Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Holding Myself Accountable for My Choices, Letting Pass the Things I Don't Control

The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own. - Epictetus

That suggests a chart like this...

Things I Control, Choices	Things I Don't Control (fortunes and misfortunes)
_________________________________	_________________________________
_________________________________	_________________________________
_________________________________	_________________________________
_________________________________	_________________________________
_________________________________	_________________________________

Before reading on, maybe consider your plan right now. How much of it is in your control? How much of it depends on factors out of your control? Take a few minutes and jot down your own chart. Then read on...

Life is not Perfect

Perfect is not required. It just has to be good enough for weight loss.

You win some and you lose some. Nobody goes to Las Vegas expecting to win every roll of the dice, pull of the lever, or deal of the cards. The winners in Las Vegas are the ones who win more often than they lose. They take home the money. The rest of us losers pay for the bright lights, their comped rooms and their free drinks.

We're going to lose some of these battles with our established habits, with our unfriendly environments, or with the daily circumstances. It sucks to lose a battle. It's demotivating, momentum breaking, and irritation-making!

The purpose of this exercise is to be forewarned and prepared. We should start knowing that we WILL fall off the wagon (as it were). We WILL derail the train. But maybe it's more useful not to think of it as a wagon or a train in the first place, where falling or crashing would be a disaster. We're more comparable to being on a roadtrip, where a wrong turn is just a wrong turn. We don't crash the car and light it afire and live there. We just make some corrective turns and keep going. As long as we make more correct turns than incorrect turns, we'll make progress toward our intended destination.

Things I Control, Choices	Things I Don't Control (fortunes and misfortunes)
How many calories I reasonably plan to eat	The difference on the scale today (up, down, or the same)
Whether I pre-plan my food day	Unexpected social events and irresistible temptations, not being hungry, being hungry earlier than expected
Setting aside time, preparing for exercise	Snow, rain, or schedule interruptions; feeling good enough that I do extra exercise
Logging my food as best as I can	I cannot be 100% precise in estimating someone else's prepared food, it might be higher or lower

Focusing on the things we can control, we can bend the odds into our favor. With the odds in our favor, fortune and misfortune will still happen but we will win more often than we will lose.

So consider your own plan to lose weight and get fitter and healthier. What are the choices that you control? What are the factors and outside of your control?

Not getting emotionally upset (or gleeful) by the things we don't control, and understanding that they're just the way that fortune works, makes this experience more enjoyable and endurable.

^{^♂55} ^{^{5'11^{^/179㎝}}} ^{^{SW:298℔^{^/135㎏}}} ^{^{CW:183℔^{^/83㎏}}} ^{^[3Y AMA],} ^{^[1Y recap]} ^{^{MyFitnessPal+Walks🚶Hikes+TOPS}}

submitted by /u/funchords
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2s6RZxU

New Year Reflection and Refocusing Progress Pic

Wow what a year last year was. I made some huge progress, down 27 pounds since August.

Progress Pic

I'm at my lowest weight since 2013. I also hit a huge Plateau and managed to not lose any weight since the end of October. Thankfully I didn't gain any weight either, but I am ready to review last year and get my goals in order for this year. Looking back on my posts I made some lofty goals after my initial quick start to my weight loss. Now with 2018 in the review mirror I wanted to make some new goals and get back to the habits that made me successful in losing 27 pounds this year. I started this journey because I wanted to be healthy and a good example for my daughter. I also was identified as having Prediabetes and as corny as it sounds the new year provides us a great opportunity to look back at the previous year and look forward to new goals.

I am going to track my calories everyday in MFP (Current Goal: 1,750 calories)

I am going to hit 10,000 steps on my Fitbit everyday.

I am going to go to the gym 2 times a week to run

I am going to run my first 5k.

I am not going to let one bad day or binge derail my progress or weaken my resolve.

I am attempting a 2 lbs/week goal with my refocused efforts.

This would give me the following mini-goals

230 lbs by January 30th

220 lbs by March 6th

210 by April 10th

200 by May 15th

I can't wait to get to my goal this year. I will not only be out of the Obese BMI, but also out of the overweight BMI. I can't wait to take a new r/progresspics photo and post about my successes later this year.

submitted by /u/maxedout89
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2s69AG8

I’m so tired of family/friends/people giving me their opinions about how I’m losing weight.

So this is going to be a giant fucking rant, and new account for obvious reasons and will be posting here more often. Also on mobile so please forgive formatting!

The story of my weight loss, and the struggles I’ve had to deal with over the course of my life. I’m 6’2, so I’m pretty lucky but my weight has always been a constant battle for me. Growing up I was always a bigger kid (the terms were husky, big boned, or a thick boy), but I always played ball (baseball pitcher) and was on club teams/school. Playing ball kept me in okay shape, but I injured my shoulder and had to quit playing this was in high school.

