so good. I find it helps me not to feel like I’m completely cut off from enjoying things I like. So then I’m able to stay on track better.

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Your ride looks & sounds wonderful. I have a newish friend who loves horses & has a beautiful horse that she rescued. Drinking water is so, so important. I feel much more energetic when I make sure I'm properly hydrated. You sound like you're getting in the groove, Rae. (I keep wanting to call you Ann)
 
Cate said:
Your ride looks & sounds wonderful. I have a newish friend who loves horses & has a beautiful horse that she rescued. Drinking water is so, so important. I feel much more energetic when I make sure I'm properly hydrated. You sound like you're getting in the groove, Rae. (I keep wanting to call you Ann)
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That’s awesome. And you can call me Ann lol. It’s part of my name so it’s fine.
 
Week 2 Update

Not a lot to update with. Haven’t been able to do as much as last week but progress still being made. Also, I’m sick so that’s thrown things off.

Current weight: 236.5


Not feeling up to measurements so that’ll be done next week.
 
Well, I slipped back off the wagon once more. I’m in such a weird mental space about it too.
On one hand, I’m annoyed about it/with myself. Another, it’s like I don’t actually care. But then I also do care cause I want to be fit and able to do more and Shock everyone with getting in better shape. But then right back to “eh whatever” mode cause food is tasty and why bother? And then I go and envision what an in shape version of myself would look like and be able to do, but it feels like a dream of “ya, that’d be cool” but without the desire or drive to actually pursue it.

It doesn’t help there’s a lot of stressful things going on in life. And I learnt a long time ago I internalize stress to the point I don’t know I’m stressed until it builds up to the point I get physically sick because of it. But I’m also naturally a very laid back/go with the flow kind of person so that doesn’t help either.

A lot of stress is money related so it also makes it difficult to figure out foods. I was eating better for a bit, but now I’m back to having to eat KD, instant noodles, and hotdogs cause of budget. It’s hard to figure out healthy meals that are cheep. Buying a bag full of that food with maybe a snack or two or one other thing for variety for a different meal, will cost $50-$70 and that’s just enough for 1-1.5 weeks at most. So other foods that are better, are more expensive and would cost even more than that for same amount. Makes things very challenging.

I’m also considering calling the doctor and seeing if I can get prescribed something to suppress appetite to help. Cause if I’m not hungry, I can easily ignore food. But I feel hungry frequently, which is probably partially due to the foods I am eating now that while being high in calories, doesn’t actually last long.

I don’t know. I’m feeling a bit lost and like I’m drifting. I know I’ve gained weight compared to last year since I have summer clothes I don’t even fit into anymore and that’s discouraging. But at the same time, my brain just doesn’t care.
It doesn’t help either that I have little to no space to try to do any exercises. I’d have enough floor space for squats or lunges, but not push ups. So that’s not helpful. On top of that, I overheat easily and it’s summer time. Without workouts and just doing my regular job, I almost got heatstroke 2-3 times last summer. And I have no AC at home so I have to be careful.
The thought of loose skin also really turns me off from dropping weight.

I’m pretty sure 90% of what I just said is also probably just excuses. But it feels like mentally, I’m just adrift on the sea with nowhere to go or any sign of a way for help. So drift is just what I do.

Anyway, if anyone has any tips, advice, or cheap but healthy meal ideas, especially things to help curb a sweet tooth, I’d love to hear it.
 
I've been eating a lot more cabbage, onions, and carrots since prices have gone up so much. Adding some cheap veggies (raw, pickled, or pan-fried) to otherwise plain meals (like hotdogs) can really help with satiation and... just the feeling of being on track for me.

I think the "meh" feeling could have to do with your brain not really believing you have a chance of losing weight right now so why bother? So maybe it would help to focus on the things you can do to be healthier, even if they don't lead to quick weightloss. (Exercise is healthy for a lot of things but it doesn't play a big role in weightloss.)

About loose skin: you're still young so you have a pretty good chance of your skin shrinking back but also: gaining more weight is definitely going to worsen your chances so if it's something you're worried about you should at least focus on maintenance.
 
