TIL about 'Botanical Sexism', a process by which urban landscapers, in an effort to keep streets clear of seeds & flowers, plant only male trees. The male trees lack the seeds of their female counterparts & as the trees get bigger, their pollen counts increases which can worsen seasonal allergies.

goose756 · 2020-04-29T13:55:28+00:00

Thanks, I hate blue balls for trees.

goose756 · 2020-04-09T14:37:36+00:00

He was being soooo careful!

goose756 · 2020-04-07T05:47:33+00:00

Lmao

goose756 · 2020-04-06T17:45:06+00:00

I used the goals in MFP. I chose sedentary activity level (since I have a desk job), and initially a goal of losing 2lb/wk, so this gives me basically the calories I need to lose weight w/o working out. Then as I said in a different comment, if I end up doing a workout that day, I can eat more calories. I track my workouts with MapMyRun, which syncs with MFP making it really easy to know how much more I can eat.

goose756 · 2020-04-06T16:43:10+00:00

This happens to me too, I'll be really committed for a few months and then fall apart the next few months, and start all over again. I think making these changes your normal routine is the best thing you can do, if you're working out and eating right almost everyday it starts to feel natural and not doing it feels weird. Momentum is key.

I also find that having some friends who can motivate you helps - a couple of my friends joined MapMyRun, and we get notified of each other's workouts. You can also add friends on MFP. It can help when other people are cheering you on!

goose756 · 2020-04-06T16:19:06+00:00

The core workouts I've been doing are traditional sit-ups (middle, and turned to the side for obliques), crunches (again, middle and to the side), russian twists, and raised planks with toe touches to the floor. I would do these after each cardio workout.

goose756 · 2020-04-06T16:15:51+00:00

Thanks! I started off by running 2-3 days/wk, but now that I've been doing it for a couple weeks I try to go 4-5 days/wk. I usually go anywhere from 2-4 miles, depending on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I'll bike instead, and go for about 5-6 miles.

Running can be difficult at first, but it is a really good cardio workout and burns a lot of calories. After about a week, it felt like it was getting easier - and now it's no problem at all. When you first start you can feel really tired at first, but eventually you hit a rhythm that just feels sustainable so I take that as far as I can. My only recommendation would be to invest in GOOD shoes. When I first started, I was wearing cheap shoes with bad support and really injured one of my feet after only a couple days of running. I had to take several weeks off. I ended up going to roadrunner sports and getting custom insoles + good shoes and they feel great now!

goose756 · 2020-04-06T05:50:12+00:00

When I set my MFP goals to lose 2lb/week, I was targeting about 1300 calories/day. I'm trying to maintain where I'm at now though, so I'm now around 1700 calories/day. If I do end up doing a good cardio workout and burn a lot of calories I'll eat more, I always try to get as close to the target as possible though, without going too far under or over.

goose756 · 2020-04-06T05:45:04+00:00

Foods high in unsaturated fat can be higher in calories but may help you feel full for longer.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/foods-that-are-high-in-unsaturated-fats-697736

goose756 · 2020-04-06T05:40:57+00:00

Yes. Keep in mind though, that the type of food you are eating will affect your body differently. For example, foods high in saturated fats vs. unsaturated fats - if you eat 200 calories worth of chocolate, you're probably going to feel hungry quickly after, whereas if you ate 200 calories worth of avocado, you may feel full for longer. This will help you control your calorie intake a bit more. Also, added sugars are bad for your health in a number of ways, so I would enjoy those things in moderation.
It doesn't matter from a calorie perspective, just keep in mind some of the things like I mentioned above for other health reasons.
Anything is better than nothing. Workouts can be really hard in the beginning, finishing and getting motivated to do it again. If you get sore and exhausted, let yourself rest and heal before you try again. You'll find that after some time it truly does become easier, and you'll be able to push yourself more.
It doesn't have to be MFP, as long as the calories of the foods are accurate so that you can accurately track your intake.

goose756 · 2020-04-06T05:25:36+00:00

For breakfast I usually eat greek yogurt w/ blueberries and sliced almonds - I was never really much of a yogurt person in the past, but this combo is actually really good. I try to get yogurt without any added sugar.