Now the reason I was overweight is because my mother is an amazing cook, and I would always be guilted into eating more because of the whole “there are starving kids in Africa” blanket statement after I said I was full. I had to realize that I was over eating. So to give you an idea on my weight at 16 I was ~210 and then in college I gained the freshmen “15” and with other weight gained between my quitting of baseball to college I ended up at ~240 at the age 19. After my freshman year I was tired of being fat and made that mental switch of you have to fucking do it.

At the age of 19 I was diagnosed was ADD/ADHD (Now I recently got an official OCD diagnosis so yeah me 😂) and I got my first prescription to Adderal. It was life changing for me because not only did it help by suppressing my appetite, give me energy, but mentally as well. If anyone’s interested in that side of the story, let me know because I feel like I might have some insights that others might need to hear because my mind runs a million miles per hour and can’t stand still half the time.

Alright back to weight loss story, so at 19 and 240 I went on “extreme dieting” often doing a mix of calorie counting and intermittent fasting. I was eating ~1200 calories a day, and if I worked out I ate more accordingly. I picked up tons of healthy hobbies, but running was my biggest outlet. In the course of ~8 months I was able to get down to 165 pounds. Since I was skinny and fit I was picking up and doing all these new hobbies like MMA, soccer, and ballet (still needed my fine arts credits at university).

I will admit 165 was too tiny for me I was at a 30-32 waist and medium shirts I also got a gf and got lazy and went up to ~180. I maintained the 180-190 for ~4-5, but when I turned 25 my father became sick. I quit my life, moved back in with my parents to take care of my father before he died. During that time I was a caregiver 24/7 split shifting taking care of my father at night while she did the day. All I did was care for my father and drink beer.

I was not being healthy at all, and it sickens me looking back but i was drinking 3-4 30 racks of coors a week and really not doing anything active. Over the course of ~3 years I slowly gained wait until I was 275 pounds. Then in July/AugusT 2018 after my father passed I wanted to get back tO my old weight. I am now at 220 lbs now and lost about 10 lbs a month by mainly not drinking And mY IF/calorie counting Methods.

Well of course my family wants me to eat more or change my eatiNg habits because its “not healthy” I just want to tell them to STFU, I have done so much research and have found this works best for me. People lose weight differently and this is my method that works for me and many others.

/end rant

ThanK Y’all for letting me vent

submitted by /u/VentAboutItLIT
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2St0gYd

Can lack of sleep cause lack of weight loss?

Will only getting 4/5 hours of sleep a night prevent weight loss? I’m working out 5 days a week, lifting, cardio, and I have hit a wall. I’ve lost over 40lbs in the last 4 months, but no matter how much i lose I can’t seem to lose my gut. At 5’10”, 186lbs as a 22yo male, the only hold up in my weight loss is my gut.

With all the working out I’m doing I’ve been expecting better results but not seeing them. Could my lack of sleep be preventing any further progress? I get up at 3:15 to do my workouts everyday but don’t fall asleep until we’ll after 10 each night. I’m assuming I’m not helping myself at all with that schedule.

submitted by /u/DAK00LA1DMAN29
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2ApSIPk

"If You Stop Thinking Of Exercise As A Way To Lose Weight, You May Actually Enjoy It"

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/if-you-stop-thinking-of-exercise-as-a-way-to-lose-weight-you-may-actually-enjoy-it/

TL;DR , Exercise makes you healthier, but doesn't result in significant weight loss

This has been one of my 'gut feels' about losing weight for a while and I am glad to finally find an article presenting evidence to confirm my suspicions. I have always believed that eating less food results in weight loss while exercising makes you fitter (and healthier) but the two are not related. In my experience, intense physical activity always makes me eat more and has never resulted in any weight loss. The only way I have ever lost weight is by eating less.

This is the season that everyone joins a gym to finally lose those extras pounds, and then gives up a few months later when all their hard work hasn't produced any weigh loss. This seems to explain why.

submitted by /u/deenem4
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GS0rvb

7 Hearty Power Bowl Recipes for a Filling Flex™Meal

Power Bowls are heartier than a salad, more solid than a soup, but with as much flavor as both: Think of a bowl from your favorite fast casual Mexican restaurant, but in flavors from all different cuisines.

They’re simple to make, which makes them perfect for a quick, filling, nutritious weeknight meal that fits with your weight loss plan. And if you eat one of these seven power bowls, you’re really putting the “power” in that bowl: Each bowl has a belly-shrinking, energy-boosting or craving-crushing power all its own.

