Robin1117's Blog

It's A Fine Line--My take on Self Perception

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:07:06 GMT

My long-time friends here at mfp have been through some ups and downs with me, mostly on the up end, because I'm such a diligent fitness buff, and I seem to know what to do to keep that up.

But one part seems to always keep coming up: and that's the pesky self-perception part. It seems like maintaining brings these qualities on w/me.....so I wrote about it here.

Would love to hear some comments and perspective and ideas. I know you gals have had some similar experiences and must have some good ways to keep yourself in check....

Oh, and if you do like it please vote below as more people can see it then and hopefully offer perspective too!

Thanks pals!

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/05/23/its-a-fine-line/

The Balancing Act, Fun vs. Fit

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:54:35 GMT

Check out my new fit and focused post and join a discussion.

How do you stay focused when the season changes, and you are having a tough time staying motivated to workout...even though you know it's the best thing for you?

I'm having a tough time with this right now, detailed here....

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/05/14/the-balancing-act-fun-vs-fit/

Please check it out, and vote and comment if you like it!

Confessions of a Maintainer on her 3 Year Anniversary

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:27:29 GMT

I have never been much of a planner, and I think this tendency of mine to just go-with-the-flow, and see where it takes me, has been a blessing on this road through maintenance.

In August 2009 I signed up for Myfitnesspal, exasperated. I was mad at myself. I didn’t know what to do or how to change the new reality that was morphing before my eyes; a life consisting of bigger sizes. Getting older. Losing control. And lower self-esteem.

I’m a numbers person and learned really quickly how the math worked on this site, learned to log my food, stay within limits and learned to add exercise into my day. Within a few months I had lost a few pounds.

And then a few more.

Then, hmmm…how much more can I lose? Hmmm, let's see...

When the scale stopped moving I was at a weight I hadn’t seen since I was in middle school. You can imagine, I was giddy; and stunned that this was even possible.

This was May of 2010. At that point I began the life journey known as maintenance.

And, here it is, May 2013, and I’m still here.

You know that feature on the mfp newsfeed that notes how many days in a row you have logged in? I turned that off a long time ago, because later this summer it’ll be 4 years, and I doubt I have missed many log-in days. Instead I made a pact with myself that each year in May, I would celebrate maintenance. This overview is like a little gift to myself, and considering the statistics showing the pathetically low percentage of people who lose weight and are actually able to maintain it over time, hopefully this will provide some inspiration to others that it actually CAN happen!

Each year has been so different, on many levels.

Year 1: The first year was a huge struggle. There was a lot of obsessing over everything I ate and how much I could comfortably eat to maintain. There was some angst and confusion over how much exercise I really needed to do each week. There was a ton of fear and worry that every little teeny tiny movement on the scale showed a gigantic failure. I logged my food faithfully. I exercised every day, but it was mostly cardio, and I was bored.

Year 2: My second year started with a big mindset shift. Because I was having a tough time staying motivated with exercise, I finally consulted mfp peeps and reluctantly began strength training for the first time in my life. This made all the difference. Staying the same weight wasn’t really the focus anymore. It morphed into: How can I stay healthy? And Strong. And Fit. After doing some starter 30-day workouts for a while, I did my first big exercise “program”, P90x, and this gave me such confidence! I never thought I could do anything so tough, or stay committed to a program for that long. Since then, this serial-program training has become the norm.

Somehow, without conciously making this decision, I transformed into a fitness buff. Who would have ever thought? Certainly not me! I used to say I just exercised for the extra calories I needed to confidently consume wine and chocolate. Not the case anymore; fitness became a hobby and time to myself that I looked forward to every day.

My overview last year, as I read back on it, is really still true. If someone wants to read a maintaining “how to”, definitely go back to this post : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin1117/view/maintenance-is-a-choice-my-2-years-of-maintaining-263772

As for my state of mind at the end of year 2? I was still a bit of a mess. Strength training, although great, caused me to obsess even more about weight. I agonized over every fluctuation on the scale, as well as photos and measurements. A really bizarre self-esteem problem emerged. I was happy with the way I looked when I first started maintaining....why was I not satisfied that next year, even though I actually looked better, and stronger? I stopped seeing myself as thin, and instead just focused on my flaws. I thought exercise was the way to fix them, so became very frustrated while micro-managing the results of these programs because sometimes visible results were microscopic when compared to the effort.