For healthy cheaper meal ideas--i would look at cooking from scratch as much as possible...so buying plain pasta (or rice), and mixing that with cheaper proteins like beans and lentils, and then as llama suggested the cheaper vegetables. What sort of healthy meals do you actually enjoy? Maybe people can look at those and see how to make them cheaper?
Yes filling up on really low calorie vegetables really helps me feel less hungry so finding what vegetables are affordable would be really good and would cut back on the amount of other foods you need to buy. (My vegetable mainstays are same as Llama's--cabbage, carrot, onion.) I do like to add salad greens whenever they're affordable too.

Anyways best of luck finding the motivation to move forward to where you want to go. You are young, so if you can make those healthy changes now, it will really help to have those in place as you age.
 
Hey Rae, are you the pretty Canadian girl with all the nice horse pictures come back? I know you said you'd been here before. Anyway I am happy to see you!
Rae-ann said:
Well, I slipped back off the wagon once more.
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Happens to many of us, me included since we last spoke. The good news is that it's not the end of the world, you can, and I am sure will, do better!
Llama said:
About loose skin: you're still young so you have a pretty good chance of your skin shrinking back but also: gaining more weight is definitely going to worsen your chances so if it's something you're worried about you should at least focus on maintenance.
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I agree with Llama, you are young enough to have your skin mostly, if not completely return to its right shape. I doubt you'd have little problem. I do have a lot of loose skin, mostly from losing a lot of weight, but part due to my age. When I lost weight at your age no loose skin.

Liza and others had some reasonable food suggestions, probably better than anything I could think of. Liza is right about the beans, can be nutritious and lower cost. And I think they taste good. Can you grow any of your own veggies?

Assuming I am right about who you are its good to reconnect.
 
Weighed myself this morning, and I’m at 243.5 lbs. So despite slipping, I haven’t actually lost all that much progress. Only gained back 7 lbs. and I know from previous experience that I could lose that 2 weeks if I really stick to thinks.

Also, I have taken on a second job which is going to mean some days I’m going to be working roughly 12 hour shifts 😅. I’ll definitely be busy but I’m also hoping that it’ll help me be a bit more active to some degree to help burn a few extra calories. Also my main job may not last (part of my stress) so it’ll also be good to have my foot in the door somewhere else.

Payday is coming up this Friday too so I’m trying to plan ahead on some foods I can get to help get more on track.


@Llama
Thanks for the tips. I don’t care for some of those foods you listed but it certainly points me in the right direction to look at things.
And that makes a lot of sense about the meh feeling. Maybe something to also try, is not thinking of things in the long term, but rather the short term and what I can do each week to be a little healthier than I was the last.

@liza3
Thanks for all the food tips. I have some of that stuff already so could already start on making some of that stuff I think. Certainly helps give a good starting point.

@alligatorob
Yes, that’s me. It’s just been so long since I’ve been on here that my old account got shut down because they thought it was spam for some reason. So now I’m here like this after finally finding this place again.

Thanks for the encouragement. And I’m hoping to plant some things, but I’m pretty restricted on what I can do but still going to give it a try.
 
Rae-ann said:
Weighed myself this morning, and I’m at 243.5 lbs. So despite slipping, I haven’t actually lost all that much progress. Only gained back 7 lbs. and I know from previous experience that I could lose that 2 weeks if I really stick to thinks.
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Good news, Ann :)
Rae-ann said:
Also, I have taken on a second job which is going to mean some days I’m going to be working roughly 12 hour shifts 😅. I’ll definitely be busy but I’m also hoping that it’ll help me be a bit more active to some degree to help burn a few extra calories. Also my main job may not last (part of my stress) so it’ll also be good to have my foot in the door somewhere else.
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That should ease a little of your stress & having the extra money will help to buy some healthier food.
 
12 hour days are rough but if it isn't too often they are doable. (Well, they were in my job but I guess it depends on what you do.) And they mean you get a lot of paid hours crammed into one day, so ideally you're left with more free time on the other days! A little more financial security is rarely a bad thing.
 
What a lovely positive post! Sounds like you're ready to get back on track and excellent that you aren't as far off as you feared. You have a lot going for you for this journey--you seem very strong and capable (esp with those lovely horses!), you have a good understanding of foods and what works for you, and you seem like a really positive person.
12 hour shifts seem exhausting to me but hopefully it won't be forever and it sounds smart to get your foot in that door while maybe needing to leave the other one.
Looking forward to your posts along the way!
 