The Nutrisystem Grocery Guide

Check these seven power bowls for a simple, heart and delicious addition to your weekly menu:

1. Asian Edamame Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 354

On Nutrisystem, xounts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one-half-a Vegetable and one Extra

Superpower: Protein without meat!

To kick off our list of power bowls, we’ve got a classic. Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders: The muscle-building nutrient takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, so it helps you feel full for longer than bread-heavy meals. But you don’t need meat to get it—cooked edamame has 11 grams of protein per half-cup, the amount contained in this simple recipe. That’s almost 25 percent of the daily recommended protein for women in this powerful bowl.

But it’s got much more than nutrients: With mandarin oranges, heat from ginger and crunch from carrots and scallions, this power bowl is packed with the flavors of your favorite stir fry. If you’ve been searching for a Meatless Monday meal that feels like a main course, your wait is over. The nutrients you need and the flavor you want are all in this bowl.

2. Peanut Butter & Jelly Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 282

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, one PowerFuel and two Extras

Superpower: A.M. sweetness without the guilt!

If you’re not an egg lover, breakfast on a weight loss program can be missing something: sweetness. That’s part of what makes Nutrisystem so great: You can have things like the Double Chocolate Muffin and still stay on track. And it even works with your Flex Meals when they’ve got the kind of nutrient-dense ingredients found in this PB&J Power Bowl.

Made with real, fresh strawberries to keep the sugar down and Greek yogurt to pump up the protein, this ain’t your old packet of instant oatmeal. This bowl includes a simple, strawberry jam that you make yourself—don’t worry, it’s easy!—and peanut butter to make it oh-so-satisfying. And with just 282 calories per serving, it will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth while giving you the lasting energy to power through the start of your day.

3. Sweet Potato Hash Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 242

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, one-half-a Vegetable and two Extras

Superpower: Veggie servings at breakfast!

If salad doesn’t quite jibe with your ideas about breakfast, you can still start the day with vegetable servings that will give your body important vitamins while providing the filling benefits of fiber and have it feel like “breakfast food.” The Sweet Potato Hash Power Bowl does it all: With a fried egg and avocado slices sitting atop a simple-to-make sweet potato, pepper, and onion mixture, it’s a hearty, diner-style breakfast you’ll love.

And it’s got fiber that will have you love how full you’re feeling: One half-cup of sweet potato has 3.3 grams of this filling nutrient, which will help keep you feeling full far into the morning. And fiber’s got another bonus, too: A flatter belly. According to research published by Science Daily, for every 10 grams of fiber you eat each day, you could have as much as four percent less fat around your stomach

7 Simple Stir-Fry Recipes That Are Anything but Boring

4. Chicken Root Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 348

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One PowerFuel, one SmartCarb, two Vegetables and two Extras

Superpower: Four veggies in a single bowl!

Forget a single superpower: This bowl’s got a super team of root vegetables to make your meal extra hearty. Beets and sweet potatoes add sweetness. Cauliflower adds crunch. And spinach really does add that Popeye strength: One cup of cooked spinach contains 5.3 grams of protein, almost as much as you’d get from a hard-boiled egg. Italian-seasoned chicken adds an even bigger muscle-building, belly-filling punch. And it’s all tied together with a homemade, white balsamic vinaigrette that’s sweet with honey and spicy from Dijon mustard. This bowl fills you up, tastes gourmet and is loaded with vegetables—watch out, salad, this meal’s coming to replace you.

5. Salmon Tahini Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 401

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Vegetable and two Extras

Superpower: Hearty fish with an all-new flavor!

It’s no secret that fish, like salmon, is something we should eat more often. The Omega-3 fatty acids these fish contain can help lower heart disease risks, and monounsaturated fats can also help dieters lose belly fat, according to Science Daily.

But it’s tough to mix up the salmon routine. Unlike chicken, which we’ve all had prepared in innumerable ways, many home cooks only know one or two ways to prepare the pink fish. The result: Fish fatigue.

The Salmon Tahini Power Bowl smashes fish fatigue with chickpeas, carrots and a homemade Tahini dressing that’s a perfect pairing for the simply baked salmon, which is ready for action in just 20 minutes.

6. Veggie Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 302

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One PowerFuel, one SmartCarb, two Vegetables and two Extras

Superpower: Cooked vegetables with a CRUNCH!

Fresh veggies bring the crunch, but don’t always feel like a dinner-worthy side dish. Cooked vegetables feel more like the evening meal, but when you’ve going meatless, they can make the whole meal feel a bit…mushy.

This Power Bowl’s got a secret to fix all that: Pumpkin seeds. Those little green pearls give this four-veggie bowl a satisfying crunch. And they also bring the nutritional heat: Just one ounce of pumpkin seeds provides four grams of filling, belly fat-reducing unsaturated fat and five grams each of filling protein and fiber.