I heard a TedTalk a few weeks ago that I keep thinking about. A model was talking about beauty, and self-esteem, and she mentioned that every top-model has the lowest esteem of anyone. Although I’m not even closely model-like, I can now see how the constant focus on trying to stay “perfect” would put you in that mindset. Here is that talk if you want to check it out: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=174727961&m=177496449

Year 3: Going into this year, I realized I had to do something about the obsessive qualities I had picked up. I gave myself a year-long goal to stop weighing myself and that has helped a ton, although at first continued to measure and take photos each month. When I started obsessing over photos and measurements in the same way? I put a stop to both of those too. And I have relaxed a lot since; it has made a world of difference.

The worst surprise of the year was after months of blissful non-weighing, I had to get weighed for a doctor’s appointment and I discovered I’m now about 6-7 lbs heavier than when I first started maintaining.

But I’m wearing the same clothing.

And I look the same.

This concept of being stronger, but heavier, has taken me awhile to get used to, but I can confidently say now that I don’t care about that number.

I have learned that "being in maintenance" does not mean you need to stay the same weight.

Maintaining is a mindset.

It means you just aren’t looking to “lose weight” anymore...

But I have learned there’s a lot of shifting going on in the body whether we like it or not. When you are strength training and working different parts of the body, you are mixing it up all the time. So I need to get used to it when my shirts are a little tighter in the shoulders, or even if my jeans are a little tighter in the thigh. I’m sure it’ll shift back at some point (or hope!)...

Remember at the beginning when I said I’m not much of a planner? Many times I have visited mfp forums and been in discussions with mfp friends about whether someone is going to “log their food for life” or “stop participating in mfp when maintaining”, or even decide what their ultimate goal weight should be, or if they should exercise at all, and whether it should be all cardio or strength training…

My 3-year, mature maintainer answer on this? Don’t waste your time speculating on what's going to happen down the road, wait until you get there!

If I decided on my goal weight at the beginning, I’d be 10-15 lbs heavier than I am now. If I didn’t open myself up to learning about exercise from others on this site, even though the social aspect of mfp was a very tough concept for me to embrace at first, I would still be bored with exercise or would have stopped a long time ago. I wouldn’t be strong, or fit, or even have this “hobby” that I just love thinking about during the day .

If I decided at the beginning whether I would still be logging into mfp once I reached my goal, I can assure you that answer would have been a clear “no” and I would probably still be on that up and down weight roller coaster I used to be on. I came onto this site for the first time just “to lose a few pounds” and ended up with a completely different outlook on life. I also came away with many, many wonderful friends like all of you, who I look forward to conversing with each day about some of our most personal thoughts and challenges. Who knew?

And what about logging food for life? Wow, I have been a very, very diligent logger since the beginning. I have always thought I’d do it for as long as it works for me, although, no, of course nobody wants to think they will be doing this for life. But something strange has happened in the last few months. I have become really lazy about it. And I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s finally my natural time to let loose a little? So many years later... Or maybe not? I’m still working through this in my mind. I love the idea of not logging as it saves time and I might feel more "free", but I do love the control of knowing where I stand with the numbers. And unlike weights and measures, the ups and downs of the food diary don't drive me crazy at all.

So I guess I’m comfortable in my skin now, at a maturity of sorts. I have realized you just need to go with what feels right at the time, and not make any pre-conceived decisions that will box you in later or make you feel bad about not living up to these original expectations for yourself.

And so I enter year 4 of maintenance. I am determined to stay fit, to move forward and to keep learning what it takes to maintain for the long-haul, but without a plan or specific measured goals...

I'll wait and see where the process takes me...

Foraging--the best exercise and eating you can get!