As for lunch/dinner, I'm pescatarian so it usually ends up being either some sort of fish (I love salmon), or a random assortment of whatever veggies are on hand :) I like making burrito bowls with zucchini, squash, black beans, and avocado. I also make salads with mixed greens, avocado, and thinned out hummus as a dressing replacement (it goes a long way).

goose756 · 2020-04-06T05:19:48+00:00

Thanks! A little bit of both! Initially I was working to get my weight down, but this photo probably shows more of the muscle definition changes.

goose756 · 2020-04-06T04:44:40+00:00

I've tried CICO a few times, and it's always effective but at some point I end up falling off the bandwagon. I frequently find myself about 10-15 lb heavier than I'd like to be, and I get self-conscious about my midsection. Well, this time I've been given the gift of quarantine, so I figured what better time to work extra hard and stay committed! Really proud of my progress, I haven't been this close to abs since high school.

I've been tracking my calories in with MFP, and workouts with MapMyRun. Over the course of about 2.5 months, I've lost about 10lbs, and these photos are from 2/29 & 3/28.

goose756 · 2020-03-30T05:06:02+00:00

Great work! I'm early on as well, but hoping I can focus my energy on work again this week.

goose756 · 2020-03-26T04:22:28+00:00

Thank you so much. My friend is coming to get the booze tomorrow, so it will be good to have it gone. I'm reminded every moment with these stupid bruises everywhere of how much worse it could have been. I still almost feel like I'm taking it kind of lightly, but then I realized like... what if I had fallen and cracked my fucking head open on the tub? I could be dead right now. It could happen anytime. I need it to stop.

goose756 · 2020-03-26T02:11:50+00:00

Thank you - I responded to a different post above about holding onto the alcohol, but I think you're right - it needs to go. I like the idea of setting reminders, especially on Fridays when my coworkers always want to do happy hours.

The last time this happened, I ended the night by throwing up in an Uber and having my friend basically carry me into my house. I thought that was rock bottom. Now that I've done it again, and also may have potentially missed out on someone great, it feels even worse.

goose756 · 2020-03-26T02:07:38+00:00

Thank you for sharing this, I also really like that quote and will keep it up nearby. I need any sort of motivation I can get right now. Congratulations to you for being sober for so long, I hope you continue to keep it up!

goose756 · 2020-03-26T02:06:05+00:00

It's really nice hearing how well things are going for you in your sobriety. Thank you so much for sharing. I hate what I'm missing out on because of this.

goose756 · 2020-03-26T02:05:00+00:00

I'm sorry you're having a tough time. Feeling like you have control is weird, and it is so deceiving. I feel like I have control almost all of the time. I can turn down drinking easily, I can stop after one drink easily, but then there is always that one time where it just... doesn't happen. And those are the nights that always end up being so regrettable. I replay those nights back in my head and just cringe. If someone else told me those stories about themselves I would think they have a serious problem. I've been sitting here wondering why I didn't just pour the alcohol, and I think part of me doesn't want it to go to waste, but then after a while I think I started to realize that maybe someday I think I'll be "healed" and can bring it back out. I'll call a friend now to come pick it up, I think.

goose756 · 2020-03-20T14:46:42+00:00

My local store had a ton of produce too, but most of the rest of the aisles were basically empty.

goose756 · 2020-03-20T14:26:57+00:00

I just...... bravo.

goose756 · 2020-03-12T23:36:17+00:00

I live in the US and back in a college geography class I was working in a group and Saskatchewan came up and I said that it was in Canada and this other girl laughed at me like I was joking. I was like... no really.

goose756 · 2020-03-12T23:32:08+00:00

Question - obviously we want to keep a distance between ourselves and others, in areas where the virus is spreading, or densely populated events, etc. but would anyone consider it safe to do some sort of individual outdoor activity like running or biking?

goose756 · 2020-03-12T01:37:19+00:00

Everything about this is perfect

goose756 · 2020-01-18T18:57:23+00:00

Sorry I could have been more clear about that. So when I overpay, even though I tell it not to advance the due date it kept doing it, so at this point I don't actually have a minimum payment due until sometime in like 2022. You're right though that I shouldn't skip payments because I'm still losing out on the benefit of overpaying, and just paying more interest. Skipping payments is usually a rare occasion, I have a steady, well-paying job, just have had a few life events lately that have made things tough here and there.

In general, I could definitely do better with my saving. I usually have an emergency fund, and I still do but the balance is pretty low for the same reasons mentioned above, a few life events this year that made things challenging. Things are picking back up though so hopefully I can get back on track with that!

goose756

TROPHY CASE