Rae-ann said:
Yes, that’s me. It’s just been so long since I’ve been on here that my old account got shut down because they thought it was spam for some reason. So now I’m here like this after finally finding this place again.
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Delightful to have you back! You can do this, I am sure of it!

I like your post, you sound very positive!

Hope you survive those 12 hour days, I have had some pretty long days it can be hard.

When I was your age I worked summers for the Forest Service and sometimes as a firefighter. Back then when we got called on fires we had some very long, sometimes multi-day shifts... it was awful. For safety reasons they don't do that so much anymore, for the best I am sure.

Looking forward to following your progress, and the horse pictures of course!
 
First steps to improvement have been taken. Got some more healthy type foods until my payday comes and then really going to try to get good things. Biggest thing I need to do is cut down on carbs and increase protein.
I find most of what I eat in a day is carbs which isn’t helpful. And then apparently protein helps you feel full longer which is what I definitely need.

Exercise wise, I’m going to not stress it until I figure out what my new routine is going to be with this extra job. But I do have a tiny machine thing that helps you work your legs and core so I’ll try to use that more since it’s actually kind of fun lol. I’ll try to get a picture of it sometime since it’s a thing I never knew existed until it came into my work (thrift store). But size wise, it’s only about a foot wide, just under 2 feet long, and maybe a foot tall. So it takes up very little space.

Other than that, things are chill. I’ve discovered a new sleeping pattern I love but it may have to change. Basically once I get home I just crash (around 6ish) and then wake up again around 9-10pm. Stay up until 2:30-3am and sleep again until 7-7:30am. Being up at night to do other things is just very nice. I started this because I had to do foal watch during the night for a friends horse that was due to give birth anytime. And it’s just sort of stuck.
I’ll add pics of the adorable foal. She’s full of spice lol

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What a gorgeous foal, Ann! :beating:
Rae-ann said:
First steps to improvement have been taken. Got some more healthy type foods until my payday comes and then really going to try to get good things. Biggest thing I need to do is cut down on carbs and increase protein.
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Excellent :) I find eggs to be a good source of protein, they're very versatile & I love them.
Rae-ann said:
Exercise wise, I’m going to not stress it until I figure out what my new routine is going to be with this extra job.
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Good thinking. Stress doesn't help one bit.
Rae-ann said:
Other than that, things are chill. I’ve discovered a new sleeping pattern I love
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Also good :) Sleep is so important!
 
Rae-ann said:
First steps to improvement have been taken. Got some more healthy type foods until my payday comes and then really going to try to get good things. Biggest thing I need to do is cut down on carbs and increase protein.
I find most of what I eat in a day is carbs which isn’t helpful. And then apparently protein helps you feel full longer which is what I definitely need.

Exercise wise, I’m going to not stress it until I figure out what my new routine is going to be with this extra job. But I do have a tiny machine thing that helps you work your legs and core so I’ll try to use that more since it’s actually kind of fun lol. I’ll try to get a picture of it sometime since it’s a thing I never knew existed until it came into my work (thrift store). But size wise, it’s only about a foot wide, just under 2 feet long, and maybe a foot tall. So it takes up very little space.
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You are off to a great start! Looking forward to following your progress!
Rae-ann said:
I’ve discovered a new sleeping pattern I love but it may have to change. Basically once I get home I just crash (around 6ish) and then wake up again around 9-10pm. Stay up until 2:30-3am and sleep again until 7-7:30am. Being up at night to do other things is just very nice.
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I do something similar, I go to bed around 10 pm, get up at 3:30 am to get to the early gym classes. Then I come home and sleep a couple of hours to get my 7 or 8 hours a day. I think it is not uncommon and not a bad thing. It has some historic support.

Hey, great horse pictures, that is a beautiful foal!

The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep
 
What a lovely photo!
Lovely to hear you've taken first steps. It is hard when we slip off the path but since you know what you need to do and how to do it, it's so much easier getting back to it. Good for you taking those steps!
 
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