11 Cauliflower Recipes So Good You’ll Forget You’re Eating Veggies

7. Superpower Breakfast Bowl >

Calories per serving: 279

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Vegetable and one Extra

Superpower: Bacon and eggs for fewer than 300 calories!

And last but certainly not least on our list of power bowls, we’ve got a hearty recipe that can start off your day with nutrient-dense and delicious ingredients. This breakfast is one of our top picks on our list of power bowls… after all, it has the word “superpower” in its name.

It’s more than a breakfast: It’s brunch-worthy. It’s a real, no-joke full breakfast—turkey bacon, egg, potatoes, with some blistered cherry tomatoes and wilted spinach—the types of ingredients you’d get after waiting in line for a table at brunch. But what makes it super is making the calories from those foods seemingly disappear: Even with all that hearty, delicious breakfast goodness, this Super Power bowl has just 279 calories. Forget the power of flight—that disappearing act is truly amazing!

The post 7 Hearty Power Bowl Recipes for a Filling Flex™Meal appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf http://bit.ly/2F0Oh0k

2018 was quite a year! Tips for 2019

Hello all!

I figured we might have an influx of new people on here with the new year. I was in your shoes last year. I felt like all my questions were stupid questions, I was intimated by other users flair and progress but ultimately this community kept me going all year and I'm down about 95lbs (Christmas might have put me up a little bit but I'm back to the gym today!)

I know every one has their own journey but I'd like to share some thing I learned over the last year to maybe help you.

It all started with diet. January and February I stuck to my diet perfectly. No cheating, everything was perfect. Then around March I started having diet soda and cheat days here and there but I always made sure to make up for it by taking an extra walk.

I started with yoga. I did yoga for about a month before I even tried going on long walks or walking to work. It wasn't to burn calories but it got my endorphins running and it was motivation to get more flexible.

Then I started taking long walks on Saturdays. I included taking pictures for my instagram and would some times get a nice lunch, I would try not to eat back ALL my calories but I was so over weight and so out of shape that I was burning far more then most would when doing the same amount of activity.

Then I started going for walks around my neighbourhood at night but I wanted to get home to just relax and I was getting frustrated at how long it was taking me to get back when I wanted to just watch TV, so I started running. Slowly at first. I would dress to run and then I would walk for a mile or so and then set a goal "I'm going to run till that lamp post" and then I would sprint. It slowly turned into jogging and keeping a steady pace for longer periods of time. This was about May/June.

Then we had this horrible heat wave other the summer and I knew my limits. I couldn't run in the heat, I just wasn't there. So I joined a gym on a week pass. I wanted to see how I liked it. I went at times that weren't super busy and I just walked on the treadmill at first. Then I slowly picked up the pace. I even starting doing couch to 5K to keep my mind busy. I found I really liked going to the gym.

So my tips:

- Take progress pictures

- Start slowly I used to in the past decide to start dieting and promising to go to the gym 5 days a week. Then I'd be hungry and tired and in pain.

- If you're comfortable share on social media your new hobbies and activities. Even a simple facebook status "Can't wait for the gym after work today!"

- Know your limits. If you plan on doing a 5K and you're not in a good place and have to walk that last 1k, do it. Don't force yourself.

- Buy cheap clothing, you will shrink and you will be upset. Also keep your jeans you fit into right now. I went from US 22 to US 10, it's so funny putting on the old jeans and having to hold them up like in those weight loss ads

- Don't call it a diet, it's a lifestyle change. And I know this is something everyone tells you but seriously. I didn't say "Oh I only eat healthy now!" I said "I only eat what I feel is worth it." Sometimes I would treat myself to a piece of cake at work. I'd take one bite and it wouldn't really be worth it to me to finish the cake because it wasn't tasty enough to eat the calories.

- Write a letter to yourself 1 year from now. I read mine from last year and it was so sweet, I was so kind to my future self. "It's okay if you didn't lose the weight, it's really hard, but I bet you tried."

- Don't compare yourself to others. You take your own path and do things at your own speed. This is your journey.

- Read something that will inspire you. Even if it's not a weight loss book. I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I really liked her story of not having any idea what she was doing but was going to do it anyway. And even if there was a hiccup in the plan, she found a way around it and continued. (this can also be movies, tv shows, podcast, youtube videos, documentaries..)

- Visit this subreddit. SV and NSV are great. Sometimes it's nice to brag about them here. My friends and family kind of got tired of me after a while.

- Don't eat back your calories every time but if you want a treat, try and make it up by some extra gym time.

Hope I've helped at least some one! :) Thanks for reading!

submitted by /u/Itsalwaysthecat
[link] [comments]

from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2F67PAe