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:45:12 GMT

In my humble opinion....check out my new post on finding ramps, and foraging for mushrooms in the spring...this complements my last post about getting outside more and I am trying to practice what I preach!

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/05/01/ramping-up/

Love to see for your comments and discussion and please vote if you like this!

Sense of Nature--importance of nature and going outside

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:21:31 GMT

HOORAY! The sun is finally shining, we are psyched to get outside! it's not all about fun, or even exercise. Being outside, or even just seeing nature and green and hearing sounds can have some great health benefits for us....

Check out my latest post about how I'm hoping to build this nature habit for me and my family....

Hope you like it--if so, please vote and would love your comments and discussion!

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/04/22/sense-of-nature/

Stairwell to Suburbia- finding motivation on a Monday morning

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:44:54 GMT

Here's a little write up about how I found inspiration to get moving this morning after having a weekend of "off" days...sometimes you find that motivation where you least expect to find it...

hope you like it! Please comment or vote and let me know your thoughts if you do :)

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/04/08/a-stairwell-in-suburbia/

Little Changes, Big Impact- New Post!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:35:33 GMT

Do you sometimes feel like you only have time to do projects and tasks for others but never anything that benefits "you"? I have been feeling that a lot lately and think I have had enough of it....

Here's a new post about how I have been making changes over the last few months, to include personal goals into my day, not just the dreary stuff we do for everyone else...and the inspiration behind it!! Hope you get some ideas and realize you are a priority too!

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/03/27/little-changes-big-impact/

Hope you like it! If you do, please vote and comment !!

Strong Arming the Future- Latest Post!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:12:25 GMT

Good morning! Check out my post on learning to make fitness a priority....

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/03/19/strong-arming-the-future/

Hope you like it!

Best Splurge Brownies ever.....Beware!

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:06:02 GMT

My friends requested this splurge recipe! So I apologize for tempting everyone....these are very addictive....definitely not something for everyday, based on all the sugar, but so amazing!

Que Sera Sarah Brownies
>Nantucket Open-House Cookbook-Sarah Leah Chase
>
>
> 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
> 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
> 5 large eggs
> 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
> 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
> 3 3/4 cups sugar
> 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
>
> -Preheat oven to 350 (they call for a convection oven so use that if you
> have--I don't have one so just use regular). Line an 11 x 9 inch pan
> w/aluminum foil leaving a little overhand around the edges of the pan.
> Butter the foil.
>
> -Melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, watching
> carefully and stirring occasionally, just until smooth.
>
> -Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla, coffee and sugar in large
> mixing bowl at the highest speed for around 10 minutes. The mixture should
> increase in volume and look like softened coffee ice cream. Mix in the
> melted chocolate and butter on low speed just until blended. Add the flour,
> and stir until mixed. Turn the brownie mixture into the prepared pan.
>
> -Bake the brownies in the center of the oven just until a hard crust forms
> on the top and the edges are very slightly browned, 18-20 minutes. The
> batter underneath the crust will be runny and undercooked by normal baking
> standards. Let the brownies cool to room temperature.
>
> -Refrigerate the brownies at least 6 hours or overnight. Using the foil,
> lift the brownies from the pan. Cut into 20-25 squares. If it's cold
> outside, sometimes I just stick these outside for a few hrs. and they harden
> in a few hours....or even in the freezer....
>
>
>
> *** my note: this recipe calls for using in a convection oven-I don't have
> one but they turn out great anyway. Instead of coffee powder I just ground
> our strong coffee on the finest setting and used that-I'm not sure what the
> difference is. Also, sometimes I use 2 tbsps of coffee if it's primarily for
> kids, although the kids like it with more and less!
>
> The original recipe calls for walnuts and a little almond extract--but I omit for
> my nut-free version.

My Food Evolution

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:05:19 GMT

My "Food" story, and everything I have learned about how to eat healthy and well, hope you like it!!

http://afitandfocusedfuture.com/2013/03/11/my-food-evolution/

Hopefully in the next few weeks I can add my fitness story, that I can call a success thanks to almost 4 years hanging out with friends on mfp!!