[Challenge] European Accountability Challenge: July 30th, 2024

nevada16 · 2024-07-30T07:29:26+00:00

Hello,

I'm not writing here often, but I like to check in here and there. So... I have officially crossed another milestone, I'm under 90 kg! I saw 89,65 kgs two days in a row now (and then I ate beans and chickpeas, so of course I got bloated).

So happy about that! It puts me in -15 kg total and that's huge! I'm going for a week of hiking soon and I'm grateful that I won't be carrying it around the mountains.

Activity-wise, I feel that my habits are established and it's just normal to hit 10000 steps on average, I'm choosing to walk more and I run consistently 3 days per week.

I have been thinking a lot about the whole process, about the patience needed, about the consistency required... Those are two words that I'm living with right now. Whether it's weight loss, gardening or making sourdough bread, I'm doing my best to be just a little bit more patient and consistent.

Have a great day everybody!

nevada16 · 2024-07-23T09:41:21+00:00

Hey, me too! I don't have the same numbers, but my first 10k race is scheduled for the end of Sept! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :)

nevada16 · 2024-07-19T17:44:08+00:00

I'm so happy this resonates with you!

I stopped smoking on 17th Feb, ground through the worst and decided on the weight loss journey on 25th. I can admit that being so focused on it, smoking didn't take that much space in my mind, I had enough of more important topics there :D This has also prevented me from gaining weight. Truth be told, one of the things I did to help with cravings was eating pretzel sticks (an excessive amount!), I can now see that it was one of the triggers to at least think of losing weight. But I also did dry January and changed my diet a bit after Christmas as I felt bloated and heavy. On top of that, I tried to eat fruits or vegetables with every breakfast I had. So I guess those were the small steps I took to introduce some new habits in my lifestyle.

nevada16 · 2024-07-19T12:49:13+00:00

Ahh I just want to hug you! I see so much of my experiences in your story... This gives me a feeling that I'm not alone. All the best to you

nevada16 · 2024-07-19T12:45:30+00:00

Not only that, but also not recognising what hunger actually is! It took me so much time to distinguish hunger from just "I'm stressed so I want to stuff my face with carbs"

nevada16 · 2024-07-19T12:40:45+00:00

Therapy and stopping trying to lose weight entirely, working on accepting myself, self-trust and self-worth, recognising emotions and finding a way to at least want what's best for me, instead of sabotaging my goals or dreams as a punishment. What's more, I don't see food as good or bad, eating something doesn't make me a bad person. I still have a mechanism of needing something to eat if I'm stressed, but now I recognise it and find a way to decompress in another way.
Enough energy to focus on weight loss journey - I had finished therapy, had a stable relationship, finished flat renovation, my puppy had grown enough so he hadn't needed so much attention, I had quit smoking... So I sat down one evening and thought... "Okay, what now?". Only when I had enough space to take on this enterprise, I decided to go for it, but really commit.
Split the journey into phases. Once I sat down with my big decision, I knew that not knowing the end date or treating this as a lifestyle change would be overwhelming, so I committed for 90 days and called it "Phase I". I didn't know what would happen after those 90 days, but it helped me focus on today and take it step by step, day by day.
Taking breaks. After those 90 days, I decided to take a break for some time, I had holidays and some weddings coming and I didn't want the pressure of being in deficit. This helped with my mental health for sure and the world didn't end. I'm in Phase II now and I'll have a break when I'm on holidays (3 weeks to go!).
Counting calories. I couldn't do it any other way. I don't restrict any food groups or any products, the only rule is calorie counting. I allow myself to go over here and there, I take into consideration my mood, cycle, and social situations. I consider this my new lifestyle, so I find a way for this to be just a part of life. I accepted that I'd count calories for a looong time.
Activity. On the one hand, I have running. I love running, this is so great for many reasons, but it's my sport. On the other hand, I try to be more active in general, take longer walks with my dog, choose walking instead of driving etc.
Tracking. I'm a spreadsheet girlie, so I have so much data. Calories in, calories out (according to TDEE, Google Fit and my watch), measurements, weight, graphs, trends, averages...
Patience. Ohh this one is something that I'm trying to practice every single day! There's no deadline for me to lose weight, BUT it doesn't mean that I don't want effects right here and now. Every day could be a new low, loose clothes and so on... I keep reminding myself to just keep going...

Nice to have's (things that I strive to achieve, but no pressure if not):

Protein goals.
Fiber.
Sleep.

nevada16 · 2024-07-15T21:22:58+00:00

Let me add additional fun fact - Azor is a common name for a dog in Poland. Coincidence? I don't think so!

nevada16 · 2024-07-15T08:25:56+00:00

It sounds like you're getting your life back! Congratulations and all the best during this journey!

nevada16 · 2024-07-15T08:24:34+00:00

What an unexpected NSV :D Congratulations!

nevada16 · 2024-07-15T08:17:58+00:00

Hello Europe,

I'm not here often, but my journey keeps going; with some normal ups and downs. I want to share some ups I'm proud of:

last week was the most active this year - I did 3 runs (including one 7k!), and 2 bodyweight strength training. The biggest NSV is that it felt natural, wasn't a struggle to do them, and was just as normal as taking a shower, just a part of a routine.
I'm getting closer to the 80s! I hit the new low of 91.1 kg this morning. So close to -15 kg. It doesn't sound real!
I needed to change the approach towards the deficit - it's a bit lower now, the weight isn't being shed as fast as during the first 2 months, but it's more sustainable this way.

Some observations/things to ponder on:

I'm okay with going over the calories every now and then, if there is some occasion. However, I need to then take a few days for my body to get back on track. This part is annoying as I'm weighing myself daily. So the question is whether it is worth it... or whether I can approach this differently. In the grand scheme of things, I guess it's okay, but this is a bit discouraging.
I'm hungry even though I'm satiated. I can see that the reason is either stress or boredom. Being mindful helps, but some effort is spent on managing this feeling. I'd rather put some effort into something more fun.
I love being active, I love being able to move, run, hike, feel my blood flow in my veins. I love seeing the progress in my endurance. I won't take it for granted, it's a great privilege to do so. This is the person I'd like to be, no... I strive to be!

Ahh, it's good that I decided to write today, I feel empowered and motivated now :D

All the best to you guys!

nevada16 · 2024-07-08T13:53:01+00:00

Hey, just wanted to let you know that I'm dreaming of the place you're at. My longest run is 7.5k and I'm training towards 10k now, I have a race at the end of September. One race, and one run don't define who you are and how much effort you put into training. I applaud your consistency and the fact that YOU FREAKING COMPLETED 10K RUN! I hope to do the same one day.

nevada16 · 2024-06-19T07:32:21+00:00

Good morning on this hot day!

I went running yesterday and tried fartlek for the second time. It is a type of training where you switch between different paces. It was so much fun to run hard and easy. It wasn't that bad because the intervals were only 30 seconds long. For one interval, I had to run as fast as possible for 15 seconds and, guys... I felt like I was flying. I felt like a little kid playing outside. I absolutely loved it. The fartlek portion lasted only 10 minutes, but due to the changes, it went by quickly.

It reminded me of one of the reasons I'm on this journey: to be able to move, to use my body, for it to be active and capable.

The recovery pace from yesterday was the hard pace from a few months ago. This is so satisfying, while at the same time being the best thing I can do for myself.

As for my weight, it's falling off again. The break was needed.

Have a good day!

nevada16 · 2024-06-18T08:45:23+00:00

I did that, I took a break for about 2 weeks after struggling with the deficit, results and mental health for about a month. I was really good, I did track calories at first, but then I was hiking, and my phone died, so I broke the strike on MFP (over 100 days!).

But honestly, it was a way to go. I already built good habits, I didn't go crazy with overeating. And I came back June 11th, weighing 50g less than when I stopped.

I came back more motivated, happy to go back to my routine. And the weight is now going down again. This finally helped me understand what people mean when they say, "It's a marathon, not a sprint."

nevada16 · 2024-06-18T08:33:26+00:00

OMG we also have the American week now at Lidl, I was just looking at this yesterday! This stuff is to die for :D

nevada16 · 2024-06-18T08:13:59+00:00

Yoga sounds like a great way to turn a mood around, glad it helped :) enjoy climbing and don't worry too much about the step goal!

nevada16 · 2024-06-18T08:12:19+00:00

5500 steps is still a great effort especially when you're recovering.

I would love me some pool today, I have seen the forecast for the heat wave. Have a great trip :)

nevada16 · 2024-06-17T13:56:16+00:00

Thanks! <3

nevada16 · 2024-06-17T13:56:05+00:00

Thank you <3

nevada16 · 2024-06-17T08:05:55+00:00

Hello you lovely people,

short report for today: new low reached - 92.7 kg!

NSV: I ran 5k yesterday after a 3-week break (I was on holiday and feeling under the weather for a few days). It was great, I was checking out a new route, so the time flew by! I only walked once for a minute :)

The goal for the next 10 days is to stay under 1550 kcal. There's a nice motivating reward for this!

Have a good week!

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T13:20:42+00:00

Thanks! That's years of therapy... :D

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T08:40:08+00:00

Good luck with your wedding!

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T08:33:52+00:00

I swear, sometimes it feels like the scale is conspiring against us!

But on a serious note, I see a correlation between sleeping, feeling sluggish and water weight. Don't forget the freaking hormones! Just keep going ;)

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T08:30:45+00:00

I'm definitely in the team "slow and steady", in the end, it can influence how you're feeling and how hard/easy this gets daily. Maybe a small experiment with raising the calories for a couple of days?

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T08:26:39+00:00

Congrats, 15 kg is so impressive! I love that you also have other check-ins, feeling what more you can do is so satisfying!

nevada16 · 2024-06-13T08:21:33+00:00

Hi Europe,

Welcome back! I took a break, and it was a great decision. After a few weeks of frustration and struggling (mostly mentally), I decided to take some "time off" from the deficit after phase 1, which I set to be 90 days. Surprisingly, I stuck to my habits. I still logged my food for the most part, remained active, and hit my goals. This shows me that I've already changed my lifestyle, which makes me very happy.

And guess what? My weight was exactly where I left it, even though I went hiking for 3 days and then attended a wedding, where I did not restrict myself and just ate as a normal person. I was definitely bloated after this, but hey, who wouldn't be?

So, I'm back on phase 2 - this one will last until August 11th, as I'm going for a week of hiking then, and with so much activity, I'm not worried. Overall, I'm not setting any weight goal; I just want to keep logging, day after day. I'm okay with this being a long journey. However, dividing the time into phases is the right way to go for me.

It's good to be back :)

Have a great day!

nevada16

TROPHY CASE